Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Resentment Pursuit -6
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"...The Capital Knights?! I heard they were disrupted, but some stuck around...?!"
That was the only thought at first. But.
Lodrus's ears keenly picked up the anomaly. The engine noise was off. When the Capital Knights entered combat readiness, it produced a grating racket that scraped at the eardrums.
Not this subdued.
The possibility that came to mind was that a mage from the Violet Tower had gotten their hands on Golden Tower magic too. If they'd dressed up golems rolling around in armor and sent them out...
The Capital Knights' power came from power armor and the massive mana required to operate it. With that weak engine hum, they clearly weren't utilizing the armor at 100%.
So, they weren't a threat. There were three of them, but he could handle it.
Until the armors started using the bizarre martial arts the mage had employed.
"Kuh...!"
As if it knew exactly where his rapier was aiming, a hand that had extended long ago altered its trajectory.
He channeled mana into his feet to retreat, but another armor deftly hooked his leg, scattering his momentum. He swung his arm to shake it off.
Yet another slipped into the narrow gap and nudged his upper arm. His stance wobbled, and the strike fell short. His fist thudded against the helmet, denting it slightly.
Thud-!
A gauntlet slammed into his jaw. No big deal. With mana shielding him, it was negligible. He gripped his rapier in reverse and thrust back at the armor behind him.
In that instant, a low kick struck the back of his knee from behind, while a nudge to the shoulder came from the front. His trajectory veered. A failed attack created an opening. A knee drove into his side.
He gritted his teeth and slashed wide. The armors receded like an ebbing tide, then surged back like a flooding wave. It felt like sinking into a swamp. Lodrus flailed in the mire created by the three armors.
Attack one, and the other two blocked. They understood human anatomy and mechanics intimately, neutralizing attacks with minimal force.
"How in the world...!!"
This was textbook theory.
Three weaklings taking on one strong opponent? That was nonsense from those who knew nothing of combat. 1+1 wasn't 2. Cooperation inevitably wasted power, so perfect coordinated assaults didn't exist.
No matter how refined the teamwork, one mistake—a single domino falling—and it all crumbled like a sandcastle. It should have been that way...!
Three against one.
The armors embodied that phrase with their bodies.
In the fluid chain of linked strikes, Lodrus was slowly pushed back. One step to dodge. Then another.
The distance to the mage was growing. He was being herded!
A chill ran down his spine.
An alarm blared in Lodrus's mind. He couldn't give the mage time. Especially not that man.
Look—he'd conjured these golems in just a brief moment.
He turned his head. The mage had extended his hand. Glowing red eyes pierced him through jet-black hair. Something... was coming. He didn't know what, but it would be fatal!
Lodrus ignored the armors' attacks and charged. They clung like they wouldn't let him go easily, reaching out to grab his limbs.
"The shadow at your feet."
He tore free an arm locking a joint with brute force and headbutted an incoming fist. He didn't shake off the armor gripping his ankle but ran with it dragging.
"The darkness peeking through the closet crack."
Ominous mana surged. Should he halt the breakthrough and focus on defense? No matter how powerful, magic was just projectiles as long as he maintained his aura.
"The solitude of the pitch-black night."
Attack or defend? At the crossroads, Lodrus chose correctly. Attack. That mage wasn't an idiot. If he'd prepared the spell at the last second, he'd already calculated how to land it.
Kill him first. Before the magic completed!
Lodrus thrust his rapier with all his might. Just before the sharpened point pierced the mage's brow, the incantation finished.
"The shadow at your feet." "The darkness peeking through the closet crack." "The solitude of the pitch-black night."
⟨ Heart-Shattering Mystic Arrow ⟩
A black arrow shattered the artifact's mental barrier entirely—
...
What the hell had just hit me with 『that』?
My head was blank. No, half my head felt torn off. I felt nothing. Or maybe I was feeling far too much.
My ears rang. A faint noise clogged them. Lodrus twitched. Damp dirt rubbed against his cheek. It hadn't rained, though.
"────!"
His body convulsed. The reaction to extreme stress. It reminded him of hellish training—breaking his mind beforehand so mental magic couldn't touch him.
He thought the words "mental pain" had been erased since then. Even slaughtering people on the duke's orders brought no feeling.
"──────!!"
His chest tore open, nails splintering as he clawed the ground, writhing endlessly. Realizing the emotion filling his mind was resentment.
Only then did Lodrus grasp the noise's source.
"Aaaaaaaaaaah—!!"
It was his own scream.
I.
Failed to save my loved one.
Was horrifically betrayed by someone I trusted.
Failed to save a father-like figure.
The flimsy justice upholding my heart was shattered.
The last thread of hope turned to ash.
In the agony of his heart ripping apart, Lodrus felt inexpressible terror.
He had no loved ones, no trusted brothers, no kind and reliable father, no justice, no faith. Screaming in sorrow and grief, he couldn't understand why he screamed.
Phantom pain from nonexistent wounds. No injury to heal, so no hope this torment would fade.
If he had to live like this forever, then I...
"Aaagh...!! K, ugh...!!"
The ring on Lodrus's finger emitted faint light. His mind healed slightly, easing the pain a bit. Hope sparked.
This damned spell wouldn't last forever. Lodrus shook his head violently to escape the foreign memories.
Tears streaming, he barely stood.
The mage lay limp. The first solid hit must have critically wounded him.
Finish him. Complete the mission. Failure meant solitary confinement. He punched his trembling legs, advancing step by step.
Ten steps ahead.
As Lodrus picked up his rapier for the kill, a signal sounded. The Violet Tower Master had been released.
"...You're lucky, you peasant."
Capture by the returning Violet Tower Master would be trouble. Clutching his head, Lodrus fled. He vanished into the alley shadows instantly.
The mage, feigning unconsciousness amid the remnants, disabled the ground trap and muttered.
"You're the lucky one, you bastard..."
One more step, and the mage would've won. He'd have been captured and milked for info.
The mage struggled to keep his heavy eyelids open, muttering to stay conscious.
"...Gotta salvage some armor or artifacts. Puppeteer meta seems pretty solid..."
Holograms with slight physical force. Enough to wear gear, supplementing power with item stats.
The mage shrugged.
"...Damn, it's cold."
He thought his firepower was enough. But with the world screwing him over like this, he needed strength to flip any ambush and escape.
Obvious, really. Those targeting the Violet Tower Master would come prepared.
Dazed, he pondered options.
"Th-this... what happened? Are you okay?!"
A familiar voice rang out, and he lost consciousness.
===============================================================
The first thing I checked upon waking was this.
"...You didn't cause any trouble, right, Tower Master?"
"...You're awake?!"
The Tower Master gripped my hand tight, rubbing her cheek against my palm. Pinkbalrez, standing beside her, answered instead.
"She never left the sickroom, even for nursing duties. Said someone might target the crazy mage if she stepped away."
Phew.
I'd worried the Empire might be in flames.
Come to think of it, wasn't Pinkbalrez hospitalized too?
"...You're all better?"
"Yes. The crazy mage slept for about three days."
"Oh god."
"As for how badly injured the crazy mage was..."
I waved her off. No need to hear it; my palm was getting sweaty already.
The Crimson side had halted pressure. They hadn't expected their assassin to get wrecked by me. An tacit truce with the Second Prince's faction, apparently.
The other black mage bases we'd pinpointed were empty. Tail cut off, but gains made—no regrets.
The priest said I needed more rest, but I decided to recover at the Academy. Lingering at Crown Hall risked more schemes.
In hindsight, the Tower Master's call to leave was spot-on. Who knows what traps awaited at the mansion.
"...Damn it."
Not empty-handed, though. Got the suspicious statue the black mages used, confirmed suspicions on the traitor, and knew the Crimson Duke was definitely an enemy.
Their second son ate a Heart-Shattering Mystic Arrow—wouldn't be fine. So I hadn't just taken it lying down...
Still, I'd been played. I got beat up, Pinkbalrez hurt.
Seeing my foul mood, the Tower Master blinked frantically: "Shall I just kill them all, Master?" I stopped her. Full war now... someone on our side would die.
Mages bloom from time as fertilizer.
Wait and see. Once they grasp my preparations, they'll tremble, you bastards.
Thus, I returned to the Academy.
===============================================================
After the long carriage ride, we arrived.
"...Sh-should I help you walk?"
"Ah, yes. Please."
First, facility check. No power cuts, two intrusion attempts repelled, data intact. Good.
Why security first? I recalled a student with a red family name. If the Crimson Duke used his kids as manpower, that student might act on orders.
Steal info from my lab or whatever.
My mind was uneasy.
Planning sessions upon return? Now it was spec-ups and bloody intrigue.
Can't relax and play, only to get ambushed again—that'd be my fault. Had to prepare.
If only I could read their movements somehow.
"...?"
"Huh, Tower Master? What's up? Problem?"
"J-just a bit. Picking up a weird frequency. You... never did other TRPGs, right?"
"Ah, yeah. Only with you, Tower Master."
I peered over the monitor. Where she pointed, strange signals indeed. Two of them.
One: faith flowing to main NPCs like Centra, Ferro, Abraham.
The other: oddly, to the giant mutant.
"...Hmm. Huh?"
"Uh, yeah?"
The Tower Master and I shared a knowing look, then voiced our guesses facing each other.
"I blasted that Crimson Duke's second son with Heart-Shattering Mystic Arrow, and some memories mixed in... Seems he recognized the main NPCs."
"I smashed the Capital Knights Commander as a huge mutant right before... Probably stuck with him...!"
Uh.
Bitter... uh?
My brain spun. We pressed foreheads together, debating.
"Faint but faith—mana link active."
"Linked means... backtrace possible. Distance-dependent, but."
"Not just trace—could fire ultra-long-range illusion magic. Use the Academy basement array."
"And... ask Yuri. Leverage dream demon traits. Dreams as medium extend range hugely."
Which means.
I could screw the guy who gut-punched me. No, more—strengthen the link covertly, turn him into an unwitting spy.
Shivering with excitement, I uttered the dream-filled words.
"Remote TRPG...!!"
"Th-the Capital Knights Commander too! Punish him!"
Holding the bouncing Tower Master's hand, we spun pondering. What session? Convert him, troll him, extract info.
A demon's wail (7% pure) flashed by. I snapped my fingers.
"TS Magical Girl session."
"?"
Drool formed.