Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Deadly Tea Party
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“Eat up.”
Dianne set down her teacup. Lander picked up his own and took a sip.
“This probably doesn’t suit your tastes, Guchi. Better not to drink it.”
“I was thinking the same.”
Guchi pushed his teacup aside.
“It’s just ordinary tea, so it should be fine.”
Dianne said, gazing at the tea.
“It’s fine. Even if it’s poisoned, it doesn’t matter. This body of mine has its own peculiarities, just like yours.”
“We never intended to use something like that, so rest easy. We have more convenient means at our disposal—no need to resort to that.”
Dianne crossed her legs and rested her hand on her knee.
“But why did just the two of you come? This place is enemy territory.”
“People will be coming soon enough. The magic Gilruud demonstrated will draw the Emperor’s attention for sure. There’ll be a full-scale investigation.”
“As expected, Kal was a dangerous man. We should have dealt with him properly.”
Dianne let out a small sigh.
“Silder always said it: you have to be most careful when you think you’re almost done. Isn’t it strange? We did our very best. We paid attention to every detail to avoid any missteps. We even sent five people to Blue Button for that reason. It felt like overkill, but better safe than sorry. And yet things turned out like this. What went wrong? I’d like your opinion.”
“Most things don’t go as planned. That’s all there is to it.”
“You’re right. The times they do can be counted on one hand. If I’d known, I would have killed Kal that first day we met, before he even reached Blue Button. So much would have been different.”
“He’s a man with many hidden cards. He must have weighed his options and decided he could survive by sticking close to you. He’s not someone you can kill easily.”
“Is that so? Well, considering he took out the 1st Knight Order, he must have had something up his sleeve. But are you two going to be okay? It’ll take quite some time for any reinforcements Kal sends to arrive.”
“If you want to end the conversation, feel free at any time.”
“I’m debating it. What gives you the confidence to come here?”
Guchi furrowed his brow. He must have sensed the ferocious auras surrounding the room.
Three outside the building, two in the hallway. One on the second floor. There seemed to be someone deep underground too, but the strange air currents made it hard to pinpoint.
“I’m starting to think coming along was a mistake.”
Guchi whispered softly. His words said as much, but his expression didn’t look urgent. It was just like Guchi to crack a joke even in a situation like this.
“You say you don’t know Gilruud’s whereabouts, so let me ask something else. How much do you know about the orphanage?”
“Orphanage? Oh, the one Gilruud’s teacher ran.”
“You know something?”
“Not really. I only know the broad strokes of what happened there—nothing in detail. No need to. But why ask?”
“My wife was there. I want to know what happened.”
“Is that why you came all this way?”
“I don’t like waiting. I plan to track down everyone involved and ask them one by one.”
“So your motive is revenge.”
“Probably.”
“Then why did you come with him, Guchi? You knew this place was dangerous.”
Guchi cleared his throat before speaking.
“No grand reason. I just couldn’t let this guy go alone. More importantly, why did you do something like that? Even back then, over ten years ago, you seemed strong enough. Was there really a need to obsess over power, even killing people for it?”
“Back then, I thought my skills were sufficient. But they weren’t. There are too many monsters in this world. To face them, I had no choice but to become one myself.”
“That’s horrifying. The way you killed those Blue Button people was insane enough—you must not be in your right mind.”
“I won’t ask for understanding. I know it’s cruel. But there are unavoidable circumstances in this world, aren’t there?”
“There were four kids under ten at Blue Button. That’s not something you can explain away as unavoidable.”
“I do feel guilty.”
“As if. Someone who knows guilt wouldn’t do something like that.”
Dianne only gave a faint smile.
Lander turned his head slightly toward the window.
“Looks like the one who went scouting is back.”
One of the auras circling the mansion had vanished briefly before returning. It seemed they’d checked for reinforcements nearby. Dianne’s lips twisted.
“I thought I’d moved quietly, but you’ve got sharp senses, Lander.”
“The weather outside is bad—have everyone come in.”
“Shall I?”
Dianne opened the door. Three men and women in light armor entered.
“We spotted someone watching the area but lost them. They slipped away before I could approach.”
The man with snow on his head said.
“Looks like there’s no one left to help you two now.”
Dianne said, staring into his eyes.
“I only asked them to keep watch in case of emergencies. If I let you slip away, that friend of yours will take up the pursuit.”
“You plan to subdue us?”
“If you choose a means other than talking, then yes.”
“I don’t know. I really don’t. What’s the basis for this confidence? It’s making me hesitate. Whether drawing my sword here would be to my benefit, or if running now would be better.”
“No matter what you choose, you won’t get the outcome you want.”
“Then what should I do?”
“Let me make a proposal. We keep talking. Ask each other what we’re curious about and answer honestly. It’s very efficient.”
“I’d like that, but the situation doesn’t allow it. The time I thought was on my side has now joined yours.”
People were gathering in the room. Every one of them had unstable mana flows.
“I won’t ask a third time. So sit and talk.”
“I’m uneasy, but no choice. We have to clean this place up.”
Lander paid more attention to the one left on the second floor than Dianne right in front of him. They were likely the messenger for contingencies.
If things went south here, they’d flee to Silder. That wasn’t what he wanted.
With Deong withdrawn from the scene, there was no way to track escapees.
“If that’s your will, then I’ll do what I must.”
He said, looking at Guchi beside him.
“Stay there. Don’t move.”
“Got it.”
He gripped his scabbard and stood. That was the signal.
Dianne and all the knights activated their mana. It was dense mana, the kind that could wreck their bodies without surprise.
The windows shattered. He could see those outside climbing through the frames.
Surrounded front and back. He looked up. The one on the second floor hadn’t moved yet. Had to deal with them first.
He drew his sword and tossed the scabbard upward. It punched through the wall and vanished.
As the encircling knights watched warily, only Dianne groaned, staring at the ceiling.
The presence on the second floor vanished. Blood dripped from the hole the scabbard had made. Messenger dealt with—only those in sight remained.
“Cheil! To Silder!”
A wise call. Dianne’s order was swift. But futile.
The standoff was already over the moment it began. No one could escape his sword’s domain.
He processed all sensory input at once, mapping the most efficient path.
He decapitated the two knights at his rear, then sliced the waist of one trying to pull back.
Blades came at him from both sides. Painfully slow swords. No need to parry. He slipped between them and cut down their wielders.
He’d decided who to spare at the start of the talk.
Dianne. One prisoner was enough.
While his mind reviewed future steps, his body mechanically cleared the foes. The swordsmanship he’d drilled endlessly severed the knights’ necks.
No blocks. The sword went where he willed, yielding the desired results.
When had it started? Forgetting fear and urgency. Playing Jun Gong’s triangular chess felt more tense.
Conversations by sword were so dull. The female knight whose legs were severed crawled forward on her arms, screaming.
An astonishing physique. With a body like that, she’d forgotten fear too. Similar to me in that way.
He slashed the throat of the leaping female knight with both arms. Even decapitated, the body charged aggressively.
He sidestepped lightly. The flying corpse slammed into the wall. It twitched like a headless chicken for a while before stilling.
“Second time seeing it, and I still can’t get used to it.”
Guchi grimaced. Lander flicked the blood from his sword and looked at the sole survivor, Dianne.
She stared blankly at the corpses before letting out a hollow laugh.
“I thought taking you alone was impossible, so I’d ruled it out. Now I see. Kal wasn’t the problem. You were the biggest obstacle.”
“I learned a few things in the process. Even if you sever their limbs, they can still talk, and they retain their sense of pain.”
“Not pleasant information.”
“The only presence I sense nearby now is the maid who showed us in. What will you do?”
Dianne’s eyes flicked left. He stepped forward and swung. Her left foot came off, and her body crumpled.
As she fell, she tried to slit her own throat with the sword in her hand. Realizing escape was impossible, she’d chosen suicide.
“You can’t die that easily.”
He closed in and seized her wrist. The sword she held clattered to the floor.
Bewilderment seeped into Dianne’s eyes, which had remained cold to the end.
“The Emperor’s people will find this place soon. Then you’ll probably envy these ones. In some situations, dying peacefully is a blessing.”
Lander said, scanning the bodies.
If handed to the Inspection Unit, this woman would neither live nor die. Her unique body would be prime experimental material.
“Are you the ‘Messenger of God’ Gilruud spoke of? That damned prophecy coming true now of all times. This isn’t the ending I dreamed of.
I can’t stop here. Silder and I have so much left to do. I’ll take responsibility and look into what happened to your wife.
So don’t interfere with Silder. He’s essential. If you block him, you’ll regret it later. He’s hope. The one who’ll bring the right order.”
Dianne pleaded.
(To be continued in the next installment)