Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 78
>Chapter Title: Why Are Your Eyes So Wide Open?
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I looked down at the gold snake writhing on the ground.
But first, there was something I needed to confirm.
“You really a gold snake?”
“…….”
“Guess that’s a yes.”
Even though the bastard couldn’t speak anymore, his eyes said it all.
His pupils trembled faintly.
They flickered as if to say, *How the hell did you know?*
“Alright, confirmed. So those things sprawled out over there—they’re your minions?”
“Ugh, uugh… kugh!”
“Why are your eyes so wide open?”
I kicked the bastard in the jaw, sending him tumbling backward.
Blood sprayed from his mouth in a long arc, splattering my robe with dark spots.
“……Tch.”
I shook my hand to flick off the droplets, then ripped off the robe entirely when the stains wouldn’t budge.
It was already half-destroyed from the fight anyway, so no great loss.
Just annoying to have that filthy blood on it.
Anyway.
“You’ve got three rules to follow in this conversation.”
I grabbed the gold snake by the hair and locked eyes with him.
“First: Keep your eyes respectful. Better yet, fix them on my toes. Might not be able to open them otherwise.”
And this was supposed to be the boss of the gutter rats?
Even after the warning, his gaze didn’t soften. If anything, it burned with even greater malice, piercing right through me.
But who am I?
Someone with so much fear it’s driven me half-mad.
I can’t stand anything scary.
Crunch, crack.
The gold snake ignored the first warning and screamed, clutching his eyes.
“Ugh, uuaaa—!”
“Feeling respectful yet?”
No answer.
When your superior asks, you answer sharp and clear with *yes* or *no*, not some gesture.
Of course, being the magnanimous type, I let it slide.
Next.
“Second: No funny business. Word is gold snakes can molt or whatever and each has some special trick, right?”
Professor Pellina knew quite a bit about salvati and gold snakes.
Molting was one of them.
*Magic that defies the natural order?*
Most forbidden spells go against the grain, but this took it to another level.
Yeah, exactly like that.
“…….”
I took in the death knight standing rigidly at the gold snake’s command.
It didn’t look like your standard death knight.
A proper death knight should be a skeletal frame in fancy armor, indistinguishable from a skeleton otherwise.
But inside that armor lurked no bones—just hazy black mist.
*Not bad…*
Dangerous.
If the gold snake hadn’t ordered it to stop, the outcome would’ve been hard to predict.
That’s why I’d ripped out his tongue first thing.
And the third.
“Answer my questions honestly and straightforwardly. I’m not in a great mood after dealing with you lot.”
No answer, of course.
Well, that was to be expected, wasn’t it?
Just to be sure, I looked at him.
“Can’t answer because you can’t talk? If so, nod.”
I posed the question and admired myself.
*Ah!*
How merciful was I?
Even considering the guy who’d cursed me without a word.
My heart was so vast.
Not quite an ocean, but at least a mountain spring.
But.
“You’re quite the drama queen, aren’t you?”
The gold snake didn’t seem in any state to accept my mercy.
“Ugh, uugh. Uua…”
Writhing and groaning in pain.
My words probably weren’t even registering.
Then it hit me.
“Ears you don’t need…”
No real point in keeping them.
But this was about necessity.
To keep even basic communication going, we needed a channel.
So instead, I decided to lend a hand.
“Gonna sting a bit.”
I cloaked my hand in flames of formation fire and pressed it to the gold snake’s cheek.
“Think of it as getting the pain over with all at once.”
Soon, a scream like tearing flesh echoed through the forest.
Here’s what I believe.
Everyone has a line.
I draw mine at malice, and this gold snake crossed it by miles.
That was that.
……Some time passed like that.
“Better now?”
“Uugh, uua.”
The gold snake nodded eagerly.
His resistance to pain wasn’t high compared to his malice—he looked downright compliant now.
“From here on, answer my questions properly. Got it?”
“Ugh, uua.”
The conversation went smoothly.
* * *
It wrapped up around dawn, as the moon set and the sun peeked over the horizon.
Whoosh…
I burned the gold snake’s remains and finally flopped down where I stood.
Chirp, chirp.
Before me stretched the peaceful scenery of Hamern Great Forest.
Thirteen black mage corpses—monster chow—smoldering wreckage, and over there, the tin can faithfully obeying orders whether its summoner lived or died.
*…Yeah, this is peace.*
Anyway, I’d had quite the long chat with the gold snake.
First off, his target was indeed Destrow.
*Said he came with one ally.*
I figured the black mage was it, but apparently they didn’t count as human.
There was one lingering question, though—why the connection between Destrow and me?
I glanced down.
The ground was covered in writing.
The gold snake’s answers.
Scrawled with fading vision, it was mostly illegible, but piecing it together:
*Original target was Obern. Ultimate goal—his master?*
Yeah, something like that, with all the backstory.
I asked plenty more besides.
- Nearby monsters? How’d you handle them?
Methods for driving Hamern monsters out of a certain area.
- Gold snakes each have specialties—what’s yours?
Right down to his innate abilities.
All sorts.
Of course, he stonewalled on some sensitive bits.
But what’s conversation? Communication. And I had a knack for this kind.
A little nudge, and he spilled.
One thing he wouldn’t answer, though.
- Salvati’s goal? Scale? Spill everything you know.
That moment.
-Gurgle, hack.
The gold snake vomited blood and died.
*Some kind of geas, huh…*
Lucky I’d asked everything else first, or I’d have been screwed.
Though I’d saved it for last, knowing the pattern.
Anyway.
“……Hoo.”
I took off my mask for the first time in ages, sitting barefaced in the heart of Hamern Great Forest.
“Damn… kuh!”
A mouthful of blood leaked from my lips.
As the dark blood soaked the ground, I finally got my insides somewhat under control.
“Those… fucking bastards.”
I’d played it cool in front of the gold snake.
But my post-fight state was far from normal.
The black mages’ spells—I’d analyzed and endured them somehow.
But the real problem was this.
“Ow.”
I lifted my shirt slightly.
Sss… shh…
On my exposed skin, two energies clashed, vying for territory.
One was…
*The Curse of the Thirteen Sins?*
An ancient curse triggered by thirteen lives.
Its ominous aura pulsed around my lower abdomen, surrounded by dense script.
Script… meaning…
*Hieroglyphs.*
Left chest.
Unknown characters extending from the Fire Mark.
The Fire Mark’s power had reactivated, battling the horrific Curse of the Thirteen Sins.
Luckily, the Fire Mark had the edge.
Even now, it was steadily eroding the curse.
Plus the aftereffects of the black mages’ curses lingering all over my body.
*Went to catch a rat and nearly got killed myself.*
I’d braced for Fresen-level, but damn near died for real.
Anyway.
“……Hmm.”
I assessed my condition and looked up.
The minor curses would fade with time.
The Curse of the Thirteen Sins—our friendly grimoire was handling it admirably.
*Hang in there, buddy.*
Nothing to worry about.
Except…
“What to do with that.”
I eyed the tin can standing tall.
Bathed in morning sun, it was… dignified, somehow.
*Made from a master knight?*
No wonder its movements were unnatural.
“Hmm.”
Truth be told, I was tempted.
*Damn impressive…*
Makes sense—a master knight.
Couldn’t wield full living strength, but inheriting the soul meant its signature swordsmanship was intact.
Would’ve been a huge asset.
*And I’ve got the controller now.*
The pitch-black bracelet the gold snake wore.
Wear it, command with *raise*, and it obeys to the letter.
“What to do, what to do with you…”
After some deliberation.
I made up my mind.
“Hey, you. Come here.”
[Ac.cept.ing. com.mand.]
Sure enough, with the bracelet on, it strode forward.
But.
Boom—!
“Ow.”
It leaped and landed right in front of me.
Couldn’t even follow a simple order normally.
Anyway, I looked up at the death knight gazing sternly down and issued a command.
Well, a preliminary one first.
“Get down to eye level.”
Clank.
Summon or not, I don’t like anyone towering over me.
*Tch. If I just grew a bit, I’d be that tall…*
On second thought, probably not.
Death knight thing, or maybe huge in life too.
Easily two meters, a massive frame.
Anyway.
My first real command to the death knight.
“You’re free. Go find your rest.”
Liberation.
No matter how strong the firepower, a person has things they should and shouldn’t do.
As I basked in my own generosity.
[Free…]
A low, heartfelt voice echoed in my ears.
[Free… dom.]
The death knight murmured the word like someone waking from a long sleep.
An inexplicable aura burst from it then.
Crack—!
The sinister runes shattered.
[…Indeed. The oppression is lifted.]
Whatever bound the death knight had broken free.
It looked relieved, gazing at the sky.
Like a prisoner seeing sunlight for the first time in years.
The death knight stared endlessly at the heavens.
Then its gaze dropped.
[But, little one.]
Little one?
[The one who killed this body’s wretched shackles—you? Hmph… You look scrawny, like you couldn’t even boil porridge.]
Can’t boil porridge?
*Where do you get off?*
I hadn’t finished growing, but my mana-upgraded physique was solid foundation-wise.
Not some musclebound Doranpega second son, but still decent…
“No, fuck this.”
Not the point.
Absurdity scrambles the brain—this was it.
“Hey.”
[Hey?]
I glared up at the death knight, leaning cocky-like.
It had straightened its knees already.
Anyway.
“There, I said you’re free, right?”
[And?]
“Word is, being undead? Super, insanely painful.”
[Hm, it hurts. Still does.]
“Then hurry up and crawl into your coffin—what’re you waiting for? I’m busy as hell.”
Normally, self-aware undead return to rest the moment they’re freed.
—Or so the gold snake said.
I’d planned to shoo it off and rejoin the group.
[Didn’t you say I’m free?]
“Yeah.”
[Then staying in this world is my freedom too.]
“…….”
Fair point.
*Damn straight.*
But considering my condition, I didn’t punch the death knight.
Not because I’d lose.
Definitely not scared of a sane master knight’s swordplay.
Anyway.
“Fine, then. Enjoy your freedom. We’ll go our separate ways.”
Clean goodbye.
A goody-two-shoes like Obern would hesitate to unleash a recovered death knight on the world…
*Not my problem.*
Whatever it did—lurk, rampage, terrorize the continent—that was on the death knight.
I turned to leave.
[Very well, lead the way.]
“……Fuck.”
A familiar pattern flashed in my mind.
“You from the Blandoga family by any chance?”
[Huh? Do Blandogas learn swordsmanship these days?]
Just a hunch, and nope.
Every step I took.
Clank.
It mimicked… then halted with a clunk.
“Goddamn… living long enough to see this shit.”
[Young thing with a filthy mouth.]
“Filthy as they come.”
[Think you’re the only one? I lived several times your age when I died.]
What…
“Ever hear death comes for us all?”
Wait, maybe not my line.
Felt like jinxing, so I clamped my mouth—then the death knight’s reply blindsided me.
[I’ve already been once.]
“……Hm.”
[They call this experienced, right?]
Damn.
What a bullshit day.