Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Marquis Luck's Intervention
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“……!!”
A harsh slicing sound rang out, accompanied by a heavy sensation transmitted through my fingertips.
But unfortunately.
It wasn't the feeling of ripping out Livia's throat.
One of the holy knights protecting him from behind had grabbed Livia's robes and yanked him back urgently, causing my strike to land a bit shallow.
Thud!
What fell in place of Livia's neck.
Was the lower part of Livia's left arm below the elbow.
“Uwaaaaaah!! My arm!!”
Livia screamed hysterically, clutching his arm.
The holy knights escorting him swiftly blocked his front, forming a wall.
“Ugh, uuuugh! My arm, my arm!”
Livia picked up his severed arm in a frenzy and pressed it against the stump below his elbow before shouting.
“Great Heal!!”
Fwaaaaa—
Great Heal, an advanced holy spell that only bishops and higher could cast.
True to its reputation, the effect was astonishing.
His severed arm reattached to his body as if it had never been cut off.
“Too bad. I was aiming for your neck.”
“Wh-what are you all doing?! Hurry up and kill this damned heretic!”
At Livia's hysterical cry, the holy knights who had been focused on guarding him charged toward me.
Their movements from all sides—front, back, left, right—were undoubtedly fierce.
But.
Slow.
Over the past two years, I hadn't just been playing around.
Especially in chaotic melees against multiple opponents whose realms were inferior to mine.
I could wield far greater power than most masters.
As the holy knight approaching from the right swung his mace, I seized the nape of the one on my left and yanked him straight into the mace's path.
Kwajik!
The knight, suddenly turned into a mace shield, let out a dull thud before collapsing limply.
He had no choice but to fall.
No one survives a shattered skull.
Kwajik!
I snatched the mace from the right knight—who had frozen briefly despite his expressionless face—and smashed it into the one behind me.
Wooduk!
At the same time, I kicked the frontal knight away with an ironclad strike, sending him flying far off.
The words may be short, but in an instant, four holy knights lay fallen, creating a momentary gap in the battlefield.
I didn't miss that split-second opening and rapidly closed in on Livia.
“You think we'll fall for the same trick twice, heretic?! Shield! Shield! Shield!”
As if vowing no more carelessness, Livia layered three shields on top of each other.
The transparent shields had thickened to near opacity, infused with an immense amount of holy power.
Not content with that, a pure white—almost milky—condensed holy power took shape above Livia's head.
It emanated an even stronger aura than the Divine Fist from before.
...This feeling!!
I urgently shouted toward Miron and the marquis's knights.
“Everyone, get to the sides!”
With my cry, Livia's incantation completed.
“Too late! Vanish, heretic! Divine Buster!!”
Bwoooooung!
A straight line of sacred destructive beam shot toward me.
It was Livia's ultimate technique, one that had claimed countless lives from the alliance army in my previous life all at once.
Despite its tremendous lethality, its fatal flaw of not distinguishing friend from foe meant it was rarely used in actual combat, or so I'd heard.
I never imagined he'd already mastered Divine Buster.
Thud, thud! Plop!
As Livia's Divine Buster passed, the once pristine and ornately decorated throne room was covered in dust, with stone powder crumbling from the ceiling.
“Huff, huff...”
Livia panted roughly, peering out from his shield.
He didn't need to see his own state to know it was a mess.
Forcing out an unfinished technique had overtaxed his holy power, leaving his insides in turmoil. And his left arm had been severed and reattached less than five minutes ago.
“Urp! Bleeech!”
Splatter, splatter.
Blood dripped onto the floor.
In the puddle of blood, his reflection showed eyes bloodshot red from burst vessels.
His condition was abysmal, but even so, Livia could smile.
“Ha, haha... The heretic's gone!”
The scene he'd created.
The throne room was littered with corpses.
Among them were members of his own 13th Holy Knight Order, but Livia didn't care.
If a few expendable pawns could take down that monster, it was a bargain.
“Damn, I nearly died for real trying to spread the gospel in this backwater... Huh?”
Thump!
A hand burst out from the center of the throne room floor he'd blasted away.
Soon another hand followed, and with a 'pop', a body sprang up from the floor.
“...Divine Buster for real.”
Muttering in mild surprise, the one who emerged was none other than Jerome.
He had scrapes here and there, but no major wounds.
“H-how...?”
Livia stared in blank astonishment.
Divine Buster was the pinnacle of holy magic, usable only by archbishops.
Even masters couldn't take it lightly.
How could this heretic be so unscathed?
“Oh, this?”
Seeing his dumbfounded face, I was certain. The guy had talent befitting his past fame, but he clearly lacked real combat experience.
I pointed at the floor with a rotten grin.
“You think this is just flat ground? Break the floor and go underneath. Why tank it head-on like an idiot?”
“……!!”
I slowly approached the stupefied fool.
He'd trapped himself in shields anyway. Without dropping them, Livia couldn't escape.
And his Divine Buster had swept away the entire 13th Holy Knight Order.
No need to rush.
Or so I thought.
“Stop. That's far enough, young friend. Quite the show, but come no closer.”
Until a piercing killing intent stabbed from behind the wall where the Philador Kingdom flag hung, at the deepest center of the throne room.
“……!!”
The sharp intent was unmistakable, even without my senses.
The speaker's realm was anything but ordinary.
“Sorry, but this fellow is a very important figure to our empire. How about we call it here for today?”
...Low and calm voice. Duke Camille? No, the energy's weaker for that man. Not frivolous either. No ordinary person.
I couldn't readily guess who. The vast empire teemed with talent like grass in a field.
“...Shouldn't you at least give your name and origin?”
“Oh dear, my manners. It's been ages since I saw a young talent like you.”
A man emerged from behind the flag, grinning as if pleased.
“Marquis Luck of the empire. I humbly guard the eastern borderlands.”
...One of the Four Marquises!
He was a far bigger deal than expected.
The four marquises who followed right after the three dukes in the empire.
Unlike the three dukes who subtly backed Iberella, these split their full support between the crown prince and second prince.
“...Forgive my rudeness before such a noble lord.”
“Haha, no need. So, may I take this fellow now?”
Marquis Luck smiled warmly at me, but there was no sense of seeking agreement.
It was practically an announcement.
I objectively assessed my condition and reached a quick conclusion.
Can't win.
The Four Marquises were evaluated as just a step below the throne.
Even fighting with my body intact and staking my life, victory wasn't guaranteed.
Let alone after this fierce battle.
Then I'll extract some info at least.
I casually probed Marquis Luck.
“If Your Excellency takes him, of course I'd have to yield. However, this side has suffered tremendous losses because of that zealot.”
“Oh my, I truly regret that. So, as compensation, isn't letting you live unharmed fair?”
Marquis Luck smiled mildly while saying something chilling.
“Spare my life... That would be Your Excellency's will, I suppose?”
“Of course! I swear on my name. You're a key witness who must spread word of this across the continent.”
An intriguing statement.
Let's test it.
I slyly added to Marquis Luck's words.
“...If I do that, it would benefit His Highness the Crown Prince, wouldn't it?”
At my out-of-left-field question, a glint flashed in Marquis Luck's eyes.
“Hoh! You even figured that out? You're growing on me more by the minute. If not for this situation and my promise, I'd have your head as a trophy for my room.”
Killing intent laced Marquis Luck's tone—a clear warning not to cross the line.
Pushing further would be dangerous.
I raised both hands to clearly signal no intent to fight.
“Understood, Your Excellency. I'll remember your words well and spread them 'far and wide'.”
At my response—stepping back without crossing the line—Marquis Luck grinned.
“Heh, truly a likable young man.”
Satisfied, Marquis Luck turned to Livia.
“Now, Archbishop. Shall we go? His Highness the Crown Prince awaits.”
“......”
Livia glared at Marquis Luck without dropping his shield for a moment.
“...The Princess will remember this.”
“Oh? What do you mean? I came personally to escort you from this distant hardship. This reaction wounds me. I'm quite the valuable asset, you know?”
Livia bit his lip slightly at Marquis Luck's sly demeanor but soon sighed shortly and dispelled the shield.
“...Let's go.”
“Yes, Archbishop.”
Grinning, Marquis Luck tossed one last remark my way before leaping out the window.
“Well then, I'll be off. Jerome von Carviot, was it? Our domains differ, so we won't meet at the borders, but I have a feeling we'll cross paths again. Looking forward to it.”
Marquis Luck leaped away without waiting for a reply.
“...Heretic devil. You... I will tear you apart with my own hands. Definitely.”
Livia shed a single tear of blood from his bloodshot eyes, spitting venomous words before vanishing as well.
Confirming both had left, I spoke.
“Now, everyone, you can come up.”
As I finished, numerous hands emerged from the hole below, climbing up.
Miron, Mark, and the Marquis Midas's knights.
Just before Divine Buster fired, I'd smashed the floor beneath them to let them drop to safety.
“...Young master. Who was that man just now?”
Knight Mark asked with a rigidly tense face.
As someone nearing master realm, he'd vaguely sensed Marquis Luck's level.
I shrugged nonchalantly.
We were set to war with the empire, but no need to reveal I knew their internal affairs.
Unnecessary misunderstandings were the last thing I wanted.
“Who knows. Seems like someone here to rescue that archbishop. Too bad, but I had to let him go.”
Mark nodded as if understanding.
“...Indeed, that man's realm was fearsome. We should be grateful he backed off quietly.”
Exactly.
The Four Marquises were milder than the Three Dukes, but only relatively so.
Without the empire's current special circumstances, he never would've retreated so easily.
Letting Livia escape is regrettable, but the situation isn't bad.
Why Marquis Luck took only Livia without causing a fuss.
To publicize that the Third Princess Iberella had colluded with Philador Kingdom to strike the alliance from behind.
Sure, fierce undercurrents raged beneath the surface, but outwardly, it was a time of peace.
Exposing such collusion now would deal Iberella a heavy political blow.
Naturally, it would buy precious time for the crown prince and second prince locked in fierce struggle with her.
That would slow the empire's aggression.
Delaying their advance mattered more than taking Livia's head right now.
We needed preparations too.
“Yeah. They have their own circumstances, after all. Anyway.”
I shifted topics, gazing at the throne room's innermost depths.
“Now it's time to end this.”
Mark agreed and began stepping forward.
Our goal: the upper throne room—the kingdom's pinnacle, Philador's highest point.
The lair of the treacherous tyrant, King Mongmart.