Chapter 118
Chapter 118
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Valtre's Rampage
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Paang-.
Over ten aura blades embedded themselves into Valtre's chest.
“Argh!”
Valtre collapsed alongside Notiang.
Arthur aimed his gun at him once more.
“Stop!”
Pheron cast petrification magic from his seated position, preventing Arthur from moving.
As an upper 5th Class spell, it was inevitable unless the target was a Sword Master.
Arthur's face stiffened as an unidentified energy pressed down on his body.
“Is this how you repay a favor here?”
He drew up all his mana.
His black hair peeked out from under the helmet and floated in the air as if whipped by the wind.
Golden aura then rose like a haze from his black armor.
“Gasp!”
The magic was nullified by the aura, causing Pheron to widen his eyes.
“What!”
The encircling knights were pushed back by the overwhelming energy.
Arthur turned, glared at Pheron once, then looked at Valtre.
Even without armor, the wounds on his body were mere scratches.
The rampaging power enveloped and protected his form.
“You'll be fine after a good nap.”
Arthur pulled the trigger.
Paang-.
Over ten more aura blades pierced Valtre's body.
“Argh!”
Valtre screamed, but Arthur continued his relentless assault without mercy.
Paang-.
Paang-.
“Arrrrgh!”
Gunshots rang out alongside Valtre's unending cries.
“You bastard!”
Pheron extended his arm, radiating murderous intent.
“Diamond Strike!”
He unleashed a mighty 7th Class attack spell.
Sharp ice pillars rained down from above Arthur's head or erupted from beneath his feet.
Arthur frowned and said,
“From now on, all defense is yours.”
As soon as he spoke, a sudden gale whipped up around him.
The whirlwind deflected every incoming ice pillar.
“Th-this is……!”
Pheron stared blankly, dumbfounded.
Arthur summoned his K1 Rifle in his other hand and aimed at Pheron's head.
“This is for your master, so don't interfere. Got it?”
“F-for Your Excellency……?”
Pheron's eyes wavered.
Arthur resumed his merciless barrage on Valtre with the Benelli M1.
Paang-.
Paang-.
The knights fell into chaos at the sight of Valtre helplessly taking the hits.
“Are we just going to watch?”
“What can we do? Even Lord Pheron can't handle him!”
“This is insane.”
The area where Valtre lay had been turned into a wasteland by Arthur's attacks, his clothes reduced to rags.
What was astonishing was that Valtre was still alive after such devastating blows.
Arthur had known aura enveloped his entire body, but he hadn't expected it to be this resilient.
“Ugh…….”
Valtre let out a low groan, his half-lidded eyes showing the murderous glint fading.
“He's coming back.”
Arthur lowered his gun and silently watched.
A moment later.
Valtre regained consciousness and laboriously opened his mouth.
“What happened?”
“You were on the verge of rampaging.”
“……I see.”
Valtre wore a bitter expression.
“Your Excellency!”
Pheron rushed to his side and cast 'Recovery', one of the powerful healing spells.
Valtre's body glowed white before slowly returning to normal.
It was strikingly similar to the effect of Aild's potions.
Color returned to Valtre's pale face.
Seeing him cast a recovery spell even stronger than Millerph's suggested he was superior in power.
'The Lefon Mage Corps must be involved.'
While Arthur pondered this, Valtre rose and stared at him.
Pheron stood beside him, gazing at Arthur with a face full of questions.
From their exchange, it seemed Your Excellency knew who he was.
Yet Pheron couldn't fathom how he didn't know of someone with this level of martial prowess among those His Excellency associated with.
His eyes then caught the dragon emblem engraved on the breastplate.
“……!”
In the Oscar Empire, a family linked to dragons……
The Julius Count Family!
But it was nothing like the armor of the Phoenix Knight Order from the Count Family he knew.
'Just who the hell is this guy?'
As questions piled up on Pheron's face, Valtre spoke.
“I won't forget this debt, Arthur Julius.”
“……!”
Pheron's eyes bulged.
Arthur sensed Valtre's intimidating aura had completely vanished and asked,
“You seem to have a special constitution.”
“You'll learn in time.”
Valtre replied coldly, locking eyes with Arthur.
“What about that bastard?”
“He got away.”
“Got away…… No other incidents I should know about?”
“You have zero trust in your allies. That's why you spy even after forming an alliance.”
“What did you say?”
Valtre frowned and glared.
Arthur met his gaze unflinchingly and asked,
“Did that guy come here for the Spear of Skana?”
“……!”
Valtre's eyes flashed for a moment.
Had Arthur not mentioned it, he might have completely forgotten.
“The spear? Don't tell me he…….”
“Yeah.”
Arthur didn't reveal Parsia's existence, so he stuck close to the truth.
He could have said he'd recovered the spear without mentioning Parsia, but that would make them think he possessed Altros-level power.
That would only heighten their wariness and complicate things.
Besides, he and Valtre would eventually face off as enemies, so hiding Parsia was best.
“Damn it!”
Valtre seethed at the fact that Altros had taken the Spear of Skana.
He'd also slaughtered the Tomoya Family's loyal retainers.
Among them was Notiang, whom he regarded as a mother.
Rage boiled within him.
“Altros…….”
His fury tensed everyone present.
“Your Excellency…….”
Pheron grew anxious, fearing another rampage.
But Valtre's anger soon subsided, and the feared outburst didn't occur.
Valtre fixed his gaze on Arthur and said to Pheron,
“Take everyone and leave. I want to talk with him alone.”
“Yes.”
Pheron bowed respectfully and led the knights away.
Valtre beckoned Arthur to follow him inside.
A collapsed wall came into view.
Valtre stood silently before it, and Arthur sensed through Parsia that the Spear of Skana had once rested within.
The silence stretched endlessly.
Finally, Valtre spoke heavily.
“Do you know what the Tomoya Family is?”
“Do I need to?”
“No, you don't. But since you're with me, it's best you do.”
Valtre explained the Tomoya Family.
Originally just a barony, it had risen to marquisate through the exceptional talents of his mother, Nervis Tomoya.
A woman of great ambition, her beauty unmatched her genius, melting even the Emperor's heart.
Thus, Valtre, bearing the Emperor's blood, was born.
“An remarkable woman.”
“Had she been born a man, she would have been Emperor.”
Valtre continued with ambition gleaming in his eyes.
“I will fulfill my mother's unachieved dreams.”
“You aim to seize the Oscar Empire?”
“I've made a deal with Ingenium. Kill Altros for me, and he'll cede half the Empire.”
“You plan to found your own nation.”
Valtre clenched his fist and replied,
“I will create my own world.”
“I see.”
Having heard enough, Arthur decided to satisfy his own curiosity.
“Why was the Spear of Skana here?”
“Hmm.”
Valtre was stumped, as it was a part even he didn't know.
After a moment's thought, he confessed honestly.
“I don't know.”
“What?”
“I only learned today that the Spear of Skana was the Tomoya Family's heirloom and that it was hidden here.”
Arthur nodded and asked,
“Have you tried communing with the spear?”
“No.”
“Hm, it's your family's heirloom, yet no communion? That doesn't make sense.”
“It was outside my interests, so I had no reason to know.”
“You saw for yourself against Altros, but the Emperor's forces are stronger than you think.”
“The war's outcome is already decided. Ruan Barotas will die by my hand.”
“I hope so.”
Arthur turned to leave but paused to add,
“While we're allied, it'd be nice if you trusted me.”
“I've never doubted you.”
“Then I can expect proper supplies.”
“The supplies weren't to your liking?”
“My men eat a lot. If you want to use us, feed us right. And we need sharp swords that can kill enemies, not scrap metal.”
Arthur grinned and sauntered out.
Valtre stared at the spot where he'd stood before calling for Pheron.
Pheron soon appeared before him.
“You heard? Give them an entire warehouse.”
“Your Excellency!”
Pheron's eyes widened.
One warehouse held nearly a year's worth of food and war supplies.
“That's too much.”
“We have to repay them like this.”
“……?”
Pheron tilted his head.
Valtre's eyes glinted with cold killing intent as he continued,
“That way, when I cut off his head later, I won't feel any regret.”
***
Leaving the castle, Arthur rode alongside Khan.
He soon exited the peninsula territory, slowed down, and thought of Valtre.
He had definitely reached Sword Master realm.
A burden already, there was also the risk of mana rampage.
It was enough to terrify even a 7th Class mage, and from his reaction, it wasn't the first time.
As expected, he was no easy opponent.
That aside.
There was something about the spear he'd been dying to ask, but since Valtre didn't know either, he couldn't.
Arthur called out to Parsia in the air.
-What's up?
Parsia appeared.
“Doesn't the Spear of Skana suppress the Demon King's power? Altros clearly used the power of darkness. So why would he want a weapon that's his natural counter?”
-Probably to conceal his dark power.
“What do you mean?”
-No one would suspect the wielder of a Demon King-suppressing weapon as one of his familiars. Plus, he likely meant to compensate for his weakened power with the spear's strength.
“So, it's not yet time to reveal the power of darkness to the world.”
As Arthur's eyes deepened,
-Someone's coming.
Parsia vanished.
Moments later, a woman in a white robe appeared ahead, breathing raggedly before collapsing.
Arthur's face hardened at the bloodstains on her robe.
'What the?'
Knights followed.
The crests on their shields and armor weren't from any Oscar Empire house.
“Finally caught her.”
“Slippery rat bitch.”
“To think we suffered like this for one wench!”
“Bind her so she can't escape.”
As the knights moved to tie her up,
A chilling aura suddenly washed over them.
They froze and instinctively turned.
A massive horse and a demonic-looking man stared piercingly at them.
“Gasp!”
“Wh-what…….”
“A m-monster…….”
“Run!”
They fled back the way they came.
Arthur stood motionless until they were gone.
Once they vanished completely, he dismounted Khan and approached the fallen woman.
Her robe was torn in places, revealing hints of purple hair and a youthful face beneath the deep hood.
Around his age, or at most twenty.
Whatever was happening, he couldn't ignore knights chasing an unknown girl.
But he didn't want to stir up trouble needlessly.
'What to do?'
As Arthur pondered inwardly,
The hood began glowing suddenly.
“What?”
Arthur swiftly pulled it back.
The woman trembled with eyes squeezed shut, light leaking from the white band around her forehead.
“What the hell?”
As Arthur reached to remove the band, Parsia appeared and grabbed his hand.
-Leave it be.
“Why?”
-I'll explain later. You should leave here first.
“……!”
Arthur's eyes chilled as he glanced toward where the knights had fled.
He sensed someone approaching rapidly.
Arthur scooped up the girl, mounted Khan, who bolted away at full speed.
Moments later.
A massive knight burst from the brush.
The man in brown armor scowled ferociously.
“Damn it, lost her again!”