Chapter 176
Chapter 176
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: Honest Trap - 3
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Offense asked in surprise.
“Huh? Did you calculate that in an instant?”
“Business requires quick math. You’ll need to learn fast too if I’m ever going to trust you with managing the money later.”
“I never said I’d do it.”
Swoosh.
At that moment, Neril lowered her hand.
Her face was slightly flushed.
I said with a mischievous grin.
“You were calculating too, but Serein beat you to it.”
“No? I was just stretching my fingers.”
“Sure, let’s go with that.”
“Anyway, over 5.4 million combined. That’s insane.”
Just then, the trumpet fanfare stopped.
Risel put away the trumpet and said.
“No one’s listening.”
“No, that was a truly splendid march.”
“March? …Anyway, 5.4 million blows past even Adin’s 1.2 million. The absolute heavenly divine edict included.”
“……”
“I wish we could just dump all our fame onto you, Maide.”
“We’re not Bellosians. We can’t transfer fame like that.”
But she had a point.
If we could convert 5.4 million fame into raw power, even the Bellosian in the special chamber would be a pushover, right?
No, don’t get greedy.
“With just 1.2 million, we turned a 5-kilometer radius around the Secret Forest to ash. That’s why we set this fight as our starting line to begin with.”
“It was to avoid any collateral damage.”
“Exactly. The starting line’s in the middle of nowhere.”
I clasped my hands together.
“I’ve said it before, but let’s confirm again. Kaild and I will face off against Keild and the branch-breaker Neril.”
“……”
“Impellium said Keild might be stronger than me now. So you all, who can’t convert fame to power yet, stay hidden.”
Everyone’s faces darkened.
Jenia said cautiously.
“If we take them out now…”
“We’re saving that for the Bellosian fight.”
“Yeah, I know, but…”
“Knocking them out now gives us a one-month window.”
“If things go smoothly, we’ll handle the Bellosian within a month, right?”
“That’s only if things go smoothly.”
There could be variables.
In that case, breaking them right before the final battle with the Bellosian would be ideal.
The mood felt a bit gloomy.
I hurried to say.
“If you’re moping because you think you won’t be helpful, drop that idea. Got it?”
“But—”
Neril cut in.
“It’s a relief you guys are the type of comrades who even worry about that.”
“Huh?”
“Our fight was really just up to Kaild and Idria. Back when we started, we had no idea it’d turn into something this epic.”
“……”
“And yet, no one’s complained or despaired. You’ve stuck with us this far. Heck, you’re even bummed about not being able to help.”
Swoosh.
Neril looked at me.
“Pretty great comrades, huh?”
“Yeah. Couldn’t ask for better. I’m one lucky bastard.”
“We are too. We got a leader like you.”
“Neril.”
“Maide.”
Serein looked up at the sky.
“The moon’s bright…”
“Ahem. Anyway, point is, you’ve all been amazing so far, and there’ll definitely be times ahead where you need to step up.”
“……”
“No need to regret not joining this one. Got it? Enough with the gloom.”
Neril had grown enough to consider everyone’s feelings one by one.
Compared to her cold, detached self before the regression, it was a huge leap.
More than her magical growth, that warmed my heart.
Faint smiles returned to everyone’s lips.
I said.
“Jenia, once Agril’s shared vision confirms Kaild entering the starting line, get out of this area immediately. With the others. Serein, prep some potions.”
“Got it.”
“Of course.”
I turned my head.
“Adwin, crank up our focus as much as you can. Offense, lend me some poison.”
“Yeah, bro.”
“Mm.”
“Risel, leave some spirits at the starting line to spectate the Kaild fight. So we can react to anything unusual.”
“Yes!”
That distributed the tasks roughly.
All that was left was for Neril and me to go all out.
I looked up at the sky.
Serein wasn’t exaggerating.
The moon really was bright.
[Nervous?]
‘Nervous? Please.’
[No, but. Impellium said Kaild might be stronger than you now.]
‘Bit late to mention, but pre-regression, Kaild was actually way stronger than me.’
Back then, Kaild had taken over Bion’s body.
The one Adin had meticulously crafted to face Idria.
Objectively, pre-regression me—who couldn’t wield fame as power—had no chance.
‘But I never once thought I’d lose to him. Gut feeling, but.’
[If it’s your gut, it’s gospel.]
‘And now? No way I lose. I’m not worried about this fight itself.’
Just worried about…
No.
It’s not that important.
That night.
Ah, knew it.
“Ah, knew it.”
“Shouldn’t you keep that to yourself?”
“Slipped out.”
“……”
“What’s up? You called just me this time?”
Impellium stood before me.
No banquet this time, not even a cup of tea.
In that same room, he gazed out the window with hands behind his back.
I scratched my head and said.
“Where’s Serad?”
“Sleeping. With the kids.”
“Uh, um. Terribly late, but congrats on the marriage.”
“Haha. About 10,000 years late.”
10,000 years?
Must’ve misheard.
I leaned back in my chair.
“Why’d you call me? The vibe’s way different from before.”
“Yeah. We need a serious talk.”
“Shoot.”
“Looks like you’ve lured Kaild into a trap.”
The Eye of Omniscience saw it crystal clear again, huh.
I smirked and said.
“Knew he’d come?”
“One hundred percent. That’s the problem.”
“What is? Taking out the small fry before Idria and the Bellosian—solid strategy.”
“……”
“Or do you think I can’t handle Kaild?”
He turned, hands dropping from behind his back.
A gentle smile on his face.
“No. You’re not the type to lose to a fool like Kaild.”
“Then what’s the issue?”
“You just said it. ‘Kill the small fry first.’ Kill, you said.”
“……”
“I told you before. Don’t break your no-kill rule.”
That again.
I straightened up.
“That’s impossible.”
“……”
“I didn’t stick to no-kill out of some noble conviction. You know that, right?”
“Blood Letters.”
“Yeah. I can’t see my own Blood Letters, so I don’t even fully grasp how much sin I’m carrying. I just didn’t want to add murder to the pile.”
In short, it was insurance, not sainthood.
I continued.
“Besides, pushing this fight forward means I’ll have to break no-kill eventually. Idria and the Bellosian—they have to die.”
“That’s different.”
“What?”
“Idria, her minions, the Bellosian—they’re not human. My no-kill rule only applies to humans.”
Swoosh.
He sat across from me.
“You couldn’t have gone through life without harming a single creature. If stepping on an ant broke it, you’d have shattered it a century ago.”
“I’m not even thirty.”
“Just don’t kill people. But Kaild is human.”
“Ha. So what? Wait—no, hold up. Got a question first.”
I leaned toward Impellium.
“Why can’t I break no-kill?”
“……”
“Convince me. If not, I’ll kill Kaild. Our grudge runs too deep.”
“Sigh. Maide.”
Impellium rubbed his eye corner.
“This is a secret your current Eye of Omniscience can’t see. I shouldn’t tell you, but… you’re pushing, so fine. I’ll spill, sanctions be damned.”
“……?”
“How’d I die to Bellosian and Adin?”
My face stiffened instantly.
I’d wondered this for ages.
In our first fight with Bellosian, he’d said.
The battle with Impellium wasn’t even a ‘battle’—pure one-sided slaughter.
Impellium outclassed even Adin the heavenly god and Bellosian the great demon of lies.
How’d they kill him?
“No way… You broke no-kill, and that’s what did it?”
“Yeah.”
“W-what? That doesn’t make sense.”
“Heroes can’t kill people. That’s the world’s law.”
I shot to my feet.
A prickling instinct at my nape.
“You’re lying.”
“What? Why think that?”
“I can’t buy the world’s law being some fairy-tale nonsense about beauty and idleness.”
My voice lowered.
“We already know heroes are made by humans—not gods, not the world itself.”
“……”
“If I kill Kaild, won’t people still call me hero? Fat chance otherwise, but now? To humanity, he’s just a traitor. They’ll hail me as hero still.”
“……”
“Humanity’s recognition makes you a hero. So what right does the world have to impose no-kill conditions?”
I pressed on in a low tone.
“Plus, leaving Kaild alive? We know the disaster he’ll bring. Closing our eyes to that—helping humanity?”
Impellium’s lips pursed slightly.
I realized I was getting heated and sat back down.
“If that’s really the world’s law, it’s no better than Adin.”
“……”
“A law for humanity’s sake wouldn’t judge everything by its own yardstick like Adin. That’s why I think you’re lying.”
Silence hung for a moment.
Then Impellium burst out laughing.
“Hahaha. Can’t win against you.”
“...Just to check—you testing me again?”
“Sorry. But I didn’t lie.”
“What?”
“The world’s law really is ‘Heroes can’t kill people.’ At least now.”
Now?
Ah!
Lightning struck my mind.
Reading my face, Impellium nodded.
“The original law allowed heroes to break no-kill if a person’s survival posed greater harm to humanity. But…”
“Bellosian altered it.”
“Yeah. He rewrote it blindly: ‘Heroes can’t kill people’ unconditionally. No context. That’s… how I fell.”
He gazed at the ceiling.
“I’d broken no-kill once. That violation sealed it.”
“……Who’d you kill? Adin?”
“Then I could’ve been the heavenly god now.”
“Bellosian could’ve fetched him from the afterlife.”
“With his power to tweak laws, maybe—but only if Bellosian kept his word.”
“……”
“You can tell Adin’s paranoid. No way he’d stake his life on trusting Bellosian against me.”
Then who?
Impellium answered my wordless stare.
“There was this guy. Top of the scum I’ve ever seen.”
“Worse than Kaild or Adin?”
“Don’t compare him to that level.”
“Worse than Bellosian?”
“Bellosian’s demonic by nature—no shock there.”
Then.
A name popped into my head.
One Serad mentioned at the banquet once.
Impellium’s face had hardened terrifyingly when it came up.
His former party member.
“Acteon, right? The one you killed.”