The Resurrected Immortal Chapter 59: Noble Chain Assault Incident (5)
"You've got a resolute look on your face."
"Yes. Thanks to you, I was able to sort out my thoughts."
"Thanks to me?"
"Yes. Well..."
[My merit is greater.]
'...Yes. I know.'
Eunhyeon let out a small sigh and agreed with Verdandi, who was proudly claiming her contribution. The way her hand naturally stroked his hair felt different from her usual demeanor, stirring a strange sensation in him.
If he had to put it into words, she had become strangely proactive, showing her affection through skinship without any hesitation.
It felt like something beyond the relationship of 'Apostle and Goddess' had been added between him and Verdandi.
The change was awkward as hell, embarrassing even, but it filled him with gratitude and joy at the goddess's care for him.
Steeling his ticklish heart with a deep breath, Eunhyeon put on a serious expression again and spoke to Abros.
"Could I see the buildings Ashton personally owns, or his recent spending records?"
"That's unexpected. I thought you'd prioritize dealing with the demon over that boy."
Abros's impression of Eunhyeon was that of a calculating man who acted without personal emotions, focusing solely on results and outcomes.
He upheld the lines one must as a person, but when faced with a choice like this, Eunhyeon unhesitatingly picked the side with greater gain.
Eunhyeon surely knew that if attention shifted to Erin—kidnapped as the demon intended—the demon might exploit the gap for something nefarious.
"Someone gave me a good scolding."
"You?"
"Yes."
With his lips, no less.
Letting out a wry chuckle at his own absurdity, Eunhyeon said,
"Told me to follow my emotions for once."
"Hmm."
"So even if it's a bit roundabout, I'll rescue my people first and handle things. The culprits don't seem to want the nobles' lives anyway."
Attacks were happening, victims piling up, but no fatalities yet—no one had lost their life.
In the midst of failing to catch the perpetrator, the one silver lining was that all victims were still alive.
With that confirmed—no threat to life even if more were attacked—Eunhyeon's mind prioritized Erin's safety above all.
"Plus, I want to screw over that demon who forced this shitty choice on me."
"Do it."
"I'm surprised you approve, Your Grace. With the kingdom's nobles under attack, isn't my choice ignoring their suffering for something else?"
"If not for you, we might not have even identified the culprit or pinned it on a demon. That's the reality of this kingdom right now."
Even after possibilities and crises were presented, the powers that be were too busy covering it up. Pathetic.
The nobles, drunk on post-war peace, acted like the war never happened, convinced their peace and privileges were eternal.
Terrified at the chance the chain assaults targeted them, they hounded the investigating Artia—yet boasted unfounded confidence from the safety of the capital, feeling no real urgency.
Refusing to believe in demons that once existed but were gone now, their complacent thoughts and choices made the kingdom's state utterly pitiful.
"The most pathetic might be my own son, pulling this folly in such times."
"I have nothing to say to that."
Anyone else might have flinched, denied it, and comforted him—but Eunhyeon neither denied nor consoled, simply agreeing.
Abros gave a bitter smile and met Eunhyeon's gaze.
"It's my failure in raising my children. I know it's a pathetic request, but please... don't kill him."
'Even in any situation, a parent's arm bends inward.' The saying fit.
No matter how pathetic, gripped by inferiority, making wrong choices—a parent couldn't disown such a son.
"I'm no lunatic who kills indiscriminately. I'll try, but I can't promise."
"That's enough."
"Ugh..."
Drained of even the strength to resist, Ashton dangled in midair, gripped by the arm of a single girl around his neck.
Energy Drain
It wasn't magic, but a kind of 'authority' or 'skill' like those Eunhyeon wielded.
By contact, it siphoned the target's mana and vitality, absorbing it into her body.
Moreover, it let her read fragments of emotions and memories embedded in the mana—not just mana and life force.
But the two oblivious male students saw only a sudden full recovery, a transformation into a silver-white nine-tailed fox beastkin, and unknown magic wrecking Ashton.
"W-What the hell is that...?"
"Not human?"
Ignoring Villad and Grass entirely, the girl drained Ashton's vitality to heal her own lingering injuries, sucked his mana, and peeked into memory fragments.
"Pathetic."
Staring at Ashton, she muttered coldly.
"His little brother was born with sword talent, joined the Royal Guard Knights, raised the family name as a knight. His little sister, not even from the Holy Kingdom, received divine grace as a priestess—with a brilliant mind, blooming as the kingdom's finest flower."
Ashton couldn't hear Erin's calm mutterings.
Drooling, eyes rolled back to whites—his state was far from normal.
"No outstanding talent in anything, yet he saw himself as special. Inferior to his superior siblings, anxious they'd steal his place, he trampled and shunned them to hold on."
No wonder Alex and Elenoa didn't get along with him.
"Wondered why he had such trash personality—turns out, no effect without cause. 'No bad child under a good father,' but here, it was the mother."
Father Abros treated all three equally, but Ashton's legitimate mother resented treating concubine's children equal to her son.
As the kids grew, she instilled ideas in Ashton to keep Alex and Elenoa from his position—brainwashing him into chosen-one elitism.
"Inferiority-complex trash not worth killing."
The girl roughly yanked the ornate rapier from Ashton's belt—scabbard, belt, and all.
She slammed his limp, dilated-pupil body to the floor like trash, then fixed her feral, razor-sharp gaze on the two stunned male students.
Villad and Grass shuddered under the nine-tailed beastkin Erin's stare, fear overtaking them.
Witnessing Ashton's withered, bone-thin husk—like nutrients sucked dry—they dreaded the same fate.
Erin slowly advanced on the two.
"S-Stay back."
As Erin approached, Villad backpedaled in sync.
Grass did the same, wary.
"W-We didn't do anything wrong."
"Yeah! Vice Duke made us bring you! We didn't touch you!"
Erin said nothing.
Just smirked.
Their desperate self-defense and mutual excuses struck her as absurd, pathetic, revolting, infuriating.
"I remember exactly how you looked at this girl when you first saw her."
"W-What?!"
"After your business with her, you planned to toy with this body too."
Entering the warehouse with Ashton, their lecherous stares at Erin mirrored her dead father's gaze at her.
She'd shuddered then; no way she'd miss it now, or let them off for the same expressions.
"Y-You're messing up bad."
"Messing up?"
"If I get a scratch, you're done. Hurt a count's son like me—a commoner—and it won't end with your execution! Your whole family gets dragged in and hanged! Got it?!"
Erin tilted her head oddly.
"Family? Don't have one. All dead."
"T-That..."
Flustered, Villad babbled incoherently.
Grass sweated coldly at her calm mention of her family's death.
'Did the shock break her?'
So different from the pitiful girl before.
"K-Kill me, and my house and kingdom won't let you live..."
Erin sneered, one corner of her mouth up, mocking Villad's trembling threats invoking house and kingdom.
"Same as him. Can't do shit alone."
He firmly believed his house and kingdom would avenge any harm to him.
Recalling Ashton's words to her earlier, Erin threw them back.
"What makes you think you can act like this?"
"What...?"
"You really think your house and kingdom would step up for you?"
"O-Of course! I'm inheriting my father's title—becoming a count! You're nothing compared!"
This guy too.
Like Ashton, assured of his future, born elite above others, steeped in chosen-one delusions, packaging himself.
"Haha."
"...?"
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Erin burst into uncontrollable laughter at the absurdity.
'She's lost it?'
Her sudden guffaws made them suspect madness.
Villad never dreamed he was the cause.
She stopped abruptly, smiling at him—chillingly so.
Chicken skin rose on his arms; he shuddered and retreated.
"Shall we test it?"
"What...?"
"Let's kill you here for real."
"W-What the hell?!"
"Kill you and see if your house and kingdom mourn one death and act. Let's find out."
"You crazy bitch!"
"I know I'm crazy. But."
Her face said, duh, why ask?
"This world that made me is crazier. Right?"
In a flash, Erin lunged fast for Villad's throat.
"S-Stay...!"
Horrified by her blurring speed, Villad hunched his neck, eyes squeezed shut as her hand neared.
BOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the entrance, a gust carrying something huge flying in.
"..."
Erin froze just shy of Villad's neck, turning at the blast.
A sturdy iron sliding door flew off its hinges.
A man entered: silver hair, red eyes, black longcoat—familiar.
Erin scowled.
Their eyes met; he spoke.
"I did say don't hold back or go easy... but this is overkill."
Not expecting this, Eunhyeon gave a wry smile at Erin.