Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Masterpiece
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“I’ll handle this matter alone and return.”
Matteo Rich knelt on one knee before Saintess Joanna Arc and spoke.
“Are you sure? I’ve heard Strange Castle is an extremely dangerous place.”
She looked at Matteo Rich with pitying eyes.
Trouble had befallen two of his comrades, Freddy and Bonnie, who were carrying out Apostle Baphomet’s mission.
That left only two people who could head south, and she couldn’t help but worry since they were leaving her behind in Legion.
“Don’t worry. I’ve been to Strange Castle dozens of times in the past. I know exactly what level they’re at.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it’s something I can handle alone. So please, Saintess Joanna Arc, hide in a safe place with my subordinates.”
“Are you absolutely sure I don’t need to come with you?”
“Of course.”
Matteo Rich pulled a white handkerchief from his bosom and wrapped it around Joanna Arc’s wrist.
“A handkerchief?”
“This is something I received from my beloved when I left my hometown. It’s my lucky charm.”
“Y-You’re giving something like that to me?”
“Yes, I’m just entrusting it to you in case I lose it. If you hold onto it, I’ll come back for it.”
Joanna Arc stared at the white handkerchief wrapped around her wrist, then nodded slightly in response.
“You’ll come back soon, right?”
Matteo Rich gazed at her with a warm smile.
“On the way back, I’ll pick up some corn cookies, the famous specialty from the south.”
“Corn cookies?! I love those!”
“Then I’ll buy a lot.”
“I’d appreciate that, but... aren’t you too busy to go out of your way?”
“...No, when I’m with you, Saintess Joanna Arc, this is the least I can do.”
Matteo Rich bowed politely in respect before leaving, continuing in a quiet voice.
“If I’m late for some reason... and Strange’s soldiers come looking for us...”
“......”
“Please gently stroke the head of the doll Bonnie gave you.”
The direction of the wind had changed.
Killing intent lurked in the breeze blowing through the window. It was so clear that it could be seen as a declaration of war against Strange.
Interesting.
No matter how angry they were, this was the first time enemies had charged at Strange in such a brazen manner.
They’ve taken the bait.
The enemies clearly knew our forces. To make them drop their guard, we’d meet them with minimal troops.
In this battle, we had to minimize casualties. After all, it would end once we took their head.
And...
Looking at the bigger picture, simply defeating these guys wouldn’t resolve everything.
There were more than a few people involved in this incident, including the Imperial Army, the Papal Court, and even the Tower’s Apostles.
To unravel this tangled mess, we’d have to handle things one by one, step by step.
And the ones who’ve come to Strange Castle now are the starting thread of the first one.
“Hmmm.”
I shook my head.
Even so, this is too bold, isn’t it?
The enemies weren’t hiding their presence at all; I could even count their numbers.
I didn’t know who was leading them, but knowing my father’s condition must have emboldened them.
“Rox, get ready.”
Rox gripped his mace tightly and peered out the window.
“I don’t sense anything yet?”
“Seventy—no, eighty. At least eighty will arrive first. In terms of strength, comparable to trolls.”
“Trolls? That strong?”
“Yeah, so don’t let your guard down.”
“...No, forget guarding— if eighty guys as strong as trolls come at us all at once, I can’t hold them off with my abilities.”
I gazed toward the forest outside Strange Castle and replied.
“Just handle as many as you can. Once they enter the castle, Cynthia, Alfredo, and Strange’s guardian knights will block them.”
“Got it. But I can’t use the giant, right?”
“Obviously. You planning to smash the castle?”
“No, no, it’s just... it might be dangerous...”
“Rox, I told you before: don’t imagine the enemy before the fight even starts. That’s a really bad habit. It just amplifies your fear of the battlefield.”
Rox frowned up at the Pierrot above his head.
“That guy’s telling me it’s dangerous. He says the ones we’re facing this time are definitely stronger than me.”
“If they’re strong, what? If they’re weak, what? You gonna run if you think you can’t win?”
“No!”
“Listen well. If the enemy is stronger than me, finding a way to beat them despite that is what the battlefield is all about.”
“...Yeah.”
“War isn’t always lost by the weak or won by the strong. Unpredictable variables can arise for anyone.”
Rox’s Pierrot Guardian Spirit danced with a cheeky expression. He must have already understood what I wanted to say.
Well, not this guy himself, of course.
“So you’re saying just fight, win or lose?”
Not wrong, exactly.
“Yeah.”
At least understand it that way.
“Alright... Anyway, with you here, I know we’ll win no matter who we fight. I’ll hold them off.”
I nodded lightly. Rox headed to the castle gate with a small smile, ready to block the enemies.
Soon after, dozens of animal soldiers emerged from the forest, led by a black-haired old man who controlled them. He entered my sight.
That’s the one.
The current head of those called the Five Evils, a formidable figure who had once tried to devour Strange alongside Monestier.
...Come on.
A good opponent to test my current self.
Boom!
A massive explosion echoed from the castle entrance.
As the enemy animal soldiers arrived, black smoke billowed, delivering a shock strong enough to crumple and hurl the steel gate aside.
“Kill every single one inside the castle, without exception. Children, elders, women—all of them. There is no mercy in Strange!”
The animal soldiers roared in unison and charged.
-Roaaar!
In response, Rox pulled out the bug puppets from the tower and fought back.
“Can he hold?”
Numerically, we seemed superior, but once the battle began, the enemy animal soldiers overwhelmed the bug legion.
The difference in skill was so overwhelming that counterattacks were a pipe dream.
Rox panicked at their momentum but didn’t retreat, jumping into the fray himself to face the enemies.
“Come on in, you bastards!”
The entrance to Strange Castle descended into chaos from the battle.
Taking advantage of Rox fighting desperately, enemy commander Matteo Rich infiltrated the castle.
Thud thud thud—
He swung his large brush through the air nonstop while searching for Roys throughout Strange Castle.
Each swing summoned animal soldiers that scattered to pinpoint the enemy positions.
Soon, he located the current head of Strange, Roys.
“...This time, I’ll finish it for sure.”
In the previous battle, he had let his guard down despite knowing better. Against Roys, called the continent’s strongest swordsman, he hadn’t finished properly.
Was it because he thought of him as a comrade who once brought him glory? Or had he given up on dealing with the guardian deity protecting him?
Only Matteo Rich knew the answer, but the fact that the Tower’s plan had failed was irreversible.
So Matteo Rich moved himself.
To make up for his mistake.
“Block anyone from entering the room until I kill Roys.”
Two massive bulls infused their spears with aura and replied.
Shhh—
“Yes, my lord.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Matteo Rich entered the training grounds alone. The door was already open, so there was little need to guard the entrance heavily.
His gaze fixed solely on the center of the training grounds: Strange’s family head, seated on a golden throne.
Roys de Strange.
He stared straight ahead at Matteo Rich entering, with intense eyes.
“You’re really alive, Roys.”
There was no reply.
A silence as cold as the northern wind blanketed the training grounds.
Clack, clack, clack.
Matteo Rich walked toward Roys feeling like he was treading on a blade’s edge.
There were four presences in the room now, but only two visible.
“Welcome. I’ve wanted to meet you ever since I heard you did this to my father. It’s an honor.”
Berddin emerged from behind Roys. Matteo Rich, already aware of his position, wasn’t surprised.
He was just irked by the calm attitude that seemed to know he was coming.
“So you’re Berddin.”
“You know me?”
“Yes, I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“From whom?”
“...Here and there.”
Berddin gave a light smile as if the answer was amusing.
“I see.”
“Do you know who I am?”
“The head of an organization called the Five Evils, who partied with Baron Monestier.”
Matteo Rich raised an eyebrow.
Not bad.
How had he learned my identity? They’d started this operation less than a week ago.
Gathering info on the Five Evils in that time wouldn’t have been easy.
He continued the conversation with lingering doubts.
“How did you bring Roys back from the Tower?”
“Why don’t you find out for yourself?”
“Insolent brat.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“...Today, I’ll take not just your father’s head, but yours too.”
Berddin extended his hand toward Matteo Rich, wagging his index finger lightly as he spoke.
“If you can.”
No negotiations.
One of them would die.
Or precisely, four out of five.
Whoosh!
Matteo Rich charged at Berddin. The giant brush spinning above his head created a small vortex of black aura.
Shiiik—
“Little one, no matter how insane your talent is, battlefield experience is something you can’t ignore.”
Rumble!
The gale from the vortex shook the ceiling as if it would collapse, cracking the walls massively.
Crack!
“That’s why I prepared.”
“...What?”
“Someone who’s experienced the battlefield at your level.”
Bang!
The ceiling caved in, revealing a muscular old man with brown hair.
“Long time no see, Matteo Rich!”
Matteo Rich looked up in shock.
“B-Veratir?!”
It happened in an instant.
Veratir, who appeared suddenly, threw himself into Matteo Rich’s vortex.
“Sorry to say this after so long...”
He crossed straight through the eye of the vortex and swung his fist at Matteo Rich.
Whoosh—
“But you have to die.”
Crunch!