Chapter 46
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Comprachicos (8)
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"You're saying you're going to abandon the hostages right now?!"
Ruby's fury erupting was only natural. Not just any hostages, but innocent people—her own kin, no less. That's how it sounded to us, and that's exactly how we all felt.
In the midst of that tension, the only one maintaining her composure was the little girl sitting beside the captain. Did she trust him implicitly? Or was she simply following orders without question?
"Lady Ruby, please hear out the captain first."
"But...!!!"
"I'm sure Teacher has something in mind."
Without Cluna and that little girl stepping in, Ruby might have grabbed the captain by the collar. Clara and Yuren felt the same way, if not quite as intensely.
A knight's sword and shield.
Their honor lay in protecting the people.
Race didn't matter. A knight's pride was in safeguarding the innocent and the helpless. But Yuren couldn't press the issue. Not in her position.
"Let me explain step by step."
"...It had better be convincing."
"First, the Comprachicos' mental domination ability. What happens if you're caught by it is obvious."
Clara and Ruby—elf and dwarf, mortal enemies—had grown attached, needless to say. And Yuren had crumbled at the sight of her brainwashed comrades, only to fall victim herself.
Even Bayard had been ensnared, the trauma lingering to this day. Ruby fell silent at my words. She was a Royal Knight, rank-and-file or not.
She understood the weight Captain Hans carried. More viscerally than most. Compared to him, Yuren, or Bayard, we were all greenhorns.
Could we even resist an ability that had overwhelmed even Bayard? Not even empty words could claim we could. Captain Hans continued coldly.
"On top of that, the bastard's obsessed with his own stage. The usual twisted artist's obsession. The moment we step onto it, we've already lost."
"Then is there a way?"
"There is. Burn the whole stage down."
"That's...!!!"
"Captain Yuren, can you do it?"
"...I can. But if I do..."
The captain's answer was more brutal than anyone could have imagined. Yet no one could argue against it. They'd already failed once.
That one failure burrowed deep into their hearts, gnawing away relentlessly. Is it really okay for someone like me to do this? Am I even allowed to be this happy?
That kind of thinking. They were no different. Would objecting change anything? And if they objected and failed again? That would truly be the end.
No one left could bear that weight—not right now. A single failure, the sight of comrades dying because of it. They still couldn't forget.
"I'll rescue the villagers and give the signal. Then burn the village to the ground."
"...Wait, what did you just say?"
"Something wrong?"
"You don't mean... you're going to save everyone?"
Sacrifice the few for the many—that's how we'd all accepted it. But that wasn't it? The captain tilted his head at Yuren's trembling voice.
"Isn't that obvious?"
And he proved it. In a shockingly short time—five minutes, maybe. The signal came from him. Then a massive dragon blotted out the village sky.
The dragon's breath raining from above incinerated everything it touched. No hesitation in those flames. I'd never doubted Captain Hans for a second.
And he kept his word. He saved every last villager. Clara and Ruby handled escorting them. Probably the captain's way of showing consideration.
"...What a sturdy male."
Yuren, who had been spewing dragon's breath from the sky, descended back to earth. Yes, he was a powerhouse worthy of the captain's name. And when those unyielding hands gripped her throat...
...What am I thinking right now?
Yuren desperately shoved the thought aside.
But she couldn't deny the flush creeping across her face.
Comprachicos.
According to Captain Yuren, the ancient term meant those who bought and sold children. In fact, it was the name of a criminal syndicate from the novel The Man Who Laughs.
Whether such a group ever really existed, who knows. This game drew heavy inspiration from countless masterpieces anyway. A reference like that wasn't out of place.
Boom!! The enraged Comprachicos, sanity shattered, closed the distance in an instant and swung his fist. Losing his reason was to my advantage. His movements were easy to read.
But the problem was my own skill.
Already mediocre at best, now compounded by the loss of one eye. Depth perception wrecked, blind spots everywhere—reacting wasn't easy.
The ground scraped as my body was shoved backward. By Captain Yuren's assessment, the Comprachicos' threat level bordered on Blood Tide territory, beyond low-tier. But his combat prowess was weak.
In other words, his frontal fighting ability barely scraped by as demonic. Yet here I was, being overpowered head-on by even that.
It was only natural.
Monsters alone were walking calamities.
Demons were a step beyond.
But I had no intention of letting "natural" hold me back. A captain, rotten or not, had to live up to the title. I hauled my creaking body upright.
Like a broken wooden puppet, my limbs ground and jammed, refusing to move properly. The limit had already hit after just a few exchanges. But I wouldn't give up. I had to take him down.
Mental domination. What a infuriating power. On par with time stop—utterly detestable. That alone, I couldn't forgive. Gritting my teeth, I spat.
"Having fun?"
"Pardon?"
"Manipulating people at your whim. Drowning them in despair, cackling about the tragedy. That fun for you?"
"...If you can't escape it, enjoy it. That's the philosophy of life I've come to understand."
"Dogshit philosophy."
I let out a low growl of rage and charged again. He met me head-on. The Comprachicos clutched a flute in his hand. Probably the conduit for his power.
Captain Yuren had heard flute notes too. So had I, back in the village. Hearing that sound meant domination. Safe assumption.
But it wasn't ordinary. Evidence: it casually batted aside my forest-blessed sword. The freaky things before had been child's play by comparison.
"...No helping it."
This was the limit of my current skill. Without time stop, I could hang in there somewhat—only because he was clumsy in direct combat among demons.
Even then, I was losing head-on. And I couldn't use time stop while rescuing villagers. No choice. If I was doing this, I'd do it right.
When had I realized? Probably back when I sacrificed an eye to save Yuren. After that, I'd grasped how to wield this new power.
I looked up. Every speck of ash drifting in the sky was crystal clear. Below, the Comprachicos was still charging at me with all he had.
Pathetically slow. I went out to meet him. Rushed forward, sword flashing. Sliced off his arm. Unlike before, the demon limb parted like tofu.
I saw shock flood the Comprachicos' face. A fine expression, but I wasn't one to savor it. In a blink, I severed his other limbs.
And...
Time snapped back to normal.
The Comprachicos' mutilated body crashed to the ground, limbs scattering. Something acrid and metallic surged in my throat, but I forced it down with all my might.
Couldn't show weakness to the enemy.
The Comprachicos still had no clue what hit him. Of course not—this power worked regardless of skill gaps.
That day, to save Captain Yuren.
The power I'd gained in exchange for my eye.
Time Acceleration.