Chapter 551: Prayer
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 551: Prayer
"What... are these things?"
As the "Beast Horde" emerged snarling from the shadows, First Prince Albert was visibly shaken by the sight of these monsters, as ferocious as any magical beast. He instinctively gripped Lawenny’s hand and turned to Muen, his voice trembling.
However, the moment he saw Muen’s face, his pupils constricted.
Rage. For the first time since they met, Albert saw a terrifying fury on the face of this Slav who had always been so polite. It was the low rumble before a volcanic eruption, the oppressive silence before a storm. He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but even the space around Muen seemed to dim, as if a horrific darkness was about to spill out from within his body.
Albert couldn't help but shiver.
This man was even more terrifying than he had imagined.
"The Beastification Drug... I see. I was wondering why those drugs hadn't been used yet. So this is what they were for."
The armrest of the seat beside Muen shattered under his grip. His eyes reflected the monsters crawling on all fours, draped in tattered rags. He took a deep, sharp breath to suppress the roiling killing intent in his heart.
"To involve ordinary civilians again... those bastards..."
"Civilians?" Albert snapped back to reality, his voice filled with disbelief. "You’re saying those things... are ordinary residents of the Lower District?"
"Yes. Civilians, commoners, the poor—the 'high and mighty' have many derogatory names for them. But before tonight, they were living tenaciously in this district, looking forward to tomorrow’s bread."
Muen slowly reined in the fury on his face, but the pitch-black fire swirling in the depths of his eyes flowed like a bottomless abyss as The Great Sun turned within him.
"And now, they’ve all been turned into these monsters."
Because Muen frequently dealt with Evil Gods, he had seen sights infinitely more cruel than this. Yet, those scenes had never made him this angry.
This was because the culprit this time wasn't some malevolent deity greedily eyeing the world like a dish on a dinner table.
It was humans.
Humans who thought themselves superior, looking down upon all living things.
No, perhaps those people could no longer be called human. They were more like animals than the hideous beasts before them.
"Heh, the Inner Council... and that Second Prince, who condoned or perhaps even masterminded all of this..." Muen whispered.
You haven't even paid for your previous crimes, and yet you commit such a sin again.
How should I deal with you to make this cruel world seem a little less infuriating?
"However, the immediate problem is right in front of us..."
Muen reached out and plucked an Anti-Magic Spear that had remained lodged in the carriage. With a sudden throw, he impaled a Beast-transformed One that was lurking in the shadows, preparing to pounce. The spear pierced its chest and pinned it to a nearby wall, where it struggled and hissed.
"Roar..."
The display did not deter the other monsters; the scent of splashing blood only seemed to excite them further.
More and more Beast-transformed Ones crawled out of the shadows, surrounding them. In the distance, where the white mist lingered, the solitary little girl continued to sob and wail.
"Change of plans."
Muen contemplated for a moment before suddenly speaking to the black-robed men beside him.
"You all protect Prince Albert and keep moving. Execute the backup plan we arranged. I’ll handle things here."
"But... but you..." The leader of the black-robed men seemed to know something, hesitating at Muen’s command.
"Don't worry about me. I can cut loose better if I'm alone," Muen said. "With my speed and skills, escaping whenever I want won't be an issue. Besides, only I can simultaneously pin down this many Beast-transformed Ones and that strange little girl. Do you understand?"
"Then... very well. My Lor—Sir, please, you must take care of yourself."
The black-robed man bowed, ultimately choosing to obey Muen’s order, and took the reins from him.
"You aren't going to escort me personally?"
Albert, who had been looking around nervously from inside the carriage, asked with equal concern. After everything they had been through, his trust in Muen had grown significantly, and his initial wariness had vanished.
Now, considering their safety, he tried to persuade his temporary companion:
"We’re about to break free. Why leap back into danger? Those monsters... those former people, they don't seem that fast. The carriage should be able to outrun them."
"My intuition tells me that the danger doesn't lie with those Beast-transformed Ones."
Muen shook his head and reassured him, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I’ll be fine."
Muen turned to glance at Albert’s pale face, then shifted his gaze to Lawenny, who had remained silent throughout the journey.
The Second Prince and the Inner Council’s insane gambit had caught Muen off guard. If he couldn't contain these monsters and the situation devolved into a chaotic melee, even Muen couldn't guarantee the safety of Prince Albert, who was just an ordinary human.
The enemy... was likely banking on exactly that.
Therefore, no matter what, Albert’s progress could not be slowed. As long as he remained in danger, there was no telling what other madness the desperate Second Prince might attempt.
Only when Albert successfully walked into the banquet hall amidst a blaze of glory, announcing the First Prince’s return to everyone, would those people realize their cause was lost and cease their insanity.
"I will resolve things here quickly and catch up with you. these men are my trusted subordinates; they will protect you at all costs. You have nothing to fear."
"But..."
"Also, those Beast-transformed Ones... those former civilians... someone has to deal with them. We can't just leave them be. That is one of the reasons for my choice. As the First Prince of the Empire, you should be able to understand that, right?"
After pinning another lunging monster to the ground, Muen suddenly interrupted Albert’s protest. He stared expressionlessly into the Prince's eyes, as if trying to see what was hidden in their depths.
"Then... alright."
Albert’s long, messy bangs fell forward, obscuring half his expression. He lowered his eyes and took a deep breath. "Since you put it that way, if I were to stop you now, I’d be no different from those scumbags. Go."
"Thank you. But you must be careful as well. Though it’s only the final ten minutes of the journey, it will undoubtedly be the most dangerous. Prince Andrew has already gone this far; there’s no reason for him to let you go at the final moment."
"I’m not that fragile."
Albert tapped his knee with a hint of indignation and stood up slightly, showing that he was no longer the weakling who needed a cane and support just a week ago.
"Ha, now that sounds like a First Prince."
Muen patted Albert on the shoulder and leaped off the carriage.
"Keep a close eye on that maid beside the Prince," Muen whispered into the ear of the black-robed leader as they crossed paths.
"Understood," the man replied softly.
Soon, the carriage surged forward again.
Amidst the eerie wailing and the predatory gaze of the surrounding monsters, the black-robed men—secretly trained by the Campbell family—displayed exceptional discipline. Using a combination of magic devices and spells, they swiftly tore a hole through the encirclement.
As the carriage sped away and crossed an overpass, three identical carriages suddenly emerged from the other side of the bridge.
To the naked eye, the three carriages were indistinguishable, even down to the number of Anti-Magic Arrows stuck in their frames. Escorted by the black-robed men, the three carriages split up at the end of the street, heading in three different directions.
"I suppose that’s the last of the diversions... I didn't expect to be pushed this far by those scumbags."
Muen adjusted his top hat and sighed quietly as he watched the carriages disappear from view.
From the current perspective, he had temporarily lost this round of the game between players.
However, it wasn't over yet.
A pure white blade slid into his palm, and with a flick of his wrist, he made a shallow cut on his own arm. Blood flowed, and a faint metallic scent drifted into the night wind.
The Beast-transformed Ones, who were about to chase the carriage, froze instantly. Their blood-red eyes turned toward Muen simultaneously, their gazes as burning and intense as a thirty-year-old virgin mage catching sight of a naked, peerless beauty.
"As I thought. Because my body is mixed with so many strange things, my blood is incredibly attractive to you."
Muen flicked the blood from his hand. Immediately, several monsters, unable to resist the temptation, lunged for the droplets on the ground, even clawing at each other to get to them.
"Now then... what should I do next?"
Muen stood alone in the middle of the street.
Opposite him were hundreds of beastly monsters and... that strange little girl whom Muen had been tracking with his senses from the very beginning.
To Muen, the Beast-transformed Ones weren't actually much of a threat. Since they were mutated from ordinary civilians, they were far weaker than the mutated subordinates of the Rat King he had faced before.
The only thing that made it hard for him to remain calm was the sight of their faces—faces that still retained human features, filled with numbness and agony, as they looked up from the shadows.
"Heh, another strangely familiar scene. Truly unpleasant... but fortunately, I’ve already carried enough sins that one more won't matter."
Muen thought for a moment, then performed a somewhat clumsy prayer gesture—one he had learned from Liya during her daily morning prayers.
"Though I don't believe in the Goddess, at a time like this, I should offer a small prayer."
"A prayer... for you."
Muen whispered sincerely:
"I hope that after you die, your souls can return to the Goddess's embrace, far away from the... pain of this mortal world."
"And before that, I will very, very quickly... set you free."
The gentle prayer ended.
What followed to deliver the Goddess’s decree to the living beings of this place... was cold, sharp steel!