Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Grotesque Disaster (3)
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While most of Lartania's residents were gripped by panic at the signs of the impending disaster, only two individuals saw this as an opportunity.
One was Kim Hyunwoo, who had poured over ten thousand hours into Arteil and had already slain the disaster heading toward Lartania hundreds of times.
The other was.
Sway—sway.
Merrillda.
Having spent the entire day observing Lartania's territory, she knew its current state intimately—and naturally, she had clearly recognized the signs of the disaster as well.
After all, she had joined her master in subjugating that disaster hundreds of times, enough to make it feel trivial.
And the reason she viewed this disaster as an opportunity was simple: she saw this moment as her chance to earn her master's forgiveness.
As far as Merrillda could tell, the territory her master governed lacked the means to fend off the disaster.
But what if, in this dire crisis, Merrillda swooped in to save him?
Sway sway—!
Merrillda couldn't help but grin.
Recently, she'd overheard (through eavesdropping) that Kim Hyunwoo didn't think as poorly of her as she'd feared. Ever since, she'd been itching to go beg for his forgiveness one more time.
But she hadn't made a move because she lacked a good excuse to show up before him.
Yet if she saved the lord in a crisis like this?
If she could earn his praise and plead for forgiveness in one fell swoop?
"...Hehe."
Merrillda let her imagination run wild, picturing a familiar hand gently stroking her head, her smile turning giddy.
From her perspective, that irritating woman glued to the lord's side lately made this scenario all the more perfect.
And so, Merrillda decided to bide her time.
'...Heh, hehehe??'
Kirral, still standing guard behind her, gaped once more as Merrillda suddenly spun her tail like a propeller, chuckling to herself.
Roman, the hero known as 'The One Shrouded in Darkness' who operated in the intelligence division under Duke Tesnoka of the Norba Kingdom, was currently watching the disaster from a hill overlooking the vast plains.
Thud—!
Roman scowled at the sight of the monster—a colossal beast clad in sharp, thorny armor. Each step sent tremors through the earth, shaking the distant forests. It looked like a fusion of dragon and crocodile.
'...This is getting complicated.'
The reason Roman had come here to confirm the disaster was obvious: as soon as it appeared, every Territory Stone in the vicinity had reacted—including the one in Tesnoka's territory, ruled by Norba's duke.
'I figured as much. It's heading for Lartania after all.'
Roman frowned as he traced the monster's path and predicted its first target.
'This isn't good.'
From his perspective, the disaster's initial destination being Lartania didn't matter much in itself.
After all, Lartania had no ties to Norba Kingdom. Ten years ago, things might have been different, but now it was just a tiny new territory that had popped up.
Yet Roman still scowled because if the first target was Lartania, the odds were high that this monster would reach the duke's territory next.
The reason was simple: there wasn't a single territory capable of stopping it.
'Lartania's obviously done for. The next one, Hallen Territory, too. Kalan Kingdom won't bother reaching out. It's a backwater that doesn't make a difference anyway.'
In the end, that left the duke's territory to bear the brunt, which is why Roman was frowning.
'...Looks like we'll need to call in the Spirit Guardian or Sword Saint from the kingdom ahead of time. Gotta report this.'
Roman made his decision and turned to leave, but.
"...?"
His body froze instinctively.
The reason?
'Soldiers?'
Soldiers were standing before the absurdly massive disaster.
'No, not just soldiers... That's Lartania's lord?'
And behind those soldiers stood Lartania's lord, whom he'd learned about through intel, along with a blue-haired hero. Roman's face twisted in bewilderment.
He simply couldn't fathom why they were out there like that.
'...What the hell are they planning?'
To be honest, he had a rough guess why they'd come out.
How could he not?
A lord leading soldiers and a hero, even hauling what looked like a crudely built catapult, right in front of that behemoth? There was only one thing that could mean.
But even realizing their intent left Roman baffled.
'They think they can stop a disaster with that?'
The lord's preparations looked laughably inadequate no matter how he sliced it.
All he could see were fewer than 300 soldiers and a single hero.
He scanned the area with heightened senses, wondering if reinforcements were hidden nearby, but the only others caught in his detection were two figures observing from beyond the cliff, much like himself.
This confirmed that Lartania's lord had brought only that meager force to face the disaster. Roman let out a dry chuckle.
'Are they insane?'
From what Roman knew, stopping a Ghost-class disaster required at least a thousand troops at minimum—even that was optimistic.
And those would need to be elite heavy infantry and cavalry, not common grunts, plus heroes capable of actually damaging the beast.
Compare that to Lartania's forces?
Their soldiers wore impressively high-quality gear for troops hastily assembled in just three months, but that was it. Anxiety filled their eyes.
The hero beside the lord looked no different.
She didn't seem there by choice, either.
"..."
Roman could almost see their doomed future. For a moment, he considered shouting a warning, but he shook his head.
It was too late. The disaster was already far too close.
'...He's marching his soldiers and hero to their deaths.'
With a mix of pity and disdain, Roman watched the Lartania lord's position—when.
"...?"
As the disaster drew within a certain range, the lord finished a brief speech, and the soldiers sprang into action.
'...They must have trained well. Their eyes show fear, but their movements are sharp.'
Responding to the lord's command, the soldiers split into two groups—minus a handful—and fanned out to the flanks in an instant.
The remaining five, mounted on what looked like pack mules, rode straight toward the onrushing disaster and hurled something.
And then.
Boom!
"!?"
The object struck the disaster's body and erupted in blue flames.
'A bomb...?'
The thought flashed through Roman's mind, but he dismissed it.
No bomb he knew looked like that.
Before he could ponder the blue-flamed projectile further.
■■■■■■■■■-!!!!!!
The disaster unleashed a roar that shook the entire plain, lumbering toward the soldiers who'd thrown the bomb-like object.
The soldiers abandoned their howling mounts—frozen by the roar—and bolted to one spot.
'...Are they luring it away from Lartania? But everyone knows disasters can't be lured like that.'
Roman watched dubiously, but.
Kwaaaang—!!!
His doubts vanished as the disaster's massive forelegs plunged into a yawning pit. The lord had prepared a trap.
'A trap.'
The pit was deep enough to swallow half the beast's forelegs. The disaster flailed sluggishly to escape but couldn't.
Kuuuung—!
Roman nodded slightly in admiration as it toppled, trapped by its own legs—but that was all.
He still had no clue what the lord planned next.
Even toppled, Magdaora's massive bulk only slowed it; it wasn't stupid.
It would rise eventually, claw its way out. Worse, its weak point was the belly, now pinned and inaccessible beneath it. Roman frowned in confusion.
Right on cue, the hero who'd stood by the lord charged forward without hesitation.
Aiming unerringly for Magdaora's jaw joint, she swung her axe.
Kaaang—!
A harsh grinding sound.
Roman tsked.
Magdaora's only true weakness was its belly. The jaw was softer, sure, but no unnamed hero could pierce that hide.
His expression soured—until.
Kwadududuk—!
"!"
The moment Elena's hand axe sank into the jaw joint, Roman's eyes widened in shock.
Before he could recover, Elena wildly hacked away, shattering Magdaora's left jaw entirely.
■■■■■■■■■■-!!!!!!!!
Magdaora bellowed, yanking its trapped left leg free—only for.
"Pull it!!!!!!"
The flanking soldiers yanked the airborne leg back into the pit.
Thud—kudududuk!
Failing to escape, Magdaora faceplanted again.
Elena swiftly circled to the other side, resuming her frenzied axe work. She stripped the skin in seconds, then.
Kwaduk—! Kwaddddduk! Kwaddddduk!!!
Demolished the opposite jaw joint, dragon-head-like as it was.
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■-!!!!!!
Magdaora screamed again, rearing its head.
Jeoeok—!
Its shattered jaws gaped impossibly wide.
And in that instant, Roman saw it.
The catapult behind Kim Hyunwoo, now loaded—and what it carried.
'That's a workshop power engine?'
Perched on the catapult was a magic-stone-powered engine from a processing workshop. Roman stared, baffled.
"!!"
Then he gawked.
The engine was crammed full of magic stones, despite looking rickety.
"Insane—"
Only then did he realize what the soldiers had thrown earlier: overheated small engines from the wood processing workshop.
And as realization dawned.
Tung—!
The massive, magic-stone-stuffed engine—already ignited—hurtled in a perfect arc, slamming straight into Magdaora's maw.
It slid down the beast's throat, then.
Kwaaaaaang—!!!!
Detonated massively, obliterating Magdaora's head.
And.
Roman gaped blankly at the headless corpse collapsing, the soldiers erupting in cheers as if they'd timed it perfectly.
"...This is impossible."
He turned, staring dumbly at Lartania's lord, who had felled a disaster that would normally cost thousands of lives with fewer than 300 soldiers and one hero.
...On the opposite side, Merrillda was equally stunned.
"...Eh?"
Blankly.
"My chance...?"
She mumbled forlornly, on the verge of tears.