The Iron-Blooded Countess Wants to Raise Me
The land ruled by the Iron-blooded Countess. The city of fire and smoke, Babbage, was peaceful today as well.
“A riot broke out on Babbage East Street, resulting in seventeen deaths and five injuries, with three buildings destroyed.”
“The vendetta the priest mentioned. I heard a single person carried it out. Not bad. And the perpetrator?”
“Dead.”
“The factory?”
“Intact.”
That was the entirety of Rin Emesh’s comment on an incident that left dozens dead or wounded. She granted the right to toy with power under the law of the jungle, but she had never promised to protect those whose rights were violated, nor did she have any reason to.
“Is Cardo’s treatment acceptable?”
“That grunt? I already sent someone.”
“It seems you anticipated this outcome.”
“His physiognomy displeased me, so I was keeping an eye on him. Looked like the type to stab you in the back. Those slit eyes of his.”
“True. I’ve never met a decent person who narrows their eyes like that.”
Cardo’s social life had clearly been doomed from the start. Rin had already lost all interest in the slit-eyed man. She had thought a subordinate with both skill and ambition would at least be entertaining. Yet it had ended so simply.
In truth, the charge of betrayal held little weight for her. If you could kill and seize, then try it. That was the creed of both Rin and the Emesh family.
What mattered more was that she had gone to recruit a newcomer only to suffer unilateral defeat. In her value system, wickedness and baseness were irrelevant, but losing was a sin.
“The real problem is Luke Colwen. I thought he was merely a rather bold brat.”
“He didn’t stop at his connection to Cardo; he also revealed Master’s original identity. We cannot leave him be.”
“I sent five skilled assassins. Those who already heard can be dealt with using the agents we planted. In any case, Count Colwen—”
Crackle.
The communication magic from the spy. To contact her first without waiting for her to initiate—Rin found it irritating, but she connected anyway to receive the report.
“What is it? The regular report is in three hours. Contacting me now must mean something rather important, yes?”
[Sorry…]
Crack!
Over the line came a sinister yet somehow familiar sound—the noise of bones shattering and flesh being pulped.
“Rin Emesh, that’s not my problem.”
And then a voice she had never heard before. Rin was not foolish enough to miss its meaning.
“You’re Luke Colwen?”
“You catch on quickly. You sent assassins to kill me, correct?”
“No?”
“Uh… then what about the people you just buried…?”
Had he personally eliminated the assassins sent to kill Cardo? The man was a traitor, but as a rookie his skill had been genuine. The assassins dispatched to monitor him were naturally elites Rin could take pride in.
‘He already dealt with all of them? The more I learn, the more interesting this little elephant becomes.’
At that moment, inside Rin, Luke rose from “interesting” to “subject of attention.”
“Yes, I sent them. I sent them to dispose of a useless traitor, but it seems I’ve troubled you.”
“Even so, you must have thought highly of Cardo. To send seventeen people just to kill this one man.”
Rin had sent five.
‘I didn’t send that many…?’
She glanced aside; her butler was checking the communication magic’s status. All five assassins she had dispatched were unharmed.
‘Then what the hell did he kill…?’
“Their skills weren’t bad. The one whose body could stretch and the sensory-inducing summon were particularly impressive. Well, I won regardless.”
‘What are those? I’ve never heard of them.’
Whoever they were, if they possessed such novel abilities she wanted to fight them herself.
“So? Do you intend to demand compensation because my subordinate attacked you?”
Not a subordinate, but letting the misunderstanding stand was useful here, so she saw no need to correct it.
“The two things I demand are these: reinstate this troublesome fool, and—”
“I haven’t been reinstated ye—”
Crack!
“—do not touch Colwen. Those two conditions will suffice.”
“I thought I heard something rather gruesome in the middle of that.”
“Your imagination.”
“Fine. It doesn’t matter. Both requests are difficult anyway.”
Setting aside the logical impossibility of “reinstating” someone who had never been employed.
“Personnel management of the organization is not something outsiders may dictate. Leaving Colwen untouched is even more difficult.”
Nine’s Piece did not leak information outward. It was an organization where even internal members did not know the names of the executives who were their direct superiors. The fact that a low-ranking grunt like Cardo knew about Rin was because she had been one of his subjects of interest.
“Unless you become an insider yourself.”
“…You want me to join hands with you villains?”
“If assaulting someone merely doing their job and then leaving isn’t considered evil, then we can hardly be called villains.”
“Then you are villains, you rotten bastards.”
“…Isn’t that exactly what you’re known for? Your reputation precedes you.”
“Spreading baseless rumors to slander me again. You truly are a villain.”
“…………Come to the Rafterk Highlands in Conberg Territory. Let’s settle this with our fists.”
Rin gave up on thinking. In less than five minutes of conversation she had realized the other party was not someone who listened to reason. No matter how long they talked, the conclusion would be the same.
“Only the victor decides the outcome. No complaints, correct?”
“Fine, slowpoke. Wait one year.”
“No. I will not give you time to build strength. Shouldn’t you pay for the trouble you caused with your current ability?”
In truth it made no difference to her. If he chose that route, the organizations in Babbage would simply descend on Colwen and reduce it to rubble. If he could accept that outcome, she would have been willing to wait not one year but two or three—
“No. I was kicked out of the house and have no travel money.”
“……”
“I also need to earn food and lodging for three people, so it will take some time. First I’ll register a forged identity at the adventurers’ guild, take requests, earn money—”
“I will send someone. Ride with them.”
“Ride a person? You really are a vil—”
“A carriage! I’m sending a driver!”
Crackle.
After ending the communication, she issued standby orders to the remaining assassins so they could eradicate Colwen if necessary.
“Will you face him personally, Master?”
“Yes. Send someone to Colwen. A week to reach Rafterk should suffice.”
“If you wish, we can manage it in three days.”
“Do so. We will depart as well. We must leave people behind.”
She was the lord of Conberg and head of the Emesh Count family. With a snap of her fingers she could summon superior improved horses and a supremely stable carriage. She could reach the old dueling ground atop the highlands from her residence in a single day, and even traveling directly to Colwen she could meet Luke by tomorrow.
“…Who exactly are you calling a slowpoke?”
**
“We’ve arrived. Forcing me to speed with a child on board—you red slowpoke really are a villain.”
“Why do you keep calling Lady Rin a slowpoke?”
Rin Emesh’s nickname was indeed Slowpoke. The reason was that damned pattern. The woman never ran. No charge pattern, no long-range attacks. If you moved too far away she would summon a chair and a butler, brew black tea, and drink it like a madwoman. What? Then it’s easy, isn’t it? Not even close. That was a self-heal pattern.
“You seem quite relaxed. Are you confident of victory?”
“If I can dismantle that woman’s unique magic, I will win.”
“Is that… so? You even know what Lady Rin’s unique magic is?”
Unique magic. Like Cardo’s metal manipulation, it was both a symbol of talent in this world and a special ability that defined the individuality of bosses. The Iron-blooded Countess Rin Emesh’s unique magic was mediated by blood—not only her own, but the blood of everyone she had directly or indirectly harmed. It was an ability perfectly suited to the ruler of Babbage, the city of flame and smoke, violence and desire. All blood shed in that city fell under her dominion, spilled through indirect violence.
“……”
“Why are you suddenly looking at me?”
Come to think of it, when Cardo had used metal manipulation to control blood, Luke had thought it a stretch. But he must have developed it specifically to counter her. The man had worked harder than expected.
“You’ve finally arrived. I thought my neck would snap from waiting.”
When they reached the highland dueling ground, a woman in a red dress sat waiting for them on an antique chair. Beside her, a greatsword drenched in blood stood planted in the earth.
“I thought my waist, hips, and stomach would fall off.”
“…Why the stomach?”
“O-on the way here the child suffered severe motion sickness.”
What a cowardly villain. Melina was still out of it, carried on his back. Or rather, she was so out of it that he had to carry her. Otherwise he would have dragged her by the nape of the neck to avoid earning favor.
“I’m leaving these two here. Make sure no one touches them.”
“Will that have any meaning? In any case, today you will—”
“If you attempt anything against this child, even with a blade at my throat I will kill you first and flee this place.”
“…I will keep that in mind.”
Let’s confirm the pattern first. Rin’s pattern consisted of normal attacks and heavy attacks. As a humanoid boss she possessed insane poise resistance, instant direction changes, and continuous dot healing. Once you entered her attack range she simply stood in place and spammed normal attacks, leaving no opening. If you retreated, she recovered. A fucking keep-away slowpoke bitch.
“Any last words?”
“Last words for what?”
“For a free life unbound by a leash.”
“You’re composing poetry. Liberal arts student?”
“Good. I like how bold you are. I don’t know your true intentions, but it doesn’t matter.”
Crack.
The moment Rin rose and pulled the sword from the ground, her butler dashed over, snatched up the chair she had been sitting on, and fled. In the game that had looked like a gag scene.
“I’ll make you kneel and turn you into my pet. Even if I have to break you to do it.”
Seeing it in reality, it was clearly a life-or-death escape. An ominous aura flickered from the blood-soaked greatsword and the red dress. In response, he raised his guard. He didn’t actually know boxing, so he wasn’t even sure if the stance was correct.
“No weapon? How amusing! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone declare they’ll fight bare-handed!”
There was only one way to strategy this woman. Deliberately close in to bait normal attacks, then—whoosh! Dodge. Whiiing! Dodge again.
“What are you doing, not coming in? Are you waiting for me to tire? Or searching for an opening?”
Maintaining distance and dodging three times like this.
“Then I’ll give it to you!”
After the third consecutive attack, Rin would always unleash a heavy attack. Parrying it would induce roughly 1.5 seconds of groggy state—
With bare hands?
“Ah, shit—”
Crack!
Fucked. A sound he had heard often lately. If he tried to endure this one, the limb would be severed completely. He leaped to the opposite side.
“Keugh!”
He rolled, thudding across the ground. Even though he had poured every ounce of power into a body forged harder than steel—
It seemed it still wasn’t enough to withstand a unique-magic user, especially one of considerable strength. The arm that had rolled across the dirt was gouged nearly halfway through, like a tree struck by an axe.
“Not even looking for an opening when delivering your strongest attack, but trying to crush me from the front. Aside from being stupid, I really do like you.”
I feel like I’m going to die. How the hell do you parry something like that? Oh, right—Eres doesn’t use the magic sword. Eres had no unique magic either. He was beginning to understand why she had always been forced to rely on the sword’s power.
Even after raising his stats to such an extent, fighting bare-bodied without unique magic was impossible? But that would mean Eres had to take up the magic sword. That could not be allowed.
“Haa…”
“You stand up without even crying after an injury like that? I really like how tough you are. Only that you’re tough, though.”
“Say whatever you like. I just remembered a reason I’m not allowed to lose right now.”
“Oh? And what might that be?”
Because there were people far worse than him. Because there were people who would have to fight things far worse than her. Therefore he had to prove it—that he could save the world even without a magic sword.
“You said ‘only tough,’ correct?”
“Is there anything else left? But with your body in that state, it’s already too late.”
“What about this state?”
He stripped off his tattered clothing and flung it aside. His arm hurt. It had been a long time since he felt pain after obtaining Indomitable Body. Yes. This was how a fight should feel. Training required pain, didn’t it?
And he—
“—didn’t only train my endurance.”
Swift and Unbroken
Agility +150%
All actions receive 100% agility correction.
Thought acceleration.
Agility growth bonus +30%
Since there exists no eternally indestructible castle or inexhaustible power, speed is time, and time is on your side.
“You… a speed that can’t even be seen? Not bad! Fine, come at me!”
In Endless Fantasia, agility was a critical stat that reduced delay once raised past a certain threshold. In reality it had become an even more powerful stat that increased speed and reflexes themselves. Yet even this was not enough.
She claimed she could not see him, but Rin was still tracking his movements with her eyes. She would probably land one hit. He would be counterattacked afterward, but—
In that case.
“Incoming—”
Burning Power
Strength +150%
All physical power receives 100% correction.
Strength growth bonus +30%
Status increases in exchange for inflicting damage upon oneself.
Violence is the simplest solution in the world, and above all the wisest answer—if you can pay the price yourself. You have resolved to pay that price.
“What the…”
Power, speed, defense. On top of that, a kick amplified with maximum recoil. He would end it with the strongest single strike he could produce.
“Please don’t die. It gets annoying if things get any more complicated.”
**
“…Ugh…”
Melina, collapsed from motion sickness, was having a strange dream. A dream in which an unfamiliar older brother carried her around. It definitely wasn’t her father. Naturally it wasn’t her sister, either. As for Cardo, the older brother who had come with them—
“I-it can’t be… h-he’s d-dead…!”
Probably not.
“I-is this revenge? Should I run away? No, I was only watching the child…”
“Cardo, is the duel over?”
“Hiiik!”
It seemed she had only ever seen this man frightened.
“T-that is… over there…”
Where Cardo’s trembling finger pointed, Luke lay collapsed. Ah, they had lost. They said he was an incredibly terrifying person. Did that mean they could never return home? Moreover, that kidnapper seemed to have flown while spitting blood—there was a red trail in front of him…
“…Who is that?”
“That… is Lady Rin.”
A woman lay collapsed, spilling a massive quantity of blood from her mouth.
‘Huh? We won?’
Surviving immediately was good, but if that man was this strong, when could she go back? Could her sister defeat someone like that?
‘Wow, this fucking hurts.’
Fortunately, Melina’s thoughts were mistaken. Luke had paid the price for delivering a killing (non-lethal) blow with added recoil.
‘Body part destroyed. Fucking reality.’
His leg was broken.
“Hu, huhahaha!”
“Lady Rin? Are you alive?!”
“Huhu… yes… magnificent! To think I… had to expend full power simply to survive in such an unsightly manner!”
Meanwhile Rin had risen. Realizing that attempting a counterattack would result in instant death, she had focused solely on defense and thus survived. She was slowly recovering her stamina through unique-magic self-healing, but the act wounded her pride.
Yet the Emesh philosophy was survival of the fittest. If someone had wounded her, she was obliged to acknowledge their strength.
“Such power at that level without even decent techniques! I like it! I absolutely will not let you go. I will raise you myself!”
Fucking healing-factor bastards.