STGAAB Novel MTL - Chapter 756
Chapter 756: Hostage (1)
“So… you’re telling me that Marquess Tercerion is coughing up blood and on the brink of death?”
The Lord of Noark couldn’t contain his despair upon hearing the report. No, despair was a later emotion; his initial reaction was simply one of disbelief.
“Do you think this makes any sense?”
How many knights and wizards were guarding the Marquess? All of them were human golems, brainwashed since childhood to eradicate any notion of betrayal. There was even a time when the Lord of Noark envied the Marquess for having such loyal retainers, thinking he would be invincible with such followers.
But……
“Someone managed to break through that tight security?”
His impenetrable guard had been breached. And by……
“A mere rank 7 navigator, one of Yandel’s comrades?”
From the Lord’s perspective, it was an absurdity no matter how many times he heard it. Even if the navigator had an unknown rank 3 essence.
What was the Marquess thinking? Bringing someone so dangerous right in front of him without even binding their powers!
“They… might have been overly confident in their information……”
“Even if I concede that the Marquess might have thought so, not a single one among the many guards raised any objection?”
Faced with the Lord’s anger, his subordinate clamped his mouth shut. Of course, it wasn’t that he had nothing to say.
“……”
From the perspective of someone serving a lord, it was likely that the Marquess’ guards anticipated the navigator’s assassination attempt. They might have expected nothing more than a fireball or a thrown dagger. Standing beside the Marquess, if the navigator attempted an assassination, they could block it with a single strike, saying something like, ‘How trivial… My Lord, are you alright?’ and leave a strong impression.
‘Hmm, indeed……’
It wasn’t a bad plan. Especially since there would be no real victims. The Marquess could witness the prowess of his retainers and feel assured that his money was well spent, and the retainers could feel more secure about their next month’s salary.
But……
‘The Marquess’ retainers are quite cunning. I should take note of this for the future.’
His reflection on the situation had to be brief. Because an assassination attempt that should have never succeeded had actually succeeded.
‘…Those stupid bastards.’
Now, the Marquess’ retainers were just fools. But he wasn’t one of them, so he didn’t voice these thoughts. The reason was very simple. The Lord’s anger wasn’t directed at him. Moreover, such details were of no benefit to his superiors.
“Haa……”
As he expected, the Lord soon sighed. The Lord was an intelligent person who didn’t lash out at the wrong people. He simply showed a bit of frustration and asked.
“Alright, so the assassination attempt succeeded, but what do you mean the Marquess is on the brink of death?”
It was a natural question from the Lord’s perspective. After all, the Marquess wasn’t a poor commoner unable to afford treatment from a priest. If he died, he died. If he survived, he survived. What did it mean to be on the brink of death?
“Well……”
His subordinate, sensing the inevitable, closed his eyes tightly before answering.
“To be precise, he is not on the brink of death.”
He had never actually said those words. He had realized long ago that there was some misunderstanding, but it wasn’t the right moment to interrupt, so he just stayed silent. Rather than pointing out the facts and creating an uncomfortable situation, the subordinate chose to speak quickly before the Lord could say anything more.
“The Marquess had an artifact that saves him from the brink of death in exchange for falling into a coma for two days.”
He deliberately omitted the artifact’s number and name. After all, those details weren’t important in the current situation.
“…I don’t know whether to consider this a relief or not.”
His relatively intelligent superior, finally grasped the situation.
“Does the Marquess still retain authority over the magic weapon?”
“…Yes.”
“That means ‘Thunder’ won’t be usable for two days.”
“Yes……”
The ancient weapon, considered more strategically valuable within Noark than the leader of Orcules, had turned into scrap metal. All because of a mere rank 7 navigator.
“So, what becomes of the plan?”
Although the subject of the question was omitted, the subordinate, who had served only one superior for over a decade, understood and answered immediately.
“The progress and decision-making authority for the plan to capture Bjorn Yandel using Ainar the Divine Spear has temporarily passed to the Marquess’ eldest son, Eltora Tercerion.”
“……And if something happens to him in the meantime?”
The situation would become complicated then. No matter how thorough the Marquess was, he likely hadn’t designated a temporary proxy for the temporary proxy. The correct answer would be ‘we don’t know.’ That is, if no one else intervenes.
“In that case……”
He summarized in one sentence, indicating that due to the external cause of the problem, a particular clause in the alliance agreement could be interpreted differently.
“You, my Lord, could temporarily assume command.”
“…I see.”
Hearing the desired response, the Lord appeared somewhat relieved and finally asked a personal question out of curiosity.
“So, what happened to that navigator?”
“Well……”
Noticing his superior’s improved mood, the subordinate began to tell the story with a lighter heart.
***
Auyen Rockrobe. The first thought he had upon opening his eyes in the dark underground prison was this.
‘Why am I still alive?’
In a world where failing to pay taxes leads to execution, where struggling desperately to survive was the norm, Auyen Rockrobe, like any resident of such a world, understood the preciousness of life—more precisely, the preciousness of ‘his’ life—better than anyone.
But……
‘Why am I still alive?’
Rather than feeling relieved at surviving, he was filled with doubt. There was some relief, but the doubt was far stronger. And who wouldn’t feel the same? If you saw a giant meteor crashing to the ground and closed your eyes, only to open them again unharmed, you wouldn’t think ‘I survived…’ but rather ‘Why did I survive…?’ So, he began to recall the events before he lost consciousness.
[Urgh……!]
The moment the Marquess collapsed, coughing up blood.
[M-My Lord……!!]
Noble professions such as wizards and priests rushed to the Marquess, worried about his condition.
And……
[It’s an assassination……!!]
The knights, whose job was to act physically, charged at him in unison, pinning him to the ground in an instant. The phrase ‘entire body’ wasn’t just a description, it was literal.
Arms, neck, legs, ankles, left index finger, middle finger, ears, etc. etc. etc…….
Countless knights restrained him as if sealing a great demon. In retrospect, it wasn’t an unreasonable reaction. How could they remain still when the Marquess just collapsed? The notion of thinking ‘Other knights have already restrained him, so I can just watch…’ didn’t exist in that situation……
[……]
As he was pinned under dozens of knights, he couldn’t breathe, and his consciousness gradually faded. Then, when he opened his eyes, he found himself here.
“Why am I really alive?”
The human mind is a curious thing. Even as he was suffocating to death, he heard everything clearly.
[The Marquess has lost consciousness……!]
[This despicable bastard……!]
[Why are you restraining him? Just kill him!!]
The hatred and anger directed towards him, the Marquess’ assassin. That confusion lingered even now that he was awake, making him question if this was a dream or reality, or if this place was the afterlife.
“……”
Only a cold silence filled the underground cell. Auyen Rockrobe continually pondered the reason, and as his question evolved from “Why am I alive?” to “Why did they let me live?” the answer came to him through the mysterious man who visited the unknown underground cell.
“I am Eltora Tercerion.”
The mysterious man, who identified himself as the Marquess’ son, spoke.
“I have a request for you.”
At first, Auyen thought it might be a request to endure torture and die as painfully as possible.
But……
“Please, save me.”
After hearing the request, Auyen responded in a dumbfounded voice after a long silence.
“…………What?”
This was equally incomprehensible.
***
The act of ‘waiting’ might seem passive at first glance, but it actually has room for interpretation. Even a dictionary can show you that.
Passive: Being moved by another force.
Active: Moving by one’s own volition.
If you wait because you want to, that is an active action. Conversely, if someone threatened you with a knife to wait, it would be a passive action. Amelia Rainwales was the former.
“……”
She was not yet in perfect physical condition. Moreover, upon arrival, she found the rescue target was still in good condition. It was wiser to wait for a better time than to act immediately. Well, if any suspicious movements are observed before then, she would have to act immediately. Having made such a judgment, Amelia waited. She didn’t feel bored or anything. With numerous infiltration and assassination experiences forced upon her, she was accustomed to waiting.
Snoooore—!
It was a bit annoying that the rescue target was snoring in this situation, but regardless, her task remained unchanged.
“……”
She concealed her breathing and erased her presence. She focused on her hearing to eavesdrop on the enemies’ conversations, organizing and storing the information in her mind. Though seemingly trivial, this information would later be used to make important decisions later……
Sometimes, there was crucial information. Just like this.
“I don’t understand why we need to keep an eye on that woman. Why not just kill her and be done with it?”
“Tsk, that’s a very short-sighted way of thinking, isn’t it?”
“Short-sighted… what does that mean?”
“It means not thinking far ahead, only looking at the immediate situation. Think about it. Why do you think the higher-ups captured the Divine Spear and imprisoned her?”
“…Just tell me.”
“The Divine Spear is bait. To catch a bigger fish.”
“If it’s a bigger fish… Ah! They’re trying to catch the Giant!”
“Exactly. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a reason to use so many people just to watch a subdued barbarian.”
The man who heard this speculation said nothing. He just stared at the person who shared the story for a while, then asked.
“………Did you really figure this out on your own?”
“Haha, of course not! I got a hint from an acquaintance in the command after being assigned to this mission.”
“…That ‘short-sighted’ thing, was that his words too?”
“Of course, isn’t it obvious? Educated people always use difficult words like that……”
For Amelia, who was hiding on the ceiling, this was not a conversation she could just ignore. From the context, it was clear that this wasn’t just their “guess” but an official plan.
‘……So it was bait to lure Yandel after all.’
She felt slightly anxious, thinking she was right to ignore Auyen’s advice and come to rescue Ainar. Time had become a critical factor.
She needed to act before Yandel fell into the trap. Knowing that barbarian, he would charge in as soon as he learned his comrade was captured, even if he knew it was a trap. It was best to finish things before he arrived. That was certain.
But……
How?
The answer to her dilemma came from an unexpected place.
“Everyone, step outside for a moment. I have business with this woman.”
A man approached the heavily guarded cell where Ainar was imprisoned, dismissing the guards with ease.
‘Eltora Tercerion……!’
Amelia crouched in the shadows and narrowed her eyes. She didn’t know what his “business” was, but it couldn’t be good. He was the son of the Prime Minister, who could be considered the Lord of Evil. He must have come with some sinister plan.
‘Auyen……?’
Damn, had he been captured too? Amelia bit her lip as she recognized the face of the man accompanying Eltora. She quickly calculated her next move.
‘If they don’t know I’m here……’
Beyond simply slitting his throat, she could also subdue him. And if she could subdue him, she could use him and manipulate him from the shadows.
‘There’s unlikely to be a better opportunity than this.’
She didn’t need much time to transition from planning to action. A moment’s decision is most successful when guided by instinct.
‘Now.’
Amelia released her concealment and swiftly jumped down from the ceiling.
“……!”
Her target only noticed her presence after she had already made her move. It was too late to draw his sword.
Swish.
Amelia landed and immediately clamped her legs around Eltora’s neck. With her free hand, she brought her dagger, glowing with a fierce aura, down like lightning—.
Whoosh-!
She stopped her blade just in front of his dilated pupils.
“If you make a sound, you die. Move without my permission, you die. Try anything clever, you die. If you understand, slowly kneel—.”
“M-Miss Emily!”
“Save your thanks for later—.”
“H-he’s on our side! That man……!”
…What? On our side? What is he talking about? Could it be……
“Have you been brainwashed already……?”
“W-what? Brainwashed? T-That’s not it……!”
“Those despicable bastards……”
“No, I’m really fine, can’t you tell?!”
It took Amelia quite some time to fully understand and accept the situation.
“…So, you’re saying this guy is betraying his father to join us?”
“Yes……! That’s correct!”
Auyen nodded vigorously.
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