STGAAB Novel MTL - Chapter 757
Chapter 757: Hostage (2)
Snooore-! Snoooore-!
Loud snoring, reminiscent of an ogre, reverberated continuously like background noise in the underground vault of the (abandoned) Alminus Bank. Amelia, who was watching over Ainar, let out a sigh. Of course, it wasn’t a sigh of exasperation.
‘Did they use drugs……’
It made sense; despite engaging in quite a lengthy conversation right next to her, there had been no sign of her waking up. It could only be seen as having been put to sleep by some drug—.
“Ka, cough……”
At that moment, Ainar showed signs of breathing difficulty, prompting Amelia to hurriedly approach her. She judged that if Ainar couldn’t breathe on her own, she had to help. However, that judgment proved unnecessary.
“Ugh……”
Ainar scratched her belly with her hand and then turned over as if her shoulder was stiff.
And……
Sn, snnooorrre-!!
Soon, even louder snoring filled the space. Watching this, Amelia started to think that maybe she wasn’t drugged after all, but just genuinely asleep……
‘That can’t be… right……’
No matter how much of a barbarian she was, she couldn’t be that careless about her own life in such a critical situation.
“Well… Shouldn’t we wake her up now……”
“How? Ainar Fenelin is currently in a drug-induced sleep.”
“…Oh, is that so?”
Auyen nodded as if realizing something.
Even Eltora Tercerion, who would be remembered in history as a traitor, mumbled, ‘Drugs…? Was there such a report…?’ Amelia pretended not to hear. It was less embarrassing to blame it on drugs. Well, unless it was an urgent situation where they needed to wake her up immediately and leave.
“Um… Can we continue our conversation?”
When Eltora cautiously spoke, Amelia, who had momentarily been distracted by Ainar, refocused.
“Where were we?”
Amelia’s voice was cold as she asked the brief question, and her eyes glowed with intense vigilance. It was only natural.
Eltora Tercerion was trying to abandon his father and side with them.
After a long conversation, she accepted that it wasn’t ‘brainwashing’, but whether or not to believe that ‘fact’ was another matter.
Yeah, so……
“Yes, about the benefits that the royal family and the Anabada Clan can gain if they accept my proposal.”
“Ah, right…… But let’s move on.”
Amelia showed no interest in the ‘benefits’. No, to be precise, she didn’t feel the need to hear about it here. After all, isn’t it obvious? Using the Marquess’ son as a spy? Explaining the strategic value in that one line would be a waste of breath. Amelia decided to focus on another aspect.
“Why are you betraying your father?”
The motive.
The reason that drives a person to cause an event or incident.
“…As I said earlier, the biggest reason is to survive.”
“Do you think the royal family will win the war?”
“Of course. From the start, rebelling against the royal family was madness.”
At first glance, it seemed like a rational judgment. However, Amelia knew that every person has greed, and even a bit of greed has the power to blind someone.
“But if you succeed, you could live a life no different from that of a prince.”
People cling more to the one reason to succeed despite knowing 99 reasons for failure. How did the Marquess’ son make such a decision? It seemed he made up his mind almost immediately after the Marquess collapsed. How was that possible? The answer was very simple.
“…That can’t be. Even if the rebellion succeeded, I would have struggled to stay alive. My father… no, Marquess Ageni Lawton Tercerion wants to get rid of me as soon as possible.”
“I don’t understand. Why would the Marquess want to get rid of his only son?”
“I didn’t understand it at first either. It took me a long time to learn the reason. Marquess Tercerion treated me that way because he knew my true identity.”
“…Identity?”
In response to Amelia’s question, Eltora smiled bitterly. Though he wasn’t a barbarian, this time no long explanation was needed.
“…I am an evil spirit.”
In a way, it was the first confession of his life.
“Hah, now that I’ve said it out loud, it feels surprisingly easy.”
Eltora felt an inexplicable thrill and relief as his heart raced with excitement. Of course, this was a feeling only he experienced.
“……!!”
Auyen Rockrobe, who had achieved the great feat of ‘assassinating the Marquess’ as a mere navigator, was shocked and gaped at the revelation that the Marquess’ son was actually an evil spirit.
“……Oh?”
Even Amelia Rainwales, an assassin from Noark who was an expert at concealing emotions, also showed a glint in her eyes. It all made sense now. If what Eltora said was true, his betrayal wasn’t bizarre or unexpected at all. It was rather a clear and logical consequence.
But……
“Given this, it’s safe to say I’ve handed over my leash. Can you trust me now?”
Nevertheless, Amelia did not nod. This was partly due to her inherent distrust of people. Testimony alone couldn’t be taken as proof. What if the statement “I am an evil spirit” was a lie? While they didn’t have ‘Misplaced Trust,’ fortunately, she had a way to verify the truth of his words.
“A metal object that flies in the sky.”
“Airplane.”
“A princess died after eating a poisoned apple given by a dwarf. What was the princess’s name?”
“Are you talking about Snow White……?”
“Square pants.”
“Sponge…… Wait, how do you know that?”
“I believe you. You truly are an evil spirit.”
Using knowledge from another world, which she had learned from Hansu Lee, she made her final judgment.
Eltora Tercerion was indeed an evil spirit.
Although he stuttered and couldn’t give any answer to the question about ‘Lee Wan-yong?’, it was within an acceptable range. Even among those from the same world, there could be gaps in common knowledge. Clearly, Eltora must not have been an intellectual. As she remembered her days in Noark when she wanted to learn but couldn’t, she felt a certain kinship with Eltora but chose not to voice it.
“…What is that look?”
“Nothing.”
“Fine, so do you believe everything I said now?”
“Yes, all doubts are gone.”
Eltora felt an indescribable joy at her words.
Having proved everything and finally convincing this skeptic of his sincerity, he had succeeded.
But……
“So, will you accept me now?”
Driven by an inexplicable unease, he sought confirmation once more and was met with a shocking and despairing response.
“That, unfortunately, is not within my authority.”
“Not within your authority…? What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. The leader of the Anabada Clan is Yandel, and the deputy leader is another woman.”
“What the……!!”
Eltora felt a greater sense of injustice than when he was abandoned by the Marquess without explanation. Given the fact that his life was on the line only fueled his anger.
“How can this be? I know everything about your group!”
“No matter how much you say that……”
“You are Yandel’s woman, aren’t you!”
“……Huh?”
“Moreover, I heard that Yandel trusts and relies on you the most among all his women. That he consults with you and seeks your advice on everything he does. And yet you say you have no authority?”
“Uh… well, that’s not exactly……”
“You and Yandel are practically one and the same!”
“Uhhh……?”
“So if you want to refuse, just be honest and say no! Everyone already knows that if Baron Yandel ever marries, you will be his first wife!”
“……First wife?!”
“Who else could it be? The Blood Spirit who lost her mind in the war? Karlstein, who has nothing going for her other than being there from the start? Raven, who has long since attached herself to the royal family? Or perhaps the muscle-bound Divine Spear over there?”
“…I, I’ve never thought of—.”
“Don’t say you don’t have the authority!! I know for a fact that Yandel cherishes and relies on you the most……!”
Was it the extreme stress of betraying his father and risking his life? Eltora, swept up in emotions for the first time in a long while, voiced his frustration fervently.
And……
“……You pass.”
He got what he wanted.
***
Ainar Fenelin quietly thought with her eyes closed.
‘Is it… time to wake up now……?’
In fact, she hadn’t just woken up from a long sleep. She had regained consciousness a while ago but pretended to stay asleep. The reason was simple.
[Ah, right…… But let’s move on.]
Upon waking, she heard Amelia’s voice, which confirmed that her comrades had come to rescue her as she had believed. Naturally, Ainar was immensely relieved.
But……
[Ainar Fenelin is currently in a drug-induced sleep]
To Ainar, who had once been ‘trained,’ this could be interpreted as ‘don’t wake up.’ So, she kept her eyes shut. It didn’t seem like an urgent situation anyway. This judgment wasn’t particularly well-founded, but she didn’t doubt it. For barbarians, discerning whether or not a place was suitable for lying down was as easy as eating well-cooked meat. Regardless, that was that.
But……
[Where were we?]
[Yes, about the benefits that the royal family and the Anabada Clan can gain if they accept my proposal.]
Amelia was having a serious conversation with a mysterious man. As she listened in, he turned out to be the Marquess’ son.
But……
‘Ugh……! My head……!’
Feeling a headache coming on, Ainar decided to keep pretending to sleep, which brings us to the present moment.
“……”
“……”
A silence fell as the conversation ended.
‘…Maybe I should get up now.’
Sensing that now was the right moment, Ainar yawned naturally and sat up.
And then……
“Ah, please don’t be alarmed! I am now on your side—.”
As soon as she made eye contact with the man, he hastily tried to explain the situation to prevent any misunderstanding—.
Bam-!
She hit him with all her might.
“…Stop. He’s on our side now.”
As expected, Emily stopped her, and only then did Ainar calm down.
“Ah, really? Sorry! I didn’t know!”
Actually, she really did know. Through the previous conversations, she already understood that he was on their side. But that made it all the more confusing. Why did she throw a punch even though she knew?
“Hmm……”
Ainar, who had just awoken in a dramatic fashion, thought deeply, and as someone who had often been praised for her intelligence since she was young, she quickly found the answer.
[Moreover, I heard that Yandel trusts and relies on you the most among all his women.]
Was it because of this false piece of information? It didn’t really matter. Humans are inherently pathetic creatures who can’t live without lying.
[Everyone already knows that if Baron Yandel ever marries, you will be his first wife!]
The idea that a great warrior’s first wife could be a ‘human’ was along similar lines. Because they’re human. They probably said that because they don’t know better.
[Or perhaps the muscle-bound Divine Spear over there?]
Under normal circumstances, this would surely be considered a compliment. However, she for some reason felt hurt by this…… This also wasn’t the right answer.
‘I just……’
The answer was this.
“Behel—laaaaaaaa!!”
“…Suddenly?”
“I just felt like doing it!!”
That was the conclusion Ainar reached after careful consideration.
English