STGAAB Novel MTL - Chapter 758
Chapter 758: Hostage (3)
Rafdonia is a cruel city. Especially if you’re an evil spirit. In this place, evil spirits who woke up in the bodies of strangers had to struggle to survive, and many died simply due to bad luck. However, Eltora was different. He wasn’t particularly clever or exceptionally talented, but he possessed a unique quality that surpassed all of that.
His last name was ‘Tercerion.’
In truth, there was no need for any further explanation. The name ‘Tercerion’ meant that his father was second-in-command of this country, and this alone was enough to change Eltora’s story from a mere ‘survival story’ to an ‘isekai fantasy life.’ Although, he did have his own struggles. Compared to other evil spirits who had to fight tooth and nail from the bottom, his story was one of relative ease.
But……
‘……Fucking Marquess bastard.’
When the Marquess suddenly went mad and drew his sword against the royal family in alliance with Noark, Eltora found himself on equal footing with other evil spirits. He had to worry about survival, and thus, when the Marquess ordered him to join Noark’s forces after the rebellion broke out, he complied without resistance. What choice did he have? Even though the concept of guilt by association had disappeared on Earth, this world was a medieval society. There was no need to elaborate on the treatment of a traitor’s bloodline. Simply put, he had no choice but to side with the Marquess……
In retrospect, this was the decision he regretted the most.
‘Who would have thought there was such a secret……’
After joining Noark, he couldn’t shake his uneasy mind and secretly continued his investigations. The result was the discovery of a shocking secret hidden within the Marquess’ household. A secret so vast it explained all the doubts and discomfort he had always harbored. That secret was—.
Bam-!
At that moment, Eltora’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a smack on the back from Ainar.
“Ugh……! What do you think you’re doing!”
“I Just? I Just felt like doing it?”
“Ugh……”
Looking at the barbarian’s nonchalant expression made him want to cough up blood thinking about how he ended up in this situation, but Eltora pulled himself together. After all, these people were his only lifeline.
‘If Baron Yandel later testifies that I betrayed the Marquess and contributed significantly to capturing him… then I can survive.’
It wasn’t just a hope; it was a certainty. Yandel was the most famous hero in the city. One word from him could turn the son of a traitor into a hero’s ally who stabbed his father in the belly for justice.
“Ugh……”
Eltora groaned as he felt an impact on the back of his head but didn’t ask why. Asking would only get the answer that they just felt like doing it.
“Stop smirking.”
“……”
“If you keep smiling like that, I’ll have no choice but to assume you have a problem with your head.”
This damn barbarian bitch……! How on earth does Yandel work with such a brutish woman?
Then a sudden thought occurred to him……
‘Oh, right, he’s a barbarian too.’
Quickly understanding, he ended his silent protest by glaring at her.
“Enough, Ainar.”
Fortunately, Yandel’s potential ‘first wife,’ who had a normal way of thinking, put an end to the moment of humiliation.
“If you act like that again, I’ll have to act the same way.”
“…Ah, alright! I won’t hit him anymore.”
“I apologize. She can be childish at times.”
“Haha… it’s fine. We have more important matters at hand. There’s no time to worry about trivial things. So… what’s our next move?”
“First… we should inform Yandel of this news. If he recklessly charges in here, it will be disastrous.”
“There’s no need to worry about that. The Prime Minister’s plan is to discreetly provide the information about the Divine Spear’s location only after the trap is fully set. There’s absolutely no chance that Yandel will come here.”
“Absolutely… still, it’s better to be prepared for any unforeseen events.”
“Haha… the Lady is indeed wise. I can see why he relies on you.”
“……”
Eltora watched Amelia press her lips together at the word ‘Lady’ and smiled inwardly. His suspicions were confirmed. She was weak to these kinds of remarks……! So, he planned to casually drop more comments like this to gain her favor and ensure she would speak well of him to Yandel later—.
“Behell—aaahhhhh!!”
Suddenly, a battle cry rang out. It came not from inside the vault but from outside. It was loud enough to be heard clearly through the thick door.
“Bjorrrrrn!! That’s Bjorn’s war cry……!!”
The barbarian female warrior with her racial characteristics immediately recognized the owner of the battle cry, and with eyes lit up with emotion she began repeatedly shouting battle cries, as if it were a distress signal.
“Uh……”
Eltora met Amelia’s gaze.
“Didn’t you say absolutely no chance?”
Eltora had no answer to that brief question. He couldn’t understand it at all. The trap operation using the Divine Spear was still in its initial stages, especially after the Marquess collapsed.
“Behell—aaahhhhh!!!”
…How did he know to come here?
***
While Ravigion and Kommelby were being destroyed, the royal army, which had remained dedicated to protecting the capital, finally ended their ‘stationing’ and launched a massive invasion.
It wasn’t because they could no longer tolerate injustice and the time had come to draw their swords. The reason was far simpler…… I ordered it.
Well, more precisely, it was due to the amazing authority that comes with the status of the ‘King’s Knight’……
[……If it’s just to draw attention.]
Astarota’s power was truly astonishing. Just by visiting without prior notice and saying a few words to the commander, Kar, who had been inflexibly insisting ‘our mission is to protect the Royal Capital!’ even as District 4 fell to Noark’s forces, finally mobilized the standing army. Although it was limited to ‘pretending to launch a large-scale invasion’ rather than an actual ‘large-scale invasion’…… I can’t help but wonder. If being the ‘King’s Knight’ grants this much authority, just how much more vast was the authority that the ‘King’ himself possessed?
“Hmm……”
The more I thought about it, the more depressed I became, so I decided to focus on the present. While the royal forces drew attention, I secretly infiltrated the 4th district and now stood in front of the ‘Alminus Bank.’ To be precise, I was contemplating.
‘Main entrance, back door, climbing the wall.’
Which route should I take to safely rescue Ainar? The contemplation didn’t last long.
‘Main entrance.’
There were two reasons. Firstly, with this body, I would be easily spotted no matter which route I took. Secondly, the main entrance had the shortest path to the basement vault.
Yeah, so……
“Behell—aaahhhhh!!”
Using my ‘barbarian’s power’, I charged at the main entrance, where two yawning guards were stationed.
[You have cast Swing. The destructive power of blunt weapons has increased significantly in proportion to muscle strength.]
A ‘barbarian’s power’ specialized in breaking, destroying, and smashing.
“Hey, it’s Baron Yandel……!”
“Stop him……!!”
“You’re the one who said to stop him, so why are you running away!”
“Run away!!”
As that ‘power’ descended upon Alminus Bank, the Noark soldiers guarding the entrance scattered in fear without even thinking of resisting. It wasn’t particularly unusual. After all, that’s what the grunts were there for. Soon, the ‘real’ opponents who noticed the commotion would come to try and stop me—.
‘What, why isn’t anyone coming out?’
Smashing through the main entrance and making my way inside, I quickly headed for the basement. Though I say quickly, quite a bit of time had already passed. Even so, the ‘real’ threats I was worried about didn’t show up.
“……”
Could it really be that the trap isn’t set yet? Well, I did aim to exploit this, rushing here alone in a hurry…… but even so.
‘……Could it really be this easy?’
It was almost incomprehensible. But the easier it seemed, the more it reminded me of past experiences. Moments like this were when things were truly dangerous. The moment the tightly wound string goes slack, that’s when everything falls apart.
So……
‘Could it be……’
I assumed the worst.
‘The trap is already complete……?’
The enemy anticipated everything. They pretended to be unprepared to lure me here alone, and only placed grunts to make me lower my guard. Of course, the worst-case scenario would be that Ainar is already dead, and I’m just heading towards a corpse… but as it turned out, that wasn’t the case.
“Behel—!”
“Behel—laaaaaahhhhh!!”
As I made my way underground, destroying everything in my path, I heard Ainar’s battle cry with my own ears. It was an echo of survival and a guidepost.
“Behel—laaaaahhhhh!!”
When I shouted.
“Behell—aaaahhhhh!!”
Ainar’s shout returned from below. It seemed she was using the battle cry to signal her location.
“Behel—laaaaahhhhh!!”
“Behel—laaaaahhhhh!!”
In a way, it was like a bat using echolocation to navigate its surroundings… It was a bit like that, but more like we were resonating treasures that shouted more as we got closer.
And……
“Bjorrrrrn!!!”
Thanks to that, I was able to find the optimal route to Ainar despite the unfamiliar basement vault layout. For some reason, Ainar was not trapped in the vault but standing outside, unharmed……
‘Amelia… and Auyen……?’
There were even two familiar faces with her. Though there was also a less pleasant one.
“Eltora Tercerion……?”
“Haha, long time no see… Baron Yandel……”
…Why is he here?
***
It didn’t take long to understand the entire situation.
“So, you’re saying that you’d rather stick with me, like a bat, because you’re doomed if you stay with the Marquess?”
“…Well, not exactly—.”
“If you start talking about justice or something like that, I won’t accept it.”
“Understood.”
He should have said so from the beginning. Anyway, having the Marquess’ son in my hands was a very advantageous situation. However, I decided to think about how to use him later and for now……
“Emily, I’m glad you’re safe.”
“…Same to you.”
I exchanged brief words with Amelia, relieved that we had reunited safely, and then looked at Auyen. It was a strange feeling.
“…You did well. You achieved what neither I nor the royal family could.”
“P-Please don’t say that! I was really just lucky! And besides, wasn’t it you who gave me that essence in the first place?”
“I’m not talking about the essence or luck. I’m talking about the ‘choice’ you made in that situation.”
“……”
“Even if you gather a hundred ordinary people, most wouldn’t make the same choice as you in that situation.”
It was a sincere compliment, not flattery. But perhaps thinking it might be too much pressure for Auyen, Amelia intervened in the conversation.
“That’s enough. Auyen Rockrobe is a proud member of the Anabada Clan, after all.”
“……”
“Isn’t it natural for him to be different from ordinary people?”
“Ah……”
I thought she was telling me to stop with the flattery, but it turned out she just wanted to praise him herself.
“Ugh……”
Whether from embarrassment or being moved, it wasn’t clear, but Auyen squirmed and lowered his head for quite a while. Okay, that’s enough praising for now.
“Bjorrrrrn! I’m glad you’re safe! Praise me too! If it weren’t for me, Rotmiller wouldn’t have taken you there!”
“……”
“Ah! Come to think of it, what happened to Rotmiller? Did you intentionally not bring him this time?”
“Ah……”
She doesn’t know.
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