STGAAB Novel MTL - Chapter 770
Chapter 770: Clarifying Positions (5)
Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for the bespectacled man to come to terms with reality. He stiffly took a step back, he stared straight into my eyes and spoke.
“Baron Yandel… You’re making a huge mistake right now.”
His voice carried a sincere warning, but as soon as I heard his words, I thought to myself: Hmm, how many people have said that to me so far?
“Do you have any idea how many troops are stationed in this area? You won’t make it out alive. Maybe you can escape, but your comrades won’t.”
“Oh, is that so?”
I nodded as if in understanding, then swiftly reached out and grabbed him by the neck, pulling him towards me.
“But how many lives do you have to be this confident?”
It was something I had been wondering about for a while. Does this guy not care about his life? If he really thought my comrades were my weak point, shouldn’t he be a little more cautious when exploiting such a sensitive issue?
“Huh?”
I asked, but why wasn’t he answering?
“……G-Guh!”
Ah, right, he couldn’t speak because I was choking him.
Ssss.
I loosened my grip just enough for him to talk. He then gasped and hurriedly spoke.
“W-why are you doing this……!”
“Huh?”
“We made a deal to get what we both wanted……!”
Ah, that…… that’s true.
“But the situation has changed since then.”
“W-What……?”
“Oh, I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise! I sincerely apologize!”
Since I was the one who broke the deal, I offered a sincere apology. But perhaps he didn’t trust my sincerity.
“…An apology? Do you think everything ends with just an apology?”
His words made the barbarian inside me tilt my head in confusion.
“Huh? What do you mean? Why would apologies exist if things didn’t end with one?”
“……?”
“I made a mistake, and I apologized. Isn’t that the end of it?”
“W-what kind of nonsensical logic is that……!”
The bespectacled man shouted in disbelief.
“Nonsense, huh……”
As the generous barbarian that I am, I let it slide, but I still gave him a piece of advice.
“Don’t use complicated words. It makes you seem weak.”
“……”
“Anyway, I’ve apologized.”
Though it seemed the matter was resolved, the bespectacled man rethought the situation and came up with a new argument.
“……If everything ended with an apology, why would we need laws and prisons?”
Oh, how sharp. But still, he’s wrong.
“That’s why barbarians don’t like laws or prisons.”
“……”
“So, this conversation is over.”
I forcibly ended the discussion on that topic. I mean, isn’t it obvious? Conversations about blame and hatred are far less productive than talks about future cooperation.
Therefore……
“Withdraw all the troops stationed nearby.”
“……Are you out of your mind? You’ve broken the agreement unilaterally, and now you demand that we—.”
“If you refuse, I’ll fire Thunder at your District 4 Headquarters.”
The moment I declared my K-Barbarian’s resolution for peace, the bespectacled man’s face turned deathly pale. Of course, the Lord of Noark was stationed at their District 4 Headquarters.
‘I was a little worried, but it seems like he’s still there.’
Given that several days had passed since I got the information from the chancellor’s son, I was a bit concerned. But judging from his expression, there was no need for Plan B.
“Now, the decision is yours.”
“J-just give me a moment to consult……”
“No.”
When I firmly drew the line, the bespectacled man ground his teeth in frustration.
“How do you expect me to make such a big decision on my own?”
“You’ve worked with the Noark Lord for a long time, haven’t you? Surely, you can at least guess what decision he’d make in a situation like this.”
“……”
“Make the decision yourself.”
I suppose his mind must be racing. On one hand, he needs to punish me for breaking our deal, but doing so might get the Noark Lord killed. However, I wasn’t too worried. After all, this guy was loyal enough to mention my ‘comrades’ in front of me for the sake of the Noark Lord. Now that he had the excuse of protecting the Lord, he could even dodge responsibility……. and even save his own life as well?
‘It’d be stranger if he didn’t choose that option.’
Even if it’s not what he initially wanted, when the path is laid out before you, it’s only natural to consider it.
“Hurry up and decide. I’ve already apologized for breaking the deal. Do you want to shed blood, or shall we part ways cleanly?”
“……”
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me in this situation, but I won’t fire this at you guys.”
“…You won’t fire at us? Baron, don’t tell me you’re planning……!”
“Shh. Don’t say any more. So, what’s your answer?”
Despite me pressuring him, the bespectacled man still struggled to make a decision. But after a brief delay he reluctantly gave his answer—.
“…I refuse.”
…What?
“Don’t take me for a fool, Baron Yandel.”
Before I could respond, the alarms installed in the building suddenly blared to life.
Raaang-! Raaang-! Raaang-!
It seemed like this guy had pressed some sort of button……
“This is how we do things.”
“……”
“It’s better to destroy everything than watch it all get taken from us.”
It seems I underestimated the Noark mindset. I had thought this guy was some sort of intellectual, someone who would make a rational decision until the end.
“…I didn’t expect you to have such a manly side.”
Although I was somewhat impressed, I still did what I had to do.
“Let me say it once more, don’t treat people like idiots—.”
“Enough, just die.”
Crunch-!
I swiftly crushed his skull with my hammer and turned toward the room where my comrades were. Or at least, that’s what I tried to do.
‘But where are they?’
With alarms blaring from all directions, I momentarily hesitated on which room to head to.
“Yandel…!”
The door at the end of the hallway suddenly swung open, and Amelia appeared with the group. It seemed they had rushed out when they heard the alarms.
“What’s going on here?”
To Amelia’s question, I answered with a deep sigh.
Is there really no such thing as ‘easy’ in my fate?
“Things got a little complicated.”
It’s time to move to Plan B.
***
Plan A was simple. Threaten to fire Thunder at Noark’s Lord and escape. A completely non-violent, peaceful plan.
But……
‘Tsk, this is why you can’t make deals with thugs.’
That plan had been scrapped thanks to the stubborn mentality of the Noark bastards. So, now it was time to execute Plan B.
Surprisingly, Plan B was even simpler than Plan A. And that plan was……
To use Thunder.
That seven-letter word is enough to explain it.
‘But how do I use it? Oh, maybe like this—.’
Whoa, what is this?
As soon as I made up my mind to use Thunder, my consciousness seemed to be pulled out of my body. My vision shot upward, passing through the building’s ceiling and even objects, soaring endlessly.
Whoooosh-!
When I regained my senses, I found myself hovering above the city, in the sky. The breathtaking view below me was something even the highest city walls couldn’t provide. But I didn’t have time to stare in awe.
Swish.
I turned my head to look at the building I had been in. The area was swarming with the Noark troops led by the bespectacled man, and even the term ‘swarming’ seemed insufficient to describe the sheer number of them.
‘If I shoot directly at the building, even I might be in danger……’
I locked my aim on a spot away from the building.
And……
‘So I just have to think about firing it, right?’
As soon as I had that thought, I felt an indescribable, unknown energy drain from me.
And……
Whoooosh-!
Something massive shot up into the sky from the building where I had been, like a rocket launching. And after briefly witnessing that.
“What the hell? What did I just do!”
In an instant, it felt like I had just awoken from a fleeting dream, my vision snapping back to normal.
“Uhhh……”
My mind went blank for a moment, but I quickly pulled myself together and began assessing the situation.
“Whoa! Something huge just shot up from above Bjorn’s head……!”
Oh, it really fired. Having just been watching from the sky moments ago, it didn’t feel real. But whether I could fully grasp it or not, I knew there was no time to waste. After all, Thunder would be striking near here soon.
“There they are!”
Just then, Noark troops appeared from the stairwell. They must have rushed over as soon as the emergency alarms went off……
‘Look at that fancy equipment.’
Now I understood why the bespectacled guy had been so confident that he could at least take down my comrades. Well, not that it matters much now.
Swish.
Seeing the troops rushing toward me, I raised my hammer high.
And……
“Everyone, grab onto me! Emily, take care of Ragna. Ainar, you handle Harin……!”
I used [Giantization] and instructed them to latch onto my now-giant body.
SMAAAAASH-!
I slammed my gigantic hammer down into the floor with all my might.
“Kyahhhhh-!”
The floor, made of stone and reinforced with steel, shattered easily, and we immediately descended to the floor below.
‘This is the third floor, right?’
Of course, I had no intention of stopping here. I continued smashing the floor, like a miner digging down in a 2D game I used to play.
Just like swinging a pickaxe, I smashed downwards.
“What is happening! What the hell is going on right now!” Smash-!
Second floor.
“What’s the situation… Kyahhh!” SMAAAASH-!
First floor.
I had finally reached the high-ceiling of the first floor, but I didn’t stop digging. There’s no way a building this tall wouldn’t have a basement, right?
“Woooahhh! A basement! A basement!” SMAAASH-!
“No, wait, please……!” SMAAAAASH-!
I smashed my way down past the first basement floor and reached the second. I swung my hammer once more, but this time the ground only dented deeply—it didn’t collapse like before. Still, I kept hammering away, digging a hole into the ground.
‘Alright, this should be enough space for all of us.’
Satisfied that there was now plenty of space, I tossed my comrades down into the pit.
And……
Thud.
I completed our underground bunker by lying my massive, Giantized barbarian body over the pit like a lid.
“At least we made it in time.”
“Seriously, what is going on?! Can you please explain now?” Hyeonbyeol’s sharp voice rang out from below where I was lying, but there was only one thing I could say.
“Just hang in there, everyone.”
Because I think the explosion was about to happen soon.
***
A massive roar echoed as the once solid ground shook like jelly beneath me. If the foundation was in this state, there was no way the surface would be okay.
CRASH-! BOOM-! RUMBLE-!
From above, debris from the collapsing building rained down, striking my back. That much was fine. The problem came next.
——— ——— ——— —!
A powerful light burst forth, so intense that even through the pile of rubble pressing down on me, I could feel it. It was followed by a searing pain, like my entire body was being consumed by flames. The heat was so intense that I doubted the others beneath me were okay. Fortunately, it didn’t last long.
‘To think it’s this bad even on the second basement floor……’
If I hadn’t aimed further away, we might have been in serious trouble.
‘Ah, I should check on the others first.’
Though the air was scorching, like stepping into a sauna, it wasn’t enough to be life-threatening. I quickly refocused and checked below.
“Is everyone alright?”
“That’s what we should be asking you. Are you… are you okay?”
“Feels like I’ve lost a few vertebrae, but I’m fine. This much will heal quickly. So, about my question?”
“…We’re okay. Harin Savy had a pretty high-quality defense scroll on her.”
“No, seriously, what was that just now……!”
Hah, this girl really doesn’t give up.
Why does it even matter at this point?
“Don’t worry about it. Just be quiet and let me think.”
Hyeonbyeol grumbled something under her breath, but I ignored her and focused on what was coming next.
‘We can probably manage the oxygen issue by alternating between using breathing scrolls and magic tools…’
It might take some time, but if we slowly clear away the debris, we’ll eventually be able to get out. After that, we’ll head straight across the city to Karnon, present the Marquess’ body to Astarota, and complete the mission.
‘We’re almost finished……’
My instincts told me this ordeal was nearing its end, but there was a nagging feeling of dread tightening around my heart.
Thump-!
Please, I hope nothing else goes wrong.
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