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Chapter 69 - Tears of Blood

"That idiot...!"

The scene that greeted me as soon as I arrived at Arient Castle was none other than Sylvia, charging headfirst into the swarm of ants on her own.

What the hell is she trying to prove? Is this some kind of protest, showing off to me?

Like, "If you keep cutting my pay, I’ll just die out here!"

My blood pressure spiked.

I must’ve unconsciously let out a murderous aura, because the Count of Arient hiccupped in terror.

"A-Ah! Where are you going? Your knight is buying us time, so there’s no need for you to go out—"

"Move aside. I have to save her."

"Guh!"

I shoved the bothersome Count of Arient out of the way and ran through the evacuation line, moving in the opposite direction.

Using your life as a bargaining chip to protest against me?

That won’t work on me.

If someone’s useful, I’ll use them no matter what. I don’t let valuable assets die.

That’s the strategy I adopted to survive ever since I came into this world.

‘Ant monsters, huh?’

They’ve mutated and grown large due to mana, but at the end of the day, they’re still ants.

At their core, they’re just bugs.

In that case, my skill Touch of Death should work.

...It has to work.

‘Damn it. I should’ve tested it at least once.’

Of course, this is assuming the skill works exactly as described.

If there’s some unforeseen variable?

If there’s an exception?

The more I think about it, the more endless the doubts become.

But Sylvia’s on the verge of death, and there’s no other choice but to jump in.

If Sylvia dies, who’s going to run Vermont Security?

Who’ll handle the now-bulked-up employees?

Who’ll protect the estate?

If Sylvia’s gone, Vermont would collapse by tomorrow.

‘Damn it, she’s exhausted.’

The frost that had been spreading from Sylvia’s fingertips stopped, and I could see her staggering, unable to keep her balance.

She must’ve completely drained her mana.

She could’ve frozen them partially and escaped with whatever mana she had left.

Why’d she use up every drop?

Thanks to the frost stopping, I could now get closer.

‘You really are one foolish woman.’

I was starting to understand why she threw herself into such a suicidal situation.

It’s because the lives of so many people are at stake.

For Sylvia, there wasn’t an option like, “Leave enough mana to escape.”

All she thought about was using every last bit of strength to ensure the refugees survived.

There probably wasn’t room in her head for anything else.

She was prioritizing the lives of total strangers over her own survival.

Watching her, it was so frustrating it made me angry.

It’s a miracle she managed to survive a battlefield with that kind of mentality.

But if she keeps this up, she’s going to die soon enough.

‘I have to watch her back.’

There’s no one else who can restrain her and keep her alive.

Clenching my teeth, I threw myself toward Sylvia as she collapsed backward.

"Why do you look like you’ve accepted your death? That’s annoying. Fix that face."

"M-my Lord!? Why are you here...!"

"You’ve still got a lot of work to do. I won’t allow you to escape your duties and pay cuts by dying like this. So forget about dying for now."

"No! It’s dangerous here! Let go of me and run! Please, quickly! When those monsters thaw, we’ll both be killed!"

"Don’t worry. I’m not an idiot who rushes in without a plan."

"...?"

Sylvia looked up at me, bewildered.

Her expression seemed to say, Wait... You weren’t here to die?

Not everyone in this world is as hopelessly kind and foolish as you.

Unlike you, I’m a coward and a self-serving scoundrel. My own safety is always my top priority.

And to prove that...

I stretched out my hand and quietly recited an incantation.

A skill whose success I wasn’t sure of.

"Skill, Touch of Death."

Sssss.

The air around us suddenly grew cold, and my hand started trembling.

Let it work! Please work!

As the ant monsters charged at me, jaws open wide as if they were ready to rip me in half, I stood still, hand raised, without moving an inch.

An ant’s mandibles flew toward my hand.

"Keh? Kiek!?"

"Gurk?"

Thud, thud, thud.

They all collapsed at once, falling limp in front of me.

Like puppets whose strings had been cut, they crumbled, forming a wall of corpses at my feet.

Sylvia’s eyes grew as wide as saucers.

"Don’t ever think of dying in front of me again."

"Ah..."

"You said you wanted to keep an eye on me. You have to stay alive to do that, don’t you?"

"Auh..."

"Why are you whimpering like a dog that needs to go out?"

Sylvia continued to squirm, making small, uncomfortable noises as if something was bothering her.

If she’s mana-exhausted, she should just let me carry her. Why is she being so difficult?

Wait... her face is bright red.

"Th-That’s because... your hand... is touching... my, my chest..."

"You’re too heavy, and there’s nowhere else to hold on. Deal with it."

"...You’re being very rude to a lady."

"Lady? Don’t make me laugh."

Someone who carries a sword on her hip and uses skills with ridiculous names like Bang is no lady.

I let out a dry laugh, trying to lift her into my arms but quickly gave up.

Too heavy.

It’s not that my strength is lacking; Sylvia’s just too heavy.

With great effort, I finally managed to hoist her onto my back.

"At least you know how to be embarrassed. After you walked out with your hair in a bun and a fork stuck in it, I figured you had no sense of shame..."

"Th-That’s impossible! There’s no way I would behave like such a tomboy...!"

"Press closer to my back. Your position’s awkward, and it’s hard to carry you like this."

"This is... as close as I can get..."

"..."

No wonder it feels so different from carrying Julia or Charlotte.

The strange sensation between my back and hers was something large, soft, and heavy.

This... this isn’t something that could be solved by telling her to lose weight.

An awkward silence hung between us for a long while.

.

.

.

"Th-That’s..."

Sssss.

The monsters surrounding Count Vermont collapsed one after another in an instant.

Yuri, who had been watching from atop the wall, was stunned.

Is that... really possible?

Killing enemies without even touching them, as if they were falling asleep?

The monsters entering the invisible radius around Count Vermont were all dying, without exception.

Soon, the monsters began moving in a circular pattern, avoiding the space around him entirely.

It was a sight beyond belief.

I’ve never heard of such magic before.

Which means, without a doubt, this must be...

"Dark magic...!"

This must be the dark magic Vermont has been researching for so long.

If that’s not dark magic, then what is it?

It’s not like the ants are dying because they hate Aslan Vermont so much they can’t stand getting close to him.

Sure, Aslan might be hated, but it’s not to that extent, right?

Yuri shook his head, dismissing that unlikely theory as he settled on a more plausible explanation.

‘I have to get Charlotte and Julia out of there as soon as possible...!’

Didn’t I manage to win Aslan Vermont’s favor?

After all my efforts, didn’t I at least catch his eye?

So why hasn’t he hired me yet...!

I need to quickly climb the ranks in the Vermont household so I can freely interact with Charlotte and Julia.

To do that, I need achievements.

And for achievements, I need power.

Power. I need more power.

This isn’t enough.

Struggling against a few ant monsters is pointless.

It’s nothing compared to dark magic that can take down dozens, hundreds, with just a snap of the fingers...

Clenching his fists, Yuri once again resolved to become even stronger.

"They’re climbing the walls!"

"Damn it! Shoot arrows! Throw rocks! Pour boiling water! Do whatever it takes to knock them down!!!"

Rumble.

The monsters had finally reached the castle walls and were starting to climb.

We killed so many, but it didn’t seem to matter.

The number of monsters clinging to the walls had multiplied beyond count.

Could Aslan Vermont stop them?

No. Not even he could.

That dark magic has a limited range. It can’t cover the entire wall.

"We’re out of arrows!"

"Bring more stones! Quickly!"

Arrows, rocks, and boiling water were running out, but the monsters showed no signs of slowing as they climbed higher.

They’d soon reach the top of the wall.

Yuri gathered mana at his fingertips as despair spread across the faces of the people around him.

"Charlotte! Julia! It’s your turn!"

"...!"

The moment Count Vermont called those familiar names, the earth began to rumble ominously.

Count Arient, reliving some trauma, clutched his head and collapsed to the ground.

"Julia...?"

Yuri turned his head to see Julia standing expressionless in the field, wearing neat clothes fit for a noble.

From Julia’s mouth came a strange, hissing sound, almost like the language of an evil god.

[Kyaaaaah!!!]

"...!?"

With a terrifying screech, a massive creature appeared.

Only its glowing eyes were visible in the pitch-black darkness.

The silhouette was so large that it dwarfed the castle walls.

Is that... an evil god!?

Has Julia made a contract with an evil god!?

Yuri’s face turned pale, and he was on the verge of tears.

"Haaah! I’ve arrived!"

"Charlotte...?"

Next to emerge was Charlotte, dressed in tight-fitting armor.

What’s that horrifying, wicked black sword she’s holding!?

Every time she swings it, a filthy, black light lashes out!

That’s clearly a cursed sword!

Has Charlotte fallen under its influence!?

That must be why she’s been acting so strangely!

"Aaah..."

Unable to bear it any longer, Yuri collapsed to his knees.

Seeing how much his friends had changed, it felt like tears of blood would soon follow.