Chapter 19: Anyway, I will serve you well (8)

The sword pierced his flesh, but it felt like it only went halfway. I’d heard about swords getting stuck on bones, but this felt more like hitting steel.

“Ugh…”

Was it because of the mana suppression? Or was it simply my lack of experience in actually stabbing someone? I frowned and pushed harder, and then I saw something wriggling in my vision. Strange symbols, like writing, were clinging to the sword embedded in his body.

“That’s new.”

Some crazy mages inscribed magic circles on their bodies to enhance their physical abilities. This seemed like the curse version of that. Suppressing everyone’s mana with a barrier while freely using curses himself…

Don’t curses use mana? Then what fuels them? This was some grade-school logic. Didn’t the goddess do any balancing? Well, if she had, the ropan protagonists wouldn’t have to suffer so much.

“Haa…”

I exhaled and pushed harder. The symbols, like ants, crawled up the sword, trying to reach me. What could I do?

“Just die.”

No mana? Then brute force it is. To keep up with Prince Ellen, I’d consumed the maximum amount of elixirs, and to withstand their effects, I’d pushed my physical abilities to the limit.

“Ugh!”

A pained groan escaped his lips as the sword slowly, but surely, inched deeper. I couldn’t see his face since I’d stabbed him in the back, but he wouldn’t be able to maintain his smug expression.

Thud!

After what felt like an eternity, I felt a sense of release. I’d finally pierced his heart. I’d even applied poison; even with curses, he should be dead.

“How… did you know my name?”

Silence, perhaps out of courtesy, asked Violet his final question, acknowledging his impending death. I was the one who delivered the final blow, but he was ignoring me.

Well, his last name was Dale, so I could understand. That damned, spiteful magic kingdom. After this, I would join forces with Aryn and extort every penny from them, including the cost of rescuing their prince.

I carefully created some distance and stealthily moved towards Violet. She seemed to have things under control, but Daisy needed immediate attention. Things would get messy if she died.

“I see.”

I applied half of the potion to Daisy’s wound and poured the other half down her throat. Violet and Silence exchanged a few words, and then Silence seemed to come to a realization on his own. The atmosphere was like a detective story where the culprit had been revealed, but the story was far more complex than I’d imagined.

Secrets known only to a select few in the Dale Kingdom. Silence’s past suffering. How he, a former royal, abandoned magic for curses. How he survived in the demon realm and returned for revenge.

A classic villain backstory. The prince from Dale would be shocked if he heard this. He was definitely a recurring villain type character. It was a shame the recording device wasn’t working. This footage would have been worth a fortune; Dale wouldn’t dare cause trouble for at least ten years. I could subtly leak the information and achieve a similar effect, but having evidence was different.

“My life has been nothing but regret.”

Silence’s head tilted towards the sky, or rather, the stone ceiling of the basement.

“So, I tried to change it, but I failed from the very beginning.”

He seemed like a different person now, facing death. Or was this his true self, and the previous persona just an act? He spoke quietly, without his usual flamboyant demeanor.

“But I’m glad the lineage of curses continues.”

So, he’d been having a curse battle with Violet, who’d apparently learned those curses from reading about Silence in the original novel.

“This is my final test.”

“What…?”

Seriously? He attacks the academy during midterms and then gives us a test? The professors were already assigning exam questions as if their lectures were the only ones that mattered. And now, this guy, who wasn’t even a professor, was giving us a test? No professional ethics whatsoever.

“What the hell is this?”

A dark red mass, formed from the symbols inscribed on Silence’s body, began to coalesce at the tip of the sword I’d embedded in his heart. The symbols crawled across his body, converging on his chest in a grotesque display. I looked at Violet, but…

“…”

She was half-dead, barely able to speak. She’d only managed to move her lips slightly during her conversation with Silence.

“Did you even study?”

I asked casually, and she shook her head slightly.

“This guy also gave up on the test.”

Damn it, I couldn’t even criticize her since I’d given up too. Violet looked slightly indignant, but if she’d stolen his curses, she should have also studied for his final exam. I had only one option.

Slap!

“Wake up, you idiot!”

I couldn’t rely on a depleted transmigrator. As the final curse began to activate, I could feel mana returning, but I was also exhausted. And as someone who didn’t know magic, I didn’t see a way to stop it, even if I was in top condition.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

My only option was Daisy, the heroine of this damned ropan world, who could unconsciously disrupt curses.

“Wake up! We’re all going to die!”

I had to wake up the ropan heroine.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

“Ugh…”

After about ten slaps, a pained groan reached my ears. Thank goodness. Violet was starting to look at me with the same expression she’d had while fighting Silence, and after witnessing that epic battle, I was getting nervous.

“Hey, collapse!”

I poured the cheap potion I’d been saving on Daisy’s face and rubbed it in, then looked at Violet. Daisy’s awakening was supposed to be triggered by Violet being in danger. Her current state seemed sufficient, but…

“…”

Violet just stood there, her lips moving silently.

“Can’t move?”

She seemed almost paralyzed. She couldn’t even nod, just blinking her eyes.

“Sorry.”

I lightly kicked Violet’s shin.

“…!”

Her eyes widened in protest, but she couldn’t move.

Thump!

As Violet face-planted on the floor…

“Violet?”

…Daisy opened her eyes with perfect ropan heroine timing.

“Ugh! She’s been attacked!”

I rushed towards the unconscious Violet, making sure Daisy saw her. Blood covered her body, with deep wounds on her right wrist and side. And thanks to the face-plant, she had a double nosebleed. Even I felt a pang of sympathy.

“Oh…”

They were so close that I almost sensed a GL subplot developing.

“I won’t forgive you.”

****

I’d sometimes wondered what “holy” meant in novel descriptions. Now I knew. A brilliant light engulfed the entire space.

“That’s effective.”

Even the highest-grade potions reserved for royalty couldn’t compare. The holy light seeped into my body, rapidly healing my injuries and exhaustion from the doping.

“…”

Silence was also affected. The wriggling mass of curses on his chest vanished. Of course, the sword embedded in his heart remained.

“The Saint’s power…”

Amazing. He muttered, and then his body collapsed.

He was dead, right? It would be ridiculous if he survived a sword through the heart, even with the Saint’s healing. Now that I was somewhat recovered, I cautiously approached Silence and pulled out the sword. Blood spurted, momentarily surprising me, but Silence didn’t react.

I poked him a few times with the sword. Still no reaction. So, I turned his body over.

“Whoa…”

His eyes were open, staring at me with lingering regret. Like in a movie, I closed his eyelids. They closed easily.

This was my first time killing someone. I felt… nothing. Perhaps I was too overwhelmed, or perhaps I was a psychopath.

No, that wasn’t it. I felt plenty of rage whenever I saw those ropan male leads.

“Wake up…”

As I guarded the expensive corpse, thinking about claiming the bounty, the ropan protagonists were busy reenacting a dramatic scene from their novel, tears streaming down their faces.

“They should be here soon.”

Based on my web novel experience, the tedious aftermath would begin soon. Now that Silence was definitely dead, I carefully lay down next to his body, closed my eyes, and pretended to be unconscious. Soon, I sensed approaching footsteps. They weren’t very subtle.

“Daisy!”

The ropan male leads arrived with reinforcements.

“…My ears.”

“Violet!”

With the heroine’s dramatic cry, the incident concluded.

****

…Or so I thought. Damn it.

“Commander, I’m useless.”

“-You can still talk, can’t you?”

I was in the academy’s emergency ward. As the main contributor to Silence’s defeat, I was given a private room, but…

It had become a prison. This was ridiculous. Even with the Saint’s healing, my body was still screaming from the strain, and I was mentally exhausted. I planned to stay in bed for a few days, using recovery as an excuse. But this damn Commander insisted I could still give my report. This was why my loyalty to the kingdom was…

“-I need to know what you did to calculate your compensation.”

“Why didn’t you say so?”

My incentive to recover just skyrocketed.

“The enemy was the Mage Slayer, who turned out to be a lost royal from Dale.”

“-That’s interesting.”

“I’ll give you a full report when I return to my dorm.”

“-See that you do.”

The Commander made a zero with his fingers. It meant “okay,” and also implied an extra zero in my bonus.

“And I used a lot of consumables.”

He frowned slightly at the mention of depleted resources, but Silence must have been more infamous than I’d thought.

“-Against Silence, that’s understandable.”

He readily approved the resupply. I would make sure to bill the Empire and Dale for the expenses.

“And… it seems Daisy has awakened as a Saint.”

I relayed Daisy’s miraculous healing to the Commander. The official report would arrive soon, but it was important to inform him first.

“This is going to be a problem.”

Daisy wasn’t just a low-ranking noble from a foreign nation anymore. She was the Saint of the continent. Her status now rivaled even Prince Ellen’s, which might make the kingdom reconsider its stance on their relationship.

“-That won’t happen.”

Fortunately, our kingdom wasn’t swayed by such titles.

“-Good work. Get some rest.”

After a few more exchanges, the Commander finally let me go. Unable to fight off the exhaustion, I collapsed the moment I closed my eyes.

And then…

Beep!

The cheerful alarm clock woke me up.