Chapter 398

Chapter 398

For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

Episode 398: Fusion

“Hehe… ruling with fear seems pretty good, Junior.”

“What’s with that sinister remark?”

After thoroughly turning over the forces of Reckless Roar and the God of Tainted Unity, I returned to the mansion, receiving a welcome that wasn’t really a welcome from the dwarves who were trembling with instinctive fear.

I had gone out at dawn and fought relentlessly until sunrise, so I was planning to take a short break…

But as soon as I closed the door, Faye said that with a gloomy chuckle.

“But think about it, Junior. The people who always pretended not to see me and quietly glared at me can’t even make eye contact now and are just trembling! So that’s how it feels…? I think I understand why you cause trouble all the time!”

“…No, when have I ever gone around causing trouble?”

“Didn’t you beat up your classmates like they were mice in the Academy?”

“That was during sparring class.”

“And if you didn’t like something, you’d challenge anyone to a duel, senior or not.”

“If it was that guy Felop, he was trying to mess with Senior Faye. He deserved to get beaten up, so it was only natural.”

“Later on, you even went after me.”

“Hmm… now that I think about it, it does seem like I was causing trouble.”

Causing trouble on the bed… isn’t that a compliment?

As I reflexively nodded, Faye giggled and flopped down on the bed.

Perhaps because it was a high-quality bed made by dwarves who were exceptionally good at crafting things, it gently swayed and absorbed the impact.

Swoosh.

Faye’s chest, which swayed along with it, seemed even more effective at absorbing shock.

I wondered if I should lie on the bed for that reason, or lie on Faye’s chest, but someone moved one step ahead of me.

Iris, who was groaning from mana deficiency, lay down on the bed with Iona’s help. And then, she rolled over and nestled into Faye’s arms.

“Tsk.”

Did she instinctively recognize the softest pillow?

Lightly clicking my tongue, I lay down on the opposite side to rest. Then, the other women also began to rest in their own ways.

Closing my eyes, I quietly reviewed what had happened today.

Overall, I fought well, and it’s good that the power and recoil of Punishment have improved. But there were many disappointing aspects regarding flight.

It’s unavoidable that I was clumsy since it was my first time flying using the wings, but I relied too much on instinct.

A magical engine that automatically lifts the body and controls the surrounding wind just by flowing mana into it. I only used that for movement, so I could say I wasted half the wings’ potential.

The wind control function is probably to assist breathing and reduce air resistance so that I don’t lack oxygen when flying high or fast.

Real dragons are much larger and fly much higher, so it must have been a necessary function for them.

But I’m not that big, so I don’t need to worry about air resistance, and I don’t fly high enough to have breathing problems.

It’s a bit necessary when flying fast… but anyway, the wings still have plenty of power left.

If so, I should be able to apply it more.

Not just flying fast, but also sharp braking, acceleration, or sharp turns. I could achieve more free movement.

Just as the flames enveloping Punishment burned away small attacks, if I do it right, maybe I can surround myself with wind like armor to distort or weaken projectiles?

Since I have them, I should use them properly.

While I was running various simulations in my head with that thought, Helena, who was quietly sitting by my head and giving me a lap pillow, suddenly opened her mouth as if she had just remembered something.

“By the way, Brother.”

“Yes?”

“Countess Astrid took her son, Prince Svid, out and then led the Evil God’s forces, didn’t she?”

“For now, that seems to be the case based on the circumstances. According to what I’ve roughly heard, the Steel Mountains are originally very rugged and a place no one can easily cross, and they’re even saying that Astrid might have shown them the way.”

“I think that part is quite possible. But what I don’t understand is a slightly different point.”

“A different point…?”

“Why did she betray us at this timing? I don’t really understand the reason.”

“Why? Well, to get rid of Faye and– huh?”

That’s strange.

In the first place, wasn’t Faye a hated illegitimate child who had half run away from home? Whether Faye exists or not, Astrid’s position and Svid’s heir status wouldn’t be shaken.

“Then was she targeting me? No, this also feels a bit off.”

Of course, the Evil Gods might be targeting me. From the moment those two proud martial arts-focused gods joined hands, it was no different from declaring their intention to kill me somehow.

They didn’t really attack the castle but persistently targeted only me, didn’t they?

But that’s no reason for Astrid to step forward.

It’s true that cultists are fanatics who can throw away their lives like dust for their Evil Gods, but that doesn’t mean they’re completely mindless.

If they were seriously planning to deal with me properly, it would be more efficient for them to use various tactics inside the mansion rather than having Astrid go out and bring monsters.

Of course, that’s the way of the Boiling Silence, not the way of the Reckless Roar or the God of Tainted Unity.

Those guys are right to just charge in with monsters…

So, Astrid is a devout follower and absolutely obeys the Evil God’s words… but that in itself raises questions.

How in the world has Astrid not been caught until now?

Astrid, whom I glanced at while fighting, clearly possessed the divine power of the God of Tainted Unity at the archbishop level.

In fact, with that level, her way of thinking should have been affected, and Astrid’s mind should have already deteriorated.

But didn’t they say that Astrid showed no signs of it until just yesterday? That’s why everyone reacted with disbelief until they saw it with their own eyes.

A follower of the Boiling Silence, maybe, but a follower of the God of Tainted Unity doesn’t have that much power. They can’t.

“This is definitely a bit strange.”

“Yes. There must be some hidden story we don’t know about.”

“But whatever the circumstances or whatever their schemes, wouldn’t it be enough to just smash it all?”

“…Excuse me?”

I rubbed my cheek against Helena’s thigh, who looked bewildered, and stretched my arm out to the side.

“Heeek!”

Squish.

Faye’s overwhelmingly large alchemical pouch, which couldn’t even be fully grasped with one hand. I mercilessly squeezed it and opened my mouth.

“Kukuku… with this overwhelming power, I’ll be able to crush any scheme head-on. Kukuku.”

“Junior! Don’t make weird noises while groping my chest!”

Faye shrieked, but still obediently offered her chest.

Watching that, Iris, who had been rubbing her face against the other chest, turned her head.

“Iona, is such a symptom also common among students?”

“Uh-huh. It’s a symptom that usually appears in the second year! It’s a period when they’ve learned some magic and swordsmanship and become arrogant! If it’s severe, they even say nonsense like a great demon is sealed in their right hand, or they have a deadly sword technique that they can’t use during sparring because it will definitely kill the opponent… Student Yandel’s level is cute!”

“That’s right! Master is the cutest when he’s acting all proud like that!”

“Carla. The ‘cute’ you’re talking about and the ‘cute’ Professor Iona is talking about are completely different meanings, you know?”

The women were whispering among themselves, excluding only me.

Uh, um… well, everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, so I guess that’s a good thing?

How long did we continue to laze around and rest like that? Perhaps because we had woken up suddenly in the middle of the night, everyone started dozing off.

The dwarven castle is famous for being sturdy, so blocking a half-destroyed army for a few hours shouldn’t be a problem.

Moreover, since Helena even put blessings on the walls and surrounded the area with a decent barrier, it would be even sturdier.

So, it should be okay to sleep a little.

After my own calculations, I felt relieved and closed my eyes. Shouldn’t I rest when I can?

…And as always, I had to wake up forcefully at the perfect moment.

“Th-the monsters are fusing!! Countess Astrid is making a grotesque giant by sacrificing Prince Svid!!”

“We have to destroy that abomination before it’s completed! Don’t hold back the cannon fire!”

“I-it’s okay! We have the dragon with us! That person will protect us!”

“You fools! Have you forgotten the old tales?! It might take your treasures and your heads in return! And do you really think it will protect us, except maybe Lady Faye?!”

In the moment when my consciousness was slightly fading and I was half-asleep, feeling like my body was floating, my eyes snapped open at the commotion outside.

Putting aside the perception that I was some kind of Outer God, it seemed like I had heard something I couldn’t ignore.

Unlike last time, Faye, who woke up first this time, asked with a bewildered voice.

“Junior? They’re fusing? What’s that?”

“I don’t know either…?”

What’s with this fusing? It’s an event I don’t remember.

Perhaps some kind of synergy occurred when the Reckless Roar and the God of Tainted Unity joined hands?

I never thought I’d see an alliance-like development from the Evil Gods, especially this time. So, am I in the final boss position?

With a dumbfounded feeling, I woke up the rest of the group and got up from my seat. I had fallen asleep wearing my equipment, so I could just go out like this.

Since I had already roughly memorized the way, I didn’t wait for anyone’s guidance and went straight up to the wall.

And I could clearly understand what they meant by merging.

“Good heavens… they really are fusing.”

The corpses I had killed. And the cultists and monsters who were still alive were all clumped together, becoming a gooey dough, forming the shape of a giant.

However, there was one thing that uniquely maintained its original form within that grotesque mass of flesh.

It was the face of the dwarven youth located in the center.

Judging by how strangely similar he looked to Rohan, that must be Svid.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

They’re even fusing to resist because they’re cornered?

This really makes me feel like the villain.