Ch.137The Declining Imperial Family (8)

“Judith-!”

Nolan shouted as he approached Judith. Ruide stretched his hand into the air.

“Don’t move.”

Countless elemental particles immediately formed in the surrounding air. Each one contained enough magical power to blow this entire area to pieces. Nolan froze in place.

Seeing this, Ruide’s expression softened slightly.

“…I apologize for intruding into the North without permission.”

List took a step forward.

“However, attacking someone without listening to any explanation is rather hasty.”

“Because you people never listen to words.”

Ruide lightly flicked his finger. The already abundant elemental particles doubled in number.

“Even so! Does it make sense to suddenly kill someone?!”

The veins on Nolan’s neck bulged.

Ruide glanced sideways and answered indifferently.

“I didn’t kill her.”

“What?”

Following Ruide’s gesture, Winter was slowly pulled out from Judith’s abdomen.

Not even a drop of blood flowed from Judith’s empty abdomen.

Only a few ice fragments fell to the ground.

“Judith!”

“I-I’m fine.”

Judith coughed and slumped down.

“For now, that is.”

Ruide was actually furious to the core.

However, he was still barely maintaining his rationality.

That was due to the innate intelligence of the “indolent Ruide.”

‘There are a total of 5 Garter Knights who invaded. Three are here. Since they don’t seem foolish enough to kill someone in the North and casually walk around town, the culprit who killed Colon is likely among the remaining two.’

If he killed these three here, he would lose track of the other two.

Ruide knew well what was important.

“For now…?”

“The wound is frozen, so she won’t die immediately. But Winter’s cold gradually spreads. It will extend throughout her entire body within an hour.”

Judith touched her wound area with trembling hands. The ice mass was gradually approaching her heart.

“What a frightening child.”

“What do you want?”

List asked.

“There are two others who invaded the North besides you. Bring them to me. Then I’ll save her.”

“…Let me ask, just in case.”

List was excessively calm.

So calm that he seemed to regard this situation as trivial.

“What will you do with those two?”

“I’ll kill them. In the most cruel way possible.”

“As I thought.”

List put a cigarette in his mouth.

“I really liked this cigarette. What a shame.”

He lit it with a match and took a deep drag.

“Nolan.”

“Y-yes, Captain.”

Nolan seemed relieved that Judith was still alive, but still appeared disoriented.

“Do you remember what we talked about earlier?”

Ruide quietly observed List who had started this unexpected conversation.

He thought he had the upper hand in this situation.

“What we… talked about earlier…?”

“About Shearer. Though consumed by madness, his skills are genuine. He might be the only solution to stand against humanity’s calamity.”

“W-what are you suddenly talking about?”

“I actually think this turned out well. The genius consumed by madness is rapidly improving his skills even at this moment.”

Shearer Fanser.

A young boy with knight captain-level skills at the age of 16.

He had a natural talent for swordsmanship.

But he had one weakness: a lack of purpose.

He simply wielded his sword because he knew it was what he did best.

There was no noble will or reason to strive.

But now he had found one.

How could List not be pleased?

That was List’s true feeling.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve judged that Shearer alone is worth more than both your lives. Shearer. That child is the most promising talent who can face Windsor.”

“…!”

Nolan’s pupils dilated. He looked up in disbelief and muttered.

“Cap…tain?”

“Ruide Christopher Windsor.”

List’s sword had already pierced through Nolan.

“Do you think you’re strong?”

Nolan’s blood flowed down List’s sword, gradually becoming darker.

Ruide’s eyes blazed blue.

The magical power mixed with Nolan’s blood was being transferred directly to List’s sword, creating a powerful force.

“Do you think you can achieve everything as you wish?”

“The 5th Magic-“

Dozens of complex magic circles overlapped behind Ruide’s back.

“No noble family can be higher than the Empire. You’ve underestimated the Empire too much.”

List pulled his sword out of Nolan’s body.

“The Windsor Duchy will eventually meet its end due to its own arrogance.”

At that moment, Ruide, who had finished casting, briefly uttered.

“<Time Stop>”

Whoosh-

A wave of blue magical power covered the entire city.

Ruide looked straight ahead with indifferent eyes.

The sharp tip of List’s sword was just about to touch his forehead.

“I-impossible.”

Nolan, who was pressing on his wound from the sword, was shocked.

List had turned gray. As if time had truly stopped, he was perfectly suspended in mid-air.

Nolan’s thought was correct. Ruide had stopped only List’s time.

He didn’t want to kill him because he seemed to know a lot, but he also didn’t want to leave him be because he might cause trouble.

So he stopped time for now.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve changed too.’

It was strange that he wasn’t afraid despite having a sharp blade right in front of him, even though he knew it couldn’t harm him.

“Mage. Weren’t you on the same side? Why are you fighting among yourselves?”

Ruide asked Nolan.

Nolan had already recovered after casting healing magic on himself.

“…Damn it, I don’t know what’s going on either.”

“If you’re lying…”

“Do you think there’d be an idiot who would lie in this situation?!”

Nolan shouted, startling Ruide.

“I guess I have no choice but to ask directly.”

Ruide’s emotionless eyes turned to the time-frozen List.

“<Release>”

Immediately, List’s sword made contact with Ruide’s barrier.

Clang!

A sound like metal grinding rang out. List’s sword couldn’t advance.

Ruide’s automatic barrier had reacted to the detected threat.

The surprising thing was that the innermost of the four barriers Ruide usually kept around his body had reacted first.

This was physically impossible.

“So your power is related to the spatial domain.”

List clicked his tongue and stepped back. He glanced at the healed Nolan and smiled self-deprecatingly.

“It seems time stopped for a moment.”

“Yes.”

“How unfair.”

“Just give up. You can’t defeat me.”

Ruide stated an obvious fact.

List was much stronger than Karon, but then and now were different.

Unlike before when he had a half-hearted mindset and no preparation, now he was sincerely focused on finding those who killed Colon.

“Nolan. Cast a mass destruction spell.”

Nolan clenched his molars tightly. He grabbed List’s left arm.

“Before that, don’t you have something to say to me?”

“Come to think of it, you’re right.”

List nodded as if in agreement and said.

“Sacrifice yourself for the Empire. Nolan, and Judith.”

Ruide had no time to react.

List disappeared from the spot as if he had combusted.

The sound of air being torn came from behind.

But Ruide wasn’t concerned.

It was impossible for List’s sword to penetrate his barrier.

No, even if it could, he could definitely block it once.

That’s the kind of magic it was.

Clang!

But the sound that followed wasn’t of a barrier meeting a sword, but of sword meeting sword.

Ruide slowly turned around.

Judith, sweating coldly, was blocking List’s sword with one hand.

“…?”

Ruide tilted his head, momentarily unable to understand the situation.

While blocking List’s sword, Judith glanced at Ruide.

She winked one eye and said in a trembling voice.

“You can relax now. Your big sister will protect you.”

“Judith. Is this insubordination?”

“Insubordination? I’m just protecting myself from a crazy superior who kills his subordinates.”

“You judged that you have a higher probability of survival this way.”

“Maybe? Perhaps. Above all, siding with a child is definitely what makes a more splendid knight.”

“I can hardly call you foolish. However.”

List deflected the sword and simultaneously kicked Judith’s waist with a roundhouse kick.

Boom!

Judith’s body was embedded in the wall.

“What can you do in that condition?”

“Judith!”

Murderous intent swirled in Nolan’s eyes.

“You’re going too far! Captain!”

“Does it seem like a joke?”

Ruide used a barrier toward Nolan.

However-

Slash!

Nolan suffered a deep wound in his chest and spat blood.

‘So it doesn’t work after all.’

If Karon’s power was dispel, List’s was cutting through space itself.

The barrier at the innermost layer of Ruide’s body wasn’t a simple spell. Concentrated magical power itself was firmly protecting his skin.

So while it was impossible to cut Ruide, it seemed possible to kill an ordinary mage easily.

More importantly- Ruide felt a certain emotion watching the current situation.

His stomach churned, and his head felt hot.

“This is unpleasant.”

Ruide scratched his head.

“Why do you keep ignoring me?”

List quietly took his stance.

“I clearly asked where Galahad and Shearer are.”

“Do you think I’ll tell you?”

“Ah, I don’t need that anymore.”

Ruide waved his hand in the air as if annoyed.

Something black appeared in abundance, as if a hole had opened in the air.

“I understand. The only thing important to you is the Empire.”

“That’s nothing new.”

“So until those two come out, I’ll destroy the Empire.”

“…What?”

“You said it earlier, didn’t you? Don’t underestimate the Empire.”

Ruide spoke in a low voice.

“I’ll return those exact words to you. Don’t think you can harm Windsor’s people and get away with it.”

Ruide’s grand magic was completed with those words.

All the black holes were pointing in one direction.

Exactly toward the Empire.

Each contained an ominous amount of magical power.

“Cough.”

Nolan couldn’t even raise his head in the face of that tremendous magical power and coughed up blood.

“Choose, List.”

There was no need to explain what this magic was; its power was enough to make it clear.

This magic could erase the Empire from this world.

In other words-

“The Empire, or Shearer.”

Ruide decided to take the Empire hostage.