Ch.337EP.71 – Cowardice Is Not the Exclusive Property of Villains (2)

No one could properly capture his movements.

No one knew when or how he approached Roseth, but the half-humans, rather than shouting or burning with rage at the harm done to their master,

Swoosh!

Simply drew their swords, extending their bodies forward.

His movements were incredibly stealthy; though he wore the pure white armor symbolizing the Holy Knights, his movements reminded one of the assassins from the west.

That’s how stealthy and yet…

Whoosh!

It was a noticeably cowardly tactic.

They pretended to swing their swords while throwing poison-coated daggers and needles, and some even drew guns and fired without hesitation.

It was clear they would use any means necessary, and the blows raining down on him surrounded him from all 360 degrees, leaving no room to escape, but…

CRACK!

“!?”

He broke through as if he didn’t care what attacks were coming his way.

It seemed insane, but when they witnessed all the hidden weapons bouncing off his body, and even a blade that touched his brow breaking instead, they realized something was wrong, but by then it was already…

“Is that armor sturdy?”

He had extended his hand.

CRUNCH!

The plate armor covering the half-human from head to toe was pierced by his bare hand.

He had precisely pierced through the half-human’s collarbone along with the armor, and in that state…

“AAAAARGH!”

An unknown force burrowed in and conquered the half-human.

The half-human, who had seemed like an emotionless doll, collapsed writhing in pain, and at some point…

CRACK! CRACKLE!

CRUNCH…!

Still in armor, the half-human’s body began to twist and compress against its will.

The body turned in directions it should never turn, bones and flesh being crushed.

As the armor dug into those bones and flesh, welding them together and preventing the body from returning to its original form, then…

“Ta-da.”

THUD!

He playfully spread his hands as if showing off his creation, and tapped the round sphere.

What was once a half-human, now transformed into a metal ball.

“I’ve gotten the hang of reverse dragon arts and bone compression recently. I can insert my power into an opponent’s body to compress and twist it. Well, to make it this round, you need to master bone separation techniques and understand skeletal structure, and fortunately, I meet all those conditions. Haha.”

“……”

“Who wants to be next? If you have a preferred shape, just say so. I can make you into anything—not just spheres, but squares, triangles, whatever shape you want.”

“…gulp.”

The sound of someone swallowing dryly came from somewhere.

The half-humans, who were thought to know no fear, who carried out any cruel task without hesitation on their master’s orders, and who were believed to be without emotion, suddenly found the emotion of ‘fear’ reviving within them.

Feeling they shouldn’t dare approach that thing, some half-humans were about to step back, but…

SLASH!

“From now on, any cowards who step back will die by my hand.”

“……”

“How pathetic, to fear such a creature! What is that thing anyway!”

WHOOSH!

Emitting a fierce aura, Roseth Tyura de Lohengrin beheaded a half-human with a single stroke, his eyes gleaming menacingly.

Blood still flowed freely from his mouth where his fangs had been pulled out, but his aura was intense.

It was the aura befitting a leader who held a position among the great nobles, and it showed that he was a person of considerable skill.

Holding a bastard sword of an unusual shape comparable to a greatsword in one hand, he pointed his sword at the opponent with the ridiculous name of Santa Rihan.

“…Now I understand. You must be the one who’s been misusing the Lohengrin name recently. I wondered why none of the assassins we sent ever returned, and now I see why.”

Though Roseth had many problematic traits, he still possessed the judgment and thinking abilities befitting the head of a family.

Thus, he quickly realized that Santa Rihan was the very person who had been troubling the Lohengrin family for some time, and smiled fiercely.

“Impudent fool, you’re overconfident in your abilities. Do you think the Lohengrin family is a joke just because you eliminated a few assassins? You…”

“It’s not that the Lohengrin family is a joke, it’s that you are.”

“……”

“You’re the one who’s pathetic, you incompetent human.”

“…If that was meant to provoke me, you’ve succeeded…”

“It’s not provocation, it’s the truth. Meeting you in person, I can see it clearly. You’re the most arrogant fool I’ve ever met. You have arrogance without the ability to back it up, just living for your own self-importance. It’s a common trait among spellcasters. You’re exactly the same.”

“……”

He genuinely mocked him.

The fact that he had entered a great noble’s mansion so easily was ‘proof’ of this.

Having investigated Roseth’s personality, he had openly provoked him and delivered a letter.

Then suddenly, he was allowed into the mansion, which almost made him laugh.

Any other great noble, or even those from well-known families, would never have let him in.

They would have ignored him or sent someone to reprimand him.

But Roseth didn’t do that.

He made him come into the mansion and even arranged this face-to-face meeting.

It was a foolish act born of arrogance.

‘Simon said it. He drove out all his loyal subordinates who offered honest advice just because he found them annoying.’

What is honest advice if not subordinates saying, “This doesn’t seem right…” when they see something wrong?

Yet he fired them because he found it annoying?

In company terms, it’s like firing all the competent people and keeping only the strange ones.

In that sense, this man is a fool. Even more so than a spellcaster.

Therefore…

“Fortunately, I’m not stupid enough to lose to a fool.”

“You really have a loose tongue.”

WHOOSH!

Roseth’s sword roughly traced a circle, expressing his displeasure, and the massive greatsword swooped down on him in one go and…

CRACK!

“…!”

“You haven’t experienced real combat in the last 10 years, have you? That’s why you’re so sluggish and slow.”

“H-how could someone like you…”

“I thought so.”

Surprised by the sword that broke in half rather than cutting him, he sneered and kicked the broken half of the sword with his toe.

“I’ll end this quickly. I have an appointment this evening.”

He shot it like kicking a ball.

-The Spear of Sun Penetration pierced through Roseth.

* * *

THUD!

‘So the power is reduced, but the speed doubles? That’s funny too.’

Disguised, or rather transformed, as Santa Rihan, Ihan felt himself becoming accustomed to fighting in this form and smirked.

Perhaps he was learning how to fight with this weakened body?

It was a fresh sensation.

BANG!

Although there were various irritations, including his reduced strength, as he endured these irritations, Ihan could clearly see his technical finesse improving.

For example…

WHOOSH!

As he threw a punch, channeling the rotation of his waist, legs, and shoulders, the speed compensated for his lack of strength, creating a sharp rather than heavy blow, and when it precisely struck the opponent’s side…

THUD!

It penetrated even the armor, piercing through the ribs and internal organs.

“AAAAH!”

Seeing his fallen comrade, another half-human charged with an angry battle cry, and Ihan dove in to try a technique he hadn’t used in a while.

CRACK.

It was a joint-breaking technique that cleanly extracted bones, and in that state, he kicked the leg out from under him, broke his neck, and the opponent collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.

If someone had seen this, they might have thought it was a well-choreographed play, but it wasn’t even a play—for the half-humans, it was a death match with their lives at stake.

Nevertheless, if it looked like a play, that was because,

“What, is it over already?”

…he was overwhelmingly strong.

Strong enough to toy with his opponents.

Dozens of half-humans were sprawled on the floor, and only Ihan remained standing.

And…

“Kuh, kuhak, kuheok!”

Only Roseth, who was coughing incessantly with his stomach pierced and pinned to the wall, remained conscious.

A large blade was stuck in his stomach, impossible to remove, but fortunately, it had missed vital organs like the heart, so he was barely alive, though the bleeding was so severe that he could die at any moment.

The fact that he was still alive was solely due to his strong vitality as a knight.

“Y-you, t-take this out right now and heal me. I-if you do, I won’t punish you and will end this with just a moderate penalty. S-so remove this immediately, s-save me, I say…”

“Even in that state, you still talk like that? If it were me, I’d be begging.”

“Y-you bastard.”

“Ha, I’ll give you credit. You’re one of the five most stubborn people I’ve ever seen.”

He couldn’t be anything but a man full of pride and noble arrogance.

Well, one would need such a strong sense of self to act so foolishly.

In a way, it was admirable, and Ihan even clapped his hands in amazement.

…Though it was clearly mockery.

“-!”

Roseth was angered by this mockery, but he didn’t shout.

He knew that would only accelerate his bleeding and shorten his life.

So…

“Save me.”

“That again?”

“No, this isn’t a threat. It’s just stating the obvious. If you kill me, it will only cause more chaos in the kingdom. You know that, right? If I die, suspicion will immediately fall on the Galahad or Pendragon royal family. And if such suspicions spread, the seeds of civil war will be planted in the kingdom. So if you don’t want to see that, save me. I’ll let this matter pass quietly.”

Roseth was threatening him.

Even in that state, his expression showed a firm belief that he wouldn’t die, that he had to live.

“…Sigh.”

“Yes, you understand.”

Misinterpreting Ihan’s sigh as agreement, Roseth wore a faint smile and was about to think of the schemes he would plot once he escaped this situation…

“Why do people like you always lack originality in your repertoire? It’s all so predictable. If you’re going to threaten someone, be creative or try something different. There’s nothing like that at all. …Isn’t that right, wicked succubus?”

Whoop.

[That’s too harsh, comparing me to someone like him. I think I’m at least a bit better than that…]

…When had she appeared?

A seductive voice suddenly came from the empty air, and a beautiful woman revealed herself.

A bewitching woman with flowing red hair appeared.

Roseth was instinctively overcome with anxiety.

With the certainty that this bewitching woman’s appearance would not be positive for him.

As Roseth was about to speak again, a beat earlier…

“Succubus, or rather, Mongma—eat him.”

Ihan’s firm command fell, and as soon as permission was given…

[As you command.]

Like an obedient dog, the Mongma, Judia, devoured Roseth’s body.