Ch.77Chapter 77 – Madman (6)

Somnus wasn’t smiling.

He merely touched where his arm had been with an expressionless face.

Blood flowed from the forcibly torn cross-section.

“…kik…kuk kuk….”

An indecipherable sound escaped his lips.

For a while, he kept feeling where his arm had been.

“Puhahahahahahaha…!”

Then he began to laugh like a madman.

As if losing an arm was somehow delightful.

Having only seen him with a gentle smile before, it was strange to witness him capable of such laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“…Ah, well. I never imagined I could be injured like this.”

Somnus spoke as if finding it fascinating.

He placed his prosthetic hand against the wound, emitting some light, and the bleeding stopped.

Of course, that was all. He couldn’t regenerate the arm.

Nevertheless, Somnus appeared composed.

“When it’s torn off like this, it can’t be reattached, can it?”

Somnus said, sounding relieved.

I recalled what Christina had mentioned before this incident.

Something about reattachment being nearly impossible if the cross-section isn’t clean or becomes infected.

“I’m surprised. Who would have thought you’d show such tenacity in that situation.”

“Shall I tear off your other arm too?”

I forced myself to stand up despite being sprawled on the ground until then.

It was just bravado, of course. After biting off his arm, I had no strength left in my body.

I glanced at Beatrice hoping for something, but she was on her knees, struggling to loosen the collar that was still choking her.

In contrast, Somnus had only lost one arm.

A serious injury, but judging by his magical prowess, that one remaining arm would be enough to deal with Beatrice and me in our current state.

We were in danger.

Still, I glared at him.

“Hmm….”

Receiving my gaze, Somnus briefly looked at his prosthetic hand as if contemplating.

Then he looked at the chain connected to Beatrice and sighed.

“This is meaningless now. The condition can’t be satisfied by touching the prosthetic…”

He said with a sigh.

He seemed genuinely disappointed.

Soon Somnus looked at me with a smile.

“Since you’ve torn off my arm, I think I’ll take my leave here.”

“Running away?”

“It would be easy to deal with Beatrice, who’s nearly subdued, and you, who can barely stand…”

With a gentle smile returning to his face, Somnus spoke in a calm, soft tone.

“But unfortunately, this is as far as I go. Any further would be dangerous for me too.”

*THUD!*

With his words, dust suddenly billowed up.

Something had landed precisely between Somnus and me.

“…You’ve arrived. Well, I was taking too long.”

Somnus said with a smile.

As the dust settled, I saw a familiar face I hadn’t seen in a while.

“…You, what are you doing here?”

Pink hair came into view.

The navy blue nun’s habit and white armor I’d seen before.

It was a face I hadn’t seen since the ossuary.

“So you’re Saint Aria of the Hati Order.”

“I haven’t finished my question yet.”

Aria pointed her hammer at Somnus.

“I asked what you were doing here.”

“Hmm, I was catching a terrorist.”

Somnus shook the iron chain connected to Beatrice as if boasting.

Seeing this, Aria’s expression grew colder.

“Drop that.”

“As you wish.”

As Aria charged forward, Somnus threw the chain.

The chain flew toward me and wrapped itself around my hand.

‘What the?’

I felt the chain’s touch on my bare skin where my gauntlet had been destroyed.

Meanwhile, Aria was already charging at Somnus.

“Take this!”

Aria swung her hammer, and Somnus jumped backward.

As he did, he shot blue orbs from his prosthetic hand.

Aria simply took the hits without dodging.

“You think that will work on me?”

The sacred relic of the Hati Order. The rumors about gaining tremendous defense and strength weren’t exaggerated at all.

Aria wasn’t taking any damage from Somnus’s attacks.

Watching Aria pursue him, Somnus smiled and said:

“That sacred armor is problematically sturdy, indeed.”

Soon his body rose into the air.

“You’re running away! Stop!”

“I refuse. Beatrice.”

Since Somnus had released the chain, she was no longer being choked.

Beatrice was glaring at Somnus while drenched in sweat.

Somnus’s body began to emit a faint light.

“Well then, Mr. Kay. I wish you luck surviving the dragon.”

“What…?”

“By the way, the people you care about are that way. If you go now, you might not be too late.”

“Damn it!”

I turned my body in the direction Somnus pointed with his prosthetic hand.

I had no energy to worry about him now.

I moved forward slowly with my nearly depleted strength.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Stop right there!!”

I could see Beatrice running toward him as he disappeared.

Aria was running too.

And suddenly, my hand was pulled backward.

“What…?”

Ridiculously, my body fell backward.

And it seemed I wasn’t the only one.

“Damn it, this cursed chain, let go!!!”

Hearing Beatrice’s voice, I immediately understood the situation.

This was why he had thrown the chain at me.

To temporarily immobilize Beatrice and me with the magical tool so he could escape leisurely.

Aria, who didn’t know about this magical tool, was also surprised and staring at the two of us, while Somnus escaped in the meantime.

“Damn it, stop! Stop right there!!”

Beatrice, who had fallen like me due to the sudden pull on her neck, shouted with a voice full of rage.

“Stop right thereee!!!”

Beatrice screamed desperately.

Naturally, there was no response from Somnus, who had already departed.

+

“That was a close call, indeed.”

The man who had introduced himself as Somnus said, looking at Eve.

Somehow, Eve and Sera were now surrounded by men in black clothes and that man.

Eve silently pointed her sword at the men surrounding them.

They weren’t taking any action against the two yet, perhaps because they hadn’t received a signal.

Eve thought this would only last for a moment.

“You really came fully prepared.”

Eve coldly said to Somnus.

Eve and Sera’s escape attempt had been impressive.

They had precisely detected and avoided surprise attacks from behind, accurately identified and broken through routes with the fewest enemies, and noticed and evaded all the traps set ahead of them.

All of this was due to Eve’s suddenly manifested ability.

If she hadn’t been able to see the immediate future continuously, they would have been caught long ago.

“I never expected you to appear from the wall.”

“It’s because I know a bit of magic, otherwise I might have missed you.”

It had happened just moments ago.

Eve was preparing to break through an area with few enemies.

And at that moment, she suddenly saw enemies reinforcing from the wall.

The area with the fewest enemies instantly became the one with the most, resulting in them being surrounded.

Perhaps her ability to see the future had reached its limit, as she hadn’t foreseen the enemy’s trap.

“Really. You moved so precisely, as if you could see the future, that I was getting a bit anxious.”

Eve was slightly shocked that Somnus had accurately identified her ability.

Of course, thanks to her experience as a merchant, she didn’t show any sign of surprise outwardly.

Somnus spoke as if praising Eve:

“But this is as far as it goes. Even if you can see the future, it’s over once I create a situation your ability alone can’t resolve.”

Somnus spoke confidently, and Eve clicked her tongue.

She calculated ways to overcome this situation in her mind.

“But it’s alright. Despite appearances, I’m not the kind of bad person who goes around hurting just anyone.”

A lie.

Eve could tell immediately.

Her intuition and experience as a merchant told her that statement was false.

“So, Miss Medimaker? Miss Seraphina? Which do you prefer?”

“…Call me Medimaker.”

Sera, who usually asked people to call her by her first name, glared at Somnus as she spoke.

She instinctively felt uncomfortable around Somnus.

It was unusual for someone as kind as her.

“Hmm, you approach others warmly and ask them to call you by your name, but not me. That’s a bit disappointing.”

“……”

“Well, that’s fine. I am older after all.”

Somnus said with a smile.

“So, Miss Medimaker. Would you mind telling me where the Philosopher’s Stone your grandmother left is?”

“I don’t know anything about—”

“That’s a lie. You’re an alchemist.”

Somnus said with a smile.

“What alchemist wouldn’t know about the legendary catalyst that can create anything? The Association must be quite obsessed with finding or creating that stone.”

“I’m telling you, I don’t know anything about it.”

Unlike her usual self, Sera’s tone was aggressive.

She absolutely refused to answer.

She didn’t want to engage with him.

Her response revealed such emotions.

“Don’t tell me you attacked me and others for something that only exists in legends?”

“Yes.”

Somnus said as he took a step closer to them.

Eve quickly pointed her sword at him, but he approached regardless.

Of course, he stopped just outside the reach of her sword.

“I’ve heard that your grandmother, Lady Maria Medimaker, restored the method of creating the Philosopher’s Stone.”

Somnus said with a smile.

“And of course, that she hid it without revealing it anywhere.”

“Such rumors are obviously false.”

Eve inwardly agreed with Sera’s rebuttal.

If someone could recreate such a legendary item, the entire country would have been in an uproar.

Naturally, Eve had never heard such news.

“Unfortunately, it’s the truth.”

However, for some reason, this man seemed to believe it was fact.

“…What makes you think that?”

She needed to gather information.

Eve carefully addressed him.

“What makes you so certain?”

“That.”

Somnus opened his mouth with a smile.

“Is a secret.”

Eve wanted to thrust her sword immediately, but she had to restrain herself.

She felt that if she lunged, she would be defeated in that moment.

Somnus appeared to be off guard at first glance, but he was completely without openings.

“But I’m running out of time too. I need to move soon… let’s see.”

He spoke as if contemplating, then after a moment, he opened his mouth.

“If I bring that Kay person in for torture, would you open your mouth?”

“…What are you—”

“I just got news. They’ve almost subdued him, so if we drag him in for torture, wouldn’t you say something?”

Somnus took another step forward with a smile.

He was now within Eve’s attack range.

But neither Eve nor Sera could move their bodies.

“What do you even want—”

“I don’t like unnecessary bloodshed either.”

Ignoring Eve’s words, Somnus stood right in front of Sera.

“That’s right. If you tell me about the Philosopher’s Stone, I promise not to harm that man or any of you.”

Eve began to think that Somnus somehow resembled a devil.

She felt he could easily twist someone’s neck while smiling.

She trembled involuntarily.

And it seemed Sera felt the same way, as she too began to tremble slightly.

Both of them started to feel their thoughts becoming paralyzed.

*SLASH!*

Suddenly, with the sound of something cutting through the air, Somnus jumped backward.

“Huh. Too late.”

Somnus said regretfully.

At that moment, a figure interposed itself between Eve and Sera.

The figure suddenly swung a sword.

With each swing, the men in black clothes around them fell.

With a start, Sera and Eve also began to move, albeit a bit late.

They started fighting, shooting swords and magic at the approaching men in black.

After a while, when all the men in black had fallen, the figure that had suddenly appeared pointed its sword at Somnus.

“If this old man didn’t hear wrong.”

Rudger glared at Somnus.

He showed none of his usual somewhat foolish or reckless demeanor.

His killing intent was so palpable it was hard to believe he could make such an expression.

“…Maria’s name was mentioned?”

“…Ah, yes. It was.”

Somnus said with a smile.

“You were Lady Medimaker’s childhood friend, weren’t you?”

For some reason, Sera recalled her previous meeting with Rudger.

He had said she resembled someone he knew.

At the time, she had thought he was just a strange old man hitting on a woman young enough to be his granddaughter, and Kay had intervened.

Later, she had quietly forgotten about it, simply considering him a strange old man who had tried to flirt with her by saying she resembled someone he knew.

“…Both of you, step back.”

At Rudger’s words, Sera and Eve quietly retreated.

Soon Rudger and Somnus faced each other.

Somnus moved first.

“I’ll have to give up this time.”

He said with a smile.

“It seems the other side has retreated too. Today’s not my day.”

“Do you think you can escape from here?”

“Yes.”

Somnus calmly answered Rudger’s question.

As if not giving him another chance to speak, Rudger swung his sword and Somnus was split in half.

And fell to the ground.

“…Somehow, I had a vague feeling he wasn’t a living person.”

Rudger said in a cold voice.

Where Somnus’s body should have been, a human-sized wooden doll lay shattered.