Chapter 254: To the Capital (6)

The Flancia family head stood on the main avenue with a satisfied expression. It was because he was proud of his choice to expel the hero at the opportune moment and align himself with the new power. They were scheduled to march triumphantly into the capital alongside the forces aligned with Isabel, and they planned to hold a grand welcoming ceremony right here as proof that ‘we’ had secretly aided the rebels.

They weren’t the only ones standing in this spot right now. All the petty nobles who used to mock and ridicule Evan had gathered, preparing to welcome the new king. Any childish remarks expressing discontent were drowned out by stern reprimands.

“My legs hurt.”

“Hmph! If you just endure it this one time, you can live lavishly again! Just hold on a little longer!”

The naive young lady, not even knowing why she had to wait in such a state, pouted whenever her father scolded her. Her pout, jutting forward like a duck’s bill, looked like it could turn into a hard beak if she put just a little more effort into it.

A noblewoman, fanning herself, spoke.

“By the way, isn’t Isabel quite cunning? Who would have known she’d come back with such a powerful faction when she remarried that slave? She’s such a sly little thing.”

Although the nobles didn’t voice it to each other, they were all wary of Isabel. This was because if Isabel, who held no goodwill towards the main Flancia family, acted as a bridge between the faction and the Flancia family, the two forces could never truly get close.

The head intended to eliminate Isabel as soon as he seized power in the capital, while the moderates argued it would be easier to incapacitate her by poisoning her tea or food. The head gazed at the horizon, swallowing against his parched throat.

It was because standing on the main avenue like this, waiting to welcome someone, made him feel like the protagonist of history. He recalled his ancestors, who had revived the family by humbling themselves before power, and his grandparents, who had accumulated wealth through their excellent political acumen.

The head believed he would become the protagonist of a new history and elevate the family name. He thought those heavy footsteps running from the horizon would open the door to his future.

“Alright! They’re coming over there!”

“Oh my, that’s fast.”

Because the sun was shining directly at them, they couldn’t see exactly what Evan and his party were riding. The thing rushing towards them in a straight line looked less like a horse and more like a giant insect with dozens of legs.

“…What is that? What are they riding?”

The nobles, making shade with their hands while looking directly into the sun, said. They were curious about what on earth the new hero was riding. The head, at the very front, stared intently at the horizon until a black dot appeared before his eyes.

The shadow that had vaguely resembled a horse grew larger and larger, and suddenly, with a hideous human face and dozens of legs attached, it was rushing towards the Flancia family.

“Huh?”

The head couldn’t comprehend the situation, even after seeing that rapid charge. He couldn’t even grasp what he was seeing. The sunlight was too intense, making him wonder if he was seeing an illusion, and he suspected the ground shaking wasn’t due to dizziness.

“Kyaaaaaaak!”

The head snapped back to reality at the scream of the young noble lady. The monster, previously obscured by the sunlight, had now blocked out the sun, casting a huge shadow as it approached. That thing with its pale white skin and wriggling dozens of legs could only be described as a monster.

“W-what! Ugh, Aaaaaah!”

The nobles began to flee. The banquet and gifts prepared for Isabel and the secret forces were scattered across the ground. The head shoved aside the noble standing next to him and started running before anyone else.

“Family Head!”

The noble calling the head’s name was trampled by the monster’s limb, spilling its insides from its eyes, nose, and mouth as it died instantly.

“Aaaaaaaah!”

The head fled like a madman, his face deathly pale. Right before his eyes, another noble’s torso exploded. From behind, purple magic bullets and arrows continuously flew, picking off and killing the nobles one by one. The nobles who fell behind were trampled by the monster, while those fleeing on horseback were caught in an unknown wave, vanishing into dust along with their horses.

“Y-you, Isabel! You crazy bitch! Did you take the devil’s hand?!”

The head cursed Isabel’s name, but it didn’t reach her ears. For Isabel, riding atop the monster, the sound of the Flancia family-who had always ignored her-being completely wiped out sounded like celebratory fireworks. She was shouting with a happier face than anyone.

“Yes! Go get ’em! Kill them all!”

The head realized that only corpses remained before his eyes. His family members, who had once led the Flancia family together, were all dead and became corpses. His beloved daughters were reduced to mere scraps of clothing, and his brothers had all been crushed flat and died.

Looking back, the giant monster was approaching with its maw open.

The head cried out, tears welling up in his eyes.

“S-save me!”

But that cry couldn’t reach Isabel, and the head’s body was chewed up messily by the monster before being discarded on the ground. The head, his lower body crushed, stared blankly with wide, unblinking eyes at the monster as it moved away, leaving him behind. The way the monster passed by without even a finishing blow, as if he were nothing, made him feel even more pathetic. He felt a sense of bitter resentment that they didn’t even grant him the chance to utter a final curse towards that evil monster and Isabel.

Amidst the burning pain, tears welled up on the head’s face, and screams echoed.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

As his consciousness faded, the only thing he could do was scream.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Soldiers patrolling the city walls spotted something rapidly approaching from the horizon and went on high alert. Some soldiers grumbled, thinking another group of rebels was coming, while others harbored vain hopes, thinking it might be reinforcements this time.

The captain of the guard quelled the chatter among the soldiers and guarded the city walls with a dignified air. Guarding the walls of the kingdom’s capital was his pride and his source of glory. Below the towering man and the city walls, people were waiting, as they did every day, for the hero to arrive.

The hero riding a white horse with dozens of legs.

The people from the slums prayed quietly, careful not to be heard by the soldiers, while the older folks offered their own interpretations of the white horse with dozens of legs.

“It probably means he’s bringing cavalry. Or maybe he’s arriving in a chariot.”

“A horse with multiple legs, for real? According to old legends, a hero is said to appear riding such a wondrous creature.”

“Who would like such a grotesque creature?”

The soldiers deliberately ignored such noises coming from the vicinity of the slums. The higher-ups had ordered them to arrest and imprison anyone mentioning the hero, but for those who had to deal with the consequences, it was an impossible order to follow. As long as people weren’t praying openly right in front of them, the soldiers wouldn’t bother seeking people out just to arrest them.

A patrolling soldier said.

“Will the hero really come?”

“Hey, shut up, you idiot.”

Another soldier pointed out his careless comrade’s remark and warned him. Seeing his comrade’s sensitive reaction, the soldier sighed deeply and nodded. He couldn’t help but tilt his head when he suddenly saw a blind old woman appear before his eyes.

“Oh, it’s coming…!”

The old woman reached out her hand towards the sky. As if receiving a divine revelation, she opened her mouth, smiled, and shouted with a blissful expression.

“The hero…! The hero is coming…!”

The soldier shouted with a perplexed expression.

“Hey! Old woman! If you say things like that, you’ll get arrested!”

“Ah! The hero is coming! The hero! The hero is coming!”

But the old woman ignored the soldier’s attempts to stop her and kept shouting as she pleased. The soldiers who had tried to restrain the old woman took out ropes with resigned expressions.

On the city walls, soldiers moved busily, and the ground shook strangely. A sound echoed, like something enormous charging towards the capital. The soldiers could feel a rising sense of unease even as they approached the old woman.

The vibrations and the shocked voice of the captain of the guard.

“Everyone! Prepare for battle! Brace for impact!”

The soldiers stopped their attempts to grab the old woman and could only stare at the city walls. With his back to the sun, they couldn’t see the captain’s expression, but it was evident that he was extremely tense.

“Ahhh! The hero comes! The hero! The hero riding a white horse! The hero riding a white horse with dozens of legs! He descends upon this land now!”

The old woman continued to shout. The faces of the citizens, trembling with anxiety, showed a glimmer of hope, while the two soldiers backed away with increasingly anxious faces. People peeked out from their small huts and shacks, focusing their attention on the old woman.

The vibrations were getting closer and closer.

“Hero! The hero is coming! The hero now! Coming from over there! Ahhh! Oh, hero!”

The old woman shouted and reached out her hand towards the city walls. At the moment everyone’s gaze was focused on the city walls,

KWA-NG!

The city wall crumbled as a colossal monster with five pairs of legs burst in, smashing through it.

“It’s a monster! A demon has appeared!”

“It’s a demonic invasion!”

The faces of the people who had been waiting for the hero were filled with despair.