Chapter 33 “What the Birds Hear in Broad Daylight” – (2)
(I)
“Lavaheart….”
The destination was the mining city of ‘Lavaheart.’
It didn’t exist a thousand years ago, and it wasn’t part of the original ‘Tower of Avalon’ world, so there wasn’t much information available about it.
According to Mizael, it was said to be the deepest abyss on the continent, meaning it was probably different in form from other typical territories.
An abyss generally means a bottomless pit, but how could they have built a city in such a place?
It was hard to imagine.
“….”
As I rode on my ghostly horse, I snapped my fingers.
At my command, three skeletons, cloaked and looking more like thieves than warriors, quickly approached me.
They were the skeletons assigned to scouting.
In the original game, their only role was to reveal the hidden areas of the map, but now that the trivial rules were gone, I could give them any mission.
“Go ahead to Lavaheart and survey the terrain.”
I ordered them to scout the area around Lavaheart in detail.
Depending on the situation, I might need to summon new spirits, and it wouldn’t hurt to know the terrain in advance.
Clatter.
The skeleton scouts nodded in acknowledgment and, hiding themselves with invisibility, vanished ahead at a speed faster than my ghost horse.
Their bony legs moving so swiftly was truly a marvel.
“Do you think the elf will really be there?”
Suddenly, Tina, who was also riding a ghost horse next to me, asked. I gave a smile full of mixed thoughts in response to her question.
“Who knows….”
Lavaheart was a dusty mining city, and considering Lillianel’s preference for cleanliness, it was hard to believe she would choose to go there over other options.
“…We’ll find out when we turn the place upside down.”
But we would find out soon enough.
After all, there wasn’t anywhere on this continent she could escape to.
“Let’s keep going.”
…I urged my horse forward.
(II)
The fortress city ‘Nevirthol.’
Built solely to fend off invasions by demonic forces, it naturally had many prisons to hold enemy captives.
It wasn’t a prison built to show mercy. It was a cold, underground place to endlessly imprison trash, those who were fundamentally different from humans and for whom there was no need to feel any kinship.
They say that after being trapped in that lightless, hopeless, frigid prison for an eternity, very few remain sane.
“Kuhuh….”
And in one of those places, Judith Evergrit, a former companion of the Hero and the daughter of the Lord of Riele, Chris Evergrit, lay helpless.
“Pffft….”
Her eyes were swollen, her forehead caked with dried blood, and her ribs cracked as if from a powerful blow.
The word ‘wreck’ suited Judith more than anyone, yet soft laughter continued to escape her lips. Her insane laughter echoed through Nevirthol’s underground prison.
Her body was ruined, and she was miserably trapped in this cell. Yet, a smile still lingered on her face.
“What a sight….”
Judith stared at the thick iron bars of the prison, recalling what had happened just before she was locked up. Half a day ago, events flashed through her mind like a fleeting vision.
(III)
-Open this door right nowww!!
…Her hometown had been destroyed by an ancient vampire, and her father had been kidnapped. Pale-faced, willing to throw everything aside, she tried to rush back to her estate immediately, but the Hero’s party stopped her.
Judith had gradually lowered her request from asking for a full day to merely half a day, pleading for permission from the Hero to visit her hometown. However, the Hero’s party, for one reason or another, kept rejecting her requests.
Even now, at this very moment, defenseless villagers could be under attack by other monsters. Her kidnapped father could be undergoing horrific torture.
It was an urgent situation.
Since she couldn’t use the ‘Teleportation Hub,’ she needed to run as fast as she could. But the Hero’s party had no intention of stepping aside.
Their determined gazes showed no sign of changing.
There was no time, and the Hero’s party refused to open the path for her. In that situation, the choice Judith made was to resort to force.
Drawing a sword against the Hero and his companions.
It was the epitome of recklessness.
Anyone watching would say she was mad, but for Judith, who had just heard the shocking news and was racing against time, it was the only choice she could make.
-“Aaaahhh!!”
With a scream, she clashed swords with the Hero once again, just like she had in Nesril Village last time.
A slash with all her strength.
Her hometown and father’s safety were at stake. This wasn’t a situation where she could afford to hold back. The cozy restaurant, filled with the aroma of delicious food, quickly turned into a tense gladiatorial arena.
-“You’re too slow, Judith Evergrit.”
-“Guh…?!”
The Hero’s body, far stronger than any ordinary human, wouldn’t die even if his throat was slashed. Knowing this, Judith aimed her sword at the throat of Hero Vellius Grandius, but he easily stopped her blade.
-“Urgh….”
Their swords clashed, sparks flying as they struggled to push each other back. Judith gripped her sword with both hands, desperately trying to press against the Hero’s sword, but it felt like she was trying to move a building’s pillar.
-“Not yet, not yet….”
There was no way she could win a simple contest of strength against the Hero. While their swords were still locked together, she raised her front leg and kicked toward the Hero’s abdomen.
‘If I can create some distance by hitting his stomach, I’ll switch to my longsword for defense and cut his throat with a dagger…!’
She had already mapped out her next attack in her mind, and boldly thrust her leg forward. Her soft leather boot shot toward the Hero’s stomach without hesitation.
…But her foot never made contact with the Hero.
-“Wh-What…?!”
It was as if someone had seized control of her body. Judith couldn’t move. Something had taken over her movements.
-“Rookie, did you really think you could touch the Hero?”
-“Mi…Milan!”
…Milan, the party’s great wizard, was casting a magical spell using the staff. It seemed he had activated a spell that bound her movements.
-“Damn….”
Judith frowned.
She had expected that, out of respect for the Hero’s honor, his companions wouldn’t interfere in a one-on-one fight. But this was her mistake.
‘They just want to end this quickly….’
To them, Judith was nothing.
Even if she won, there was no honor to be gained, and there were no witnesses anyway. It was more convenient for them to deal with a rebel like her quickly, using any means necessary.
-“Gah…!”
Suddenly, a powerful blow hit her abdomen.
-“You must take responsibility for your choices….”
-“H-Hero….”
When she looked up, Hero Vellius Grandius was smiling gently as he buried his fist into her side.
…A cracking sound echoed. It became difficult to breathe, and a sharp pain pierced her side. It felt like a few ribs had been broken.
-“Damn….”
But that was the extent of the Hero’s attack. Milan’s binding magic also dissolved along with the Hero’s punch.
…Even though he could have killed her in one blow, all the Hero did was break a few ribs. Clearly, the Hero and his companions were toying with her.
Like a child laughing while kicking dirt at passing ants for no reason, the overwhelming strong were mercilessly mocking the weak.
-“Ugh, ugh…!!”
Furious at this realization, Judith’s eyes burned with rage, and she swung her longsword toward the Hero’s neck. The sharp blade cut through the air toward him.
-“…Still too slow.”
But once again, the Hero leisurely raised his sword and blocked Judith’s attack. However, that wasn’t the end of her assault.
Judith quickly pulled out a dagger from her waist with her other hand and swung it at the Hero.
…Though her skills and strength were far inferior to the Hero and his companions, Judith had confidence in her speed.
With her small frame, she boasted the fastest speed of anyone in the Hero’s party, except for the Hero himself.
When she wasn’t wielding the heavy longsword, her speed was even more pronounced. Judith’s dagger flew toward the Hero’s neck at a speed too fast to be seen.
-“…?!”
The Hero, clearly unprepared for the dagger, recoiled in surprise, dodging his head just in time. Though he avoided a fatal wound, Judith’s blade grazed his cheek.
…The sharp knife sliced through the Hero’s pale skin, sending droplets of blood flying into the air.
-“Heh, who’s slow now…? …Wait, what?”
Judith was smiling triumphantly, proud that she had, for the first time ever, managed to injure the Hero. But her smile didn’t last long.
-“Wh-What…?”
Her face stiffened as she stared at the blood dripping from the Hero’s cheek.
-“Blood….”
The blood flowing from her dagger, the blood staining the ground from the Hero’s wound…
-“It’s blue…?”
…was blue.
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