Chapter 322: Chapter 322: Role (2)

“Sister, we have to go back…!”

“Didn’t you see? She uses Aura. And that man, Liuhen Praha, is even worse.”

“But…!”

“There’s nothing we can do even if we go back. This is the rational choice.”

Amelia gritted her teeth at Laura’s words, who was practically dragging her away.

She felt like she was going to cry.

“Rational choice…? Are you crazy? How is me living and you dying the rational choice?!”

Laura stopped running as Amelia forcefully shook her arm off.

Laura sighed.

“Amelia, listen to me today. We don’t have time—”

“What the hell! Stop talking like it’s the end…!”

“…It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it? Why are you just running away without even trying to do anything?!”

“Because we’re more likely to survive this way!”

Laura shouted, as if scolding her disobedient younger sister, and then continued rapidly,

“Emily, that woman didn’t kill Pelic Barker. She used a paralyzing needle. She even carried him around as if she had a reason. She didn’t intend to kill him right away. And I’m still alive.”

“Ah…”

Amelia couldn’t help but gasp.

Her sister had considered all of that in that short amount of time and made a decision.

“I’m worried, but this is the best option. It’s better than dying a meaningless death trying to fight her. This way, we at least have a chance.”

“…….”

“Come on, follow me.”

Laura resumed running, and Amelia quickly followed her.

After some time…

…the Rainwales sisters encountered familiar faces.

“Huh? Laura, Amelia? You guys are alive?”

“…Derbon.”

The clan members who had abandoned Pelic Barker and run away.

There were only half of them left, perhaps because something had happened or they had gotten separated.

“Hey, you’re lucky. We were just about to escape the city.”

“Escape? What do you mean?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? That human, Liuhen Praha, is outside the eastern district. It means he’s done with that side and is coming for the Lord. This city is finished.”

Two more explorers added, as if they had chills, after Derbon finished his explanation.

“The Traitor, he’s not human. Did you see him slaughter dozens of people without changing his expression? I still get goosebumps thinking about it.”

“They say he’s really angry when he sticks out his tongue.”

“If this city falls into his hands, we’ll be the first to die since we’re on the Lord’s side.”

Although it was a sudden suggestion, Laura calmly asked for the necessary information.

“But how are you planning to escape? The main gate is—”

“Right, the gatekeeper is there. But it seems like there’s a hidden passage. The one the Melta Trading Company uses to travel to and from the surface. This guy knows about it.”

“…I see.”

“Do you want to come with us?”

Laura agreed without hesitation.

“We’ll go.”

“Si, sister?”

She had originally planned to go to the relatively safe western district and hide until the situation was resolved.

But things were different now.

If she died, her sister would be left alone in this world. She wanted her sister to at least live a decent life.

This might be their last chance.

“Ah, and just so you know, in exchange for taking you with us—”

“I know. I’ll step up if there’s any danger.”

“Ahem, right… you’re a good kid.”

The man nodded and then started leading the group.

___________________

Flowing silver hair.

Pale skin.

Knight armor with the royal family’s emblem and a large sword that was 1.5 times bigger than the standard size.

Although I had never met him, I knew who he was.

‘Jerome Saintred.’

The Captain of the 1st Royal Knight Order, the strongest knight of the royal family, nicknamed the ‘Knight of Light’.

The problem was why he was here.

Amelia never mentioned him…

“Hand over the Fragment of Records.”

…but I could roughly guess the situation after hearing those words.

Why was the Knight of Light here instead of being in the eastern district?

The answer was clear.

The royal family’s goal wasn’t to subdue Orculus.

‘It would be… difficult to win against him.’

He was on a different level from Rick Omanus, whom I had fought on the stairs. He would have definitely surpassed 5th level, the maximum level knights could reach with ‘potions’…

And a captain would have completed the 6th-level breakthrough event and even the 7th-level awakening.

And that wasn’t all.

‘Considering the royal family’s wealth, all seven of his essences would be at least 3rd-grade.’

I was at a disadvantage in terms of the number and average grade of essences.

And the stat difference was even greater. And our roles were also a bad matchup, tank versus knight.

But if there was one thing I could rely on…

Whoosh!

…it was my equipment.

Double Numbered Items had a basic Indestructible option.

Kwaaang!

I blocked his sword with my hammer.

Damn it, this is a new experience.

I usually blocked with my shield first and then attacked with my weapon.

“…?”

He frowned as he saw me blocking his attack.

He didn’t expect his sword to be blocked.

“Wait.”

I tried to talk to him, taking advantage of the brief opening.

I didn’t think it would work, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.

“Don’t you think there’s a misunderstanding? Fragment of Records? I don’t know anything about that.”

“You’re lying. I heard you came here from the underground.”

Hmm, I see…

My strategy of pretending to be someone else didn’t work.

But I got some useful information.

“But… you might have taken it without knowing what it is. The Fragment of Records… Hand over the necklace the Lord was wearing.”

His tone seemed to leave some room for interpretation.

“If you’re talking about the necklace the Lord was wearing, do you mean this?”

I pointed at the necklace I was wearing, just in case, and he nodded.

“Yes, hand it over, and I promise I won’t shed unnecessary blood.”

It was a big fish.

Because I had already put the Fragment of Records in my subspace pocket.

‘He doesn’t know what the Fragment of Records is.’

The necklace I was wearing was just an ordinary necklace.

It had a large refined stone embedded in it that reduced casting time for mages.

For reference, I had embezzled it during a looting spree and had been wearing it as an accessory…

‘I can’t believe I’m using it like this.’

Humans are social animals, right?

It was a good thing I tried talking to him.

Snap.

I ripped the necklace off my neck.

“Well, I don’t mind giving it to you. I just brought it as a souvenir anyway.”

“Souvenir?”

“He’s the Lord, isn’t he? He told us to go fight and then hid underground. There was nothing else worth taking except for this necklace.”

“Hmm, so you were just after money.”

He seemed to understand and muttered.

He must have seen Rick Omanus looting the Lord’s body.

“Our goals are obvious, aren’t they? Well, judging by what you’re after, this necklace must be valuable… but it’s not worth risking your life for.”

Those who talk a lot are usually up to something.

But this young knight, who seemed to have only ever eaten and swung his sword, didn’t suspect me.

He just looked at me with disdain.

“Enough with the explanations, hand it over.”

“Ah, but I need a guarantee.”

“Guarantee?”

“That you’ll let me go if I give you this.”

“I don’t break my promises—”

What the hell, is he saying he’s an honorable knight?

If he really didn’t know how to lie, he wouldn’t even be here. The Lord didn’t realize he had been tricked by the royal family until he died.

Therefore…

‘Leap.’

I smashed a window and leaped high.

My body soared into the air as I jumped from the 4th floor, and I could see the entire city, with the Lord’s Castle in the center.

The eastern district was burning, and the western district was relatively peaceful.

But I didn’t have time to admire the scenery.

Flash!

He appeared behind me with a flash of light.

I knew what skill it was just by looking at the effect.

[Gate of Light].

A 3rd-grade essence, and practically the best movement skill.

It wasn’t a half-assed random teleportation, but a skill that allowed you to designate a location.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Damn it, it’s been a while.

I used to absorb this essence a lot before I started playing Barbarian.

“Did you think you could escape?”

He swung his sword at me as soon as he turned around in midair, and I blocked it with my hammer.

Geez, he’s impatient.

I didn’t even say I wouldn’t keep my promise.

‘Anyway, this is my first time fighting in the air.’

My body was pushed back from the recoil.

The distance between us widened.

Flash!

He used [Gate of Light] to close the distance, and I threw the necklace with all my might.

“……!”

He reached out, but it wasn’t enough.

I saw a brief moment of hesitation in his eyes.

He was debating whether to kill me or not.

And I realized something.

‘Break his promises, my ass.’

He was planning to kill me as soon as I gave him the necklace.

To get rid of the witness.

Well, it didn’t seem like he was going to do that now.

Thwack!

I kicked him in the stomach while he was distracted by the necklace.

He didn’t even groan.

But I didn’t feel any regret.

It wasn’t a serious attack in the first place.

Whoosh!

The distance between us widened again due to the laws of physics.

He asked as he was falling,

“…What’s your name?”

His voice was filled with curiosity, as if he had met an interesting opponent.

I thought.

Why should I tell you?

“Are you an idiot?”

Ah, I said it out loud.

“…What?”

I regretted it for a moment, but he didn’t use [Gate of Light] again.

After all, there was a limit to how many times he could use it.

He had to wait for the cooldown after three uses.

Flash!

His body disappeared in a flash of light. He reappeared where I threw the necklace.

‘Okay, I got rid of him…’

I used ‘Transcendence Leap’, and it felt like invisible footholds appeared beneath my feet. I pushed off with all my might, and my body shot forward like an arrow.

My destination was approaching quickly.

‘I feel like Superman.’

I chuckled, replaying the brief aerial battle.

I felt a strange sensation as I thought about it.

‘This is like Dragon Ball.’

I had to get stronger.

__________________

The cemetery in the outer district of Noark.

Kaboom!

I landed in the center and rolled.

In other words…

“Uwaaaaaaaaak!”

…I crashed through several tombstones.

“…Damn it, I almost died.”

I had teleported directly from the Lord’s Castle in the center of the city to the outer district, but there was a price to pay.

Maybe because I landed with so much momentum?

My legs were numb, and I felt a tingling sensation in my bones.

It meant they were practically broken, considering my Pain Resistance.

‘…But I don’t need a potion.’

The -40 Natural Regeneration penalty from the Ogre essence.

It used to be so bad that my wounds barely healed without potions…

…but the combined Natural Regeneration from the Stormgush essence and the Undead engraving was much higher than the penalty, so minor injuries like this would heal quickly even with just saliva.

Swoosh.

I got up after a short break.

I soon found the place I was looking for.

I had visited it beforehand.

A giant tombstone with a passage hidden beneath it, wide and tall enough for a carriage to pass through.

The first thing I saw was a corpse.

‘It’s the cemetery caretaker.’

He was lying dead, his body covered in sword wounds. He was the one who lived here and guarded the secret passage.

‘Laura would have passed through here a long time ago… And Amelia should have met up with them by now.’

I entered the passage, thinking I had to hurry to get there before it was all over.

No, to be precise, I was about to enter when…

‘…Huh?’

…I stopped.

Thud, thud.

I saw an old man in neat clothes walking towards me from the other side of the passage.

Thump.

My heart pounded as soon as our eyes met.

And I felt like I was dreaming.

The old man greeted me.

“Haha, nice to meet you.”

It was Auril Gabis.