Chapter 250
250. Destruction God (2)
Angela and Nebia, having exited the castle, were able to encounter their companions.
They had escorted Radon, who was being dragged back to the castle, all the way to the entrance.
However, now they were under the watchful eyes of the knights.
This was because they were on the same side as Radon, leaving them uncertain of what actions they might take.
While it was good to meet Angela and Nebia, one issue arose.
“He’s left alone inside the castle?”
“Yeah. We tried to persuade him, but we just told him to go ahead and followed the king.”
“That foolish guy! Does he have any sense left?”
Luska clenched his fists tightly as he wondered what had transpired inside.
It was as if they had stepped into a tiger’s den, and he couldn’t fathom why they had also sent the two Saintesses, who were like insurance, away.
“By the way, Radon seems much stronger now than before.”
“He summoned some gigantic dragon, what was that all about?”
“Oh… that?”
If it was the dragon Radon summoned, it would most likely be the newly contracted top-tier spirit.
The image of it roaring and unleashing a beam that dyed the entire sky purple was vivid in his mind.
When he briefly explained about the spirit, the two Saintesses gaped in awe.
“Is that truly Radon’s level of power?”
“If he unleashes it, it feels like this area could be wiped out entirely. No matter how amazing Radon is, how could he handle such a behemoth…?”
Honestly, even Luska started to have doubts the more he thought about it.
He was the only one who had witnessed that overwhelming power firsthand, yet he also questioned how he had survived inside that monster’s belly.
“And he was threatening the king while materializing that monster.”
“Is that really true?”
Using such a monster as a threat would be akin to declaring intentions to erase this country from the map.
If Papias were to disappear, that would be a good thing for him, but the possibility of Radon actually carrying out such madness was slim.
After all, he still had some allies here.
“Is he really okay? You know well what kind of place this is, right, sister?”
“….”
Luska gazed up at Papias’ castle.
Even now, the grotesque presence of a past nightmare loomed in her thoughts.
The discrimination and contempt she faced out of jealousy during her soldier days and her mother’s death still plagued Luska’s mind.
It was probably the same for Angela too. If anything, it might be worse for her.
“Still, let’s trust him.”
“Why?”
That top-tier spirit, who was said to be utterly uncontractable, was something he had created with his own power.
“Because he’s the type to make the impossible possible.”
With someone like that, she was convinced he could survive even if he jumped into an erupting volcano.
At that moment, someone was approaching from their direction.
The first to notice was Nebia, and their party came face to face with the figure.
“Hmm… Are these the boy’s acquaintances?”
The man appeared to be of middle to old age.
Dressed in the attire typical of upper nobility, he was Harkel Viole, the head of the Viole Dukedom.
He glanced over Radon Crawler’s acquaintances and unexpectedly encountered someone.
“Well, well! I never expected to see a scion of the Chain Silver family here.”
“You are…!”
Jenny recognized Harkel’s face well.
She had heard frequently from her father about the long-standing enmity with the Viole family, and she also recalled having crossed paths with him at a noble banquet once.
A person of the Chain Silver family could never avoid an encounter with Viole.
“Good to see you, Jenny Chain Silver. Quite the fateful meeting we have.”
Harkel greeted with a smooth face, but Jenny quickly sensed that the kindness was all a facade.
He, too, was someone striving to climb to the emperor’s position through ugly means.
In other words, he was an accomplice of King Papias.
“Your presence here means… I suppose you’re on the same side as them.”
“Hahaha, don’t be upset now. I fought alongside your father thirty years ago.”
War comrades? It’s not completely inaccurate.
He had indeed stood at the front lines swinging a sword alongside her father during the Demon Beast War thirty years ago.
However, unlike her father, he hadn’t fought to protect the people.
“Is that so? You just pretended to fight alongside him in front, didn’t you?”
“What?”
“In fact, you hardly accomplished anything and just pretended to have participated when the battle ended.”
Harkel was caught off guard by Jenny’s sharp tongue.
While he had experience in slaying demon beasts, compared to the accomplishments of the other party members, his efforts were negligible.
“Did your father say that? Well, I suppose he would. You and your father could never get along.”
Just as the Viole family slandered the Chain Silver family, the Chain Silver family was doing likewise to the Viole family.
Thinking that, it was likely Gerard, her father, instilled such education in his child due to his ill feelings.
“Think what you want. My father is so exhausted from dealing with you that he hasn’t really told me much.”
“Told you much? Look how deep our connection is.”
Saying they had a deep connection was indeed correct.
A very bitter one at that.
“Indeed. Your head of the family has instilled so much hate for the Chain Silver family in his own child.”
“….”
Travel Viole. The things that guy did early in freshman year were still fresh in memory.
Only because he was from Chain Silver was he the only one to insult her with phrases like ‘don’t act so high and mighty’ and ‘you’re nothing without your family backing you.’
“Thanks to that, he infiltrated the werewolves into the academy, and not only was he expelled, but went to prison as well. I wonder if he’s rotting away healthily by now.”
“You…!”
“Truly an impressive parenting job. If I were to have children in the future, I would have a lot to learn from him.”
As Jenny unleashed her words like a torrent, Harkel’s face turned red.
The other party members watching were equally stunned.
‘Has she always had such a sharp tongue?’
Even Luska, who was quietly listening, found himself thinking this.
The way she stirred up trouble was reminiscent of the “boy” they all knew quite well.
“Seems like you just blabber whatever you want, Chain Silver.”
“Oh, did I say anything offensive? I merely said it was a ‘wonderful’ parenting job, right?”
That was true. It wasn’t a lie.
Thus, even as Jenny’s statement became valid, she felt a tinge of satisfaction.
Harkel, on the other hand, was beginning to boil with anger.
“That’s his fault. It has nothing to do with me.”
Which was a pure excuse.
The thoughts fluttering in Harkel’s mind were those of the teachings drilled into him by Travel since childhood.
That the Chain Silver had climbed up through dirty tricks and that someday, he would pull them down.
Yet he pretended to be oblivious to that memory.
So he now thought it wasn’t his fault at all.
Jenny, who realized this fact, smirked as she spoke.
“Hmph, think what you will. I have no lingering attachments about that incident. And no matter what kind of relationship our houses share, I have no interest in it anymore.”
From the start, there was no deep-seated grudge against Viole. Gerard, her father, felt the same way.
However, if they began putting innocent people in danger just to play tricks on them, that was a different matter entirely.
The incident involving Travel’s lycanthrope was one such example, but similar incidents had happened before.
One even greater than this one.
“But if you think about why the Demon Beast War occurred… I can’t just let you be.”
“What?”
“Have you ever heard of the Black Coffin hidden within the Pillar?”
“…!”
Long before the outbreak of the Demon Beast War, certain nobles, including the Viole family, felt a great sense of urgency.
This was because the once inconsequential scion of the Chain Silver family suddenly began to storm ahead and achieve remarkable feats.
As a result, the more perceptive among them began to distance themselves from the Viole side.
However, the stubborn Viole refused to give up and continued searching for leads to allow them to grow.
And then they came across a critical piece of information.
“I heard it from a certain Spirit King lady. There’s a coffin sealed with the evil energy that has been dormant in this Empire since 300 years ago.”
“…!”
“And by coincidence, some humans discovered it.”
Spirit King Shaikar had yet to give up on monitoring humans.
She, being a deity of life, was aware of all that occurs within nature in great detail.
Before Radon was deployed for their mission, she had shared several facts with him.
In truth, the actual purpose of their mission was not merely to listen to the concerns of the village folks.
It was to uncover the truth about what transpired long ago in Rugetto.
“The land known as the land of death, Rugetto. I just happened to go there a little while ago.”
“How did you get there….”
“Thanks to that, I learned a few things.”
While Luska and Radon explored the ruins, Jenny and Mary ventured deep into the forest.
At first, they thought it was just a gloomy forest filled with spirits, but Mary sensed something.
-I feel the energy of my kin.
As Mary said this, horns sprouted from her head.
At that moment, a rift appeared in space, revealing an otherwise hidden area.
Inside was a coffin of a design they had never seen before, exuding a dense energy akin to that of a Demon King like Mary.
And there were records about that coffin mentioned in the material that Radon and Luska found in the ruins.
“Thirty years ago, the Demon King Beelzebub, who threw the world into chaos, emerged from that coffin. Moreover, the soul of Demon King Makia was also resting within that black coffin.”
“….”
However, due to someone’s selfish greed, that coffin, which should never have been opened, was forced open.
The immense evil energy that erupted from it spread across the continent.
And thus, the Demon Beast War erupted.
While it could be seen as a result of human error, the humans in question had not reflected on their actions and continued to live well.
“And those humans shamefully tried to hide their mistakes by concealing that black coffin and pretending to be heroes in the war.”
In the chaos of war, no one sought out the reason behind it.
But as the war came to an end, investigations began to be initiated, and thus the black coffin had to be hidden.
“So they hid it in the Elven forest. But since the elves wouldn’t just stand by, they wiped them out completely.”
They hired mercenaries to exterminate the elves.
The pretext was the rescue of a child called ‘Skilla’ and the pursuit of justice.
For now, they likely borrowed the face of the principal, Aligieri Katen, to shift the blame off themselves.
“Why a terrible coffin like that would be hidden in the Elven forest was puzzling, but…. After browsing through the research material in the ruins, I got it.”
As Jenny’s fierce gaze glimmered, Harkel gulped down dryly.
“That you and your minions are the culprits who opened that black coffin and secretly concealed it.”
The chill in Jenny’s voice was almost as cold as glacial ice.
Even the sun, which had been blazing in the midsummer, seemed to cool down under her aura.
The true culprit behind the Demon Beast War, the one who awakened Makia’s soul, was right in front of her.
A human who, despite committing such horrendous acts, lived in joy while feigning ignorance.
That person was none other than Harkel Viole.
“No wonder there were so many knights of the Viole family scattered in that village. And now I finally understand why you wanted to take over that village.”
“How did you find out about that material…!”
“There’s no point in trying to hide it. Another collaborator already seized it and ran away.”
Currently, that material was in the possession of Totema.
Before parting ways, everything was entrusted to him, and with his abilities, it would have been passed on to Shaikar and other acquaintances without delay.
“Although not now, you will pay for your sins someday. When your father rises to the position of emperor, your misdeeds will all be laid bare.”
You opened the black coffin, which should never have been opened, driven by nothing but inferiority complex toward the Chain Silver.
How many innocent people must have perished because of that?
Both the father and the son had caused harm to others due to their stubborn natures.
But then….
“It’s not my fault.”
“What?”
“It’s not my fault!!”
Swish—
With a face filled with rage, Harkel drew the sword at his waist.
“This is all your fault!!”
The blade, infused with aura, traced a line against Jenny’s neck.
As a chilling trajectory was drawn, Jenny’s neck seemed to be floating in the air.
However….
“Is that all you can say?”
The voice of Jenny, whose throat should have been sliced, was heard from behind.
What had actually been cut was merely an ice replica.
And the sword Harkel had swung was connected to a fine fishing line.
After the sword, the line extended, wrapping around Harkel’s entire body.
<Chain Silver Style - Big Catch>
A powerful chill was sent forth from the fishing line.
As flames connected by oil are transmitted through a line, the freezing air emitted from the fishing line encased Harkel in solid ice.
Simultaneously, with the line, Harkel was lifted into the air before being slammed down to the ground.
“Ugh!”
Harkel’s head struck the ground.
He saw a ghost slowly approaching him, with her blue hair flowing in the wind.
“What kind of snow cone should I make for you?”
He could feel what a blizzard in midsummer would be like.
Surviving as an Academy Scammer.
