Chapter 380
Chapter 380 – I Can’t Believe You’re Here. (2)
“Grahh!”
Jephry was impaled by the spear and flew backward.
Boom!
The force of the spear was so strong that Jephry was pushed all the way to the wall and got stuck there.
“Grrr!”
Still, he was not dead. With his red eyes shining, he let out a beast-like roar.
“Graah!”
Jephry immediately smashed the spear lodged in his body and dropped to the ground.
Rosalyn turned around in surprise. The one who threw the spear clicked his tongue and stood in front of her.
“Tsk tsk, I knew it would be like this here too.”
“Count!”
“Have you been well?”
The one who appeared with a leisurely stride was none other than Ghislaine.
Saving a young lady in distress was an incredibly common and popular motif. Most noble young ladies grew up reading such tales at least once.
A handsome knight vows loyalty to her and vanquishes an evil dragon.
Right now, Rosalyn felt as if she had stepped into a scene from one of the fairy tales she read in her childhood.
With her eyes brimming with tears, she called out to Ghislaine once more.
“Count Penris!”
“Why are your eyes like that? Did you catch a cold?”
“…….”
This guy surely knows nothing about romance. Rosalyn, suppressing a distorting expression, took a deep breath and asked.
“How did you come here?”
“I ran over here.”
“……No, I mean how did you know about the situation?”
“Those monsters are causing havoc all over the capital right now.”
At his words, Rosalyn was taken aback.
That meant, everywhere the Crown Prince’s faction attacked, there were those kinds of monsters.
Just as Ghislaine had informed her, the dogs of the Duke’s House were indeed wreaking havoc all around.
Looking at Rosalyn, Ghislaine said,
“In any case, I’m glad. I rushed here as soon as I heard the news. It’s only natural to be flustered when you see those creatures for the first time. They’re incredibly strong, after all.”
“Then, did you come here first to save me?”
With his usual charming smile, Ghislaine nodded.
“Of course, it’s only right to save the lady first in the capital.”
“C-Counteee…”
Thump!
Rosalyn’s heart raced as she clutched at it, her face turning red.
To think he would bypass all the powerful nobles in the capital just to come save her first. It truly felt like she had become the princess in a story.
“The Count holds me in such affection…”
“Our cosmetics merchant group’s fund management and sales are all in your hands, so it’s only natural. Oh dear, that would have been a disaster. Without the lady, all that money would fly away. Just thinking about it is horrifying.”
‘Does this guy have anything to talk about besides money!’
Rosalyn’s face twisted in displeasure. It was vexing how easily he mistook her feelings.
“Why is your expression like that? Are you sick? Oh, I must deal with that monster quickly, though. I need to check on other places. I’m busy, very busy.”
Still with a leisurely gait, Ghislaine approached Jephry.
The Marquis’s soldiers recognized Ghislaine from rumors and stepped back to give him space.
“Graaah!”
Jephry roared, unhappy about having his fun interrupted by Ghislaine.
Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!
Swinging his sword with a speed comparable to a high-ranking knight, Jephry attacked, but Ghislaine easily dodged.
It was as if he wasn’t even attacking, seemingly observing something.
“Graaah!”
As Jephry’s attacks failed, he continued to emit beast-like cries.
After witnessing a few more attacks, Ghislaine muttered,
“Hm, he’s definitely weaker than Harold.”
Jephry’s attack speed and accuracy were nowhere near when Harold transformed. It seemed the strength he could exert was somewhat linked to his original abilities.
“Still, looks like the rampaging is the same.”
No matter how you looked at it, he was just a beast gone mad. It appeared he had lost all rational thought except for the urge to kill someone.
If that goal was absent, it seemed he would go on a mindless killing spree like the previous Vanessa.
“Shall we deal with him now?”
With a whoosh, crimson energy enveloped Ghislaine’s fist.
Bang!
“Graaah!”
Jephry was struck in the face by Ghislaine’s fist and staggered. Seizing the chance, Ghislaine’s fist struck like a storm.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
“Graaah!”
Jephry was unable to retaliate properly and got beaten up. Each blow fractured his body in different places.
Spectators were shocked. A guy who couldn’t even land a hit with a sword was getting pummeled by fists.
Boom!
Ghislaine’s fist slammed hard into the already broken and crumbling head of Jephry.
“Guh…”
As Jephry crumpled to the ground, his body began to tremble.
“W-what is this… Why am I…?”
He couldn’t comprehend the situation. Once in a rage, he couldn’t help but lose his sanity and die in battle. It had definitely been that way with the other test subjects he’d seen.
Yet, after taking a few punches, he regained his senses.
“To die so… futilely like this…”
It was strength meant for the worst-case scenario. He had tried to create chaos by somehow killing Rosalyn.
Seeing Jephry on the verge of death, Ghislaine muttered,
“Hm, this is consistent.”
It seemed that giving a strong shock indeed nullified the effects. It meant that the Duke’s House hadn’t finished their modifications yet.
“Well, the timing was too off.”
The fully ramped-up version he had witnessed was after he became the Mercenary King. That had been quite a gap in time.
As Jephry’s body shriveled and rapidly aged, he asked,
“W-who are you really…?”
But Jephry couldn’t follow up. His core was destroyed, and all his vitality had been drained.
In an instant, he turned into a mummy, dying without even hearing a proper answer.
Anxiety spread on the faces of those watching.
“What on earth is this?”
“To become a monster right before death…”
“How could this happen…”
Rosalyn was just as confused. She rushed up to Ghislaine and asked urgently.
“What is this guy? This sort of thing is rampaging all over the capital?”
“Yes, it’s the Mana Circulation Method created by the Duke’s House.”
“The Duke’s House created something so terrible?”
“Even regular knights can exert several times more power than usual. Of course, it’s bound to kill them, but in the meantime, the damage will be significant.”
Ghislaine shared what he knew with Rosalyn.
Those monsters were terrifying forces, but there was a time limit on their power. If they knew the information and responded accordingly, they wouldn’t be hard to catch.
“If these things rampage, the soldiers will suffer greatly. Although their power does vary according to their original abilities, if the knights stay calm and respond, they won’t be unable to handle them.”
Once accustomed, it was merely a matter of a slightly stronger knight going wild. The knights could adequately manage them.
Of course, it would be quite a problem if hundreds or thousands of such creatures began to rampage.
“Please deal with this one for now. I need to go help elsewhere. Everyone is likely in shock right now.”
“Ah, got it.”
“And as I have a lot to prepare, please hurry with the monthly accounts.”
“Is there nothing to talk about with you besides money?!”
Rosalyn shouted like a lion, surprising Ghislaine.
“What was that voice just now?”
“Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to let that slip…”
She fanned herself, hiding her face. Of course, her eyes still burned with ferocity.
‘Yikes, that personality is still impossible to read. I need to get out of here quickly.’
Ghislaine made a grimace and promptly left, avoiding the fuming Rosalyn.
Boom! Bang!
“Ahh! A monster!”
“A madman has appeared!”
“Run away!”
Outside the Marquis’s mansion where Rosalyn was, chaos reigned throughout the capital.
As people fled from rampaging monsters, knights and soldiers chased after the crazy beasts.
“Catch them!”
“Kill them quickly!”
“Surround them now!”
Knights and soldiers hurriedly moved around the capital.
There were already monsters that had been caught and killed, but some had escaped, killing soldiers and attacking anything in sight.
Of course, there were many more dead monsters than surviving ones. The knights of the capital were far superior to those of ordinary territories.
But it was an issue that only a small number had ventured out thinking it was nothing. They had lost the chance to stop the suddenly rampaging monsters.
Ghislaine jumped across the rooftops, quickly assessing the number of rampaging monsters. Fortunately, it seemed not many had been captured and killed at their current locations.
With a whoosh!
Crimson energy spears materialized around him.
“Go.”
Boom!
With an immense roar, the mana spear obliterated a monster’s head.
As Ghislaine began killing the monsters while darting between buildings, many people witnessed the scene.
“It’s Count Penris!”
“The Master of the North has arrived!”
“Whoaaah! The Saint is here!”
Just Ghislaine’s appearance alone boosted the morale of the knights and soldiers. Even those fleeing stopped to cheer.
Boom! Bang! Boom!
The monsters’ heads burst and fell away effortlessly as they died under the mana spears.
There were quite a few lurking monsters in the capital, so they kept emerging from everywhere, no matter how many were killed.
But this was a capital for a reason.
“Immediately capture those monsters and kill them!”
Knight Commander Toleo of the House of Marquis Branford appeared and swiftly decapitated a monster. With the aid of knights from high-ranking nobles, the monsters were quickly falling.
Once the wizards joined, some were even captured alive.
Watching this unfold, Ghislaine chuckled softly.
“Well. What’s the plan for gathering all the strong ones in the capital?”
Since it was the capital with the royal family and high-ranking nobles, it was understandable, but it was quite disappointing from Ghislaine’s perspective.
If those elite forces were used at the frontlines, they could vigorously confront the Duke’s House.
“I need to head elsewhere soon.”
Having moved first to reduce the damage, there wouldn’t be any problems now that powerful individuals had shown up.
Now, he needed to strike a place that the nobles couldn’t just touch carelessly.
Ghislaine headed straight for Juana’s temple. Inside the temple, one person awaited him with a guard of armed soldiers.
“Have you been well? Bishop Porisco.”
“Uh… Count, you’ve come?”
The one who was surrounded by temple knights was none other than Porisco.
Due to the recent rumors of the Saint, he had been living a rather boring life, unable to commit any wrongdoing. Yet, he feigned being okay with the fame, stuck in a jam.
It was guaranteed that he would rise to the position of Archbishop, and he didn’t want to create a debacle unnecessarily.
As soon as he saw Ghislaine, he discreetly approached and whispered,
“Is it really okay to hit them?”
“Of course. Those guys were all planted by the Duke’s House.”
“Will it tarnish my reputation?”
“It will probably boost it even more.”
“Alright, I trust you. I’ll really hit now.”
“Don’t just trust me; trust in your faith, Bishop. You’re the foremost clergyman in the capital and the chosen saint of the Goddess, aren’t you? You have a responsibility to lead the ignorant people.”
“Y-Right? It has to be me, no one else?”
Porisco nodded several times and then boldly declared,
“If not me, who will go to hell! I will clean up the darkness lurking in the capital today!”
“Whoaaah!”
As Porisco shouted, the temple knights united with a resounding cheer.
With great zeal, they marched toward the large building on the outskirts of the capital.
[Cardenia Theological Research Institute]
Though called a theological research institute, in reality, it was a place where people from various orders gathered voluntarily to convey and serve the will of the Goddess.
Because of their reputation and position, nobles couldn’t just attack them indiscriminately.
They had spent a long time serving the less fortunate in the capital. So, naturally, there were countless supporters backing the research institute.
If this place were attacked, public sentiment would undoubtedly be shaken beyond control. Even if they attacked with no justification, it would be awkward for everyone to touch this place.
The separation of politics and religion was not just the foundation of the Ruthania Kingdom, but most nations followed a similar principle.
In such a situation, the only way to crush them without political burden was to find someone who had as much public sentiment as the research institute. A person who had the backing of religion and was rumored to be a saint.
Such a person had to confront this place.
And in this capital, there was indeed one such individual.
“Bring those heretics out immediately… no, those heretical persons! Seize all their possessions and carry out the Burning Ceremony! Mwahahaha!”
The false saint Porisco laughed maniacally as he shouted.
