Chapter 339

Chapter 339

“Artillery, bombs?”
“Shhh. Keep your voice down.”
Nabiroze warned me.
Lance gulped.
Luckily, I didn’t seem to get caught.
The popularity was still being felt around the corner.
“Uh-oh. It was so sudden.”
“I think I’m in trouble.”
Nabirozze clicked his tongue.
Her animal hearing perfectly separated the sound of the water from the conversation of the thugs.
The estimated number of people is five.
The objective was to pose as an Imperial envoy and plant a bomb in a flamethrower.
‘I thought that was weird. Maybe you were molting.’
Somehow, I also found out why Navarrozze canceled Alhyeon.
Dragons, like reptiles, molt at regular intervals, and the time had come.
There would be no time like the present for the bullies.
During the molting process, which can last as little as a day or as long as a full moon, the dragon is in a defenseless state that is effectively sleep.
Of course, even with that in mind, it was a reckless plan.
Dragons aren’t stupid enough to not have some sort of molting plan, and this is Adren, the home of dragons.
What’s more, their target was Navarordje, the Mother of Fire.
So why do something that’s destined to fail?
Lance gritted his teeth.
“—Bastards. How could a race of dragons open their minds?”
“Ohhh. Did you notice?”
Nabiroze smirked.
Apparently, the shrewd apprentice sensed the bullies’ intentions.
“It doesn’t matter how powerful the bomb is, what matters is that an Imperial–no, a human–perpetrated an attack with a flamethrower, and even if there are no casualties, it’s going to be a big diplomatic problem.”
“Correct.”
Nabirozze grumbled.
It was a great insight for someone his age.
In this way, she definitely takes after her mother, Adeshan.
“I learned in history class that the Flame Palace, where Navarordze-sama resides, was built over the ruins of the Sky Tower. It’s one of the symbols of peace, a reminder that we’ve overcome the damage from the war with Nebula Clazier. If a bomb goes off in such a place—.”
“Yes. We won’t be at enmity with the dragons right away, but we’ll be bitter.”
“I’ll never—I can’t forgive you.”
Lance was genuinely upset.
He was born after the war ended, but he knew all too well how the current peace came about.
He had grown up listening to Ronan and Adeshan’s stories instead of fairy tales since he was a crawling baby.
Lance said, pulling out a scroll of de-awareness.
“Me. Write this and go back the way you came.”
“Huh?”
“I’m invisible, so I’m not going to get caught. I’m going to go as fast as I can and tell people about this. I’ll do whatever I can to stop them.”
His voice was guttural.
I couldn’t see it, but I’m sure his expression said it.
What did this kid just say to me?
Go back the way you came?
After a moment’s stunned silence, Nabirozé chuckled.
“You’re ridiculous. You’re welcome.”
“What?”
That’s when Lance turned his head.
Kwazik!!!
An invisible fist drove deep into his abdomen.
Lance’s body slumped forward as if he’d been punched in the gut.
“Kaboom!”
“You didn’t pass out. Excellent.”
Nabiroze was impressed.
As expected of a senior in the martial arts department, he had a different attitude.
Lance, who had been silently clearing his stomach, said in a shaky voice.
“Me, me, me—why the hell.”
“I’ll give you back what you gave me. Go back the way you came and tell them what happened.”
The de-awareness scrolls fluttered before Lance’s eyes.
He could hear Naro’s footsteps as he walked ahead of him.
I wanted to get up and dry it right away, but I couldn’t move.
“I— to—!”
“Don’t worry. What you’re thinking won’t happen, and—”
It was a nice gesture, but it was premature.
Kids had kids’ roles and adults had adults’ roles.
I was glad to be young again.
An adult would never have followed Lance, and would never have discovered this plot.
The thugs were still in place, probably plotting something.
“Pulling weights is an adult’s prerogative.”
With those words, the new Nabirozé shot forward.
****
“Hmm?”
“What, what’s wrong?”
“No–I think I just heard something. Did I hear it wrong?”
The bearded man chuckled.
I thought I heard faint footsteps, but there was no one where I looked.
The woman dressed as an Imperial envoy shrugged.
“A rat must have gotten through. It’s not even cleaning season, who would be running around a place like this?”
“That’s right, I must have been too nervous.”
“What are you so nervous about? When you get nervous, think back to the day you worked hard for today. Just do it like you practiced. Just like practice.”
The woman flirted.
It was a bizarre confidence, but none of my coworkers, including the company, would bet against it.
An adventurer of the highest order, she had dedicated a decade of her life to this day.
My like-minded colleagues were also adventurers of the highest order.
“Yeah. You’re right. How the hell did I find this way.”
“A combination of hard work and luck. I didn’t realize the path leading straight to the first floor of the palace was there until after I fell into the lake surrounding the flame palace.”
“Great, perfect position to kick their asses and then run away.”
“Yes, and you’re halfway there if you’ve gotten this far, because all of the Flamebowl’s guards will be outside when the Navardose breaks out.”
True to her word, the Flame Bowl was now empty.
We don’t know why, but even Naransonia and her staff have been moved out of the palace.
“Besides, we have a secret weapon, and I’m sure you’re ready for it, right?”
“Of course not. Shit, to think of the money I spent to get this—.”
The bearded man nodded.
He grumbled, patting his pockets for the items.
I could have bought a mansion, but I had no choice.
There was no substitute, and it was a necessity.
The woman checked her watch and said nervously.
“This is not to be taken lightly,” he said, “but let’s all take it as adventurers. Even if we die, if we succeed in our mission, it will be our time again.”
“The age of heroes and adventure.”
“Yes. Peace will only make the world boring, and the breaking of the human-dragon relationship will be the first step in breaking the stasis, and people will seek us out again.”
“Hmph—good.
Of course, I’m more excited about the client’s reward.”
The squinty-eyed old man snorted.
And that’s what everyone agreed on.
Whoever entrusts them with this assignment has literally promised them “unimaginable” rewards.
Moreover, the client was the one who could afford to pay the reward.
The adventurers exchanged glances and the corners of their mouths twitched.
A woman dressed as an envoy extends her hand.
“Okay. Then we’ll just have to cheer up and—— cuck.”
“Huh?”
The bent woman’s eyes widened.
The blade had ripped through her breastbone and was protruding.
Black blood was dripping down the blade that had pierced his heart with precision.
“Is this—?”
I could feel myself cooling down quickly.
A dark green glow swirled around the sword’s hilt as he stared.
That was before she spat out the blood that had burned its way down her throat.
Yikes!
A blade slashed diagonally through his ribcage, decapitating the old man next to him.
“Heh heh heh!”
“What the fuck is going on—!”
The bullies were horrified.
The sword floated in the air with no one holding it.
The soaring old man’s head fell into the gutter.
Once again, the masterless blade sliced through the air, biting into the nape of another creature’s neck.
“——!”
This time, there were no screams.
Another head disappeared into the wastewater.
My shoulders slumped and my body slowly collapsed.
Now they could see the sword’s owner.
“You, you?!”
“Oh. You got caught.”
Nabiroze waggled his eyebrows.
The blood splattered everywhere, revealing the figure.
Of course, it didn’t matter.
Nabirozze, his sword sheathed, ducked and charged.
“Where did you come from!”
There were only two people left.
As soon as they realized the identity of the killer was a girl who hadn’t even come of age yet, they let out a brave cry and rushed at her.
“Die!”
A bald man with a dagger in each hand slashed at Nabiroze’s back.
She took a stance, twisting her shoulders lightly to dodge the attack and swinging her sword at the same time.
Scoop!
A green semicircle was drawn in the air, separating the bald body from the left and right.
His bloodshot eyes rolled back in his head.
Blood and guts exploded like firecrackers.
“Hee hee—!”
It took less than a minute to get this far.
The lone beard gulped.
He tried to do something, but it was too late.
A green line drew across the man’s limbs as the disemboweled Nabiroze swung his sword once more.
“Ah.”
I lost feeling in my extremities.
The four lines split up and down, revealing a clean cut.
A man with two arms, two legs, and a torso spilled onto the floor with a disgusted sound.
The pain of his belated realization washed over him.
“Off, off, off!!!”
A gut-wrenching scream rang out.
Transformed into a scarab larva, he flailed about on the pavement, flapping the traces of his limbs.
It wasn’t exactly a voice I wanted to hear.
Wiping the blood from his sword, Nabiroze crushed his throat.
“Shut up.”
“Turn it off! Turn it off–cluck!”
The man’s struggling stopped.
The extreme fear made him forget the pain of having all his limbs cut off.
The way Nabirozze looked down on himself was no different than the way he looked at meat on a chopping block.
“Monster, monster—.”
“Who are you guys, and who told you to do this?”
Nabiroze asked, pointing his sword at the man’s right eye.
His voice was so calm it gave me goosebumps.
The man, barely catching his breath, stammered.
“Well, it’s—it’s—.”
“You’re not quite awake yet.”
“Khaaaaah!”
But Nabirozé didn’t even tolerate fumbling.
The tip of the sword dug straight into his eye.
A vocal cord-splitting scream rang out.
“Hmph, hmph, hmph! My eyes, my eyes—!”
“You have three seconds. Name the ringleader.”
When I pulled the sword out of the orbital cavity, the sticky liquid dribbled out.
Nabirozé asked, looking straight into her opposite eye.
The beard, pushed to its limits, cried.
“Ugh, I’ll tell you–I’ll tell you, fuck you! We’ve been commissioned by the Red Death.”
“Red Death?”
Nabiroze shook his head.
I’m sure I’ve heard of tinnitus before.
I think it came out of Ronan’s mouth, but I don’t remember the details.
I don’t think it was human tinnitus.
She was about to continue her interrogation.
“——Flooding.”
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice behind me.
Nabiroze’s brow furrowed as she turned her head.
At first, the woman whose upper body had been sliced open was mumbling unintelligible words.
It was as if he had taken a pill to delay his death.
A scroll was clutched in his pale, bloodless hands.
“Complete the mission.”
Nabiroze immediately swung his sword.
Five sword qi shot out from the sword path, each one cutting through her body in a different direction.
Kaaaah!
The sword energy that touched the ground exploded, shattering the corpses.
Nabiroze looked back and clicked his tongue.
“Oops.”
The bearded man was gone.
Only the remnants of the spatial magic remained, flickering like a mist.
The company’s attention was drawn to the far ceiling.
So it was coming in subtly from the flamebow side.
“Why are you making this such a pain in the ass.”
He had sent his coworker to a spatial magic scroll.
It was a mission unfit for scum.
Maybe I should have just killed them all.
Nabiroze sighed.
“What can a guy with his arms and legs cut off do anyway.
She started running straight toward the flame bow.
It was a privilege to hold the weight, but it was an adult’s duty to take responsibility.
The tinnitus of red death floated through Nabiroze’s head like a mirage.
‘Who was that? I can’t remember.