Chapter 151. Chaos (1)
Yuri retraced the path he had walked a few hours earlier.
‘To find Tessa, heading straight for that fork in the road is the quickest option.’
He didn’t know the exact route to infiltrate the Demon King’s castle, but the starting point would surely be the place where all the 49th cadets had gathered.
If he followed the [49th Cadet Entry Route] where he parted ways with Tessa, he would reach the quest’s starting point. From there, he could continue searching for Theresia.
That was Yuri’s plan, but he soon realized he had to revise it.
“Huh?”
Three people appeared before him.
The yellow epaulets on their shoulders stood out, catching Yuri’s attention.
‘49th cadets?’
They were the ones tricked by Jerry into believing the path they were on was the [Path of Disgrace].
Of course, unaware of this, Yuri focused on one thing.
‘If those guys showed up here… Tessa could appear here too, right?’
Smiling, Yuri quickly ran toward the 49th cadets.
Seeing Yuri sprint toward them with a broad smile, the three 49th cadets were taken aback.
‘A red epaulet? A 50th cadet?’
‘Who are you?’
‘Why is a 50th cadet coming from there?’
Believing this was the path leading to the [Path of Disgrace], Yuri’s sudden appearance was completely unexpected.
And what happened next was even more so.
Swish-.
Yuri, who had been running toward them, disappeared like a mirage.
In an instant, he reappeared on the left side of the 49th cadets.
Still standing in confusion, they watched as Yuri beamed at them and swung his sword.
Thud- Crack!
The sheathed sword struck the back of the head of the cadet on the far left.
Struck by a surprise blow, he collapsed forward and didn’t get up.
He was knocked out cold with a single strike.
The remaining two cadets hastily drew their weapons.
‘F-Fast!’
‘Who the hell is this guy?!’
A 50th cadet who appeared out of nowhere.
And an attack without any regard for decorum.
To top it off, Yuri’s ridiculous shout rang out.
“I’m in a bit of a hurry, so if you answer my questions nicely, I’ll let you go without trouble!”
Yuri’s declaration made the remaining two cadets’ faces harden.
‘The moment you knocked someone out, it was already… not without trouble?!’
‘You should have… asked questions first!’
Exasperated, the two cadets fought back with all their might.
But even they couldn’t stop Yuri, who had already surpassed Theresia, the fastest among the 49th cadets.
Crash-.
Thud- Thud- Thud.
“…Ugh?!”
Another cadet was struck in the head by Yuri’s lightning-fast attack and fell silent.
The last one remaining was hit three times, clutching his solar plexus and rolling on the ground.
Fortunately, he didn’t lose consciousness.
It wasn’t because he had a strong constitution.
Yuri had deliberately controlled his strength to keep him conscious.
It took less than ten seconds for all three cadets to be crawling on the ground.
Cough, cough-.
The surviving 49th cadet squinted as he looked up at his opponent.
And finally, he recognized who he was facing.
‘Yuri… Holland!’
At first, in the chaos, and with Yuri’s hair now shorter, he hadn’t recognized him.
But even among the lowest-ranked cadets, Yuri Holland was the only 50th cadet who could instantly take down three 49th cadets.
Moreover…
‘This familiar pain!’
How could he forget the pain that struck directly in his solar plexus?
He bit his lip tightly.
‘Yuri Holland, the record holder of the Hundred Steps Ceremony.’
And…
‘The shameless bastard who took all my rabbit skins!’
Indeed, he had participated in a skin-gathering quest as the rabbit, only to have all his skins confiscated by Yuri.
He even had a history of being severely beaten for daring to challenge Yuri.
Thanks to that, he had a rough idea of what kind of person Yuri Holland was, so he naturally held back.
“W-Why?”
His expression seemed to ask why they were suddenly attacked.
Yuri shrugged in response.
“If I said I’d let you go quietly if you answered my questions, you would’ve yelled, ‘How dare a mere 50th cadet!’”
“……”
“So, I skipped the useless and inefficient conversation and went straight to beating you up. Anyway, it would’ve ended in punches being thrown, so why waste time flapping our gums?”
“……”
…This bastard, why did you just skip to that on your own?
…What about our opinions?
‘It’s already unfair that I got hit three times when the others got knocked out with one blow…’
Yuri’s casual words only increased his sense of injustice.
Regardless, Yuri urged him impatiently.
“Alright, we don’t have much time, so answer quickly; it’s in your best interest. Are all 49th cadets coming up this path? Have you seen Tessa?”
“……?”
“Hmm, that’s strange. Tessa should be among the vanguard, so why are small fries like you here first?”
“Ah….”
“Are there multiple paths, and Tessa took a different one? Is this the easiest route?”
“Uh, um….”
“Do you know where Tessa went? Don’t you?”
“N-No, it’s just….”
“Ugh, seriously, there’s no time! A scary guy will come to beat you up soon! Just spill it already!”
Yuri’s eyes flashed with slight anxiety as he rattled off his questions like a machine gun.
‘There’s not much time.’
He had thrown a rock with all his might, infused with mana, but there was no way that person would be brought down by just that.
At best, he had only bought himself a little time.
Impatient, Yuri rolled up his sleeves.
“Damn it, I tried to solve this nicely, but you refuse to talk till the end?”
“……”
“Fine! Let’s see how long our senior can hold out…!”
Crack, crack-.
As Yuri rolled his shoulders and approached, the cadet, now pale, frantically reached out and shouted.
“W-Wait!”
Whether his desperation reached Yuri or not, Yuri halted abruptly.
The cadet looked up at Yuri with teary eyes.
“S-So!”
“……?”
“…Who is Tessa? I need to know that to answer….”
On the verge of breaking down, his eyes filled with resentment, Yuri slowly unclenched his fist.
“Alright, it’s about time we start moving too.”
Jerry said this as he dusted off his pants and stood up.
Those around him looked puzzled.
“Already? Aren’t there more people who haven’t come up yet? Don’t we need to wait?”
“A few people staying here is enough. We need to go up and start controlling those idiots who are probably causing a ruckus.”
“Control?”
“If they realize the path they took leads to the Demon King’s castle, they might try to turn back. So, we need to shove them to the end of the road. By force.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
Following Jerry’s words, many nodded in agreement.
As he suggested, they left one person behind to explain the situation to the latecomers, and everyone else retraced their steps to enter the ‘real Demon King’s castle entry route.’
About thirty people gathered this way.
Jerry raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
‘Didn’t expect so many… I didn’t think they’d stick to their word.’
Initially, when only a few stepped onto the ‘fake Demon King’s castle entry route,’ Jerry thought, ‘Figures.’
He doubted how many would keep their promises in this cradle.
But to his surprise?
As time passed, more people began choosing the path leading to the fake Demon King’s castle.
Many of them were those ranked higher in the monthly evaluations.
Conversely, those of lower rank had chosen the easier path, leading to the Path of Disgrace.
And from this, Jerry realized something.
“This wasn’t about keeping promises or not.”
Some aimed high without avoiding dangerous challenges, while others chose the easy path for their safety. This fork in the road made that distinction clear.
‘Is that the difference between the upper and lower ranks…?’
An interim result seemed to show that only those who challenged themselves could rise higher.
Jerry, who had intended to betray if not for the threat, felt a pang in his heart.
‘I really… was such a worthless guy.’
And somehow, that same person ended up leading this group.
Which made it even more burdensome.
“Sigh…”
Jerry let out a small sigh as he walked, followed by thirty others.
How long had they walked like that?
It was the groans that stopped the group of thirty heading toward the true Demon King’s castle.
“Ugh… ugh…”
“Grk…”
Two people were draped over trees like wet rags, while two more lay on top of each other, shaking like squashed bugs. And the last person…
“Ugh, I’m in a rush here, so why’d you stop me to pick a fight when I was just passing by? Do you have a death wish?”
Slap-.
…He was being slapped on both cheeks while being grabbed by the collar.
The person delivering the slaps stopped after a few more hits.
“Ha, you should count yourself lucky; I’m out of time, so I’ll end it here… No, wait! Just two more slaps!”
Slap, slap-.
After exactly two more slaps, he let go of the collar.
The person who had already fainted earlier fell to the ground with a thud.
Seeing the gruesome sight before him, Jerry’s face turned pale.
No, to be precise, it was seeing the one who caused that gruesome sight that drained the blood from his face.
His lips trembled, and a small voice escaped.
“Y-Yuri… Holland?”
The outlaw turned his gaze to the clear but quiet voice.
Yuri waved at him cheerfully.
“Oh? Senior Jerry!”
Yuri greeted lightly and tightened his loose top, which had become unfastened from his intense movements.
To keep the Core of Strength from falling out.
Then, he quickly passed by Jerry’s side.
“I’m busy today… Let’s catch up next time.”
Jerry stared after him, a question mark popping up over his head.
‘…He just left? That guy?’
Jerry had never met Yuri without something going awry.
Yuri had always been the one to provoke things.
But today, he said he was busy and just left without causing trouble?
What kind of situation was this?
Jerry frowned at the unexpected turn of events.
Meanwhile, murmurs spread among the surprised 49th cadets.
“That guy just now was definitely from the 50th cadets, right?”
“Jerry said it was Yuri Holland.”
“Yuri Holland? But why did he come here?”
“No, more importantly, why were those guys getting beaten up by Yuri Holland?”
Everyone tried to figure out the significance of Yuri Holland’s appearance.
As various speculations spread in all directions, one of the 49th cadets murmured with a serious expression.
“I… saw it.”
All eyes turned to him.
“What did you see?”
“When he was tightening his top earlier, I caught a glimpse.”
“What did you see?”
“The Core of Strength.”
Several people laughed incredulously at his words.
“What?”
“That’s nonsense.”
“Yeah, right. Why would the Core of Strength be with that guy?”
Disbelief and astonishment spread quickly among them, but most dismissed it as nonsense.
Except one person.
Jerry rushed over to the one who spoke and grabbed his shoulders.
“A-Are you sure? Was it really the Core of Strength? Are you sure you didn’t see it wrong?!”
“Yes, I’m sure! It was quite large, but it was definitely the Core of Strength!”
He explained that he had consumed the Core of Strength himself and had seen it several times at auctions.
He was adamant that he hadn’t seen it wrong, and his confident words sparked something in Jerry’s mind.
‘So, this is it!’
All the pieces of the puzzle fit together.
The fact that Yuri was busy enough to pass by without bothering him was unusual.
And the path where Yuri appeared was the [Demon King’s Castle Entry Route].
Moreover, he had brutally attacked the cadets heading to the Demon King’s castle.
‘And the final piece… that even the Core of Strength, which should belong to the Demon King, is with that guy?!’
Jerry gulped.
His fists clenched tightly.
‘Yulia, your prediction was wrong! The Demon King wasn’t chosen for his skills, but for his character!’
This time, it wasn’t the strongest who was chosen, but the most vile one.
Who knew the Cradle had such a twist in store.
Jerry, covered in goosebumps, shouted with a trembling voice.
“Catch him!”
“Catch who?”
“That guy from earlier!”
“…The guy from earlier? Yuri Holland?”
“Yes! That guy!”
“……?”
Jerry’s comrades tilted their heads, confused by his sudden outburst.
Jerry loudly conveyed the conclusion he had reached.
“That guy, Yuri Holland… he’s the Demon King!”
“……?!”
Jerry’s shout spread like wildfire, shocking everyone around.
Thirty or so people turned their heads simultaneously in the direction Yuri had disappeared.
And soon, their minds started piecing together the scenario Jerry had outlined.
The true entry route to the Demon King’s castle.
Their comrades beaten to a pulp.
Even the Core of Strength.
No one had ever imagined Yuri would be the princess escaping from the Demon King’s castle.
In their eyes, flames of determination flared.
They turned back the way they had come.
“Catch him!”
“We just have to catch that guy!”
“Let’s go!”
One by one, those who had resolved themselves started rushing in the direction Yuri had disappeared.
And at the forefront of the group leading the charge was Jerry.
“You’re done for, you bastard! Hahaha.”
Jerry, feeling unusually reassured by the comrades chasing the Demon King with him, wore an oddly excited expression on his face.