Chapter 380: To Think You’d Be Here (2)
“Graaaaaah!”
Jeffrey, impaled by a spear, was flung backward.
Boom!
The force of the spear was so immense that Jeffrey was hurled straight into the wall, where he became embedded.
“Grrrrk!”
Even so, he did not die. His blood-red eyes glowed fiercely, and he let out a beastly roar.
“Graaaah!”
Jeffrey quickly shattered the spear lodged in his body and descended to the ground.
Rosalyn gasped in shock and turned to look behind her. The one who had thrown the spear clicked his tongue and stepped forward, blocking her path.
“Tsk, tsk, as I have thought, it’d be like this here too.”
“Count!”
“How have you been?”
The man approaching with a casual stride was none other than Ghislain.
Saving a lady in peril was a trope so old and overused it was almost cliché. Most noble ladies had grown up reading at least one storybook like that.
The tale of a gallant knight swearing loyalty and slaying a wicked dragon.
Right now, Rosalyn felt as though she had stepped into one of those childhood fairy tales.
Tears welled in her reddened eyes as she called out to Ghislain again.
“Count Fenris!”
“Why are your eyes like that when you haven’t even been attacked? Did you catch an eye infection?”
“……”
This bastard definitely does not understand romance. Rosalyn struggled to suppress her twisting expression, taking a deep breath before asking,
“How did you get here?”
“I ran.”
“…No, I mean, how did you know what was happening?”
“The capital is in chaos, with creatures like that causing mayhem everywhere.”
Rosalyn’s face froze in shock.
If that was true, then every place attacked by the Royal Faction’s forces was plagued by these monsters.
Just as Ghislain had warned, the Duke’s hounds were running rampant across the city.
Ghislain looked at Rosalyn and spoke.
“In any case, I’m glad. As soon as I got word, I rushed straight here. Anyone seeing those things for the first time would naturally panic. Not to mention how absurdly tough they are.”
“Th-then you came here first to save me?”
With his characteristic bright smile, Ghislain nodded.
“Of course. In this capital, saving you had to be my top priority.”
“C-Count…”
Thump!
Rosalyn clutched her chest, feeling her heart pound violently, and her cheeks flushed.
To think he had prioritized rescuing her over all the other prominent nobles in the capital. It truly felt like she was the princess in a storybook.
“Does this mean you… care for me…”
“Well, you’re in charge of managing the funds and sales for our cosmetics guild. Of course I had to come. Losing you would’ve been catastrophic—just imagine all that money going up in smoke. It’s terrifying.”
‘Does this bastard ever talk about anything besides money?!’
Rosalyn’s face instantly twisted in frustration. As expected, this bastard cared about nothing but money. She felt humiliated for having misunderstood.
“What’s with that look? Are you unwell? Oh, I should take care of that creature first. I have other places to check too. Busy, busy.”
With his usual leisurely stride, Ghislain approached Jeffrey.
The soldiers of the Marquisate, having heard Ghislain’s reputation, instinctively parted to make way.
“Graaaah!”
Apparently displeased with Ghislain’s interference, Jeffrey let out a thunderous roar and charged at him.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Jeffrey swung his sword with the speed of a high-ranking knight, but Ghislain evaded effortlessly.
He didn’t immediately counterattack, instead observing as though analyzing something.
“Graaaah!”
Frustrated by his failed attempts, Jeffrey released a guttural howl, swinging his sword even more wildly.
After watching a few more attacks, Ghislain muttered,
“Hmm, definitely weaker than Harold.”
Compared to Harold’s transformed state, Jeffrey’s attacks were slower and far less precise. It seemed the power they could wield after transforming depended on their original strength.
“Still, the mindless rampage remains the same.”
Jeffrey was little more than a berserk beast, seemingly incapable of rational thought beyond the singular goal of killing someone.
If that goal were removed, he might start slaughtering indiscriminately, just like Vanessa had in her previous life.
“Well then, let’s put an end to this.”
Fwoosh.
A crimson-black aura flared around Ghislain’s fist.
Smack!
“Graaah!”
Jeffrey staggered backward, his face struck squarely by Ghislain’s fist. Taking advantage of the opening, Ghislain unleashed a flurry of punches.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
“Graaaah!”
Jeffrey couldn’t counter, instead taking hit after hit as his body broke in multiple places.
The onlookers were stunned. The creature that had been impervious to swords was now being overwhelmed by mere punches.
Boom!
Ghislain’s fist struck Jeffrey’s head with overwhelming force, leaving his body limp, his shattered bones failing to support him.
“Guh…ugh…”
Jeffrey collapsed to the ground, his body trembling violently.
“What…what is this…why am I…?”
He couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Once berserk, he was supposed to lose all reason and fight until death. That’s how it had been with other test subjects.
But after just a few blows, his mind had cleared.
“To die…so pathetically like this…”
This power was meant to be a last resort. His intent had been to at least kill Rosalyn and throw everything into chaos, but even that had been thwarted.
Ghislain looked down at the dying Jeffrey and muttered to himself.
“Hmm, this part’s the same.”
A strong enough impact seemed to cancel the effects. It was proof that the Duke’s family hadn’t perfected their enhancements yet.
“Well, the timing makes sense.”
Fully berserk modifications like the ones he’d seen after becoming the King of Mercenaries were still far in the future. There was a significant gap between now and then.
Jeffrey’s body began to wither, aging rapidly. He looked up weakly and asked,
“Who…what are you…?”
But he couldn’t finish his question. The destruction of his core had consumed all his life force.
He shriveled up like a mummy and died without ever hearing an answer.
The sight left everyone nearby tense and alarmed.
“What on earth is this?”
“A monster on the verge of death…?”
“How could such a thing happen…?”
Rosalyn was equally bewildered. She hurried over to Ghislain and demanded answers.
“What is that thing? Are you saying creatures like it are rampaging across the capital?”
“Yes, it’s a mana refinement technique created by the Duke’s family.”
“They made something so horrifying?”
“It can make an ordinary knight several times stronger than they usually are. Of course, they’re guaranteed to die afterward, but the damage they cause in the meantime is substantial.”
Ghislain explained what he knew to Rosalyn.
Those monsters were formidable, but their power was time-limited. With knowledge of their weaknesses, they weren’t unbeatable.
“These creatures will cause significant casualties among soldiers. The strength they exhibit depends on their original skills, but as long as the knights remain calm, they can handle them.”
Once familiar, they were nothing more than slightly stronger berserk knights. Experienced soldiers could handle them without much trouble.
Of course, if there were hundreds or thousands of them rampaging at once, that would be a far greater challenge.
“For now, please take care of this one. I have to help elsewhere. I’m sure others are just as surprised as you.”
“Ah, understood.”
“And since we have a lot to prepare, please expedite this month’s financial reports.”
“Do you have anything to talk about besides money?!”
Rosalyn’s roar was as loud as a lion’s, startling Ghislain.
“What’s with that voice?”
“Oh, my apologies. My thoughts slipped out without meaning to…”
She quickly snapped open a fan and hid her face, though the murderous glint in her eyes remained.
‘Ugh, her temperament is as unpredictable as ever. Better make my exit quickly.’
With an uneasy expression, Ghislain swiftly left, evading Rosalyn’s wrath.
—
Boom! Boom!
“Aaaaah! A monster!”
“That lunatic is here!”
“Run away!”
The chaos wasn’t limited to the Marquis’ estate where Rosalyn had been. All across the capital, similar scenes were unfolding.
People fled from rampaging monsters, while knights and soldiers chased them down.
“Catch them!”
“Kill them quickly!”
“Surround them now!”
Knights and soldiers moved frantically throughout the capital.
Though some monsters had already been slain, others escaped after killing soldiers, attacking aimlessly. Their rampage lacked any specific targets.
Fortunately, more monsters have been killed than those who have survived. The capital’s knights were far more skilled than those of most other regions.
However, problems arose in places where only a few soldiers had been dispatched. The sudden rampage of the monsters overwhelmed these small groups.
Ghislain darted across rooftops, rapidly assessing the number of rampaging monsters. Thankfully, many had already been dealt with on the spot, leaving few remaining.
Fwoosh!
Crimson-black spears of mana materialized around him.
“Go.”
Boom!
The spears shot forward with deafening roars, obliterating the head of a nearby monster.
As Ghislain weaved between buildings, killing rampaging monsters, many people caught sight of him.
“It’s the Count of Fenris!”
“The Master of the North is here!”
“Waaaaah! It’s the Holy One!”
The mere sight of Ghislain raised the morale of the knights and soldiers. Even fleeing citizens stopped to cheer.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Monster after monster fell, their heads exploding from the force of the mana spears.
Despite the number of monsters lurking in the capital, every time one was killed, another seemed to emerge from somewhere else.
But this was the capital for a reason.
“Kill them all immediately!”
The Knight Commander of the Marquis of Branford’s knights, Toleo, appeared and effortlessly severed the neck of one of the monsters. With additional assistance from knights of other high-ranking nobles, the monsters quickly fell.
Even mages joined the effort, resulting in some of the creatures being captured alive.
Watching the scene unfold, Ghislain chuckled softly.
“Honestly. What are they trying to do, gathering all the strongest here in the capital?”
It was understandable, given that the royal family and high-ranking nobles resided in the capital, but from Ghislain’s perspective, it was a misuse of good assets.
If those elite forces were deployed on the front lines, they could directly confront the Duke’s family in a spectacular clash.
“Well, I’d better move on.”
He had acted preemptively to minimize damage, but with such capable individuals taking over, there would be no further issues.
Now, he needed to address places where nobles couldn’t interfere recklessly.
Ghislain headed directly to Juana’s temple. Inside the temple, a man was waiting for him, surrounded by heavily armed guards.
“How have you been, Bishop Porisco?”
“Ooh… Count, you’ve arrived?”
The man flanked by a retinue of temple knights was none other than Porisco.
Due to the rumors of him being a “Holy One,” Porisco was leading a dull, uneventful life, refraining from mischief to maintain his reputation. However, he didn’t entirely dislike fame and was stuck in a strange limbo.
With his promotion to Archbishop already assured, he was reluctant to jeopardize it with any unnecessary trouble.
As soon as Porisco saw Ghislain, he crept closer and whispered,
“So… we’re really allowed to do this, right?”
“I told you, they’re all agents planted by the Duke’s family.”
“And my reputation won’t suffer for this?”
“If anything, it’ll soar.”
“Alright, I’ll trust you and go for it.”
“Don’t trust me; trust in your faith. Aren’t you the capital’s foremost clergyman, chosen by the goddess herself as a Holy One? You have a duty to guide the ignorant masses.”
“That’s true, isn’t it? Who else but me?”
Porisco nodded a few times before shouting boldly,
“If not I, who shall descend into the depths of hell? Today, I will cleanse the darkness festering in this capital!”
“Waaaaah!”
At his declaration, the temple knights erupted into loud cheers.
With an overwhelming show of enthusiasm, they moved toward a large building on the outskirts of the capital.
—
[Cardenia Theological Research Society]
Despite its name, the society was a place where people from various religious orders voluntarily gathered to promote the goddesses’ will and engage in charitable work.
Due to its reputation and location, nobles couldn’t target the society easily.
For years, the research society had dedicated itself to serving the underprivileged of the capital, earning tremendous public support. Any attack on the society would spark outrage among the populace. Even without a strong justification, attacking this place had always been a delicate matter.
Most nations, including the Ritania Kingdom, adhered to the principle of separating politics and religion strictly.
In such a context, there was only one way to eliminate the society without political repercussions:
The task required someone who had garnered as much public support as the research society itself. A figure backed by religion and rumored to be a Holy One.
And there was one such person in the capital.
“Drag out those heretical bastards—no, heretics! Confiscate all their possessions, and prepare for a public execution by fire! Hahaha!”
The false Holy One, Porisco, laughed maniacally as he gave his orders.