Chapter 189: [Boss Fight] Steam Rain (7)
Vermel marched forward in the rain, the bloody mud continuously dragging his feet.
Plop plop plop! The thin film created by the enchantment was blocking the rain. The raindrops bouncing off the film became vapor and vanished.
“What the heck is that elf?”
“Why is he fine in the rain!”
Those who had fallen victim to Tortoise’s rain and the family of the deceased. With icy eyes they glared at Vermel who was fine even after getting hit by rain.
“Is he a Beast......?”
“You’re right! That’s a Beast!”
“Oh my god...! My, my son’s body turned black......! But why the hell isn’t he affected...!”
Relative deprivation. The bereaved families wailed. Unfortunately, Vermel didn’t have time to tell everyone the truth.
“He must be a Beast if he’s fine even after being in the rain like that! Or a traitor who’s conspiring with them!”
Suspicion soon became certainty. The people who saw the elf running through the Steam Rain were screaming.
It was all meaningless.
[Man, are they all stupid? Who straight up heads towards the Beasts when they know they could die?]
[This is why I hate humans, jumping to conclusions like that.]
[Most of all, there isn’t malicious energy coming from him. By the way, it’s kind of cool what he’s doing.]
The Goddess’ servants, the Elementals, always told the truth. They were ones who stayed silent when they were disadvantaged.
People had no choice but to fall silent at the childlike honesty of the Elementals. The Imperial people believed in the Goddess, after all, so they had to acknowledge the words of the Elementals who were her servants.
“Hey you bastards! If you guys are Elementals, hurry and go tell the Goddess! Why isn’t she doing anything when there are people dying here!”
That was the best the bereaved could do.
The gazes of those who didn’t know where to look roamed all over the place.
They’d come for an outing and had altogether gotten caught in this catastrophe. There were many who lost their family or lovers today. And throw in someone’s mind control on top of that.
Their sanity couldn’t take it.
They needed something to take out their anger on. The gaze of the crowd that’d been searching for something to lash out on all turned to somewhere. Their gaze was also that of someone standing at the back manipulating them.
It isn’t going as planned.
The Cataclysm currently wearing the mask of Duke Blanton.
Septimus of the Great Nine Mechas, ‘Soul Collector’ Orléans.
A formless monster clicked his tongue that wasn’t actually there and turned his eyes.
To think that the elf that the idiot Quartus was tracking was amongst the exchange students.
They should’ve killed him at the time, but it was too late to regret it now.
Hm?
Just then, something caught his eyes: pointed animal ears reminiscent of a fox.
Freyr was blasting shells into Tortoise’s face with her hat gone. It wasn’t anything significant but it was enough to disrupt it.
It’s that one.
Orléans smiled wickedly.
He could be caught by the Elementals if he stirred up the crowd any more than this, as discriminatory remarks against beastkin was technically ‘malice’.
And so he was going to give a nudge to those around him and use the confusion to run away.
...Hah?
That plan was dashed in an instant.
Plop.
Someone picked up the hat that fell off, and put the witch hat on Youko brat’s head. Orléans’ eyes turned serious.
Burning gold eyes shot towards him. Of all the people, the girl looked his way.
“Hey, you’re back! Where have you been all this time?”
“.......”
Aether didn’t say anything. Instead, she looked between Orléans and Vanta Tortoise with a cold gaze.
Her mouth moved.
- Scram.
Orléans felt a chill down the back of his neck.
That was different
It was the real threat of ‘Heaven’ unlike before.
I need to retreat to the base.
He tore a teleport scroll and hastily returned to his home. It was an instinctive move for the sake of survival.
It was too early to face her right now. Orléans let out a deep sigh.
“Does she still have lingering attachments....”
This was why those of the human race wouldn’t do, including his supervisor. They were too indecisive.
Anyway.
Withdrawing at this point was the right thing to do, because was much more powerful than him.
It was now time to focus on the remaining things.
Although there had been hiccups, the plan was still on track. They were almost in the last stages.
Orléans took a forged document he’d made prior to the palace. It was a fake report that the faction of the First Prince had conspired with the Beasts. The Emperor’s seal was stamped on it so there was no one who didn’t believe it.
Things were processed quickly. Having finished everything, Orléans headed towards the spire one last time.
The room in the spire was quite a sight as half of it was gone.
Furthermore.
“......They’re all dead.”
The whole place was splattered with blood.
“Hm.”
Was that the Emperor? It was impossible to identify since the entire body was crushed.
“What a mess it made, that Tortoise.”
Smirking, Orléans dismantled his form. The human form disappeared, leaving only a black slime.
A black blob that looked like tar.
Squirming, Orléans dropped to the floor below. Splat! It took no time to get to Lady Blanton’s room.
Half of this place had also been blown away. This, too, was Vanta Tortoise’s doing.
Familiar forms littered the part that still remained. They were all corpses with the exception of one.
“Heh.”
The many bureaucrats and soldiers of the Empire that he’d seen at the noble assembly.
They were all dead.
“Huhuhuhu.”
Orléans made himself a vocal cord and chuckled.
It was a noteworthy achievement as he’d gotten this far without being caught by Elementals.
“This is, well, my victory in the end. Don’t you agree?”
Orléans walked towards a girl who was wheezing.
“Our dear Lady.”
“...Hey, you’re back.”
Rosemary waved her hand in a gesture for him to come closer.
“I didn’t think you’d still be alive.”
“Did you, think, that I’d die here.......”
“No, not at all.”
Rolling his slimy form, Orléans answered.
“Just, it’s a shame that I have to finish you off with my own hands.”
“......Wait, yooou, wh-what did you just–”
“Do not worry. I will devour you all at once and give you rest.......”
Rosemary’s eyes pinched weakly. With a ‘ughhhh’, she tucked in her elbow.
Th-this bastard....
Even while struggling for breath, her mind was spinning.
“So you did this to betray me.......”
“Betray? Nonsense.”
Orléans had never trusted her from the start. She’d only been a business partner for the sake of resurrecting the Demon King.
“This, too, was part of the plan.”
The plan to take the Lodestone and bring Aether back to the Demon Castle.
Rosemary had to die for it to work.
Because in order not to incur Aether’s wrath ‘for now’, Rosemary had to take a big hit.
Hence, she was trying to say that the humans were responsible for this incident rather than Rosemary.
In fact, this was the reason why Rosemary had allowed the chairman to enter the palace. She had to take a few hits so that sis wouldn’t say anything.
However.
“It is going to be a problem if we proceed vaguely from here and Secundus turns her back completely.”
“What are you....”
“Do you know what is the best way to appeal to someone who carries human emotions like Secundus? That is the death of a loved one.”
“You, you seriously.......”
Watching the panicking Rosemary, Orléans stretched out the slime.
“Aren’t we those who can throw away our lives like straw for the Demon King?”
“.......”
Rosemary didn’t reply, thinking that this was too much.
Moreover, his actual intention was clear.
I came up with the plan, but he’s saying he wants to take all the credit for it.
If they acquire this Lodestone of Fire, then they would have almost all seal stones. Another step towards the King’s resurrection.
Since the destruction of Elementals was a sure thing, Orléans meant that he would think about the world after the Beasts took over.
The thing sis despises the most....
To put it simply, eliminating the opponent.
“Of course, the reason you may be thinking of might also be one of the answers.”
Orléans added one last thing. His tone was heavy, unlike the gentle way he used to speak.
“Instead of following the King, you followed a mere servant of his. It would’ve been good if you had persuaded her properly, but all you did was waste time trying all sorts of things which put us in this risky situation.”
“.......”
“Was that shallow friendship with your sworn sister more important than the extermination of the Elementals?”
She didn’t even have the strength to speak anymore.
“This must be why one shouldn’t entrust things to those who used to be human. How nice would it have been if you had been a machine from birth? Like me. Isn’t that right, Princess Tarkenil?”
Chwaaaa!
A black tidal wave was coming over Rosemary.
Damn it....
She was going to die.
How pointless. It wasn’t an Elemental or some other fucker, but she was going to be ended by insubordination.
This was just too unfair. Rage bubbled up within. The dying memory flared up like oil had been added to fire.
It was her last-ditch effort. Rosemary tried to gather herself as best as she could. Staff, where was her staff?
“Ugh....”
This was bad. She’d taken too much damage from White Night. Her limbs, her organs weren’t listening. Her mind spun like she’d taken meth.
Fuck.......
She was desperate. She wanted to live. At this moment, she’d even take help from an Elemental.
“I will give you time to say your last words, so go ahead.”
Right before being swallowed by the lump of tar, Rosemary laughed hollowly like nothing mattered now and spat out.
“...Go fuck yourself.”
“It’s good to see you accept death honorably for the greater good. That is what Quartus should be.”
Whatever she said, Orléans meant to twist it.
He even meant to lie about her will when he met Aether later. Why, because the dead told no tales.
Chwaaaa!
Rosemary slowly closed her eyes. She’d given up. It’d be shameful of her to ask sis for help now.
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It’s all over, was what she thought.
Ting! Whrrrrrr.
The sound of a coin being flicked entered her ears.
Am I, dead? I’m hearing random things.
However.
Her body was still heavy after a while.
A minute? Five? It was taking too long to end her.
Rosemary slowly opened her eyes.
Flutter, something came down from the sky; it was a white feather.
At the same time, the place where it was raining disappeared completely. This was only happening to the palace.
“Uh, uhhhh.... ugh.......”
A hole opened up in the sky and bright light came through.
“Wh-what in the world.......”
Chains that looked to be made of gold were wrapped around Orléans’ body. He flailed his body while making creaking noises. He should’ve been able to escape as he had a semi-liquid form, but he wasn’t able to.
Rosemary’s face went slack. She looked up.
Flutter.
A woman with pure white hair descended.
Gentle gold eyes, and white hair that sparkled like salt.
She looked like Aether, but wasn’t her. Neither was it her other sister, Akasha.
Different physique, different attire, different atmosphere.
Rosemary struggled to open her mouth.
“Wh-who......?”
At the question, the corners of the woman’s mouth curled up.