Chapter 28 is here! Was gonna post this one a bit earlier, but I figured lots of you would be busy before the 25th. We donât celebrate christmas where Iâm from, but merry christmas and happy holidays to yâall đ
Now then, here is chapter 28 of Almadianos, I hope you'll enjoy it!
While Oliveira was stuck in a state of stupefaction, Kurats came closer in order to seize him but he ended up being interrupted.
ăâAre you the insolent who dared to break into my territory?!âă
The baron of Isengard, Dross, arrived together with his knights.
Drossâ height was slightly lower than average, he stood at about 5 feet 4 inches tall. (165 cm) The impatient look in his eyes and the callous expression adorned on his face were enough for Kurats to partly guess what kind of person Dross was. A little man who only valued his own little world.
ăIf thatâs how it is, you probably wonât have to go easy on him, right?ă (Damn right I wonât!)
Kurats gave Dross a grand nod and started speaking.
ăâWell, I found this monster user in my pursuit of the criminal that attempted to assassinate the princess. Please donât interfere needlessly.âă ăââŠ.Are you treating my retainer as a criminal? I donât know whose dog you are, but you sure donât value your own life!âă
When he heard about the matter related to the princess, Dross was clearly shaken. He did not want to believe it, but he really was being confronted by a spy. Since the situation had taken such a turn, Drossâ only choice was to kill the spy in order to make him keep his mouth shut.
ăâAre you sure? Protecting this guy is basically like admitting that the assassination attempt on the princess was your plan.âă ăâHumph! If I kill you and get rid of Oliveira, there will be no evidence remaining!âă
Even Dross could tell that it was impossible for him to assassinate the princess at this point. If he took care of Oliveira and made it seem like he had died a quiet death, no one would be able to trace back the assassination to Dross. For that reason, Dross absolutely had to kill this spy.
ăâCrossbow troop, take aim! Same goes for the mages! We canât let him return alive!âă
The troops that Dross had brought along with him were centered around 60 knights, accompanied by three mages and a crossbow unit composed of ten people. Dross ended up having the troops attack from a distance while the knights kept their spears at the ready just for defense. And it seemed like he had decided to keep only himself in a safe spot.
ăâAaaand⊠there.âă ăâWhaaaaaat?!âă
Kurats once again caught the foot of the rock tortoise, which was still struggling on the ground, and then easily lifted it up.
ăâK-kill him! Kill hiiiiiim!âă
Although the crossbow unit and the mages started attacking by reflex, it was useless since they were hindered by the rock tortoiseâs 20 meters long body. The rock tortoiseâs massive build was completely hiding Kuratsâ body and made it impossible for any attacks to go through.
ăâS-surround him! If you get him with a pincer attack, then no matter what, that bastard will be done forâŠ!âă ăGood grief, what kind of idiot would simply wait and let himself get surrounded?ă (Heâs really dreaming if he thinks heâs going to defeat me with such a stupid method.) ăâUooooooooh!âă
As Kurats let out a roar, the rock tortoiseâs enormous body powerfully went forward. Even though the opponents were knights, even they could not endure the fear that came from seeing this hill-like body draw closer to them. Terrified, the knights, who had been holding their spears at the ready, ended up hurriedly running away and scattering across the swampland. But the nightmare was not over yet. This time, Kurats lifted the rock tortoiseâs body very high above his head, as if he was going to use it as a sledgehammer. In doing so, he exposed his body to attacks, but the enemies were not in a calm enough state to aim properly. No normal human would be able to keep their calm when under the threat of being hammered to the ground.
ăâShit! You god damn monster!âă
Seeing his subordinates run and scatter in all directions, Dross naturally started running as well, without forgetting to curse at Kurats on the way. Given the circumstances, it was evident that he would not be able to kill Kurats. ThereforeâŠ.
ăâYou had some value but I have to do this now, no hard feelings!âă ăâGuh!âă
Dross mercilessly pierced Oliveiraâs defenseless chest with his sword. The acute pain that ran through Oliveiraâs chest allowed him to finally come to his senses, but it was far too late.
ăâNo! Are you telling me Iâm going to die here⊠Killed by some worthless fool?!âă ăâMe? Worthless? How dare you.âă
Dross furiously put more strength in his sword.
ăâYour cowardly action is proof enough. But I suppose this time⊠I didnât do that great⊠eitherâŠâă
Those were Oliveiraâs last words. This monster user, who was likely a very rare existence in this world, had died with only regret plastered on his face. With no regard to that, Dross, who was still burning with anger, abandoned Oliveiraâs corpse on the spot, turned around and resumed his escape.
ăâWell, you reap what you sow.âă ăWhat about this one? Are you gonna let him escape just like that?ă
There was cynicism in Kuratsâ eyes as he watched Dross running away while shouting at his subordinates. No matter what, this man no longer had any future. However, it felt uninteresting to let Dross think that he had managed to escape easily.
Kurats lightly swung the rock tortoiseâs body and then tossed it very high, as if he was doing a hammer throw in the Olympics. The perfectly aimed throw allowed the projectile to land right in front of Dross. Upon landing, the rock tortoiseâs body made a thunderous noise, shook the ground, and raised a large cloud of dust. Terrified, Dross fell on his back and wet himself.
ăâIh-Hiiiiiiiiiiiii!âă
If Kuratsâ aim had been off by 30 centimeters (10 inches), Dross would have died. Unexpectedly, it looked like Kurats might have had the same disposition for mischief as Bernst.
ăThis isnât it⊠This isnât what I meant when I implied you shouldnât let him escape like thatâŠă
Ignoring Bernstâs complaints, Kurats focused his gaze on a clump of bushes somewhere behind the rock tortoiseâs body. There was a man that he recognized over there.
While dragging the wet lower half of his body, Dross managed to crawl back to his castle. At that moment, he suddenly came back to his senses, and rapidly became anxious again. In the end, he had not managed to kill that man with the huge body, and in failing to do so, Dross could have spelled his own death. If that man was a spy as he feared, then he was certainly going to report the situation to his master. If he happened to be one of the âkingâs earsâ, under the direct commands of the king, then his testimony could serve as evidence, and Dross would be on the losing end if this matter turned into a judicial trial. There was also a high probability that he was one of Bessendorfâs subordinates, but even if that was the case, Bessendrof would not have any reason to go easy on Isengard, his longtime enemy, after managing to trap him. On the contrary, it was certain that he would gleefully take him to court. But if there was no evidence to take court, would he be able to do anything against Dross? With that in mind, Dross had ordered his retainers to destroy every piece of evidence that had anything to do with Oilveira. However, he naturally still felt uneasy. He wondered if maybe he had overlooked something. He thought that maybe that was the reason why that huge man had showed no signs of chasing after him.
ăâWhat am I supposed to doâŠâă
In the end, Dross was just a man who reigned over his own personal territory. However, when outside of his own little world, he did not have what it would take to face a powerful foe.
But, suddenly, Dross remembered a certain someone.
Albert, the marquis of Strasbourg.
He was the person who had hinted at Dross that he should assassinate the princess. From the perspective of Dross, who had no potential, a flower of the royal court like Albert was an object of reverence. Dross felt like if he himself had the same majestic countenance and skilled speech, then perhaps the current pinch would not have come to be.
ăâI-in the first place, I was only following the marquisâ instructions. He wonât be able to blame me for asking him for help.âă
Although he was only thinking of completely depending on someone else, Dross believed he had come up with a great idea. He did not think for a second that he would be discarded by Albert, just like Oliveira had been discarded by him. In the end, no matter in which world or time period, there have been and will always be people who see the world through the lenses of their own personal convenience.
When Albert heard of Drossâ extremely selfish request from an envoy that was sent to him, he was in a bad mood, but that was only reflected by his eyebrows, which slightly rose and twitched. His self-control was what one would expect from the leader of a faction that controlled a country.
ăâI will ask Bessendorf about the spy matter. However, I donât recall demanding anything of sir Isengard. It would be quite troubling if you mistakenly make that kind of claim.âă
It was too hard for a regular envoy to bear with the pressure emitted by this man who was used to ruling over other people.
From Albertâs perspective, Drossâ complaints were a joke. All he had said was that he would generously reward Dross if Felbell were to take the throne, and it was up to Dross to interpret that as he wished. It would be impossible to pin a crime on on an important aristocrat like Albert over an accusation based on someoneâs personal interpretation of his words.
ăâEven so⊠Did that spy really leave without doing anything?âă ăâYes⊠He only fought against Oliveiraâs monsters, but he left Oliveiraâs corpse as it was, and it didnât look like he broke into Oliveiraâs laboratory either.âă ăâââ What kind of man was he?âă
Albert knew about the âkingâs earsâ. There were no nobles who did not know about their existence. It was the biggest intelligence agency in the country, and it was under the direct control of the king. Their inspections went as far as touching on the kingdomâs economics and foreign affairs. It wasnât the kind of organization that would get involved in some crude fight like the one that had happened within Isengardâs territory. Hence why Albert had some doubts.
ăâHe was a really huge man with a herculean strength that put common sense through some tough timesâŠâă ăâWait, did you say a huge man?âă
Albert knew the identity of that man. He clearly remembered the huge man who claimed that, in order to clear his name, he would find the true culprit of the assassination attempt himself.
(Looks like he did find the truth ââ But heâs an amateur who did not bother collecting any evidence. )
As he guessed the course of events, he smiled happily. The noble society wasnât going to do anything based on someone testifying that âIt was that guyâ. That was especially true since there was no record of Kuratsâ testimonies being trustworthy or not. Which was only natural since, after all, he had been a mere commoner only a few days prior to this.
ăâââ Are you sure that there is no evidence left?âă ăâN-naturally. Weâve erased all traces of Oliveira!âă
What would happen if Kurats were to testify and to then find himself with no evidence to present once the time would come for him to prove his testimony? Well, this was a serious situation that concerned an attempt to assassinate the princess. Trying to pin that sort of crime on the innocent baron of Isengard would be enough to get the death penalty.
ăâYou need to check again, just in case. That giant used to be a commoner and rose in rank only recently. If he doesnât have any evidence, then trust me, Isengard will not be charged for any crime.âă ăâThis kindness is more than we deserve! We certainly will not betray your expectations!âă
âI do not expect anything from you fools.â Was what Albert was thinking, but on the surface, he answered the messenger with a radiant smile.
ăâNo need to thank me, Iâm just giving advice to a fellow comrade who swore allegiance to her highness Felbell. Itâs a shame that sir Dross had to deal with that pesky insect.âă
In the end, the only thing Albert had done was to give advice about a suspicious man who had appeared in the Isengard territory. Albert was not going to take the careless risk of putting any evidence against himself out there in the world for others to find, unlike Dross. On that point, Dross could only get a failing grade as an aristocrat.
(At best Iâll use him as a sacrificial piece. And I suppose heâll never get to see his wish come true.)
ăâKurats, thank god youâre okay!âă
Since she had figured the situation would most likely turn into a battle, Lunaria was delighted to see Kurats return safely. She knew that, given his strength, Kurats would not be in danger, however Lunaria had still been worried. After all, there was always the possibility that he would be poisoned or that an accident would befall him.
ăâYou look like lively as well, your highness Luna.âă ăâDid you just abbreviate her highnessâ name? How dare you show such disrespect!âă ăâWhat do you think youâre doing, Rosberg?âă ăâB-but, your highness⊠Heâs going too far!âă
When Rosberg started acting like an overly protective parent as usual, Kurtas reflexively showed a wry smile. If this was what Rosberg was doing now, what would he do the day Lunaria would get married?
ăâWhatâs with the lukewarm look in your eyes? Just letting you know, I will not acknowledge you as being suitable for her highness.âă ăâW-what in the world are you saying?! Kurats and I donât have that kind of relationâŠ.âă
The princess spoke hesitantly with both of her ears blushing, which only served to fuel Rosbergâs opposition more.
ăâOkay, thatâs it, letâs settle this once and for all! This time, I wonât hold back!âă
Enraged, Rosberg readied his hand on the handle of his magic sword, Gerlach, but was interrupted by Lunariaâs fist, which came to hit him powerfully on the back of his head.
ăâDonât go starting a fight in my room, you fool!âă ăâGaah!âă
Although Rosberg was blown off to a wall, there was a look of satisfaction on his face, for this attack showed the results of the consistent training that Lunaria had been going through since a very young age.