Episode 33: The Guy Vaporized by Magic
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I, the Hero Aquila, was sent flying by a Phantom Beast moving at unbelievable speed, and forced to kiss the ground.
The Perception-Blocking Robe was torn to shreds, exposing my true face.
To suddenly charge at me, a Hero, make me let out such an undignified scream, and then force me to crawl on the ground—what a despicable fellow! Unforgivable.
In an instant, my head boiled over, and I roared.
“What do you think you’re doing?! You damn noble!”
But when I saw who I was yelling at, I realized with a start.
It was Sharka, the monster, riding a monster that crackled with streaks of pale blue light, staring down with emotionless golden eyes.
This is bad, bad, bad!
I remembered the unbelievable, high-powered explosion from just now.
No way, no way, no way!
If I took a hit like that, I’d definitely die!
There’s absolutely no way I can win in a head-on fight, absolutely.
I have to somehow deceive Sharka and get out of this.
…And if that doesn’t work—
Aquila’s mind was racing with an unprecedented gamble, flooding with brain fluid.
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Personally, I don’t particularly hold a grudge against Heroes.
I haven’t heard any stories about Ortenos suffering damage from a Hero yet.
However, it seems that there has been some damage caused by Heroes in the western part of the Empire, with various incidents such as robbery and murder occurring.
The reason why there is little damage in Ortenos is probably because we have a group of Stella-Class individuals, like Naia, who are willing to engage in a serious, life-or-death battle.
The Heroes also know that if they attack us, they will be beaten back.
Besides, if you have a choice between someone rich and weak, and someone not so rich but strong, you’d attack the former, right?
“What do you think you’re doing?! You damn noble!”
The Stella-Class A, who was sent flying by Dolly-chan, stood up and immediately started spewing insults.
The black robe was torn, revealing the face of the Stella-Class A.
He was a rather ordinary-looking man in his mid-twenties, of medium build with brown hair.
“What’s wrong, Hero? You were scared and running away just a moment ago, but you’ve got a big mouth now.”
I decided to call out to the Hero.
“Hah! …Oh, excuse me, just kidding, just kidding. I was just flustered by the situation. Let’s calm down and talk, you should understand if we talk.”
Is he trying to smooth things over now?
That’s a bit much, isn’t it?
He was just calling me a damn noble, what a thick-skinned guy.
“Don’t give me that creepy smile, Hero. You were trying to kill me, weren’t you?”
“No, no, there’s no way. I’m not a Hero, I’m a former noble from Azalash. I came here to ask for help for my territory…”
“Dolly-chan, do it.”
“GOOOOOOOON!”
“GYAAAAAAH!”
I had Dolly-chan drop a lightning strike.
That slimy, suspicious smile was making me uncomfortable.
Stella-Class A was smoldering, emitting a burnt smell.
“Guh… W-What are you doing all of a sudden!”
“It’s because you’re taking the conversation wherever you want. First, state your name and who you are.”
“Kuh… I-I’m Aquila. A descendant of the Shurago family. Are you aware of the Demon Beast Disaster in the Shurago region? Actually, the Shurago region is currently suffering from poverty…”
“Dolly-chan.”
“GOOOOOOOON!”
“GYAAAAAAH!”
He’s really trying to take control of the conversation.
I decided to forcefully cut him off.
“Guh… T-That’s why I told you to stop!”
As expected of a Stella-Class, he’s tough.
Maybe I’ll try a different approach.
“Then tell me the former rank of the Shurago family.”
“…The Shurago family? …They were a Marquis family.”
“Wrong, the Shurago were a Count family.”
He doesn’t seem like a noble’s son, so I decided to test him.
“…Haha, just kidding, they were a Count family, I was just testing you to see if you knew.”
“Yeah, that’s a lie. You were right the first time, they were a Marquis family.”
“…”
I don’t actually know.
It was the right call to test him.
This guy has been saying nothing but nonsense since earlier.
“…I’m sorry, I was just surprised and ended up lying. But, um, I’m really not a Hero. I’m actually the son of Mayor Barbedi. The town is being attacked by a Hero right now and needs help. Please, please spare me!”
Does he really think he can get away with such a ridiculous lie?
Or is he just stupid?
“Oh, so how do you explain the guy who was vaporized by magic earlier? He withstood my Intimidation, and then ran north at Stella-Class speed.”
“That’s… Tch, Lynx, you easily gave away my identity. This ruins my escape plan…!”
Aquila stopped trying to smooth things over and started complaining.
More importantly, the name Lynx—I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere.
“Lynx… Ah, I see, so the guy who was vaporized by magic earlier, he was the one leaking my deployment information to Barbat.”
That’s right, it matches the name Barbat was talking about.
Certainly, if it’s a Hero without Magical Power, it’s possible for them to freely pass through Ortenatris’ checkpoints and the outer wall’s detection “magical tools”—that was a blind spot.