Chapter 13: Tinnitus (2)
A few seconds after realizing something was terribly wrong due to the hateful gaze of the girl revered by the Swords of Calan, Lord Roadmalis broke the silence.
Swoosh!
"Ah?"
It was the first time Lord Roadmalis, feeling a burning pain from his right, turned his head sideways involuntarily and let out a dumbfounded noise.
"Aaaaah!!"
That was the beginning of the screams filling the previously silent office, starting with the scream after he realized his right arm had fallen off.
Lord Roadmalis screamed, pressing on his severed right arm with his left hand.
However, the girl who had done it approached Lord Roadmalis with a face still full of annoyance and hatred.
Crack!
She then slammed his head onto the ground.
"Kwaaack!"
Despite breaking the wooden floor of the Lord's office, Lord Roadmalis, formerly a hero, did not die but screamed instead.
The girl, staring intently at him, then moved her hand to grab Lord Roadmalis by the hair and pulled him up.
His face was covered in blood due to scratches from the wooden splinters.
"Answer me, did you send my poison to the Lord of Lartania who returned this time?"
He felt fear at hearing the girl's voice once again, yet he struggled to grasp the situation.
'Why has this suddenly-!'
Clearly, Lord Roadmalis had requested the support of the Swords of Calan in anticipation of Red Eyes' arrival.
Therefore, the Swords of Calan present here should undoubtedly have been his ally.
'It was supposed to be an ally...!'
Bleeding, Lord Roadmalis looked at Loriel, one of the Swords of Calan standing by the door, but she did nothing and just watched him suffer.
As if she had no wish to intervene.
Then, Lord Roadmalis turned his gaze to the girl holding his hair.
"...Huh?"
He, unwittingly, let out a sound of incredulity.
That was because the girl's appearance was definitely one that Lord Roadmalis had seen somewhere.
Her long dark hair, as well as pupils as dark as if drawing one into an abyss.
Similarly, her wearing a dark cheongsam and the distinct darkness floating above her shoulders reminded Lord Roadmalis of a certain being in his memory.
The moment he fully recalled that being,
"What...?"
Lord Roadmalis looked at the being in front of him with an incredulous expression.
If what he understood and deduced was correct, then he understood the entire situation now.
Of course, there was still much he did not understand.
It was a question why she, who had disappeared starting eight years ago, appeared here now.
It was also a question why the Swords of Calan showed reverence to a being who was once part of Lartania's Round Table.
However, such questions were not that important.
What was clearly visible on his face was fear.
"Uh, aah-"
Emotions drenched in fear.
His eyes began to tremble at his clearly visible end, and his left hand holding the stump started to shake.
It was only natural.
After finishing all his deductions and realizing who the person in front of him was, it was all too easy to predict his own end.
Thus, Lord Roadmalis opened his mouth to beg for forgiveness as cowardly as possible with fear in his eyes, but,
"Absolute Ruler of Darkness, there has been some- some misunderstanding-"
The moment those words flowed from Lord Roadmalis' mouth.
"Ah."
For the first time, Loriel, who had not uttered a word since entering this office, let out a low exclamation.
A calm, yet somehow regretful exclamation.
For a fleeting moment, Lord Roadmalis met Loriel's gaze.
He looked at Loriel, who was looking at him with an emotionless, yet regretful gaze, as if he could not understand.
"My title given by that person is the Absolute Ruler of Darkness."
The moment the voice was heard.
Lord Roadmalis could see the girl's expression.
The girl's face, which had been frowning until now, twisted like a demon's.
"Ah."
And with that.
Boom! Crack!
Before he could properly piece together the puzzle of thought, his head was torn apart and burst by the darkness floating behind the girl.
Loriel, known as a Shin Sword and one of the Five Swords of Calan, sighed involuntarily upon seeing Lord Roadmalis' body slammed into the ground like a rag doll.
'To make such a mistake, of all things.'
Of course, Lord Roadmalis' death had been certain even before she arrived here.
Because of whom?
Because of Lord Roadmalis himself, due to the report he had submitted.
But if not for the mistake, Lord Roadmalis could have lived at least another ten minutes before dying.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
"......"
Like this, the body wouldn't have been instantly smashed into the territory's ground in such a messy way.
Loriel silently looked at the place where Lord Roadmalis' body was destroyed, then looked at her.
Seeing her still not appeased, her face filled with deep anger unlike her usual expressionless appearance, was something even Loriel saw for the first time, enough to slightly intimidate her.
Looking at her, Loriel once again thought of her title.
'The Absolute Ruler of Darkness.'
In truth, even Loriel thought her title didn't sound all that impressive.
...Honestly, to speak a bit more candidly, her title seemed childish.
Yet, as far as she knew, no one dared to disregard the girl before them.
Not even the Five Swords of Calan.
Not the major nobles who secretly knew her identity.
...Not even the King.
No one laughed at the girl's title.
The power that the girl held was so immense that even the King had to speak of it with awe.
Because everyone who knew the girl knew what happened to those who crossed her.
And above all, she was-
"Loriel."
"Yes, Master."
"Did you find it?"
Because she was the Master of the Five Swords, considered the greatest force of the Calan Kingdom.
"If you mean Yuliarr's Pendant, I found it."
"Give it to me."
At the girl's gesture, Loriel took the pendant out from her bosom and respectfully bowed her head slightly to hand it over to her Master.
"It was on the delivery list, so it was easy to find in the warehouse."
Upon hearing Loriel's words, after receiving the item, she seemed to float the pendant in the darkness and examine it.
"It is done."
Then, putting the pendant away, she asked,
"Loriel, which noble is connected to this scoundrel?"
"...Duke Raipellaoshin."
Loriel named the Duke, who was among the top three nobles of the Calan Kingdom, including the King.
Yet, even upon hearing the name of the Duke, who held power that even the King couldn't recklessly oppose, she remained unemotional.
"Tell him,"
she said.
"If he fails to heed my warning just one more time, I will personally rip his throat out and hang it in the center of his territory."
Loriel, who heard this as well, replied,
"Everything as you wish, Master."
She bowed respectfully and said,
"If the Duke makes another mistake, we, the Five Swords, will dismember him and present him before you, Master."
She showed her unwavering loyalty.
And then,
the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, without hesitation, turned around.
"Now, just two more - just two more."
She murmured quietly and left the office.
And then, there was no one left there.
And at that moment.
"My Lord."
"Why?"
Kim Hyunwoo, deeply contemplating whether to build the blacksmith or the tavern first after the palisade was fully completed, responded to the voice.
"There has been a change in the territory's influx rate."
"Of course, it would rise, with the palisade built, we have some foundations, so it would have gone up by about 10%, right?"
He spoke as if it was not a big deal, but then,
"It's not just that."
"What?"
"I recommend checking the territory's influx rate."
Loria suggested that.
Soon, Kim Hyunwoo had a puzzled look.
"???"
Territory influx rate: 333%
※An event triggered by the incident will start.