Chapter 462: Nabokoris, The Corrupt Prime Minister 3
* * *
"Haa... haa... haa... haa...!"
Run, run, run.
Nabokoris, the corrupt prime minister, desperately runs through a narrow, deserted alley, his jaw and belly wobbling heavily.
The blonde hair he had slicked back was now completely disheveled, and his expensive velvet coat, which used to have a golden sheen, was now tattered, scraped and dirty from falling and rolling around in the trash.
"Wait, waitーーー!!"
"Haa!?"
He turned around, sweating, and saw the activist Hectopa, and his supporters, chasing after him.
In other words, the anti-Prime Minister faction.
He had Kiosen rough them up pretty badly... but although their faces were covered in blue bruises, a painful sight to see, it would be hard to say that they looked tired.
He guessed they're not feeling any pain or fatigue because of the adrenaline.
Nabokoris, on the other hand, is already exhausted, due to his lack of exercise.
At this rate, he won't be able to escape to the palace, and will be captured.
(Now that it's come to this...!)
So Nabokoris decided to use his trump card.
Fortunately, the place he's currently running through is his property.
An empty lot, where he had already driven out the residents, sending them to other lands, or to the other world, to build his villa.
And 'that' is here.
The super ancient magical artifact he discovered by chance.
In other words... an OOPArt(out of place artifact)!
(Alright, I made it!)
Nabokoris grinned, finding the hidden door with super ancient writing on it, at the back of the alley, and hurriedly unlocked it!
He jumped inside, and started descending the stairs leading underground!
* * *
"W-what is this place...!?"
A short while later... Hectopa, who was descending the stairs leading underground, chasing after Nabokoris, muttered this while dripping with cold sweat.
The walls and ceiling are made of some kind of dark metal... a material he had never seen before.
Magic lamps illuminate the path beneath his feet with a cold light.
The air is musty, and the overall impression is eerie.
"Hey, Hectopa-san, is this one of those 'labyrinths' that are the subject of urban legends?"
"A-A monster's nest!?"
The anti-Prime Minister faction members following Hectopa are also afraid of this strange space.
But...
"Nabokoris is heading this way...we have no choice but to go forward!"
Hectopa, shaking off his fear, continued down the stairs, leading the way.
And after about a minute or two...
They reached the end of the stairs and finally arrived at a large hall.
It's a dimly lit space, illuminated by a minimum number of magic lamps.
In its center is a huge object, covered with a cloth... and standing in front of that object... is Nabokoris, the corrupt prime minister!
"Th-There he is!"
"It's Nabokoris!"
The anti-Prime Minister faction members, enraged, started to surround Nabokoris, shouting insults.
But!
"NAAAAH HAHAHAHA... NAAAAAH HAHAHAHA!!"
They involuntarily stopped, overwhelmed by Nabokoris' strange behavior, suddenly laughing like a madman!
"Wh-What are you laughing at!?"
"...Well, it's only natural that I'd laugh! Because I can finally... play with a toy I've always wanted to use...!!"
Nabokoris, his eyes wide open and gleaming, pulled the cloth covering the giant object beside him with all his might!
And then, what was under that cloth...
Is!
...A warrior, wearing full body armor, stocky but huge, holding two giant greatswords in his hands!
"What, a giant!?"
"But he's not moving!?"
"Is it a statue!?"
The anti-Prime Minister faction members, trembling at its imposing appearance, but not understanding what it was, shouted one after another.
But among them, only Hectopa was able to roughly figure out the identity of this warrior.
"...A golem...?"
"NAAAAH HAHAHAHA! To be precise, it's a magic robot!"
Nabokoris corrected Hectopa, who was muttering his words while breaking out in a cold sweat, with a laugh.
And then, he proudly flipped open a small but thick, pure white, ancient book in his hand, and started explaining!
"And this one, according to this ancient book, is one of the only five in the world... the 'Steel Five' series... the first unit! A legendary OOPArt with immense fighting powerーーー!!"
Nabokoris then took out a small, rod-shaped object from his pocket, pointed it at the magic robot... and pressed a switch!
And then, with a 'vwon' sound, the magic robot began to tremble slightly!
The two lights on its face, resembling eyes, glow red, and steam is emitted from the exhaust port on its waist, with an intimidating sound!
"Now, it's time to wake up, 'Steel Sam'! Kill all the trash in front of youーーー!!"
And finally, a wicked order was given to this magic robot!
Hectopa and the others are not warriors.
There's no way they could possibly stand against a humanoid weapon like this.
They can only tremble, their faces pale, awaiting a future where they're trampled and massacred...
That's how it was supposed to be...
But... it was at that moment!!
Pakari.
A light sound like that...
And then, a large hole suddenly opened up beneath the magic robot's feet...
And the magic robot, helplessly...
Fell into the hole, and disappeared...
The reason for this is because Emi, in the labyrinth far below this room, had been acting recklessly, and a penalty had to be enforced, but that aside.
""""".........Huh?"""""
Nabokoris and the anti-Prime Minister faction members, dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events, uttered the same word.
Pakon.
The hole that the magic robot had fallen into was quickly closed, with a dull sound, and now the only thing left in the center of the hall was a fat, blond old man.
"Um... well... that..."
Nabokoris, with a confused expression on his face, looked around.
This hall is where the magic robot was stored, and it's a dead end.
There's nowhere left to run.
Surrounding him are the anti-Prime Minister faction, their eyes burning with hatred.
"............"
So Nabokoris, taking a deep breath, composed himself, and...
...Screamed!!
"I HAVE MONEYーーー!! SOMEONE, HELP MEEEEーーー!!!"
""""""Get himーーー!!""""""
But naturally, there was no one there who would accept such a bribe.
And so, Nabokoris, the corrupt prime minister who had been exploiting the Sky Kingdom of Neverfall for his own personal gain.
Was finally captured.