Wow! That bastard Max deserves to be beaten!
Making my heart drop in the midst of this!
"Ow, it hurts!"
"Come here! I'm going to bury you first!"
"Aaaargh!"
An unexpected commotion broke out in the middle of the night.
Max hid behind Nike's back and opened his mouth wide, while Ryan menacingly shook his fist.
"Did I say anything wrong? They're indeed in big trouble!"
"Owh! I almost died of a heart attack before I could even cause a big mess!"
"It's fine as long as you didn't die!"
Ryan, who had been huffing and puffing, paused.
He lowered the fist he had been swinging in the air and turned around.
He suddenly had a look of ecstasy on his face.
"The cemetery... is ready."
That is correct. Upon receiving the summons, everyone found their own beds and lay down. All we had to do now was close the coffin lids.
The killer said with a smile.
"I will bury them all."
***
The next day, the Marquisate of Cruiser.
This place was the ancestral home of Rainer, Nike's subordinate, and a secret gathering place for the ordinary soldiers who would join the operation.
New soldiers inspecting their weapons at the outdoor assembly area inside the fortress.
It consists of fifteen Belzer Knights who were formerly members of the Cerberus Mercenary Corps, and thirty-five private soldiers carefully selected and trained by Kali.
And if the Imperial Knights are added to this, the total number is sixty.
Although the number was ridiculously small compared to the Wassenberg Corps, the gap in power would be made up for by modern weaponry.
And since it was all about Ryan's one-man army anyway, having an unnecessarily large number of personnel would only increase the sacrifice.
“Are you here?”
When Nike arrived, Kali handed him a note and said.
"I have verified the appearances of all the subjects by comparing their numbers with their portraits. You may refer to them by their numbers."
Before the operation. The time for Nike, the Commander-in-Chief, to review the strategy one last time.
The note was a numbered list of the superpowered individuals who had received the summons.
Nike flinched when he saw that.
Before the regression. This was because calling out the names of the targets for elimination by number like this brought to mind the image of the slaughterer Ryan.
"I will skip the plan as you are likely already aware of it from your superior, and I have come to explain just a few things to keep in mind. First..."
1. David Wassenberg, <Divine Punishment>
“Number 1.”
Nike, looking at the name with a somewhat bewildered expression, said.
"Ryan Belzer will enter first. Once he identifies the location of Number 1 as his top priority and sends a signal, Unit A of this army must enter at that time. If they move without a signal and are detected by Number 1 before entering the castle..."
Nike paused for a moment and added.
"The army is annihilated."
Everyone held their breath.
At that moment, as if each person had contemplated death, a fearful silence hung over the surroundings.
"However, this individual is a superpower user who is relatively easy to deal with, as long as he does not have the sky above his head."
If the target is inside the building, lightning cannot be unleashed. His combat power is cut to a quarter of its original size.
"Therefore, after entering the building, if a variable such as individual combat occurs, just be careful of contact..."
Next is.
"Number 0."
0. Edgar Wassenberg, <Neutralization>
"He is a target who must absolutely not be killed, even by mistake, until all other superpower users have been eliminated. This is because if this individual is eliminated first, the means to control the superpower users will disappear."
This was something that every soldier had already been clearly instructed to.
"Then..."
Last.
7. Christa Wassenberg, <The True Storm>
“Number 7.”
Nike bit his lip.
Vania plans to sneak in to steal her sister away.
"As you may have heard, Number 7 is not a target for elimination. However, this person is unaware that they are not the target."
She is a target for 'rescue', not 'attack', but she is unaware of this fact.
She does not know whether those who will suddenly burst in intend to kill her or save her, and she will not be able to easily trust the intruders amidst the chaos.
She must also consider the possibility of being isolated there, and she may step forward to protect family members who are under attack.
An object with dozens of variables.
This is the reason why Vania's entry is inevitable.
"If they are in isolation, No. 7 will be secured by Kali Belzer as a top priority, but if you encounter them first during individual entry..."
<The True Storm>
The power to control the wind at will.
When attacking a target, the speed at which life is extinguished is comparable to the special ability <Instant Death>.
"...Just don't run into it."
At the words Nike finally spoke after much deliberation, a fearful silence fell once again among the soldiers.
"For the rest, just follow the instructions. Any questions?"
"Oh! Prince... no, Commander!"
Just then, a young-looking soldier raised his hand and asked.
"Number 6... I thought you would tell me. If we have Number 6, aren't we completely helpless? I heard we can't even speak or move."
6. Richard Wassenberg, <The Shackles of Bondage>
"Ah."
After confirming who Number 6 was, Nike said.
"You don't need to worry about number 6."
Richard is...
"Because he won't be here."
***
“Richard!”
Marquis of Braus.
As soon as Elliott arrived at his estate, he first looked for his younger brother's room, which had been luxuriously prepared inside the castle. When he opened the door, it was filled with cigarette smoke.
“Are you here?”
Richard, who had been lying stretched out on the sofa, sat up and lit a cigar as a habit.
He was trying to open the matchbox.
<Dragon's Fury>
Before that, the cigar caught fire.
"Ha ha ha!"
Elliot, who had even lit his cigarette, approached with a smile and sat down next to Richard.
“Did you hear what I said?”
"Yes."
Richard received updates on the events that had transpired from Elliott's aide before Elliott arrived. The Imperial family's decision. And even the message that a summons might be issued soon.
"Did father tell us to gather?"
"Yeah. We have to leave right away."
“I will prepare.”
"Hey, no need to rush. We have enough time for a cigarette."
Elliott glanced at Richard as he opened his cigar case.
In the meantime, Elliott kept his younger brother away from the capital and provided him with his favorite alcohol, cigarettes, games, and even friends.
'Ha. Why on earth did Father put Richard in that room when he knew Christa was out of her mind?'
Elliott almost fainted upon hearing about the events of that day.
The older brother went to visit to soothe his disobedient younger sister. The rampaging Christa tried to kill Richard.
No, if the timing had been off even slightly, Richard would have 'died'.
A blade-like wind that tears everything apart in an instant. Richard was helpless against that terrifying power.
It was simply because of 'luck' that he survived.
Father, sensing an ominous omen before the attack deepened, activated his disabling spell, and he drank Diana's life-saving potion while barely clinging to life.
If all those circumstances had been even slightly delayed or gone awry, Richard would have lost his life.
Naturally, the trauma was severe.
Richard woke up having seizures like a madman and was not in his right mind due to the aftereffects of trauma.
Unable to stand it any longer, Elliott brought Richard to his territory.
For isolation from Christa and for mental recovery.
"Brother."
“Uh huh”
"...Christa."
Elliott flinched.
Richard's hand was trembling pathologically as he spoke. He fumbled a few times while stubbing out the cigar, which hadn't even shortened, in the ashtray.
"That child, too, was censured. Was she?"
A pale face asking the obvious. Cold sweat formed on the forehead in the meantime.
The seizure started again as he recalled the face of his younger sister, whom he had barely managed to forget.
"Yeah. Actually, after dealing with you... uh, I sent her back to his main castle and isolated her a long time ago. It was too dangerous to keep her in the capital since I never know when or how she might go berserk."
"...Ah. Yes."
Elliott bit his lip. His heart ached because he felt sorry for his younger sibling.
“Richard.”
"Haa, ha. Yeah..."
"..."
With eyes that looked as if they were about to roll back at any moment, he gasped for breath while clutching his chest roughly. Elliot was left speechless by the pitiful sight of Richard struggling to calm himself down.
If he sees Christa's face again just as he is making progress...
“...Just don’t go.”
***
"...Just don't go."
At those words, Richard paused.
This was because it was an unexpected turn of events.
“Don't go... Me?”
"Don't go. Just stay here. Even if you go, all you'll do is hold a meeting and gather everyone's opinions—isn't that all? Just tell me what you want to do, and I'll pass it on."
"..."
Richard knew that if he stayed here, he would surely receive a summons in one way or another.
He had already devised a plan to naturally take the first step before arriving at the base.
The reason for feigning post-traumatic stress disorder was also part of that scheme.
However...
'I didn't expect you to leave me behind right from here.'
With this, there was no need to do anything further.
Richard was a bit bewildered by the ridiculously easy harvest.
"It is Father's order... is it okay for you to make the decision on your own?"
"Hey, what do you take me for? The family wouldn't even function without me, so do you think I can't handle something like that on my own?"
Elliot let out a smirk, his expression turning bitter as he ruffled Richard's hair.
"Why would I take you there for a family meeting when you're sick? It's a terrible idea. Just leave everything to me, and you get more rest."
"..."
Richard was suddenly seized by an unpleasant emotion.
The reason things became this easy was, well, nothing else. It was because Elliott was a man who cared exceptionally about his family.
Even though he did unspeakable crazy things outside, inside he was a kinder brother and family member than anyone else.
The fact that he personally brought his younger sibling to his territory out of concern and took care of them one by one, and that he ignored Father's orders and showed consideration just like he does now...
Richard felt uncomfortable with his brother's contradictory personality.
Although he knew that the majority of the crimes committed by Wassenberg were carried out by Elliott, he was at the same time a consistently kind older brother to his younger sibling throughout his life.
"I'll be back."
Elliot stood up.
His brother is now heading toward his death.
This will probably be the last time Richard sees him.
So, apart from his discomfort, he naturally has no intention of stopping him. Knowing that his brother is a being who spreads poison to this society.
Nevertheless, Richard knew that the unpleasant feeling of sending Elliot away at this very moment would linger in his heart for the rest of his life, coming back to him from time to time.
Whether he liked it or not, he was his blood relative.
"Ah!"
As he was about to leave, Elliot turned around with a gasp.
"You must be bored; shall I get you a girl?"
He paused.
"Gabi was suddenly detained. The toys I was trying to take to Romayer vanished."
Ah.
He remained affectionate to the very end.
"I was debating whether I should put her up for auction."
Seeing how he relieves his frail younger brother's heart, even just a little...
"There are quite a few decent girls..."
"No, it's fine."
After all, he had to die.
Support Novellate!
Are these still being mtl?
ReplyDelete