Chapter 492

Translator: Nat

Aegir POV

I glance at the giant heap of waste considered to be a monster .

There are three important things to keep in mind when fighting with an enemy .

It doesnt matter if the enemy is a person or a monster .

The first is distance . One cannot begin to fight properly without understanding this .

Whether its the one-step distance for a sword, the distance at which a spear can only be dodged by leaping, or the distance a bow is capable of shooting within its range, a thorough understanding is necessary .

Alright, then what about this grotesque thing in front of me?

Based on what I can see, its body that spans from ceiling to wall will cover a considerable distance just by falling over .

If the amorphous body stretches, the distance will be quite wide .

Next is power, physical strength .

Can I block and repel the strike, do I have to kill the strikes momentum and parry it, or is it dangerous merely to make contact?

If the large substance in front of me has mass that matches its size, I shouldnt be thinking I can easily receive or parry an attack . Weight is an important factor in a fight . Its possible for a fatter body to flatten a leaner toned body .

Last is speed .

If I have the upper hand here, subtle maneuvers or circling around will be effective, and even if an attack is somewhat reckless, I can respond accordingly since I can see the enemys movements .

If I am disadvantaged, Ill have to dedicate more attention to grasping the enemys movements and even blinking once can be fatal .

This is clearly a weakness of the enemy in front of me .

Seeing how it moved as it was getting up and coming at me, I dont think this mound of filth is faster than me or the soldiers .

If I want to exploit an aspect, this would be it .

I stand in front of the monster crawling at a snails pace and raise my ordinary steel sword up above my shoulder with the tip pointed forward in a thrusting pose .

I slide my feet on the ground, inching closer to the monster while remaining in my stance .

The monster doesnt react to me and doesnt change its speed as it keeps coming, its body filling the passage .

It cant see me? No, I dont know if it even has a head in the first place .

Eventually, the distance shrinks until about one step more than the length of a typical spear .

This should be fine .

Hup!

I exhale and take a step with my right foot .

I dont know if it reacted to the sound or my movement, but part of the monsters soft body peels off, bends into the shape of a thick whip and drops down toward my head from the ceiling with a whoosh .

It moved, and its surprisingly fast!!

Be careful, golden general!!

That thing timed its attack perfectly with my lunge .

Which means, it has a brain somewhere .

I pull my body back, leaning as far as I can in the opposite direction to shift my center of gravity, and then kick the ground with the heel of my left foot to leap out of the way .

Well, I expected as much .

The first step was a feint, and sure enough its speed is slow .

In spite of wearing gold armor that Im not accustomed to, I could still dodge with room to spare .

Whoever said that was fast will have to train harder later .

As for its strength, it is pretty strong as I thought .

The whip that missed and hit the ground broke the brick on the floor and scattered the fragments .

This thing isnt just a bag of water filled with garbage after all .

I take a step for real once I land from the earlier hop .

The heavy armor is holding me back, but Im sure Im at least twice as fast as before .

Sensing the crushed brick at my feet, I skim past the thick whip and stab my sword deep into the enemys main body .

The enemys body extends in all directions enough to block the passage, meanwhile I am equipped solely with a standard sword mass-produced for the Goldonian army .

Successfully defeating the monster with a single superb thrustis not what Im anticipating, rather Im seeing whether it feels any pain or does anything to hide its weak points or if it will react .

After inserting my sword up to the hilt, I twist it 90 degrees and pull it out, then jump backwards to put a comfortable three-step distance between us .

I raise my sword to resume my stance again, but

Thats not what I expected .

I was left with only the handle of the sword .

And that handle is still progressively melting like a piece of butter placed on a hot iron plate .

When I tossed away the handle in a hurry, it continued melting on the floor until nothing remained of the sword .

Of course, the enemy doesnt seem the least bit fazed and slowly reduces the distance at the same speed .

The swordmelted?

Hey, are you serious?

The tension level of the soldiers rises immediately, and the hands which were covering their noses and mouths from the foul stench grip back onto their swords and shields .

A monster that can instantly dissolve steel, have you heard of any from rumors?

My question goes unanswered as I pull out a spare sword .

I guess not . Nobody would know much about such a weird monster .

It makes me seem like an idiot for thinking about strength and distance and all that in the beginning .

Fine, then Ill just play by ear . Fire!

Against an opponent that can melt a sword, theres no way spears or crossbows would work .

In that case, the only option left is fire .

Yeah!

Like they were prepared ahead of time, the soldiers toss torches dripping in oil that grew into a pillar of fire at the feet of the monster .

At first, the monster hesitated for a split second, but then it continued travelling, passing over the torches .

The flames hissed briefly before fizzling out .

In other words, splashing oil on its body and burning it wont have any effect .

W-what should we do?

The soldier gradually backs away and looks at me with a grim expression .

Weapons we have will be melted right away . Fire is ineffective .

This thing is also filling the entire passage so we cant slip through .

Monica, is there another path we can take?

There isnt . This is the only one .

Unfortunately, I currently dont have a way to defeat this guy .

With that said, running away will only make the situation on top worse .

It cant be helped if there is a single road . Shall we maintain our distance and find somewhere else in the sewers to lure it to? Since we outmaneuvered it once, there is no need to worry about it catching up to us considering its speed .

The beautified Guigue suggests .

His mind is pretty screwed but his argument is sound .

Alright, lets

What I saw when I turned around was dancing pebbles and dust, and cracks rapidly spreading on the ceiling

Christoph!!

As soon as I shout, Guigue pulls Christoph and runs back to where Celestina and Monica are .

Then, Guigue picks up Monica while Christoph picks up Celestina .

In the meantime, the dust falling from the ceiling became like a mist and the cracks burst open, causing the ceiling to cave in .

Hnm!

I jumped out and carried Christoph and the others to the ground with me .

Uwaaaaaah!!

Guigue groans as the flying rocks hit his head, Monica curls up when her back crashes into the wall, Christoph faints when he drops head-first onto the floor, and Celestina, cushioned by him, lands safely .

Is everyone alright?

I brush the sand and pebbles off my head .

O-one person

The soldiers were staring at an extended hand that wasnt moving .

The body attached to the hand was buried under the rubble and the pooling blood informed us he was beyond saving .

However, the mourning and lamenting will have to wait .

Everyone, raise your weapons . Sadly, our one path is still ahead of us .

Having to go on the path that requires us to challenge this monster is the worst .

But we dont have any other choices .

The enemy did not take advantage of our confusion .

Meaning, this speed, which is equivalent to a babys crawl, is the fastest it can go .

Nevertheless, our path of retreat has been cut off .

Not to mention we only have a few dozen steps of room left .

Everyonelets work this out somehow .

Crossbows shoot at the monster, but the bolts get absorbed into its body .

It has no effect . Faint white smoke is the only trace left at the spot of impact .

The monster unleashes another whip-like attack .

Guigue and I dodge with ease, whereas two soldiers barely escape being hit .

Spears are thrust consecutively accompanied by motivated grunts .

The first one loses the tip, the second one is reduced to half, and the third one is abandoned before getting swallowed inside the monsters body .

The monsters form changes into the shape of a folding fan and strikes down from above .

We have no issue dodging this attack as well, but we are forced to withdraw considerably, losing several steps of precious space .

Crumbled bricks are thrown next .

I thought it was because the monsters feet dont melt things when rocks bounce off a part with a surprisingly elastic surface, however the rocks that make it through still melt away .

It appears as though there is a membrane on the surface, which only when passed will melt objects like steel and stone .

Generalwe have five steps left .

One of the soldiers turns his head toward me .

I didnt even have time to warn him .

Huh?

The soldier twists his ankle and drops to the ground .

No, it wasnt twisted . It disappeared altogether .

Jump out of the way! Your shoe!

We hop backwards .

Simultaneously, Guigue and another soldier fling off their boots as smoke starts to rise .

A section of the monsters body sneakily reached around us .

Before I knew it, the feet of the soldier who was slightly further in front of the other two melted .

H-help me

The soldier looks at me like he was about to cry, but when he shifts his gaze to Celestina, he snorts once and shouts .

Feudal lord! I entrust my two lovers to you, ensure that they live without inconveniences!

Sure, dont worry .

Guigue seems shocked and Im not so much of a devil to pretend I dont know .

Although, I dont know how it was discovered in the first place .

Not wanting to let Celestina hear his dying groans, the soldier bites down on his glove .

The monster mercilessly gobbles him up .

Once inside the impure monster, the soldiers armor melts away, releasing smoke and bubbles, then his skin and muscles melt, and then his organs and bones dissolve .

He did not let out a scream throughout the entire process .

Now what?

Weapons are useless, touching it will result in the same fate as that soldier and only 3 steps are left of our path of retreat .

Despair washes over the faces of the soldiers and Monica hugs Celestina to her chest to prevent the young girl from seeing the final scene .

If I was God watching from heaven, this is where I would say, this is it, just give up, but since this involves me, I cant let things end, even more so because Celestina and Monica are behind me .

I wouldnt be able to rest in peace if the girls get swallowed by filth due to my idea and Id have to turn into a ghost .

If I dont want that to happen, I have to survive .

If I cant overcome a situation with strength, I have to use my brain .

Fortunately, Im a resourceful general . It didnt take long for something to come to mind .

If I recall, the defeated soldier was further in front than the others . Then its strange .

Its strange that he was killed just because he was in front .

Why? Because Im always the furthest in front .

I stomp on the ground lightly with my boots and raise the sword in my right hand .

Watch this .

No sooner did the words leave my mouth than I rushed at the monster .

The monster intercepts me with the same thick whip used in the beginning, which I slash at with my sword .

If you cut it with such force, it will spray on you!!

As the last remaining soldier yelled, the sliced whip splashes onto my armor .

Smoke rises from my sword as the blade corrodes and breaks in the middle .

fumu .

I throw away the sword, but I dont retreat .

I fend off its follow-up attack with my bare hands .

My fist sinks into its whip-like body and I feel the disgusting stickiness through my gauntlet .

With his bare hand!?

Dear brothers arm!

The one who screamed in pain wasnt me, it was the monster .

More accurately speaking, it was trembling and moving backwards almost like it was screaming silently .

You finally moved back, huh?

Although I feel sorry for the dead soldier, I cant help smiling .

I see, its gold dammit!

Guigue exclaims happily .

That is correct . My boots are soaked in that things bodily fluids deeper than the fallen soldier was .

To begin with, it was unnatural for the boots of Guigue and the others to melt yet my armor stayed intact .

This monster can melt steel, stone and human flesh, but not gold .

And judging by your reaction just now, theres more to this than simply not being able to melt gold . You hate it, dont you?

I move forward in the space freed up by the monster moving back .

Again, the monster stretches its body along the floor .

Instead of pulling my feet away, I confidently step forward until I am ankle-deep .

The monster trembles and withdraws again .

Okay, take out your gold coins .

I turn around with a grin .

However, nobody responds .

What are you dawdling around for?

You guys are giving the enemy time . You still call yourselves soldiers?

I dont have any . My bonus pay all went to dancers .

I dont have any either . Theres none in Dirty Angels pockets either . Actually, there are three copper coinsseriously?

Guigue and the soldier answered .

Argh, you poor assholes! Nevermind

I fumble for my wallet and cant find it .

Crap, did I drop it in the sewer?

This is Her Majestys money so you better return it!

I reluctantly get Monica to take out gold coins from her purse .

Those coins are tied to crossbow bolts and are aimed at the monster by Guigue and the soldier .

Fire!!

With a twang, the bolts fly at the monster .

Like before, the bolts melt instantly, but the gold coins are left as is inside the monsters body, gently floating toward the bottom .

Even though no sound is coming out, I can tell the monster is crying in agony .

The moment it was shot, the monster moved back and the places where the bolts entered were unnaturally dented .

It tries to expel the coins inside its body by twisting in different shapes, and eventually resorts to separating the parts of its body around the coins, rolling around vigorously to dump them out and then returning to the main body .

Hah hah! The shitty slime is writhing around! This gold coin has more shit on it than that thing!!

Guigue lets out a spirited roar .

But it isnt enough .

While its true that the monster is gradually retreating further, it isnt dissolving away or burning .

It merely doesnt like the gold, it hasnt been weakened in the slightest .

To better illustrate the point using Tristan, feeding him a mountain of green peas will make him cry, but its not like hell die .

What were doing now is upsetting the monster, we have not dealt a definitive blow .

One more move is necessary, there must be something . It must have a crucial weakness .

I widen my eyes and observe the monster .

Rather than a body, it is more like a large mass kept in a certain shape by a transparent outer layer with sludge and partially melted garbage packed inside in place of internal organs .

This is the final gold coin!

The bolt was released in time with Monicas voice .

On impact, there was a place apart from the site where the bolt hit that moved .

In the midst of all the sludge, that was the only thing that had a definitive shape .

It pulsed and twitched, almost like a frightened humans heart

There!?

I stick out my right arm and charge at the monster .

When my tackle hits, I plunge my hand deep inside .

Disturbed by the piece of gold entering its body, the monster tries to run, but I stretch my arm further, even pulling my own body inside the sludge to more than compensate for the distance .

The area where I am connected with the monster stings . I seem to have entered in a gap so if I dont hurry, Ill melt .

More importantly, the stench is worse than I imagined and this thing is unbelievably dirty .

Ooooooh!!

With an animated shout, I submerge nearly my entire body inside the monster and grab the thing Im aiming for .

Hnng!

I yank out the thing as soon as it is in my grasp .

A sack? An egg? Its throbbing

When the object, yellow ochre in color, exited the body, the monster shook uncontrollably incomparable to before, changing its form rapidly, like it was frantically searching around for something important .

Woah, Im not giving it back .

I hop a few steps backwards, causing the monster to writhe, striking the ceiling, floor and wall, and then lastly spasming until becoming motionless .

Was itits heart?

Monica mutters as she watches the monsters final moments and indescribable spectacle .

You may be right . Its still moving .

That thing I grabbed continues to pulsate .

Honestly, it feels gross, but as long as I cant confirm what it is, I should be careful about throwing it away .

Id hate if this monster reappears after I throw this unknown organ into the sewage .

Anyways, that takes care of that . Now we can move forward .

Was it a mistake to talk to Monica?

Or perhaps there was no way to notice the unfamiliar monsters last action .

There was a pop sound that made me turn around and by the time I realized where it came from, the monster exploded .

A wave of its bodily fluids spray in all directions and assaults us as we are progressing along the one-way path .

The closest one to the blast was me .

Thats fine . I already know he cant melt gold armor .

The next closest is Monica, who I was talking to .

Third closest isCelestina .

Your Majesttyyyyy!!

I shield the screaming Monica .

Its not that I chose her over Celestina . Its just that she was the only one I could reach .

Getting showered by a chemical that can liquefy a sword is not a joke .

I definitely dont want to see that sunshine of a smile dissolve .

Celestina and I make eye contact .

I dont see fear in her eyes nor do they seem to be begging to live .

What her young eyes reflect is

I wont let it happen!!

The soldier whose name I dont know jumps out in front of Celestina .

He stood in front of the small queen who had crossed both arms in front of her face .

The monsters demise is over .

Monica and I are unhurt, and so is Celestina .

In return, white smoke rises from all over the body of the soldier who was splashed with the dissolving liquid .

He tries to stifle it .

But hes unable to and his yell echoes underground .

Guigue uses a knife to cut the soldiers clothes .

It appears like his entire body has been severely burnt, but possibly because it was only for an instant, his body did not corrode further .

However, both his arms are done for .

The liquid must have seeped through the skin . The parts above his wrist are smoking and the flesh is melting .

Stick your arms out .

I raise my sword while Guigue readies a torch .

With one stroke, the soldiers arms from the elbow down dropped to the ground, and immediately after the torch was pressed against the stubs .

His yell increased in volume by two or three times . It would be more unnatural if he wasnt shocked by the unbelievable pain .

Regardless, this process is absolutely necessary .

If the bleeding isnt stopped and the wound is not cauterized, in addition to the effects of the unsanitary environment and sword, he will 100 percent die .

A hand softly rests on top of the head of the soldier writhing in pain .

Thank you .

The soldiers cry quiets slightly .

Thank you .

His extremely rough breathing calms down .

Thank you for protecting me . Thank you very much

When the soldier, who is tearing up and leaking snot from his nose, sees Celestinas face, he smiles through the pain and proceeds to lose consciousness .

the bastards alive .

Yeah, what a guy . If he survives until the end, Ill give him back more than the arms he lost .

Hes truly incredible . I flick myself on the forehead, thinking how pathetic I am in comparison .

What good is acting like a resourceful general when I havent ensured the safety of the girls?

Ive got to change my mindset .

Suddenly, a strange thought occurs to me .

This soldier met Celestina a few hours ago .

To him, she isnt a king that has earned respect and adoration nor a girl to be loved .

Nevertheless, he went as far as losing his armsno, that is just the result . In reality, he was willing to sacrifice his life to protect her .

Was this person really a great man who thought it was a given to protect the young girl all along?

Or would anybody have done the same thing in front of Celestina?

Well, its not something to ponder now . Lets forget about it .

I hand the soldier to Guigue .

I am essentially the sole capable fighter left, but after coming this far, I have to see it through to the end .

Once we reached the end of the tunnel where the monster was, I pulled down the rusted lever located there .

After a few seconds of heavy rumbling, the ceiling slowly descends . I guess this will be our stairs .

We silently climb the stairs and peek out at the top .

There seems to be furniture placed on top of the exit, which limits our field of vision, but we can still see outside .

If we cant hear footsteps, then we cant hear any talking .

This has to be an empty room . Its somewhere inside the royal palace, but the palace is big .

The room doesnt seem to be used by the occupying forces .

I exert strength in my arms and push the furniture on top out of the way .

It made a loud clunk, but nobody came running .

Alright, lets see where wehey, seriously?

I am rendered speechless when my whole body leaves the hole .

Is the king who made this an idiot?

Please dont say such disrespectful words!

Monicas protest is not convincing .

We are certainly in the throne room and the piece of furniture I pushed was the throne itself .

He seriously had a secret tunnel constructed directly under him?

Because of that, it could not be maintained properly and it turned into a nest for monsters .

He was lucky that the monster from before didnt pop up from below and say hello while he was sitting down .

Theres no use talking about it now . Lets act covertlyno, that probably wont work so lets just go in a straight line . Ill kill any enemies we meet on the way .

Our current group of people definitely cant be covert .

Im already out of the question with the shiny gold armor, plus everyone stinks so much that they can be detected by smell alone 10 meters away .

Our only way forward is to break through with force .

We have a considerable chance of winning .

No matter how vigilant the enemy is, that is against intruders from outside, they would never think anyone would infiltrate and burst out from the throne room . The vicinity of the palace, the center of Malt, should be swarming with soldiers, however there should only be officials on the inside . Moreover, as they are under siege, commanders and soldiers cant afford to be lazing around in the palace .

We emerge from the throne room and quickly ascend the stairs .

Arrange the stockpile supplies! Three weeks at the very least isIt stinks! Uugh!

I cut down the man resembling a civil official in one stroke .

House the injured in residential buildings . If the citizens complain, toss themso bright! Who are yougueeh!

I decapitate the middle-aged man .

Accelerate the date of execution . The first event tomorrow morning should be guwaaaaaah!! Intruders! Intruders!

I slash at the narrow-eyed soldier, but I guess he either noticed from the smell or was experienced enough to shift his body so that my attack became shallow .

Naturally, I finished him off with a second slash, however his warnings and dying groan alerted nearby enemies, which instantly spread throughout the palace .

Multiple footsteps . Dammit, this is bad!

Guigue curses .

Hes right . Were in a pinch just as bad as the time with the slime .

This is within our expectations though .

And we have the chance to break past all at once .

I kick open the doors when we arrive at the top of the staircase .

A platform holding a flag is there .

Fluttering in the wind and taking the place of what used to be a Malt flag is South Yugurias flag .

Replace it .

ight .

Guigue takes the luggage from Celestinathe national flag of Maltand climbs the platform .

The footsteps chase after us on the stairs .

But a commotion from the city of Biado erases the sound of their footsteps .

Hey . Look at thatthe flagstand of the palace .

huh, I dont wanna look at the South Yuguria flag . Wait, isnt that our flag, Malts flag!?

Whos the guy that did it!? If hes found, hell get torn apart!

Look . Theres someone near . Its too far, I cant see clearly

Citizens stir and I feel their gazes concentrate on one point .

This flagstand in the palace can be seen from anywhere in Biado . It was constructed in such a way to make that possible .

If the national flag on that stand was changed, it wouldnt take long to attract the attention of people in the city .

Can you do it?

Yeah .

After confirming with Celestina, she brushes the cheek of the groaning soldier clutching his wound once more and then stands up .

Next, she lines up beside me on the roof of the royal palace which overlooks the city .

I dont care what you do, just hurry it up! Those shits are getting closer and I cant hold them back much longer!

Guigue is leaning on the door to the stairs to keep it closed, but apparently the pursuers brought hammers and are banging noisily .

All thats left is for Celestina to address the public and urge them to revolt .

If the citizens cause an uprising when the enemy army is outside, there is no hope for the army defending the siege .

The key is to do a speech that moves the hearts of the people . I wonder if Celestina can do it well .

She pulls out a sheet of paper from her pocket which was likely prepared in advance, but after glancing at it once, she hands it to me .

Then she inhales deeply .

Although I am late, I have returned! Everyone, I want you tosave meee!!

Rather than a speech, she simply cries for help .

Its close to the speeches I give when I think theyre a pain to do .

A few seconds of silence follows .

If this doesnt work, Ill have to carry Celestina and find somewhere I can jump with a soft landing .

However, that kind of thinking was meaningless .

I-its Her MajestyHer Majesty, Celestina is back!!

It really isshe really came back!!

Theres no doubt about it! I spoke with Her Majesty three years ago and was even blessed by her touch! I havent washed my hand since then! Im sure its her!!

Her Majesty is asking us to save her! Lets go, all of us will go to the palace together!!

Cheers and shouts shake the city like an explosion .

Hey, calm yourselves! That isa fake!

Return to your houses immediately, it is forbidden to go outside! Those who leave without permission will be thrown in prisonhey, listen to me!!

Guards desperately try to control the situation to no avail .

The uprising isnt merely on the level of a riot .

From my viewpoint, it looks like every single citizen is yelling and rushing toward the palace .

The pursuers who were slamming against the door have also gone quiet .

They probably could not afford to worry about us anymore .

Were unable to suppress the riot in the eastern district! The guards in the western district are under attack and communication from them has ceased! The districts in the south and north are alsocitizens in all areas are uprising! Every citizen, every citizen is rebelling!

Guards cant handle it!! Point the ballistae and catapults inside the city! Shoot at the mob from the walls!

We cant! The enemy is beginning their attackshit, they coordinated this!!

This is no longer a war! Everyone, escape as you see fit, dont attack the citizens anymore, if you provoke them youll really get all of us killed! Just focus on fleeing the city .

Enemy soldiers ran out of the city .

Then, the volunteer soldiers boldly entered through the opened gates .

All that from a simple plea?

In central Biado, countless flags, which were probably hidden in secret by the citizens in preparation for a trigger, were erected in the Celestina Gardens .

Great cheers erupt from the citizens and Celestina responds to them .

Behind the scenes, a group of volunteer soldiers, specifically the ones from my personal army that were disguised as volunteer soldiers, snuck away from the rest of the army and headed back to Rafen .

Their role is over .

Volunteers gathered from all over Malt closed in on Biado, together with the citizens who rose up due to Celestinas speech, finally drove out the invaders . This is the truth .

Protagonist: Aegir Hardlett . 25 years old . Autumn .

Status: Goldonia Kingdom Margrave . Great Feudal Lord of Eastern Area . Mountain Legend .

Friend of the Dwarves . Friend of the King of Aless . Dragon Slayer Hero .

Elf Mediator . Sex King of White City . Mad Demon God

Condition (Hero of Salvation, Golden Lager Dirty)

Travel Companions:

Sekrit (feigned illness), Brynhildr (withdrawn), Christoph (subterranean tunnel), Guigue (dirty)

Celestina (true queen), Monica (happy), Busco (commander)

Eastern Region

Friendly Troops: Malt Volunteer Army (fake): 350

Malt Volunteer Army (real): 4980

Vandolea Military Volunteers: 4750 (war of attrition)

Enemy Troops: Biado Garrison: 995 fallen apart

Field Army: 3900 pandemonium

Assets: -68 000 gold

Sexual Partners: 799

Children who have been born: 70 + 567

Current Location: rooftop of Malt Royal Palace