I Am a Ruined Noble of a Ruined Kingdom

Chapter 15: Protagonist (4)

Kooong. Kooong. Kooong. Kooong.

It was a dark tunnel where not a single ray of moonlight could penetrate. With each breath, I felt the unpleasantness of stale humidity rushing into my lungs. The floor was uneven, and a misstep could lead to a major fall.

I was running recklessly through such an ant cave-like tunnel. It was possible thanks to the enhanced eyesight, hearing, and touch from Sense Activation. Right now, I could observe the pores of Iruealfi's jade-like skin with my bare eyes.

Charles' presence continued to be felt. Several branching tunnels appeared, but I didn't care at all. I just had to carefully demolish all the walls in a straight path.

Of course, even if done carefully, it would be accompanied by considerable noise, so naturally the movements of the villains became hurried. They probably thought Iruealfi had abandoned the Emperor and Empress and come.

'What is this presence?'

While traversing the tunnel, I sensed a human presence and stopped for a moment. A man was standing guard at the crossroads. He was wearing a hat pulled low, so I couldn't see his exact features.

The man blocking my path was clearly flustered. He spoke first.

"I thought the White Knight would come if there were pursuers... An unexpected guest."

"I'm the White Knight's doctor."

The man immediately agreed upon hearing my words.

"Hoh, the rumored one... So, a monster's companion is also a monster, huh?"

The man nodded as if somewhat convinced, but I didn't understand anything at all. Who is whose companion, and who is a monster?

I blurted out a shout reflexively, overwhelmed by anger.

"Don't be ridiculous, who are you comparing to that Godzilla! At least I haven't deviated from providence, okay?"

It was a minor thing that Netionpies' body had clearly deviated from the laws of nature. Compared to that twenty-six-year-old irrational being, that is.

The man seemed to have lost his words after unintentionally pressing my berserk button.

"O, okay..."

"Enough, hand over Charles. Do you know who the kid you kidnapped is?"

It was a demand as confident as if I had come to retrieve my own property. Then a bitter smile appeared on the man's lips.

"Of course. I know very well! Isn't she the bastard of a whore-like Empress?"

"Good to know. I'll take responsibility for sending you to Iruealfi."

"That's only if you can."

The man lowered his body and took a stance. It was an unspoken coercion that the conversation would only allow a conversation between bodies.

I kicked off the ground and rushed towards the man. I didn't know the "mu" in martial arts, but I was confident in Netionpies' physical abilities. I could subdue an ordinary human in no time.

"Hap!"

I realized that my expectations were lightly deviated immediately after throwing a punch.

The man brushed his arm against mine, lightly deflected the punch, and lifted his elbow upward to strike my chin.

A swift movement far from ordinary.

Even for a layman, it was a systematically trained movement. I didn't know if he was a confidant of Duke Fayta or from a separate group. What was certain was that if this kind of man was common, it would be an absolutely formidable force.

"Keuk."

I lost my balance for a moment and released the power in my knees. It was because even though my body was immortal, my brain would shake if I got hit in the chin.

However, the possessed body was too robust to lose consciousness from just allowing a vital point. I quickly regained my senses in a fleeting moment and threw my body with all my might.

The man was slow to react, perhaps not expecting me to recover so quickly from taking a direct hit.

Kwaang!

"Keheok...?!"

It was just a body tackle, but the effect was considerable. It was possible because Netionpies' physical ability was a weapon in itself.

The man got up from the dented wall and muttered.

"He looks fragile, but he's incredibly tough. How has a guy like this been hidden so well until now?"

"Ah, I hid it too well and thought it was fermenting."

It was a body that had been carefully hidden for hundreds of years. It wasn't that I hid it well, but that I hid it too well, which was the problem.

I wiped the blood from my mouth with a bluff. The blood came out because I bit my tongue hard when I got hit in the chin.

Of course, it regenerated quickly, but he wouldn't know that. If I dragged it out like this, he would eventually get tired, and I could win unscathed.

'Of course, I can't do that!'

It was an urgent situation where every minute and second was precious. I needed a quick resolution for Charles' safety.

'If I could handle the SaGi, I wouldn't care about a guy like that.'

Among the things Netionpies had conveyed was the method of using SaGi. Netionpies' ability only showed its true value when combined with SaGi, so it was a very attractive option. It was clear that it was a usage given to seduce me.

However, the activation of SaGi affects the battle for dominance of the body. Therefore, it was a power that should never be used, and could only be considered once in a while when there was no turning back.

I shook off my head and leapt towards the man.

"Keheok!"

It was the scream I let out. The man mechanically deflected the attacks and landed blows to the face in the shortest distance. He couldn't win with physical ability, so he was targeting me by focusing on evasion.

He was truly a master of close combat. He knew exactly how to make up for the difference in overwhelming power with skill.

Injuries weren't a threat to me at all, but being tied up was annoying. As I continued to face him, I felt like a newborn with only infinitely strong physical abilities.

"Keuk...? Keulleok!"

The man's groan unconsciously came out of his lips. At that time, I realized the man's agitated signs. A clear doubt was conveyed from the man. I could easily guess the meaning of the groan.

'It must be ridiculous. I get hit and bleed, but there's no sign of fatigue.'

The important thing was that there were no scars because they were quickly restored. It was just that it wasn't visible because it was covered in blood.

Moreover, he was already internally shaken because I had rammed into him. This was a fact proven by the man's blood-soaked, rough breath.

I was worried because it was important to resolve the situation quickly, but it seemed that the internal injuries from the body tackle were much larger than expected.

The man may have gained combat senses that were infinitely skilled through training, but the difference in racial specs was too great.

"Heoeok, heoeok. Are you, by any chance, immortal?"

"You don't need to know that... right!"

Puhseok!

I easily found the gap in the exhausted opponent and plunged my fist into his abdomen. The sensation of ribs being crushed and caving in was so vivid.

"Eo... eok... Kkeueuk..."

The man spat out a mouthful of blood, then collapsed without even screaming.

That was the first murder I had committed.

The unclean victory of overpowering with physical specs left a bad taste in my mouth.

"... Hmm."

I stared blankly at the man's corpse. A corpse that couldn't even close its eyes was sprawled out. Even though I had directly killed someone I didn't even know, I didn't feel anything.

I didn't know if I still hadn't realized it, or if I didn't have time to feel guilty because of the urgent situation. If not, then...

'Is this my original personality? Or is it because of Netionpies' body?'

I really didn't know.

I prided myself on being the owner of an extremely ordinary humanity, but the situation was too far from ordinary. But at this moment, it was rather a good thing.

If I were buried in guilt at a time when I had to save Charles even for a moment, that would be a foolish mindset.

I left the man's body behind and followed Charles' presence.

"I said I would take you to Iruealfi with dignity... Tsk, I guess I can't be a great man either."

◇

"Haa..."

Iruealfi sighed heavily, as if the ground was sinking. Her sorrowful expression under the moonlight highlighted her pitiful figure. She was conflicted in one corner of her heart.

'Was it the right thing to do? It's not within the scope of what I can be responsible for.'

Charles was kidnapped, and the Empress was in a state of panic. And she was sealed from moving as the guard of the Emperor and Empress. The red dome couldn't be broken because the invited nobles were becoming shackles.

If there were even members of the Nelphrugia Knights, she would have moved herself. For some reason, the knights weren't even showing their faces, and only the Fayta Duke's soldiers were glaring with ominous eyes.

But those guys weren't a threat to Iruealfi at all. Among the creatures she had seen so far, there was only one person she thought was threatening.

Nephi Alteon. No, Netionpies, the Ruined Noble of a Ruined Country. That man was truly the one who could be called a threat to the Empire. And now he had left Iruealfi's side and had his reins released.

"Fortunately, 'Holy Memory' is being maintained, but it's on the verge of collapse..."

It was suppressing such SaGi. It would be momentary for it to break if rough acts such as armed conflict were repeated. The fact that Holy Memory was being maintained even unstably was evidence that Nephi was acting with restraint.

If he really harbored black intentions, he would have run far away and released the restraint of Holy Memory.

'There's no point in worrying any more.'

Iruealfi was also a person.

A person who sometimes judges situations with emotions rather than reason. She was just the owner of a huge amount of heat, but in reality, she was one woman with ordinary emotions.

When Nephi bowed and asked, Iruealfi saw Nephi's eyes. Ruby-like eyes full of sincerity with no wickedness anywhere. An attitude so much that she wondered if he was really the cruel Ruined Noble of a Ruined Country.

It was as if a truly good-natured human had taken over Netionpies' body instead.

So was his clumsy demeanor, unlike the Ruined Noble of a Ruined Country, at the time of their first encounter. It was a completely opposite reality from Netionpies' legend, which was passed down as confidential.

Iruealfi judged as one person who had experienced all of that. Maybe she could trust him even just once...

For her friend-like younger sister, Charles, and thinking of her only remaining family member, Miren Yustiha, Iruealfi chose.

"Come quickly... Please don't make me anxious. Nephi."

She muttered, looking at the ominously shining blood-colored dome.

◇

I finally escaped from the tunnel and faced the scenery outside. It was a forest path where the starlight embroidered under the clear sky could be seen without filtering. If I turned my head, I could see the red dome covering the Fayta Duke's residence in the distance.

I spat out the bloodied saliva that had collected in my mouth and said.

"I found you. Charles!"

There were three figures in front of me. Charles, who could only make crying noises because her actions were restricted, and a giant man carrying her on his back.

But what I was concerned about right now was not those two, but the other one.

A man of small build wearing a hood. Even at a glance, the Qi flowing from him was incomparable to the man I had fought in close combat.

The moment I faced him, I felt déjà vu. An intense sensation as if my whole body was being shredded by countless blades and my soul was flying away... It was clear.

'It's the same as when I received Iruealfi's killing intent head-on!'

Could such a person have existed? Since it was before the start of the story of , it wouldn't be strange for anyone among the characters to appear.

The problem was, who else among those characters would have such an overwhelming presence?

'There's nothing that changes even if I deduce. In the end, I'll just collide!'

It was when I was shaking off such complex thoughts. The hooded man slowly began to speak.

"I was relieved that it wasn't Iruealfi Yustiha. It seems my misjudgment. I'm sorry."

It was an apology to the giant villain carrying Charles. Then the giant villain said indifferently.

"Give me orders."

"Nothing will change. I'll follow soon, so go first."

"Understood."

The giant villain acknowledged it simply and turned his back, carrying Charles.

"Not if I can help it!"

I dashed towards Charles with all my might and threw a punch, but it was futilely blocked. My fist collided with the sword the hooded man held out, deforming it ugly.

The blood that had been flowing out of the tunnel splashed onto the man's hood.

"Keuk!?"

"Hmm!"

I groaned when my fist was blocked, but the hooded man also expressed admiration for the unexpected power. In fact, the man landed while dragging his feet along the ground due to the reaction force after blocking with the sword.

"There was a reason why that Illea got hit. That guy would have been killed instantly with one blow. Even more so if you're careless with his frail build."

He was probably talking about the man who had tied my feet with close combat. To be exact, it was a close hit including a body tackle, but it was an accurate judgment.

I provoked him with an intentional bluff.

"Do you think you'll be any different? I'll send you along soon."

"Haha. Funny, for an extra."

"We'll see who becomes the extra."

"It's unexpected that a guy like you exists, but now is not the time to satisfy my curiosity."

In an instant, the man's momentum changed dominantly, overwhelming the area. The wind brushing my cheeks felt like rusty iron scraping, and even the insects stopped crying as if trying to hide themselves.

I also took a stance and stared at him without blinking.

Eventually, the man's figure disappeared.

"What...!"

I quickly corrected my mistake.

It was because he had lowered his body like a beast aiming for prey and approached quickly. The man's dimly shining blade was expected to find a gap and bite.

"Damn it!"

All I could do was jump around in all directions and roll clumsily on the dirt road. Even so, I had to roll around several times to avoid the fragments of the sword strikes that flew in.

I tried to retreat to the forest path to block the enemy's vision, but even that was useless.

Huoong! Huoong!

Whenever the man's blade swirled through the air, thick trees invariably fell like willow leaves. It seemed that the concept of cover did not apply to him.

'He's crazy. It's not as good as Iruealfi's Formless Sword, but I can't handle it...!'

In the first place, it was a fight where I would have been thoroughly ridiculed if Netionpies hadn't packed in the usage of sense enhancement.

I could somehow endure a little longer like this, but time was running out. What was even more despairing was the truth that came to mind in one corner of my heart.

Even if time was not running out, even if I prioritized immortality, I had no confidence in defeating him.

This was the unchanging truth and reality.

It was the limit of an ordinary person who just happened to be possessed by a strong body.

It was around the time I was thinking about how to overcome the difficulties. The man grabbed his sword upside down and plunged it into the ground.

"Time is running out for me too. You'll have to die now without dragging it out."

It was an emotionless declaration. Following that was the man's chanting.

"O' spirit bell, galloping across the earth."

At this, I was terribly surprised. It was because I was already familiar with everything from the first word of the chant the man started to the present.

It was something that shouldn't be heard here. If I remembered it wrong, I would shake my head up and down and agree.

As the man continued to chant, my eyes shook violently. I could never forget the lines. A skill that was like a symbol that I had heard countless times. A mantra that any player would know was coming out of the man's lips.

"You, you...! How do you know that!"

I instinctively rushed towards the man. I don't know why, but I didn't run away.

When I rushed to the man's vicinity, I met his eyes.

Our ruby-like eyes exchanged glances. The difference was that my eyes were twisted ugly, and the man looked very calm.

At that moment, the man's chant stopped abruptly, and golden pillars that split the earth and rose up from it reached the sky.

The man's hood fluttered and scattered in the rough updraft. I looked at the man's face clearly even as I was enveloped in the golden pillar.

A person who shouldn't be here more than anyone else was there. I roared the name.

"Why are you here, Zicharun!!!"

"Heo!"

There was a change in the eyes of the hooded man - Zicharun. My body was melting in the brilliant gold and could no longer function, but only a desperate cry continued to circle around.

"To think you would know me. I'm sure we met for the first time today..."

Zicharun retrieved his sword and left the place before the golden pillars could even subside.

"... It's settled since he's dead."

The identity of the golden pillar was a huge heat ray. It was a wide-area annihilation technique that condensed and pulled up geothermal heat flowing deep underground to devastate the area. It was impossible to withstand with human durability.

After time passed and the light pillars completely subsided, the area was devastated. The forest was covered in fire and the ground was cracked like a pot lid, reminiscent of natural disaster.

In a scene of one-sided slaughter where the presence of life had disappeared, only one piece of cloth was maintaining its shape.

It was Netionpies, the body of sin that uniquely deviated from the providence called death among all things in the world.

"Ah... Aak...! Why that guy..."

Even while tasting the sensation of every cell in my body sizzling, only one question was engraved in my mind.

Anyone other than me could not have known.

For me... No, he was a character that anyone who had played the game could not help but be more familiar with. He was the central axis of this world that led the story.

Zicharun Misrah, the third generation protagonist of .

It was the identity of the hooded man I had faced.

"Damn it... Damn it, damn it! Euaaaaaaaak!!!"

The appearance of the original protagonist was the first extreme wall of incompetence I had encountered. A pathetic feeling came crashing in like a huge wave.

A roar filled with a sense of inferiority vibrated in the area.