MTLNOVEL Chapter 60
Chapter 60: Hunting (1)
“Ma-mana…?”
“The connection with the spirit has been severed!”
The battle had come to a halt.
With mana gone, anyone recklessly charging in this situation…
“Kuhaha! Finally, the era of this body has arrived…!”
“Read the room, Clone.”
…was none other than Clone himself.
Only after Gareth stopped him did he finally calm down.
“What is going on?”
“Could it be the prince's doing?”
“No way.”
An impossible event had occurred.
The cadets stared around with bewildered expressions.
Then.
-Tap, tap.
“Th-those people?”
“Who are they?”
A large group of unfamiliar individuals appeared.
They were clad in black robes.
“You’d better stay still, friends.”
Among them, a man who seemed to be the leader stepped forward and grinned.
“Unless you want a hole in your head.”
He pointed his bow at the cadets.
The cadets flinched.
In a world without mana, those arrows seemed overwhelmingly threatening.
“Wh-who are you?”
“Us?”
The man casually took another arrow from his quiver.
And then.
-Swish!
“Gasp—!”
“Si-Sillion!”
He fired without a shred of hesitation.
It was cold and detached, as if he were merely playing a hunting game with pheasants.
“That’s none of your concern.”
“What are you doing?!”
Argos shouted angrily.
Though he did not get along with Sillion, if revenge were to be taken, it should be by his hand.
He couldn’t allow a noble of Krapos to be killed by suspicious individuals.
“Tsk, you haven’t grasped the situation, young master. Boys!”
The black-robed group was quite numerous.
They surrounded the cadets.
In an instant, 40 cadets were completely encircled.
Without mana or spirits, they were no different from ordinary people; there was no escaping this predicament.
“You’re on the verge of being massacred. You know that, don’t you? Not to mention, you can’t use mana or spirits right now, can you?”
The mysterious man burst into laughter.
The sound was grating—unbearably unpleasant, like nails on a rusty surface.
“Now. I know you're watching, Crown Prince of Krapos.”
He suddenly looked up at the sky and shouted loudly.
“And we know their value. They’re all heirs of prominent families, aren’t they? Especially… the ones over here.”
“…!”
He pointed at the cadets from the Royal Faction.
“You, come here yourself. Alone, no one else. If not…”
He smirked wickedly, raising one corner of his lips.
“I’ll kill them all.”
**
“Be-Beatrice. What do you see?”
“…It’s serious.”
-Step.
Beatrice lightly jumped down from the tree.
“…Beatrice. M-my mana isn’t moving. It’s like…”
“A control device. Just like last time.”
Her eyes darkened.
It hadn’t been long since she discovered that strange stones functioned as control devices, and now they couldn’t use mana.
[…Young Beatrice. Though I’m unsure if you will accept this.]
‘If you know that, don’t say it.’
[Run. You won’t be able to handle it. Something feels ominous.]
‘….’
Ignoring Solid’s advice, Beatrice spoke.
“The cadets are surrounded by unknown enemies.”
“Wh-what?!”
“Shh. Someone might hear.”
“That… that can’t be.”
Airy’s eyes trembled like aspen leaves.
Surrounded?
Who would dare surround nobles in the capital of Krapos itself?
“…Could this be part of His Highness’s training?”
Airy voiced her hopeful thought.
But even she knew the likelihood was slim.
“The control device.”
“……”
“You understand what it implies, don’t you?”
“What do we do?”
“Fortunately, we haven’t been caught yet. It seems the enemies don’t know for now. But.”
Beatrice pondered.
Roughly a month ago, their first target had been Airy, standing right before her.
This meant they knew her identity.
It was only a matter of time before they realized she wasn’t among the captives.
“They’ll figure it out soon enough. That you’re not there.”
-Gulp.
Airy swallowed dryly.
“How many enemies are there?”
“A lot. At least 50.”
The number of enemies was evident.
Their determination to avoid past mistakes was clear.
“Th-that’s impossible. How could such a large force infiltrate this place? Weren’t the Royal Knights guarding us?”
“…They wouldn’t be free from the control device either.”
“…No, this can’t be.”
Airy imagined the horrifying scenario of the Royal Knights being annihilated due to the control device.
For Krapos, there could be no greater misfortune.
“That mustn’t happen.”
“We can’t be certain of anything yet.”
Beatrice unsheathed her sword.
It slid out without making a sound, revealing a brilliant white blade.
“But there’s one thing we must do.”
She unfastened the sword from her waist.
Her expression was more serious than ever.
Airy was startled by her look.
Even when rescuing her from danger, Beatrice hadn’t shown such an expression.
Indeed.
The usual composure Beatrice carried was gone.
She was utterly earnest.
“We must save the cadets. No matter what.”
-Thud.
Beatrice dropped the empty scabbard to the ground.
**
‘This won’t do.’
Argos assessed the situation with a cool head.
If the Crown Prince came here like this, he would die.
As a loyal servant, he couldn’t allow a single hair on his lord to be harmed.
“Gareth.”
He spoke in a low voice.
“What’s your condition? Can you move your mana at all?”
Gareth’s method of handling mana was different from other families.
While other families stored mana in the heart or abdomen, Gareth’s family, the Rodriguez, stored it in both wrists.
So he asked, just in case.
“No. It doesn’t move at all.”
As expected, he too couldn’t escape the control device’s influence.
“Damn. This is the first time I’ve felt this way. It’s frustrating, like my hands are tied.”
However, Argos’s question carried a slightly different implication.
‘If that’s the case.’
Even in this situation, he sought answers.
‘The enemies can’t use mana either.’
Indeed.
The control device, the only artifact capable of restricting mana and spirits, wouldn’t exempt the enemies.
‘Can I do this?’
Each family had its unique vision for utilizing mana.
Argos’s family focused on “inner strength,” training their bodies as well as their mana.
They didn’t solely rely on mana and spirits but valued physical training equally.
…In a way, the lack of mana made success more likely.
The number of cadets and enemies was similar.
If he could step forward and subdue a few enemies, especially the one called their leader,
The rest might fight alongside the cadets to overcome this crisis.
‘The problem is the bow. If I can just deal with that…’
Argos rolled his eyes.
He recalled the image training he’d done countless times over the past week.
He rewound the spring, envisioning a virtual battle with the enemies.
First, knock out the man at the very front.
Then use the unconscious man as a shield while rushing toward the enemy leader.
If he got close enough, he wouldn’t be hit by arrows. Even they wouldn’t dare shoot their leader with an arrow.
‘It’s possible.’
Argos clenched his fist tightly.
He would use the method Beatrice had used against him before.
Duck in, land a left hook to the ribs.
From experience, he knew that a single blow there made it hard to breathe,
To the point where it was difficult to regain composure.
Then, finish with an uppercut.
It was a perfect plan.
Argos moved immediately.
-Hook!
He struck the man in front in the abdomen quickly and accurately.
“What are you doing?”
“…!”
But.
‘This can’t be.’
Argos’s decisive blow ended up a failure.
He had hit him.
But the enemy didn’t even flinch.
The enemy twitched an eyebrow and grabbed Argos by the collar.
“Kuhaha! This little punk is funny, boss.”
“You’ve got guts. How did you come up with this idea in this situation?”
“Exactly. But why me, of all people? That pisses me off. Hey, do I look like an easy target?”
-Thud!
“Urgh!”
-Drip.
With a single punch to the solar plexus, blood dripped from Argos’s mouth.
He tasted excruciating pain.
“You bastard!”
-Bang!
The man slammed Argos into the ground while still holding his collar.
Argos bounced nearly a meter off the ground and writhed in pain, coughing uncontrollably.
“Hey, hey. He’s going to die at this rate.”
“I don’t care, boss. What pisses me off is that out of all these weaklings, he chose me.”
Grumbling, the man approached the bloodied Argos.
He crouched and lifted Argos by the head.
“Hey. What’s your reason? Why me?”
“Cough, cough. Because… you looked weak.”
“What? You little—!”
Enraged, the man clenched his fist.
As he pulled back with all his might.
-Crunch!
“Argh!”
Argos bit the man’s wrist with all his strength. The man screamed and dropped him.
“You bastard!”
The furious man charged at Argos.
At that moment.
“Hrahh!”
With a fierce cry, Clone tackled the man.
Clone, being massive, overwhelmed the man with the sudden attack.
“Argos! Go!”
Taking advantage of the moment, Argos stood up.
Bloodied, he gritted his teeth and ran toward the leader.
It was an unexpected turn of events.
In an instant, Argos reached the leader.
Leaping into the air, he punched downward with all his might.
However.
-Tap.
“…!”
“Hey, noble boy.”
Argos’s attack was blocked far too easily.
“What’s wrong with you? Don’t you have any sense, huh?”
Spitting on the ground in irritation, the leader slapped Argos hard across the right cheek.
-Smack!
Argos went limp.
The man tossed him aside like trash and spoke.
“Hey, Fran. Take care of this mess. Make the Crown Prince furious.”
Fran, who had already subdued Clone,
Approached Argos with a furious look.
“You little punk. I’ve got you now.”
“Wait a second, boss.”
At that moment, one of the black-robed men, who had been silent, spoke urgently.
“What is it?”
“Two are missing.”
The leader frowned.
“Missing? Who?”
“…Airy Arvanceco. Beatrice Cenci. Those two are gone.”
“Hmm, it’s troublesome if Arvanceco isn’t here.”
The man called boss scratched his head roughly.
Then he stopped Fran, who was still beating Argos.
“Fran! Go find them.”
“Boss, I’m busy teaching this punk a lesson. Send someone else.”
“Ugh…”
-Drip, drip.
Blood flowed from the corners of Argos's mouth.
There wasn’t a single uninjured spot on his face.
“Cut it out, you idiot. Is that what’s important right now? They’re saying Arvanceco is missing.”
“Hah. Hey, consider yourself lucky.”
Fran threw Argos aside as if he were garbage.
“You’re the strongest among us, so go fetch them quickly.”
“Hm, well. That’s true.”
Fran, who had been glaring displeased, grinned in satisfaction at the acknowledgment of his strength.
“Go quickly.”
“Okay. But, let me make something clear.”
Fran exuded a murderous aura.
“If anyone touches that bastard, I’ll kill them myself.”
“…Understood. I won’t let a hair on him be touched, so go with peace of mind.”
“Okay. But should I bring them back alive?”
“Beatrice Cenci, that wench can die. But Arvanceco has value. Bring her back in perfect condition.”
“Yes, yes. Understood.”
Fran shoved his hands into his pockets and began walking toward the forest.
‘No…’
Argos reached out with a trembling hand as his vision blurred.
**
“Hah, this is such a hassle. Damn it, if I catch those bitches, they’re dead.”
Fran grumbled endlessly as he walked.
“…Oh, right. Speaking of Cenci or whatever, didn’t they say she’s quite the beauty?”
Beatrice’s appearance was famously well-known.
…Her reputation extended even to their enemy nation, Central.
Fran licked his lips with his tongue.
“They said I could kill her, so maybe I’ll play around a bit first.”
It seemed like a decent idea to him.
He nodded to himself, keeping his eyes on the trail ahead.
“…Heh. They’re around here.”
He was skilled in tracking.
Sure enough, he found traces of the two fleeing young ladies.
Footprints. And a discarded scabbard.
“Damn, what luck. Let’s see… judging by the trail…”
He grinned slyly, indulging in a pleasant fantasy.
Life in enemy territory had been nerve-wracking, leaving him unable to relieve his desires for some time.
Now, the thought of satisfying them lifted his mood immensely.
Following the trail, he walked.
Not long after, the trail abruptly stopped.
“…Up in the tree?”
The footprints ended beneath a tree.
Instinctively, he looked up.
At that moment.
“…!”
He locked eyes with Beatrice’s eerie golden gaze.
Startled, he quickly tried to draw his sword.
-Slash!
But it was already too late.
Fran met a gruesome end.