Book 14 Chapter 4

Chapter 25

“Khahahat! This is truly amazing.”

Vla Nesri was satisfied with his current life.

Originally, he was nothing more than a low-life… but on the day dark blue meteor showers rained down from the sky, his fate changed.

He and his two sisters had obtained the [King's Flesh]. The siblings amicably divided the flesh, one piece each.

“That's right, brother! The sight of that lord fleeing in a hurry is still vivid in my mind!”

“Haha! When else would we get to eat horse meat that a lord treasured and rode on? Everyone, pour and drink!”

“Oh, brother! Thank you!”

With the power of the flesh, Vla's body became as strong as a monster.

Even when struck by the spears and arrows of soldiers sent by the lord, he only suffered scratches, and he could crush a body, armor and all, with a single punch.

It was precisely then, just as Vla was about to ravenously tear into a horse's hind leg.

"Amazing, you say? Hmm~ alright, I'll finish this quickly for you."

A massive shadow suddenly rushed in. Its identity was the largest brute in the bandit group.

Though his intelligence was low, his physical abilities were second only to Vla's, and he had been assigned the role of gatekeeper.

That brute flew all the way from the distant village entrance to here, tossing the horse meat and overturning the drinking table, didn't he?

"Ugh, uwaah!"

"Th-this madman, how did he fly all the way here?"

"Could it be that this guy ate the flesh secretly from the boss?"

But atop his bulging belly stood a woman with dazzling water-colored hair flowing down.

"If you ask who the beautiful swordswoman is, a valiant woman who flew in riding a giant instead of a broom, her water-colored hair fluttering over light dark-blue armor, appearing and causing all bandits' minds to be filled with praise instead of murderous intent, it would be natural to answer, but unfortunately, I cannot reveal it now."

Indeed, her beauty was so extraordinary that the bandits lost their minds for a moment, but soon reason and anger towards the arrogant intruder awakened.

"This madman!"

"How dare you ruin our after-party!"

"I'll hack you to pieces!"

The bandits drew their spears and blades and charged. What those cold steels aimed for was clearly death (殺).

Reasta smiled faintly, then lightly flicked her left middle finger with her thumb.

In that instant, a crisp 'tak' sound echoed simultaneously.

───Tatdadadadadadadak!

If there had been a master, they would have noticed such incredibly subtle gaps between the impact sounds.

Of course, there was no such master here.

All the dozen or so bandits could hear was a single 'tak!' sound.

Because when they heard that sound, their bodies were somehow embedded in houses or walls, and their consciousness instantly vanished.

There was only one exception: Vla Nesri, who had swallowed the [King's Flesh]. Vla gasped for breath and pushed himself up.

"Oh?"

Reasta whistled lightly and raised an eyebrow.

"I gave it a bit of power, but you're tough. The power granted by the flesh seems stronger than I thought?"

Vla Nesri gasped and shouted.

"Who, who are you… No, you've come for this flesh! You're so strong, why do you need something like this!"

His breathing was not normal. When people face an unexpected situation, their breathing often gets disturbed first.

"Hmm, my intentions and purpose are different, but that's partially true. So, spit it out right now before you suffer more pain."

As Reasta reached out her hand, Vla clutched his gut with both hands as if protecting it and cried out.

"Shut up! I'll never hand this over! My entire life depends on this! My whole life changed the moment I possessed this!"

"Then there's nothing for it."

"You're, you're letting me go?"

"No."

Reasta smiled brightly, then held the second joint of her right middle finger with her left index finger and pulled it back.

"I'll give you a double-handed flick to the forehead."

To anyone unaware, it was merely a frivolous prank.

But in that instant, the moment her finger was pulled back all the way, Vla saw… his own death.

He had a hallucination (幻視) of the pain of his neck breaking, his skull splitting, and his brain exploding.

"H-here it is!"

Because of that, his instincts moved his body uncontrollably.

He shoved his fingers into his mouth and, amidst maddening nausea, vomited out the flesh.

Then he knelt and humbly offered it with both hands.

"Oh my, thank you. See? There's no need for pain, is there? Now, quietly let yourself be tied up and face the law's rightful judgment. If you're executed, it can't be helped, but if not, you'll be rehabilitated."

Receiving the [King's Flesh], Reasta shivered for a moment from the echoes of thoughts that permeated her entire body, no, even her soul.

As expected, the King's Abyss (深淵)…

Reasta picked up a gourd bottle from the overturned drinking table. She emptied the liquor inside, put the flesh in it, and sealed the opening with a stopper. Then she hung it at her waist.

"You look like an outsider no matter how I see it, no, not even like a northerner, so how did you know to come here… sir?"

While Reasta was binding herself and her subordinates with chains, Vla spoke. Then, as if remembering something, he shouted.

"Right, it's the village where that old man is! But what to do? Haha, hahahaha! My sisters have gone to smash it all down right now! Both of them can use magic, you know!"

A sudden change in attitude.

"You'd better return that flesh to me, won't you? And you'd better go to the village right now. Only with that flesh and my body can you exchange them for at least some of the villagers' lives!"

Reasta, as if flustered by his words, sprang up and looked back towards the village.

However, that wasn't because of Vla's words, but because an疑问 she had been harboring in her heart was resolved thanks to Vla.

Lynn hadn't moved at all. She had remained in the village until Reasta's magic detection range moved away from it.

'I wondered why that was, but was she detecting magic coming towards the village?'

Reasta grinned and looked back at Vla.

"You don't need to worry. The best mage in the North is there right now."

"H-hold on! Didn't you hear me? Don't you understand? My sisters all have the flesh! You should be begging me right now! But why, why are you pulling back your middle finger again, approaching me with such an ominous smile… sir? M-my lord?"

"You're being punished with a flick to the forehead for speaking ill. Remember this pain and don't do it again."

Twaack!

Pshhh… With a fist-sized red lump swelling on his forehead, Vla immediately fainted.

Reasta dusted off her hands and spoke towards the direction of the village.

"Then Lynn, I'll leave the rest to you."