Chapter 179: Rubia (4)

The high-ranking Detection skill and the Insight perk turned everything within several dozen meters into my domain. I could see the guards outside the castle walls, and even those deeper within. However, if they were out of sight, I couldn't sense them, even from a vantage point.

Including those standing inside the walls, the number of combatants totaled five. I could also grasp their general strength. Needless to say, they were no match for me. Even the two hunters I crushed underfoot last night were stronger.

So this is what ordinary humans are like.

Even if they were armed with cannons instead of spears, they posed no threat to me. If I wanted, I could easily massacre them all, regardless of number.

The two guards near the gate reacted sluggishly

"Who... huh? Wait!"

"M-Milady!"

They both panicked at the sight of Rubia.

"W-What are you doing?! You know you're not supposed to be here!"

A fat guard with an unkempt beard waved his arms and hissed, "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Hurry! Run away while you still can! Don't come back, ever!"

That was unexpected. They didn't try to apprehend her or raise their weapons. They didn't seem particularly loyal to the current lord.

Their eyes showed only worry and fear. Worry of Rubia, and fear of punishment if they failed to capture her. The sign of conflict over whether they should turn her was absent.

No need to kill them, then.

If Rubia became lord, they could be easily made to cooperate. Guards could remain just guards.

Rubia was firm. "Let me through."

"We can't!"

The two guards reversed their spears and crossed them in front of her chest and stomach.

"You know exactly why we can't let you in—"

Fear.

[Stat difference between you and the prey: Overwhelming]

"

Hi... hiiiek!

"

The guards blocking the path staggered back a few steps.

Thud!

Then they fell on their behinds at almost the same time.

"

Wh-whoa!

"

"

Ack...

"

Shoved by an invisible pressure, they trembled on the ground, unable to rise. I remained hidden under Stealth. They bowed their heads low, unable to even meet Rubia's gaze. They only managed to hold onto their spears because I'd activated the skill lightly.

"Then... I'll go now?"

"Y-yes...!"

Fear was a convenient skill. If not for it, I would've had to brute force it. Even Rubia seemed surprised by what had just happened. She glanced around, seemingly searching for me. Her soft brown hair fluttered over the ash-gray robe that didn't suit her.

"What's going on?!"

Three more guards came rushing out from within.

Fear.

"

Hiiieek!

"

"

Hiic!

"

All of them recoiled from a single pulse of the Fear skill, backing away in panic.

"M-Milady...!"

A helmeted guard, sweating at the brow and chattering his teeth, tried to stop Rubia.

"What is this...?"

"Why can't I control my body...?"

"What sort of presence is this...?"

Shrunken, trembling, the guards couldn't even lift their heads.

"I'm going to the castle. I will reclaim my place. If you want to follow me..." Rubia swept her gaze across the cowering guards. "You may come."

Their eyes wavered violently. It felt as if I could hear their inner turmoil from where I stood. Ultimately, they didn't follow her. As soon as the skill faded, they collapsed, gasping for breath and pressing their pale faces to the ground.

Rubia walked toward the keep. Since the tournament, this was her second time walking through Erast. A gallows stood in the town square, likely built to execute those who aided her escape.

Executions suited human tastes. They used the deaths of others to cover their own fears. As she passed the edge of the execution platform, Rubia clenched her fists.

She hadn't walked far when a foul killing intent wafted in.

They've appeared already.

A rat-faced man with a quiver on his back silently stared at Rubia. An arrow was nocked, aimed at her chest, then slowly lowered toward her shin. The bowstring drew taut.

Fwoosh!

In a flash, I crossed the distance of several dozen meters and appeared silently behind him. I grabbed the arrow just as he let it go. The sinew-strung bowstring twanged uselessly in empty air.

Crack.

I twisted his neck and ended it. Those who intended to kill must be ready to die. I quietly laid his corpse in a corner of the street and swept the surrounding area once more.

Although killing them all at once would be efficient, there was joy in hunting them one by one. Detecting murderous intent wasn't difficult. Most townsfolk were startled by Rubia's appearance, curious as to why she'd come out of hiding.

I intermittently used the Fear skill to drive people away from her. They believed that the oppressive energy came from Rubia herself.

That's for the best.

After all, Rubia was the one meant to rule this city. I moved between shadows, tailing her quietly. When the keep came into view, a maid carrying a large basket stepped out, seemingly about to go shopping. In the next moment, she fell with a short yelp.

I hadn't activated any skills, so I wondered what happened. Just then, she met Rubia's gaze. They seemed to know each other.

"Kanat!"

"M-Milady...!"

The maid stared with her mouth agape, then shouted, "Run! They've only stepped out for a bit, but they'll be back soon!"

"Where did they go?"

From outside my Detection range, I sensed about twenty humans riding slowly into town.

So we could've run into them...

They entered through the front gate we had passed. The scent was pungent. They reeked of filth and blood. The stench of violence—not the kind that sought to test itself against stronger foes, but one that hunted the weak and easy to devour.

One man had a doe slung over his shoulders, an arrow through its neck. Another had several pheasants tied with wire to his saddle.

Among them were three men with snakes tattooed on their necks. It was the mark of the Necron Cult.

It's been a while.

Those without the mark held no valuable information. The thought of dealing with the Necron again felt exhausting.

A snake-tattooed man in chainmail stepped forward.

"Well, well. Heard a rumor, looks like it was true."

The crowd, once momentarily stunned by the Fear skill, dispersed like a receding tide. The square with the gallows fell silent.

"Ah... Milady, what now..."

Clop. Clop.

The lord and his entourage rode in, surrounding Rubia. I noticed how clumsy their movements on horseback were right away, perhaps because I unconsciously compared them to Isabelle's imperial guards. The two imperial guards alone could slaughter this entire group of twenty. There was nothing here to absorb.

Rubia glared at the current lord with rare fury. "Kurk Ray..."

"

Heh.

You speak to your uncle like that?"

“My father did everything to redeem a piece of garbage like you—yet, you killed him!”

"

Bwahaha...!

"

The lord, whose handsome features had been twisted by time and indulgence, laughed thunderously.

Snap!

A man beside him slapped his gloved hand with a whip.

"Shall we hang her?"

"She came to us by herself. Let's hear what she has to say."

"But how'd she make it all the way here? The guys we sent weren't that stupid."

The lord pointed at Rubia, pondering.

"

Aha!

No way she survived... That's not my niece."

"Then who is she?"

"Probably some runaway slave."

The twenty men surrounding her burst into mocking laughter. Exaggerated and theatrical, clearly trying to intimidate Rubia.

"Will you keep her, my lord?"

"She looks too much like her. How about having half her face skinned?"

Rubia clenched her fists, flushed with rage. She mouthed something.

What is she saying?

I read her lips.

She was mouthing, "You're here, right?"

It seemed she felt the pressure of being surrounded by twenty men and horses. I had assumed she wanted to say something to them. Maybe I'd been too indifferent.

No need for a sword.

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

I picked up a rock and hurled it.

Boom!

The rock exploded, piercing straight through two men's abdomens. Blood and guts sprayed like petals.

"

Huh? H-Huh?!

"

The lord and his men, unable to even grasp what had happened, froze like statues. It was a fair trade. I hadn't even used a skill, yet the men trembled pale with terror. Rocks were plentiful on the ground.

Boom!

Another rock blasted through two men's shoulders just as they tried to draw weapons. Their dismembered arms crashed to the ground with loud metallic clangs. As a side note, that wasn't throwing skill, just pure Agility and Strength. The rocks flew fast enough to pulverize flesh.

[Level Up]

[Level Up...]

The translucent system window appeared. The men, drenched in blood, brain matter, and entrails, still couldn't figure out where I was.

"

U-uurgh...

!"

Their faces paled, then blued, alternating between horror and disbelief.

"W-Where is it coming from?!"

Some still tried to raise weapons with trembling hands. If they still wouldn't drop them, I'd gladly help them.

Throwing rocks is kind of fun...

Thwack!

"

Gyaaaah!

"

It was a direct hit to the guard's wrist. The more I threw, the more accurate I became. The man, now missing a hand, twitched atop his horse as blood gushed like a fountain. He flailed his ruined limb up, down, left, and right, but it did nothing for me emotionally.

"

Hic! G-guh

...?"

A pathetic hiccup echoed through the square, followed by the stench of urine. The lord had pissed himself.

Neiiigh!

He wasn't the only one.

Clop clop!

Their horses, disgusted, threw them off and bolted. None of them had the presence of mind to hold the reins. All collapsed to the ground, groveling, trembling. If someone were to ask them who the real lord was, they'd answer whatever they were told. Of course, unlike those guards at the gate, these ones had no place in Rubia's Erast.

Boom!

I shattered another man's shoulder with a rock.

"

Kyaaaagh!

"

He rolled and painted the ground red. I glanced at Rubia. She stood firm, lips tight, not trembling in the slightest.

[Servant System]

[Your master is deeply thrilled by your actions.]

[You have acquired: Chain of Awe.]

[All stats increase by 10% while near your Master.]

[Rubia's Affection cap has increased to 40!]

Ho...

[10% stat increase applied!]

I felt a subtle shift. I hadn't done much, yet just being with her gave me a massive perk. Coming to Erast had been worthwhile.

"M-my arm! My arm!"

"My leg! It's gone!"

Their screams interrupted my thoughts. I looked down at the writhing men.

"P-please! Spare us!"

The lord, Rubia's uncle, who had ordered her death, was hiding among corpses. He huddled between bodies, dragging intestines and filth over himself.

Fear.

I activated the skill instead of throwing another rock.

[Stat difference between you and the prey: Overwhelming]

I focused on the Fear skill. He writhed like an insect, reminding me of the larvae raised in the capital breeding facility.

Some humans were eaten by those bugs. Some of those bugs mimicked humans. They lived, splattering filth and waste wherever they went. In the end, the larvae, the humans, and even I, a being of bones, were no different. We all lived, gnawing at one another in a pool of red sludge. At this moment, in this place, I just happened to be stronger.