NOVEL NEXT Book 5: Chapter 199: Infighting
“What’s the best way to handle being mobbed?”
Ballmer looked confused. He hadn’t considered there was a “best” way to manage a crowd; wasn’t it just a matter of holding your head down and running?
“Hehe, how ignorant.” Someone scoffed.
“What did you say?” Veins throbbed on Ballmer’s forehead. “Why don’t you enlighten us then? If you can’t, I might just have to kill you.”
“Heh, you think I’m afraid of you?”
As the man was about to retort sarcastically, Verjade suddenly raised his hand. “I know this one,” he said.
“Hehehe, go ahead then.”
“If you’re being mobbed, the best thing to do is pounce on the first attacker, covering your head and aiming to disable him right away.”
To better illustrate his explanation, Verjade stretched out his hands. He made a fist with one and a palm with the other, slowly wrapping the palm around the fist. Just as the fist was about to be enveloped, it shifted position, tightening its grip on a finger of the palm.
“This will not only deter the others but also create a gap—an opportunity the experienced can exploit to keep pulling away and create a brief one-on-one situation.”“Exactly.” The man sneered at Ballmer and said, “And you should know what ‘one-on-one’ means to Princess Estelle.”
“Hmph, it’s just a basic street fighting technique. You think it’ll work on Princess Estelle? Besides, do you think this covers up your cowardice?”
As soon as Ballmer spoke, everyone’s gaze on him turned hostile.
“Hehe, even if this tactic doesn’t work as you say, do you think Princess Estelle will bring a few of us down with her before she leaves?”
“Maybe. That will depend on who are the lucky or unlucky ones…”
The man nodded as if he was suddenly enlightened. “Oh, since it’s all about luck, why don’t you take the lead then, Ballmer?”
“I…” Ballmer hesitated but then firmly refused, “No way. I’m the one who’s supposed to command you. Have you ever seen a commander on the front lines?”
The crowd was quickly enraged by his words.
“Command? Why are you the commander?”
“That’s right, who made you boss?”
“Since when did we become your subordinates? Didn’t we agree on an equal relationship when we formed this alliance?”
“I… I… I…”
As the crowd’s anger intensified, Ballmer felt a chill.
Overwhelmed by panic, he blurted out, “I’m doing this for your own good! Without someone to lead, you lot would surely bungle things with your pig brains. In that case, we’d never even be able to challenge Princess Estelle!”
An incredulous silence fell over the group as everyone turned their stares toward him.
“Hmph, do you know your own shortcomings now? Well, lacking a brain is a significant handicap, but I believe with my guidance, you can harness your residual energy,” Ballmer remarked smugly, thinking that his assertiveness had stunned everyone.
“Holy crap…” Even the typically composed Verjade couldn’t help but curse.
Suddenly, the tension Ballmer had stoked exploded.
“F̲u̲c̲k̲… so this is how you see us?”
“What makes you think you’re superior?”
“Aren’t you just another loser who relies on Ness and Mr. Card?”
“Wait, I was just…”
Ballmer realized too late that he had said something he shouldn’t have, but there was no stopping the ensuing chaos.
“This b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲ needs to be punished!”
A red-faced man yelled, “No one’s called me stupid since I was a kid!”
“Let’s tie him up and throw him to Princess Estelle.”
Suddenly, someone tossed out an enchanted rope that was a semi artifact.
“Didn’t he call us cowards? Let him experience what Lucy did!”
“Good idea!”
“Whoa, throwing out a semi artifact like it’s nothing? What a boss move!”
“Get him!”
The crowd closed in with the enchanted rope in hand.
Ballmer tried looking for an escape, only to find every exit blocked. He was no Princess Estelle, a paragon of strength; escape was impossible in this situation.
Amidst roars of indignation, Ballmer was tied up like a rice dumpling.
Meanwhile, atop Mount Coffin, Erica was still reeling from Lua’s suicide when she noticed a group approaching, murmuring among themselves as they carried a heavy object toward her.
“Are they finally going to prey on me—the weak, pathetic, and vulnerable?” Erica thought silently, though her demeanor had shifted from panic to a serene composure only seen in seasoned experts.
Despite the turmoil she had experienced in her lifetime, nothing could beat the one she was witnessing now. Regardless of the group’s intentions, Erica felt nothing could disturb or break her composure right now.
The group approached Erica, dropped a burly man bound tight as a dumpling at her feet, and bowed respectfully.
“Princess Estelle, please ensure he receives a harsh punishment!” they pleaded earnestly. With those words, they ran away without looking back.
Erica was left alone, staring at the trembling dumpling who seemed to be terrified of her. His bloodshot eyes were wide with fear as he squirmed around, desperately trying to escape.
Not knowing how to react to this, Erica looked up at the sky and whispered a prayer to the god she believed in.
“Oh God, I was mistaken. Clearly, my wisdom is insufficient to navigate the tempests of life. Can someone please tell me, what the hell are those people thinking?”
◆◇◆◇◆
“That’s interesting.” Lilith hovered behind the clouds, her form hidden as she observed the spectacle below with the keen vision of a dragon.
She had intended to assist Erica when she emerged from the lake, but it proved unnecessary.
Nearly half an hour had passed since the bounty was announced, yet the group was still hesitating, intimidated by the prospect of confronting the supposedly severely wounded Princess Estelle.
“Typical rabble. Even in numbers, they accomplish nothing, paralyzed by the fear of being prematurely eliminated by Princess Estelle,” Lilith mused.
As for why they would mistakenly believe Erica was Princess Estelle in disguise, Lilith dared not delve into their logic. Only heaven knows what led them to such bizarre conclusions. In a world where imagination had no limits, anything was possible.
Then again, this had saved her a lot of trouble.
“The others should be arriving soon.”
With a sweeping glance across the lake’s shore to ensure that everyone, including the elusive Mr. Card, had made it onto the island, Lilith slowly raised her hand.