NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35 - Episode 35: Escape in the Darkness
Episode 35: Escape in the Darkness
―――That child from back then!!? Although the name was different, I can’t believe they survived!?
I learned that the two children who had always treated me like family were alive. At the same time, I understood their power. Perhaps the child with potential had greatly improved from infancy with Rula’s protection. But what does it mean for a commoner to be a magician? Despite having such potential––was it because of the potential? Or perhaps every household of water is in turmoil, as reported… I don’t understand, but I’ll summon them as a king this time. I look forward to their surprised faces.
“It seems you’ve found some answers?… Your Majesty, please don’t venture out to this old body’s place.”
“You understand, right? I’m better off on dark nights.”
“Please refrain from saying such things again. Alright? As a king, you should carry yourself with dignity––”
It started again. After listening to a long sermon, I returned to my room and decided to sleep quietly for today.
Today, something unexpectedly good happened. I feel like I can sleep well.
—
＜…!＞
I was sinking into a pleasant sleep when I was startled awake by Rula’s urgent call and jumped out of bed.
“Ugh!”
A sharp pain surged through my leg, but I used darkness to create distance from the silent attacker’s eyes.
“What’s going on!?”
The man, unable to see his surroundings, struggled to clear the darkness from his face.
“An intruder…!?”
I tried to shout loudly, but I couldn’t. My head was pounding, and I felt nauseous.
There was no sign of the guards coming to this commotion. When I looked at the attendants who should be in the corner of the room, they were lying on the floor. They weren’t moving, and I didn’t know if they were okay… Poison?
“Where are you!? Where are you hiding!!?”
“What are you doing! Just kill him already!”
A new tactic! No, someone came out of the small room where the attendants were waiting. It looked like a woman, Ael, but the voice sounded like a man’s. Is it a disguise!?
“I can’t see anything!”
I threw a nearby vase at the man. He swung his sword vigorously towards the shattered vase. The sword hit the shelf, and furnishings fell with a loud noise.
“Hey! I heard something from His Majesty’s bedroom!”
“Are you alright, Your Majesty! We’re coming in!! It won’t open!? Someone!!!”
Ael locked the door to the room. This room was sturdy, and with my body corroded by poison, I couldn’t defeat the two of them and open the latch.
They quickly escaped through a hidden passage.
“They’ve escaped! What are you doing! I’ll chase after them first!”
The situation was dire. The enemy was well-prepared with a national treasure-level item that could change appearances. Even though they hadn’t drunk anything, the poison was potent enough to incapacitate the attendants with resistance to poison. It was probably administered by a high-ranking wind mage.
— And worst of all, my darkness had no direct offensive power, and its range of effect was limited.
“I can see! I can see them!!”
I heard the voice of the man whose darkness had been lifted from behind.
I continued through the pitch-black underground. Blood continued to flow from my injured foot. I couldn’t feel anything in one leg; it was a fairly strong poison.
“He’s over there! Let’s chase him!”
While darkness could deprive them of their vision, it couldn’t deceive their sense of hearing or smell. I couldn’t escape their pursuit.
“”
With this, I should be able to hinder them as much as possible without manipulating magic myself.
If they scattered poison with wind here and now, it would be over… But for some reason, the assassins didn’t do that.
The palace basement was a labyrinth, with hidden passages inside. I kept running, but there were traces of blood on the path, and the opponent was a wind mage adept at detection. They were probably confused by Rula and blinded by her, but… I couldn’t escape even though I had distance.
Today, for some reason, I used the northern bedroom, which was different from usual. Were there enemies in the other bedrooms too? Or were they waiting for that bedroom to be used?
I don’t want to be found by the enemy either, but it seems like they’re also trying to keep quiet, perhaps expecting soldiers to come.
“*panting*”
＜…!…!!＞
I thought I had escaped, but it wasn’t that easy. Rula showed me the information in the darkness, but there are other assassins in the hidden passages besides here, and it seems like they’re gathering towards us.
Uncle…! Do you really want the throne that badly!?
“*cough*”
I vomited everything in my stomach and continued running without a break. Fortunately, I couldn’t feel anything in the injured leg, but I could still move it properly. The dizziness, headache, and chills were severe. I already feel like stopping here and sleeping.
Perhaps they’re not spreading poison to avoid friendly fire… Damn it!!
Although I can’t tell my position with the darkness I use, I follow Rula’s instructions and run away. But just receiving her orders directly to my head makes me feel like I’m about to pass out.
The enemy seems to be moving to gather allies, believing in the effects of the poisonous air and the poison-coated swords.
“If we stay like this, we’ll be in dire straits. Rula, show me a way to the surface.”
What am I saying? I know the way myself, and Rula doesn’t know such things.
I become impatient at the faint footsteps I can barely hear behind me.
An exit to the surface, a slight landmark. When I opened the exit, which could only be opened once, I came out to a shed. Was it like this? I quickly unlocked the shed door and stepped outside–
“Your life, please.”
“Tch!!?”
I quickly went back into the shed and closed the door. The advancing flames were stopped by just one door.
I returned underground and escaped through another exit–!
“He’s not here? What’s going on?”
“Quietly, I felt the door open once. Maybe he went outside.”
Suppressing my breath, I covered everything except my eyes with darkness. I want to go back to the passage without being noticed, but can I do that in this narrow shed?
Suppressing my breath is difficult, and I want to cover my vision with darkness, but darkness also makes it impossible for me to see. I can tell that there is a little darkness right in front of their eyes. Rula is probably doing this to confuse them even if they perceive through the wind. I hope they come out and we end up killing each other, but it might not go so smoothly. I hold my breath and wait in the shadows. I want to cover my entire face with darkness, but even breathing causes darkness to scatter. It seems like they haven’t noticed, so I reduce the darkness above my neck and prepare to kill them with one breath–
“Aaaargh!!??
”
“–!!?”
A person was lying on the bed, and she screamed in surprise.
I was surprised too, but it seemed like the enemy was surprised too.
“What the hell!? Aaagh!!?”
“Bardy!! Where are you!? Ugh!”
I slit the neck of the man who pointed his sword towards the voice with a short sword and stabbed him in the chest area with a surprised expression. My fingers trembled, and I couldn’t put any strength into them, letting go of the short sword.
“Who are you!?”
It was probably a woman’s voice, but I couldn’t trust it was not an enemy.
“A severed head!!??” “Who are you?! Why are you here!”
It was that girl, Frim.
“–Ah, this is a dream.”
“Over here! Hurry!!”
“Tch!!?”
Multiple footsteps came from under the floor, and I quickly blocked the exit from the underground.
“Frim, it was you.”
“Yes. Are you resentful, Mr. Severed Head?”
Is this girl half-asleep? In my distorted vision, I saw the out-of-place sight of the girl and the corpses of the men.
I sense the outside of the shed burning. There’s no escape, but with all the screams and commotion, the guards should be making a big fuss by now. I don’t know where in the palace this is, but if she can defeat the mages outside, there’s still hope.