NOVEL NEXT Chapter 60
“Damn… damn it…!!”
On the road to the Royal Road, not yet having left the Count’s Domain.
Gord, sweating profusely, bit his nails.
Under normal circumstances, he would never do such a thing, but he was so desperate that he had completely forgotten about it.
He had said he would pay the penalty to avoid the trade falling through, but the moment he did, it was obvious to anyone that he would end up losing his clothes.
No matter how many large trading guilds had substantial funds, paying the penalty equal to several months’ budget for a territory was a severe hemorrhage.
Even if the merciless Gold Rush Trading Guild managed to secure a deal for the monster’s byproducts, the odds of them not executing him for the significant loss he had caused were almost zero.
“How did I end up here… how did I get here…!!”
He had pushed away competitors, clung on desperately, and climbed this precarious position using every despicable trick.
If things had gone well, this would have been his chance to take that dream position of headquarters head, but that opportunity had long since turned into a bottomless pit leading him to ruin.
“What am I supposed to do…!!”
Where did it all go wrong?
Was it when he was scheming with the Duke?
Or was it when he had taken a step back due to the monster’s byproducts trade?
“…”
In reality, those concerns were not that important to him right now.
What mattered now was to think of a way to resolve this situation somehow.
“Damn it… damn it!!”
But how was he supposed to do that?
Since a contract had been signed, everything was on him for not meeting the deadline.
“Uaaaah!!”
As he couldn’t suppress his anger and stood up, something fell out of his pocket.
“…?”
Curiously, he picked it up, revealing a small, worn-out box that looked like it could break any second.
“This is…”
The small box that the headquarters head had given him.
[This is a little gift for you. Save it until the very end, and open it when you are truly cornered.]
“Damn it…”
Of all times for this…
With that thought, Gord clenched his teeth with a crack sound.
They say you have to at least survive to think about the next step.
With a determined face, Gord looked at the box and slowly reached out to unlock it and open the lid.
And in the next moment.
All that occupied his vision was a deep darkness.
*
The situation in the Count’s Domain could only be described as chaos.
[GOOOOOOOOOO!!]
A gigantic creature appeared out of nowhere without any warning.
It resembled a rock-covered turtle, advancing relentlessly and trampling everything in its path.
“Artillery! Open fire!!”
The hastily deployed soldiers of the Count’s House dragged cannons into position and unleashed a barrage, but they could not stop its movements.
Even with explosions all over its body, it charged forward as if it were a massive war chariot.
“Hurry the civilians to evacuate! We must minimize the damage!!”
In that frantic scene, Carlos was commanding the soldiers.
With no immediate way to fight back, the priority now was the safety of the territory’s citizens.
“What the heck is that thing?”
“I don’t know either… it seems to be a monstrous beast…”
His voice carried an air of confusion in response to Rudell’s question.
It wasn’t that monsters didn’t appear in the kingdom.
But why now, at this moment, and in the very heart of the territory?
There were countless unanswered questions, but that was not what mattered right now.
“I’ll take charge of evacuating the citizens!”
“Alright, leave it to you.”
“You there! You! Follow me!”
Leaving nodding Carlos behind, Rudell dashed toward the streets where people were escaping, along with Kyle and several soldiers.
“Help me…!!”
“Over here! There’s someone trapped!!”
“Please…!! Help us!!”
“This way too!!”
Amidst the cries, the soldiers began rescuing people buried beneath the rubble and headed toward the relatively safe outskirts of the city.
“Are there more people left?”
“It seems there are no more in this area.”
In response to Kurt’s question, Rudell began to search the surroundings with a life detection magic, but he couldn’t see anyone left.
“What do we do now?”
“I don’t know either. We need something to work with…”
Even now, numerous shells were raining down on the monster, but they hardly left a scratch.
It continued to rampage, making the Count’s Domain a complete mess.
“You guys head straight to join my father.”
“Understood!”
The soldiers lowered their heads toward Rudell and moved with the citizens toward the field headquarters where Carlos was.
“What now…”
Rudell voiced in exasperation as he watched the monstrous beast ravaging the Count’s Domain in the distance.
It was nearly impossible to take down that monster with the Count’s Domain’s capabilities alone.
However, they couldn’t just leave it be.
If they allowed the monster to continue, it would soon leave nothing but ruins in the Count’s Domain.
“If only Leje were here…”
He had sent a messenger to the Lagrind Duchy, but considering the distance to Lagrandria, it would take at least a day.
Given the time before the Count’s Domain was completely devastated, there was little hope to hold onto.
Just then…
“…?”
Someone tapped his shoulder, and Rudell turned with a puzzled expression.
Then, in the next moment.
“Eh…?”
A stunned voice escaped Rudell’s lips.
And rightfully so. The person who appeared before him had no reason to be here.
“Leje!?”
“Hi! Did you miss me?”
Leje El Lagrind, the Duchess of the Lagrind Dukedom and his childhood friend.
She had appeared right before his eyes.
“What are you doing here…!?”
“I came to surprise you because I was bored…”
Leje, responding with a flustered expression, turned to look at the monster trampling the Count’s Domain.
“Seems like a really bad time for that.”
“Rudell, who is this?”
Kurt asked, regarding her reaction.
“Kurt, let me introduce you. This is Leje El Lagrind, my friend since childhood.”
“Got it.”
“Leje, this is Kurt Kasha, the Nord tribe friend I mentioned before.”
“You’re Kurt, nice to meet you!”
If it had been under different circumstances, it would have been a time for a slow introduction over a cup of tea, but everyone present knew that wasn’t the case.
“So, what’s going on? Why is the monster attacking the Count’s Domain?”
“I don’t know the details either, it just happened so suddenly…”
No one in the Count’s Domain could accurately explain the situation right now.
“I see.”
Leje nodded at Rudell’s words as she drew her sword from her waist.
“Wait, what are you planning to do?”
“Huh? What do you mean? We need to stop that thing, right?”
Rudell asked, and Leje looked at him as if to say ‘Is that a serious question?’
“Well, that’s true but…”
“Are you seriously worried about me right now?”
As Rudell hesitated at her question, Leje chuckled and lightly pushed his forehead with her finger.
“Don’t worry, I won’t push myself too hard. Just think of a way to deal with that thing while I buy some time.”
“Got it. But be careful.”
The most reasonable choice isn’t always the right one.
Though he doubted that anything would happen, if she got hurt, Rudell wouldn’t be able to face her.
“Then, I’ll see you later!”
With that, Leje lightly stretched her body and dashed toward the monstrous beast, while Rudell watched her with a concerned look.
“You don’t need to worry. I sense something unusual about her.”
“Thanks for saying that.”
Could it be because he was from the Nord tribe, where life was like a wild adventure?
Rudell chuckled softly at Kurt’s words.
But not for long; he soon wore a serious expression and started running toward the command post where Carlos was.
Drawing the monster’s attention alone would not be easy for Leje.
From Rudell’s perspective, he had to find a way to resolve this incident as soon as possible.
Hoping desperately that nothing would happen.
Rudell raced through the devastated streets.