novelraw Chapter 70 : Necessary Evil (1)
Chapter 70 : Necessary Evil (1)
Necessary Evil (1)
Louis, who had come out of the passageway, took the fallen Rio to the hospital.
Her wounds, which would normally have regenerated quickly, weren't healing this time—evidence of how brutal the fight had been.
There is a skill called Auto-Recovery, which exists only for the bloodsword user class in the game.
It's a skill that automatically restores lost HP, but it won't activate if hit by certain attacks.
For example, there's the dark magic skill that nullifies healing, or an attack that seals random skills upon impact.
Or perhaps holy-type skills, which counter the bloodsword user.
Yet, there existed an even simpler method.
A critical hit—a blow that was especially threatening to the bloodsword user.
If you take an attack that drops your HP by more than half in one strike, regeneration slows dramatically.
In short, just hitting such ultimate-type attacks could nullify regeneration.
In other words, this meant Rio had taken that level of attack and was knocked out.
'Was it that Diamond Body demonkin?'
Louis could identify who beat Rio that badly just by the scent.
That demonkin's scent was deeply embedded in Rio's solar plexus.
Although Louis had taken out that being easily, that was only from Louis's own perspective.
To Rio, it would have been a nearly impossible opponent.
Having experienced being pummeled bare-handed by that demonkin himself, Louis knew this well.
What was a simple, regular attack from the demonkin had acted as an ultimate or critical hit for Rio.
With this in mind, Louis looked at Rio lying in the hospital bed and said,
"You went through a lot."
By now, it had gotten dark outside.
Time had passed, and Rio's dulled regenerative power had recovered.
Thanks to that, she now looked as if she didn't have a single wound.
Fast asleep, she looked no different from a girl simply spending a normal night.
Louis turned and asked Victor, who was in the same hospital room,
"Are we really talking about a critical injury here?"
It was a reaction of pure disbelief.
He expected a critical wound to mean being stabbed with a sword or crushed by a building, but Rio's physical state didn't suggest that at all.
"When the young master carried Rio out, I was shocked. I had no idea why you were there,"
Rozen said.
Just as Rozen said, the squad members waiting at the underground passage entrance were startled to see Louis.
After all, Louis was supposed to be at the imperial palace with Klein.
Of course, Louis had already given them an explanation for that.
"Good thing you guys didn't get sidetracked like the deputy-commander instructed."
"What would you have done if we had?"
Simon asked.
"What do you think?"
Louis replied to Simon's question as if it were obvious.
"You'd have gotten a spell massage."
"..."
The murderous energy in Louis's voice made Simon quiet down immediately.
There was no need to answer such an obvious question in words.
"Wait a sec. By that logic, Rio deserves punishment. She left squad leader's side on her own, didn't she?"
Fortunately, they had a magitech tracking device.
But just as Victor said, what Rio did was unmistakably disobeying orders.
If this were the 7th Legion in usual times, she would not have been out of place to be executed on the spot.
Despite knowing that, Rio had dared to act, probably thanks to the rather relaxed atmosphere fostered by Silia and Louis as squad leader.
"She did achieve great results by subjugating the demonkin, but she definitely broke orders,"
Victor concluded.
There was nothing wrong with that.
From what they'd heard, Rio had spotted a suspicious girl and followed her on her own.
Thanks to tracking the girl, they discovered the demonkin's den, but from a regular perspective, it was just unnecessary action.
Perhaps if it was a suspicious adult, but the target was just a girl.
Was it necessary to follow her even to the extent of breaking orders?
As long as Rio didn't have the ability to distinguish such cases, there was no way Louis could cover for her completely.
"I was going to scold her properly when she woke up anyway. But on the way here, she told me something,"
Louis said.
Louis had managed to briefly talk with Rio, who was being carried on her back.
At that time, Rio had said she sensed the scent of the blood of someone important from the girl she'd followed.
That feeling of suspicion was why she decided to chase after her, she claimed.
Based on that, Louis commented,
"It seems Rio also has the ability to distinguish between people by scent."
According to the main game's settings, the bloodsword user is described as having an unusual constitution.
But being able to distinguish people by the scent of blood was beyond the human category.
For humans, it would be barely possible only by using magic power or aura, yet Rio could do it as if it were nothing.
Louis was well-versed in this world's setting but couldn't help but wonder.
The game's story itself hadn't been fully revealed to the end, after all.
"By the way, how many days does Rio have to stay in bed?"
At Pram's sudden question, Louis replied, "Two days."
After two days, the very next day would be when His Majesty returned to the capital—good timing.
"Then, young master, wouldn't it be nice if Rio recovered quickly?"
Pram asked cautiously.
Louis said it couldn't hurt.
Excited, Pram gripped the staff she had slung across her back.
"I got a magic book from the innkeeper this time! Thanks to that, I learned a recovery magic spell!"
Pram waved her staff and shrugged her shoulders, beaming at having acquired a useful skill.
"If I use recovery magic, won't Rio wake up sooner?"
"But haven't the medical staff here already tried that? Would it really make a difference if you use it?"
"Of course it's different! Those people have to continuously use it on other patients as well! But I can focus entirely on Rio alone!"
This was a hospital specialized in recovery magic.
In fact, being in the capital, the hospital's scale was known throughout the empire.
No way would such brilliant professionals overlook Rio's internal injuries.
"Even so, compared to their ability, yours would seem lacking. It's like building a stone pagoda next to a well-built building."
"Ugh! Don't underestimate me! Thanks to that Great Devil, I can do things I couldn't before!"
Pram puffed up her cheeks and activated her magic through her staff.
She looked full of confidence, insistent that she could do it too.
Then, Louis suddenly grew doubtful.
It's not that dark mages can't learn recovery magic—but could they use it properly in everyday situations?
It was such a rarely played job that Louis was uncertain.
"Huh? It's working! It's working!"
Magic power flowed from the staff and infused into Rio.
Feeling certain this would quickly heal Rio's internal injuries, Pram beamed proudly.
"...!"
At the same moment, Rio, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly shot her eyes open.
Seeing Rio awaken, Pram confidently declared that she could be discharged today.
"Grrrk...!"
With her eyes wide, Rio had the expression of someone waking from a nightmare.
She groaned and broke out in a cold sweat, looking as if overcome by a new illness, which made all the squad members panic.
"W-what's going on? Didn't you use recovery magic?"
"Strange? When I tried it on some roadside bugs, they were fine! You all saw that, right?"
When Victor pressed her, Pram insisted her trial runs had shown no problem.
She tried it on bugs and they were fine? Upon hearing that, Louis exclaimed in horror.
"Stop! That's not really recovery magic!"
"What?"
"Just stop it!"
At Louis's urgent shout, Pram hastily canceled the spell.
She had never seen Louis react this way before, so she obeyed immediately.
Finally, Louis remembered.
The principle behind the recovery magic learned by dark mages.
In fact, that was a kind of dark magic which turned an injured target into one's own minion.
She said she had healed bugs earlier?
That merely meant she had turned dead bugs into her own undead minions.
It had nothing to do with recovery.
Moreover, that dark magic could even nullify recovery-type skills.
In other words, Pram's spell just now had actually interfered with Rio's recovery.
"Urgh..."
Rio, who had awoken so abruptly, was trembling violently.
"In my dream, a stranger appeared. From across the river, he waved at me and asked me to go with him."
How severe was it that she'd had such delirium?
Rio looked around at the squad members with eyes full of malice.
"Who the hell was it?"
Who tried to kill me?
To that question, the squad members all pointed at Pram.
"Pram."
Glaring with deadly hostility, Rio said to Pram,
"When I'm discharged, you'd better be ready."
"I'm sorry! C-can't you just let it slide once?"
"No."
Pram begged for mercy since it was just an accident, but it had no effect on Rio.
"I'll never let anyone who tried to kill me go. I'll suck your blood, no matter what. Even if I have to chase you to the ends of hell, I'll make sure you pay!"
Seeing the madness in Rio's threatening demeanor, Pram began to sweat with dread.
She was sure that as soon as Rio was discharged, she would be completely trampled.
Back during the stampede, Pram had slaughtered the most monsters among the squad members.
After being drenched in monster blood, Pram could be seen as only slightly less terrifying than Louis.
Had Rio been in top condition, she would have torn Pram apart without a second thought.
Terrified, Pram simply acted on instinct.
"Sorry, Rio...."
The problem was, such instincts were forged in the environment of the 7th Legion.
"Then don't wake up!"
"Grrrrr!!"
Pram, in a cornered panic, cast the spell again.
Being vulnerable to that spell in her current state, Rio groaned once again.
"Pram, you little...!!"
Naturally, Rio glared at Pram with murderous intent.
Terrified once again, Pram pleaded desperately.
"Please, just leave me alone! Then I'll lift the spell!"
"Is that supposed to be a favor?!"
"It was a mistake in the first place! Are you really going to kill me just for that?!"
"Then what about what you're doing right now...!"
Now that she mentioned it, this wasn't an accident—Pram was willfully inflicting pain.
Still....
"Ugh, I don't care! Just leave me alone after you're discharged! If not, I'll make sure you never get up again!"
"I'm gonna kill you! I'll kill you!!"
"So stop trying to kill me already!"
If there was a monster ready to threaten herself, she had to make sure it couldn't move.
Such thinking, hammered in by the 7th Legion, was deeply embedded in the squad members' minds—not just Pram.
But were they even in the 7th Legion right now?
"Guys."
At that moment, Louis grabbed both Pram and Rio by the hair and yanked.
With their foreheads slammed together, Pram's dark magic was canceled.
"Kyaa!"
"Urg!"
Holding their sore heads, the two involuntarily butt heads.
Then came Louis's voice, whose aura was even more menacing than theirs.
"What did I tell you about how squad members should get along? Hm?"
"B-be nice to each other...."
"That's right. You need to get along. So what do you do when something like this happens?"
To Louis's prompt, Rio muttered a response.
"Apologize...."
"Correct. You should make up with each other. So you know what to do, right?"
Rio and Pram held out their hands at the same time.
It was meant as a handshake of reconciliation, but their faces didn't show it.
At that moment, as if at any second Rio might still kill Pram, Pram's anger started to flare up again.
"Guys...."
A chilling voice sounded from the side, making them both jump.
"Be nice. Okay?"
"..."
"..."
With Louis's admonition, Rio, her nerves frayed, had to suppress her anger.
Forcing smiles, the two exchanged a handshake while laughing awkwardly.
"S-sorry."
"Hahaha, me too...."
Yet tension still lingered between them.
Louis felt as if nothing had really been resolved despite going through the motions.
This was why he hated seeing "evil route" classes.
****
After two days, the ruler of the empire returned to the capital.
The bustling avenues parted like the sea in a myth as the people stepped aside.
Along that path, the emperor's carriage processed, escorted by the guards.
Ferus Maclean, the chancellor of Zodiac visiting the capital, bowed deeply before the emperor.
The emperor's next schedule, after returning from the Holy Nation, was not publicly known.
All anyone had were vague rumors involving magitech, given the chancellor's presence.
Every time the emperor crossed the street, citizens were reminded anew.
That even approaching such grandeur as a commoner would mean risking one's life.
They instinctively felt the gap between the places they stood and where the royals stood.
For the people of the capital, that awareness was part of daily life.
Thus, there was sometimes a joke told about this.
'What would happen if a slave or a criminal stood there?'
Whenever the topic arose, the answer was always the same.
Immediate execution.
"Welcome, gentlemen."
That was why this time was truly extraordinary.
The imperial audience hall.
For the first time, so-called 'sacrifice soldiers' knelt before the emperor in that high chamber.
Of the sacrificial soldiers, only Klein and Louis had the honor of an imperial audience.
The rest were ordered to wait outside, just in case trouble arose.
Silia was with them, so they'd be fine.
"I was informed about you gentlemen from the letter sent by Sir Paulo. And I heard you achieved much in the capital before I arrived."
With a gracious expression, the emperor addressed these lowly, trash-status people.
There was nothing about them not to his liking.
"I am truly grateful for rescuing my daughter."