Chapter 127
Chapter 127
Episode 127
'Damn it... Why are things turning out like this!'
I was extremely flustered, watching Nise suddenly go berserk.
The Female Lead, who I thought was helpless and just good at dying...
No, the final main character, whom I couldn't even call the Female Lead anymore, corrupting and rampaging was a scene I had never heard of or seen.
Of course, it was refreshing to see Nise, who had been constantly abused and one-sidedly attacked, actively taking revenge on those bastard priests.
But I had no idea if this situation would actually have a positive effect on the game's progression.
He, emitting a silver aura from his whole body while wearing nothing but the skirt scrap I'd cut for him, honestly didn't seem to be in his right mind.
'Don't tell me... he's not going to treat Nise like a criminal, is he?'
What if things went wrong and Kassel classified Nise as an enemy?
A surge of worry hit me, and I hurriedly looked over at Kassel.
But surprisingly, Kassel was just watching Nise with what looked like an intrigued expression, rubbing his chin with one hand.
He didn't seem to particularly care whether the priests and holy knights dropped dead right this instant.
'Should I be relieved or worried...'
As I was caught in this ambiguous feeling, looking back and forth between the two of them.
Nise muttered gloomily and raised both hands, from which strands of thread dangled.
"I'm going to kill them all. All...!"
It was then.
"You wicked thing! Stop this instant!"
Someone shouted loudly, as if scolding.
Startled, I snapped my head around and saw the Pope, leading a large number of holy knights and approaching quickly.
The final boss always appears at the very end, so I wasn't surprised.
However, I hadn't expected the bastard to appear with the tip of his staff aimed at a delicate woman, using her as a shield.
'Damn it, how...!'
The woman, holding the cursed doll with a terribly pale face as if she were about to die, was Liv.
When on earth did he find Liv?
While I was gritting my teeth at the situation not going my way, Nise, having spotted Liv still alive, cried out.
"Liv!"
"Stop your wicked power at once and surrender! Otherwise, I will execute this evil witch!"
"Ugh...!"
A faint light leaked from the crystal orb on the Pope's staff.
Just like the one that had choked Nise earlier, Liv's neck was bound by a white noose, and her head dropped limply.
Nise trembled, unable to overcome his rage at the sight of Liv.
But before long, he listlessly lowered his raised hands.
At that, the bundles of thread being sucked into his grasp vanished like an illusion.
Thud!
Then the temple bastards, who had been standing helplessly in place with their eyes rolled back, all lost consciousness and collapsed.
"Arrest him!"
The Pope, realizing Nise had surrendered, ordered.
At the Pope's command, the group of holy knights he had brought with him slowly approached the motionless Nise, holding various weapons imbued with holy power.
"Ah, ah..."
Liv moved her lips pitifully toward her brother, as if she'd strained herself so much moving the puppet that she didn't even have the strength to shout.
The Pope shouted triumphantly.
"Look, everyone! I, the Pope, have raided the scene where this atrocious witch, who has been impersonating the Saintess all this time, was performing her vile arts, and have placed her under emergency arrest!"
"Goodness... she's not the Saintess, but a witch who was impersonating her?"
"That, isn't that a cursed doll, like the ones warlocks use?"
At those words, the silent crowd began to look on, one by one, with expressions of horror.
Of course, Liv had never used black magic, but the cursed doll she was holding lent credence to the Pope's false claims.
The situation was turning very, very bad.
"Kill them! The filthy heretics!"
Soon, people started throwing things they were holding and shouting.
"Execute that vile witch and her cohorts immediately!"
"Kill them! Kill them!"
A few shouts quickly incited the crowd, and soon they were all chanting for the sinners' punishment.
As the situation turned just as he intended, a dark smile formed on the Pope's lips.
'What should I do?'
The situation had become dire. I chewed my lip anxiously.
It wouldn't be very difficult to stun everyone here and run away with Nise.
But I was worried about Liv, standing precariously at the end of the Pope's staff.
One wrong move, and her threadbare life force could be snuffed out in an instant.
Besides, if I ran away with Nise now, we'd be fugitives, plain and simple.
'The hero who's supposed to become the Male Lead's colleague and save the world, as a heinous criminal hunted by the temple...'
As I was hesitating, unsure of what the right choice was,
I suddenly met the Pope's wrinkled eyes, which glinted like a snake's.
"I request that lady be investigated by the church as well, Your Highness!"
The bastard pointed at me with his free hand, as if to say, 'Gotcha.'
Flustered, I whirled to look at Kassel.
But he was looking at the Pope and the priests with an unreadable expression.
"We must thoroughly investigate her relationship with these wicked heretics!"
"His Holiness is right! She must be arrested before she flees, Your Highness!"
The old priests standing by the Pope chimed in.
'Aargh, those bastards aren't even worth a single punch.'
I secretly clenched my fist, suppressing my anger.
If Kassel agreed to their words and handed me over, I had no other options.
It was a pity about Liv, but honestly, it was better to act right now before that happened.
But why?
I opened my lips to chant a skill, but no sound came out.
I vaguely felt... curious about what he would do after hearing the Pope's words.
"We request your permission, Your Highness!"
At the priests' urging, Kassel finally turned his head impassively toward me.
Things having come to this, there was no way he would help me.
It was more likely he'd coldly tell them to do as they please and leave.
And yet, I held my breath and stared fixedly at his lips.
I felt strange for doing so, but I couldn't help it.
It was then.
[Crown Prince Kassel Ludwig is curious about your actions.]
Above him, who looked like he was about to give the order to do as they pleased, an incomprehensible system window popped up.
As my eyes widened and my gaze was stolen by it, he suddenly moved his lips.
Even though I definitely couldn't hear a sound.
I could understand exactly what he was saying to me.
Go ahead, do what you want.
Did I really understand that correctly?
As I was momentarily dazed by his unexpected words.
"I... I ordered it all! I ordered it all!"
Suddenly, a clear voice cried out, as if in a desperate struggle.
I hurriedly turned my head. Nise had snatched the sword from a holy knight who had approached him and was rampaging.
"L-Liv didn't do anything wrong! Th-that lady, either! I-I was the one behind it all...!"
"..."
"If someone has to pay for the sin, it should just be me!"
Swish, swish!
He swung the sword wildly, cutting through the air.
Because of that, the holy knights who were trying to subdue him hesitated, unable to approach easily.
The reason why the timid him was struggling so desperately.
I understood the reason immediately.
Nise was acting like that not only because of Liv, but also because of me.
Because the Pope had tried to frame me along with them.
'...Nise.'
He desperately avoided looking at me, smiling weakly as tears streamed down his face.
Then, he slowly turned the tip of the sword toward himself.
"I'm sorry. It's all... because of me..."
"Nise...!"
I'd barely managed to convince him and bring him out.
Now that he was trying to make the worst choice again, I was at a complete loss as to how to stop him this time.
Just as I urgently called his name and was about to run to him.
Thunk.
Something flew from somewhere, hit my shoulder, and fell.
"What..."
I was about to ignore it and run, but I unconsciously checked what had fallen in front of me and stopped in my tracks.
It was half an onion.
Black letters were carved into it, as if written with a burnt skewer.
Pope. Hat. Attack. G.
At the initial, which stood for Green Mask, I quickly raised my head.
'Elaine.'
But Elaine was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, my gaze naturally went to the Pope, who was hiding among the holy knights with his staff still aimed at Liv.
And at that moment.
"Uwaaak! Wh-what...!"
The Pope suddenly began to flail, his face crushed by the ornate hat he was wearing.
Swish, swish.
The staff in his hand swung around, seeming to narrowly miss striking Liv.
But that, too, was brief. Something invisible in the air violently snatched the staff away.
"Ack! Wh-who is it! What is this insolence...!"
As everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the Pope's sudden bizarre behavior when there wasn't even a breeze.
I didn't miss the chance. I scraped together all my remaining mana and shouted.
"Stun!"
[Lv.999 Stun skill has been activated.]
'MP -459'
MP 13
As much as I'd poured a lot of mana into it, the attack range was wide.
P-jijik, P-jzzzzzzk!
"Uuuhhhhhk!"
"Kkeeeuk!"
"Aaaak!"
The holy knights and priests the Pope had dragged down to the arena were engulfed in bright blue sparks, trembled, and collapsed, thud, thud.
Not just the ones guarding the Pope, but all the ones who were trying to capture Nise.
And I ran quickly through the gap.
"Wh-what...!"
Just then, the hat that had been crushing the Pope's face fell off, thud.
The old man, a shabby sight with his few strands of white hair, which had been neatly combed back, now a complete mess, fumbled and looked around.
"Onslaught."
But the moment he barely regained his senses, the only thing he would see was my foot, rapidly approaching.
Puk!
"Urk!"
Kooong.
The bastard who had rendered Nise and Liv so helpless and manipulated them as he pleased.
He collapsed from a single mana-infused roundhouse kick, unable to even let out a proper scream.
From just one hit.
"Son of a bitch."
I looked down at the old geezer, who had collapsed with blood streaming from his nose, and clenched and unclenched my fists several times.
I wanted to hit him a few more times, but there was still work to be done.
"Liv!"
I ignored the Pope's staff, which was bobbing up and down in the air, and hurried over to the collapsed Liv.
She was gasping for breath, as if she were about to die.
She had already exhausted a significant amount of life force using the cursed doll, and on top of that, the eyeball monster she was connected to had collapsed in a mess, so it was only natural she'd end up like this.
Should I not have dragged her into this from the beginning?
My heart grew heavy with guilt.
"I'm sorry I'm late, Liv."
She struggled to breathe, moving her lips.
"O-Oppa... Oppa..."
At those words, I lifted her in my arms and shot to my feet.
The shell, devoid of life, was unbelievably light, as if empty inside.
At the end of my run, carrying her, was, of course, Nise.
Startled by the phenomenon of all the holy knights suddenly collapsing, he was, thankfully, not yet dead.
But I was angry at the sight of him still holding the sword aloft, as if ready to die at any moment.
"Take her. Your sister's not dead yet."
I roughly shoved Liv, whom I'd been holding, at him. Finally,
Clang.
Nise dropped the sword he was holding and caught Liv.
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