Chapter 60
‘So, simple attacks won’t work, huh.’
Then I just need an attack that works on anyone.
Cut off the neck.
Pah!
I lowered my body as much as possible and dove toward the creature’s underside.
It waved its arms as if to block me, but I was already ahead of it.
Crackkk!
From my left hand, a long blade of ice shot out.
The Ice Blade pierced straight through both of its arms.
Crunch!
The monster screamed in pain, but it was far from over.
I drove my sword at its left knee.
Slashing wouldn’t work—its body didn’t take damage that way.
So I focused my strength on one precise thrust aimed at the knee joint.
Puk!
Even though the blade sank deep into its massive knee, the thing still didn’t fall.
Then I’ll just shatter it completely.
I twisted the sword embedded in its leg with all my strength.
Crackkk!
A sound like snapping chicken bones tore through its flesh.
Kraaaagh!
Only then did the creature lose balance and topple to the side.
If I gave it even a moment, it would start regenerating.
I had to finish it before that happened.
“Hup!”
I yanked the Dragonscale Sword free from its knee and swung it toward its neck.
A blue aura burst from the blade.
Slash!
“…Huh?”
The sword grazed its neck but didn’t cut through.
Persistent bastard. But I expected that much.
Using the momentum from my swing, I spun my body around.
The blade traced its neck again, faster and heavier this time.
Strike after strike, I didn’t stop until its breath did.
When I finally landed the last blow, its head flew high into the air.
Grrrrrrr…
Even decapitated, it glared at me with burning eyes.
That’s the problem with named monsters—they never know when to die.
Just to be sure, I raised my left hand above its torso.
‘Fireball.’
A sphere of red flame burst forth.
The creature’s body began to boil and convulse, then—
Bwoom!
A heavy tearing sound erupted from its chest, right where the core was.
…Khhrk.
Only after I blew apart the heart—the site of the magic core—did the light finally fade from its eyes.
“Whew!”
Once the ogre was dead, the morale of the guards, which had plummeted, began to surge back.
“Hyaaah!”
“Everyone, fall behind me!”
“Yes, sir!”
With Priana and Islin joining in, the guards regained their fighting spirit.
“Wounded, fall back! Anyone who can still hold a weapon, follow me!”
“Stand up! Are we just going to let our benefactor fight alone?!”
“No, sir!”
“Uaaahh!”
With the guards’ support, the Blood Hounds that had stormed the VIP chamber were swiftly exterminated.
I caught my breath and joined their ranks.
“Make sure every last one of them is dead! Don’t underestimate them—these bastards are all named monsters!”
“Yes, sir!”
Islin had already moved to the rear to treat the wounded.
One by one, the monsters invading the VIP hall fell.
Kaeng!
I drove my sword through the back of the last Blood Hound.
Something hard snagged on the blade, so I pushed harder.
Crack!
Whatever it was shattered into pieces.
“Is that the last one?”
“Yes, my lord! You’ve done so much for us!”
“Yeah… that was rough.”
When the ogre first broke in, my head had gone blank.
According to the original story, the Golden Bank wasn’t supposed to be attacked until much later.
That’s why I’d let my guard down—why I’d been caught off-guard.
Something I did must’ve triggered the raid early.
‘But what?’
Could it be because of my involvement with Claude?
“Ugh…”
“My lord! Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No, nothing serious.”
I’ll think about that later.
Right now, I have to stop the raid on the Golden Bank.
At least I’d prevented the worst—mass slaughter of nobles in the VIP chamber.
Next…
“The vault.”
The Golden Bank’s Great Vault didn’t just store gold.
There were valuable artifacts and even relics of the ancients mixed in.
And that was the problem.
Ordinary people couldn’t use those relics, but remnants of the Kazan Empire could.
They were masters at it—using ancient relics to tear the continent apart or gain power through unnatural means.
If they got hold of them, it could trigger another Great War far sooner than expected.
Then debts and politics wouldn’t matter—only bloodshed.
“Thank you! Our savior!”
The surviving guards knelt before me.
Most were wounded, their bandages still soaked in blood.
Proof that they’d fought with their lives.
“Forgive me, benefactor, but may I ask your name?”
“My name, huh.”
There were still many nobles in the room.
The guards wouldn’t recognize my face, being from another kingdom.
‘But they’ll know my name. The infamous bastard of Isother.’
“Ian Imperada.”
“I–Ian Impera?! You’re from the Isother Kingdom—”
“That’s right. I’m that good-for-nothing noble brat.”
“N-not at all! You saved us all—both guards and nobles alike! You’re our savior! Calling you that feels like blasphemy!”
“Heh. You’ve got a silver tongue.”
Just as I was about to turn away from the flattery, a noble stepped in front of me.
A middle-aged man with a thick white beard.
“No, my good sir of the Impera family.”
“Hm?”
“I am Slym, head of the Duran family. I will never forget this debt, nor will any of us here.”
‘Duran family?’
I didn’t recognize the name—it must belong to a noble house from a neighboring kingdom.
“Th-thank you, noble of House Impera…”
The other nobles echoed his gratitude, though they looked uneasy, perhaps aware of my reputation.
Still, they seemed to respect Slym’s lead.
He must’ve been a man of considerable influence.
‘Well, not bad for me.’
It wasn’t infamy this time—they were calling me a hero. No reason to complain.
‘Anyway—’
There were more pressing matters.
While saving them was good and all, the real culprits behind this were probably at the vault right now.
If the vault was breached, it’d be catastrophic.
“Priana, Islin—you’re both unhurt?”
“Yes! Thanks to you taking out the named ogre, I’m still in one piece.”
“Same here.”
“Good. Then follow me. We’re going to find whoever started this and beat them senseless.”
“Yes, sir!”
Just hours ago, the streets around the bank district had been gleaming with magic barriers.
Now, the only thing glowing was fire.
Corpses lay scattered beneath the flickering red blaze.
“Damn it…”
The dead couldn’t be helped.
But if we stopped the attackers here, we could at least save the residential areas.
To do that, we had to cut through the horde of monsters swarming the bank district.
The road to the vault was packed with named monsters—rare beasts blocking every path.
But against the three of us, they didn’t stand a chance.
Shick!
“Huff… huff…!”
Priana pulled her blade from a Lizardman’s chest, breathing heavily.
“This area… I think that’s all of them!”
Around us lay monster corpses, still warm, hearts and heads missing.
We’d managed to clear them, but our stamina was running low.
‘Idiots… how many monsters did they hide in a city full of people?’
Annoyance flared, but there was no time to dwell on it.
We had to reach the vault and eliminate the mastermind.
“But my lord! If the one who turned all these monsters into named monsters is that strong…”
“Yeah. At least rank 5 in summoning—maybe even 6.”
“Hmm…”
Always plan for the worst.
If the culprit was a Rank 6 summoner, then it might be the same trio who destroyed the Golden Bank in the novel.
Gulp.
At this point in the story, they were probably weaker than their peak versions… but still terrifyingly strong.
Could we win?
“…We can.”
Technically, there were three culprits—but one of them was Claude.
If he was involved, he wasn’t necessarily my enemy.
He’d already promised me once, in exchange for teaching him how to unseal the knightly relic:
“Come find me anytime—you’ll have my help once.”
A sworn oath on his own name. He wouldn’t back out.
That left two enemies: the summoner and the mage.
Summoners were tricky—they could control monsters, even resurrect them as new named beasts.
But that also made them vulnerable.
“Summoners are weak in close combat. If one of us keeps their monsters busy, the other can go straight for the summoner’s body.”
“Oh…”
“Besides, we’re not here to defeat them—just to stall them. They’re after the vault’s treasure. If we hold out long enough, the Allied Knights will arrive.”
Even the strongest of enemies wouldn’t risk fighting an entire knight order.
“They’ll have to retreat eventually.”
“I see!”
Priana’s eyes lit up with determination.
‘Of course, that still depends on how many monsters a Rank 6 summoner can handle…’
Maybe I should call Claude after all?
I could contact him easily with the communication orb in my pocket.
But if these attackers were remnants of the Emperor’s faction—Claude’s own allies—asking him to fight them could get messy.
‘…I’ll save that option for now.’
Claude was my trump card, and I wasn’t wasting it this early.
“Let’s move!”
“Yes, my lord!”
I shelved the orb and led Priana and Islin toward the vault.
The Great Vault—where the Golden Bank’s treasures slept—was the most heavily fortified structure in the district.
Normally, it was wrapped in layers of magical barriers.
But tonight, it was just a dull gray building, lifeless and exposed.
If the barriers in the VIP hall were gone, these would be too.
The heavy steel doors were still intact, but for Rank 6 monsters, that meant little.
They’d tear through it in no time.
Boom!
I kicked open the main gate and stepped inside.
The central hall of the vault lay before us—empty, except for scattered corpses of guards.
No monsters.
Just one figure, standing alone.
A person cloaked in red, face hidden, long red curls spilling from beneath the hood.
“So it’s you.”
I raised the Dragonscale Sword, aura crackling around it, and aimed it at the figure.
I could feel it now—tall, slender, but deadly.
I’d never seen her before, but the description matched perfectly.
The Summoner, Varca.
Just as I’d feared, the worst-case scenario was true.
The mastermind behind the Golden Bank raid was her.
A notorious woman—infamous across the continent.
The lunatic who single-handedly destroyed the Pessis Monster Auction, and later the Golden Bank itself.
Not just crazy—but powerful beyond belief.
‘Ha. Just my damn luck.’
