Chapter 64
Nothing More Than a Black Tool
Nothing more than a black tool.
After hearing those words from his aide, Ernant fell silent.
Seizing the pause, the aide continued.
“Of course, Sir Shunestern is an excellent sword. A remarkable knight. But in the end… he is just a tool.”
“…….”
“Would you really enter the battlefield yourself just because a lost tool is precious? I beg you to reconsider.”
Ernant moved his lips as if to respond.
But the only sound that escaped was a single murmur.
“Tool……”
There was nothing wrong with the aide’s words.
Ernant himself had directly called Yulia a “sword,” and a sword could never be more than a tool.
It could be replaced if broken or lost; that was the nature of a tool.
As the aide said, there was no way he could personally cross the rift for something as trivial as a mere tool.
However…
“…I don’t want to lose her. I’ll bring her back.”
Even though she was nothing more than a tool, Ernant could not accept Yulia’s disappearance.
It felt as if his heart were being crumpled like paper.
It felt as if all the blood in his body was surging to burst forth.
“So I will cross the rift—”
“Your Majesty, how about sending the remaining Imperial Guard across the rift instead?”
At the aide’s hastily offered suggestion, Ernant paused for a moment.
The Emperor’s Imperial Guard, composed entirely of Awakened.
Some of them had perished at Martin’s hands this time, but the rest were still on standby at the palace.
Of course, their original duty was not to hunt monsters beyond the rift, but to protect the Emperor.
Still, since they were Awakened with magic, they could survive even beyond the rift.
While Ernant deliberated briefly, the aide quickly continued.
“If they are well-trained, they will surely be able to rescue Sir Shunestern. There is no need for Your Majesty to intervene personally. For the sake of the Empire, please make use of them.”
Ernant had invested considerable time and money to fill the Imperial Guard entirely with Awakened.
Each member was a precious asset, a powerful resource.
If they disappeared, he would lose the means to check other forces, which was a great risk.
Yet—
“…….”
Closing his eyes, Ernant’s mind vividly pictured Yulia, who occasionally came to him, more clearly than ever today.
Her delicate frame. Hair shining transparently. Eyes holding the hue of violets.
He wanted to recover all of it, no matter the cost.
“Very well. Deploy the Imperial Guard.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will summon them immediately. Please rest assured and wait calmly.”
Sending a letter would take too long.
The aide hurried toward the villa to summon the Imperial Guard through a communication device.
After he left, only Ernant, the guards, and Willich remained near the rift.
Ernant’s green eyes, which had been warm when thinking of Yulia, suddenly turned cold.
“Willich.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Despite sensing the ominous tone, Willich bowed deeply in response.
Ernant continued to stare at him with a cold gaze and finally spoke.
“I trusted you. You’ve never disappointed me until now. But this time… it is utterly disappointing beyond tolerance.”
“…I have no excuse. I will accept whatever punishment you deem necessary.”
Hearing that, Ernant let out a deep sigh.
Without another word, he passed by Willich.
Willich dared to hope that perhaps Ernant would quietly overlook the mistake of losing Yulia, but then…
A cold, cutting command shattered that hope.
“Sever the right leg.”
“Y-Your Majesty……!!”
Even after hearing Willich’s desperate cries, Ernant did not retract his words.
With an expression devoid of sympathy, he merely said:
“There is no need to carry a slow leg that cannot even chase a woman with her abilities sealed, is there?”
“Your Majesty! Please… I beg you to reconsider! Without a leg, I…! Your Majesty…!!”
Despite the desperate pleas, they were in vain.
Willich’s cries dispersed into emptiness, unanswered.
“Ugh… my ankle…”
I quickly examined my throbbing ankle.
Though it wasn’t outwardly swollen yet, the pain suggested it would soon balloon.
I had twisted it from a poor landing.
Even though the cavern was dark, making such a basic mistake was entirely my fault.
“Tch.”
Massaging the injury, I quickly surveyed my surroundings.
I was in a small “room” in the middle of a monster-dug tunnel.
This monster nest seemed like an ant colony magnified tens of thousands of times, with spacious rooms scattered throughout.
Perhaps each room had a different purpose—some filled with mysterious meat chunks, others with monster eggs.
The room I was in appeared to serve as a food storage.
Based on the heaps of other monster corpses piled up.
I hid behind a pile of corpses, massaging my ankle.
No potions, and now my ankle was injured—what terrible luck.
My already slow movement speed had become even slower.
I had no choice but to hide and monitor the ankle, but today seemed particularly unlucky.
Kiiiiiii…
Suddenly, an unpleasant monster cry echoed from a distance.
If the owner of this tunnel was indeed an insect-type monster, it wouldn’t be difficult.
Even without using abilities, I could have killed it with just a sword.
The problem was I didn’t even have a branch, let alone a sword.
And I had just injured my ankle from a misstep.
So hiding was my only option.
Immediately, I smeared the juices from nearby monster corpses all over my body.
I wasn’t trying to make myself more appetizing for the monster.
Tunnel-dwelling monsters usually had extremely sharp senses of smell.
Since they lived in the dark, their eyes were weak, but their olfactory senses were highly developed.
I needed to mask the human scent radiating from me, even if it meant covering myself in corpse juices.
Quickly, I coated myself and crouched hidden among the corpses.
Almost simultaneously, three giant ant-like monsters entered the room.
Kigik.
Kiiiiiik.
Kigik.
They made disgusting sounds as if communicating.
I prayed they didn’t detect my scent, holding my breath tighter.
They began moving corpses nearby with their strong jaws, likely collecting food.
Then—
Kigik…?
One ant nearby lifted its head, sniffing around suspiciously.
I hoped it hadn’t noticed me, but it gradually approached my position.
Kigik.
Kigik.
Still, I had no branch or weapon, so I clenched my fists.
Thump. Thump.
For some reason, my heart was pounding faster and harder than usual.
Just like when I had been chased by Willich to the rift before.
What’s happening? Am I sick?
Shaking off the thought, I focused on the present.
“…….”
One step. Two steps.
The ant got closer as I held my breath.
I waited, making no noise, until it was right in front of the corpse pile I was hiding behind.
Thunk—!
Kyeeeek…!!
I drove my clenched fist into the ant’s eye.
Then quickly, I reshaped my hand and struck its neck.
Unlike its hard exoskeleton, the neck was relatively weak, allowing me to sever it easily.
After removing one ant’s head with bare hands, I rushed toward the second one.
Kyeeeek—!!
Having witnessed its comrade’s death up close, the second ant didn’t go down easily.
It swung its scythe-like forelimb at me.
In the dark and with my injured leg, I couldn’t see properly, and despite it being an attack I could normally dodge, I received a long gash under my collarbone.
