Chapter 137 : Chapter 137
Chapter 137. Towards Reubungwo (5)
“The operation was a success, Dad! That old emperor tucked his tail and went back!”
“I didn’t even break a sweat. If he was going to run away from such a threat, he shouldn't have picked a fight in the first place.”
The two returned in just three hours.
At Noemi’s bright voice and Anonymous' curt voice, I let out a sigh of relief and smiled with satisfaction.
Just a moment ago, I had a headache from the urgent report that the great army of the Durani Empire was advancing north.
But the ‘operation’ I had secretly instructed Anonymous to carry out was a complete success.
She sent the empire's army back by merely displaying overwhelming power, without a single casualty.
For now, the urgent fire was put out.
“You both did great. You’ve worked very hard.”
At my praise, Anonymous rushed into my arms as if she had been waiting and rubbed her head against me.
The queen's dignity was nowhere to be seen, replaced by the image of a large, affectionate dog.
Noemi, too, had a very excited look on her face, her nose twitching as if she were craving praise.
I patted both children’s(?) heads and praised their hard work.
But then, Noemi’s eyes widened as she suddenly looked somewhere.
“Wow! Dad! Is that bridge already completed?”
Her gaze was directed at the massive canyon on the path to the east, which had been broken until recently.
There, a huge stone bridge, wide and sturdy enough for hundreds of people to cross at once, was proudly displayed.
“Yes. While you were briefly in the Beiseun Desert, it was completed with the help of our new friends.”
“New friends?”
I explained with a gentle smile.
“The dwarves didn't just build the bridge. They promised to accompany us to the easternmost village and even build a ship for us to cross the strait.”
At my explanation, Noemi's face lit up brightly.
“Wow! Wooow! Dad is the best, as expected! To make not only the elves but also the dwarves our allies!”
She jumped up and down with joy.
At that sight, the expressions of the elf guards who were with us seemed to stiffen slightly, but now was not the time to worry about that.
Noemi kept circling me, shouting “Dad is the best!”
Though I was pleased inside, I chided her to take it easy.
This wasn't my achievement alone.
Then, she suddenly looked around as if searching for someone.
“Who are you looking for?”
At my question, Noemi answered cheerfully.
“Is Douglas here by any chance?”
“If you’re looking for him, he's currently sparring with Adel in the training ground.”
Noemi's expression froze for a moment.
She asked back with a surprised face.
“What? With Sister Adel?”
A hint of jealousy and anxiety she wasn't even aware of was mixed in her voice.
‘This is as much of a headache as the Primus problem.’
I swallowed a bitter smile inwardly, anticipating the subtle war of nerves that would unfold between my daughters.
***
“Haah. Haah.”
Douglas Junior gasped for breath, clutching his heart that felt like it would explode.
It felt like every bone in his body was creaking, and sweat poured down like rain, blurring his vision.
In front of him, Adel Pendragon still stood without a single movement.
‘She’s incredible. I knew she was strong, but I didn't realize the difference was this huge.’
She wasn't even using Anceps, her trademark twin swords.
She was just holding a single, ordinary-looking greatsword that seemed to be for training.
And yet, Douglas hadn't been able to land a single effective hit on her.
When he tried to dig in to exploit an opening, a sword would fly in and block his attack, and when he tried to push through with force, he was blocked by a steel-like defense.
If anything, as time went on, he was being pushed back one-sidedly.
Adel looked down at him with cold eyes and spoke.
Her voice seemed to be laced with disappointment.
“Is this all? If this is all you've got, you'll end up dead in Reubungwo.”
Reubungwo.
The terrible things that were said to be happening there.
And the Lich King and Primus at the center of it all.
Her words pierced Douglas' heart like a dagger.
But at the same time, it reignited his fighting spirit.
“It's not over yet!”
He shouted, gritting his teeth.
He couldn't give up here.
Not if he wanted to earn his master's acknowledgment and avenge his parents.
“Hmph. Your spirit is good.”
Adel snorted, unlike her usual self.
“Then keep coming at me. If you can even graze the hem of my clothes, I'll count it as your victory.”
A clear provocation.
But Douglas did not back down.
He gathered all his remaining strength, kicked off the ground, and rushed at Adel.
“Iyaap!”
A blow with all his might.
But Adel deflected his sword to the side with far too much ease.
And it was followed by a concise yet powerful back kick.
Thwack!
“Keok!”
Douglas flew back, unable to breathe properly from the intense impact on his abdomen, and rolled miserably on the ground.
A pain as if every bone in his body was broken washed over him.
It was at that very moment.
“What do you think you're doing, sister!”
Noemi, who had run over from somewhere, stood in front of the fallen Douglas and shouted sharply at Adel.
Adel looked at Noemi with a blank expression for a moment, then turned her back without a word and walked out of the training ground.
Although Noemi kept shouting something from behind, she pretended not to hear and disappeared.
Douglas groaned and tried to get up.
Noemi tried to support him with a worried face, but he shook his head and declined her touch.
“It's okay, Noemi. This was a spar I wanted. So don't blame my sister too much.”
“But this is too much! Look, your wounds……!”
Noemi whimpered, looking at his torn clothes and bruised body.
But Douglas slowly shook his head.
“No. It's my fault for being lacking. I'm still a long way off.”
He propped himself up with his sword, struggling to stand.
Although his body was a wreck, the light in his eyes had not been broken in the slightest.
Rather, an even stronger fighting spirit was burning.
Noemi looked at him with a worried face.
But Douglas gave her a faint smile, then gripped his sword again and staggered off somewhere.
The only thought filling his head was that he had to get stronger.
Noemi watched his retreating back for a long time with a somehow lonely and pitiful expression.
“...Idiot.”
Her eyes reddened, and she couldn't leave the spot until his back had disappeared.
But the quiet word that came from Noemi’s mouth was unfortunately swept away by the wind and disappeared without reaching Douglas Junior’s ears.
***
Adel, who had left the training ground and gone deep into the forest, was filled with deep self-reproach as she recalled her actions just now.
‘I was a bit too harsh.’
Douglas Junior.
He had only come at her with the pure desire to become stronger.
But as soon as she saw his serious face, she lost her reason and kicked him much harder than necessary.
She hadn't intended to hurt him, but as a result, he must have been badly injured.
Moreover, when Noemi appeared and said something to her, she got upset and left the place without saying anything back.
It was clearly an un-sisterly, immature act.
Adel regretted her actions, but at the same time, she found it hard to understand why she had reacted so emotionally at that time.
‘Why am I being like this? Is it because of that kid, Douglas? Or Noemi? Or maybe…….’
For the past few days, her mind had been nothing but complicated.
Her father had persuaded the dwarves, and the bridge on the way to the east was finally completed, and the full-fledged journey to Reubungwo would begin soon.
She should be tense at the thought of the imminent decisive battle with Primus, but for some reason, her mind was elsewhere.
The sight of Douglas Junior sweating in the training ground.
The sight of Noemi approaching him and talking to him without hesitation kept flashing before her eyes.
The stinging and discomfort in a corner of her chest that she felt each time.
She couldn't identify this emotion.
‘If I had known, I should have just stayed in the dungeon like Iris and focused on clearing the hundred floors.’
Proving her strength and being acknowledged by her father.
That was the only goal she should be focusing on right now, but other thoughts kept tormenting her.
How many floors would Iris, who remained in the dungeon, have cleared by now?
Maybe she had already caught up to her.
Just as a train of complicated thoughts continued, one after another.
She felt a familiar presence behind her.
It was Alvarez.
He had approached Adel's side at some point and briefly looked towards the training ground where her gaze had been directed.
His expression was hard to read, but Adel could tell that he had vaguely noticed her complicated state of mind.
Alvarez suddenly drew his sword slowly.
“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”
His voice was low and calm.
“How about it? Why don't you clear your thoughts by crossing swords with me for a while?”
Adel was surprised by his suggestion for a moment, but she soon understood his deep intentions.
Alvarez was trying to help her regain her center as a swordswoman in the most familiar way.
So that she could pour out and empty the complicated emotions in her heart through the sword.
Adel smirked and she too drew her twin swords, Anceps.
Her complicated mind was calming down, and the senses of a knight, focusing only on the sword and the opponent before her, were returning.
“I'll be using Anceps this time, are you okay with that?”
At her provocative question, Alvarez replied with a relaxed smile.
Strong confidence was evident in his eyes.
“Hoho, of course. I'm different from that country bumpkin, Lady Adel.”
Clang!
As soon as the words were out, Adel's Anceps and Alvarez's sword clashed violently in the air.
Sparks flew with a sharp metallic sound.
As if to shake off her complicated thoughts, Adel swung her sword even more fiercely.
Alvarez also did his best to parry her sword without rest, so that she could pull herself together.
***
Meanwhile, at that time.
Nox was finally left with only the last three of the bizarre towers lined up along the coastline.
On his gaunt face, along with extreme fatigue, a faint sense of accomplishment was visible.
‘Only three left now.’
But the last towers that blocked his path were distinctly different from the previous ones.
As if in a last-ditch effort, the barrier surrounding the towers was emitting magic power so solid and powerful that it was incomparable to the previous ones.
“Kuaaak!”
Nox gathered all his magic power and shot out dark energy.
The powerful liches guarding his side also unleashed destruction magic at the same time.
But despite their combined attack, the tower's barrier did not even budge, like a rock before a huge wave.
“Huck. Huck. Why! Why won't it break!”
Nox screamed, gasping for breath.
He must have become much stronger in the process of destroying these towers.
And yet, these last towers stood firm as if to mock his power.
‘I wish Lord Primus would help me at a time like this.’
But his master, after showing up briefly a few days ago to give some encouragement that wasn't really encouragement, had been silent ever since.
Nox gritted his teeth.
He couldn't hope for his master's help.
He had to break through this final gate with his own power, somehow.
“Gather all your strength!”
Nox commanded the liches following him and his blue eyes flashed ominously once more.
From his gaunt fingertips, dark magic that seemed to swallow the world began to swirl once again.
He was preparing for a final attack, betting his all, towards the last remaining tower.