Chapter 294
"Liberta!?"
"Protect His Majesty!!!"
Jakaran's violent act had an impact enough to freeze the entire venue in an instant.
Lady Esmeralda's scream, the Edelgard Duke's shout.
And then.
"Jakaran!!"
The Boldrinde Duke's roar.
These three overlapped, transforming the venue, which had just been lively with dancing, into a scene of utter chaos.
As for me, who took a full-force punch to the face, I rode the momentum of the blow, sent two tables flying, and ended up lying on the ground.
"Are you alright!?"
"Yeah, more or less."
I twisted my neck to deflect the impact, so the damage wasn't that severe.
If I'd wanted to, I could have stopped it right there, but for a dramatic effect, this was necessary.
As Lady Esmeralda, Lady Iris, and Lotus-san rushed over, I deliberately didn't get up on my own and let Lady Esmeralda, who was the first to reach me, help me up.
I winked at her to signal I was okay, making sure no one else saw.
As I was helped up, I saw soldiers pointing their spears at Jakaran, trying to restrain him.
Well, he attempted to punch a Duke, and the country's top leader, the King, was also nearby.
Above all, the timing of his attack was the worst.
Whether it was a misunderstanding or not, throwing a punch with lethal force in front of the King is unacceptable, be it for a noble or a commoner.
"Lord Boldrinde, could you explain what this is about? This wouldn't be an attempt on His Majesty's life, would it?"
After glancing to confirm I was being helped up and seeing I was unharmed, the Edelgard Duke moved the King behind him and directed the soldiers to surround Jakaran and the Boldrinde Duke.
It wouldn't be strange to suspect treason. The verbal battle, where he was previously at a disadvantage, had now reversed. Thanks to this scene serving as definitive evidence, the Edelgard Duke began berating the Boldrinde Duke.
"No, that was not my intention—"
"Then how do you explain the earlier exchange? That man just now said he would kill me and launched an attack! Do you intend to call that a joke?"
No matter the reason, the fact that he clearly directed murderous intent and attacked in this setting cannot be erased.
The powerful figures present heard it, and the many nobles here witnessed me being punched and sent flying.
Even the Boldrinde Duke isn't silver-tongued enough to gloss over that.
"Hey, who are you pointing your weapons at?"
In this worst-possible atmosphere, Jakaran, his reason burned away by anger and incapable of sound judgment, began directing his murderous intent towards the soldiers aiming their weapons at him.
The soldiers, showing heightened alertness, made the King and the Edelgard Duke retreat further.
"Don't move!!"
The Captain of the Royal Guard drew the sword at his hip and confronted Jakaran.
"I told you not to move, Jakaran!!"
"Shut up!! Endure, endure! I'm sick of this!!"
It seems the definition of 'worst' is updated downwards daily. Controlling a beast that has once broken its reins is impossible.
The disguise has been stripped away, the beast is out, and words can no longer stop it.
He doesn't grasp why weapons are being pointed at him.
No, he detests the very act of having weapons pointed at him, feels stressed, and finds it unreasonable.
"I can't take it anymore. I'll make everything here mine!!""It seems there is no more room for discussion. Your Majesty.""Indeed..."
It's patently obvious he cannot control his subordinate. And regardless of whether he realizes it or not, endangering the king of a nation is something even an indecisive king cannot forgive.
"Soldiers!! Seize that rebel!! If he resists, you may kill him!! Lord Boldrinde! If you shield that man any further, you will be arrested as an accomplice!""...No. That man is no longer my subordinate.""Then, I have questions for you later. Soldiers, take Lord Boldrinde away."
Under the King's command, the Royal Guard moved to capture Jakaran.The Boldrinde Duke, who should have protected him, shook his head, quietly stepped away from Jakaran's side, and surrendered himself to the Royal Guard.
This is a measure for the interrogation that awaits him later.
"Don't take him away!"
The only one objecting to this here is Jakaran.The moment he tried to lay a hand on a knight attempting to take him away, one of the knights thrust his spear, grazing Jakaran's cheek, from which a trickle of blood flowed.
"Hah?"
It was meant as a warning action, but for Jakaran, it was a misstep.Perhaps intended to intimidate and break his will to resist, but the sight of his own blood made the beast within emerge further.Bloodshot eyes, surging murderous intent.
The switch had been flipped completely.
"Kill you."
The beast ran wild.He grabbed the blade of a spear thrust near him, pulled it, yanking the knight forward, and punched him away.
"Attack!! You may kill him!!""You're the one who's gonna die!!"
The battle between the beast and the knights was ignited.But letting them fight like this isn't good.
Him running amok will cause damage, big or small, and other nobles panicking and fleeing might spread the damage further.
"Esmeralda.""Yes, I understand."
Therefore, it's best to subdue him quickly.I thought it was about time and got up, and Lady Esmeralda also stood up accordingly.Then, Lady Esmeralda pointed her fan at the rampaging Jakaran.
"Shock Bolt."
She unleashed lightning magic from its tip.The lightning struck Jakaran without the slightest deviation.
"Gah!?"
For a moment, Jakaran's body was electrocuted.
"Y-you woman!!""Not only were you obsessing over my little sister, but you also punched my important person."
Even if it was originally a low-power Shock Bolt, with Class 8 magical power, it possessed enough force to stop Jakaran's movements in a single blow.Although this was part of the prearranged plan, everyone, including the Edelgard Duke, Lady Iris, and Lotus-san, had opposed it.But I insisted it was necessary to create a definitive scandal, and Lady Esmeralda, after confirming my resolve was firm by double-checking the necessity with me, was the first to agree.
"Such behavior is unforgivable."
However, that doesn't mean her heart is calm.Magical power wavered forth.Hiding her mouth with her fan, a cold smile appeared in her eyes.
Jakaran's body twitched in response.
Though he had lost himself in anger, the appearance of an overwhelmingly powerful being made him belatedly become calm and start to feel fear.
"Now that I recall, you were directing quite passionate glances towards me and my sister, weren't you?"
Lady Esmeralda dominated the atmosphere of the place.Even the Royal Guard was intimidated by this one young lady, looking to their captain for instructions, but even that crucial captain was overwhelmed by Lady Esmeralda's intensity.Her commanding presence made even the Royal Guard realize they had made an enemy of a woman who should never be opposed.
"Very well. Would you care to dance with me?"
As if to avoid being caught in her aura, the knights who had been surrounding Jakaran gradually widened their encirclement, opting to watch from a distance.It was a chance to escape, but the instinctual fear that he would be attacked if he so much as turned his back kept Jakaran rooted to the spot.
"Well, 'Hero'-sama?"
As if she couldn't care less about Jakaran's fear, Lady Esmeralda smoothly extended her fan forward again.Perhaps it was the beast's intuition that allowed him to react to her movement.
"Shock Bolt."
He dodged the straight-flying lightning bolt by throwing himself aside recklessly and started running.His destination was the window. It was clear he intended to escape. Lady Esmeralda watched his movements calmly.
"My, oh my? Are you running away?"
With a gaze that seemed to say 'how pathetic,' she made a gesture as if brushing something away and flourished her fan.
"Electric Mine."
She laid an electric mine in his escape path.Just one step away from triggering it and being showered with lightning, Jakaran stopped short, seemingly avoiding it.
But that was a mistake.
"Electric Sphere."
I am Lady Esmeralda's instructor for PvP combat.The numerous lightning spheres she continuously deployed, making them crawl along the walls, were also...
"Electric Mine."
The electric mines she began laying in a circular pattern...They are all part of the combat tactics I researched day and night to enable a mage to win in PvP.
Originally, she could have laid the Electric Mine directly at his feet and subdued him instantly.There was also the option of simply hitting him directly with Hound Lightning to electrocute him without all this trouble.
"I invited you to dance, and you run away? Such ungentlemanly behavior."
Lady Esmeralda hadn't moved a single step from her initial position.She just kept watching Jakaran calmly and intently.
"Do you dislike dancing with me that much?"
Electric mines on the ground, electric orbs in the air.He might be able to escape through the gaps, but Lady Esmeralda wouldn't let those gaps go unnoticed.
Effectively, though simply, with his retreat cut off, Jakaran reluctantly found himself facing Lady Esmeralda.
"......"
He looked around restlessly.His eyes pleaded for someone to help him, but the women who came with him had already fled. The nobles of the Boldrinde Duke's faction, their leader captured, left the venue hastily, not wanting to get involved.
Those remaining were nobles from other factions. Jakaran had no acquaintances among them.
"Are you looking away? Is that acceptable?"
An abandoned beast. And once again, lightning surged forth.
"Gah!!?"
This time, he couldn't dodge.Taking the Shock Bolt, Jakaran nearly lost consciousness.
But, thanks to his inherent toughness and the effect of Berserk God, his durability was increased, so he didn't fall.
"Is it already over?"
Aimed at Jakaran, who was staggering from just two spells, she once again covered her mouth with her fan, exuding an aura of boredom—the very picture of a villainess.
"Don't look down on me, you woman!!!"
Realizing he couldn't escape, Jakaran desperately charged forward, trying to throw a punch, but...
"Electric Mine."
"Gah!!?"
Before he could close the distance, he experienced his third electrocution from the electric mine laid at his feet.
"Rest assured. I have not the slightest intention of looking down on you. I will defeat you surely, and with my full power."
Tasting lightning more powerful than Shock Bolt, even Jakaran took significant damage. More than that, Lady Esmeralda's cold words were steadily painting over his anger with fear, and it was clear even from the outside that he was wondering 'why?'
"Why?""'Why?' You ask that now?"
When the impatient Jakaran bluntly voiced his question, Lady Esmeralda moved the fan away from her mouth, snapped it shut with a sharp clap against her palm.
"The answer is exceedingly simple."
Intimidated by her forcefulness, Jakaran took a step back, but Lady Esmeralda's gaze didn't permit it.
"You have angered me. That is all."
Even though it was part of the plan—or perhaps precisely because he was the one who forced us to make such a plan—Lady Esmeralda unleashed lightning upon Jakaran, venting her pent-up, almost misdirected, frustration.