LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 222
Chapter 222. Changing the Dragon Plaque 2 (7)
Huff- Huff-.
Mucci was panting heavily.
‘How many days has it been now…?’
His head felt hazy, and he could hardly think straight.
All he knew was that he’d been in this situation for quite a while and that he was desperately hungry.
And the intense urge to sleep filled his mind.
But he knew that if he stopped thinking, he would probably fall asleep right then and there, so Mucci forced his brain to keep working.
‘How did it end up like this…?’
Through the foggy memories, he vaguely recalled something that happened about a month ago.
[Mucci Schnell, huh… That’s an unusual name.]
[Huh? W-Wait?! Schnell?]
[Could it be the Schnell of Ralph Schnell that we know?]
Simple introductions took place on the black ship heading to the Cradle.
Along with it, various gazes were cast his way.
Some people looked at him with envy.
Others, with fear.
And yet others with hostility.
No, in fact, most were looking at him with guarded eyes.
He had no intention of antagonizing anyone, but they already viewed him as a rival or, at worst, an obstacle.
‘If it were the old me, before meeting Yuri.’
He would have surely been intimidated by such looks.
But not anymore.
‘They just… don’t want to be left behind.’
Just as he had felt.
They simply wanted to beat their competitors.
Since meeting Yuri and learning about ambition, Mucci had come to accept competition.
That’s why he understood their hostility, and Mucci was prepared to fight them.
However, he overlooked one crucial fact.
That he had underestimated the tenacity of children who had been sifted through by the world.
And that not all competitions are fair and square.
[Sorry, but you’ll have to drop out here.]
Two days after receiving a strange silver coin with a hole in it whose origin he could not identify, nearly twenty people ambushed Mucci.
They were relentless and persistent.
[Our individual skills might be far below yours… but in the end, we will bring you down.]
Nearly twenty individuals took turns, attacking Mucci in groups of around ten.
As a result, Mucci had to endure a barrage of assaults day and night.
[Let’s see… how much longer can you hold out?]
One day, two days, three days, four days.
More than 20 days passed like this.
The assailants also looked exhausted and worn out, but since they could at least take breaks, their condition was not as bad.
But not Mucci.
Unable to eat properly or sleep, he became increasingly gaunt with each passing day.
And at the center of those tormenting Mucci was a girl with lemon-colored hair.
[…Impressive. I never thought you’d last this long.]
The girl, who somehow managed to command a dozen or so cadets as if they were her private soldiers, smiled in admiration at Mucci, who had endured such a lonely battle for so long.
But only for a moment.
[This test ends tomorrow. Just hold on one more day. I… I’m rooting for you. I hope you can make it through today as well.]
Malice.
Or perhaps purity.
Or maybe it was simply curiosity.
Following her variously interpreted smile, the dozen cadets put all their effort into attacking.
How many hours had passed since then?
[Hang in there a bit longer! Let’s become real cadets together!]
Following a voice from somewhere, Mucci swung his spear.
Whether all his harsh training had paid off or not, Mucci instinctively held out, enduring the onslaught from all directions.
But he knew.
He knew that his strength was almost depleted.
Just as he sensed, Mucci’s legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees.
Thud-.
As Mucci leaned against his spear, panting, someone approached.
“Is it over?”
A smile, as if exuding a lemon scent, floated before Mucci’s weary eyes, as if acknowledging his struggles.
“What a shame. If you’d just held on a little longer… you would’ve made it.”
The voice that seeped into his ears resonated like a lullaby.
Mucci, down on one knee, forced his heavy eyelids open.
There he met the teal eyes of the lemon-haired girl.
“Looks like this is where our story ends. Still, you were… quite the impressive guy.”
She gently caressed Mucci’s cheek with her fingertips.
“My name is Lisa, Lisa Verfort. If we get the chance… let’s meet again.”
The pure, radiant smile Lisa wore filled Mucci’s blurry vision.
It reminded him of someone he knew, in an uncanny way.
As he recalled that familiar smile, a distinct voice echoed in his ears.
[Hey, snot-nosed brat.]
Whether taunting or mocking, the faint voice cleared Mucci’s foggy vision a bit.
He gritted his teeth.
‘I can’t collapse here!’
He had made a promise.
To enter the Cradle no matter what.
And to fight him again.
He couldn’t afford to collapse in a place like this.
“Ugh!”
Clenching his teeth, Mucci gripped his spear tightly and pushed himself up.
Lisa jumped back, startled by his sudden movement.
Simultaneously, the other cadets behind her were about to rush toward Mucci.
But Lisa raised her hand, halting them.
Shhh-.
Watching Mucci struggling to stand, the girl’s eyes sparkled with awe.
“Beautiful…”
And within those dazzling eyes, a hint of cruelty spread.
“I want to see a bit more…”
Shing-.
Lisa, who had not stepped forward even once until now, drew two short daggers.
The blades were about 15 centimeters long.
They resembled the slightly curved fangs of a beast.
Holding the two daggers in reverse grip, Lisa smiled at Mucci.
“That face… won’t you show me a bit more?”
She took a step toward Mucci.
Thump-.
Though his consciousness was dim, Mucci sensed it instinctively.
This small, frail-looking girl approaching him was far more dangerous than any of the 17 cadets he had faced so far.
But Mucci couldn’t back down here.
No matter what, he had to enter the Cradle and meet Yuri.
Clang-.
So he thrust his spear forward and shouted.
“I… will become a cadet of the Cradle!”
The girl’s eyes lit up with joy.
“Yes! I’ll sincerely cheer you on!”
However, contrary to her words, an indescribable, terrible killing intent radiated from her entire body.
Woooooo-.
Mucci, mustering every last ounce of strength, and the lemon-haired girl’s yellow killing intent clashed in the air.
Just as a bloody battle was about to erupt.
“Stop! Don’t!”
“Don’t you dare bully my Poppy with hair, you bastards!”
Suddenly, a boy and a girl burst in from behind the encircling cadets around Mucci.
Boom-!
Crunch-!
An unexpected intrusion.
But even more shocking was their skill.
“What, what the?!”
“Gah!”
“Ugh! Who are you people?!”
The girl wielded a longsword, and the boy swung gauntlets, swiftly taking down Mucci’s attackers.
Crunch-.
In the blink of an eye, four of the 17 fell.
From this, Mucci realized that the skills of these two were not below his own.
Of course, Lisa noticed this as well.
“Don’t engage; scatter!”
At the girl’s command, the cadets scattered in all directions.
But Nellie and Clarice, who had been rescuing Mucci, weren’t about to let them go.
“Where do you think you’re running to? You tried to do something terrible!”
“You bugs! You worthless trash who would need a 13-day beating from that crazy Yuri bastard to get your heads straight! You dare threaten us?”
Whatever had infuriated them, the boy and girl rampaged like frenzied foals.
In response, Lisa and the cadets who had been harassing Mucci scattered and fled.
Meanwhile, Mucci…
‘Yuri…?’
The familiar name mentioned by the man with the red epaulet filled him with a sense of relief.
Thud-.
And with that, he lost consciousness and collapsed.
* * *
Yuri moved surrounded by many Black Sword Corps members.
It was clear that the Black Sword Corps had encircled Yuri in case he tried to escape.
“Ahem!”
But Yuri, with his hands clasped behind his back, walked so confidently that it seemed more like a royal escort than a containment.
Even more so, the person following slightly behind him on his left, almost like a secretary, was none other than the Deputy Commander of the Black Sword Corps.
In some ways, it was an excessively luxurious escort.
After walking for quite a while, Yuri suddenly glanced back and asked.
“This is the right way, isn’t it?”
“…You’ve been finding your way without asking until now; why suddenly ask?”
“If you’re not telling me because you’re testing whether I know the new location of the Deputy Commander’s barracks, then stop wasting time and just tell me.”
“…I don’t know if you’re bold or shameless.”
“Both, actually. So, has the location changed or not?”
“It hasn’t. It’s the same.”
“Alright then.”
Yuri shrugged and started heading toward the Deputy Commander’s barracks that he remembered from the past.
Eventually, he arrived at one particular barracks.
“Here, right?”
“Yes.”
Yuri carefully surveyed the surroundings of the familiar place before pulling aside the curtain and stepping inside.
Swish-.
Soon, the interior came into full view
.
A spacious area.
A narrow bed with crumpled bedding tossed carelessly.
A large desk with stacks of documents piled up in various places.
And even various daily necessities.
Yuri quickly scanned the room and frowned before turning to Duran, who had followed him in.
“…I told you not to waste time, didn’t I?”
“What are you talking about?”
Duran asked, looking perplexed, and Yuri replied in an irritated tone.
“This isn’t the Deputy Commander’s barracks, is it?”
“What are you saying?”
“Don’t play dumb. Anyone can tell this isn’t the Deputy Commander’s barracks.”
“Based on what?”
“The smell.”
“That’s all?”
“The scents of men, women, children, and elders are all different… But no matter how much I sniff around, I don’t catch the scent of a lone man living here; I smell something else.”
“Ho? And what’s that?”
“It’s a woman’s scent. A woman in her late thirties or early forties lives here.”
“Well, you’ve got a nose like a damn dog.”
Duran chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
“Enough. Fall back. This guy isn’t it.”
No sooner had the command been given than the presence of those hiding outside the tent vanished instantly.
Duran then waved Yuri off as well.
“You can go now. Good work.”
“Huh?”
Yuri blinked.
“You mean… go?”
“Were you planning to stick around?”
“You’re letting me go… just like that?”
“So what?”
“…Why?”
“Are you the culprit?”
“No?”
“Then why do you look so surprised when I say you’re free to go?”
“Well, honestly, it’s just so abrupt! You wouldn’t let me go when I was begging to be released!”
“That was then. This is now.”
“So, back then, I seemed like the culprit, but now I don’t?”
“You got it.”
“Damn it!”
Yuri’s brows furrowed in frustration.
‘Seriously, they’re playing with people!’
While silently grumbling, Yuri pondered the entire situation.
‘If they were just going to let me go so easily… why did they try so hard to keep me detained?’
And why did they readily accept his proposal to catch the real culprit?
Why did they bring him here?
And now, why were they suddenly letting him go?
Yuri quickly pieced together what all these questions pointed toward.
‘This was a test for me. And whatever it was, I must’ve passed, which cleared their suspicions of me.’
Still, were they really going to let him go just like that?
Without a hint of hesitation?
After analyzing his thoughts swiftly, Yuri reached a conclusion.
His eyes widened slightly as he asked.
“Could it be… you’ve already caught the real culprit?”
Somewhat assured by Yuri’s question, Duran chuckled and answered.
“You’ve got sharp senses.”
Upon confirming his suspicion, Yuri muttered in disbelief.
“Damn it. You weren’t just after the culprit; you were looking for the accomplices.”
* * *
As Clarice and Nellie’s ambush swiftly took down seven of the attackers, those who had been tormenting Mucci gave up and fled.
Ordinarily, Clarice and Nellie would have chased them down immediately, but this time, they couldn’t.
They had run into a significant problem.
“Hmm…”
“Uh…”
The two looked down at Mucci, who was sprawled on the ground, with a troubled expression.
“…What do we do with him?”
“…Right?”
No matter how much they shook his cheeks, the boy with hair like Poppy showed no signs of waking up.
The problem was that if they left him here, who knew what might happen next.
After thinking it over, the two reached a decision.
Rather than leave this trouble behind and worry, it would be better to hand him over to someone who wanted him.
“Instead of leaving him here and stressing out… it’s better to quickly get rid of this bomb and focus on the Dragon Plaque Exchange!”
“Yeah, let’s do that!”
With their minds made up, the two nodded at each other.
However, the problem was that the unconscious boy, true to his nickname “Poppy with hair,” was massive.
He was too heavy to lift and carry easily.
But that issue was quickly solved thanks to Clarice’s ingenuity.
Rustle- Thump-.
Clarice ran into the forest, returned with a bundle of vines, and securely tied Mucci’s wrists, ankles, and calves.
Then she threaded Mucci’s axe-spear through the vines.
“Alright, let’s lift.”
“Yeah.”
With Clarice in front and Nellie at the back, they hoisted the axe-spear onto their shoulders, leaving Mucci dangling like a roasted pig.
“Hup!”
“Ugh, he’s heavy.”
The two took off running quickly.
They were determined to toss the ticking time bomb, known as “Poppy with hair,” out of the Forest of Beginnings.
And thus, the two great heroes who saved the entire 50th group from disaster were born.