Chapter 712 – Someone’s Rest, Someone’s Hardship (8)
—
Observatory
“That’s strange.”
“What’s strange, Kain?”
“Right now, Eunsol has subdued nearly 300 of the Is tribe. They’re even putting their lives on the line to resist the dukes.”
“Wow! That’s amazing!”
“It’s amazing, alright. It’s so amazing that it feels weird.”
“Hmm, you’re saying it’s so strong that it doesn’t make sense?”
“Can that level of ability really just be ‘merely’ a level three enhancement? Thinking simply, it seems like there should be a fatal weakness.”
“…”
“Kain! Let’s switch. You’re bleeding a lot.”
“… Miro, I wish you had called Hyung or Ahri instead—”
“Do you not trust me right now?”
“…”
—
Lee Eunsol
Voices crying for my liberation echoed all around!
「@#$%&*!」
「%+*@!!#!」
The dukes, mixing anger with confusion, tried to calm the situation, but it didn’t seem like it was going their way.
At first, I thought it was just thankfulness, but I didn’t think I could stand against them.
The subordinate entities under the Count are at least two ranks below the dukes.
There’s a massive difference between a Count who can take down two beings in 1-2 minutes by himself and the dukes, who even a party of participants wouldn’t guarantee a win against.
In actuality, a standoff had formed, regardless of the difference in battle power.
As the dukes themselves revealed, the king had long tasked them with protecting their tribe.
Therefore, the dukes had no choice but to be lenient with their kin, which is a whole different issue from the strength disparity.
At that moment, I felt a near-overwhelming emotion.
Was I moved by the loyalty of hundreds from the Is tribe?
Ha ha! It’s not even voluntary loyalty, so being moved by that sounds a bit off.
Rather, it was awe at the sheer might of my newly acquired ability.
Though they may seem pathetic when they’re subdued, they’re by no means weak beings.
You might say they’re just alien subordinates?
The term ‘subordinate’ only applies because they belong to the ‘Great Tribe of Is.’
Each one is a powerful being that can’t be compared to humans, and if it’s a Count-level entity, it could stand against hotel participants!
To have the ability to command such a mighty group—how powerful is that?
I was overwhelmed by the strength of my power!
…
I felt not just awe but bizarre clarity.
Could this level of ability actually just be a level three enhancement?
Isn’t this kind of power more like the blessing of dominion at level four?
On one hand, I also thought about this.
Even the dukes not influenced by Noblesse Oblige regard me as the king’s successor, or at least act politely towards me on the surface.
The truth that I am the king’s daughter and a being who can channel the king’s power is something my foes cannot deny.
Could this be the synergy and blessing in action?
Just as I was thinking this, the situation in the arena began to change rapidly.
“There’s only one way to end this situation!”
The demeanor of B and C shifted, ignoring the subordinate entities, and they began to refocus on me.
The two dukes decided to grab me by force, disregarding the chaos of the subordinates or A’s unwelcome interference!
— Swoosh…!
“Ugh!”
“Princess, don’t blame us for this chaos!”
In an instant, an intangible force overpowered the hundreds of subordinate entities and harshly seized me.
I had hoped A would step in to restrain the other two dukes, but he merely watched the chaos unfold like an observer.
Ultimately, the moment to make a decision had arrived.
“… I’m the one who should be saying this. Don’t blame me.”
“What do you—”
—
「Hand of Greed: 1 -> 0」
“Please give me a divine move that can break through this situation!”
In that moment, I realized I was making a wish far more abstract than usual.
It was difficult to gauge exactly what to ask for.
Asking to kill the dukes was a bit much, wasn’t it?
Now that I had made a vague wish, I felt a bit anxious about leaving the rest to the sponsor’s discretion.
Please don’t grant it weirdly, okay?
「Granted.」
The next moment, a dark blue wave began to swirl around me.
— Kwahhhh!
The muddy wave struck a wide area in an instant, and even the dukes couldn’t escape completely.
「What the hell?!」
Thanks to that, one of the dukes, who had come near me, lost more than 20% of its flesh in an instant.
「Ugh…!」
「I never thought you had such tricks hidden!」
This was no simple whirlwind, nor was it some natural tide.
It was a mighty magic summoned by the Dragon of Greed, courtesy of the sponsor!
While I marveled at its destructive power, I couldn’t help but wonder.
Wasn’t this slightly different from the Hand of Greed I had known before?
“…”
Past instances floated in my mind.
When I used it in the hotel, it typically manifested as an event.
What about in reality?
When Kain and I were trapped in that other dimension, the clients from Delight accidentally got trapped in the elevator instead of us.
When we were on Elena’s cruise and fell into another participant’s trap, an incomplete Ark nearby detected us by mere coincidence.
The intervention of the Hand of Greed tends to be indirect rather than direct.
For instance, what if I wished to kill the monster?
Rather than firing lasers from my hands out of nowhere, it could orchestrate the nearby Administration Bureau to spot my location by chance.
But this time was different.
Anyone could see that I, ‘Lee Eunsol,’ was unleashing this destructive high magic!
“Ugh!”
Sudden realization struck me.
The dukes were barely managing to evade my destructive magic as it was spreading devastation all around!
What about the subordinate entities serving me?!
「Gahhh!」
The area turned into a scene straight out of hell.
Innocent bystanders, not to mention the Is tribe members who were risking their lives to protect me, were swept away without a breath to spare.
The dark blue wave of destruction was almost like a living snake, as if a demon from hell inhaled hundreds of mortals in a single breath.
“Ah, aah…”
In a dizzying shock, I staggered and thought.
The Hand of Greed is a power that collects costs without hesitation from those around me, excluding me.
Would a sponsor capable of such power care about the ‘petty matters’ like mortals’ lives?
The Dragon of Greed wouldn’t flinch if 100,000 people died in a single magic cast!
…
I know full well that the Hand of Greed holds such power.
Even knowing that, when faced with crisis, I used it without hesitation.
Because I’m more precious.
Because my life is more valuable.
If I find myself in the same situation again, I wouldn’t hesitate a bit to use it.
…
Then, I realized a sad truth.
Thinking like that is merely the instinct for survival, and perhaps it might even be rational in some sense.
However, it certainly does not carry an attitude that could be described as noble.
If those fulfilling their duties gain nobility, then those who violate their duties will inevitably lose it.
“…”
Noblesse Oblige had been shattered.
—
“What the hell? What is going on?!”
“Miro? What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s the crazy lizard that ruined everything!”
“C-calm down and explain.”
“Some strange summon appeared, and I thought we’d fight the dukes, but the dukes ended up being barely hurt!”
“And then?”
“The dukes are fine, but Eunsol’s subordinates are the ones who died! What’s going on? That crazy lizard—”
“Miro, chill out, chill out.”
—
Lee Eunsol
When the whirlwind began to settle, I realized I was in the worst crisis of my life.
The magic was grand and flashy, but it wasn’t enough to take down a duke.
Was the power too overwhelming to withstand? I could just dodge it if I didn’t get swept away, right?
The two dukes still flaunted their overwhelming power.
The subordinate entities, who had risked their lives just moments ago to protect me, were now looking at me with confusion and anger.
“… Oh.”
How on earth should I navigate this situation?
Right at that moment!
— Rumble!
I suddenly felt my body shoot up to the sky with an electrifying sensation!
“Ugggh!”
In an instant, my blood vessels burst in my eyes, blurring my vision, and I started gagging.
Are the dukes taking me to the king?
I can’t afford to get hurt; there’s no reason to abduct me so roughly—
“Endure this, as we must evade pursuit!”
“Ugh-”
The moment I shut my eyes and reopened them, I found myself soaring high enough that the ground was barely visible.
Meanwhile, upon hearing those words, I realized that something had gone horribly wrong.
Evade pursuit?
“You, you are— A?”
“A? If you’re distinguishing me from the other dukes, then yes, that would be correct.”
— Rumble!
I was moving so quickly that I couldn’t even identify my location.
It felt like we were out of Seoul before I could catch my breath.
The voice echoed again.
“The day the king fell, you and your companions vanished somewhere.”
“…”
“You must have departed for the celestial realm. Is that correct?”
“Correct… Ah!”
“In that case, there must be a route to travel between the celestial realms.”
“…”
“Please tell me the location. Just thinking about it is enough.”
“Go back to the celestial realm again?”
“Your current location is exposed to everyone. I cannot protect you alone. So, return to the celestial realm, regroup, and come back.”
“…”
“After you return, contact me secretly.”
I disclosed the location of the building with an elevator and learned how to contact A afterward.
“Is that the place?”
“… Yes.”
“I don’t see it. It’s undetectable. If you hadn’t pointed it out, I wouldn’t have felt anything at all. Truly, it is a passage of the celestial realm.”
As I reached the last moment, I couldn’t hold back my cursed curiosity any longer.
“Why the sudden help for me?”
“…”
“I don’t even have any memory of celestial realms, and I haven’t shown you any evidence to persuade you!”
A’s response, standing beside me after betraying the king, was indeed bizarre.
“No, you just provided me with evidence moments ago. The clear reason you are better than the previous king.”
…
Where could Songi be now?
Would she find a way back with the situation report?
Would my teammates be disappointed that I returned like this?
Bittersweet thoughts crossed my mind.
— Ding!
As the elevator arrived, I finally understood the duke’s words.
“Oh.”
He found qualification from my weakness.
Duke A was truly a ‘rational’ being.
In other words, he was really a crazy bastard!
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