Finally, they arrived at Ruiple.
A man got off the carriage. With white hair and an impeccably styled chill, he looked like he could easily be related to a frost dragon or an ice ghost.
Hoo—
He let out a long puff of sunweed smoke.
“Inspector?”
It was the knight speaking to him. Valken, Hedera’s escort knight, asked Ezekiel.
“How’s your condition?”
“Just a bit sore.”
“Well… I won’t beat around the bush.”
As Valken wiped his sword, he continued.
“How confident are you in this bet?”
At that question, Ezekiel merely blinked slowly.
Himself.
It had been a long time since that filled his whole being.
Always, already, now. His life had always been like that.
So,
“I can’t say that, either.”
The question of ‘how much’ was impossible to answer.
Ruiple.
A place where safety could never be guaranteed. Ruiple was known as such, and it was the truth.
Therefore, traders passing through here always moved in groups. It was to increase their chances of survival whenever fiends and monsters appeared.
Today was no different.
“It feels ominous today; what if monsters show up?”
“Shut up. You might jinx us.”
“I regret this. They said Ruiple isn’t a place you just pass through…”
“We can’t help it; this road is the fastest! If I don’t sell everything, I can’t feed my child. I can only pray that a fiend doesn’t show up today…”
But a fiend wouldn’t care about human circumstances.
“Fi-fiend!”
“Run!”
With someone’s shout as a signal, shadowy figures resembling humans charged towards the traders.
“Ahhh!”
“Help! Help…!”
Everyone struggled with all their might to survive. If only it were a mere robber, they could at least negotiate, but the fiends were only interested in human lives.
In an instant, hell unfolded.
Wooosh—!
Suddenly, a gigantic greatsword cleaved through the fiend’s body. No, it was more like it crushed it with sheer power.
—Who dares… what kind of creature are you…?
The mid-level fiend muttered disdainfully.
Boom—!
Its head was shattered with just a single downward strike. It was the work of just one woman.
Under sunlight pouring like a spotlight, a woman stood with a greatsword resting on her shoulder.
“Uh…?”
In an instant, the tides turned, and the traders blinked in astonishment. To shatter a mid-level fiend with just one strike was a feat of immense strength.
“Take care of it.”
The woman murmured softly.
Then her companions immediately chased down the fleeing monsters. Yet, in less than ten minutes, there were no remaining fiends in the area.
As the traders were in a stupor, one of the group climbed atop a cart.
“Everyone, pay attention!”
When their lifesaver called for attention, who could resist? Instantly, all eyes turned to the cart.
“Once again, it is the righteous one Tirbi who protects the people of the Ruiple region! As long as we stay here, you can cast away your fears!”
“…!”
The traders’ eyes widened in shock.
Indeed, anyone who knew Ruiple would certainly know the name Tirbi.
“Now that I see the iconic greatsword!”
“If it’s Righteous One Tirbi, she’s been working to eradicate fiends in Ruiple for several years! I can’t believe she exists!”
“It must be the lioness sent by the Sun God!”
Faces that were once filled with question marks soon turned into joy. In the commotion, people gradually gathered.
Of course, the imperial family didn’t completely neglect the Ruiple area, but what terrified the residents was the fact that the fiends they had eradicated could reappear.
Whenever the imperial figures left, disasters would follow again. Thus, if there was someone who could settle there and focus on eradicating fiends, their popularity would soar to the skies.
The newly gathered residents cheered.
“Thanks to Righteous One Tirbi, we feel safe today…!”
“Tirbi! Thank you! Really, thank you!”
“With such beauty, where does that incredible power come from?”
Tirbi, with her greatsword on her shoulder, looked heavenly. Perhaps due to her charm, just standing there with a smile drew even greater cheers.
Tirbi parted her lips.
“Starting today, there will be a festival in Ruiple. If it’s alright with you, traders, you should enjoy it a little.”
“A festival? Can something like that happen in Ruiple?”
“Of course. Because I, Tirbi, am here.”
“Oh my!”
The traders’ eyes widened in disbelief. As if affirming there was no lie, Tirbi’s companions joined in.
“Speaking of which, let’s move to a different location right away. If possible, please leave this place! There are many fiend and monster corpses around, it’s dangerous! I beg you again!”
A lioness sent by the Sun God, truly sent by the Sun God.
People praised in unison as they retreated.
.
.
.
.
.
“Hahaha…. Hahahaha!”
After the residents led the traders away, Tirbi burst into laughter. The expression on her face was nothing short of sinister.
Moreover, her whites had a purplish hue. It was a sign of immense mana, believed to symbolize a high-level fiend.
“Human emotions are so simple and easy.”
With just a few performances, she had grasped the hearts of the people in Ruiple.
Anyone who set foot in Ruiple would elevate Tirbi to a divine status. And they would cling to her desperately. That was the purpose of the play.
Tirbi brushed over the corpses of the monsters with her greatsword.
Swish—
The fiends and monsters transformed into black energy and got sucked into the greatsword. Tirbi caressed the sword.
“Tasty? Hmm? How’s this fear?”
Growl—
The greatsword made a beastly sound.
A Demonic Sword that Feeds on Fear, and a fiend that feeds on fear.
That was Tirbi. She gathered fear through the fiends and monsters she had artificially summoned, then absorbed it herself. That was how she consistently collected fear.
One of the fiends carefully approached.
“Tirbi, when should we create the next monster?”
“At least a week would be good. We need to give some time for the safety to settle in; that’s the key. It’s the way to extract more fear.”
“Just as expected from you, Tirbi.”
“Alright… in just a few years, this will become very entertaining.”
Tirbi was essentially running Ruiple as a fear factory. If things went this way, in a few years, she might even aim for the monstrous 1st Princess.
At that moment, another fiend raced over.
“Tirbi!”
“Hmm?”
“They’ve sent people from the Empire to Ruiple!”
Tirbi quietly glanced over the piece of paper she received. The information written was extremely simple.
“Three from the Magic Tower, three imperial knights… Is that it?”
There was not a trace of concern on Tirbi’s face. Instead, a smile formed as if she found it ridiculous.
“That’s great. I can treat the greatsword to a special meal.”
Growl—
The greatsword resonated, as if looking forward to it. Meanwhile, the fiend who reported seemed to have some worry.
“I’m worried about the lack of information on the inspector. What if a formidable opponent arrives? Perhaps an ice ghost or something…”
“Nonsense.”
Tirbi quickly interrupted her companion’s words.
“You foolish one. Ice ghosts don’t exist.”
The ice ghosts and the sleet they led were merely names the demons had whimsically given.
Humans are born. Yet, they are invincible against any fiend in any situation. Tirbi had only heard of such tales through distant past tales; they merely existed as legends.
But legends exist for a reason.
…Yeah, legends never truly exist.
There couldn’t be a hideous ice ghost like that.
“They were just fabricated beings created out of shame when the Demon Realm failed to conquer the Mortal Realm. Understood?”
“Got it. Well, I guess that makes sense.”
“From now on, there’s only one thing you have to do.”
Tirbi gently caressed her greatsword.
“See how amusingly they all tremble in fear.”
The woman’s smile was exceptionally wicked.
As Ezekiel was arriving in Ruiple.
The owner of Dragon’s Blood and the Empire’s 2nd Princess, Hedera.
“…”
She was still at her starting point.
Ezekiel’s reaction had her bound there.
‘Dragon Speech… worked?’
Hedera recalled distant memories from the past.
—Teacher! Don’t go!
—Come play with me more!
In her still naive childhood, she had tried to use Dragon Speech to hold onto Ezekiel for even the smallest things.
—I’ll see you tomorrow.
But the result was always failure.
The reason was obvious; Ezekiel had defended against her Dragon Speech flawlessly enough that it could be described as immunity.
He was that impressive.
Of course, there was also a possibility that Hedera’s Dragon Speech had since grown stronger. She hadn’t been negligent in her training.
But there was an undeniable possibility.
‘Is there a serious health issue?’
—Teacher, you didn’t use sunweed in the past, did you?
Suddenly, Solana’s words flashed in her mind.
To chew sunweed whole suggested something was very off. On the surface, he might seem fine, but underneath, there was something rotten.
If that hypothesis were true, the questions would only deepen.
If he is in bad health, why stick to the role of inspector?
“…Happiness?”
Ezekiel prioritized Hedera’s happiness over his own health, did he? Just imagining it left a strange feeling, and the questions spiraled.
But just then.
“Hehehe~”
Someone hummed a tune as they passed by Hedera. It was a very familiar face.
The person, upon recognizing Hedera, greeted her first.
“Oh, 2nd Princess? I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Solana.”
The other person was Solana, the Empire’s 3rd Princess.
“I wonder why you are wandering around here.”
“Oh, I’m planning to go to Ruiple now.”
“Ruiple?”
“Yes. I’ve heard the erosion phenomenon is severe lately, so isn’t it my role to inspect such places? To spread the blessings of the Sun God, I have to take the lead myself.”
“…”
Hedera stared at Solana as if she couldn’t believe it.
In her hands was a picnic basket, and she was dressed as if she were going out for a day trip. The intention was obvious.
Then suddenly, recalling her earlier deliberation.
“Solana.”
Hedera called out to the 3rd Princess.
“Yes. I’m listening?”
“Tell me everything you know about the inspector’s health.”
“…”
However, Solana fell silent for a moment.
“Hmm…”
Eventually, Solana smiled her usual kind smile.
“Well, let’s talk about it later.”
The moment Solana was about to board the carriage.
“Halt.”
Hedera’s Dragon Speech exploded.
Solana was fine, but the horses that were supposed to pull the carriage couldn’t move an inch. What a remarkable force it was.
Hedera added in a calm tone.
“Well, you’ll have to speak now if you want to depart.”
“…”
Solana slowly.
Really slowly.
Very slowly turned her head toward Hedera.
“…”
Sun-like eyes.
They were now wide with alarm.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.