Chapter 191

A pungent smell of blood wafted from the entrance. It seemed I had underestimated my opponent. Despite appearances, they were a senior official of the Black Round Table, and they weren’t going to go down easily. As soon as they unwrapped the bandages around their arm and swung it, a massive wave of toxic energy engulfed the area. Sensing the poison, I immediately flung Airi and Camelian Peony far away. There was no time for explanations—I could handle it, but they’d be done for if they got poisoned.

*Cough*… “Damn it…”

I ended up inhaling the poison, and my throat started burning. Hallucinations began creeping in. The sheer potency of the poison was enough to wither a healthy ancient tree in an instant. If I kept inhaling this, I’d be dead. Not just my lungs, but even the mucous membranes in my eyes were at risk.

In a hurry, I tore off a piece of my robe to fashion a makeshift mask. It wouldn’t block all the poison, but it was better than nothing.

Of course, the bigger problem was the lunatic spewing this poison and the woman controlling him, both still standing strong. I thought I could smash their skulls with a rock, but I didn’t expect their poison to melt the rock itself.

“Agravain, 24 55 26 52, charge.”

*Growl…*

That crazy bastard charged like a dog at the girl’s command. What kind of masochistic freak follows orders like that?

“These insane SM couple bastards…”

If they’re into that kind of thing, they should do it in some private club, not out in the open where everyone can see. These exhibitionist freaks should all be thrown into a correctional facility and beaten senseless.

“Scales of the Steel Dragon, pierce the enemy!”

I wasn’t about to sit still and take it, so I fired sharp projectiles like a machine gun at Agravain. But I overlooked one thing.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

Gallahad, riding behind Agravain, had monstrous vision and hearing, and his swordsmanship was on par with Camelian Peony’s.

I had no choice but to turn and run. How long I could outrun that towering physical freak was anyone’s guess. If only a savior would show up and take care of these bastards.

“Spirit King of Water, show them your wrath!”

Suddenly, a massive torrent of water appeared and swept Agravain and Gallahad away.

“Lorcha!”

Holy crap, the savior actually descended.

“Don’t get too excited. Normally, they’d be torn to shreds by the sheer water pressure, but… they managed to slash through the water column at the last second, reducing its power. What the hell are you? Why are you tangled up with these monsters? I told you before… Never mind. This isn’t the time for that.”

Airi and Camelian Peony, whom I had flung away, returned.

“Master, are you okay…?”

“Werner, why did you suddenly throw us…?”

“It’s better to keep quiet. Who knows how far the poison has spread?”

It’s not like they’re some ugly monsters from a Japanese manga, but they were clearly planning to kill everyone with that poison.

The ugly duo, now soaked like drowned rats, glared at us.

“Damn it… I don’t know why, but while my father’s group is held up, I have to kill them…”

At those words, Camelian Peony, the older sister of the monster girl, quietly asked, “May I ask why you’re trying to kill Werner…? The child I know wouldn’t do anything bad. Why are you and the others from the Black Round Table so hell-bent on killing them?”

I’ve done plenty of bad things, though. Murdered a ton, used torrents, and spammed cheap moves in fighting games…

*Sigh*… “Well, the sorcerer isn’t at fault. It’s their bloodline. Even if they’ve done nothing wrong… And I’m not like my father. Dying by my hand is better than being caught by him.”

Even if I’ve done nothing wrong, you’ll still kill me? What kind of nonsense are you spewing?

Camelian Peony, hearing that answer, drew the red sword at her waist. A clear, ringing sound echoed, accompanied by her serene voice.

“…Then, little brother, it seems you’re under a big misconception.”

“Sister…”

“I won’t let Werner die by your hand. Nor will I let them fall into your father’s grasp. Even if you claim to have justice on your side, even if you believe you’re right… I’ll choose the wrong answer if it means protecting Werner.”

Airi also seemed to have business with her.

“Hey, you damn bitch.”

Huh? Wait a second? That must be the poison messing with my hearing, right? That can’t be real.

But judging by everyone else’s expressions, I wasn’t the only one shocked.

“You don’t know my face, do you? Well, you might, but we’ve never spoken before, have we?”

“What the hell are you talking about? I know who your father is, but I’ve never met you.”

“…Shut your mouth before I tear it into a thousand pieces, you damn bitch. And you don’t need to know anything. No reason, no explanation. Just die and burn in hell.”

“Such harsh words for someone you’ve just met. Fine, since you’re all a bunch of idiots… I’ll grant your wish and kill you all.”

Wait, we outnumber them two to one, what’s going on…?

“Splashing water on us was a mistake. Agravain, 33 47 56 49. Shake off the water on your body.”

Oh crap… If the poison fumes from their arm were that potent, spraying the water off their bodies would be devastating.

I quickly used Tristan’s technique to create a stone arm and blocked the poison spray head-on.

And I regretted it. That was the worst move I could’ve made.

“Gahhh…! Damn it…!”

The poison pierced through my magic and damaged my arm. It felt like sulfuric acid had been poured on it. My arm was burning.

“Werner! Are you okay?!”

“Master!”

Worrying now wouldn’t heal my arm, so I said I was fine, but… It wasn’t just poison. It was like pure sulfuric acid had been poured on my arm. Just a few drops had done this.

“We need to kill them quickly. While my father’s group is held up… By the way, who the hell is holding those monsters back…? Never mind, I shouldn’t be worrying about them now.”

Camelian Peony’s slash, Lorcha’s and Airi’s magic all flew toward Gallahad and Agravain.

Everyone was fighting hard, but I could sense it. Without a way to block that damn poison, no matter how much we fought, we couldn’t send those damn monsters to hell.

I just hope those kids are safe. Except for that annoying Damian.

—

The Spirit King of Wood quietly sipped their drink while punishing the intruders in their domain.

“Don’t you ever get tired of this? How many more times will you invade, how many more must die before you learn?”

Ares, bound by tree roots, was being drained of nutrients, withering and regenerating in a loop.

“Wow, this is more annoying than painful… This squeezing sensation is really unpleasant…”

“You’ll make good fertilizer. With this, I can revive the trees you’ve killed and still have some left over.”

“By the way, I never expected the Spirit King to take the form of a young girl.”

“Enough with the pointless chatter.”

“Haha, caught me…”

The Spirit King of Wood, who had lived for eons, had long since realized Ares was just spouting nonsense.

“So, why did you track me down? If you think you can beat me… Wrong answer. You’re already caught.”

“Eh, I wasn’t even fighting seriously.”

“Hmm, even so, I’m not planning to let you go so you can fight for real.”

“I didn’t expect you to. I came to make a proposal.”

“A proposal… Let me guess, you want me to lend my power to you or your group.”

“Wow, with age comes wisdom. You saw right through me.”

But the response was cold.

“Refused. I don’t make contracts with humans. Maybe with monkeys, but not humans.”

“And why is that…?”

“When a tree dies, it rots and becomes fertilizer for new trees. But what about humans?”