Chapter 337

(337)

The square was, of course, located in the center of the village, and Lady Trentia and I had just burst into its heart, pushing through the crowd.

As a result, we found ourselves in the midst of what appeared to be over two thousand Infiltrators.

“Kehehehe!”

“Hihihih!”

“Kilkilkil.”

The sight of the villagers transformed into these abominations was utterly horrifying.

Though they retained human bodies, grotesque insectoid features had sprouted all over them—dark exoskeletal wings protruding from their backs, countless insect legs wriggling about, long feelers growing from their foreheads, and jaws that had split into two.

To make matters worse, their compound insect eyes added to the nightmare.

Strangely, or perhaps mercifully, there were no fully mutated Infiltrators in sight.

“These damn bug bastards!”

Calling someone a bug is hardly a commendable habit; it causes one to unconsciously belittle the opponent.

But watching the village head, sprouting dozens of massive ant legs with the compound eyes of a fly and the split jaws of a grasshopper, it’s hard to imagine a better description than “bug bastards.”

Among them, there seemed to be figures who had held positions of authority within the village prior to the corruption; one of them had a beak made of white bone and long feathered arms.

I can only hope this was an involuntary change for these villagers. If they’d willingly chosen this fate, it would be far too tragic.

Monsters by their very existence do harm.

“Kiyaaeek!”

One of the Infiltrators rushed at us, swinging two pairs of scythe-like forearms.

They were black, lined with jagged teeth—though on closer inspection, those “teeth” appeared to be human.

“Presumptuous vermin!”

I was about to unleash a blaze when Lady Trentia beat me to it.

Flap!

Her crimson cape danced in the air as her legendary roundhouse kick split the sky.

The infiltrator, struck squarely by her armored boot, crumbled like a rotten log.

Thud!

Ssssshhhh.

Lady Trentia drew her sword, Hwanhan, and stomped on the fallen Infiltrator’s head.

“I, Trentia, shall grant you all the rest you deserve. Commit no more sins.”

I thought she’d behead the creature, but instead, she crushed its skull with brute force.

It felt like she was even more aggressive than in her previous life.

Thud!

The Infiltrator’s head exploded like a rotten melon, blood and bone fragments flying everywhere.

“Kiyaaeek!”

As if that was the signal, the Infiltrators surged forward.

But I was already prepared, flames of resonance crackling in my left arm.

“Man-eating insect wretches, dare you!?”

The ‘Invisible Hand’ gauntlets absorbed the energy, cracks like pottery fissures spreading across my hand.

A small provincial village like this—I could burn it to the ground without leaving a single blade of straw should I so desire.

“Slowly, I’ll roast you!”

Just as I was about to release a fiery ring, my body levitated unexpectedly.

“Keeek?”

“Ssiiic!”

Thud!

The Infiltrators rushing toward Lady Trentia and me instead crashed into one another, tumbling to the muddy ground.

* * *

Confused, I flailed my arms and legs.

“Your Majesty?”

Following Lady Trentia’s voice, I looked up and saw Jeilliris high above the village, her disinterested hand gesture suspended midair.

A violet luminescence flickered around her left hand, and both Lady Trentia and I were lifted to her side.

“Sssssiiic!”

The Infiltrators bared their fangs, looking skyward.

Jeilliris gazed down at them, muttering solemnly.

“A subject remains a subject only as long as they act as such.”

A creature with a white bone beak yelled in apparent fear or fury.

“Holy Emperor!”

“I have no need for subjects who pay homage to others. They are not welcome in this land.”

In the next moment, a purple-black disc floated into existence in her right hand.

Whoooom!

The disc dropped toward the ground, growing increasingly transparent and wider, until it covered practically the entire village when it touched the earth.

I assumed Jeilliris was about to crush the settlement beneath it.

Swoosh!

But the semi-transparent black disc passed through the buildings and the heads of the Infiltrators as if they were intangible, settling gently on the ground.

BOOM!

Then, as though gravity had suddenly intensified, the approximately two thousand Infiltrators collapsed onto the ground, clinging to the disc as if magnetized.

“Kiiiirrrrl!?!”

“Ssssiick!?”

“Cooorrrrrlr!?!”

Panic spread among them as they stumbled over each other, some even kicking each other in the chaos.

Tudududduk!

Jijijik!

It seemed something like egg sacs were hidden underground, as shapes began to emerge from beneath the soil and adhere to the underside of the black disc.

Jeilliris muttered lazily.

“None may escape the eyes of the Emperor, whether above or beneath the earth.”

She flicked her hand, and the black disc rose to the sky.

Whoooom!

Above it hung two thousand Infiltrators, while below, countless dark egg sacs adhered to its surface.

In the next instant, the disc folded in half.

“Kiiii!?”

Crack!

The two thousand Infiltrators were crushed as if they were tomato sauce smeared between two slices of dark bread.

Jeilliris folded the disc twice more, then let it float idly in the air.

“And you—”

And she called me.

I immediately responded.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Burn it to ashes.”

“I could have done so from below.”

She turned to me, a smirk playing across her lips.

A glimpse of white teeth showed between her crimson lips.

It was a slightly smug smile.

“I was trying this new magic out on the way here. It’s called ‘The Emperor’s Whimsy.’ What do you think?”

I could only roll my eyes in amazement.

She was telling me she had created this magic on the way.

It took Sererassie about six months to develop two new spells, and to turn those spells into functional Magic Tools that could be mass-produced and submitted to the Imperial Court.

Of course, developing a spell is harder than creating products out of it, and while Jeilliris manipulates a power closer to authority than magic, the fact that she created a brand-new magical technique on her way here is, in itself, a superhuman feat.

And then, “The Emperor’s Whimsy.”

The magic that crushes anything, alive or not, by pressing together whatever clings to its top and bottom has a name that fits its effect perfectly.

Of course, I want to live long and will never voice my opinion aloud.

I carefully chose words that could properly evaluate her magic.

“This magic, which can destroy both visible and invisible enemies, is sure to leave its mark in history. It’s well-suited to Your Majesty’s path of eradicating both the visible High Nobles and the invisible Infiltrators.”

Flattery is one of the few things I do better than anything else, and Jeilliris seemed pleased, nodding her head.

“I’m always amazed. I don’t even know what I want to hear, yet how is it that you so perfectly understand my wishes?”

Her smug grin momentarily transformed into something pure.

Of course, it wasn’t the innocence of a child, but more akin to the grace of an emperor.

* * *

Jeilliris lowered Lady Trentia and me back down to the now pristine village.

Instead of the amplified fiery resonance meant to sweep away adversaries, I sent out a purifying flame of spirits.

Whoosh!

The triangular mass of Infiltrators floated in the air, burning fiercely.

Ssswwwoooosh!

When the flames consumed it all, leaving only the pure essence of the ancient corruption behind, and when that essence combusted once more into a reddish glow before slipping into my body, a group of cavalry appeared from the distance.

“Who are the exalted figures descending from the heavens? I am Baron Abelis, the Lord of this land.”

So, he’s finally arrived.

I hid the veins bulging on the back of my hand beneath the ‘Invisible Hand’ gauntlets.

Initially, I intended to lecture him on his idleness while an entire village had fallen into such a sorry state.

However, seeing the baron, four knights, a detachment of well-armed heavy cavalry, and three combat priests who looked fairly competent, I altered my thoughts.

Their equipment—such as holy water flasks, silver swords—suggested they weren’t hastily gathered forces dealing with some Nibelungen crisis.

“Did you come here to exterminate the Infiltrators from this village?”

“Yes, that is correct. It seems you exalted figures have already dealt with it.”

“Are you uncontaminated?”

“Yes.”

While I’d just absorbed a hefty amount of ancient corruption’s energy, I still sternly inquired.

Lady Trentia circled the baron and soldiers, conducting an inspection, and nodded at me to confirm they were fine.

Baron Abelis appeared as if he wanted to say something, but I cut him off with another question.

“Did you come here to purge this village?”

He nodded.

“Yes. I sent several contingents of soldiers, but they never returned, so I assumed the entire village had been corrupted.”

He tried to speak again, but I preempted him with another question.

“It seems the corruption is spreading. Are there issues in the Baron’s directly governed territory?”

“No. Thanks to the Emperor’s grace and the Church’s teachings, there are no problems at all.”

His confident answer continued.

“Recently, my lord, the count, has been mass-producing a magical device called ‘The Holy Lantern,’ courtesy of the Emperor. We’re currently distributing them to cities with populations over 30,000.”

“Ah.”

“There are even reports of sacred artefacts being sent from the Imperial Court soon, which the priests eagerly anticipate. And the four counts recently initiated a joint operation to capture the Infiltration Sect.”

“Joint operation?”

“Yes. They launched surprise raids on the black market to capture hoodlums and suspicious magicians, inspected wandering adventurers, mercenaries, traders, and vagrants, tightened searches at gates and checkpoints, and initiated resettlement programs and land cultivation schemes to reduce the poverty-stricken population susceptible to infection in urban areas…”

It was an exemplary and thorough response.

Exactly the content of the official decree drafted by experts such as Konel, Hadrian, and Matheos, proclaimed by Jeilliris herself.

“Are these measures effective?”

I couldn’t help but ask, my heart trembling slightly.

The baron nodded without hesitation.

“Yes. We now have enough resources to spare, allowing us to respond even to issues in these remote villages. Please, do not misunderstand—it is not my intention to undermine the greatness of esteemed individuals such as yourselves, but our forces alone would have been sufficient to deal with this village.”

I forced myself to keep my face composed, hiding my pleased smile.

“Well. Understood. The meeting between us and the infiltrators of this village must’ve been a most serendipitous event.”

“Yes. I—”

Just then, a bundle of green signal Magic Arrows shot up from the western sky, exploding in the air.

Screets!

Boom!

It was the signal flare.

The Nibelungen inspection must have finished earlier than expected.

I casually waved at the baron.

“Very sorry, but I must leave promptly. I need to head back immediately. Excuse me.”

Ssswwwwoooosh!

The distinctive violet aura of the destruction magic enveloped Lady Trentia and me as we once again ascended into the sky.

My Emperor seems unwilling to walk when returning.

“What… what is this?”

“Huh…!”

“Flight?”

The baron and his soldiers looked up in amazement.

At that moment, sunlight broke through the clouds, bathing the south in intense rays.

“Crap!”

As they squinted or covered their faces with their forearms, Jeilliris accelerated.

“Emperor… Your Majesty?”

The baron’s stunned voice trailed faintly in the wind.

* * *

The Nibelungen was already fully inspected.

The engine had been turned off once, but with residual mana, it could take off again without additional effort from either Na or Jeilliris.

“So, what was the issue?”

I asked Marcus.

Shrugging off his security harness adorned with goggles and various tools, he answered.

“There were no issues. It’s just as it was originally designed—it can fly perpetually until the food is gone. Heh, heh. I’m simply a genius, aren’t I?”

I raised my hand to give him a friendly cuff but stopped myself.

He squinted, then raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Your Gracious Duke, I’ve surrendered as a noble to you after being beaten. There’s no need to suddenly be kind to me.”

“Don’t call me a damn dog with that perfectly normal voice.”

“Did something good happen?”

Looking at Jeilliris, I nodded.

She, too, wore a content smile.

Her golden eyes sparkled, and her red lips curved into a gentle arc.

It seemed I was in a similar state.

“Yeah. Something good happened, indeed.”

Could there be anything more encouraging than knowing the actions I’ve taken were right?

We smoothly boarded the Nibelungen.

A pleasant breeze greeted us.