The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen-Chapter 371-372

[Park of Ruin]

◈Reduces the regeneration ability of the damaged target by 50%.

◈The damaged target will not stop bleeding for 30 minutes.

◈Healing becomes impossible for a certain period of time.

To be honest, the blessing 'Park of Ruin' is not very useful in a one-on-one fight. It might be different for Olaf, who can regenerate even if his arm is cut off, but most people would suffer a fatal wound from a single sword cut.

But it's a different story for a constantly regenerating beast.

-Guooooooooo...!

I calmly raised Caliburn and measured the distance to the beast.

'This should be enough.'

It was a distance that could be reached by launching a sword aura infused with aura. It would be good to aim for the main body in the sea, but I had to be careful as there was a risk of shattering all the ice.

"Hmm..."

-Everyone focus your firepower...!

-Don't be afraid and fight!!! The Crown Prince will protect you!

-Uwaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

Well.

"They'll survive on their own."

If the suffix 'Ricardo' or 'Desmunt' had been attached, my thoughts might have changed, but my mood soured at the words of the knights who were looking for the wrong person. I lightly swung my sword at the beast that was sweeping across the ice.

With the will to split the sea.

-Saaaaa...

Honestly, I was curious.

What kind of power the sword aura, combined with Caliburn's ability and my strength, would create.

I hadn't had a chance to check since becoming a Sword Master, as I had never properly swung my sword.

In the battle for the Holy Sword, Elysia was fighting Temperance, so I didn't have a chance to use my full power, and when sparring with Darbav, I couldn't swing my sword properly for fear of hurting him if I didn't control it.

But.

-Guooooooooo...!

Against a beast, not a person.

-Wizards, freeze the sea!!

A training ground with no worries of property damage.

"I can't stand this..."

So that's why the lord couldn't stand it either.

-Meteor. Meteor. Meteor. Meteor. Meteor. Meteor. Meteor. Meteor. Meteor. Meteor.

Recalling Darbav's refreshed expression when he dropped the meteor, I let out a small laugh, 'Pfft,' and then released my hand from the sword that had gathered aura. Farther. With the will to split the beast in half if possible.

Space splits.

-Craaaaaack!!!!

[The 'Dark' attribute is granted to the aura.]

A black aura, imbued with the abyss, was cutting through the air and moving forward.

The waves that blocked the path of the sword aura parted as if to make way, and the beast's legs, which were as dense as tree roots, were being cut off smoothly.

'...'

I couldn't see ahead because it was the deep sea, but seeing the huge vibration that shook the ice, it seemed I had inflicted a great wound on the beast's main body.

-Guooooooooo.

"...Oh."

As if to prove it, the beast began to writhe in the sea.

-Everyone, dodge!!!

The tentacles, which were rampaging on the ice as if searching for the person who had wounded it, were knocking down Wolfgang's knights like bowling pins.

There were knights whose legs were crushed.

And knights who were running away, abandoning their comrades.

"Tsk."

If I had brought knights who had volunteered for the beast subjugation, they could have done their part, but Wolfgang Louis's arbitrary decision had gathered only a motley crew, so they were useless.

-You're going to subdue the beast with just that?

-Our Wolfgang's knights are the experts on beasts. We cannot allow the people of the West to be harmed.

-How absurd.

I can cut off the tentacles as much as I want. With the blessing of the Park of Ruin, if I slowly wear it down, I will surely see the end.

Instead, dealing with the main body is the problem.

At this rate, I had a feeling that I would be the only one left on the battlefield, let alone subduing the beast. The Wolfgang knights, who were asked to be the bait, weren't even doing that properly.

"...This is annoying."

I have to aim for the main body...

-Run away!!!

I couldn't properly subdue it because those damn knights were getting in my way.

'Master.'

'Yes.'

'It would be better to just wipe them all out. At this rate, that octopus might run away.'

'...Hmm.'

Despite Caliburn's advice, I silently continued to cut the tentacles and take care of the knights. No matter what, I had to save those who could be saved.

"Everyone, get down."

"...!"

"I've made myself clear."

-Slice...!

The Wolfgang knight, who had narrowly dodged the sword aura above his head, let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly continued the battle.

"...Ha."

They're fighting hard, so I can't tell them to run away. How frustrating.

-Charge!!!

This is difficult.

Really...

Standing on a piece of broken ice, I looked down into the sea. In the deep sea imbued with the abyss, all I could see were the beast's tentacles, blooming like flowers.

"...This is strange."

A thought suddenly occurred to me.

I know the beast is strong enough to dominate the seas of the West, but... was there any reason why the lord of Bellian couldn't subdue a monster of this level...

So far, the beast's only strength seemed to be its size. It didn't have thorns coming out of its tentacles, nor did it secrete acidic fluid, it just slammed down its heavy tentacles. I didn't think a Sword Master would die because he couldn't dodge such a simple attack.

The beast in the novel was controlled by black magic and was a little different from its current form, but... it wasn't this easy of an opponent...

'Was he careless?'

No.

Considering the current lord of Bellian's appearance, the previous lord of Bellian would also have been calm and would have made a decision not swayed by emotions.

'Then have I become too strong?'

That's not it either.

It's true that I'm much stronger than other Sword Masters, but considering Rowen, who has similar martial prowess, I thought a monster of this level could be finished off as a warm-up.

Then.

'There must be something I don't know.'

It was highly likely that it was hiding something that could perplex and neutralize a Sword Master.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for the lord of Bellian to die.

Contrary to the complicated thoughts, the battlefield was moving busily. The knights who had been recklessly dispatched to raise the prestige of Wolfgang, leaving behind all the competent knights in the West, were pushing back the beast by shooting magic, and the Crown Prince and Wolfgang were also continuously using wide-range magic to inflict damage on the beast.

-Guooooo...

Cheers began to be heard as the beast hid its tentacles in the sea due to the continuous attacks.

-Alright! Its movements have slowed down!

-Now! Push it now!

But.

"...Strange."

Just as the tension was easing due to the unexpectedly easy situation.

-Guuuuuu.

An ominous premonition came.

What if.

-Kuuuuuu...

Just what if.

-Kugugugu

If the heretics' grasp had reached the beast not from the point in the novel, but from the time the previous lord of Bellian died...

"Damn it...!"

The moment the thoughts were gradually taking shape.

-Kwoaaaaaaaaaaang!!!!

A huge roar, loud enough to tear the eardrums, began to echo terrifyingly in the ears.

-Crack... crack... crack...!

The ice is splitting.

-Kugugugugugung.

The cold seawater began to wash over Wolfgang and the Crown Prince, exuding an ominous aura.

-Catch the lord!!!

-Take care of the Crown Prince first...!!! I'll get out somehow!

-Pull!!

A wave hits.

The wave was rushing not towards the land, but towards the sea. A huge whirlpool began to form in front of my eyes, just like the stagnant water in a sink draining down the drain.

A small dot swallows the wave and becomes a bigger dot.

-Splash... splash...!

The dot that swallowed the wave swallows a bigger wave and becomes a huge circle, moving as if to swallow everything.

"...!"

Along with the fierce tidal wave created by the beast, black storm clouds began to gather in the sky.

"So you're showing your true power now..."

A breath escaped at the eccentric power that changed nature at will. The damage was already immense, but if the heretics got involved, I would have to give up on the Crown Prince and the subjugation.

"Damn it."

Should I have followed the Crown Prince's words?

Covering myself from the pouring rain with my hand, I looked into the whirlpool. If I saw a heretic, I would have to move, even at the cost of damage.

If it was an apostle, I had to kill it.

I had to reduce the heretics' power even if it meant losing the Crown Prince. The reason I had kept the Crown Prince and Wolfgang alive was to catch the apostle.

"Lord Bellian."

"Why do you call?!"

"Tell the people to get away."

"You...!"

"..."

Seeing me staring at the whirlpool with a hardened expression, the lord of Bellian stopped asking questions and nodded, saying, 'I understand.'

"There's no time."

"..."

"Please hurry."

The lord of Bellian moved quickly and rescued the Crown Prince and Wolfgang from the sea. Just as the lord of Bellian, who had quickly rescued the soldiers who had been swept away, collapsed on the ice.

"...I see it."

I looked intently at the innermost part of the whirlpool that had revealed the bottom of the deep sea.

The tentacles were moving quickly.

They were grabbing the waves and rotating in a circle.

And in it.

-Guooooooooong!

The beast's main body began to appear.

Seeing the beast, which looked like a small dot, I let out a deep sigh and jumped into the sea. If the beast had already fallen into the hands of the heretics, it was right to deal with it.

-Splash...

-Splash...

Seeing nothing in my descending vision, it seemed there were no apostles or other heretics, but.

-Moooooooon!

I couldn't let my guard down.

"Caliburn."

-Yes, Master.

"Lend me some of your power."

Kill it in one blow.

"..."

-Saaaaak.

· · ·

By the time the red hair was brushed by the waves and became wet.

"Octopus?"

Stepping on the bottom of the deep sea, I froze blankly at the sight of an unexpected person.

"...?"

"Octopuuuuuus?"

"...???"

The octopus is talking.

No.

A girl wearing a pink octopus head was saying strange things.

"Octopus?"

The beast stared at me and held out a small tentacle.

"Uh...?"

A tentacle holding a squid.

"Are you giving it to me?"

"Octopus."

"As a peace offering?"

"Octopus."

"Um... well..."

The beast's eyes began to tremble greatly as it looked at my hesitant hand.

"Octopuuuuuuus?"

"You see... I have to subdue you..."

-Splat.

Hearing the word 'subdue,' the beast dropped the squid on the floor and began to cry.

"Octopuuuuuuuuuuuusssss"

And so.

"Uh..."

"Octopuuuuuuuung"

"Don't cry. Okay?"

The beast was successfully subdued.

With round eyes.

"Moooooon..."

Pink hair.

"Octopus..."

The beast of the West, wearing a pink octopus head, sat down in the sea and shed tears.

"Moonuuuuuuu...! Sob sob, moonuuuuuuun..."

This was troublesome.

I never thought I would meet an octopus that could understand human speech in my life, and I never thought it would be today.

"Uh... well."

The beast of the West.

The creature of fear that killed a 'Sword Master' in the past and ruled the western coast was just a tearful girl.

"Moonuuuuuuun."

It was quite troublesome.

There were several bumps on the beast's head. Like bumps from the meteors Darvav had shot, convex and protruding hills could be seen here and there.

As she cried, her hair trembled, and I could also see the hair that had been cut by Caliburn.

"Moon...?"

The beast was offering me a fish with its tentacle, telling me to stop fighting.

"That's..."

At the sight of me not accepting the gift, it began to cry as if the world had collapsed, making the whirlpool even bigger.

"Mooooooooon."

I had to make a choice.

Before the whirlpool swallowed the people above, I had to decide on the beast's fate. A situation where the whirlpool might engulf me could also arise, so I had to make a decision when a path of escape was open. Drowning was not my hobby.

Let's not waver.

"Moonuuuung..."

The opponent in front of me is a beast.

"Moooooooooon..."

The one who threatened the western sea, took the lives of countless people, and killed the head of the Velian family....

"Huuuuuuung..."

'Haa...' Letting out a deep sigh, I sheathed my sword and said to the beast.

"Hey... then."

"Moon?"

"How about we do this?"

1 hour later.

The subjugation party was coming ashore.

The whirlpool that the beast had created had disappeared as if it had never been, and the western sea was peaceful except for the broken ice floating on the water.

Everyone looked a mess.

-...Ugh..

The crown prince with seaweed on his head.

The injured soldiers.

And Wolfgang with a broken arm.

I wondered what that guy had even done to get hurt. Seeing Wolfgang's hardened expression, I let out a faint sigh, clicked my tongue, and stepped onto the land.

-...They're out!

-The beast...! What happened to the beast!

The gazes of the subjugation party were on me. It was obvious from their faces that they wanted to ask me what had happened to the beast.

"..."

Among them, the person who would react most sensitively to the beast's survival was approaching me.

"Huff... huff... what happened to the beast?"

He had a face that looked like he wanted to ask many things.

"..."

"Answer me, Ricardo...!"

"Hmm..."

It was the crown prince.

I dragged out my answer to the crown prince's question, with a nuance of letting him stew in his anxiety for a bit.

"I wonder."

"Are you trying to joke around in this situation...!"

He must be going crazy with frustration.

Because I was the only one who had entered the whirlpool created by the beast. And I was the only one who knew what had happened to the beast.

A faint wish that I had failed was visible on the crown prince's face. Because if the subjugation ended like this, Desmunt would regain its former power.

He had started this to reduce Desmunt's power, but how angry would he be if it ended up helping them instead? He had tried to break a dull sword, but it had ended up being sharpened.

"Here it is."

Contrary to the crown prince's wish, I, who had successfully subjugated the beast, shrugged and showed the proof of the subjugation.

-Thud...!

What came out of the subspace was a white tooth. A tooth of a gigantic size, which made no sense to be a fish's, was lying in front of the crown prince.

The crown prince, who had clenched his fists 'tightly', looked at the spoils with trembling pupils and commented.

"...Is this a kraken's tooth?"

The crown prince's complexion was changing in real time.

Despair. Annoyance. Relief.

I almost laughed at the complex emotions revealed on the crown prince's face, but thinking of the hardships the crown prince would face in the future, I gave him a bitter smile and put my hand on his shoulder.

"The subjugation was successfully completed."

"...You've worked hard."

"I haven't."

"..."

"And."

"..."

"If the imperial family needs me, feel free to call. However, next time, it won't end at this price, so I'd appreciate it if you were careful."

The crown prince would have understood my words without any further explanation. A threat that if they tried to give me troublesome tasks just because I was a sword master, they would face an unpleasant end.

Wolfgang also stood next to the crown prince, leading his body, which was soaked in seawater. He too was swallowing hard as he looked at the beast's spoils.

"You really... succeeded in the subjugation."

"..."

"Ricardo, the butler of Desmunt, you said? I shall invite you to the Wolfgang mansion soon...."

"I am the butler who serves Lady Desmunt Olivia, so I cannot leave my post. I'd appreciate it if you'd put the invitation away."

-Grip...

I cut off Wolfgang's words and waved my hand. I didn't want to talk face to face with an unpleasant person.

Ah.

There was something I had to say.

I, who was about to leave the subjugation party, turned my back and whispered to Wolfgang.

"You've built up a good reputation."

"..."

"Be careful not to let it collapse."

Wolfgang's complexion began to turn pale.

I didn't think Wolfgang would collapse just because Desmunt's power had grown stronger. Because the person 'Wolfgang Louis' was someone whose head rolled fast in this kind of situation.

But it would be hard to see the confident appearance I had seen in the novel anymore. He might have to start from the bottom, just like his ancestors. The madman who had tried to kill Mikhail for power would now become desperate enough to cling to Mikhail.

The punishment for Wolfgang had to be carried out by Mikhail, so I had no intention of finishing it with my own hands.

Whether he, no, she forgave his biological father or killed him was not a matter for me to interfere in.

I smiled lightly and headed to the mansion with Darvav, and on the way, I turned to Darvav and threw a joke.

"Did you have fun playing?"

"It was the best."

"...Puhaha. I had fun too."

Darvav, who was far away from the subjugation party, looked at me and asked.

"So what happened to the beast?"

I answered, watching Darvav's reaction, that things had gotten complicated.

"Well, actually... there's a place you have to go with me."

"..."

"Eek..."

"..."

"Eeeeeek."

The young lady was having a staring contest.

While glaring at the uninvited guest who was about to enter the mansion.

With round eyes and a pink octopus head.

The beast, in human form and wearing what looked like an octopus hat, was sitting facing the young lady.

"Octo...pus."

It was a peculiar appearance.

How should I put it.

Her hair was no different from a human's, but the fact that it moved with its own will made it seem like tentacles, and the octopus hat she was wearing had its lips pouted....

What I can say for sure is that it's not grotesque, but cute.

"Mooooooon...."

The beast was looking at the young lady with innocent eyes and making soap bubbles with its hat.

-Pop...

"Moonuuung...?"

-Pop...

Soap bubbles were floating up to the mansion's ceiling. The young lady was watching the soap bubbles the beast was making with a look of wonder.

-Pop!

The young lady, surprised by the soap bubble that popped above her head, was startled and smiled.

"Uhit!"

"Kik!"

"Again...! Do it again!"

"Mooooooooon..."

As the young lady brought her face closer, the beast began to whimper as if it would burst into tears at any moment.

"Mooooooooon..."

"Bastard! Don't cry!!!"

"Mooooooooon."

"Eeeeeeeeeek!!! I'll grill you and eat you?!"

"Mooooooooooon....!!!!"

They're playing well.

"So."

Darvav, who had changed his clothes, asked me while buttoning his shirt.

"You decided to raise the beast."

"...Haha."

"So after the subjugation was over, you took me to the coast."

"..."

"And asked me to move it with magic."

"That's right."

Darvav shook his head and said.

"You always far exceed my expectations."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Haa..."

"..."

"Why is it that everything you collect is a weapon of war? A magic sword that isn't even in the history books, Balak, who was called the mercenary king in the past, and even an apostle of the heretics...."

"Haha."

"If you put your mind to it, you might be able to change the royal family's surname. And now a beast."

Darvav looked at the whimpering beast and let out a sigh.

"...What a headache."

The beast's hair was wriggling. From the outside, it just looked like ordinary pink hair, but up close, it moved like tentacles. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Should I call it polymorph?

At the sight of the beast, which had perfectly polymorphed like an ancient species, Darvav was able to erase his hostility, at least.

"I have one concern."

Darvav, wary of the beast, voiced a concern.

"Whether the beast that killed a sword master is not violent."

"Hmm..."

I recalled the memory from a moment ago.

-Octopuuuuuuuuus!

-Ah, please don't cry.

-Uwaaaaaaaaaaah.

And I shrugged and answered Darvav's question.

"I don't think the beast killed the head of the Velian family. In fact, I think this beast helped."

"Hmm?"

"It seems there was some kind of accident. A third party."

"The heretics?"

I looked at the beast and smiled slightly.

"Can we talk about this part later?"

I was too tired to talk about heavy matters now. I placed my hand on the beast's head and walked towards the shower.

And.

"Eeeeeeeeeek..."

"Octopus...."

"How old are you?"

-Wiggle wiggle...

"Heeeeeeeeeeek!!!!!!"

The young lady was playing happily with the beast.

"Dad...!!!!!! The hair is moving!"