I'll continue to do my best~!
My aim is to lure out the guy ahead.
"That guy has absolute confidence in his power. He was already overconfident to begin with, but it's even worse now that he became a great noble of the Shadi Kingdom."
I explained.
"If a commoner were to oppose a great noble like him, he will try to torture and kill him with a large number of soldiers to serve as a lesson. He would step out as well and try to torture me. Just to satisfy his violent tendencies."
That's what I'm after.
My skill has a short range.
For instance, if my opponent shuts himself in a solid building, I can't lay a hand on him.
So, I'll just have him come to me instead.
Well, it's not that difficult.
He's the simplest and most easily provoked person within the former hero party.
He loves to make a display of his power as well.
"He'll definitely fall for it."
"Um…if that's the case, then use me as a decoy. If we manage to lure him out, then I think you've got a chance."
Shea spoke while placing a hand over her chest.
"Decoy, you say?"
"Riotte was trying to get me to his side. If push comes to shove, I can guarantee mutual destruction──"
"That's impossible."
I plainly spoke in response to Shea's tragic but brave resolution.
Indeed, Shea's quite competent after seeing that battle just before.
However, even though he's been inactive, Riotte is still a former member of the hero party.
There's a huge gap in their ability.
It seems that he's been living a self-indulgent life after becoming a duke, so perhaps he's not as self-restrained as he used to be during his past as a warrior.
Even so, I don't think Shea's a match for him.
"The tables will be turned on you, you'll end up becoming his plaything."
"P, plaything…"
Shea's face turned pale.
She shuddered.
"I'd rather bite my tongue and die than be defiled by that man!"
How courageous.
"Don't worry. I'll kill him."
I said that and walked forward.
"No need for a decoy."
"Chrome…?"
"Riotte's castle is over there, right?"
I pointed West and asked.
"Right, but…um, what are you doing?"
"I already told you, I'm luring him out."
I continued ahead without waiting for Shea.
My thin legs were weak, but I moved.
I continued walking.
"I'm going to kill him. I'll take the shortest distance. A straight line."
Now then, let the revenge begin.
※
-Riotte's Side-
"Hey, I'm out of booze! Bring some more!"
Riotte angerly shouted to a nearby servant.
It was as if he was criticizing him for not having prepared a fresh supply of alcohol before it ran out.
He got angry over how useless his servant seemed.
"Y, yes, right away…!"
"What a useless guy. Alright, off with that man's head."
"B, but Duke, we can't deprive him of his livelihood so easily…"
A butler was flustered.
"He has a newly wed wife who will give birth to a child soon──"
"Don't you get it?! He deserves to die after making me lose my temper. After offending me, Riotte, a member of the glorious hero party!"
Riotte smiled while making a vulgar laugh.
"If you'd like, how about I get rid of you instead of that guy? There are countless people who can take your place."
"Eek, please forgive me…"
"Then, go tell that guy that he's being beheaded."
"…I understand."
"What's with that attitude?! Are you displeased?!"
Riotte suddenly got into a rage and threw the glass he held towards the butler.
The glass hit him directly on the forehead.
"Ooh, p, please excuse my rudeness."
The butler's forehead started bleeding, and he went down on his hands and knees.
He apologized to Riotte while placing his head over the floor.
"Please, I offer my humblest apologies…"
The butler knew very well what would happen if he angered him anymore than he already did.
In fact, the previous butler had been killed after angering him during a feast.
He was able to hush it using his influence.
"Well, whatever. I'll let you off just this once. Oh right, go investigate criminals. It'll affect my reputation if I leave them alone."
He sent the butler out of his room, as if to shoo him.
He then stared at a girl working as a waitress.
"…Oh."
Riotte narrowed his eyes.
She wore a maid dress that was modified to be more revealing in accordance to his tastes.
She was naturally a beauty.
Riotte didn't distinguish between married and unmarried women, he didn't care if they already had lovers. He collected beautiful women and had them serve him.
…Like Shea, some of them refused Riotte's summons, though.
"Hey, you over there…entertain me for a bit. Let's head to the bedroom."
Riotte stared at the maid's face and figure as if licking her.
"Err, um…"
"Looking at you closely, you've got quite the nice body, don't you? Let's get busy."
Nobody could oppose him.
Their lives were at his whim.
He was like a king.
No, he was the king in this region of the kingdom.
"P, please spare me…aah…"
While reeking of alcohol, he embraced the maid who began to protesting.
Her strength couldn't match that of Riotte, who was a veteran warrior.
Perhaps giving up, she soon stopped resisting.
"I like them best when they're obedient. Let's have some fun now, hehehe."
Riotte forcibly dragged the her to the bedroom.
He shut the door close, and the sad screams of a women echoed inside the room.
※
I walked in a straight line towards the duke residence where Riotte lived.
Shea and I wore cloaks and hoods that masked our eyes.
A simple disguise to hide our identities.
"U, um, is this okay?"
Shea walked beside me with a face of uncertainty.
"Even if we lure Riotte out, we would be facing him upfront."
Indeed, when thinking about it with common sense, it seemed like a reckless decision.
However, my ability is the exact opposite of common sense.
"I already said that we would take the shortest distance."
I spoke bluntly.
She's only seen my ability once, but I've using this EX Skill for two years.
I'm absolutely confident.
Nobody will stop me, no matter who it is.
Thereupon…
"Who are you?!"
"Duke Riotte's residence is beyond this point! This is not a place for wanderers like you to trespass!"
"Leave at once!"
Several soldiers approached from tens of meters away.
It seems that they're guards patrolling the area.
"If you continue, we won't show mercy!"
"The other day, I've torn the limbs off of a guy who wandered here. Just to teach the people a lesson."
"Do we have to make you suffer through the same thing in order to preserve the duke's influence? Hmm?"
Are they exercising power and violence under Riotte?
"Lowlifes."
While judging that, I continued forward without a care.
"Did you not hear us…? Gah?!"
"Gah?!"
"Guah…?!"
As soon as the distance between us reached the range of the skill, the soldiers spat out blood and fell.
一Regular knights would have a stamina value of about 100 to 300.
For someone of the hero class like Riotte, they would have 1000, 2000, or even more.
There's no way these guys would have values that high.
They all died instantly after receiving a fixed damage of 9999.
"Chrome…"
Shea was breathless in response to the gruesome scene.
"If you're scared, then don't bother coming along. I'll go alone."
"N, no, I'm going with you!"
Shea spoke courageously despite her pale face.