Chapter 76: Don’t Do This (1)

Chapter 76: Don’t Do This (1)

Lukkwan fled with all her might. Some tried to stop her but refrained after their comrades told them to leave her be.

So she went down one, two, three floors before rushing into an empty room. There would have been far better hiding spaces had she looked more thoroughly, but after getting subjected to such pure malice, she didn't have the peace of mind to do so.

She stuffed herself into a closet she never in her right mind would have considered, gasping for air. She was so scared that she was about to lose her mind.

The fear she felt right now was greater than what shed felt during any other crisis

Ready or not, here I come.

It seemed that person had reached this floor and now was moving along the hallway.

Even if a rat bites you Even if an ant bites you

She heard his slow singing resonating from afar. Lukkwan covered her mouth with her hand.

Dont make a move, dont make a sound

The slow and even rhythm of his singing slowly neared the room she was hiding in, accompanied by the squeaking sound of doors opening.

She could hear several overlapping footsteps, but just one set stood out.

If I hear a single squeak, Ill catch you.

And finally, the footsteps stopped before the room she was in. Squeak. The sound of its door opening was especially clear.

Step, step, step.

She could only hear a single set of footsteps entering the room.

Lukkwan held her breath as she cowered in her closet. A skilled thief wouldnt allow their body to tremble even a little. This gave her hope that she might overcome this crisis.

Tak.

However, it seemed luck wasnt on her side. The footsteps stopped right outside the closet she was in.

Creak.

The closet door opened, letting a thin ray of light into the space she was hiding in. Naturally, the one standing before the door, blocking some of the light, was the cause of the fear dominating her.

His gray eye stared down at her.

Ready or not.

And then, Clack.

He closed the door once more.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

Here I come.

The Demon, the person who might be a Demon, moved away again.

Her heart was still pounding.

* * *

Daaamn. That surprised me.

Perhaps it was because she was of the Shaggi tribe, half human and half animal, that her eyes glowed so brightly in the dark If I hadnt been prepared before opening the closet, I would have screamed as soon as our eyes met.

My heart was still pounding.

Sigh, but those guys in the hallway wouldnt know I had opened the closet here, right? I really tried my best not to make any noise while opening and closing it.

I was praying they hadnt noticed. I mean, I was checking all the rooms while under the assumption they wouldnt look through them again.

Hmm. Its not here.

I desperately acted out the new character Id developed as I entered the hallway again.

I disappointedly tilted my head to the side in a manner typical for the character.

My cheeks felt a bit hot, seeing that I was already in my thirties and yet acted all cute before these kids, but I managed to hold back my embarrassment. I wasnt the only one whod have their head sent flying if they noticed what I was doing.

Would you like to release that person?

Did you just ask me a question?

And, urgh. I actually wasnt so embarrassed about acting cute like this, but rather because I was forced to roleplay using an unfinished character setting all of a sudden.

A true roleplay lover had to handle even sudden role changes no matter what. However, the moment someone went, Are you for real? I would immediately completely drown in shame.

Uwaargh. Universe, I beg you! Please help me save face!

Th-Thats not it, I-

Stab!

I didnt let him finish before plunging my sword into his neck.

The atmosphere, which had slightly relaxed while I focused on the game of tag, became tense again.

Does anyone else want to ask me a question?

Come on, ask away. I would definitely kill everyone waiting for me in the hallway. They were the ones who made me play this second role, after all.

I would never forgive those guys who forced me to act like some great villain.

No one?

However, contrary to my wishes, no one came forward.

I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes. At the same time, I desperately looked at my Status Window, matching the timing.

I wasnt really interested in my stats which automatically increased every time I leveled up. However, the status effect written right below them was like a punch in the gut and wouldnt leave my head.

You are afflicted with a special status effect (Arcane Overload). You cannot use skills until the condition is lifted.

It went without saying that this was why I decided to roleplay instead of killing Vipurit right away.

I couldn't use any skills right now.

What a shame

No, it wasn't just skills! Any use of Arcane Power was completely sealed. I was certain of that as I tried it before, and the only result was blood leaving my mouth.

In other words, I had to survive somehow in the middle of the enemy camp, relying only on my physical abilities.

And quite honestly, my chances of survival were very low under these conditions

So, I had no choice but to play along with my enemy's misunderstanding.

Going by what I overheard while pretending to still be unconscious to grasp my situation, I suspected things would become quite interesting if I took advantage of this misunderstanding.

Well, they did perform a ritual to awaken the Demon inside me So, if they thought they succeeded, why shouldn't I take advantage of that?

Surely this wouldnt have such a light novel development, like I possessed a person with a Demon sealed in their right arm, but it's actually the last boss!, right?

Open it.

With just two words out of my mouth, the door was opened. According to the castle map I had received, this door led to the central garden.

However, after this place had been occupied and altered by the Demon Worshipers and Demons, this was no longer the central garden.

Youre here.

This place had long become a slaughterhouse.

If I hadnt decided to stick by this new character setting, I might have vomited a little.

Naberius, the 24th Knight, greets the esteemed Great Demon.

Sir Wrath, Im Bifrons.

I barely managed to take my eyes off that utter massacre and glanced at the two people approaching me.

Naberius was a fair-skinned, handsome man, and Bifrons was a freckled woman.

They were at least a billion light years away from the picture on the wanted poster I had seen. Neither of them was Vipurit.

Then, I guess that Fo guy really was Vipurit. There couldnt be two unrelated people who looked so much alike, right?

E-Erm.

On another note, Naberius naturally bowed to me, while Bifrons, whod been bowing quite crookedly, became very aware of me.

Did I look like I would kill her if she didnt bow properly? Had either of them asked this character a question, he would definitely kill them, but he wouldnt take offense over lacking manners.

It seems you are pretty satisfied with your hunt.

At that moment, the Fo-guy, noticing the blood on my cheek, came to a conclusion. It seemed he was under the misconception that this blood was from Lukkwan.

Alright, Id be happy if he was!

The cat is pretty good at hiding, so it was worth my while.

How great it would have been if my Arcane Overload disappeared at that moment. My lips started quivering as I witnessed someone having their neck slit right before me and their blood flowing into a dug-out hole.

If the seal on my skills were to be lifted now, I could take care of the most dangerous people in this region in one swoop. I felt a bit anxious as the notification only mentioned that I couldnt use skills but didnt say how long I would stay that way.

But what are these?

I suppressed those feelings and looked around this palace filled with the smell of blood. On the other side of the corpse garden were the living destined to get their throats cut and left to bleed out.

What particularly caught my eye were those among them wearing prison guard uniforms.

After checking their faces, the worry that my poor kids might have gotten caught disappeared. I didnt know who they were, but they sure weren't from my party.

That single fact comforted me a little.

They are wearing the same clothes as those kids in the hallway?

I asked as I stepped on the back of one of those kneeling people wearing prison guard uniforms, their hands tied with a rope. Bifrons was the one who answered.

Although I told those guys to strengthen our security because the Hero was about to invade, they dared to disobey me.

Could I interpret that as our kids having not been caught yet? I hoped so, at least.

The Hero?

Just the empty talk of the foolish. She is but an insignificant brat.

Our kimchi dumpling was quite the fluffy kid, but her core was spicy and hard!? As one would expect from the enemy camp. Just wait and see. The first thing shell do is cut your throat.

Is that so?

I kicked the person I was stepping on before turning around.

That sounds a little interesting.

I had gotten so used to saying things I didnt intend to that I had nothing to worry about.

So, is the Hero

Wait a second. At that moment, my gaze traveled behind the (former) guard.

Shit. They were so small that I only noticed them now. There were kids not even in their mid or late teens but around five and six years old.

Even toddlers.

here then?

Did my vision flicker for a moment there? Did my eyes turn red or something? I felt the sensation of anger reaching the top of my head, pulling at the nape of my necka feeling I hadn't experienced in a very long time.

It was almost a miracle I finished my sentence. My throat seemed to tighten, and my eyes seemed to become hot. That was what one would call the heat of anger.

No, it felt like real fire.

I-If you so wish, we can get her for you right away.

I tried to focus my gaze as best I could on the black energy bursting from my right arm. I didnt even pay attention to the clear sounds of explosions coming from afar.

No.

I needed to be patient. Patient. If I burst out now, what would have been the point of my acting? It wasnt like I roleplayed like this once or twice.

Above all else, it wasnt like I could save the kids by stabbing those guys right now. I didnt have the strength to take them away or defeat all these enemies while protecting them.

Theres no need for that.

So, I had to be patient. It was more than obvious it would only harm those kids if I fought right now, so I had to be patient.

Be patient.

But there sure are a lot of kids here, arent there?

Be patient

Th-Those are the offerings for the dragon. As you know, such mighty demonic beasts arent satisfied with ordinary blood.

Be patient?

A special status condition (Rage) has been created.

Rage Nullifies all status conditions except Rage and ignores any further status conditions placed on you.

The more you perform certain actions, the more your madness gauge will fill up.

The black energy grew even stronger.

I can do anything now.

To the point that even such exaggerated thoughts flashed through my mind.