Ruler Vol 2 Chapter 8
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Author: Anit666
【Sam’s POV】
“Lady Liera, bandits.”
“What? Again? This is the third time already. Don’t worry, I’ll handle them.” (Liera)
She said as such and exited the carriage. Soon, screams and cries filled with pain started entering our ears. I kind of pity the bandits. They would have looked at this nice carriage and thought that they would loot us and live in luxury for a while, but what they got was death at the hands of Liera.
Yes, death. Liera always killed any bandits we encountered: not even a single one of them survived. Well, even the law allows one to kill the bandits in self-defence.
Sitting across me, Chloe was making an unsettled expression. I guess she’s still not used to killing others. Though ideally speaking, she shouldn’t even have to think about such things, and yet here she is, being troubled over killing people. That’s a failure on my part.
A short while later, the screams stopped, the gate of the carriage opened and Liera stepped inside. There was not even a speck of blood on her body, and yet a smell of death was oozing out from her entire body.
She soon sat as if nothing had happened, and the carriage started moving again. She soon noticed the troubled expression on Chloe’s face.
“Hmm? What is it Chloe? Are you still not used to such things? I say, you cannot continue like this forever. There would inevitably come a time when you’ll have to kill someone. You cannot hesitate like this at that time.” (Liera)
“Y-Yes, I know, but still…….” (Chloe)
Oh well, I guess I should extend a helping hand.
“Don’t worry Chloe. This is the reason why we’re heading to that dungeon. By killing the monsters dwelling in it, you’ll get used to the act of killing itself. And then you won’t feel anything while killing someone.” (Sam)
This ought to appease her for now. However, Chloe sighed and looked at me with eyes that seemed to say that she has given up on me.
“I say, at such moments, you should say something like ‘Don’t worry about killing others, for you won’t get the chance to as I’m protecting you.’” (Cornellia)
Cornellia interfered with a tone as if she was explaining something to a child. But why should I say something like that? Giving her false hope now would only hold her back at the crucial moment, and that could be fatal.
“Is that so?” (Sam)
But explaining that to her would be a pain, especially to Cornellia, so I let it go.
“Yes, it is. You don’t understand a girl’s heart.” (Shiggurath)
I’m not sure that Shiggurath is even qualified to say that, given how old she is. But I dared not to say this in front of her, else I would be pulverised on the spot. However, a girl’s heart?
“And what exactly do you mean by a girl’s heart? Every individual has a different outlook on things, and they feel different things in different situations. There’s no way you can just arbitrarily classify a specific emotion to a specific gender. In fact-“ (Sam)
“Yeah, just keep saying that and you’ll remain single for the rest of your life.” (Liera)
“Just like you?” (Jack)
Oof.
“Ah? Did you say something?” (Liera)
She asked with a voice as cold as ice.
“No, nothing.” (Jack)
Wow, even Jack backed off. What’s up with these scary women? I wanna go home. Alicia chuckled in the background.
It’s been three days since we set off from Gundia. According to Liera, we’ll enter Lanpas today, while we’ll reach Blatan in the evening. We travelled during the day, and lodged at inns during the night. I would have preferred to travel during the night too, but we couldn’t do that because of Alicia.
Unlike us, Alicia apparently cannot fight. Liera said that it would be dangerous to let the princess of a nation travel during the night. However, even though we were travelling with a princess, soldiers weren’t travelling with us. And that is simply because there is no need for them. We have Liera with us after all. Soldiers would only slow us down. So, they weren’t brought.
Of course, staying at an inn with the second princess of one of the largest kingdoms of this world would cause a huge commotion which would only serve to waste our time. However, that issue was resolved by the person herself. Alicia is quite proficient in transformation magic, so whenever we stayed at an inn, she changed her appearance to that of a traveller.
Every time she changed into a different person. Her transformations were so perfect that I’ve begun to doubt whether the face she shows us is real or not.
“So Liera, what kind of country is Lanpas?” (Chloe)
Did she just call Liera by her name? She used to call her teacher though. Looks like these two have gotten closer during these past two weeks. Maybe they’ll get even closer and go down the forbidden path? That would be worth seeing, and I mean that metaphorically.
“Sam…… why does it seem like you’re thinking some really rude things?” (Chloe)
She asked in a slightly colder tone.
Huh? Did she just read my mind? Did Liera teach her such a magic?! I’ll have to be careful.
“N-No, of course not. Why would I do something like that?” (Sam)
“It’s written all over your face.” (Liera)
Damn. And then they ask why I wear a mask. Good grief.
“I can assure you that I’m not doing anything like that.” (Sam)
“Yeah yeah. Anyway, what kind of country is Lanpas, you ask?” (Liera)
“Yes.” (Chloe)
So they’re ignoring me now. What’s with these people?
“As I’ve told you earlier, it’s a militant nation. That means power rules. You can get to high position regardless of your social standing as long as you have power. However, it’s a relatively peaceful nation, especially since the time Reishu took control of it. Unlike the previous kings who tried to rule with fire, Reishu values peace. So, people who try to misuse their power are severely punished. There have been times when he personally killed people who were creating havoc in that country.” (Liera)
Oh, that sounds good. Looks like I was worried for nothing. Given how it’s a nation ruled by power only, I had already considered the possibility of a situation where someone would have picked a fight with me. Jack would never tolerate something like this, so he definitely would have tried to kill that person.
Good grief, Jack is so violent. It’s good that I’m here to keep him under control, lest he might have already destroyed a country or two.
“What about Reishu? What type of person is he?” (Chloe)
Well, given the state of the country under him, it should be safe to assume that he’s a person who likes peace.
“Well, he’s a genius when it comes to battle. He killed a Commandment at an age of 50, ya know. You have to be very strong to accomplish such a feat. Moreover, his fighting style and the tactics he employs during battle are brilliant to the point that even I have to get serious to defeat him. There was a time when he was considered as a Hero candidate. However, he has gone docile these days. All he talks about is peace and shit.” (Liera)
Looks like my assumption was correct.
“Or that’s how his façade is supposed to be.” (Liera)
Eh?
“Eh?” (Chloe)
“Yes. That’s just his façade. Deep down, he’s nothing more than a war mongrel. He’s a battle maniac who just wants to fight strong opponents. The Demon King is more likely to want peace than him, and the Demon King would never want peace. He has been eagerly waiting for this war so that he could fight strong opponents once again.” (Liera)
Wow. Here we have another lost cause. He wants to fight strong opponents, right? I’m sure that he’s going to ask for a match between us and him. Ah I wanna go back already.
“That’s why you have to be careful. He’s going to want to have a battle with you, I’m sure of it.” (Liera)
“Uwaah…. He seems like a horrible person. Can’t we like, skip meeting him.” (Chloe)
“Unfortunately, you cannot. Refusing to meet him would mean we won’t be able to enter that dungeon. But going there is crucial. Although we could force our way into the dungeon, that would only serve to antagonise him. And we cannot afford to fight between ourselves when the Demon King is already upon us.” (Liera)
Goddamnit! So, we have no choice but to fight him. This is going to be a pain in the ass.
Oh yeah, I’ll make Jack fight him.
“Hey Jack, just in case the king asks for a fight, you’ll be the one to fight him.” (Sam)
“Eh? Why should I do that?” (Jack)
“Because you’re the best man for this job.” (Sam)
“Best man my ass. I won’t be doing it.” (Jack)
“Would you do it for a Scooby snack?” (Sam)
“Huh?” (Jack)
You’re supposed to jump with joy there, you know.
“Just kidding. How about…… if you do it for me, then I’ll owe you a favour. And hey, you also get to fight and test your skills. It’s a win-win situation, you know.” (Sam)
Let’s see if he would bite the bait.
“Hmmm. Fine, then. If he asks for a fight, then I’ll do so in your stead.” (Jack)
Phew, problem resolved. Needless to say, I won’t be owing him any favours.
“How evil. Are you sure you’re not a demon?” (Shiggurath)
Huh? Why does she know that my plan is evil? Er… I mean, why would she say that?
“Just so you know, you have a really nefarious smile on your face.” (Cornellia)
Where the fuck is my mask?!
As I was searching for my mask, the carriage came to a halt, and someone knocked on the door of the carriage. I pondered over what to do, but Liera put her right hand on the hilt of the sword hung on her waist, and opened the gate.
A young elf girl was standing there.
“Welcome to Lanpas, O Heroes. I’m Simone Zestringer, the first princess of this country. I’ve come here to receive you.” (Simone)
Said the elf as she courteously bowed.
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