NOVEL NEXT chapter 103
103 – 103. Rampage (3)
I don’t know why.
But I could understand.
The calamity of innocence had descended.
A monster wearing the guise of a beautiful maiden stood right before me.
“Lu, Ludmila! Let’s try to resolve this through conversation…!”
Edanant stretched out his hands, waving them in desperation.
Yet, despite his earnest pleas, Ludmila’s fist struck Edanant’s face with a force that was undeniable. The punch, wrapped in black flames, landed with a thunderous sound, as if iron was being crushed.
Boom!!!
The helmet twisted.
At the same time, blood poured out from the cracks in the helmet.
A hammer had fallen upon the notorious womanizer who had juggled three lovers until now. Caught off guard by the sudden assault, Edanant momentarily lost his balance and bent one knee.
“Are you going to make excuses again? This time, you’ll try to deceive me with your wicked tongue, won’t you?”
“…….”
Was it because of the blow to my head?
My mind was hazy, and my vision wavered.
Edanant spat out the blood pooling in his mouth as he faced Ludmila.
‘Could it be that she’s lost her reason and is rampaging? No, it’s too coherent for a rampage… Perhaps the anger that has built up against me is the cause.’
It was easy to grasp when synthesizing Ludmila’s statements.
The cause was me.
She seemed to think I had eloped with Jeblinne.
How furious she must have been, believing that her fiancé, who had promised to marry her, had run away. Moreover, Ludmila was a spinster who had completely missed her prime, which must have intensified her anger. She must have thought that the last rare opportunity in her life had been snatched away by a saint.
“It’s a misunderstanding! I’m not Maximilian; why would I elope? If I were to back out of the marriage now, my family would be ruined!”
“To lie while betting your own family…! Truly, you are a scoundrel who deceived the princesses of the Empire.”
The conversation was going nowhere.
Had my usual distrust towards her grown this large?
Misery washed over me.
The karma of my past disrespectful behavior in front of Ludmila had come back to haunt me like this.
I attempted to persuade her again, but Ludmila merely maintained her attitude of ‘no questions, no answers.’ As if to prove that, dark flames began to unfold one after another.
“Please set up a barrier to prevent the damage from spreading!”
“I’ll do whatever I can, so just stop the spinster hysteria!”
Jeblinne stepped back with a desperate cry.
And Edanant, steeling himself, took a step forward.
“I don’t care what happens to me. I’ve hurt Ludmila time and again. But if we don’t stop now… the citizens of the Marquisate of Hoenberk will be swept away. Is that truly what you want?”
“Shut up, Edanant! You’ve always deceived me by bringing up sacrifice!”
Something felt off.
Edanant, who had been continuing the conversation with Ludmila, harbored a vague suspicion.
Logic was failing.
No words reached Ludmila in her current state.
Her reason must be dominated by madness. The calamity of innocence was intentionally fueling Ludmila’s rage.
“Die!”
Ludmila stretched out her hands.
Then, countless fireballs that had unfolded in the air rained down.
Faced with the fiercely burning flames, Edanant ultimately chose to counterattack. As dark particles formed all at once, numerous flintlock guns appeared.
────!!
─────────!!!
Flames and bullets clashed with a thunderous roar.
Tyranny and war.
A unique situation unfolded, where the calamities of innocence clashed against each other.
Ludmila drew the sword she wore at her waist. In response, Edanant unsheathed Aldebaran, and a fierce battle ensued, evenly matched.
‘The calamity of tyranny will surely be consumed by Aldebaran’s erosion, just like the other deities. But…’
If Aldebaran’s sanctity eroded him, he would inevitably lose his life. Even if he miraculously survived, he would be left a wreck.
He must not activate the holy sword.
Edanant suppressed Aldebaran’s sanctity while gazing at the maddened Ludmila.
“Ugh!”
He hesitated.
The price of hesitation always results in a fatal wound.
The sharp tip of Ludmila’s blade pierced his arm. If he hadn’t reflexively raised a hand, his head would have been severed.
“Edanant!!”
He thought that if he just took it quietly, perhaps Ludmila’s anger would subside; it was a naive judgment.
It was the opposite.
Rather, it had the opposite effect.
Witnessing the blood dripping down, Ludmila became even more frenzied. Her eyes, gleaming red like fresh blood, spoke volumes.
“Does it hurt? Does it hurt a lot? I felt much worse! Every time you shared tender moments with the saint… it felt like my heart was burning!!”
“…….”
“Moreover, even now, I can smell another woman. How dare you seek forgiveness with such a subject? Your audacity is reaching the heavens, Edanant!!”
“It’s a misunderstanding! It’s truly a misunderstanding!”
It must have been Ariel’s scent.
To be misunderstood for infidelity because of that damned vampire.
This was the one thing he found truly unjust.
Edanant protested in an agitated voice, but Ludmila did not listen. Having been betrayed in faith time and again, she had closed her ears.
“Edanant!!”
Flames erupted.
Using the explosive force as momentum, Ludmila closed the distance in an instant and lunged at Edanant.
She swung her fists, shattering his armor.
Then, she delivered a fiery kick to his side.
Faced with Ludmila, Edanant had no choice but to hesitate, allowing the attack to land. It was likely due to the guilt he felt for the many wounds he had inflicted on her.
“You have always made me miserable! As if I were the only one who was sincere!”
The sky, scattered with embers, was quickly stained red.
A torrential downpour of flames.
The calamity of tyranny that denies the world revealed itself.
I witnessed a baptism of fire boasting an immeasurable scale, enough to cover the sky. If this tyranny’s calamity were to fall to the ground, the Marquessate of Hoenberk would completely vanish from the map.
It must be stopped.
It had to be stopped, no matter what.
Edanant’s eyes widened in horror.
“Please, pull yourself together, Ludmila! If it continues to worsen… I might have to give it my all!”
“Your all? That’s what I should be saying.”
The apostle of tyranny spoke with a chilling sneer.
An arrogant sense of intimidation overflowed.
The absolute power granted to the seven champions representing the continent surged forth like a natural disaster.
I might die.
I gazed at the spectacle of pillars of fire erupting as the ground split apart.
When saving the Kingdom of Pug, I had struck down thousands of monsters in a single blow. The disparity of power felt from Ludmila was enough to evoke despair, proving that it was no mere boast.
“I’m sorry, Ludmila. What can I do to earn your forgiveness?”
“…….”
Was there a desperate wish hidden within?
At Edanant’s words, Ludmila’s gaze began to waver.
Atone with your life.
The grim words I had pessimistically predicted did not come forth.
Ludmila maintained her silence, as if refusing to speak until the answer she desired emerged from Edanant’s lips. In response, Edanant anxiously observed Ludmila’s expression.
‘What is this? What on earth is Ludmila’s intention? It’s not simply my life she wants… Should I prepare a marriage certificate on the spot?’
Should I rush to the government office right now and submit a marriage certificate?
That was the only way.
I had to somehow calm the raging red dragon.
Edanant stepped back cautiously, like a traveler facing a wild beast. But as soon as he carelessly widened the distance, Ludmila’s condition began to deteriorate.
Witnessing the boiling flames of a volcano on the verge of eruption, Edanant returned to his place. And he continued to ponder deeply.
“…A ring.”
“Pardon?”
When the strange standoff was repeating,
In the end, unable to bear the frustration, Ludmila spoke first.
“Hand over the wedding ring. And swear to me your unchanging love. If you refuse, I will kill you.”
“…….”
Ludmila, demanding with an oppressive command, resembled a tyrant.
If you refuse, I will kill you.
Extending her fist, grasping the flames, she insisted on the wedding ring.
Could there be a more brutal and chilling proposal in the world? The result of momentarily postponing the proposal might have created today’s disaster. Edanant felt the terror of causality as he subtly slipped one hand into his pocket.
Clink-.
His fingertips brushed against the ring box.
Edanant swallowed hard, watching Ludmila, who was focused on his pocket, anticipating the wedding ring.
“It is true that I received the family wedding ring from my father… but I planned to return it to Beatrice and Maximilian.”
“So, you’re saying you can’t give it?”
“Oh, no! I’ll just give that damned brother a candy ring that the Ruinons have.”
“…A wise choice.”
He pulled out the ring box.
Then, as the lid of the box opened, the wedding ring revealed itself.
Perhaps it was due to the flames surrounding them.
The diamond cube embedded in the wedding ring emitted an even more brilliant glow.
The wedding ring that the heads of the Hoenberk family had gifted to their partners as a confession. Greed began to rise in Ludmila’s eyes as she faced the wedding ring she had longed for so desperately.
Hand it over.
Hurry and hand it over.
If you go back on your word now, I will kill you.
Muttering as she spewed forth hot flames from her mouth.
Ludmila’s face twisted into a fierce expression, as if declaring that she would kill anyone who interrupted the proposal.