freenovelworld Chapter 171 : To You, Whom I Cherish and Hate (2)
Chapter 171 : To You, Whom I Cherish and Hate (2)
Chapter 171: To You, Whom I Cherish and Hate (2)
“…….”
“…….”
Even in the face of her younger sister’s unmistakable killing intent, Michel’s eyes remained calm without the slightest tremor.
She merely brought up a small question that had surfaced in her mind.
“You… knew I would come here?”
“If Michel Bernhardt were to infiltrate the estate, there’d only be two possible places.”
“Either here, or Uncle Michael’s place.”
“You’d probably visit Uncle last, so naturally, it’d be here first. Did you think I wouldn’t figure out something that obvious?”
“…I see.”
Watching Michel quietly swallow a sigh, Chloe scoffed.
“But what a shame. There’s nothing left here that you want anymore.”
She spread both arms wide, gesturing toward the empty bookshelves.
“That forged will you hid somewhere in this place? I burned that trash a long time ago.”
“…….”
“A filthy bitch who cooperated with some lowly servant just to take revenge on the Bernhardts for throwing her away, threatened Grandfather into writing a will by force, and even tried to steal the family head position with it.”
“…….”
“You think things are going your way? Hah, not a chance. Bernhardt may suffer damage, but it’ll never fall. Even if Father collapses, even if Uncle collapses, even if Eldest Brother collapses, even if all of us collapse, there was never any possibility of a bitch like you inheriting Bernhardt in the first place.”
“…….”
Even Chloe, who had continued mocking her nonstop, gradually began losing her composure when Michel remained completely expressionless.
“Fuck!!”
Crash!
She violently hurled the wine glass she had been holding and snarled.
“Why… are you still making that face?”
“…….”
“That expression saying trash like me could never become your equal! That’s what pisses me the fuck off!”
“…….”
“The will or whatever, I destroyed every single thing you could’ve used, didn’t I? You even left safe Karbenna and personally came all the way into this dangerous estate. What a waste, huh? Hahaha!”
“…….”
“Then why aren’t you scared? Why aren’t you afraid at all? Even now, in this situation! What the hell are you so confident about?!”
Huff… huff…
As she watched her younger sister vent all her fury and confusion, the older sister slowly extended a hand.
“It’s not too late yet, Chloe.”
“……What exactly are you trying to pull right now?”
“Abandon Bernhardt and pay for your crimes. Then you can live. Both you and I.”
Looking at the hand extended toward her, Chloe burst into laughter as though the very idea was absurd.
“Ahahahahahahaha!”
“This is your last chance, Chloe. The current Bernhardts will all be eradicated. Before the citizens’ rage fully explodes, beg for leniency first. I’ll help you.”
At Michel’s pitiful yet resolute expression and tone, her younger sister’s face rapidly cooled.
Filling her voice with contempt and hatred, Chloe enunciated each word clearly.
“What bullshit.”
“…Are you really going to do this?”
“What, did you think I’d grab your hand while sobbing ‘I’m so scared, Sister’? Are you insane? Why the hell would I do something that disgusting?”
Then she pulled out her wand.
“You know, Michel. I’ve fucking hated you for a long time.”
“……Chloe.”
“A branch family nobody who crawled her way into the direct line by acting cute in front of Grandfather, then strutted around acting superior just because she was a little smart. Nobody ever liked you.”
Even so, I still tried to understand you.
“But you betrayed even me and dug your own grave.”
“…….”
“And now you’re reaching your hand out to me? If you had any conscience at all, you couldn’t do something like that. Don’t you think?”
Pointing her wand firmly at Michel, Chloe shouted.
“I’m going to kill you, Michel.”
And I’m going to survive.
“Out of everything you ever said to me, that’s the only thing I actually agree with.”
“…Fine.”
Michel also drew her wand and accepted the killing intent directed at her.
At first, she had considered telling her younger sister the truth.
But she could not be certain whether learning that truth would truly be good for her.
So she decided to keep it to herself alone.
The younger sister who had once been weak, talentless, constantly ignored, endlessly scolded, and lacking confidence in everything had completely changed after meeting her.
Though she had unintentionally caused harm to her younger sister as well, she did not regret it.
If her precious little sister could continue living in order to take revenge on her, in order to surpass her… then that alone was enough.
And that thought had never changed, not then and not now.
Even so.
When it came time to fight, she had to win.
“…….”
“…….”
Any further conversation would happen after the battle ended.
That unspoken agreement passed sharply between their gazes.
For a while, both slowly stepped sideways while keeping the tips of their wands aimed at each other.
Michel Bernhardt, a master of support magic and corruption magic.
Though she was poor at direct offensive magic and often ineffective against Beasts with anti-magic resistance superior to humans—
Against small numbers rather than large groups, especially against humans, her combat ability surpassed even most Archmages.
Chloe was also a mage nearing first-rate level, but she possessed no specialty field nor any particularly exceptional magic.
Ordinarily, this was an opponent she could never defeat.
However.
If one side fought intending to kill while the other could not.
Then the match could return to equal ground.
‘Shall I test it?’
First, Paralyze Field.
Wooooong—
The moment the field spread across the ground, Michel swiftly leapt to the left.
At the same time, Chloe fired a Slow Spear.
Without even blinking, Michel deployed a Barrier in front of herself to block the spear before immediately activating the Eye of Illusions.
A status-effect spell that plunged a single target she looked at into hallucinations.
Then she instantly cast Wood Chain as well, causing thick vines to burst from the ground.
Chloe’s entire body was bound in an instant.
Michel reflexively attempted to cast Needle Magic and Spear Magic toward her restrained sister, but suddenly flinched and stopped.
Eyes closed and body fully restrained, yet no attack came at all.
Realizing that, Chloe smirked and muttered shortly.
“See?”
This is what happens when you cling to pathetic sympathy.
The moment she noticed the Eye of Illusions’ duration ending, she enhanced both arms with reinforcement magic and shredded the vines apart.
Then she pointed her wand at Michel and coldly declared:
“Touch of Agony.”
Sensing the hostile mana, Michel instinctively raised a Barrier—
But this time, Wood Needles erupted from the ground beneath her.
She barely avoided them by generating wind beneath her feet and rolled once before trying to aim her wand again.
At that exact moment—
A Frozen Missile was flying toward her side.
---
Creak, creak, creeeak.
Clatter!
At the appearance of over fifty skeleton soldiers, the enemies reacted in shock in various ways.
“Skeletons?!”
“Th-that bastard’s a dark mage?!”
“What do we do, Vice Commander?! We never memorized the anti-dark-magic manuals…!”
“Don’t panic! They’re still just skeleton soldiers below C-Rank Beasts! Crush them quickly and target the summoner—”
“W-what’s that now?!”
“…Shadows?”
Craaaash!
Slash!
The skeleton soldiers clad in Shadow Armor did not easily retreat even under the assault of the mercenary corps elites.
Wiping the cold sweat flowing down the back of my neck, I gritted my teeth.
‘…I really hope there aren’t any more reinforcements.’
My gaze briefly shifted inward.
With both arms spread wide, Clina was commanding the soldiers in my place.
There were three tactics I had prepared beforehand for the infiltration operation.
Plan A: Respond in my current state.
A strategy of neither being overly aggressive nor passive, simply tying down as many enemies as possible for as long as possible.
Plan B: The so-called ‘Hit and Run’ strategy.
A tactic for dragging out time against powerful enemies while maintaining a confrontational stance. Using Copy Slot and my newly acquired abilities, I would repeatedly attack and flee before becoming surrounded.
Once surrounded, survival became difficult, making it highly risky, but against enemies too strong to handle alone, this was the most effective way to buy time.
That was why Plan B had originally been my second option.
If the opponent had not been the Bernhardt Mercenary Corps.
And.
If I had not possessed Divinity.
― But are you truly alright? I know your anti-magic resistance and mental strength have greatly increased, but even so, there should at least be some minimal damage.
‘Do I look damaged to you?’
― Not particularly… but.
‘You really know nothing about holy magic, huh?’
― …Wait. You knew how to use holy magic as well?
‘Not me. Our Rubia does. And she’s absurdly good at it.’
Casting ‘Divine Immune’ on myself, I grinned.
“Now this is what you call the perfect rotation.”
Plan C.
Disrupt the enemies using dark magic while eliminating as many of them as possible during the chaos.
The risks were enormous, but so were the returns, so I had considered it before.
However, the operation’s requirements were too difficult, so I had originally discarded it.
First, rumors that I was a dark mage could not spread.
Second, since I could no longer use the grimoire myself, another compatible user had to wield it in my place.
Third, I needed a holy mage capable of offsetting the mental corruption.
Normally, most people would struggle to satisfy even one of those conditions.
But the current me could.
First, trust in everyone associated with Bernhardt had already collapsed, and among them, the mercenary corps was the biggest pack of scumbags. Nobody would believe their claims anyway.
Second, Clina White, one of the highest-ranking evil spirits and the very origin of corruption magic, could use the grimoire through me as a medium.
And third, as Rubia’s [Great Teacher], I could use her holy magic ‘Divine Immune’ stored within [Copy Slot] to neutralize mental corruption.
― From the enemies’ perspective, it would look like you’re using both dark magic and holy magic simultaneously.
‘Only those knowledgeable in both would realize it, though.’
Of course, both the Copy Slot method and using magic through a medium were vastly less efficient than using abilities directly.
If I did not possess such overwhelming mana reserves, this strategy would be impossible to sustain for long.
KWAANG!
Crunch! Craaack!
“…….”
While thinking that, I watched the skeleton soldiers skillfully confuse the enemy with dazzling movements.
‘They’re fighting way better than when I used them.’
Back then, Clina had only lynched one target.
Now she was simultaneously confronting seventeen elite mercenaries.
It was true that the Book of Bright Shadows had greatly strengthened them, but even accounting for that, Clina’s capabilities were undeniable.
Anyway, if we could hold out like this for over an hour, our objective would be accomplished.
“Well then, it’s about time….”
I turned my attention inward to discuss the next plan with Clina.
Right then—
KWAAAAAAANG!
“Are you alright, Carter?!”
The person who appeared amidst a massive explosion and cloud of smoke was someone whose appearance I knew all too well.
For a moment, I was speechless before asking in utter bewilderment.
“……Why are you coming out from there, Frederick?”