Chapter 161
RMSBS - Episode 161 . Going to War (1)
After forming an alliance with the barbarians, the Starling Party descended Mt . Calcarus with a light heart . Luckily, unlike when they were climbing the mountains, they were able to descend easily with Yuria’s guidance .
“This is the city you were talking about . ”
The city that they arrived at per Desir’s request was Pirium, a barbarian city located below Mt . Calcarus .
It was an area open to other countries as well, which explained the numerous foreigners that mingled in the streets .
The barbarians sold goods like durable stone handicrafts and ores of high quality, so many merchants frequented the area .
“Thank you for the guidance, Yuria . ”
“Then I’ll see you later on the battlefield . ”
Yuria bid the Starling Party farewell and went her own way .
Pram examined the city as he spoke .
“But unlike what we’ve heard, it’s not that lively . ”
As he said, the mood was oddly somber . This was another side effect of the war between the Allied Forces and the Outsiders .
“Go ahead, rest at the inn . I’ll go report on the completion of our mission . ”
The place Desir headed to was the embassy of the Hebrion Empire . As the only barbarian city open to other countries, each nation had their own embassy within the city walls .
At the embassy, Desir verified his identity with his gold plaque and used the embassy’s communication device to contact Hersaint-Blanc .
“Seven thousand barbarian soldiers that can be mobilized . And all of them are skilled enough to be knights?”
The news of their successful alliance with the barbarians had excited Hersaint-Blanc greatly .
“That much power alone is equivalent to an entire flank of the troops provided by the Western Kingdom Union . It’s beyond my expectations . ”
“How is the current situation?”
At Desir’s question, Hersaint-Blanc murmured to himself .
“I can’t say it’s too good . ”
He continued speaking .
After the battle between Zod Exarion and the homunculus, now known as the Battle of Lagrium, the commanders of the Allied Forces determined that the war would enter a lull .
Everything seemed to point to that being the truth . That is, until the Outsiders took advantage of the situation and launched an unexpected attack on the Allied Forces .
Normally, to launch such an attack while being so severely outnumbered, would be to hand victory to your enemies . But the reason they carried out the attack was simple .
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The homunculus had returned to the front lines .
“It went exactly according to your party’s observations in the Shadow World . The homunculus’s recovery was truly extraordinary . It should have been completely destroyed during its fight against the Master of the Magic Tower, yet it had already made a full recovery and rejoined the front lines . ”
Desir’s face hardened . The homunculus’s extraordinary regenerative power was something he was already well aware of .
However, its speed was beyond his expectation .
“Having experienced the full brunt of its power once, the Allied Forces have established a Special Forces unit to eliminate it, but they’re already busy just trying to keep it in check . ”
“It would be hard to stand up to it unless we’re as strong as Zod . ”
The mere presence of the homunculus was enough to force opponents to change their strategy, and it alone had the power to turn the situation upside down .
However, the homunculus was by no means an invincible creature .
The Allied Forces, composed of the strongest forces on the continent, weren’t weak enough to collapse due to a single being .
Confirming that the alliance between the Western Kingdom Union and Hebrion Empire was progressing rather smoothly, Desir determined that the current situation wasn’t too terrible .
“You should hurry up and take your party and join the ranks at the Lagrium Plains as well . ”
“I understand . ”
*Beep*
With that, their communications ended .
Having finished his report, Desir located the inn using his communication bracelet and left the embassy .
When he arrived at the inn, Pram was waiting for him outside .
“How was it?”
Seeing Desir approach, Pram ran up to him like a puppy and greeted him . Seeing Pram act cutely like always, Desir let out a smile, but it was no time to be chatting casually .
“Pram, could you call the others over?”
Sensing the concern within Desir’s tone, Pram hurried to call the other party members over .
Once everyone had arrived, Desir started recounting the news he had heard; that the situation wasn’t very good, and that the Starling Party would have to join the war effort .
When he finished talking, the air felt heavy with tension . Feeling anxious was only natural . Regardless of how many battles they had undertaken in the Shadow Worlds, the weight that the term ‘war’ held was something entirely different .
But no one was scared .
Riled up, Romantica spoke energetically .
“Wars disgust me, but if my opponents are the Outsiders, I’ll do whatever I need to . I won’t let them get away with something like ‘that’ again . ”
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Desir, Adjest, and Pram knew immediately what she was talking about .
Last summer, the Outsiders had committed an act of terrorism on a grand scale in Deltaheim, the capital of Prillecha . Romantica’s hometown .
As a result, the city had been destroyed, and many lives had been lost . The shock she must have felt at the time would be indescribable .
Adjest agreed with her opinion .
“The Outsiders’ indiscriminative terrorism is unforgivable . ”
The Outsiders had also manipulated the Hebrion Academy’s Party Competition, aiming to eliminate as many parties as possible, each filled with all of the young promising talent in the Empire . Through that incident, several students had lost their lives .
They were more than likely to continue carrying out such indiscriminate acts of terrorism .
Pram too had something to add .
“If we’re able to prevent future damage by stopping them, I think that we must fight too . ”
Everyone was in agreement . Then there was no reason to hesitate .
Desir nodded .
“Let’s end this war as soon as possible . ”
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A bathtub filled to the brim with red blood .
Walls of black blood, blood that had long since dried and lost its original color .
In the room decorated with splattered red and black blood, a man sat in the corner .
He had a gag in his mouth, and his limbs were tied down with ropes to prevent him from moving .
His eyes were full of fear .
And next to him stood a woman wearing a mask embellished with feathers and jewels . The mask covered more than half of her face, yet her beauty still spilled out .
Unlike the man who was frozen in terror, she was far too calm . Despite being in a room that would scare anyone, she looked comfortable, as if she were at home .
Feather Mask smiled lightly as she approached the man . Her smiling lips overflowed with sensuality .
“How long will you hold out?”
*Splatter*
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Blood gushed out from the slit drawn on the man’s throat . He widened his eyes in agony .
“Mmph! MMMHPHH!”
“Don’t get too scared . I won’t kill you that easily . ”
In Feather Mask’s hand was a dagger dripping with fresh blood . She laughed as the man struggled .
“No need to think of it as a waste . Your blood will be valued greatly . ”
Feather Mask bent down and licked the blood that flowed down the man’s throat .
“MMMMPH!”
Her lips, once very captivating, terrified him as they were stained with blood .
The man only stopped breathing once he had bled so much that the carpet couldn’t soak up any more .
Her eyes that had been filled with so much excitement just moments ago went dull .
As she wallowed in disappointment, someone opened the door and entered .
It was a man with a muscular body .
He was Mountain King Raden, the leader of a group of bandits that had conquered the five mountains in the central area of the continent . A man who had reached Bishop Class .
The moment he saw the state of the room, he frowned .
“I got a call from Crow Mask . ”
“You did?”
Feather Mask followed Raden to the hallway .
They were located in an ancient castle that was originally built by the previous kingdom to fight against the barbarians .
As the war ended, the castle became useless and was now being used as the Outsiders’ base .
It was when they had been walking for some time, Raden looked at the bloodstain on Feather Mask’s shoulder as he spoke .
“How about you stop that disgusting hobby of yours?”
“Why? It’s just some light entertainment before the battle begins . Can’t I even do that?”
“You’re going too far . I’m tired of sacrificing my men for that perverted hobby of yours . ”
Forty-five people .
That was the number of people Feather Mask had sacrificed in the past week .
In order to satisfy her needs, Raden had handed her captives, deserted underlings, and even innocent men when that wasn’t enough .
Feather Mask’s brutal indulgences were enough to make even her allies sick .
“Don’t you dare insult my artwork . ”
“Art? Please, give me-”
In an instant, the nigh-unbearable thick scent of bloodlust wafted off from Feather Mask .
Raden felt as though his whole body was being squeezed .
Beneath the mask decorated with feathers and jewels, an alluring smile blossomed .
“You should be grateful I’m not feasting on you . If I didn’t restrain myself to these small-scale splurges, I would’ve woven your intestines into ribbons and decorated this castle weeks ago . ”
Feather Mask turned back to the front .
*Thud*
Once the pressure around his body ceased, he subconsciously fell to his knees .
Feather Mask ignored Raden and climbed the stairs as he still lay on the floor in shock, his body unresponsive after experiencing the skill difference between them first-hand .
A communication came through, connecting to one of the top rooms of the castle .
[-How’s life in that place?]
It was Crow Mask’s voice .
“How much longer do we have to do this? Holding the fort is suffocating . This job doesn’t suit me at all . ”
[-It’ll be over soon . Are things going as planned?]
“They’re all moving like you said . There’s nothing that will interfere with the plan . ”
Crow Mask’s plan was extensive yet detailed . Feather Mask admitted that his resourcefulness was a trait that required acknowledgement .
“But you wouldn’t call just to tell me that, so why did you call me this time?”
[-To tell you that now that the time is ripe, you’re free to run wild . ]
At those words, Feather Mask’s lips drew into a thin line .
“I’ve been waiting for you to say that . ”