Chapter 977
Cough! Cough! Damn it, shit!
Beric gripped the sofa, hacking violently. That crazy old woman—her eyes had suddenly gone wild, and before he knew it, an explosion had ripped through his in-law’s house.
He covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve and crouched low. Then, sharpening his senses through the thick dust, he searched for any sign of movement.
“Fuck, seriously. This is my house!”
The mortgage still had about twenty years left on it! Damn it! Judging by the wind blowing in, all the windows were shattered. If Helna shows up, there’s no way out—straight death.
Beric summoned a magic sword in his hand and clenched it tight.
“Old lady! Got any money? Huh?!”
Swish!
His magic sword sliced swiftly through the air, clearing the dust in an instant. But the old woman was nowhere to be seen. If she wasn’t visible, she must still be hiding somewhere in the haze.
Suddenly, sensing an attack flying in from behind, Beric spun around just in time.
Whoosh!
Thud!
“…!”
The old woman’s fist flashed, striking Beric squarely in the chest. The force and speed were incredible—defying gravity itself, it felt like she’d erased the very air. The shock traveled up his sword arm as he barely managed to block the blow.
“No way, how can an old lady be this strong—”
“Who said old ladies can’t be strong?”
“Damn it, there’s a limit to everything!”
Shh! Shhk!
She pressed the attack, extending her strikes all the way to her shoulders. Beric dodged desperately, looking for an opening, but she refused to give up the offensive.
Crash!
The sofa splintered, and cracks spiderwebbed across the walls. At this rate, the whole house was going to collapse. Should he get outside?
“Well, there’s no choice now!”
“What are you, anyway?”
“What’s the point of knowing when I’m about to die?!”
“Ugh!”
Jab, jab, one-two, spinning kick, then a quick strike to the ribs!
Her fists flowed like water, brushing past Beric’s body like the wind. She didn’t land a hit, but he could feel it instinctively—one solid blow and his bones would snap instantly.
Can I go out?
Ian and Captain Hertzi told me to stay put. But this is an emergency, so it should be fine, right?
No, wait. If I go outside, the neighbors who don’t know anything could be in danger. Not just this crazy old woman—there are plenty of real elders in the neighborhood.
Whoosh!
Thud!
While Beric hesitated, the old woman lightly planted her hand on a table and launched a flying kick. The pain hit Beric like a wall, knocking the wind out of him so hard he couldn’t even groan as he flew backward.
She didn’t miss the chance and followed up with a punch aimed behind him—
“Come with me, you little brat!”
Crash!
The old woman frowned at a strange sensation.
As the dust cleared, Beric saw Varsabe kneeling, fists pressed together. He snapped his head around to face her.
“What the hell?”
“Ah…”
Varsabe’s face twisted in pain as she clutched her own fist.
“Damn it! That hurts like hell!”
“Varsabe, what are you doing here?”
“What’s with this old lady? Did she put a rock in her fist? Ugh.”
“No, seriously. Why are you here? What about the palace?”
The palace?
The old woman narrowed her eyes slightly. She’d already figured Beric was no ordinary person, having taken a direct hit from his punch. But the palace? Judging by how casually Beric spoke, Varsabe must be part of the palace guard.
“Bullshit. The house is wrecked, and you’re worried about the palace?”
“Why not? Can’t I be concerned? You’re picking a fight the moment we meet?”
“Enough—!”
The old woman shifted her stance, ready to kick up dust again.
Swish!
As expected, a strong gust swept through the house, stirring smoke. She was trying to escape in the chaos.
Beric moved to chase, but Varsabe waved him off.
“Stop. No need to go after her.”
Thud!
The old woman paused just outside the door, startled as her comrades entered the yard.
“You idiots! Why are you coming in? I told you to wait by the carriage!”
Just as she was about to shout—
Ziiing! Ziiing!
Shhhhhh!
A translucent dome-shaped barrier sealed Beric’s house completely. The outside world was cut off—no wind, no sound. Even—
“What’s going on? What happened?”
“Beric! Are you inside?”
“That explosion was huge. Someone call the guards!”
“Hey? I think someone’s in there. What’s with this wall?”
The voices of the alarmed neighbors barely reached inside.
The old woman and her comrades looked up slowly. A mage hovered above, clutching a magic circle in his hand, watching from the sky.
“Damn it!”
A mage too? The old woman looked around helplessly.
At that moment, Beric and Varsabe emerged from the house. Varsabe kicked the battered door clean off its hinges.
Bang!
“Ha, shit…”
Beric stood there, stunned, covering his eyes at the sight.
“You don’t seem like an ordinary person.”
“Don’t ‘you’ me. Pretty young lady with no manners.”
“Messing up manners is Beric’s specialty. If you don’t like it, guess my age. I’m eighteen.”
“Eighteen my ass…”
The old woman trailed off, trying to brush off the conversation. You could tell she was deep in thought, trying to figure out what to do next.
Varsabe smirked and flicked her fingers.
“You’re from the north, aren’t you?”
“…That’s a racist thing to say.”
“The north’s full of all kinds of people. So maybe you’re one of them. Looks like an eighty-year-old granny, but actually my little sister, huh?”
“Uh, that’s kinda rude.”
Beric scowled and chimed in, making the old woman bite her lip. She was quietly confident—sure she could take them down and arrest them.
And—
Will reinforcements come?
With a mage involved, word would reach the palace in no time.
The old woman sighed, undoing the buttons on her robe.
“Can’t be helped.”
“What can’t be helped, old lady?”
“To get out of here, I’ll have to kill you two.”
“Hey! You think that mage up there is just decoration?”
“Mage?”
The old woman chuckled, looking up. Maintaining even a single protective barrier like this was tough enough.
If they took out Beric and Varsabe, the mage would have no choice but to join the fight, and the barrier would fall. Even if it held, it’d be weak and break soon.
“Wow…”
As the old woman stripped down and took her stance, Varsabe couldn’t help but admire her. How did an old lady have muscles that defined like that?
“If she wasn’t the enemy, I’d want to learn her routine.”
“Shut up and fight, rookies. You two will be eaten up in no time.”
“Oh yeah? What now? We might be a little tough to chew.”
Varsabe said confidently, but inside, her tension spiked. These were palace guards sent to kill a magic swordsman. They weren’t amateurs. This might be their final battle.
“When this is over, where do we go? Crony? No, Freddy’s mansion, right?”
“Hmph. Nervous? Your tongue’s getting loose.”
Crack, crack.
The old woman cracked her neck and arms, smirking at Varsabe.
Then—
Thud!
“…!”
In a flash, the old woman closed the distance and headbutted Varsabe.
Varsabe barely pulled back her head in time, but lost her balance. The old woman seized the moment.
Swish!
Grabbing Varsabe’s shoulder, she drove her knee into her chest.
But she didn’t go all out. Beric intervened, slashing his sword at her side.
Flare!
Flames danced in the air as Varsabe tumbled back, quickly springing up into a defensive stance.
“You two young ones are really desperate to take down an old lady!”
“Fuck you! What part of me looks old, you crazy bitch!”
Heh heh. Want me to call you ‘big brother’ then?
“I’m gonna smash you to pieces.”
“Looks like your house is the one getting smashed, asshole.”
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Beric glanced back at the warm energy he felt behind him. He knew he couldn’t let his guard down for a second, but something felt off.
Hiss!
The flames Beric summoned caught the roof.
Startled, Beric loosened his stance.
“Idiot!”
Thud!
The old woman’s knee slammed into Beric’s jaw like lightning.
Varsabe gripped her sword, muttering curses as she charged in. Meanwhile, the old woman’s trapped comrades looked around helplessly.
“Find an opening!”
“Old lady! We’ll look for a way out!”
“It’s the mage’s barrier, idiots! How do you expect to get through? Just cheer us on while we kill these rookies!”
“Is there any way—”
…There has to be, right?
But the men completely forgot to whisper behind their backs. Their eyes were fixed on the large, deep tunnel—a hole Beric had started digging to get to the tavern but had given up on. Since it was a tunnel beneath the earth, the wizard’s protective barrier didn’t reach down there.
“This….”
If they played their cards right, they might find a way out.
The men exchanged glances, then, without hesitation, all of them—no exceptions—jumped down into the tunnel.
“He’s here.”
Ian sat up straight at the sight of the sparkling signal magic right before his eyes. Romandro, who had been dozing beside him, suddenly jolted awake.
“Welcome. The Minister of Magic is currently out…”
“Romandro, snap out of it. This is a signal from Beric.”
“Huh?”
Romandro wiped the corner of his mouth, then his eyes suddenly widened as if a light had switched on.
“It’s… it’s up?”
“Yes. I’m heading to the scene now. Inform the wizards of the situation and make sure Captain Hertzi knows as well.”
“Understood. I’ll take full responsibility for passing the message!”
The bait had finally been taken. If they could capture the assassin targeting Beric alive, not even Crony would be able to slip away.
“You must deliver this message to Captain Hertzi personally.”
“Got it!”
Since both Beric and Barsabe were palace guards, it was crucial to relay the situation. Once Hertzi received the signal, he would rally the palace guards and reveal the truth about Crony.
Clack!
“Ian! Be careful out there! Don’t get hurt!”
Romandro shouted toward the sky as he ran alongside.
After confirming Romandro had climbed into the carriage, Ian fixed his gaze ahead. Far off in the distance, the towering wizard’s protective barrier stood out clearly.
‘The barrier’s functioning properly…’
But what’s that?
Ian frowned as he noticed strange movements in the street. Armed soldiers were moving in perfect formation toward somewhere.
‘Crony’s troops.’
So he’s caught on to the situation too.
But on what pretext did he send the soldiers? To suppress the armed conflict in the city center? And by doing so, to personally eliminate the assassin and cut off the trail?
It was a plausible theory, but Ian quickly realized he was wrong.
‘Why are they heading…’
Not toward Beric’s house, but toward the palace?