39 – Cut

Everything had been progressing smoothly.

Until this ridiculous situation arose, Keneth standing dazedly before the egg.

“Young Master Keneth…”

“What in the world do you think you’re doing?”

“Get back here quickly! You’ll die!”

People shouted towards Keneth, but he seemed deaf to their pleas.

I furrowed my brow.

Had he suddenly taken a bullet to the head? Keneth’s appearance was no different from a moth drawn to a flame.

Even as the Hellfire painfully scorched his skin, he merely muttered, exhaling a grimy breath.

“Brainwashing magic…?”

I shook my head.

Haniel’s words were incorrect.

『From now on, Nob AI will refer to something similar to magic as X.』

『X has been activated. It seems someone is controlling Keneth’s body.』

“The currently observed brainwaves of Kenneth show no significant difference from those of a person sleeping peacefully with their eyes closed.”

“Initiating perpetrator search.”

“Failure.”

“Insufficient data.”

What was controlling Kenneth now wasn’t magic.

It was an arcane technology, akin to the Insane’s Curse.

Kenneth, as an Aura user, simply possessed stronger power than others, but he was not something beyond human.

There was no way a human being could be tranquil while their entire body was burning in agony.

The egg grew immense.

And it swallowed Kenneth whole, right before their eyes.

It happened in an instant.

“Kenneth’s life signs have been lost.”

“A singularity has occurred.”

“Current egg destruction level: 85%, incubation level: 60%.”

“Current egg destruction level: 80%, incubation level: 60%.”

“…”

“…”

“Hellfire Stage 3 ejection in 30 seconds.”

For a moment, it seemed as though everything would be neatly concluded in 30 seconds.

But an anomaly was bound to occur.

“Esther, report the current situation.”

He was a cold-blooded man who wouldn’t shed a single tear even as his own child died.

Consistent since childhood, making him almost transparent, the sight of Porto calmly initiating communication with me only made whatever affection I had left wither away.

“Current egg incubation level: 70%.”

As head of the household, it was the right decision.

Now was not the time to worry about Kenneth’s death, but to prevent the hatching of the Darquesse Kal.

“Initiative process terminated.”

“Executing main action.”

The Hellfire Main Cannon unleashed its fire.

A flash and a thunderous explosion erupted, but I quickly realized it was all meaningless.

“Within, Kenneth’s mana combines with X, accelerating the phenomenon. It’s rapidly boosting the Dargishkal’s regeneration and hatching speed.”

“Current destruction level of the egg: 65%. Hatching progress: 70%.”

“Current destruction level of the egg: 60%.”

“Current destruction level of the egg…”

I commed Porto.

“It’s the worst. The regeneration is outpacing the destruction. The hatching speed is accelerating drastically. At this rate, it will awaken.”

“Is there nothing we can do to stop it?”

“…”

“Understood. I’ll tell the soldiers to prepare for battle against the Dargishkal immediately.”

I broke the connection.

Even with Nob AI unable to offer a viable solution, what could I possibly do?

“Young Master.”

“Yes.”

“I’m prepared to take you and the Lady and flee at a moment’s notice. Just give the order.”

Nob AI calculated that the odds of winning against the Dargishkal with the forces currently stationed in Triste were a mere 3.5%.

It wasn’t that I disliked the innocent people of this territory, but if I were being asked to risk my life, even in a battle with such slim chances of victory, to protect them, that was another story entirely.

I had done my best.

If Kenneth hadn’t been devoured by the egg, the plan would have succeeded.

We wouldn’t have come to this.

The very fact that we could even attempt to destroy the egg was thanks to me.

I believed I had fulfilled my obligations.

“What… what’s happening?”

“It was breaking apart just now, but it’s whole again…”

I felt sorry for them, but the safety of myself and those around me was paramount.

There was no reason for me to risk my life fighting the Dargishkal.

That much was clear.

“What on earth…”

“Sister.”

I offered Haniel a coin, my expression grim.

“This is…”

“Nuna, toss it for me. Heads, I advance; tails, I retreat.”

Haniel regarded the coin with a questioning gaze before flipping it into the air.

I’d always toss a coin to the heavens when standing at life’s crossroads.

After agonizing over things for far too long, I realized it was all pointless, so this was a simple, straightforward way to decide.

*Clink-*

Heads.

Fate itself decreed that I move forward this time.

I had no intention of fighting Dargishkal.

My plan was to turn tail and run the moment it hatched.

But for now, since it was just an egg, maybe I could play the hero for a bit.

“Nob AI.”

“What Can I Help With?”

“Tell me how to overload the Hell Tank’s inferno cannon.”

*

Kenneth’s death was a shock, but currently, Tristie had no time to dwell on it.

The soldiers were all moving with a frantic energy.

They were evacuating the temporary base they’d constructed in front of the spawn point, retreating backwards.

Preparing for Dargishkal’s emergence.

Things rarely went according to plan.

The destruction operation had ultimately failed. Now was the time to consider the future.

With Porto leading the way, the entire army retreated.

Dalpi glanced back and forth between them and Esther on the hilltop.

He didn’t seem to be thinking about running.

Still tinkering inside the Hell Tank after opening up the armored plating, it appeared he still had an ace up his sleeve.

“Agassi, do you happen to know what Doryeonnim is up to right now?”

“I’m not sure myself….”

Jepher unloaded all the fuel drums onto the ground, while Ian connected them to the Hell Tank with makeshift hoses Haniel had just fashioned.

“Aueunim, the preparations are complete.”

At the same time, Esther finished her adjustments.

“Thank you all for your help. It could be dangerous, so everyone should retreat.”

“You truly intend to remain here alone?” Everyone upon the hill had declared their intent to stay, but Esther’s resolve remained unyielding.

“I understand.”

They retreated, reluctantly.

“Why aren’t you leaving?”

“My place is by your side, Master.”

Only Dalpi stood firm, unmoving.

“You might die?”

“Death alongside you, Master, would be a blessed passing.”

“I’m not jesting.”

“Nor am I.”

Esther sighed.

In times like these, she was absolutely unbending; breaking her bullheaded stubbornness was, for Esther, still an impossible task.

Could this be a fundamental skill of a maid?

Esther, in the end, used Nob AI to press the launch button.

If they failed to destroy the al Kash’s egg from this location, calamity befalling the Tristi Autonomous Region was a foregone conclusion.

His eyes, however, did not see the Helltank charging its infernal fire.

They saw the figures of those retreating.

『Ejection Imminent: 15 minutes remaining.』

『Current egg destruction level: 15%. Egg hatching level: 84%.』

Dalpi found Esther’s gentle demeanor pleasing to behold.

Unlike other, typical nobles, his tone was not harsh, but soft and pleasant to hear.

His manner of treating everyone, regardless of station, with equality was deserving of the utmost respect.

『Ejection Imminent: 10 minutes remaining.』

『Current egg destruction level: 10%. Egg hatching level: 89%.』

Suddenly, Esther inquired,

“Dalpi.”

“Yes.”

“Why do you insist on staying by my side?”

“It’s a secret.”

Dalpi clutched the star-shaped earring tightly.

“Five minutes until ejection.”

“Current egg degradation is 5%, egg hatching at 94%.”

“Don’t you have any questions for me?”

“What is your ideal type?”

“A woman with money.”

“Hmm.”

To flaunt the one thing Dalpi couldn’t possess; quite clever.

“Ten seconds until ejection.”

“Current egg degradation is 0%, egg hatching at 99%.”

“Young Master.”

“Yeah.”

“You worked hard today as well.”

Dalpi smiled brightly.

“Initiative process complete.”

“Commencing main action.”

Every machine has its load limit.

Components break down and explode quickly when operated beyond the defined output. So, restrictions are put in place to prevent exceeding a certain level of performance.

Ester had just disabled it.

“Hellfire, Stage 5 ejection.”

Overload. Pushing the machine beyond its standard output.

In the main cannon, a massive, burning hellfire – one could call it a miniature star – was forming.

Dozens of times larger than Stage 3.

As the black star arrived, the world was instantly dyed in darkness.

Dalpi’s head, which was staring blankly ahead, turned.

Because Ester had moved.

“………”

He muttered something while touching Dalpi’s cheek.

But the ensuing roar drowned it out.

“The Dargishkal egg has been destroyed.”

The world grew silent, returning to its original color.

Dahlphy, rarely one to lose composure, spoke softly.

His ears were faintly flushed, though it escaped Esther’s notice.

“Turns out, being handsome really is the best advantage…”

Esther, still seemingly deafened, merely grimaced.

“Huh? What did you just say?”

Restraining emotions was a maid’s fundamental trait.

“Just kidding.”

In an instant, Dahlphy reverted to her usual blank expression, sticking out her tongue.