I Kidnapped the Hero’s Women

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 96 - Forgive My Rudeness

“Click! Clack! Clackity clack!”

“…”

Hey, weren’t you supposed to fall and be forgotten?

This is the perfect time for your exit, so why are you reviving now?

The Northern Grand Duke couldn’t hide his discomfort, swallowing the bitter feeling.

“Clackity clack! Clack clack, clack?”

“It seems we’ve become unable to die. We wanted to stage a heroic demise fighting against the wyvern monsters just now, but how about it, descendant?”

“What do you mean by ‘staging a heroic demise’?”

“Clack, clack! Clackity clack clack!”

“We’ll just leave our named swords behind and disappear again. If everyone here keeps their mouths shut, we can easily make that happen, right?”

“…”

The Grand Duke understood what the skeletal noble meant and nodded.

They had planned to spend this new life, given to them by the necromancer, in one grand battle and then fall again.

But it seemed the young necromancer had no intention of returning them to the earth just yet.

“Clack! Clackity clack! Clack clack! Clack clack clack!”

“Comrades, take off your armor, helmets, and swords that signify your rank. Forget the brilliant memories of life. We are no longer the proud Imperial Demon Realm Expeditionary Force, but merely a ragtag undead army.”

“Clackity clack! Clack clack, clack clack!”

“Pay tribute to our master. Swear your loyalty—ugh! This is so embarrassing, stop it, skeleton grandpas!”

Though their armor had rusted, it was once splendid. Now, after stripping it all off, the soldiers were nothing but bare skeletons, kneeling before Julia.

Their new lives—lives that held no attachment, no desire, no regrets—had but one purpose: to serve their master and repay her for giving them this second chance.

Who would believe that these were once elite soldiers led by an imperial noble?

From the looks of it, they were no different from lowly undead minions.

That was their new identity.

With that mindset, the skeletal soldiers swore their loyalty to the great necromancer.

And to think, she hadn’t even fully awakened her powers yet. What will happen when she masters them…?

It was enough to send a shiver down their spines.

“I’m truly relieved. For a moment, I was worried that one of the great ancestors would return to the imperial palace.”

“Clack! Clackity clack!”

“You scoundrel! Keep such thoughts to yourself! I might just march straight to the palace…”

[There’s a problem.]

Boop!

Suddenly, the ground between the skeletal noble and the Grand Duke split open as Earthy burst forth with a grave warning.

Aslan’s face hardened, and the Grand Duke, sensing the seriousness of the situation, kept his mouth shut.

The atmosphere grew solemn, but the skeletal noble, unaffected, continued clattering.

“What’s going on?”

[It’s too late. My power to suppress it has reached its limit. It’s faster to show you.]

Rumble!

With a spine-chilling roar, the ground trembled violently.

This wasn’t the usual tremor caused by Earthy.

When the party hurriedly looked down from the fortress wall, they saw the earth churning violently at one of the traps that had buried countless wyvern monsters.

Boom!

A massive wing erupted from the ground—far larger than any wyvern’s.

And then, slowly, the enormous figure began to reveal itself, freezing everyone in place.

It was at least five times the size of a normal wyvern.

The Grand Duke’s eyes widened.

“A Wyvern King…!”

So it finally appeared.

Over a thousand wyverns had suddenly emerged from the Demon Realm.

Considering the strict surveillance in place, it didn’t make sense for them to have naturally bred and grown to a thousand in number.

The only possibility left was that they had been brought in from the outside.

But for a pack of a thousand vicious, low-intelligence wyverns to stick together? That was impossible.

There had to be a leader, a Wyvern King.

And I thought it wasn’t going to show up...!

“Clack! Clackity clack!”

At the skeletal noble’s command, the undead army grabbed their weapons and charged.

In response, the Wyvern King flapped its massive wings.

The gust of wind swept away the skeleton soldiers like autumn leaves, scattering bones everywhere.

It seemed the skeleton grandpas weren’t enough to handle this foe!

A look of distress spread across Julia’s face.

‘Ah, this is when I should step in.’

The Wyvern King took flight, crossing the fortress wall in an instant.

Sylvia, sensing impending doom, gripped the hilt of her sword.

It was strange.

She had never faced a monster this massive before, yet she didn’t feel fear, nor did her hands tremble.

Was it thanks to this sword?

Though she’d never once unsheathed it from its leather wrapping, just holding the hilt filled her with an inexplicable sense of reassurance.

Was this the moment she was meant for?

She knew instinctively.

Sylvia’s hand moved to draw the sword—

“Ugh!?”

But something was stuck. The sword wouldn’t budge.

What the heck? Why now, of all times?

This was the perfect moment to test the new sword, so why…!

“Everyone, stand back! I’ll deal with this one!”

While Sylvia struggled, the Grand Duke unsheathed his massive sword with a swift motion.

There were few people here who could stand against a monster of this caliber.

Only those who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, Sword Experts of the highest order, could hope to face it.

And the Grand Duke had once glimpsed the realm of Sword Masters.

‘This is my city and my people. I may have relied on my ancestors until now, but in this moment, if not me, then who?’

Come then.

I will stop you, even if it costs me my life.

With a hearty laugh, the Grand Duke raised his sword high.

“Father…!”

Behind him, he felt the desperate gaze of Merilda, her hands tightly clasped.

Don’t worry, my daughter.

I will survive.

I will live and watch you grow up.

Gritting his teeth, the Grand Duke braced himself.

Just as the Wyvern King rushed toward him with terrifying speed, a feeble voice called out from behind.

“Grand Duke, move aside!”

“What…!?”

BOOM!!!

A massive purple aura shot up into the night sky, bright enough to light up the entire darkness.

Then, as Charlotte swung her Super Strong Sword downward, the aura sliced through the sky like a blade.

With a deafening crash, the Wyvern King was cleaved in half.

But it wasn’t just the monster that was cut in two—

The fortress wall, too, was sliced cleanly down the middle by the passing aura.

The Grand Duke and Sylvia stood dumbfounded, while Aslan’s face reflected sheer disbelief. @@novelbin@@

***

Charlotte had gone and caused a massive incident.

She had casually unleashed her forbidden technique, a powerful strike capable of splitting mountains.

As a result, not only was the Wyvern King obliterated, but the fortress wall, which had stood untouched for centuries, was now cut in half.

“How long do I have to keep my hands up, Mister…?”

“Until the wall’s repairs are complete.”

“No way…!”

[The Evil God ‘Kali’ scolds you harshly, asking what our dark knight did wrong!]

I had already given Charlotte a light punishment as a scolding.

Honestly, part of me wanted to praise her for taking down such a dangerous monster with her thunderous slash, but I couldn’t just let it go.

I wasn’t going to pay for the wall repairs, and forgiving her recklessly might provoke the Grand Duke’s wrath.

If anyone was to forgive her, it had to be the Grand Duke himself.

Maybe because I’d made her punishment visible, the Grand Duke returned, having restored order after the chaos, and sought out Charlotte.

“Why is this bold young girl standing like that?”

“Charlotte, apologize at once.”

“I’m sorry! I misjudged my strength and ended up splitting the wall!”

“Hahaha! No problem! The wall’s purpose is to protect lives without losing any, isn’t it? It fulfilled its role perfectly since no one got hurt! You did well! I’m amazed that so much strength could come from such a small body!”

Laughing heartily, the Grand Duke generously forgave Charlotte.

With that, Charlotte slowly lowered her hands.

I agreed with the Grand Duke’s reasoning.

If no one was hurt, that was all that mattered.

Sylvia looked a little disappointed that she hadn’t been able to test out her new sword, but it was far better than anyone getting injured.

“Count Vermont, let me speak plainly. When you first brought your escorts, I thought you had simply gathered a few random slaves to fill out the numbers. Forgive me for my rudeness.”

“No, Your Grace. You only thought it, so how could that be rude…?”

“It’s rude because I’ve spoken it aloud. But even if it’s rude, I must say this. I’m deeply impressed. The thorough preparation of bringing such elite forces for a modest operation, the calmness with which you all responded to danger, and the perfect coordination among your team. There are rumors that Vermont Security is a front for laundering dirty money, but I can now say with confidence that those rumors are nonsense!”

“Thank you, Your Grace. I’m honored by your high praise.”

“I have a proposal for you, Count. How about we set up regular exchange events between Ester and Vermont Security? Your employees and my soldiers can learn much from each other. What do you think?”

“It’s an excellent suggestion, Your Grace.”

The moment I grasped the Grand Duke’s outstretched hand, his firm grip nearly crushed mine.

An exchange event, huh?

Sylvia might run training sessions that are as close to real combat as possible, but there’s a limit to that.

However, in Ester, where every day during the Monster Wave is real combat, my employees could gain valuable experience.

Frankly, I wasn’t sure what my team could teach Ester’s elite soldiers, but…

This was basically the Grand Duke offering his goodwill in the form of a proposal.

I gratefully accepted.

“It’s about time for you to depart. The real Monster Wave will begin soon. Where’s my daughter? Ah, there she is, with that masked bodyguard… What in blazes? Is Merilda hugging that bony guy’s arm? Count! Hand that guy over to me…”

“Well, I think it’s time for us to leave. Thank you for everything, Your Grace. We look forward to our next visit.”

“See you again, Grand Duke!”

“Goodbye…!”

I forced Charlotte and Julia to bow their heads in a formal farewell, grabbing them by the heads and pressing them down.

Then, I quickly turned and hurried toward the carriage.

If we were even a little late, the Grand Duke and his nine sons might turn Yuri into mincemeat.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]