I Was a Sword When I Reincarnated (LN) - Volume 17 - Chapter 5.1

Hint: To Play after pausing the player, use this button

Add to favorites

SIDE BLACK BONES

“DAMN IT! I can’t summon any of them! Not the Mummy King or any of the ghouls!”

I hadn’t been able to contact them since last night. Had they been annihilated?

“The guild has been putting up extermination quests lately. Perhaps they’ve been wiped out.”

“Useless monsters! Being defeated by the likes of mere adventurers!”

And the closing ceremony was about to begin! My plans were ruined! And I had yet to get a hold of that black cat girl, either…

“Hee hee hee! You seem worried!”

“Shut up, Al Azif!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll cut them all down for you!”

“You’ve got some nerve…! Your meals have only increased security! The captured adventurers have also escaped and are now roaming free in town! They’re clearly looking for you.”

“What? I was just doing my part to create more mayhem.”

“That doesn’t mean you can just go around killing people! There is a time and place for that! Now our movements are restricted with knights and adventurers patrolling Ulmutt!”

The local knights and guards were primarily concerned with the safety of the townspeople; they wouldn’t waste their time trying to spot outsiders. We could count on them turning a blind eye to our activities as long as no one was hurt.

But now that Al Azif had killed civilians in broad daylight, they’d had no choice but to increase security!

“Oh, relax.”

“Ugggh!”

“Well, no use crying over spilt milk. You were saying something about the Red Knights? How they might prove to be of assistance…”

“Apparently they’re not as strong as they seem.”

Sibyl, captain of the Red Knights, had been defeated by a mere adventurer. And by a little Black Cat girl at that, the weakest among the races. I couldn’t believe my ears when I first heard the reports.

Of course, Sibyl had not used her trump card, but it was an intense battle all the same. As much as the Black Bones hated the Red Knights, there was no doubting their strength. And their captain was the strongest among them.

And she lost…

Now they were so exhausted that they refused our request for backup.

These adventurers were trouble.

“It can’t be helped. Abbav, go and capture the Black Cat. It should be much easier now.”

“Oh? I thought my work was finished once I administered stimulants to the Chalusians? Not to mention I am still recovering from one of your indiscriminate attacks the other day.”

“I only helped you since it looked like you were having trouble securing the girl.”

“That’s no justification for you to use a large-scale spell in the middle of town. There was quite a commotion. Our target almost died because of it, too.”

“As long as she’s not actually dead. And it’s too late to complain about a commotion now.”

We could’ve proceeded with our plans more quietly if it hadn’t been for Al Azif!

“Hee hee hee… You’re scaring me.”

“Anyway, secure the Black Cat. You shouldn’t have a problem capturing a half-dead adventurer. Do it and I’ll supply you with the toxic materials you’ve been pining for!”

“You should’ve said so sooner.”

Our master was also interested in the Black Cat. He would be pleased if we captured her.

“I’ll be on my way. Will you be all right without me?”

“Of course I will. Who do you think I am? I am Acid Man! Seventh seat of the Black Bones!”

“Hee hee hee. I see. I will escape once I deliver the Black Cat to you. I hope that’s all right.”

“That will be fine.”

Hmph. I knew that he actually looked down on undead. As if he were somehow superior, having sold out his country due to a petty squabble with his master!

But it mattered little; he’d become an undead once we were finished. He was useful in helping us infiltrate the town, but we had no more use for him now.

“Then I shall also take my leave.”

“Hyah hah! Hell yeah! It’s finally killing time!”

Donning a mask to conceal my identity, I called out to the girl tied up in the corner.

“Come here.”

“…”

“The same attitude as always… Get over here!”

“Wah!”

“Heh heh. Perhaps I will sacrifice you after this mission is over. The blood of a child makes for potent material.”

“…”

She didn’t cry or show fear, no matter how I intimidated her. I hated her for it.

“Let’s see if you can keep up your little facade after your grandfather Aurel falls into our hands!”

“…”

“Brat… Stop looking at me like that!”

“…”

“Kua hah hah! Even the kid thinks you’re full of shit! This is great!”

“Silence!”

Damn it! Why wouldn’t she despair? She had been captured by someone powerful and would be used against her grandfather as a hostage!

“The more you resist the more you’re wasting our time. That Nilphe might die as a result!”

“…!”

“Heh heh. That’s right. That’s how you should look! Shadow Bind.”

“…Wah!”

The brat—Kaitley—had screamed when I tied her up.

The closing ceremony was already underway. Kaitley would be vital to us acquiring Dimitris and Aurel. We’d use her to get slave collars on their necks.

She wasn’t our only hostage. Nilphe, Dimitris’s granddaughter, had also been captured and locked up in a separate location. We would use Kaitley as a shield and get her to verify the truth of our threats.

As powerful as Dimitris was, he couldn’t rescue his granddaughter without knowing her location. Our victory was sealed the moment we captured these children.

“You’re coming too.”

“Uhhh.”

“…”

Nilphe’s former bodyguard was also under my control. His body mutated because of my poison, so he was no longer as strong as he once was. But he could still be used to intimidate Dimitris as a meat shield. Fortunately, his face was still preserved, allowing past acquaintances to recognize him even as an undead.

Unlike my master, I wasn’t an expert in necromancy but in shadow magic. I should have been able to pass through the city undetected with a stealth spell. A moot point, as it turned out…most people were too busy fleeing for their lives to notice us.

As we continued making our way to the coliseum, I summoned my minions and ordered them to cause havoc in the city. This is where the ghouls were supposed to have come in, but alas…

I had reduced the number of my minions in the city, opting to take most of them with me as backup. Only half of my forces were left, and it was only a matter of time before they were suppressed.

This was where the Mummy King failed. Not one for concealment, he was supposed to have caused chaos, allowing us to slip through unnoticed.

All my plans were undone. It was insufferable.

“All that matters in the end is getting Dimitris.”

As we made our way to the arena, ten guards came at us from the front. The place was heavily secured with their nobles gathered in one place.

Their leader was powerful enough to see through my cloaking. But that was all he was capable of…

“Y-you there! Stop!”

“Who—”

“Acid Mist!”

“Waaargh!”

I had no time for weaklings. I cast a deadly poison spell, covering the guards in corrosive mist, killing them instantly.

There were many of them, but they were weak. They must have been shorthanded from the chaos. The captain was the only veteran among them; the rest were new hires.

I stepped over the melting corpses of the fools and entered the arena.

As expected, the closing ceremony proceeded as usual. Political rituals are not so easily disrupted.

I drew the attention of people around as I entered. Soon, the others followed suit.

“Wh-who are you?! Guards!”

“Silence, worm.”

“Aagh!”

I kicked the noble who seemed to be in the middle of making a speech. I thought it would kill him, but he yet lived. Lucky bastard.

But my intentions were now made clear to everyone around me. I sensed their hostility.

Not enough to make me quiver, but Kaitley was terrified.

As guards surrounded us, I pushed Kaitley out into the open and undid the shadows binding her.

The guards ceased their attack when they saw the girl materialize out of thin air. They couldn’t bear to see her caught in the crossfire. Heh heh. Those kind souls.

“Now, then. I have no time to waste, so I’ll get to the point. I am Acid Man! Citizen of the great Raydossian Empire!”

The crowd murmured greatly at the mention of Raydoss. I could sense their hostility toward me increasing. The insolence of an inferior rabble from an inferior kingdom!

“Heh heh. I have a hostage with me, as you can see. But she’s not the only one. There is another called Nilphe, whom I have locked away in another location.”

My words echoed throughout the unrest of the coliseum. One of the participants of the closing ceremony looked shocked.

“Nilphe! She’s been missing since this morning…!”

I believed this was the one they call Hiltoria, Dimitris’s successor. An excellent candidate, but there weren’t enough special slave collars to go around. I’d have to pass for now.

“I speak the truth. Isn’t that right, Kaitley?”

“Y-yes… They have Nilphe… And she’s hurt! You have to save her!”

“And if you don’t believe the child’s words, see with your own eyes…”

I flipped back the hood of the man behind me, the man who used to be Nilphe’s bodyguard. Even with his body half melted from acid, his face was still recognizable.

“Michael!”

“Yes, that’s what his name was. Strong, but unprepared for a fight with mages.”

“You bastard…!”

The angry man was called Zelt, I think. Did he know Michael?

“My baby brother…! How dare you…!”

“So, he was your brother? Will you avenge him, then? Together, all of you might be able to overpower me…but Nilphe will die.”

“…Damn it!”

Bwa ha ha! These adventurers were pathetic! They were helpless in front of a hostage!

“My demands are simple. The S-Rank adventurer Dimitris and Widget Aurel are to heed my words!”

Screams erupted from the coliseum as I mentioned their names. The lowlifes were about to witness the glorious moment when the great Black Bones slapped the face of Granzell in the name of Raydoss!

“They will wear these collars on their necks!”

I took out the slave collars, holding them high for all to see.

“Now put this collar on your neck, Dimitris!”

This slave collar had been specially made. Although its effective time was incredibly limited, it was able to bind even the most powerful S Rank.

“What’s the matter? Do it! Or do you not care whether the child lives or dies?”

“Urgh!”

The girl groaned as the darkness crushed her body.

“Is this not painful enough? Al Azif! Come!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The patchwork undead Al Azif quickly changed its shape. Although it looked human, its real self was the greatscythe the humanoid was wielding.

The greatscythe was a patchwork of different weapon parts, and it could suck its humanoid form into itself like a slime.

Unlike its first form, which created a patchwork undead from the creatures it killed, this second form focused on empowering the greatscythe by feeding it with the vital essence of its victims.

It still possessed the powers of its first form, but they were incredibly weak. On the flip side, the first form didn’t have the ability to power up like the second form.

Although possessing incredible abilities, the Al Azifs were treated as a failure. The patchwork undead they created were far less powerful than their former selves, and they needed hundreds of bodies to make up for the loss. Creating individual undead was far more efficient.

The same went for its power-up ability. It took too much fuel and lasted for too short a time. Once it wore off, it lost all of the power it had stored up.

Both abilities were deemed unfit for mass production and the Al Azif project was put on ice.

But I thought it should be enough for now. It had been eating people ever since we came into the city. It messed up our plans…but at least we could get some return out of it.

“Move it! I’m so riled up that my hands are shaking! There’s no telling what I’ll do!”

“Waah!”

Al Azif grazed Kaitley’s cheek, cutting her skin.

“Aha ha ha! That’s a good scream! And you’ve got tasty blood too!” rang out a voice of unknown gender from the scythe. The stadium went silent at the strange sight.

Blood flowed down Kaitley’s white skin, dribbling down her neck and staining her white dress red.

“The blade of this scythe is like a saw. You need to treat her fast before she gets infected. She might end up looking like patchwork herself!”

The hearts of the foolish people shivered in fear at my words.

That’s right! Be afraid! Wail and scream! Feed us!

“We have another hostage; we will not hesitate. Or would you like to try to defeat me before I take the girl’s life? Think twice! I have put a curse on her, linking her life to mine! If I die, she dies!”

And it was true. My existence had been linked to the two girls, and if I were to die, they would both perish.

Undead have a great affinity for curses. Even a powerful magician would not be able to easily undo them.

Sensing the truth behind my words, the adventurers did not move. They ground their teeth and glared at me like the pitiful dogs that they were!

“…Will my granddaughter and that girl be spared if I put on that slave collar?”

“Grandfather!”

“Quiet, Hilt. Well?”

“That’s right. I will let your grandchildren go if you and Aurel become my slaves. If you surrender, we will leave this place with little resistance.”

Lying and being detected would only ruin the plan. I really did intend on letting the girls free. That is why I allowed Nilphe to survive.

“…Then it must be done.”

“But grandfather!”

“The masked man isn’t lying. You have two old men against two children with their whole lives ahead of them. The scales weigh heavily on one side,” Dimitris declared and stepped forward. But a man stood in his way. A noble, it seemed.

“W-wait! You rate your value poorly! The nations will be in danger if Raydoss gets a hold of you! You must rethink this!”

“You are the minister of war, if I remember correctly?”

“Yes! As a noble of Granzell, I cannot allow you to defect to Raydoss! I know this is a difficult decision for you, and I mourn for your granddaughter but—Ack!”

“Make no mistake. I am not a citizen of your kingdom. I have no need of your permission, nor anyone else’s. My granddaughter’s life is on the line. No one will stand in my way. Understand?”

Dimitris hit the noble, sending him flying. His words caused those around him to pale. He had barely strained himself, and yet it felt like the laws of physics bent in his presence.

Even as an immortal he looked like a monster. He would kill me in an instant if I were to make him an enemy.

Adventurers seemed to be nothing but glorified errand boys, but the powerful ones were a rare breed.

And this great power would soon be mine… Ah, what joy!

“Me too, huh…? Fine.”

“Master!”

And then Aurel got up from his reserved seat. With these two enslaved, my victory was at hand!

Suddenly, a figure approached us from the hallway where we made our entrance. Thinking it to be an adventurer, I readied myself…but I was mistaken. I was familiar with this newcomer.

Sibyl of the Red Sword. She had finally answered our call for reinforcements.

“I see it’s the captain of the Red Sword Knights.”

“And I see the rotting corpse of the Black Bones.”

An unpleasant woman as ever, there was no questioning her strength. Together with Dimitris, she would make our escape effortless.

“Bwa ha ha! And now my cavalry has arrived! You stand no chance against us now! Come, Dimitris, Aurel! Hurry and put these collars on! Sibyl, if you would!”

“I’m not bound to listen to you.”

“This is not the time—”

“Besides, I owe that girl a favor.”

“A favor…?”

“She enlightened me on important matters. So—”

What was this woman saying? A favor? What of it? Now was not the time for small talk—

“I’ll be removing this little curse of yours!”

“Gaaah!”

What had she done?! She’d lifted my curse!

I could feel the curse escaping my body. The link to the girls was broken!

“Sibyl, you bitch! Traitor…!”

“Mmm… I’ve never had a curse woven by a corpse before. Not too bad.”