Surviving a Shounen Manga

Chapter 60

Kill Her

The royal palace, which hadnt had many quiet days lately, was lively once again.

"Do you think thats a sensible thing to do?"

"We have to act!"

As if a surreal prophetic dream come true, the same scenes as at the last meeting were repeating once again.

Some people got angry, and others restrained them.

The same words came and went, like:

What cheek! How do we teach them a lesson?

However, there was one difference. The target. A cheeky human had to be taught a lesson this time too, but the subject was different.

"To throw something like that at us!"

"Thankfully there were no casualties! If it didnt pass over us"

"That squat-jawed bastard! We absolutely cant let him off."

Some of the more quick-tempered people came forward to demand his punishment.

All of them were from the warhawk faction.

And,

"Still, its a bit difficult to forcefully bring in and punish somebody whos already entered the Warriors Path, and even passed the preliminary round."

"Besides, nothing big happened at the proving grounds. If were supposed to ignore all past sins of the participants, how can we take issue with something so trivial? Sounds like overkill to me."

Those who dissuaded them, coincidentally, were all from the coalitionist faction.

In general, the more radical warhawk faction people were used to making a bit more noise, but the the coalitionist faction were being particularly strident in their opposition today. This was probably because, unlike the previous case of Princess Thermis, public opinion about Squatjaw wasnt that bad. He was now a famous name on the streets, in fact.

And the fact that Minister Tamar, the nominal head of the warhawk faction, wasnt speaking up much, also contributed to this situation. Seeing such an unusual appearance from their leader, even members of his own faction had doubts in their hearts.

"Why so anxious? He just picked up and threw a rock, did he cause any trouble? Or are you so afraid that you now want to go arrest the man whos the hottest topic in the capital? Really, you tsk tsk.

"Trouble?! If hed caused a bit more trouble, the entire arena wouldve been destroyed! And whos afraid! Im taking about arresting a blasphemer, not because Im afraid of him or anything!"

All of them were now retired from active duty, but theyd all walked the Warriors Path in the past. The boiling atmosphere didnt show any signs of calming down easily.

Just then,

"Its true that the Warriors Path is a sacred ritual of our Skull Empire, but that doesnt make it a sanctuary for sinners. If youve done something wrong, shouldnt you be punished for it?"

Someone quietly spoke up.

Surprisingly, it was Royal Teacher Bataar, a member of the coalitionist faction.

At his remarks that didnt seem to fit his political leanings, everyone else shut up and started paying attention.

"Of course, this old man doesnt think hes done anything particularly wrong but if there are people who still think his intentions are impure, its not out of the question to summon him here for an interrogation."

"Huh"

"But"

While the murmurs were about to intensify little by little

Bataar spoke again.

"Hear me out just a little longer, please. You all must be well aware that this old man had gone to pursue Princess Thermis at the first princes request. Not only to the Mainin Kingdom, but even to Westland. Although I had to come back empty-handed in the end Anyway, on the ship returning to Eastland, Id seen him. That Squatjaw. Prince Nergui and Minister Tamar were also on the ship."

At that, everyone quietly nodded their heads.

It was a well-known fact.

"Of course, you know the overall shape of things, but not the exact details of whatd actually happened on the ship. Ill tell you an anecdote. That Squatjaw, he once had a fight with an S-class adventurer while on board the ship."

Then,

"Whoo, an S-class adventurer?"

"Whats their name?"

"Are they active in Eastland?"

Some people expressed their curiosity.

High-ranking adventurers were subjects of curiosity wherever they went, so this was no surprise.

"This old man doesnt know. I think there are probably other people here who know more about him, but"

The eyes of everyone present turned towards him. Because Bataar, whod stopped speaking, glanced at him.

Yet Nergui only smiled back indifferently and stayed quiet.

Then someone ran out of patience and asked.

"What was the result?"

"It was one-sided. No, even calling it one-sided is inappropriate. It was overwhelming. That Squatjaw was able to subdue an S-class adventurer with just one finger."

The reaction to this news was the same for both factions.

They all gulped, silently.

"Anyway, the gist of what Im trying to say is this. If one makes a mistake, they have to pay for it. However, those of you who wish to summon and interrogate him and issue a reasonable punishment, will have to prepare properly. It wont be childs play."

As the silence that settled in the hall grew longer,

"Excuse me, Ill be going first."

Nergui stood up.

Hed come out to see if there was any possibility to move the army, but it was clearly a waste of time.

Besides, Squatjaws target was none other than himself. Just before hed thrown the rock, their eyes had met. Those eyes, reminiscent of a wild beast.

To be honest, to say he wasnt nervous would be a lie. What kind of a man could directly throw that elephant-sized rock at somebody else in front of such a large audience? It was at a level where youd have to wonder if he was even human.

Still, itd been a bit funny. To see both the factions struck dumb.

Theyre making such a fuss over nothing.

As he left the conference room and walking towards his bedroom

He saw a servant come scurrying in haste.

"What is it?"

"Some people have come to see you."

The man looked somehow frightened.

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The report, too, was vague. It was basic to report the visitors identity and purpose of coming.

"Whats it about?"

"I dont know, sir. Im very sorry!"

"Are you apologizing? Its just the limit of your ability. Where are they?"

"I asked them to wait in the garden. Thats the only place I could keep them where thered be few people

"Lets go."

Nergui headed straight for the garden.

Very quickly,

"There, there they are."

He was able to meet the visitors.

There were two. A very fat man, and a very thin one.

When they saw Nergui, they bowed their heads, and slowly approached.

"Who are you?"

"Would you like to clear away the surroundings first?"

Despite being wary, Nergui complied.

If theyd had any intention of harming him, they wouldve attacked already.

" Fine."

As soon as the servant left at Nerguis command, the thin man spoke up.

"Ash-Devouring Serpent."

A momentary gleam flashed in Nerguis eyes.

Ash-Devouring Serpent.

Among the assassin groups hed entrusted with the quest, it belonged to the highest level.

And it was the only one thatd returned the quest completion reward.

A strange smile appeared on Nerguis lips.

"Ash-Devouring Serpent whats that? Are you two old-timers then snakes, not people?"

"Were an assassination squad. I dont like wasting time, so I wont go into details. Both you and I know that youre our client, Fourth Prince. We investigate the client quite carefully before accepting a mission."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Its a little against the rules, but I came here because I have something to ask."

Well, it didnt seem like bluffing would work.

"Yeah, well. Actually, I also wanted to meet you guys at least once. The only ones conscientious enough to return the money is that what passes for integrity for your type?"

"It doesnt matter what you think."

"Hmm, but why are you here?"

"There is something I wanted to ask. Because it might be quite disruptive to our work."

"What?"

"Have you hired any other assassins?"

" Other assassins?"

Nergui was a little perplexed by the question.

He had no idea about the details, but from the context, he could guess that another assassin group had gotten involved, one that could pose a problem even for these high-level assassins.

"If there are people aiming at the same target, we need to know. It might cause confusion otherwise."

" The only assassins that Ive currently hired are you. Assuming, of course, that the quest will continue. Although, my personal retinues are moving too, though theyre not assassins. Are you sure you dont need their information?"

Naturally, he wasnt lying. But the thin man didnt change his expression. He just shook his head lightly as if that was inconsequential.

" Is that so?"

"What is it?"

"Ive seen some familiar faces."

"Who?"

"Have you ever heard of a group called the Tamers?"

It was an unfamiliar name.

"Never."

"Looks like you really dont know."

The slender man then added a brief description of the Tamers.

They were a new force whod appeared in Eastland only about two or three years ago. All information about them, including the actual name of the organization, the number of members, and the location of their headquarters, was hidden behind a layer of fog. They were called the Tamers because all the members of the organization practiced taming divine beasts.

"Divine beasts? You mean the legendary?"

"Yes. They dont seem to be as powerful as the legends say, but they certainly do have a special feel to them. In the end, we cant know for sure."

" Divine beasts, huh."

The thin man also added that although it was not an organization that specialized in assassinations, they did similar things from time to time, so the two organizations had encountered each other occasionally on the field.

"Are they here, now?"

"Yes. I still havent figured out their purpose. So, I came to ask if youd hired them, sir prince."

"No, not at all."

The slender man nodded at Nerguis answer.

"Alright. Then we will proceed."

"Are there any other distractions? For example, what about my personal servants?"

The thin man shook his head indifferently.

"Its fine."

" Is that so?"

Nergui grinned and muttered.

To think that this cheeky rake-thin man didnt show the slightest hesitation

He failed, but hes still so cocky, completely disregarding the guy hes chasing after.

Then, as Nergui was about to turn around, the thin man spoke up again as if hed suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, can we proceed with the quest as it is?"

"?"

Nergui thought about the intent behind the question for a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah."

The reason for reconfirming this was naturally clear.

Everybody knew. Killing the princess would no longer benefit the war. Itd only get in the way. To wage war, the princess had to give up on the test first.

But,

"Sure. The order stays the same."

Nergui didnt care.

War had never been his true purpose from the beginning.

"Kill her."

A vacant lot near the hotel.

"Whoo"

I took a deep, long breath.

I was getting a little nervous as I waited.

Because what was coming next was so high on the difficulty scale that the rock-lifting earlier might as well be playing with dolls in comparison.

I quickly started stretching.

Of course, my current body wasnt weak enough to be riddled with pain if I suddenly put it under a workout. Still, according to the modern real-life perspective, which was still buried deep inside my head, stretching before strenuous exercise was essential.

"Whoof, whoof"

While I was stretching my arms and legs like that

" So youre here."

A hoarse voice came from afar.

The voice Id been waiting for.

When I turned around, the red-eyed princess was glaring at me with a vicious expression.

"So you came, ghost gramps."

"You son of a bitch! What a big mess youve made! Throwing a rock at the nobles! Ha ha ha ha!"

"Oh, that it was nothing much."

"So you want to throw one at me next, huh? Do you still remember, that I am the Bayar Khan?!"

"Yeah, yeah, so youve said."

"Ka ha ha ha! This cheeky bastard!"

I glanced at him as he walked closer.

Hmmm.

There were three main reasons why Id dared summon this talkative and ferocious ghost.

First, because I couldnt waste even a single moment of this precious leading point of view.

The Warriors Path was taking two days off after the preliminary round, then another day off after the first and second rounds, and then would come the finals.

In other words, there was a day off now that the preliminaries were over. So instead of wasting my time, I needed to do something interesting.

So the confrontation with this ghost grandpa could be quite a worthwhile content. With his unique looks, distinctive personality, and above all, strong power.

I might even be able to raise the authors favourability a little bit by introducing him. He mustve been a carefully set character, but he couldnt even appear in the original.

If the author had any conscience, he should at least say thank you.

Second, because Id made a promise a while ago. To have a bout.

And I was frankly curious. The aura I could feel right now was also amazing, but from what Id heard here and there, the achievements of that ghost called Bayar Khan had been quite impressive in life.

Like expanding the empires territory five times compared to before, destroying over a hundred kingdoms, and almost building the first unified empire in Eastland that made you think of Genghis Khan.

And what caught my attention above all was the anecdotes about his incredible power.

Like winning a tug of war against a thousand people, or carrying back two giant elephants on his shoulders after going out hunting, to even throwing the materials for a raft from the mainland to an uninhabited isolated island, to help people whod been stranded there his record was chock full of such absurd things.

It made me feel like I should try him out once.

Third and last, because I had some things to work on.

Actually, before this Warriors Path, Id gotten some background shopping done.

This was partially to prepare for possible attacks and to pass the hurdles easily, but above all, it was to look cool while fighting.

Of course, they werent that great. I couldnt learn any new unique abilities in the first place.

To give some examples, [Three Weapons Expert], [Martial Artist Who Barely Learned This and That], [Street Fighter with More Wins than Losses], and [Woodcutter Whos Learned to Sharpen His Axe].

I knew that these backgrounds contained hidden traits such as weapon skills and combat sense, but I didnt know how they actually worked.

So, I needed to test them out before the finals.

Of course, using that ferocious ghost as a test piece wouldve been impossible for anybody else.

Therefore,

"Ka ha ha ha! Now its too late to cry and pray. Dont get upset, you cocky Squatjaw."

"Yeah, yeah, so we doing this or not?"

I faced the princess who radiated a vicious force.

Haah

Id felt it once before, but it was still some tremendous momentum.

That aura was reminiscent of a huge mountain.

Within it a fighting spirit burnt like fire, and those red eyes blazed with ferocious bloodlust.

The strength that naturally and effortlessly radiated from the princess form, made even me tremble.

But, of course

"Come if youre ready, old geezer."

There was no thought of defeat in my head.

When a character other than the protagonist takes the lead role of a chapter, he has only one absolute duty.

To support the story on his back.

Because carrying the chapter is his significance.

Even if it was just a practice match, I could never lose. Thered be no second chance once I disappointed the readers.

Haah shall we do it?

While I was so firmly determined,

"Ka ha ha ha! Youre still one arrogant bastard. Alright then lets go, little Squatjaw!"

Bayar Khan, in the form of the princess, flew towards me.

Editors Notes:

None for this chapter.