A Desperate Man's Rotten Lifeline
"Damn it… Damn it all…!!"
Gord gnawed at his fingernails, sweat dripping down his face.
He was still within the County, on the road to the Royal Capital.
Normally, he wouldn't indulge in such a crude habit, but he was in such a desperate situation that he'd forgotten even that.
To prevent the deal from completely falling apart, he'd offered to pay the penalty.
However, it was obvious to anyone that the moment he did, he'd be stripped of his position.
Even if large trading companies possessed considerable funds, paying a penalty equivalent to several months' worth of an entire territory's budget was an enormous loss.
It was highly unlikely that the upper management of the Gold Rush Trading Company, notorious for their ruthlessness, would overlook such a significant loss, even if they managed to secure the magical beast by-product deal.
The possibility was practically zero.
"How did I even get this far… How did I climb this high…!!"
He had pushed aside competitors, clung on tenaciously, and used every dirty trick in the book to barely reach his current position.
If things had gone well, he would have had the opportunity to become the head of the headquarters, a position he had long dreamed of.
But that opportunity had long since transformed into an abyss, threatening to drag him down to ruin.
"What can I do…!!"
Where did it all go wrong?
Was it when he meddled with the Duke's deal?
Or was it when he took a step back because of the magical beast by-product trade?
"..."
In truth, that wasn't important to him right now.
What mattered was finding a way to resolve this situation.
"Damn it… Damn it!!"
But how?
The contract was signed.
It was his fault for failing to meet the deadline.
"Argh!!"
Unable to contain his frustration, he stood up with a shout.
At that moment, something tumbled out of his pocket.
"…?"
He picked it up with a puzzled look.
In his hand was a small, old box that looked like it could fall apart at any moment.
"This is…"
The small box the head of the headquarters had given him.
‘This is a small gift from me. I've saved it until the very, very end. Open it only when you're truly cornered.’
"Damn it…"
Of all times…
With that thought, Gord gritted his teeth so hard that they made a grinding sound.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say.
He had to survive first before he could plan his next move.
With a determined look, Gord slowly reached out and unlocked the box, opening its lid.
And then, in the next instant.
All he saw before him was deep darkness.
***
The situation in the County was nothing short of chaotic.
[Grooooaaaaar!!]
An enormous creature had appeared without warning.
Resembling a turtle covered in rocks, it relentlessly moved forward, crushing everything in its path.
"All cannons! Commence firing!!"
The Count's soldiers, hastily deployed, dragged cannons and bombarded the creature with shells, but they couldn't stop its advance.
Despite being engulfed in explosions, it continued its relentless march, resembling a giant tank.
"Hurry and evacuate the civilians! We must minimize the damage!!"
Amidst the chaos, Carlos commanded the soldiers.
Since there was no immediate way to deal with the creature, the priority was the safety of the territory's residents.
"What is that thing?"
"I don't know… It seems to be a magical beast…"
Carlos's voice was laced with bewilderment as he answered Rudell's question.
It wasn't that magical beasts never appeared within the Kingdom.
But why now, at this very moment, and right in the middle of the territory?
There were many questions, but they weren't important right now.
"I'll take charge of evacuating the remaining residents!"
"Alright, I'll leave it to you."
"You there! And you! Follow me!"
Leaving Carlos, who nodded in agreement, Rudell ran towards the streets where people were escaping, along with Kyle and a few other soldiers.
"H-Help me…!!"
"Here! There's someone buried here!!"
"Please…!! Help me!!"
"Over here too!!"
With shouts, the soldiers pulled people out from under the debris and headed towards the relatively safe outskirts of the city with them.
"Are there any more people left?"
"I don't think there's anyone left in this area."
Rudell started scanning the surroundings with his life-detection magic in response to Kurt's question, but he couldn't see anyone else remaining.
"What are we going to do now?"
"I don't know. We need to find something that works against it…"
Even now, countless shells were raining down on the magical beast, but they only managed to scratch its surface.
It continued to roar, wreaking havoc on the County.
"You guys go straight to my father."
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers bowed to Rudell and headed towards the field command post where Carlos was, along with the evacuees.
"Now what…"
Rudell muttered, looking at the magical beast rampaging through the County in the distance.
Realistically, it was nearly impossible to defeat the magical beast with the County's forces alone.
However, they couldn't just leave it be.
If they did, the County would soon be reduced to nothing but ruins.
"If only Leje were here…"
He had sent a messenger to the Lagrind Dukedom, but considering the distance between the County and Lagrandria, it would take at least a day for them to arrive.
It was more than enough time for the County to be devastated, so he couldn't place much hope on them.
Just then…
"…?"
Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and Rudell turned around with a puzzled look.
And then, in the next instant.
"Huh…?"
A dumbfounded voice escaped Rudell's lips.
He had a good reason to be surprised. The person he saw before him had no reason to be here.
"Le, Leje!?"
"Hi! Did you miss me?"
Leje El Lagrind, the princess of the Lagrind Dukedom and his childhood friend, had appeared before him.
"What are you doing here…!?"
"I was bored, so I came to surprise you…"
Leje answered Rudell's flustered question, then turned to look at the magical beast trampling the County.
"But it seems like this isn't the time for that."
"Rudell, who is this?"
Kurt, who was standing next to him, asked, reacting to her words.
"Kurt, let me introduce you. This is Leje El Lagrind. We've been friends since we were kids."
"I see."
"Leje, this is Kurt Kasha, the Nord friend I told you about."
"So you're Kurt. Nice to meet you."
He would have liked to introduce them properly over a cup of tea, but everyone present knew that wasn't possible right now.
"So, what's going on? Why is a magical beast attacking the County?"
"I don't know the details either. It happened so suddenly…"
Probably no one in the County could clearly explain what was happening.
"I see."
Leje nodded at Rudell's words and drew her sword from her waist.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"Huh? What else would I be doing? I have to stop that thing, don't I?"
Leje looked at him with a puzzled expression, as if asking why he was stating the obvious.
"Well, yeah, but…"
"Are you… worried about me?"
When Rudell trailed off, Leje chuckled and lightly pushed his forehead with her finger.
"Don't worry, I won't overdo it. While I'm buying some time, you think of a way to deal with that thing."
"Okay. Be careful."
The most rational choice wasn't always the right one.
It was unlikely, but if she got hurt, Rudell wouldn't be able to face her with a clear conscience.
"See you later!"
Leje lightly stretched and then ran towards the magical beast.
Rudell watched her go with a worried expression.
"There's no need to worry. I sense an extraordinary aura from her."
"That's reassuring."
Perhaps it was because he was a Nord, whose life was synonymous with the wilderness.
Rudell let out a low chuckle at Kurt's words.
But it was only for a moment.
Rudell quickly put on a determined expression and started running towards the command post where Carlos was.
It wouldn't be easy for Leje to distract the magical beast on her own.
Rudell had to find a way to resolve this incident as quickly as possible.
Hoping that nothing would go wrong.
Rudell ran through the ruined streets.
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