The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-199

As they were both headed toward the same location, they decided to travel together. After all, there was no reason to journey separately when their destinations aligned.

However, despite being companions on the road, an oddly quiet mood hung between them.

“Like I said, I have a Tendency called Kleptomaniac that activates without me knowing, how am I supposed to…”

“......”

It was more than just oddly quiet. It was freezing.

They continued on horseback, the mood growing increasingly awkward with each passing moment.

- Awkward…

- I like this too!

- ???: I didn’t want to steal it, alright? And I’m not saying this just because I got caught!

However, what certainly didn’t help were Agony’s quips that it couldn’t stop itself from making.

[It’s been a while, woman!]

“Who…?”

Agony gave Filia a wide smile.

[Fufufufu… It is I… the fearsome Agony!]

“...So, who are you?”

[...Do you really not know who I am?]

“I don’t remember seeing you before…”

[I was scary-looking, like Kwargh!!! Do you not remember a sword like that?]

“Ah!”

[Do you… Do you remember me now?]

“I don’t know…”

[Th-think really hard, okay… I’m sure I scared you so much you covered yourself in bed with your blankets…]

“Sorry… I really don’t remember you.”

[...I hate humans.]

For some reason… it felt like Filia’s horse was further away than before.

“Haah…”

Seol let out a deep sigh, accepting the situation.

He had continuously failed to meet up with Yeo-myeong due to the ongoing battles, which not only delayed their encounters but also hindered timely communication through letters.

As the situation evolved with each passing second, Seol ultimately decided to head to Las Cabras’ headquarters, Parte, instead of pursuing him.

While on his way, Seol also decided to quickly help out each city he passed through.

Typically, this involved him swiftly dealing with the remaining cartel executives in the city.

“So you were Crow.”

“Crow?”

“People have been calling you Crow because you’ve been dealing the final blow to the remaining Las Cabras members in each city. I think it’s because crows are scavengers that eat corpses.”

“Haha…”

At first, Seol was shocked, thinking the nickname stemmed from people noticing his creations. Luckily, it wasn’t that.

“Isn’t that way too disrespectful, though? Someone like you shouldn’t be called something like that…”

“It’s fine, I wasn’t doing this for respect anyway.”

“Then why are you…”

"Because I’m busy. There’s somewhere I need to go, and I had to take care of them quickly to get there on time."

“Ah… okay…”

Filia and Seol completely dismantled the cartel in each city they visited on their way to Parte.

Rumors about them spread not only to Adeline’s knights, who were waging war against Las Cabras, but also to the other transferees.

“We’ll be arriving in Parte soon,” said Filia.

“We’re ahead of schedule too. I think we’re almost caught up to them…”

Filia nodded in response.

"The cartel's end is guaranteed now.”

“We've already inflicted enough damage,” said Seol. “It would be impossible for them to recover from this. However, I am surprised Kaio didn't flee from Parte."

Kaio Matos.

He was essentially the head of Las Cabras. In truth, Kaio was just one among many leaders and executives.

However, as their battle with the transferees and Adeline’s soldiers dragged on, all of the other key figures perished, leaving Kaio as the sole remaining authority.

“Who knows,” said Filia. “He could have a trick up his sleeve…”

“We should be careful then.”

“I don’t know if that word suits you, though.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve already seen how reckless you are…”

“Haha…”

- I always do my best! Even against elementary school kids! Because that’s my ninja way!

- I will destroy every last middle schooler on Earth!!!!

Filia smirked after seeing Seol’s awkward laugh.

Despite their exhausting schedule, it would soon come to an end once they arrived in Parte.

* * *

Parte, Las Cabras’ final bastion, and a large city located in the far west of Adeline.

“Kyaaaaaaaa!”

“Evacuate! Run away!”

“Run where?!”

“Anywhere! Just get out of the city!”

The citizens were in a panic as they ran off in all directions.

Las Cabras also didn't attempt to stop them, likely because they either gave up or considered it a waste of resources to allocate men to restrain them.

Neigh…

Clip clop…

The sound of horses echoed throughout the streets. It was a sign the cavalry had arrived.

“We’ve finally arrived at Parte.”

“Yes, Sir Bren!”

"I am sick of these criminals," continued Bren. "I wish to return to the royal palace quickly to rest."

Bren, a man with shoulder-length curly blonde hair and mysterious blue eyes, was also the leader of the Veregion Knights.

“Excuse me, uh… Sir Bren? I recommend you wear your helme—”

"I already know that, hmph. I only have it off right now because it’s stuffy. I'll put it back on when I enter the fray, so hold on for now."

“Yes, sir!”

Bren then glanced at the people charging ahead of him.

“Spread out!” shouted one of the people fighting. “Don’t let them hit all of us!”

“This way!”

Bren shot a contemptuous look at the men desperately fighting in front of him.

“Transferee trash…” muttered Bren.

Bren did not particularly like transferees.

In fact, it would be much more apt to say he despised them. He didn’t despise just the cartel members either, he even hated the transferees fighting on his side.

Obviously, he wasn’t so foolish as to make it obvious to others or to make back-handed comments here and there. After all, only low-class people would engage in such behavior.

In the end, associating with trash only meant that you were trash yourself.

Bren simply ignored the transferees.

Neigh…

His horse was beginning to become excited by the sound of clashing steel and screams.

“Calm down, Richel. You can get excited later,” said Bren before turning to the woman by his side. “Lalsa.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Forward.”

“Yes, sir!”

The woman named Lalsa was wearing equipment that seemed ill-suited for knights.

It was a peculiar goggle-like item with lenses that had strange numbers constantly appearing and disappearing.

“So, what do you think about Veregion’s newest equipment?” asked Bren.

"It's incredible! I can't believe there's an item capable of determining someone's power level... I'm amazed that an item created in conjunction with the magic towers has already reached this level!"

The goggles she was wearing were an item that quantified the energy radiating from someone to estimate their strength. It was similar to how transferees could gauge each other's strength through the Points Leaderboard.

However, there were a few differences too.

First, it was impossible to give an exact number like Adventure Points.

It simply stated, ‘...Points or higher’ as its result.

Furthermore, combat points often surpassed Adventure Points by a significant margin. But there was nothing that could be done about it. After all, these goggles solely recorded combat ability, not Adventure Points.

Regardless, Lalsa didn’t report these issues to Bren.

Bren was closed-minded. Knowing that, Lalsa knew that Bren wouldn’t believe in anything she said unless he experienced it himself. Not to mention the fact that he often ignored anything negative she had to say.

‘It’s probably better if I don’t report it to him,’ thought Lalsa. ‘If I want to do it, though, I should do it after the expedition.’

Lalsa then checked Bren’s power level.

‘8 million points…’

Lalsa then recalled the Haunted Swordsman she had seen earlier, who had roughly 10 million points.

‘There’s no way I can tell Bren that he’s weaker than a transferee… never.’

If she did, he would come up with all sorts of methods to demote her. After all, there had been plenty of instances of that already.

Bren calmly closed his eyes, taking in the sounds of clashing steel.

“In the end… Is there no transferee stronger than Kaio Matos? I guess there is no choice… I must defeat their leader myself. To think my blade would have to be covered in foul transferee blood of all things…”

Lalsa was extremely worried.

It had already been reported that Kaio Matos had over 8.5 million Adventure Points.

As Adventure Points were often much lower than one’s combat ability, there was a high chance that his combat level was over 8.5 million as well.

Bren would surely lose to him.

“Excuse me, sir… What do you think about leaving it to the Haunted Swordsman…”

“You wish to give him the honor of doing such a thing?”

“N-Not at all, sir. I am simply worried for your well-being and—”

"Hmph. His swordsmanship is sloppy. He is fast, however... Would his speed work even on me, the great Bren? What do you think, Lalsa?"

Hrgh…

Lalsa thought to herself, holding back her hiccups.

‘What do I say… It’s so obvious the Haunted Swordsman would win…’

Lalsa quickly came up with lies that Bren would want to hear.

“It would be impossible for his sword to reach you, Sir Bren.”

“Haha… I knew it.”

“There is no transferee who could be an opponent for you, Sir Bren.”

"Hahahahaha! You have quite the keen eye, Lalsa! The Veregion Knights finished our previous job quickly to sweep up this criminal trash, and it’s only natural for us to make them pay the price. Don’t you agree, everyone?"

“Yes, sir!”

“Veregion is invincible!”

“Woaaaaaaargh!”

It was a display of collective madness.

However, as the Veregion Knights were a gathering of fools who deluded themselves into thinking this was fighting spirit, they continued their shouts.

“Let’s show them our strength!”

“Sir Bren has ordered us to sound the horns!”

Baooooooo…

“Everyone, charge!”

“Woaaaaaaargh!”

As the cavalry suddenly charged through the city’s streets, people stopped to watch the spectacle.

With ferocity, they barreled toward the eerie building, which appeared to be a fortress nestled within the city.

* * *

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

At the same time, inside the fortress…

“Kaio, some idiots are charging toward us.”

“Kill them.”

“Civilians will get caught up, though?”

“Does it matter?” commented Kaio, sounding sick of the questions.

“Nope,” smiled the man before rushing toward a cannon.

Creaaaaak…

Ignite…

He lit the cannon's wick.

It didn't take long for the fuse to run out, summoning a pillar of fire from the cannon's mouth.

With a thunderous sound, a cannon ball was fired onto the street the cavalry was stampeding through.

Baaaaaaaaam!

“Graaaaaaargh!”

Neeeeeeigh!

“Argh!

“Khrgh…”

One died from being directly hit by the cannon ball, another perished from being kicked by a falling horse, and a third died due to the smoke blocking their vision, causing them to collide with someone else.

“Quite a nice scene,” commented Kaio.

Bren narrowly managed to dodge the attack, but his prized horse also died from the impact.

“Th-those scum… Who uses gunpowder inside the city?!”

“Where did they get so much gunpowder…”

“How noisy,” said Kaio. “Make them quiet down.”

Fsssss…

Kaio’s subordinate quickly lit up one cannon before reaching for a second.

Baaam!

However, unexpectedly, the first cannon misfired, causing it to explode.

“What happened?” asked Kaio.

“It’s another transferee!”

“How annoying…”

Bren gave the magician, who bought time for them, a nod before charging forward.

“Hmph! I guess they can be of use from time to time. Remember their name for me, Lalsa. Make sure to properly reward them.”

“Yes, sir!”

Though Lalsa wasn’t sure why Bren was making her remember a name that even he was too lazy to remember, eventually, after many sacrifices, they reached the fortress.

“I will go ahead! Everyone, clean up the lower floors as you come up!”

“S-Sir Bren!”

“Lalsa! You follow me!”

“What? U-Uhh…”

Fwip!

Bren quickly wrapped his arm around her waist before rising to the sky.

Fwip…

Fwooosh!

Bren began scaling the wall, ascending higher and higher with each step.

Lalsa struggled to keep up with the sudden speed and began to heave like she was going to throw up.

Bwrgh…

Fwip!

Bren leaped up, reaching the top with one last quick step.

“Did you think this abomination could stop me, the great Bren?!”

“Oh no… The stupid knight reached the top…” mocked one of the cartel members.

Clench…

Kaio cracked his neck before taking a stance as more transferees entered the fray.

As more and more transferees reached the top floor, Kaio gave an order once more.

“Fire.”

Baam!

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

“Urgh…”

“Argh!”

The guns in Pandea were muskets at best, so the shower of bullets ended soon.

Nonetheless, that quick bombardment was more than enough to bring the transferees to the floor.

Surprisingly enough, Lalsa and Bren weren’t hit by any of the bullets. This was something Kaio did intentionally.

“Do you understand the situation now?” asked Kaio.

“...Lalsa, how strong is he?”

“...He has roughly 10 million points.”

“And next to him?”

“8.7 million…”

“And the other guy?”

“9.1 million…”

“...So it was a trap.”

Las Cabras had been pretending to retreat while gathering their forces at Parte.

“Lalsa, how strong am I?”

“8-8 million.”

“......”

“Hey, what are you guys having so much fun talking about?” asked Kaio, laughing at them.

“Sir Kaio, let us have a talk. If you continue to indiscriminately murder innocent civilians like this, Adeline will officially–”

BAAAAAM!

A bullet whizzed past Bren’s ear.

“What the hell is this dude saying?”

“He must have lost his mind.”

“Should we shoot him with the cannon?”

“That could be fun too!”

Creaaaak…

A cartel member turned the cannon and aimed it toward Bren.

But then…

Ffft!

“Khrrrgh…”

The cannoneer quickly grabbed his neck before falling to the ground.

The man who killed the cannoneer then stopped in front of Bren.

“Sir Bren, are you alright?”

“H-Haunted Swordsman.”

“It’s time, Kaio,” said Yeo-myeong, turning to Kaio. “The other cartel members are all dead. It’s time for you to join them in hell.”

Baam!

A sudden shot.

However, Yeo-myeong was faster.

Unsheathe!

Ting!

“Khrgh…”

No one could believe what they just saw.

Not only did Yeo-myeong manage to deflect the bullet with his sword, but he also managed to make it hit another cannoneer.

“Hah, look at him…”

Though they were taken aback by his skill, the cartel members weren’t scared of Yeo-myeong at all.

“Still… There’s nothing you can do on your own.”

“When did I say that I was alone?”

“Hmph. Stupid transferees are always…”

Yeo-myeong then turned around, facing the empty space.

"She’s here. Like I said," said Yeo-myeong before turning back to Kaio. "It’s time."

“What? Who—”

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The entire building shuddered under the weight of the mysterious woman who landed on the roof.

It was Karen.

“...Who the hell is this now?”

Bren was utterly shocked by Karen’s sudden appearance.

‘She’s strong… Incredibly strong!’

He could tell even without the goggles, just from the energy that radiated off her.

“I-It is nice to meet you. A-Are you perhaps here to help me…” asked Bren.

“Huh? Who are you?”

Karen turned around, revealing her red hair, causing Bren to gasp.

“A-An elf…?!”

“This is the first time I’ve seen your face, though?”

Bren then turned to Lalsa, asking her a question.

“Lalsa, h-how strong is…”

“18 million…”

“...What? Are you sure that thing isn’t brok—No, an elf shouldn’t be a transferee, so... She definitely came here to help me!”

However, someone else joined them on the rooftop as well.

Step…

“Is this our final stop?” asked the man.

“Yeah!” answered Karen. “Yeo-myeong’s here as well.”

“Hyung!”

The man leisurely stepped up, as if he was out here on a jog.

Bren then nudged Lalsa’s side with his elbow.

“......”

“Lalsa?”

“......”

Lalsa simply took off the goggles and tossed it to the side.

“What are you doing?” asked Bren.

"Sir Bren," Lalsa replied assuredly, "I am certain the goggles broke from the impact just now."