Chapter 447: Sudden Change |
First, let me offer an excuse. It’s not that I wasn’t being cautious, but I didn’t think they’d actually resort to spiking the food and drinks. Captain Serena was eating and drinking normally, and even Kugi didn’t have any particular reaction. Even Elma was drinking booze like usual, and Mimi was consuming the meals with relish.
I also didn’t feel any malice or hostility. I admittedly did let my guard down, but the two noble ladies in our group kept insisting that betrayal wasn’t possible. So, can’t you guys consider the extenuating circumstances into account and go easy on me a bit?
Well, in any case, I did mess up. I had no choice but to recognize that.
Mimi was the first to fall prostrate on the dining table with a thud.
“……? Kh!? Don’t tell me–!?”
“But why……? There’s absolutely no merit in doing this……?”
Captain Serena, who quickly realized what was going on, tried to get up from her seat, but ultimately couldn’t. Elma looked like she was about to faint at any moment. Even I was feeling utterly drowsy and was so close to falling asleep. The substance they spiked our meals with seemed like it wasn’t a type of fatal poison but a sleeping drug of some kind instead. This was the worst.
I turned toward Kugi, and even though she looked like she was about to fall asleep at any moment as well, she still matched my gaze.
Please put your heart at ease.
“Oi……”
“……What?”
Vincent turned his head toward me and responded with an emotionless voice. I don’t like those eyes. It didn’t feel like he was looking at people, but at objects instead. Perhaps I looked at space pirates with such eyes as well.
“Just some friendly advice…… You better not even think of…… messing with those girls.”
“Hm? Why?”
“Because if you do, I’m gonna destroy you all……”
“Destroy? Such grandiose words. You’re just a loser who’s about to faint at any moment due to the drug.”
“I already warned you, okay……? Listen up. Never lay a finger on them, or else……”
And then, I finally lost consciousness.
What did I mean by being a highly dangerous bomb that would destroy them all? Well, the story’s a bit complicated. Err, okay. Maybe it’s not that complicated after all.
In other words, according to Kugi, I’m a visitor from another dimension, and I house an incredibly huge amount of psionic power within me. What if that vast psionic power goes out of control and gets released? In the worst-case scenario, that power could punch a hole in the fabric of this universe, and could even cause it to rupture and explode.
Or perhaps, it might unleash power equivalent to a star going supernova, resulting in a catastrophic explosion that might lead to the creation of a massive black hole. In any case, according to Kugi, a single star system being completely annihilated was already the least destructive outcome.
So, when would such a situation occur, you ask? The Holy Vuelzarus Empire, which had repeated contact with Visitors like me, had been researching the matter. Simply put, it occurs whenever a Visitor is angered, filled with hate, and eventually falls into despair. It could also occur if the Visitor suffers from extreme psychological damage or dies physically. In most cases, it’s these scenarios that would trigger that catastrophic outcome.
“That was the worst way to wake up.”
I woke up from a dream about the crazy stuff Kugi told me about during my psionic ability training sessions.
When I came to, I found myself bound to a chair that was fixed to the floor. My body was tied to the chair with something that resembled strong ropes. Both of my arms were also secured to the elbow rests with stuff that looked like handcuffs. I could still move my head and neck freely, but I couldn’t move the rest of my body at all.
I scanned the room I was confined in, and the interior was surprisingly decent. The floor was carpeted, and a low table and sofa were set up in front of me. It appeared to be a drawing room or something of the sort.
As I was checking the room out, the door opened, and Vincent came in along with two soldiers. He came in just as soon as I woke up. Were they monitoring my vitals? Well, I suppose that didn’t matter.
“How does it feel after waking up to this, huh?”
I looked directly at Vincent who was spouting boring drivel and lifted a corner of my mouth for him to see.
“It’s the worst. Is spiking the drink of a guest and then tying them onto a chair the current in thing among nobles? You guys sure have some pretty weird hobbies.”
I responded sarcastically while sharpening my focus. I then『grabbed』the chair’s armrests telekinetically and began twisting them off. I didn’t forget to mask the sound by moving my arms and making the handcuffs clang around.
“It’s impressive that you’re still able to put up a show of bravado even in this situation. Your life as well as the lives of your women are at my complete disposal. Therefore, please choose your words carefully.”
“You drugged me, tied me to a chair, took hostages, and are now declaring victory? You really think you’re so cool, huh?”
Vincent’s eyebrows twitched after hearing my provocation. It seemed like I hit a nerve.
“Do you not understand that I’m telling you to keep your mouth shut? With just one order from me, I can make your women meet fates that are worse than death you know?”
“Ooh, how scary. So? What are you trying to pull by using that card on me? You want me to suck you off or something? Huh!?”
I made a loud ruckus to hide the sound of the metal armrests coming off, then set my sights on the hilt of the sword hanging at the side of Vincent’s waist. My telekinetic『right hand』stretched out to grab his sword, while I enlarged my『left hand』and clenched it into a fist. I was already concentrating hard, but this sure was taking a lot of time.
“You’re a mercenary, correct? Cooperate with us. We will pay you, and if you do a good job, we’ll return your women safely.”
“Are you an idiot? Do you think I’d agree to do your bidding after you drugged me, detained me, and threatened me with the fact that you’re holding my women hostage?”
“You will obey. You simply can’t abandon your women, right? That’s just the kind of man you are.”
“You bastard…… I’m gonna blow your pretty face right off.”
“What are you…… Gah!?”
While pulling the hilt of the sword with my telekinetic right hand, I used my enlarged telekinetic left fist to punch Vincent and the two soldiers away. All three of them ate a blow from the giant invisible fist and crashed onto a wall, then groaned in pain. No matter what level of physical enhancements these imperial nobles have undergone, they wouldn’t be able to avoid surprise attacks performed using psionic powers as long as they didn’t have psionic abilities themselves.
I used Vincent’s sword to cut through the ropes binding the rest of my body, and the moment I got free, I held my breath and entered ‘bullet time’.
“–!?”
I quickly cut off the right arm of the stunned and bloody-nosed Vincent. I also severed the arms of the two soldiers in the same manner.
As soon as I exhaled and exited ‘bullet time’, the agonized wails of Vincent and his two cronies echoed throughout the room.
“Guh!? W-What the……! How……!?”
“Beats me.”
I slashed off both handcuffs from my arms using Vincent’s sword, then searched the soldiers and looted their equipment and supplies such as emergency nanomachines, laser guns, and laser rifles.
“The tables have turned. Now, tell me where Mimi and the others are being held. You want this back, right?”
I taunted Vincent and showed him the emergency nanomachine injector. These guys all had one of their arms cut off. They were pressing upon their respective arm stumps with their remaining left arms, but that wouldn’t bring them any sort of relief. No matter what level of physical enhancements they underwent, they were still ultimately humans. And if they lost a large enough amount of blood, even the high and mighty nobles would perish. In other words, as long as they didn’t administer emergency nanomachines in time to stop the bleeding, they would most certainly die.
“Y-You bastard…… Do you believe you can get away with something like this……!?”
“Not sure. But I have no intention of showing any mercy to anyone who threatens the lives of me and my crew. I mean, if it comes down to it, I can always appeal to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor or Her Imperial Highness the Princess. I also have the option of asking help from Captain Serena or House Dareinwald. And I can also simply run away from the empire if I feel like it.”
As I responded, I stood at the ready while wielding Vincent’s sword. After all, even if he’s lost an arm, he was still a nobleman. There’s a chance he’d suddenly come at me with incredible speed and fight back or something.
“There’s no use buying time. Choose. Either fess up now or die.”
“Fuh…… Hehe. There’s no way a mere mercenary like you would kill a noble like–”
“Uh, no? I definitely can, y’know?”
After saying so, I unhesitatingly decapitated Vincent. Vincent’s head, whose eyes had widened in shock after hearing my words, spun in midair. Since he didn’t want to talk, then killing a noble like him who posed the most danger was only natural. That’s just common sense. Eh? It’ll bring me trouble later? It’s gonna get even messier if I end up killing House Ixamal’s head of house as well? I don’t care. If push comes to shove, we could always just leave the empire entirely.
“Now then, which one of you is willing to talk? It’s first come, first served.”
I flicked Vincent’s sword to the side to shake the blood off of the blade and called the attention of the two soldiers who were looking up wide-eyed at me in shock and disbelief.
“Oi, oi. Don’t just stare at me in shock like that. If you don’t talk quickly, my hand’s gonna slip. I might be acting like this, but I’m actually really pissed right now.”
I felt the corners of my mouth subconsciously curl up. My head was all messed up. It seemed that all the furnishings inside the room were trembling faintly. Perhaps my psionic powers have started running out of control already.
“Tell me everything you guys know. I won’t kill you if you do. If you insist on keeping your mouths shut, I’m gonna send you guys after your master straight away.”
I pointed the sword at the two trembling soldiers who were holding their wounds in pain and gave an ultimatum.
