LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 62: You're Already Dead
===A Certain Undead With Communication Disorder==
「Let see… which direction should I take now?」
Even though I managed to enter the castle, this castle itself was freaking huge.
Finding the Empress in such a huge place wasn't a simple matter.
Should I try to ask someone for directions?
I mean, there was a pale-faced, spear-wielding soldier standing right in front of me, but… let's pump myself and try to ask him.
「…Hey.」
「「「HIIIII?!」」」
This guy was no good, huh.
I mean, there was no way a frightened opponent could answer me properly when I asked them a question.
Oh, right.
It then came to me that the leader of this country should be on the highest floor of this castle.
I mean, when I looked at the castle from the outside, I could see an absurdly tall spire.
The Empress might be right in there.
That was why I should head toward that place, but first…
「It really is built like a maze…」
The internal structure of the castle was too complex. It might take a really long time for me to arrive if I took a normal route.
That design might also have served to make the intruders lose their way inside the maze-like structure.
Thereupon, I came up with the best possible solution.
「…it's not a big deal if I smash the wall though.」
BOOOOOOOM!
I destroyed the wall since it was simply in the way.
Yup, I should keep going this way.
A while after advancing while demolishing one wall after another, I finally arrived in the said tower.
「H-Has he… come?!」
「We absolutely must stop him…!」
「Let's show him the power of Her Majesty's Imperial Guard!」
The ones who welcomed my arrival were soldiers who wore extremely conspicuous attire.
Yeah, it was only natural for a ruler to have one or two royal guards.
It seemed the Empress was really on the top floor of this tower.
「I guess I'll make another shortcut in this place too.」
I kicked the ground beneath me, jumping up with my all.
「「「…Eh?」」」
After piercing the ceiling and landing on the next floor, I sent one last glance to the dumbfounded imperial guards on the floor below and jumped up again toward the next floor.
「…She doesn't seem to be in this place.」
I jumped again after checking the situation on the previous floor and arrived on the next floor.
And then, after literally jumping through several floors and ceilings.
I finally arrived in the room that gave a different atmosphere from the floor below.
It was an extremely spacious and extravagant yet elegant room.
There was a throne in the innermost part of the room, decorated with silver and gold. There, a woman in luxurious clothing sat. It seemed she was the one called Empress.
Since she wore a crown-like thing on her head, I had no doubt about it.
「N-N-N-N-NO LIFE KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING?!」
And yet, she raised a high-pitched, shriek-like scream upon seeing me.
Color drained from her face as her seemingly stiff expression started to crumble.
「…AH.」
And then, not that far apart from the Empress' throne…
I found the figure of the kidnapped female Holy Knight, restrained in the chair.
「A-Are you okay?」
So I rushed toward her in a hurry and tore the ropes that bound her limbs.
「…Just as you see.」
I heaved a sigh upon seeing that she was all right.
「Rather than that, my apologies. I ended up getting kidnapped…」
「D-Don't worry about it… seeing you safe and sound is already good enough.」
「!!!」
Nevertheless, I had been wondering why in the world did the Empire kidnap her.
I couldn't help but keep worrying about the information that I heard from those mysterious people in black clothes.
…Since the culprit and mastermind was right before me, I guess it'd be faster if I asked her.
「HIIII」
The Empress screamed with a shrill voice and fell off her throne when I turned around and looked at her.
I knew that she was really frightened right now, but she reaped what she sowed.
「I-Imperial guards, where are my imperial guards! Why aren't you coming quickly to save me…! ―And you soldiers, what are you doing right there?! Are you going to let me be killed just like this…!」
The Empress raised her voice when she realized that her officials were trying to save their own hides, leaving the room in a hurry.
「W-We're not fighters…!」
「P-Please forgive us!!!!」
But they ignored the Empress' call and left her behind.
…Well, it was not like I wanted to go after them.
Seeing that, I approached the Empress who was betrayed by her own subordinates.
She might be a woman, but I couldn't hesitate since the other party was the leader of the Empire herself, the center of politics in the Empire. Thus, she couldn't be regarded as a run-off-the-mill woman.
「D-D-Don't come any closer… W-who do you think I am?! I'm the Empress of the Kranzle Empire… Deodora Kranzle… Do you hear me, peasant?」
「Shut up.」
「HIIII…」
Although the Empress could still shout such nonsense in this kind of situation, I forced her to shut up with a single glare.
Suddenly, she went on her knees and started to beg for her life.
「P-Pwease… spare my liiiifeee…」
…The heck, I didn't even want to kill her in the first place.
I mean, I just want to know why she kidnapped the female Holy Knight.
Drip drip drip…
What was that water that was dripping from the throne?
Did the Empress just… leaking?
…Uhm, this was bad.
It seemed I scared the piss out of her.
Well, since I had no intention to harm her, I should start with a smile to show my sincerity.
Smile.
「HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII~?!」
…
「How come everyone shows this reaction when I smile at them…?」
「You… That’s your SMILE?」
「Eh?」
I was really surprised when the female Holy Knight asked such a question.
「From my perspective, it looks like you're threatening her…」
「…Seriously? Even though I gave a wide smile, showing my teeth…」
「Are you kidding me? You know that instead of a smile, it's more like… a beast snarling at their prey.」
No way…
I mean, I'd heard a long time ago that I needed to show all my teeth when I smiled to make a perfect smile. I did my best to make that kind of smile and yet… it actually backfired on me.
「Uhm?」
When I noticed, the Empress was already foaming at the mouth, fainted with her eyes wide open.
「…Oh~I!」
She didn't respond even when I called her.
It seemed she fainted from fear.
No― wait a minute.
She wasn't… breathing, right?
I tried to hear her heartbeat, but… HER HEART HAD ALREADY STOPPED BEATING!!!
D-DID I JUST SCARE HER TO DEATH?
「…What are you doing?」
「N-N-N-NOTHING! I ABSOLUTELY DID NOTHING AT ALL!」
BADUMBADUMBADUM!
「「「HER MAJESTYYYYYY!!」」」
At that moment, I heard footsteps coming toward this place along with desperate cries.
Oh crap.
If they saw me in this place, wouldn't I become… the culprit who killed the Empress?!
Please… Please be ALIVE, DON'T DIE ON ME!
Rather, I had no choice but to pray desperately inside.
Now then, I should leave this place.
「A-Anyway, let's leave this place immediately!」
「HEY?!」
I proceeded to carry the female Holy Knight in one arm and kicked the wall, creating a shortcut.
「We're going to jump.」
「…Eh?」
After saying that, I ――jumped from fifty meters above the ground―― with all my might.
「AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH?!」
Amidst the scream of the female Holy Knight, we flew straight toward the giant rampart.
「W-W-W-W, What are you doing?」
「T-THIS IS THE FASTEST WAY TO LEAVE THIS CITY!」
「IT'S TOO RECKLESSSSSSSSS?!」
She was clinging desperately to me.
The normal me would be blushing upon coming into close contact with a woman, but I honestly had no leeway to feel that way right now.
I mean, wasn't this… way scarier than what I expecteeeeeeeeeeeeeeed?!
I came to realize again how scary this height was. Dammit, she was right. I was too reckless this time.
If I jumped from this height when I was still alive, I would definitely become mince meat upon landing on the ground.
But then, the situation called for it. I mean, escaping from above was definitely the fastest way to escape when I was completely besieged by the Empire's soldiers from all sides and carrying the female Holy Knight with me.
Soon enough, I passed over the giant rampart and landed on the ground with an extremely terrifying impact that would turn any normal human into splatter.
Right after I lowered the female Holy Knight on the ground, both of us plopped on the ground, unable to stand up due to the effect of the previous jump.
「I-I thought I was going to die for real this time…」
「Me too…」
「No, you're already dead though…」