Chapter 233

Translator: Kell | Editor: Weasalopes

Cause of the Transformation

One of the enemies thrusted a needle into the arm of his comrade . From the man’s agitation, it was clear that this wasn’t part of the plan . He fell to the ground, screaming .

「What did you do to him?!」the blue-haired man shouted as he approached them .

Sounds of clothes ripping and muscles tearing came from the man as blood sprayed out of his body and pink slimy things protruded out .

At first, Claude thought it was a new type of monster . There were monsters that laid eggs inside humans . As the eggs hatched, they would come out of the host body, tearing it apart .

However, the slimy things didn’t completely jump out, but instead extended only about a meter in length, squirming in place . They were about as thick as sausages and looked like sea anemone, numbering around fifty… or a hundred even .

「Joseph?!」the blue-haired man screamed, confused .

The man named Joseph was dead—or so it appeared to be, but he raised his head, blood flowing from his eyes that were fixed at Claude .

All of a sudden, he went down on all fours and scurried towards Claude . Claude quickly swung his sword, cutting Joseph’s face from the front, but the man didn’t stop, and instead tackled Claude to the ground . He tried to push him off, but the tentacles grasped him firmly .

Claude’s body creaked, the powerful grip turning his vision red as sharp pain rushed through his whole being . But words wouldn’t come out . He couldn’t make a sound .

His sword lay on the ground by his side . He reached for it, but the tight grip of the tentacles on his arm wouldn’t allow him . On his waist was a knife . Desperately, he moved his wrist . He couldn’t grab it, at first . And then he did . He drew the knife and stabbed at the tentacles . Stab . Stab .

「Ahaha . That’s not gonna work . He doesn’t feel pain anymore . 」

「What did you do to Joseph?!」Larks grabbed Ray’s shoulders .

「Oh, Captain Larks . 」

The commanding officer wasn’t aware of this part of the plan, nor did he know what the young man did to Joseph .

「The situation would just get worse and worse, so I used our trump card . 」

「Trump card?! How could you call this a trump card?! He looks like—」

「A monster . I know . 」Ray said casually .

Larks froze . Claude frantically stabbed Joseph over and over again, but the man didn’t budge, only the tentacles wriggled about, making slithery noises .

「Ray… Did you… join the squad for this?」

「You’re mostly right . I joined your squad to test the power of our new weapon . But that’s not all . I also wanted to kill Claude Zahard Kirihal . We basically share the same sentiment . 」

「Share the same sentiment?! You turned our comrade into… this! Will he turn back to normal?!」

「Turn back…?」Ray cocked his head, genuinely puzzled at the question . 「What do you mean? We’re all going to die after this mission anyway . 」

「That’s…」

「Is there even any need to turn him back to normal? Joseph threw his life away to kill the enemy . It’s an honorable death . 」

More tentacles grew out of Joseph’s body, his flesh now barely visible . Larks saw Claude smash his head a while ago, yet the tentacles didn’t stop moving .

「This is anything… but honorable…」Larks muttered . He felt all strength leave his body .

Ray let out an exasperated sigh . 「Ah, come on . It’s fine . He’ll kill Claude Zahard Kirihal and help in testing the new weapon . I’m sure our great leader will pay his bereaved family handsomely . 」

「Wait… What did you just say? You work for Ludancia’s leader?」

「I do . I mean, isn’t it obvious? Only she has the power to entrust an important weapon like this one to anyone . 」

Larks felt lightheaded, his knees growing weak . Everything was of the leader’s design . They were all puppets playing on the palm of her hand, used as lab rats to further her goals . In the end, he couldn’t choose his place of death .

「J-Joseph…」

「Like I said, he’s as good as dead . We don’t even know where his heart is or how he’s moving . I’ll write all this down in my report, of course—」

The door to lecture building C opened .

「Ah…」

She probably thought it was over, since it had been quiet for a while . Larks recognized her—Luka Lordgrad Ludancia, wearing nothing but pajamas and a coat . Her face turned white as soon as she saw Claude on the ground restrained by the tentacles while coughing up blood .

「What a pleasant surprise . 」Ray said . 「I didn’t think she’d come out by herself . That saves us the trouble, right, Captain Larks—」

「Claude! Claude! Claude!」Luka rushed towards him .

The tentacles tried to grab her .

「Whoa there . 」Ray cut them up with his dagger and pink liquid gushed out .

「Claude!」

「Please come quietly, Princess . Your mother wants to see you . 」

「Claude! Claude! Nooooooo!」

Light was slowly fading from Claude’s wide-open eyes . Not wanting the tentacles from getting Luka, Ray grabbed her collar and pulled her away .

「Claude! Claude!」

「S-Stop struggling! Hey, Captain! Please snap out of it and help me out here!」

Larks stood still, his mind in a daze . Luka’s screams sounded distant in his ears .

What… happened to Ludancia?

Ludancia was developing a clearly strange weapon which Ray used without hesitation . A girl was crying before him .

Should I really be doing this…?

His comrade who wished to share the same fate as him was tragically turned into a tentacle-covered monster squirming on the ground . This wasn’t what they wished their last moments to be . But there was no turning back now .

「Captain Lark—」Ray’s body stiffened .

「Claude! Claude! Clau—」

Luka, her face wet from tears, noticed the grip on her loosen . Then the young man collapsed, gasping for air . Blood stained the snow .

「Hey, you there . 」a voice said . 「Guy with the blue hair . 」A familiar boy stood there, one with black hair and eyes . 「Tell me how to get this tentacle things off of him . If you don’t, I’ll kill you . 」

Hikaru’s sharp gaze darted at Larks, the dagger on his hand dyed in deep red .

Hikaru’s movements were quick . He spotted Claude on the ground, wrapped in something .

「Tentacles…?」

They looked familiar, like the ones that grew on the back of the earth dragon at Un el Portan .

『Hikaru, I got a bad feeling about this . 』

「Drake?! What are you doing here?!」

『I smelled something strange, so I stuck to your back . 』

Hikaru never thought that the drakon who did nothing but eat and sleep would go with him on his own volition . He didn’t see the creature back in the apartment, so he thought he was fast asleep . Drake was on his back all along .

「Stay put, okay? I’m kinda pissed right now . 」

The young, deranged man made his way to Luka who just stepped out of the building . He didn’t plan to do anything to Claude . With Stealth on, Hikaru closed in on Luka, went behind the man, and stabbed him with his Dagger of Strength .

「Captain Lark—」

「Claude! Claude! Clau—」

Hikaru could kill the man with Assassination’s effect, but he didn’t care . Anger surged within him—more than he imagined—when he saw Claude, his friend, hurt .

「Tell me how to get this tentacle things off of him . If you don’t, I’ll kill you . 」

「I, uhh… I don’t know…」

The blue-haired man was surprised to see Hikaru appear out of nowhere, but more than that, the rage seething from the boy overwhelmed him .

「I see . Well, then—」

「I didn’t want any of this to happen!」the blue-haired man screamed as Hikaru was about to move . 「I didn’t… I didn’t wish to see someone turned into a monster… Ray said he doesn’t even know where his heart is or how he’s even moving… I… I just wanted to fight the warriors from Jarazack… I didn’t mind dying at their blade…! H-How did it come to this?!」

The man fell on his knees, crying . Hikaru didn’t know what kind of thoughts raced through his mind as he came here, but it would seem he really didn’t know anything .

No, wait . There is something . He mentioned something about the heart…

The tentacle monster should have a core somewhere inside its body . Hikaru activated his Mana Detection and focused .

「Found it . 」

There was a mass of mana in one spot of the creature’s body . Hikaru inched closer and thrust his blade into it . The tentacles flapped about before going limp, and dropped to the ground .

「Claude… Claude!」Luka scurried towards him and pulled the tentacles away from his body .

「H-How did you…?」The blue-haired man watched in awe .

「Move . 」Hikaru moved Luka aside and pulled the man clinging to Claude away from him along with the tentacles .

「Uh… L-Luka…」

「Claude!」

「Let him rest . 」Hikaru said .

Claude was badly injured . His bones were broken in places . His insides were probably a mess too . Moving or hugging him would be dangerous . But leaving him here would only result to him freezing to death .

「What now…?!」

Hikaru could call for help, but he didn’t have time to tie up the blue-haired man . But it would seem fate didn’t forsake Claude just yet .

「Hikaru-sama!」

The third member of Hikaru’s party came running towards them—Paula the Healer .