Chapter 42: Who's Laughing Now
Chapter 42: Who's Laughing Now
"Ma...Marika-sama!"
The guards on the city wall quickly descended, their voices trembling as they asked, "Wh...What are you doing?"
"Oh, Uya, it's been a while. How's your child doing?" Marika greeted them with a gentle smile.
"Yes! Thanks to you, they're doing well," the guard answered subconsciously, but soon realized something was amiss. "No, Marika-sama, you..."
"Ah, this pirate captain is here to rob the place, and I'm here to guide them," Marika explained, still wearing a gentle smile.
"You're going to become a pirate? That's wonderful, Marika-sama. You've finally made up your mind...no, wait!"
The guard had barely finished his sentence when he suddenly widened his eyes. "Pi...Pirate? Robbery? But this is the Royal City!"
"Yes, are you going to stop us? Uya, and Kaha," Marika asked with a smile.
The two guards were stunned for a moment. One of them blinked a few times, thought about it, and then looked up at the sky, which was already whipping up a gale and pouring down rain. "I just remembered that my house needs fixing, so I'm off to do that."
"Me too. I haven't fed my child yet, so I need to go and do that. Can't help being a single parent," the other guard added.
With that, the two guards put down their spears and quickly evacuated the area.
As for the bombardment at the city gate, it did attract the attention of others on the street—they just didn't care.
Those who had rushed over to watch the spectacle, upon seeing Marika, spontaneously formed two rows and watched as Sag and the others moved forward.
Marika, with a smile on her face, greeted each of them one by one.
She knew everyone in the Royal City.
The commoners, too, responded to her greetings. No one stood in their way.
No matter what this group intended to do, as long as Marika was with them, they would not hinder their path.
In fact, upon seeing Marika like this, they seemed even happier.
As for the people who had rushed over from behind, they discovered long-lost family members and wept with joy.
Having been banished to the Kingdom of Shallow Sands, they had no right to visit their loved ones. Setting foot in the 'territory' of the Kingdom of Shallow Sands was considered an automatic renunciation of their status in the Kingdom of Deep Forests, leading to the confiscation of property and subsequent capture, after which they would be sent to the Kingdom of the Bridge.
"You really are well-regarded," Lily observed, glancing at Marika. "With such a reputation, have you never considered leading a rebellion? Is there perhaps a strong individual in this kingdom as well?"
"Strong individual..."
Marika pondered for a moment before shaking her head. "If you're referring to Xiji, he was already killed by you. There is no one in this kingdom as powerful as you. As for rebellion...that would be futile. We are neither nobles nor of royal blood."
"I see," Lily nodded, her expression complex.
Their situations were completely different.
She was of royal blood but not acknowledged as such, and whenever she tried to take action, she was obstructed.
Marika, on the other hand, had a significant reputation but was not of noble birth, so while she could do certain things, there were limitations.
This world...it seemed like one big joke.
Lily sighed inwardly as she looked at Sag in front of her.
How much freer he was than her!
Before long, the group arrived at the Royal City. By this time, the commotion had already attracted a large number of soldiers to the city gate.
Behind the soldiers, on the massive steps, stood a person wearing a one-piece garment, a grass crown on their head, but adorned with gold ornaments all over. This person stared fixedly at Marika.
"Marika! Have you betrayed me?! I gave you the position of Royal Chef. Even if you didn't obey my orders, I gave you two years. And now, you dare to bring a group of commoners to rebel against me?!"
"Just a little disturbance,"
Sag raised his hand. "I'm no commoner, I'm a pirate. And you, are you the king?"
"Of course, I am the ruler of this nation! You dare to bring this paltry number of people and think you can..."
"Flying Finger Gun!"
Before the king could finish his sentence, Sag snapped his finger, creating a hole in the king's head from which blood spurted out.
The king's eyes widened, his face still bearing a fierce expression, as he fell heavily to the ground.
"It's done. Your condition has been met." Sag smiled at Marika.
Marika was visibly stunned. "That's it?!"
This was a king!
A ruler of a nation, an existence that had displaced countless lives, an innate authority figure!
But in Sag's hands, he didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence.
"Sometimes, you just need to think about things differently," Sag explained with a smile. "A king is still human, and humans die when they're killed. No matter what kind of authority they wield, once they're dead, it's all over. If you can't adapt to the rules, then change the rules to suit you. That's a life lesson I've learned from countless failures."
"If you can't make it in one industry, then switch to another."
"Can a man really be peed to death? There's got to be at least one industry out there that even someone as unlucky as he is can adapt to."
"And now, we've found it!"
This time, it wasn't some random pot-bearing incident. Even if it were, he had reaped the benefits anyway.
Moreover, this time, he was the one initiating the raid!
"Kill them!"
The soldiers within the palace were, of course, a different caliber from those guards. Their salaries were paid in full, and they didn't have to pay taxes, so their allegiance naturally lay with the king.
Now that the king was dead, they would undoubtedly seek revenge.
"Sag, leave this to us."
Lily stepped forward, her rapier aimed at the charging soldiers. "It's also a chance to test the fruits of our training."
Whoosh!
As soon as she finished speaking, her form rapidly disappeared, her rapier's blade flashing like lightning through the gloom of the storm, reappearing amidst the crowd of soldiers.
"Whirr!"
Lily maintained a half-crouched stance, slowly sheathing her rapier without so much as glancing at the soldiers as they turned and thrust their spears toward her.
"Lightning Waltz."
Clang!
The two-finger-wide rapier blade disappeared into its sheath, emitting a metallic sound.
Whoosh!!
The next instant, the soldiers' bodies erupted with blood, and they toppled over.
"Oh, you've got it down already."
Sag exclaimed in surprise. "Not bad at all!"
Lily's speed had always been remarkable, and now that she had grasped the 'Whirr,' although not yet proficient, she could at least utilize it.
On the other hand, Ajin was like a tiger among sheep, brandishing his iron ball-tipped cane as he leaped into the crowd. The iron ball at the end of his cane smashed into groups of soldiers, sending them flying.
As for the spears thrusting toward him, they completely failed to strike their mark. Ajin's body contorted strangely, twisting like a piece of paper dancing in the wind, dodging the majority of the spear attacks. He then swung his cane again, battering another group of soldiers away.
The first technique he mastered turned out to be 'Paper Dance.'
However, considering Ajin's exceptional bodily flexibility and lightning-fast combat reflexes, which allowed him to make unbelievable bodily movements in battle, it wasn't surprising that he grasped the 'Paper Dance' first.
Although they were both equally unskilled in these techniques, it was impressive that they had managed to achieve this level of proficiency in such a short time.
This pleased Sag greatly, and now his subordinates were starting to grow. On top of that, they were about to gain a chef and plunder the treasures of a kingdom!
Boom!
The storm unleashed a thunderous roar, and Sag's crew was cleaving through the soldiers like a hot knife through butter, the brilliance of the lightning illuminating his face and transforming his carefree smile into something sinister.
"Hahaha, ho ho ho ho!"
The unrestrained, arrogant laughter reverberated through the storm, and Renitia couldn't help but join in Sag's laughter, a sinister smile twisting her features as she twisted her tool hammer. The hammer's mechanism spun, transforming it into a hammer cannon.
BOOM!!
A shell exploded within the palace, blasting a massive hole in its walls, which then ignited and burned amidst the tempest.
"What are you doing, Renitia?!" Sag shouted.
"Just setting the mood," Renitia replied nonchalantly. "Somehow, it feels like I'd be letting you down if I didn't do something evil to match that laugh of yours."
Sag: "..."
What did his laughter have to do with it?
(End of Chapter)
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