I Alone Regress in a Hero Party That Was Annihilated - Chapter 19

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

#19. Collection (5)

— — —

Yudi Administrator was dead.

Vargo Viscount screamed as if having a seizure.

“Aaah! Wh-what have you done!”

“War. I just declared it.”

Featherback kicked Judas’s severed head with his foot.

The rat bastard’s head smashed against the wall and burst, immediately scattering into hundreds of bone fragments and chunks of flesh.

A long bloodstain remained on the wall like a painting.

“Tell them to paint a new picture. Today the castle interior will overflow with red paint.”

Featherback walked with large strides toward Vargo Viscount.

And he picked up the corkscrew that was lying on the table.

The screw that had just opened the wine’s cork stopper.

Featherback immediately drove it into Vargo Viscount’s fat neck.

“Gweek—”

Vargo Viscount couldn’t even resist, making pig-slaughtering sounds as he struggled.

But the wine opener in Featherback’s hand persistently pierced through Vargo Viscount’s thick hide and embedded deep into his neck.

“Don’t move. If you move, I’ll pull the opener out.”

“…!”

At Featherback’s low voice, Vargo Viscount froze.

What was embedded in his neck now wasn’t a sword or awl, but a spiral-shaped wine cork remover.

This thing goes in spinning round and round when inserted, but comes out with a pop— all at once when pulled.

If this were to be yanked straight out in one go?

A deep, large hole about the size of a wine’s cork stopper would be torn in Vargo Viscount’s neck.

If that happened….

“If this gets pulled out, your master dies instantly. Even if mages swarm him, they can’t perform hemostasis.”

Featherback looked ahead and smiled cheerfully.

Before that eerie yet innocent smile, all the Levarb Family knights hesitated.

They wavered at an awkward distance, unable to either charge forward or stop.

And such half-hearted things became good prey for Featherback’s sword.

Ssssshhhk—

From bottom to top, left to right, a blood line was drawn like an S laid on its side.

Thud thud thud thud!

Blood drops splattered everywhere as four knights clutched their eyes, necks, and groins and staggered back.

Featherback walked forward while gripping the corkscrew embedded in Vargo Viscount’s neck.

“Now. Move aside, you mutts.”

Even the slightest hesitation would bring a sword thrust flying.

The knights gathered outside the conference room pressed against the walls on both sides, creating a path.

Featherback walked while gripping the opener he had driven into Vargo Viscount’s neck.

The sight was reminiscent of a dog handler tightly gripping and pulling a dog leash.

Vargo Viscount spoke while breathing heavily.

“Do you think you’ll be safe after this? How many knights and soldiers are outside?”

“We have many too.”

“…We?”

Vargo Viscount expressed bewilderment upon hearing Featherback’s words.

Soon, he bared his teeth and growled.

“Stop your nonsense! I saw the diplomatic mission’s forces and they were pathetic, so what can you do with that…!”

“The diplomatic mission is just a decoy. The follow-up forces are proper armies. They’re coming to annihilate you all.”

“Bullshit! You expect me to believe that?”

“It’s not bullshit. The soldiers who finished the Orc Subjugation are still a bit angry and haven’t taken off their armor yet. They’re heading this way as we speak.”

“…!”

Vargo Viscount’s eyes widened.

Originally, war requires sufficient time.

Gathering forces scattered throughout the entire territory, allocating supplies according to supply requirements, organizing commanders, and marching out in unison takes at least several weeks.

However, the Mörsolt Family lives in a constant state of war. Not only are their soldiers always at full strength, but they consist entirely of veterans who have experienced countless real battles, so they don’t even need separate mobility training.

On the other hand, the Levarb Family hasn’t even gathered their forces in one place or hired additional private soldiers yet.

No matter how many potential forces the Levarb Family might have, if the two families clash in this situation, the outcome is obvious.

Levarb wouldn’t be able to withstand even the first battle against Mörsolt and would be brutally torn apart.

Vargo Viscount panted heavily.

“Th-that’s impossible… That can’t be, it’s a lie. If that were true, there’s no way we wouldn’t have known…”

“I’m not particularly asking you to believe it. I just need to take you as a hostage and get outside the castle. There’s no reason for me to bother lying.”

“Judas, you damn bastard! Why didn’t you tell us about something this important beforehand!?”

Vargo Viscount shouted at Featherback’s words.

But the dead cannot answer.

And even if he were alive, he would have had nothing to say.

‘Yudi Administrator wouldn’t have known that fact until the moment he died.’

Featherback had been preparing this plan since Judas searched Soleil’s office looking for the Family Head’s seal.

The thorough control of information was also for this reason.

Vargo Viscount opened his mouth desperately.

“Are you going to launch a cowardly surprise attack?”

“Don’t you know much about war? Surprise attacks are basic tactics.”

“Do you think such behavior will be tolerated!”

“The side that doesn’t pay tribute and holds out is more at fault. I have sufficient justification.”

“It won’t matter. Our castle walls are high and solid! We just need to capture you before the castle falls!”

“That’s why I have a wine opener pressed against your neck.”

Featherback stopped walking for a moment and looked into Vargo Viscount’s eyes.

The energy contained in his pupils was churning violently like the red liquid in a red wine bottle.

“To pull out the gates of this fortress like a cork stopper.”

It was killing intent.

Just as Vargo Viscount shut his mouth in terror.

“Stop!”

Knights wielding swords came rushing from the other end of the corridor.

All of them had expressions filled with rage.

Vargo Viscount bared his blood-stained teeth.

“I may die, but I’ll never hand over the Levarb Family, you insolent wolf pup.”

He continued speaking to the knights filling the corridor.

“I don’t mind dying! Kill this brat here!”

Vargo Viscount made a desperate move.

The knights cast fierce glares and charged toward Featherback.

However.

“It’s the best judgment, but.”

Featherback didn’t retreat at all even against the Levarb Family knights.

“The result will be the worst.”

Pure white aura gathered at the tip of his white sword.

Thwack!

Half the face of the knight who charged first was sliced diagonally along with his helmet.

A slash attack flew along with blood.

Crack! Crackle! Slash!

The knight behind who was hit by the slash attack had his left wrist severed, the knight behind him had his right knee split vertically, and the knight behind that had both his eyeballs gouged out.

Since it was a narrow corridor, even casual swings dealt fatal wounds.

Moreover, because they were packed tightly together, they couldn’t utilize their numerical advantage at all.

Featherback relentlessly pushed forward against the knights.

The knights of the Levarb Family possessed roughly 1-Star to 2-Star level combat prowess.

Not bad for the guards of a frontier viscount.

However.

‘…They’re far inferior to even the Orcs I caught in the snow mountains.’

Featherback was the Genius of Chaotic Battle who had always entangled with enemies and survived to the very end, the final moment, the last breath through several Demon Realm Wars.

He was a man who had mastered this kind of bloody, brutal fighting.

Mörsolt Style 1st Form: Bloodletting.

He thrust his sword into the necks, groins, and joints of the frightened dogs to draw their blood.

Bright red paint splashed onto the walls, layered upon itself, soon soaking the entire corridor.

Three colors were used in this painting.

…The white sword flash that Featherback scattered.

…The crimson blood spurting from the enemies’ necks.

…And the gradually pale blue hue of Vargo Viscount’s complexion.

Featherback’s artistic sense seemed not yet dead.

“Hiiik!?

“Aaaaah!”

“Keuuuuk!?”

Knights who had lost ears, had noses cut off, eyes gouged out, and wrists, knees, and groins slashed rolled on the floor.

Featherback indifferently stabbed the necks of those rolling on the floor with his sword as he advanced.

With his other hand, he slowly pulled on the corkscrew embedded in Vargo Viscount’s neck.

“Are there no more knights?”

“…”

“How about it. Why don’t you call for more soldiers?”

Featherback spoke while looking down at Vargo Viscount who was being dragged along with his back bent.

Vargo Viscount endured the pain as if the flesh of his neck would tear away and turned his gaze.

They had walked about a hundred meters so far.

That path was entirely stained with corpses and blood.

The one who had created this horrific result was just one person, merely a fifteen-year-old young Mörsolt.

Vargo Viscount began to tremble.

‘I shouldn’t have touched the Mörsolt. Whether branch family or whatever, those bastards were born to be like this. If the youngest lord at merely fifteen is this much, then the experienced ones are…’

Just then.

“Capture the assassin!”

“We must save the Viscount!”

“Everyone assemble in the corridor! Everyone assemble!”

The narrow corridor ended and a spacious plaza appeared.

There, knights and soldiers stood in formation in full armament.

At the overwhelming numerical advantage, Vargo Viscount’s face was finally colored with relief.

He spoke toward Featherback.

“Let’s negotiate at this point. If you continue being stubborn, you won’t make it back alive…”

But Featherback wasn’t flustered in the slightest.

Whiiiiing…

He simply muttered while feeling the wind blowing from the end of the corridor.

“The wind direction has finally changed.”

“?”

Meaning he had been paying attention to the wind direction all along.

At those words, Vargo Viscount expressed his confusion once again.

But Featherback pulled out the leather bag from his waist without any explanation.

Ssssssssssss…

Green powder scattered from inside the leather bag.

It was carried by the blowing wind toward the knights and soldiers in the plaza.

And then.

“Kek!”

“Grrrrrrrk…”

Everyone gathered in the plaza began clutching their throats and staggering.

“What, what is this!? Poison? You scattered poison powder!?”

Vargo Viscount was horrified.

Featherback nodded his head.

“It’s powder made from dried and ground centipede venom sacs that live deep in the dungeon. Quite harmful to the body.”

In fact, it was more than just harmful.

A poison that blinds if it gets in the eyes, causes disgusting blisters to cluster on the skin if touched, and brings truly terrible itching and pain.

No matter how high a knight’s training realm, this poison would turn them into a cripple for at least half a day.

Featherback had cleverly put to use the deadly poison he had collected from the centipedes in the secret vault.

“How nice that you’re all gathered in such a spacious place.”

Featherback watched as the forces in the plaza were annihilated by just a few gusts of wind.

Eventually, when the wind direction was about to change, Featherback closed the poison powder sack.

“Let’s see. Who has the highest realm among you?”

Featherback walked among the paralyzed knights and soldiers sprawled on the ground, stabbing the throats of those still alive with his sword.

Large men who seemed like they would have been quite formidable on the battlefield lost their lives pathetically without being able to put up any resistance.

Of course, during all this, Vargo Viscount had to be dragged around like a dog by Featherback’s hand, watching them die.

…Stab! …Stab! …Stab! …Stab! …Stab! …Stab! …Stab! …Stab! …Stab! …Stab! …Stab! …Stab! …Stab! …Stab!

When about half the plaza was submerged in blood, Vargo Viscount’s mouth finally opened.

When about half the plaza was submerged in blood, Bargo and Jasak finally spoke.

“St, stop…!”

But regardless of what Vargo Viscount said, Featherback continued stamping with his sword.

The blood pooled in the wide plaza had now risen to Featherback’s ankles.

Finally, Vargo Viscount cried out as if having a seizure.

“Please! Please stop! Please, I beg you!”

“What are you begging for in the middle of a war. Don’t do that, begging.”

“Please spare us! Please… sob sob sob— I’ll give you everything.”

He clasped his hands together toward Featherback and begged desperately.

“I’ll give you everything—the family, everything. So please don’t massacre my household. Please, please…”

At those words, Featherback finally sheathed his sword.

If he was going to give everything, there was no need for unnecessary killing.

Though eighty percent of Levarb’s retainers were already dead at this point, that wasn’t his concern.

“Then let’s write a new contract.”

“Yes.”

Vargo Viscount nodded while shedding tears of blood.

Featherback called to a soldier who was crouched at the edge of the plaza, holding his head and trembling.

“Bring parchment and a pen. We don’t need ink since there’s plenty here.”

Who would dare refuse for safety’s sake?

All demands were fulfilled.

Vargo Viscount wrote a blood contract with the blood flowing from his neck.

Everything was as Featherback dictated.

【The vassal Levarb Family swears for generations to come, with the posture of dogs and horses, to serve their liege lord the Mörsolt Family with body and soul, and firmly pledges to tribute fifty percent of each year’s production in provisions or goods on the last day of the year. Should this not be upheld, the penalty shall be calculated at 33.3% compound interest annually. This document is written in the blood of the first Family Head of Levarb… and is verified by the guarantee of His Imperial Majesty and the covenant magic established by the Magic Tower Mages.】

【The vassal Levarb Family acknowledges the crime of failing to uphold the above oath. Therefore, the 34th Family Head, Vargo Levarb Viscount, shall dedicate all wealth and territory to the liege lord Mörsolt Family and dissolve the family. Should this not be upheld, I swear to accept any punishment handed down by the Mörsolt Family while raising no objections whatsoever.】

Featherback created a detailed contract attached to the document he had brought.

Featherback tucked the parchment into his coat and finally sheathed his sword.

“Done. Let’s go.”

“…Wh, where to?”

Vargo Viscount asked.

Then Featherback pulled on the wine opener stuck in Vargo Viscount’s neck.

“When a guest is leaving, you should escort them. Isn’t that a gentleman’s duty?”

Those were the same words Vargo Viscount had said to Featherback during their first meeting.

Whooooooosh…

Outside the wide-open castle gate, a snowstorm was raging.

Beyond that, troops dispatched from the Mörsolt Family would be coming.

The Mörsolt Army marching with the resolve to engage in battle against Levarb.

Featherback intended to rendezvous with those forces while holding Vargo Viscount captive.

The Mörsolt Knights who were expecting bloody siege warfare would be somewhat disappointed… but that couldn’t be helped.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————