I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 95

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[095] Bomb Terror
The South Square, which I had crossed the sky to reach with haste, could not escape the aftermath of the terror.
The plaza was flooded with citizens pouring out, and at its center, the impoverished formed a human barrier encircling the fountain.
As I landed nearby, startled people stirred and stared at me.
“D-did you just fall from the sky…? W-wait! Isn’t that the nobleman who shared food and stories with us before?!”
“S-Saint! Over here!! We’ve been protecting your companions with our bodies!”
The beggars who recognized me hurriedly cleared a path and led me toward the center of the plaza.
As I stepped inside the thick human barrier, I spotted Radi, drenched from head to toe.
“Radi! Are you hurt anywhere?!”
I immediately grabbed his shoulders and examined him, but aside from his tearful expression, he appeared unharmed.
‘Did he deliberately fall into the fountain to activate Leviathan’s blessing…!’
Radi opened his mouth urgently.
“I’m fine! B-but Malton…!”
Following the direction he pointed, I saw Malton collapsed there.
Malton’s entire body was stained with blood, and broken arrows were scattered around him.
“H-he barely avoided the vital points… There was someone skilled in medicine here, so we’ve administered first aid, and I’ve neutralized the poison, but….”
Radi trailed off, then crouched beside Malton and muttered in a trembling voice.
“H-he shielded me….”
“Calm down. Let’s move him to the temple first. …Malton, we’re going to move you now. Can you hold on?”
When our eyes met, Malton forced a strained smile and opened his mouth with difficulty.
“…I’ve shown myself in a pathetic state. If not for the aftereffects of my curse, I would have easily deflected mere arrows like these.”
“Don’t speak. Conserve your strength and just lie still. …Could someone lend us a cart?”
The fact that he still had the energy to jest meant his life wasn’t hanging by a thread just yet.
“Saint! We’ve brought a cart!”
“Thank you. …Malton, bear with the pain a little longer.”
Now that my companions’ safety was confirmed, I had to refrain from flying. I laid cloth in the cart, placed Malton upon it, and set off.
As I turned onto the main street, carefully avoiding every bump to prevent the hastily staunched wounds from reopening, the sight of the Royal Capital engulfed in chaos came into view.
Black smoke rose from various parts of the city, and carriages were gridlocked and immobilized amid the crowded masses and rubble of collapsed buildings.
Moving swiftly through alleys where few people ventured, Radi followed behind with a slight limp.
“…Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes… It seems I was scraped a bit as well.”
“Did you see who did this?”
“They were far away and wore a black cloak, so I could only see their silhouette.”
“…Seems like they’re part of the same group that attacked Karen and me.”
“Wait, you were attacked too, Doran?! Where is Karen right now? That bloodstain on your clothes—surely not…!”
“We’ve passed the danger. But be prepared—enemies could attack again at any moment, so don’t let your guard down.”
Radi and I, maintaining our vigilance, made our way against the crowd toward the Agatha Temple.
The temple was so congested from its entrance, lined with makeshift beds and crowded with patients, that there was barely room to stand.
“W-we’re at full capacity and can’t accept any more patients… W-wait, is that the pendant of Agatha herself…!”
“Please treat this elf as well. And Radi, you go get treated too.”
“What? But you’re in worse condition than I am, Doran….”
“I’ll get treatment later. You go first.”
Radi hesitated before nodding and sitting on the edge of the sickbed.
Only after watching the priests lay Malton down beside Karen and begin treatment did the reality of our survival truly sink in.
‘Karen is safe. Malton is safe. Both of them.’
Radi had been grazed by an arrow, but it posed no threat to his life.
I leaned against the temple wall, steadying my breathing and composing myself.
The thought that I might have lost my comrades had we arrived even moments later—like the countless corpses I’d witnessed along the way—drained the tension from my body and flooded me with relief.
But soon, another emotion began to creep upward.
‘…Who the hell are they?’
What bastards would do something like this to my comrades?
There was only one suspect I could think of.
Count Valter’s House and the faction plotting treason with them.
I’d anticipated they wouldn’t keep all their siege weapons and bombs in one location, but I never expected retaliation like this the very next day.
Had their conspiracy been exposed, prompting them to launch a massive surprise attack in desperation?
Whether destroying the Kairon Company last night accelerated their plans or if today was always meant to be the execution date, I couldn’t say.
Either way, it was certain that assassins targeted our party simultaneously with the terror attack.
‘Was my identity exposed when I infiltrated the Kairon Company, or had they been tailing me before that?’
I belatedly recalled the man in the black cloak I’d encountered in front of Belmont’s Mansion last night.
“Damn it… I should have captured him by any means necessary back then.”
I clenched my fists and slid down the wall with a groan.
The way they’d abandoned their attack without hesitation suggested this might be a kind of warning.
They wouldn’t stop at a single terror attack—they would definitely strike again.
Suppressing my emotions and thinking rationally, the wisest course would be to leave this place as soon as treatment was finished.
Just as I’d always made it my principle to avoid danger, it would be wiser not to entangle myself further with a group capable of committing such acts.
But this time was different.
‘They made me and my comrades their targets.’
The shock of nearly losing Karen and Malton helplessly before my eyes remained vivid in my mind.
For the first time since my regression, I felt anger of this intensity.
A thick, cold, and stubborn current of emotion surged through my being.
It felt like returning to the past.
‘Back then, there were plenty of people who attacked me like this.’
Whenever I was unjustly targeted, I repaid them many times over, and I didn’t hesitate to make enemies of various factions.
I’d often invaded territories and destroyed entire guilds and noble families, and eventually, no one dared even imagine crossing me.
Until this morning, I’d planned to withdraw from everything.
“They touched something they shouldn’t have.”
This is no longer someone else’s problem.
I gritted my teeth and quietly left the temple.
｢[Antagon’s Rune] has detected the fury blooming deep within your soul!｣
｢All stats increase dramatically!｣
｢Following your exploits in the Coastal City of Liberta, your ■■ stat is being tested once more!｣
｢If you eliminate the mastermind behind this terrorist attack, you will receive a special reward!｣
* * *
Belmont was discussing countermeasures in an Emergency Command Center established near the Inner Castle.
The heads of the Royal Court had gathered, including the Senior Officer overseeing the investigation and the Commander.
Just as the meeting concluded and a brief lull settled over the room, a Guard approached Belmont with a report.
“Lord Belmont, someone has come seeking you.”
“Tell them I’m busy. Have them return later.”
“I attempted to turn them away, but they insist they must meet you now, regardless of circumstances. They say if I mention ‘the Jester,’ you’ll know who they are.”
“The Jester…? Ah, show them in. It must be something important.”
The Guard stepped outside, and shortly after, Doran entered the chamber.
In that instant, the atmosphere in the conference room shifted subtly.
A young man draped entirely in jet-black robes.
At first glance, he appeared no different from any other adventurer, yet his eyes told a different story.
They were cold as a freshly honed blade, and something churning from deep within seemed barely restrained.
The Commander unconsciously straightened his spine, and one Senior Officer quietly moved his hand toward his sword.
Though Doran spoke not a word, those present instinctively understood.
This man was not to be trifled with.
Even Belmont felt a chill at such presence and opened his mouth.
“I’ve heard the news. You were attacked by an assailant, I understand. As the head of the Ignas Family, I express my gratitude for saving Karen’s life.”
“….”
“I’ve had a carriage prepared near the Villa. I’ll arrange compensation for your cooperation with the Royal Capital investigation shortly. Perhaps you should rest in a safe city for a while….”
The moment their eyes met, Belmont sensed this would not end so simply.
‘…He’s planning to stir up trouble again.’
Belmont exhaled sharply and changed his approach.
“What assistance do you require from me?”
“Authority.”
“What sort of authority?”
“Grant me every authority you can bestow at this moment.”
Belmont fell silent for a moment, studying Doran intently.
This man would not wear such an expression merely to discuss trivial matters.
‘…Conveniently, today’s terrorist attack has provided justification to investigate the nobility within the Royal Capital.’
His decision came swiftly.
“…Very well. By my authority as Commander of the 6th Mage Division, I grant you temporary immunity for independent investigative activities within the Royal Capital.”
Belmont walked to the desk and took up a quill pen.
“So long as you commit no grave crimes, the Royal Guard will not dare lay hands upon you. Furthermore, the Ignas Family shall guarantee all expenses and liabilities incurred during your operations.”
“….”
“However, that also means your name will be entered into the operational roster. …Is there anything else you require? Maps, perhaps? Weapons?”
“Gold. I require gold.”
“Gold? If you need funds, have you not already used my signed Portal Passes as promissory notes?”
Doran’s expression spoke volumes.
That wouldn’t do.
“Well, each of my villas has a treasure vault. Feel free to take what you need from them.”
“….”
“…Go ahead and rampage as much as you like.”
Doran bowed quietly in acknowledgment, his jet-black robes billowing as he turned to leave.
A Senior Officer watched his retreating figure and asked in a low voice.
“Who is that man? He seems to be someone Count Belmont holds in very high regard.”
“A trusted subordinate? No, he’s more like a cursed blade—difficult to handle. One wrong move and he might just turn that blade toward my own throat.”
Yet the corners of Belmont’s mouth lifted ever so slightly.
“Still, he’s someone I can trust right now. …You remember how Kairon Company was destroyed, don’t you? The damage from this terrorist attack was kept to this level precisely because he obliterated the supplies stored underground.”
“I heard one of your subordinates was responsible—surely you don’t mean that man is the culprit?”
“That’s right. It was his doing.”
After securing gold from Belmont’s Villa vault, Doran made his way straight to the alleys of the Royal Capital.
Before pursuing his revenge, there was something he needed to do first.
The slums, shrouded in the gathering dusk.
A boy leaped down from an old stone wall as if he’d been waiting, his face breaking into a smile.
“Didn’t I tell you? You’d come looking for me again soon enough.”
｢The Beggar God Diogenes welcomes you warmly!｣
Doran faced Diogenes, whose eyes gleamed brilliantly in the darkness.

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