My Disciples Became Scoundrels - Chapter 111

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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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I swept my gaze across the two figures before me. The mage was providing support from the Terrace, while the vanguard wielding a Mace stood blocking the Boss.
The colossal spirit form of a woman materialized before me. She had to be at least three meters tall, yet the Throne Hall didn’t feel cramped in the slightest.
Like any Throne Hall, the ceiling loomed impossibly high. But where a throne should have stood, a coffin lay instead.
Not one coffin—many. Open caskets were scattered throughout the Throne Hall.
Each bore curved legs on its base, rocking slowly like a cradle.
The Boss appeared at first glance to be wearing a white dress. In truth, her entire body was wrapped in white cloth like bandages.
Her face and both arms were bound in cloth. The ends were tied to each pillar. She looked like a prisoner bound in chains.
Below the wrapped torso, transparent arms writhed. The Boss, her mouth gagged with cloth, thrashed violently.
―Crack!
A suffocating surge of magical power rushed forward. The landscape twisted in an instant. My vision warped; distance and perspective tangled into chaos.
At that moment, a Magic Sphere flashed through the air. Whether it was ten paces or five, I couldn’t tell.
Without the Magical Eye, I would have taken the full hit.
―Sizzle……!
I pulled mana up through my eyes. Heat seared through them. My optic nerves felt like they were burning.
The warped distances snapped back into place. The flow of mana became clear again.
―Slash!
I cut through the Magic Sphere and dodged to the side. The vanguard stood in that spot. The Mace flashed as it chased me down.
―Clash!
I deflected the Mace; heavy impact reverberated up my arms. Meanwhile, the mage on the Terrace unleashed Magic Bullets at the Boss.
I wasn’t facing just one or two opponents. Within seconds, two more would join.
The mage on the Second Floor cried out in anguish.
“Merlin and Greta have arrived!”
Greta and Merlin burst into the Throne Hall. Despite their injuries, they both radiated fierce Bloodlust.
I immediately fell back. Greta’s cool voice cut through the chaos.
“Five minutes must have passed—surely there’s nothing more we need from you?”
“No. Do as you see fit.”
The number of Guild Masters had multiplied to four. They no longer spared a glance in my direction, having decided that toppling the Boss took priority.
―Crash!
Magic, blades, and blood defiled the Throne Hall. Scars were carved into stone, yet the Guild Masters pressed on without retreat.
They drove the Boss from all sides. The assault was fierce, yet cautious.
“Master Merlin, don’t burn the cloth!”
“I know what I’m doing!”
They attacked only the exposed portions the cloth didn’t cover. Merlin too had restrained his use of flame.
「If you cut all the cloth, the Soul Core will be exposed. But a powerful magic activates first, so no one uses that method.」
I’d already heard what would happen. As I dashed toward a pillar, I swung my blade.
―Slash!
The severed cloth floated upward. What had gleamed like silk turned translucent.
The cloths scattered and billowed. Like wilted petals scattering in the wind.
Cries of alarm erupted.
“What in the hells is that mad squirrel doing……!”
“Do you know what you’re doing, or are you just reckless?”
I swung my blade rapidly. The cloth was cut to shreds. I glanced back at them.
“Would I come here without knowing?”
Only two lengths of cloth remained. Merlin cried out in panic.
“Stop Balanus! If this continues, the Seal will break……!”
At his cry, not a soul moved to intercept me. Not even Merlin himself.
If they tried to stop me, they’d lose their opening. Held in check by one another, they were surprisingly hamstrung.
―Slash!
I crossed the Throne Hall and severed the cloth. Pale petals scattered. Behind them, I saw the final length.
Unable to bear it, Merlin pivoted toward me. The instant he turned to face me down.
―Slash!
The last cloth fell away, and the Boss’s form lurched. Her arms came free.
She hesitated for a moment, then reached toward her own face. She slowly pulled away the cloth that had covered her mouth.
Where it had been was a black void. The hole opened like a mouth and emitted a strange sound.
―La, la la…….
The timbre burrowed into my skull. The melody ravaged my brain. Instead of pain, a peculiar languor welled up.
「The Boss of the Cradle is Lullaby. When all the cloth is severed, a Sleep spell activates.」
A Lullaby filled the Throne Hall. The voice humming the Sleep spell was tender yet cold as ice.
The Guild Masters’ knees began to buckle. One collapsed. Another bit their tongue, trying to resist. Soon a second fell asleep.
Only Merlin, whose magical resistance was strong, wavered but held his ground. He looked at me with eyes that refused to believe what he was witnessing.
“You’re not even a mage—why is sleep magic…!”
I had not fallen asleep. It was not merely a matter of tonight. Every night since my resurrection had been sleepless.
The Night Watchman is not permitted the mercy of Lullaby.
I can never sleep.
―Ahhhhh…!
The Boss continued his song even as an enormous hand reached out toward me. In the moments it took me to slash at it, those who slept were seized.
Their screams were sluggish, dreamlike. The Boss shoved them into the open coffins.
―Bang!
The lid slammed shut. The coffin began to sway slowly, like a cradle. If they didn’t escape, that cradle would become a tomb.
There were still coffins left unfilled. Between the swaying caskets, transparent hands drifted about.
―Nngh!
Greta’s leg was caught. The Boss began dragging her toward the coffin. She clenched her teeth.
―Rip!
Her thigh was slashed, and the spirit hand was severed as well. The stench of blood spread thick and heavy.
She gritted her teeth and retreated. She had not been pulled into the coffin, but fighting was beyond her now.
Only Merlin remained. His arrogance spoke to genuine skill in magic.
Merlin looked between me and the Boss in turn. He began casting with both hands raised.
“It is time for inferior blood to be extinguished, Dein Balanus.”
―Whoooosh!
Flames erupted from all sides. The roof was already breached—he meant to incinerate everything.
Fire spread in a circle around my feet. My legs were bound by the fiery barrier. He intended to block me while claiming the Boss for himself.
I tried to leap upward, but the flames were fierce. I felt my skin beginning to blister in the heat.
Still, not fatal. Merely a restraint. He would not wish for the moment of murder to be preserved in a Memory Stone.
“Merlin. You truly know nothing about the blade.”
Two paces between me and the fire. I drew my sword into Sword Drawing stance.
“Had you understood swordplay just a little better, you would have drawn the flames a full span closer.”
Two paces. More than enough distance to swing.
―Slash!
I pivoted sharply and swept my blade through the air. The flames wavered and broke before the Sword Wind.
The moment I burst free, the spirit hand shot out. I evaded it and bolted toward the wall, trampling coffins as I leaped upward.
―Thud!
The coffins with legs became steps. At the end of my momentum, I kicked off a pillar and rocketed higher.
From the highest point, I looked down. Below, the Boss continued singing while rocking the cradle.
The mouth singing the Lullaby remained open. Through the gap, I could see the Soul Core.
The song would end now.
―Crunch!
I drove my blade straight through the center of its mouth. The tip struck something hard. It did not break easily.
In the moment the panicked arms tried to seize me, I poured every ounce of my Blood Energy into the sword.
―Shatter!
The Soul Core shattered into fragments of five colors. My eyes smarted, but I did not look away.
―Ah, ah, ah…!
Even the final death cry was song. The hands gripping the cradle went limp and fell away.
I descended to the floor as the Boss crumbled to dust. Lying among the remnants of cloth like shed skin was something small.
A Music Box. This would satisfy the Young Lady well enough. I picked it up and turned to look behind me.
Merlin’s face was flustered. Greta was drenched in blood, breathing hard.
I approached the sealed coffins and pushed up a lid. Inside lay the Guild Master, deeply asleep.
As I dragged out the two of them and roused them awake, the remaining Guild Masters began arriving one by one. Everyone was accounted for now.
Throughout, Merlin kept his eyes fixed on me. I sensed a certain kind of frustration in his gaze.
“Dein Balanus. Do you have immunity to magic? No matter what, that spell….”
“That’s not what you should be curious about right now.”
I held up the Music Box. With this, the victor was decided. For me, it was over. For them, it was not.
“I have won, and one of you must be reduced in rank from Silver. I will decide who.”
I needed to choose one among them for demotion. I had made a promise with Greta, so I only needed to pick one from the remaining five.
The potential sacrifices all looked toward me at once. I noted their well-maintained attire and weapons. I smiled faintly.
“Let’s settle this with money. The first person to pay fifty million Batz will be spared demotion.”
―!
Several of them glared at me as if they could devour me whole. And yet, what good would it do? They were outmatched to begin with.
“What if none of us pay?”
“Then we’ll draw lots.”
If you want to trick me, the best approach is for all of you to refuse. But there was no chance these people shared that kind of solidarity or trust.
The archer raised his hand.
“…I’ll take it.”
I’d chosen a reasonable price from the start. Fifty million Batz was a fair sum—decent commissions could net a few million anyway.
“Yes. Then who’s next? The next price is sixty million Batz.”
As the price climbed, the Guild Masters stirred uneasily. I added one more thing.
“And the one after that will be seventy million Batz.”
The remaining hands shot up in haste. After faltering and hesitating at missing the moment, only one person was left standing.
It was Merlin. His face was twisted into a grotesque shape.
He glared at me, his noble blood dripping steadily. I leaned close to Merlin’s ear and whispered.
“If your blood were inferior, I might have been more lenient.”

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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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