Sister, I Hit You Because There Was a Ghost Behind You - Chapter 31

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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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Chapter 31. Even a Rat’s Hole Shall Know Sunlight—I’ll Make It So
The Underground Sewers were a misnomer; this was a colossal subterranean labyrinth. Filthy sewage rose to my ankles, and a stench that assaulted the nostrils. Darkness absolute—not a glimmer of light to be found.
“Ugh….”
Kairik von Herzen clapped a hand over his mouth, retching.
“Damn it. I’ve never seen a place this filthy in my entire life. The stench will cling to my clothes.”
He wasn’t fastidious by nature, but as a noble Grand Duke, such squalor was utterly foreign to him. Demian Lyart, by contrast, pressed forward without complaint, his holy sword radiating brilliant light.
“Mind your footing, sir. The ground is treacherous.”
He illuminated my path without hesitation, indifferent to the filth spattering around him. A holy knight’s resolve truly was of a different caliber.
I grumbled while pressing a handkerchief to my nose.
“I’ll need to bill for specialized decontamination. I can’t even estimate the cost per square meter.”
That was when it happened.
Click, click-click!
Hundreds of crimson points flickered in the darkness. Our footsteps halted. Between the sound of flowing water came the sound of something scratching.
Kairik von Herzen furrowed his brow and spoke.
“Our welcoming committee has arrived. In force.”
What burst from the darkness was a swarm of rats. But these were no ordinary rodents. They were mutant creatures the size of cats, their eyes bloodshot and blazing crimson.
[Kieeeek!]
The rat swarm crashed over us like a wave.
“Move!”
Kairik von Herzen stamped his foot and swung his fist. A crimson aura erupted, and dozens of rats burst apart.
Boom! Crack!
“Filthy vermin! How dare you!”
Kairik von Herzen seemed loath to let the rats even touch him, launching aura strikes from a distance to repel them. Demian Lyart wielded his blade with precision, severing vital points with surgical accuracy.
“Holy light, descend!”
Whoooosh!
A white arc traced the path of his sword, and the rats were cleaved in two. I refused to be outdone. I drew my hammer and brought it crashing down.
Boom!
The shockwave sent rats flying into the air.
“Get off my land! You trespassing vermin!”
I batted the airborne rats away like baseballs. Home run after home run.
“Pest control commencing!”
We pushed through the swarm and advanced deeper into the sewers. The stench intensified with every step, and a violet miasma hung thick in the air.
And finally, we reached a vast cavern. There, atop a mountain of refuse, sat a monster the size of a house.
[Kuoooooo….]
The Queen Rat. A creature a hundred times the size of an ordinary rat. Her belly was grotesquely distended, and from it, smaller rats were being born in an endless stream. A violet crystal was embedded in her back, emanating a sickly light.
Kairik von Herzen clicked his tongue in disgust.
“Wow, truly hideous. It ruins one’s appetite.”
Demian Lyart leveled his blade and spoke.
“That crystal is the source of the miasma. We must destroy it.”
I examined the creature with my spiritual sight. Near its heart, I saw a liquid pouch glowing crimson—the “serum” Shadow had mentioned.
“Target confirmed. Don’t burst the pocket on its chest! We need to secure that!”
The moment I shouted, the Queen Rat spotted us and roared.
[Kiiieeeek!]
The creature whipped its tail like a lash. The speed was tremendous.
Crash!
As the tail struck the floor, the cement cracked and shattered, sending fragments flying.
“Scatter!”
We dispersed in opposite directions. Kairik von Herzen ran up the left wall, drawing the creature’s attention.
“Hey! You fat lump! Over here!”
The Queen Rat, enraged, spat venom at Kairik von Herzen. Sizzle! The wall where the venom landed melted away.
“My, quite the spitter, aren’t you?”
Kairik von Herzen dodged the venom with acrobatic grace and drove his fist into the creature’s flank.
Thud!
But the creature’s blubber was too thick; the blow didn’t penetrate deeply. Instead, it absorbed the impact and twisted its body, slamming Kairik von Herzen against the wall.
“Ugh!”
Seizing that moment, Demian Lyart charged in from the front.
“Judgment’s Blade!”
Demian Lyart leaped high, aiming for the creature’s head. But the Queen Rat was cunning. She used her offspring as a shield, blocking the sword strike.
Clang!
“Coward!”
Demian Lyart retreated. The creature continuously summoned more offspring to defend its main body. It was clear this would become a prolonged battle.
‘A weakness… where is the weakness?’
I hid behind a pillar and observed the creature. Every time it spat venom, a violet crystal on its back glimmered. The crystal was supplying it with magical power.
“We need to destroy that crystal first!”
I pulled out a mana bomb—a modified firecracker leftover from the last party—from my pocket. Then I shouted to Kairik von Herzen.
“Your Highness! Make it open its mouth!”
“What? That filthy mouth?”
“Quickly! Just once!”
Kairik von Herzen grumbled but obeyed. He dodged the creature’s tail attack and burrowed beneath its jaw.
“Fine, whatever!”
Kairik von Herzen seized the creature’s lower jaw with brute strength and lifted it open.
[Grraaaagh?!]
The Queen Rat’s mouth was forced wide open. I didn’t miss the moment.
“Bon appétit! Dessert’s served!”
I hurled the mana bomb directly down the creature’s throat. The bomb traveled down its esophagus and lodged in its belly, settling precisely beneath the crystal.
“Get down!”
We threw ourselves to the ground simultaneously.
Boom—!
With a dull explosion, the Queen Rat’s body swelled from within. The violet crystal embedded in its back shattered into countless pieces.
[Kiiieee…]
The Queen Rat, severed from her mana supply, lost her strength and staggered. With her barrier gone, this was our moment.
“Lord Demian! Now! Carve out her heart!”
“Understood!”
Demian rushed forward at the speed of light. His blade pierced straight through the creature’s chest.
Squelch!
With practiced precision, he extracted the crimson liquid pouch without damaging it.
Thud.
The colossal Queen Rat crashed to the ground. The entire Underground Sewers trembled as if struck by an earthquake. The smaller rats scattered in panic at the death of their mother.
“Haah… it’s over.”
I brushed the dust from my clothes and stood. Demian carefully handed me the crimson pouch. It contained a lustrous serum concentrate that shimmered with ethereal light.
“This is… the antidote material.”
“Yes. With this, we can cure the infected.”
I secured the pouch carefully and smiled. I could save my tenants—no, my citizens. And I could protect my land value as well.
“Ugh, the stench.”
Kairik von Herzen grimaced as he brushed filth from his uniform.
“Violetta, you owe me compensation for this. This is my most prized uniform.”
“Fine. I’ll cover the cleaning costs.”
“Not just cleaning costs.”
Kairik von Herzen approached and wrapped his arms around my waist. Heat radiated from his body, still warm from the intensity of battle.
“Give me something else.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“A bath. Want to join me?”
“…Are you insane?”
I kicked him in the shin.
“Ow! I was joking, joking. Your reaction is way too intense.”
Kairik von Herzen chuckled. Demian turned away as if witnessing something unseemly and sighed.
“Let us depart quickly. If we remain here much longer, I fear my sense of smell will be permanently damaged.”
We escaped the Underground Sewers. By the time we emerged, the sun was already setting. Fresh air had never smelled so sweet.
I sent the antidote formula and serum that Shadow had provided to the Imperial Alchemists, requesting mass production. The next morning, as the antidote was distributed, the zombie outbreak in the Back Alley subsided as if it had been nothing but a dream.
People regained their senses, and the Back Alley came alive once more. Of course, my land value skyrocketed.
“Crisis truly is opportunity, after all.”
I sipped my black tea on the Terrace of the Eberhardt Mansion, smiling contentedly. Would peace finally arrive?
But my peace did not last long. The Butler came rushing over and thrust a letter into my hands.
“Countess! An urgent message has arrived from the Northern Region!”
“The Northern Region?”
I set down my teacup and tore open the letter. The sender was Kairik’s Adjutant.
「Your Grace. The barrier in the Northern Region has collapsed. Magical beasts are advancing southward in massive numbers. Please return at once.」
As Kairik von Herzen read the letter, his expression froze instantly. The playfulness vanished from his eyes, replaced only by the cold severity of a ruler of the north.
“…I must return.”
Kairik von Herzen looked at me and spoke.
“Violetta, come with me. To the Northern Region.”
“What?”
“To my domain. There… I’ll propose to you properly.”
The turn of events was abrupt. A demonic invasion, and now a proposal. This man seemed determined to wage both romance and war simultaneously.
I pondered for a moment, then answered with a wry smile.
“Very well. I was growing bored here anyway.”
I rose from my seat.
“Let’s go. The demons of the Northern Region deserve a taste of my cudgel as well.”
Once again, a blood-soaked battlefield awaited us.
Our destination was the Herzen Grand Duchy—a cold, harsh land I now knew intimately from bitter experience.
I would have preferred to book a private cabin on the magical train or simply fly through the Imperial Court’s teleportation gate for comfort, but the aftermath of the dark magic Rasputin had unleashed moments ago had completely tangled the mana circuits throughout the Imperial Palace and Capital, bringing all spatial displacement magic and mana-stone-powered rail transport to a complete standstill.
In the end, we would have to mount the swiftest horse available and ride relentlessly day and night—a grueling forced march—but I didn’t mind.
With 153.5 billion gold deposited into my account, a few days of saddle soreness was merely sweet compensation.

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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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