Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 122

122

Lord Harim glared at the figures his slave soldiers had brought: the dark elf, Sialot, and Crown Prince Karma.

He tried to access their personal information, but their profiles were blank.

“Tch!”

Lord Harim clicked his tongue and turned to the attending slave.

“Who was the guard who let these people through the checkpoint? How did they bypass the identity verification?”

“W-well… they seemed to be connected to the Imperial Family, so they were waved through…”

“I explicitly ordered everyone to be verified with proper procedures, regardless of their connections!”

“……”

Lord Harim’s head throbbed. The frenzied mushroom farm had been reduced to ashes.

Because of that, he was on the verge of losing not only the production but also the trust of the merchants he traded with.

While this incident alone wouldn’t make merchants abandon him, it would inevitably sow distrust in his management system.

‘If I’m not careful, my influence over the merchants could be severely damaged.’

If that happened, the economy of Harel Territory would suffer, and he’d face difficulties in maintaining a large-scale army.

His ambition for independence would be jeopardized.

The individuals responsible for this entire mess were standing right in front of him, and he was convinced they were the culprits.

Lord Harim was conflicted about how to handle them.

‘There’s insufficient evidence.’

The recovered arrowhead was sold to nobles on the black market, making it impossible to pinpoint the exact perpetrator.

“Um… would that be alright?”

The attending slave, seemingly aware of the situation, cautiously whispered to Lord Harim.

“If you target a merchant connected to the Imperial Family without a clear reason, other merchants might also lose faith in you. More importantly… did you see the previous match? That dark elf is incredibly skilled.”

Cornering them based solely on circumstantial evidence could erode the merchants’ trust.

That’s why he had hoped they would sustain natural injuries during the tournament.

But things had gone awry.

“It’ll be fine. Evidence can be fabricated over time. Besides, the dark elf is skilled, but she endured several of Turam Elder’s strikes. Her stamina must be significantly depleted.”

This meant now was the opportune moment to subdue her, if he intended to do so.

‘But…’

He needed to capture the dark elf alive.

Not just because of her beauty, but because she possessed the strength to withstand a fight against Turam.

If he kept this dark elf as a slave by his side, even the Imperial Family would hesitate to act against him.

“…Recently, my frenzied mushroom farm was burned down.”

Sialot glanced at the arena before turning her gaze to Lord Harim.

“And I’ve identified the culprit.”

Lord Harim pointed his index finger at Sialot.

“I know that you burned down our frenzied mushroom farm. The arrow you used during the tournament was found at the scene.”

If she was the culprit, then the merchant couldn’t escape responsibility either.

Sialot’s eyes widened at his accusation.

She had simply used the arrow she was given. She turned to Karma beside her.

Seeing the dark elf’s reaction, Lord Harim felt vindicated.

‘As expected.’

Everything was falling into place too perfectly.

If the dark elf was the culprit, he could enslave her as punishment, deal with the mushroom merchant who had deceived him, and even acquire the magician who had crippled Bahalt as a bonus.

For such a reward, he would gladly burn down the frenzied mushroom farm multiple times.

Seeing Lord Harim’s satisfied expression, Karma smiled subtly behind his mask.

***

“Match-! Begins!”

Crack-!

“……”

The chimera exploded.

Turam leaped forward, appearing directly in front of Loki, and brought his spear down.

Thud-!

A powerful sonic boom reverberated.

The spear blade was about to strike Loki’s forehead when it was deflected by a powerful impact.

Clang-!

Turam’s arm swung wildly, nearly causing him to drop the spear.

Screech-!

A cracking sound emanated from the spear shaft.

Throb-!

The muscles in his hand trembled as if screaming in protest.

Turam wore a surprised expression.

‘I saw it!’

During this man’s first match, he had been focused on the dark elf and hadn’t noticed his sword.

But now, he clearly saw the man’s bare hand strike out.

It was barely fast enough for his eyes to follow, but he could discern what he had done a moment ago.

He had struck the side of the spear blade.

A speed that was difficult to react to, coupled with a monstrous strength that deflected his own power.

“You.”

The corners of Turam’s lips curled upward.

“You’re not human.”

Turam strengthened his grip and swung the deflected spear back at Loki.

But Loki was looking elsewhere.

‘What’s going on?’

Loki was observing the audience.

Guards were surrounding Karma and Sialot, escorting them somewhere.

‘Could it be that match participants aren’t allowed in the audience?’

That couldn’t be the case. Something else must have transpired.

Loki saw Sialot and Karma being led towards the VIP seats, reserved for nobles and wealthy merchants.

“……?”

‘Why are they going there?’

It was a fleeting thought, and he didn’t dwell on it.

Loki had learned about the culture of the Cron Empire from Karma.

According to their customs, they were likely being invited to establish connections with a participant who had demonstrated exceptional performance.

Even if that wasn’t the reason, it didn’t matter.

Sialot had fully recovered with the aid of the recovery potion.

It wouldn’t be easy to capture her unless it was Turam himself.

‘If things become too dangerous, I can forfeit the match and intervene.’

Loki shifted his attention back to the arena.

Clang-!

Loki rotated his body and kicked the side of the spear blade with his foot.

Clang-!

Turam retrieved his sword again and swung it.

Clang-!

Dozens, hundreds of strikes flew and were deflected.

Loki deflected Turam’s attacks and advanced.

He closed the distance to Turam.

Turam spoke.

“I don’t care what you are.”

The moment Turam realized he had made eye contact with Loki, a chill ran down his spine.

Even fear washed over him.

He was unleashing a confident strike, yet the opponent was ‘making eye contact’ with him?

How was that possible?

Did that mean he was blocking his strikes ‘without looking’ at them?

Even Kashar, the emperor of the Cron Empire, couldn’t accomplish that.

“Let me know how strong my power is.”

Turam’s expression gradually changed.

The childlike laughter vanished.

His face became expressionless.

It was evident that he was beginning to immerse himself in the battle.

The way he held and swung the spear in one hand from a fixed position transformed.

The trajectory of the spear shifted, his gestures became more intense, and his attacks grew more diverse.

Bang-!

The loud clang of striking metal had evolved into an explosion.

‘I don’t know how many decades it’s been since I’ve used swordsmanship.’

Simply holding the spear and swinging it up and down, left and right, had been sufficient to crush and eliminate all enemies.

The battle with Sialot, the daughter of the Demon King, hadn’t been much different either.

If there was any difference, it was only that he had moved from his spot.

Turam had been content with just that much.

Merely moving his feet meant that the dark elf girl possessed enough power to make a name for herself on the continent.

‘But this person in front of me is equal to me, or perhaps…’

Stronger.

Turam focused on swinging the spear.

Surrounding objects faded from his vision.

He even felt as if he were in a dark void.

In that void, there was only himself and the opponent he was fighting.

‘I’ve worked tirelessly to become stronger.’

Turam’s attacks intensified.

The spear blade sliced and destroyed everything in its path.

‘I’ve dedicated 90 years of my life to martial arts.’

To prove his strength, he had participated in countless battlefields, fighting and struggling against anyone who dared to challenge him.

But the more he fought, the more emptiness filled his heart.

Even skilled warriors who had gained some renown perished with a single blow. It was difficult to find anyone on the continent who could truly test his strength.

But now, things were different.

This ‘monster’ had appeared!

Turam’s muscles bulged.

The blood coursing through his veins accelerated, and his mana amplified.

‘Interesting.’

He could tell after just a few exchanges.

‘Interesting!’

The person before him was not human, but some other ‘being’!

‘This is what it feels like to be alive!’

His breathing grew ragged, and his heart pounded. His chest swelled.

What did it matter whether the being before him was human or not!

He was fighting, and he was feeling alive through that fight!

Turam felt a surge of exhilaration.

Loki drew his sword from his waist.

He deflected the spear with his bare hands and lunged towards Turam’s massive frame.

He swung his sword, and as the formless blade flew, Turam twisted his body backward to evade the strike.

Loki’s assault commenced.

The two became fully engaged in battle.

***

“…What is that.”

Crown Prince Karma’s eyes widened, as if he were agitated.

He gripped the forehead of his mask and stared intently at the arena.

‘What’s going on?’

Frankly, he couldn’t comprehend what was unfolding before him.

The blows exchanged between the two were too swift for his eyes to follow.

To think that someone on this continent could fight on equal footing with Turam, one of the Twelve Heroes!

‘…Could it be?’

Karma’s mind went blank, and a wave of anxiety washed over him.

The only individuals capable of facing the Twelve Heroes were either other members of the Twelve Heroes or the one who had killed his father, Emperor Kashar, in Lonia.

The one known as the Constellation of Asgard.

‘Loki.’

The ruler of the North was battling one of the Twelve Heroes.

Karma smiled wryly behind his mask.

Immediately after his father’s assassination, he had planted spies in Lonia.

It was only natural that the name ‘Loki,’ a being revered as a god in Asgard, had reached his ears.

He had even heard that Loki had overwhelmingly defeated Kashar as if he were playing with a toy and had sent his corpse to the king of Lonia as a warning.

Such a ruthless individual was now before him.

‘Ha, haha! My imagination is running wild! That’s impossible.’

Could it be that the ruler of a nation, the one hailed as a Constellation by Lonia, had ventured into enemy territory alone?

– ‘I’m thinking of finding the capital.’

…To be precise, Loki had stated that the capital of the Cron Empire was his destination.

‘…….’

Karma kept telling himself that it was just a delusion, but he couldn’t shake off a sense of foreboding.

If the opponent was indeed the one who had killed his father and the ruler of Asgard, then why would such a being come to the capital of the Cron Empire?

‘Invasion? Could it be that he’s planning to attack the imperial palace single-handedly?’

That was unlikely. Even his insane father wouldn’t attempt such a reckless act.

Then, for diplomacy?

No, that was even more improbable!

‘…Now is not the time to be pondering such things. Everything has gone to hell!’

Karma screamed inwardly.

Something was terribly wrong.

He had merely intended to create a ‘reason’ to strike at Lord Harim by ‘using’ those with skills.

But what if the target was not just a traveler from another country, but the ruler of a nation… a powerful nation that had conquered another in just a few months?

What if he had used the ruler’s trusted companion as bait?

What would happen if that person discovered the truth?

“……”

This could trigger a war.