Empress of Self-Ruin

Chapter 23: The Savior That Has Come To Ruin You

"Mon—monster!" Someone yelled, and terror broke through the crowd.

The shaking grew stronger as if the earth itself had come to life. People ran blindly. Children screamed. Some even trampled through the smaller stands. I rushed along with them, pulling my hood up to hide the smirk on my face.

I lost sight of them briefly in the panic around me, but Leon was taller enough than most that I quickly found them again. He was leading Phoebe down into a wider street, where the stalls opened up to surround the city courtyard. I picked up my pace and shoved through the crowd. I had to reach them in time.

"Aaaaah!"

The ground exploded before me. A scaly monster pushed up through the hole. The creature was covered from head to tail in thin, centipede-like legs—it was bloody disgusting. Everyone scrambled out of the way as it slithered out, its length roughly twice the height of an average adult man, but the creature ignored them all and instead made its way directly toward the courtyard.

"Ahhh!"

"It's a monster! Help!"

City guards leaped out with their swords drawn, trying to prod the creature back into its hole, but it flicked its tail and sent the men hurtling back over the stalls.

One unhooked a balled-up net from his belt and threw it at the creature. The net expanded as it flew through the air before wrapping itself around the monster.

But its magic was weak, and it barely covered its body.

"What is that?"

"You tell me! This is my first time seeing a monster."

Unlike Berenice Knights, who spend most of their time fighting the North monsters, these city guards rarely, if ever, encountered them at all. Some might know a few types of monsters and their weaknesses, but the species I requested from Xavier was a rare one. The chances of anyone recognizing it were minimal.

Xavier had boasted to me, as if catching the creature had not been a big deal. People say it's hard to catch a coluber, but it only took me a few hours, he had said. It took longer for me to travel and get rid of the monsters that got in my way than to actually capture the coluber itself. I just lured it with bait and knocked it unconscious as soon as it surfaced.

Whatever my half-brother's shortcomings, he truly was a reliable ally.

I shifted my gaze to the monster once again. Even at a glance, it was obviously above the intermediate level, though considering its size, it would not be a high-level one. Still, it wouldn't be easy to defeat. Colubers were mid-level monsters known for their strong scales, thus making them very hard to pierce.

While a normal sword would kill any other mid-level monster, there was only one place where a coluber could be injured. Attacking it at random places did no damage—it would only provoke it.

And it was also provoked by the smell of blood mixed with wine. Colubers loved it like a drug.

Yes. The wine that woman had spilled all over Phoebe had been mixed with blood. And it was drawing the monster toward her.

"It's getting away!"

With one last shake, the monster got rid of the net and bared his fangs threateningly. Down in the courtyard, Leon grabbed Phoebe's hand and ran.

I guess it was time to move. Honestly, if this wasn't all my own doing, getting caught up in this kind of thing was puke-worthy. Oh well. We have to save the precious heroine, right?

I picked up a glass from one of the stalls and smashed it on the ground.

Honestly, if it wasn't my own doing, getting caught up in this kind of thing was puke-worthy.