Chapter 387

Haruto looked toward Razen, who had completely lost the composure he’d displayed earlier.

The mage was still clutching his staff, his expression tense and his eyes filled with unmistakable wariness.

Haruto’s gaze then moved past him to King Edmaris, and a slightly troubled expression appeared on his face.

To be perfectly frank, he despised both of these men.

They had summoned innocent people from other worlds purely to satisfy their own ambitions, resorting to whatever methods were necessary to strengthen their kingdom and consolidate their power.

Later, they would even orchestrate a conspiracy against the Jura Tempest Federation, setting in motion the events that ultimately led to Rimuru’s awakening as a True Demon Lord.

As far as Haruto was concerned, people like that deserved whatever happened to them.

If he killed Edmaris and Razen right here, he wouldn’t feel the slightest bit guilty. If anything, he’d be doing the world a favor.

There was just one problem.

If he killed them now, the events surrounding Rimuru’s evolution into a Demon Lord might change in completely unpredictable ways.

Haruto knew that this world had a certain Hero named Chloe Aubert, someone who had repeatedly traveled through different timelines.

If he eliminated Edmaris and Razen before they could carry out their plans, the Kingdom of Falmuth’s future would change dramatically.

And that could, in turn, alter the circumstances that led to Rimuru becoming a Demon Lord.

Who knew whether Chloe might suddenly appear and start causing trouble for him because he’d interfered with the timeline?

As one of the most powerful Heroes in existence, Chloe possessed terrifying strength.

Haruto had absolutely no desire to pick a fight with someone on that level.

’Forget it. Killing them would probably cause more trouble than it’s worth.’

Leaving Edmaris and Razen alive would allow events to follow something closer to their original course.

For Haruto, that was the simplest solution.

Once he reached that conclusion, he lost whatever interest remained in continuing the confrontation.

"All right, I’ve had enough fun."

The next instant, his figure vanished.

Soru!

Haruto crossed several dozen meters with such astonishing speed that his movement was practically indistinguishable from teleportation.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared beside King Edmaris.

The soldiers guarding the king didn’t even have time to react.

They saw a blur pass before their eyes, and by the time their vision caught up, Haruto had already drawn the sword from one of their waists.

Shing!

A flash of cold steel swept through the air.

The next instant, the sword’s razor-sharp edge was resting against Edmaris’s neck.

The blade had already sliced through the surface of his skin, leaving a thin line of blood that slowly trickled down the steel.

The surrounding soldiers hurriedly raised their weapons toward Haruto.

However, not one of them dared to advance.

With the king’s life hanging on the slightest movement of that sword, none wanted to risk provoking the intruder.

Razen was equally horrified.

His expression changed dramatically when he saw the blade pressed against Edmaris’s throat, and even the hand gripping his staff began trembling.

He desperately wanted to intervene, but the king was standing directly beside Haruto.

A single flick of Haruto’s wrist would be enough to sever Edmaris’s head.

Worse still, the young man’s speed was simply too great.

Razen had absolutely no confidence that he could rescue the king before the sword struck.

Meanwhile, Edmaris felt as though all the blood in his body had frozen.

The cold metal pressing against his neck, along with the faint stinging pain of his wounded skin, made the danger terrifyingly real.

He stiffly turned his eyes toward Haruto, who was standing only inches away.

His lips trembled uncontrollably.

Seeing the king’s terrified expression, Haruto offered him a friendly reminder.

"Careful. Don’t move around too much."

"If my hand slips, your head might end up rolling across the floor."

He smiled faintly.

"Unless you’d like to test whether your neck is harder than this sword, of course."

Edmaris desperately tried to maintain his dignity.

Although his voice shook, he still managed to bark out a command.

"W-What do you think you’re doing?! I am the king of the Kingdom of Falmuth!"

"I was the one who ordered you to be summoned into this world! You are obligated to obey my commands!"

"Now stand down immediately! Remove that sword!"

Despite his threatening words, Edmaris kept desperately signaling to Razen out of the corner of his eye.

He was clearly hoping the mage would find some way to save him.

Unfortunately, Haruto’s response was to press the blade more firmly against his throat.

The sharp edge cut slightly deeper into the king’s skin, and another thin stream of blood ran down the steel.

"Looks like you still don’t understand your situation."

Haruto’s tone remained perfectly calm.

"Should I press a little harder? Maybe that’ll help clear your head."

The sharp pain and icy sensation against his neck instantly shattered whatever courage Edmaris had managed to muster.

All the color drained from his face.

His entire body began shaking, and his teeth chattered so badly that he could barely speak.

"D-Don’t kill me! Please, don’t kill me!"

"I’ll give you anything you want! Money! Power! Women! Whatever you ask for!"

"You can have all the wealth in my kingdom! Just spare my life! Please!"

By now, Edmaris finally understood something.

Haruto didn’t care that he was a king.

In the young man’s eyes, the ruler of Falmuth was no different from a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

"Shut up."

Haruto’s impatient command immediately silenced him.

He had no interest in listening to the king ramble about wealth and power.

Edmaris flinched and clamped both hands over his mouth, terrified that another sound might provoke the sword at his throat.

He could only stare at Haruto with wide, frightened eyes.

"Now tell your men to get out of the way. You’re coming outside with me."

Under the circumstances, Edmaris didn’t dare refuse.

He immediately turned toward the soldiers and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"DIDN’T YOU HEAR HIM?! GET OUT OF THE WAY! NOW!"

The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances before hurriedly moving aside to clear a path.

Razen stood rooted to the spot, watching helplessly as Haruto took the king away.

Eventually, he could only lower his staff.

His expression was so dark that it looked as though he might explode with anger, but there was nothing he could do.

With Edmaris as his hostage, Haruto made his way out of the summoning hall and into the spacious square in front of the royal palace.

Once outside, he prepared to use flight magic and leave the royal capital.

However, just as he was about to depart, he turned his head toward Edmaris.

The king was still pale and trembling, but Haruto could clearly sense the malice radiating from him.

There was no doubt that, given the opportunity, Edmaris would try to take revenge.

Haruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"You know, letting you go without doing anything else feels a little unsatisfying."

He considered the matter for a moment before muttering to himself.

"I can’t kill you, but taking an arm or a leg shouldn’t cause too much trouble, right?"

Although he’d spoken quietly, his words reached Edmaris perfectly clearly.

The king shuddered violently.

He opened his mouth, desperately preparing to beg for mercy once again.

Unfortunately, Haruto had already made his decision.

With a casual movement of his wrist, he swung the sword.

A flash of steel passed through the air.

Before Edmaris could even comprehend what had happened, Haruto tossed the sword aside.

Then, without giving the king another glance, he activated his flight magic and rose into the sky.

His figure rapidly climbed above the royal capital, shrinking into the distance before disappearing among the clouds.

...

Razen, who had hurried out of the palace with the others, looked up just in time to catch sight of Haruto flying away.

He hesitated briefly, clearly uncertain whether he should attempt to pursue him.

Then he remembered the king and quickly rushed across the square.

"Your Majesty! Are you all right?! Did that demon hurt you?"

"RAZEN! GO AFTER HIM!"

Edmaris’s eyes were bloodshot, and his face twisted with uncontrollable rage.

"KILL HIM! I WANT THAT BASTARD TORN TO PIECES!"

Now that Haruto was gone, the king’s earlier cowardice had completely vanished.

His terror had been replaced by furious indignation at the humiliation he’d suffered.

He was the king of Falmuth!

How dare some filthy Otherworlder threaten him, hold a sword to his throat, and force him to beg for his life?

Edmaris was already imagining all the terrible things he would do to Haruto once the young man was captured.

Unfortunately, his fury didn’t last long.

Just as he was shouting his orders, his body suddenly lurched forward.

His legs gave way without warning, sending him stumbling toward the ground.

"YOUR MAJESTY!"

Razen reacted immediately.

He lunged forward and grabbed Edmaris’s right arm, intending to pull him upright before he fell.

However, something completely unexpected happened.

Although Razen had successfully caught the king’s arm, Edmaris continued falling.

And the arm...

It came away in Razen’s hand.

The king’s entire right arm had been severed at the shoulder.

Razen stood frozen, holding the detached limb.

For several seconds, his mind went completely blank.

He stared at the arm in his hand, then at Edmaris lying on the ground.

’W-What the hell?!’

He couldn’t begin to understand what had happened.

Just moments earlier, the king had been standing and shouting perfectly normally.

How could his entire arm suddenly come off?

"AAAAAAARGH! MY ARM! MY ARM!"

Edmaris finally realized what had happened and released a bloodcurdling scream.

He struggled desperately to get back to his feet.

But when he tried to push himself upright, he discovered that his left leg wouldn’t support his weight.

No matter how hard he tried, it refused to cooperate.

Edmaris looked down.

And what he saw nearly made him faint.

His left leg had also been severed, this time just below the knee.

Until that moment, he’d been so consumed by terror and rage that he hadn’t even registered the pain.

Now, however, the realization struck him all at once.

"H-HEAL ME! RAZEN! HURRY UP AND HEAL ME!"

Edmaris lay on the ground, his entire body convulsing with pain.

Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the mucus running from his nose. He looked utterly miserable, with none of the dignity or authority expected of a king.

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty! I’ll heal you immediately! Please, just hold on!"

Razen finally snapped out of his shock.

He hurriedly positioned the severed arm and leg against their respective wounds before beginning to cast healing magic.

A brilliant green light emerged from his staff and enveloped Edmaris’s body.

Razen was an exceptionally powerful mage.

His healing magic was capable of saving people from otherwise fatal injuries, so reattaching a severed limb should have been well within his abilities.

He was confident that he could restore the king’s body.

However...

When the magical light finally faded, Razen stared in disbelief.

The bleeding had stopped.

The wounds themselves had been stabilized.

But the severed arm and leg remained completely detached.

They hadn’t reconnected to the king’s body at all.

’Impossible!’

Razen refused to accept the result.

He immediately cast another healing spell.

When that failed, he tried again.

And then a third time.

Despite repeatedly pouring magical energy into the wounds, the result remained exactly the same.

Growing desperate, Razen retrieved a healing potion and carefully poured it over the severed areas.

Still nothing.

No matter what he tried, he couldn’t restore the missing limbs.

Only then did Razen begin to understand.

Haruto had somehow used an unknown method to completely prevent healing magic from reattaching the severed parts.

The injuries weren’t ordinary amputations.

Something about them had rendered even Razen’s powerful restorative magic ineffective.

And that meant King Edmaris had truly lost an arm and a leg.

Unless someone could find a way to overcome whatever Haruto had done, those limbs would never be restored.

---------