Musou Knight: Crow of Cinders-Chapter 77: Second Musou Core Awakening
Chapter 77 - Second Musou Core Awakening
The crown prince Minz scanned the training field. Unlike last time, his followers were properly dressed for drills, each carrying a sword and kite shield.
His nose twitched when he spotted Aki’s charred corpse.
"Who the hell left garbage here? Get rid of it!" he yelled.
One freshman pointed at me. "The 10th seat and the 9th seat fought. He killed the woman."
"He killed that woman?!" Minz exclaimed, turning to me. "Hey, level-2 trash! Did you do this?!"
I frowned and sighed. Trouble never stopped finding me. What had I done in my past life to deserve this karma?
"Yeah, so what?" I muttered, leaning against the training dummy.
"You own what you kill! That’s yours. Clean your mess! How am I supposed to train with garbage lying around? And how dare you kill a woman?! Don’t you know women are precious sows... SOWS! Ugly or not, they’re still valuable in the slave markets. An ugly level-2 female knight is worth at least a thousand gold. Their offspring are guaranteed a knight, you know?! A pretty one is worth a city! Curse it all, what a waste!"
I had questions, but I understood his sentiment. To a prince, subjects were nothing more than resources or chess pieces.
"We’ll handle it," Aki’s former followers volunteered.
"Then... please," I gave them permission.
They nodded and gathered around the corpse. As soon as they touched it, the body crumbled into ash.
In the pile, a blue orb gleamed under the sunlight. One knight reached for it, but her hand phased through.
"Hmm?"
Everyone noticed. Another tried, but failed as well.
I rushed forward. Minz cackled and sprinted ahead, landing between me and the remains to block me. He reached for the orb, only for his hand to phase through too.
Clicking his tongue, he glanced at me, then smirked.
"Whatever. Just lingering energy from this garbage. I doubt you can touch it."
Sometimes I wondered if anyone here even knew the words humility or humbleness. Their arrogance pierced the heavens.
I rolled my eyes, walked around him, and sat beside the ash. I reached out...
And grabbed the orb.
Minz’s finger shot toward my forehead. A golden dagger manifested, aimed at my skull.
"Hand it over," he ordered.
Three swords from his bodyguards pressed against my neck. Their stances resembled assassins, much like Lia’s style.
Should I kill this fool too? Dragon seal time?
I rebuked. "You said it. I keep what I kill. Whatever she possessed is mine."
"What’s mine is mine. What’s yours is also mine! I’m the prince, you’re a peasant. Your life belongs to me. Now give it!"
Lia drew her sword, but Lenitia held her back, whispering, "No need to interfere. He’s arrived."
I overheard and glanced at the entrance.
Solus Ferrum had arrived. The left sleeve of his jacket fluttered as he walked, eyes locked on me, Minz, the assassin-like guards, and the corpse.
"No more squabbles. It’s class time."
As he spoke, the swords held by Minz and his bodyguards vibrated and flew upwards. They fell next to Solus.
Minz clicked his tongue, but his hand still reached for the orb in mine. Reacting to the petty thief, I lifted my hand away from him.
The orb sank into my palm. Suddenly, the world froze as if I had triggered bullet time.
I couldn’t move, yet I felt time flowing. My eyes darted left and right, scanning the strange phenomenon.
What now?
A vision seeped into my mind. Like a dream, I saw a vague silhouette of a little girl surrounded by faceless adults. A voice echoed:
"Today, we’ll learn basic water manipulation techniques. Aki, pay attention to the bowl on the table."
The scene unfolded as fragments of Aki’s childhood. I watched her study musou theory, practice spells, and learn the literature of this world. It was her knowledge, her experience.
Then came her nineteenth birthday. It was the date of her the awakening ritual. She submerged herself in a bathtub while her parents pushed her head down.
Was I even allowed to see such a scene? This was a murder scene straight from a slasher movie!
While being drowned, Aki’s fear, her anxiety, her desperation, all of it transferred into me.
My core stirred. My stomach twisted. My lungs contracted, and my heart squeezed tight. However, my musou core reacted to the experience and split into two.
The vision ended. I snapped back to reality, gasping for air.
At that instant, Solus and every level-5 knight nearby flinched, their eyes locking onto me.
I collapsed to my knees, coughing violently before vomiting a stream of thick, black fluid. It was sticky, foul, and reeking.
Gasoline? That was what it smelled like.
Something inside me sparked, and the fluid in my lungs ignited. Flames leaked from my nostrils and mouth with each breath.
Moments later, the fire subsided. I exhaled a long sigh, releasing a plume of white smoke. Again, the stench of gasoline clung to my breath. Disgusting.
"Crow!" Lia rushed to my side, but recoiled instantly after catching the smell.
Solus strode over, checking my pulse. He tore open my shirt and pressed his hand against my stomach.
No homo, but be gentle, please.
After a moment, Solus burst into laughter.
"A second core awakening. Well done, brat!" He ruffled my hair with a grin. "Also, your breath stinks! Go wash up. You’re exempted from class today!"
"Really?" I asked.
"Obviously. Nobody can focus with your stench choking the air. Go take another bath. I’ll have the maid division give you extra soap... and stabilizers."
Stabilizers? That was a new word.
Whatever. I wasn’t about to reject a day off. I bowed and left the field, Lia and Lenitia trailing behind with smiles.
"You two." Solus grabbed them both by the collars. "Your master may leave, but you don’t get that luxury. Stay and train."
"B-But, the protection-" Lia tried to protest.
"How will you protect your lord when your foundation is weaker than his? Keep your armor on and start running."
Solus turned to the rest. "You mongrels too! Five laps around the field before we begin!"
The seniors chuckled dryly, while Minz and the first-years grumbled under their breath.
