Chapter 73: It's Not Only Riders Who Transform (10)

Chapter 73: It's Not Only Riders Who Transform (10)

She had transformed.

I wasn’t sure if the gimmick of making her body sparkle with rainbows applied to only the E-rank Yumir or if it also applied to her EX-rank self. She had covered herself with a rainbow aura and immediately changed her form.

The tactical mask and visor were of a sci-fi style, but she wore a nobleman’s robe that ladies from a Korean folk village might wear on her head, and the ends of it came down to her thighs, leaving her legs below the thigh wholly exposed.

What should I call that?

An armored nobleman’s hat?

The mechanical young lady from a noble family?

Although the form was as such, the overall color of the costume was based on black, with red and yellow appropriately mixed in.

‘No matter how I look at it, it’s the epitome of imbalance, but it strangely fits.’

Could it be because of that intriguing chest armor that’s catching my eye?

Or because of the line of the stockings and legs that were exposed beneath the skirt?

It was like looking at some bizarre concept art, but for some reason, it’s enjoyable to look at since Yumir’s body pulls it off, so I find myself nodding along.

“You, that, what is that?”

I was focused on the outfit, but it seemed Ermina was focused on a different part.

“You, how do you have such magical power...!”

[Though I enrolled as an E-rank, in reality, I was a great talent. Can’t you tell?]

“You, you...!”

Ermina was extremely flustered.

The woman she had endlessly belittled was, in reality, a woman from an incredibly high place that she herself couldn’t dare to look upon.

“No, no way! That’s impossible! You, you’re a hallucination ability user! You’re deceiving me right now!”

[Misunderstanding is a common occurrence, really.]

“There’s no way! You, someone like you, someone like you...!”

It must feel like the time when she massively belittled and insulted a man in a humble black shirt and jeans at a hotel, only to find out he was actually among the top ten richest people in the world.

“I could never reach that, not even if I tried all my life. There’s no way you’re S-rank!!”

Ah.

She started to rage.

One of the easiest patterns for ability users to run amok had been activated.

A sense of inferiority.

Not just any sense of inferiority, but one where the hierarchy was reversed.

The various feelings experienced when someone who was worse than them suddenly started to do better than them.

And the lingering traces of the mana powder that she had briefly ingested added to that.

“Die!!”

As soon as these things mixed together, Ermina, clearly now in a state of mental disorder, attacked Yumir.

Aaaaaaaa!!

Should I call it the ultrasonic sound of a dolphin?

The voice from her mouth carried mana, and it soon became a sonic boom, heading towards Yumir.

[Tsk.]

I grabbed my bat.

While it appeared to be disoriented, the trajectory of the sonic boom was precisely aimed at Yumir’s neck.

It was an attack launched with the intention to kill.

She hadn’t completely lost her mind; she attacked with murderous intent.

I must step in immediately and dispose of her.

But...

[Too slow.]

Yumir, with a hand gloved in black, deflected the sonic boom with a light flick.

Whooosh!

The sonic boom, flying towards the sea, scattered as it cut through the seawater. Yumir, without a single wound on her hand, casually dusted off her hand and slowly walked towards Ermina.

[If that’s all you’ve got, then it’s my turn now.]

As Yumir flicked her hand to the side, something like a red rope emerged from thin air.

“You, you...!”

[Ermina’s death doesn’t matter to me, but the death of the great Sternfert will be annoying for me. Understand? So you-]

Just as Yumir was about to step back while patting Ermina’s head.

“Die!”

Ermina jabbed forward from below.

Mana was gleaming like a blade on her palm, and it accurately stabbed Yumir’s lower abdomen.

Kwang.

Normally, it should have made a sound of piercing flesh.

But there was no such sound, and Yumir stepped back calmly.

[This is a bulletproof hanbok. Or should I say, a sword-proof hanbok?]

“Your clothes...?”

[Your attacks don’t work on me. But it’s a pity... You tried to stab me when I was going to spare your life. If I were a weak person, I would have definitely fallen and died.]

Without changing her expression - although it couldn’t be seen because of the mask, I could feel it from her voice - Yumir tilted her head to the side.

[How should I deal with someone like you? Hmm? Is every ability user in this world only concerned about satisfying their anger and emotions?]

“Shut, shut up...! I will, you, uh...!!”

[Sigh. This is truly unbelievable.]

Yumir genuinely sighed.

Perhaps it was due to her deep disillusionment with Ermina.

I became a villain to avoid feeling things like this.

If it were me, I would justify retaliating the moment I was attacked-

[If I were the Goblin, your head would have flown off the moment you stabbed my stomach. Because it’s self-defense.]

...A story about the Goblin came out of Yumir’s mouth.

Hopefully, she hasn’t noticed my presence.

‘Should I step in?’

To kill Ermina instead of Yumir?

Or to give Ermina a proper lesson?

‘Let’s step in.’

Whether Yumir forgave her or not.

If Ermina wanted to genuinely repent, public flogging should be the obvious first step.

The one who attempted to stab someone.

The one who tried to behead someone.

If Yumir showed mercy, hitting her face 50 times with the Goblin’s Bat would be best.

‘Then-’

The moment I was about to step out, persuade Yumir, and then discipline Ermina.

Suddenly...

From the distance.

Someone was running from the sea.

Black hair.

Black mask.

And a black Hanbok.

“Woooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!”

[Oh, crazy.]

A lunatic had appeared.

“You are so magnificent, Golden Priestess...! The beauty of reviving tradition and style to fit the contemporary aesthetic...! Ah, who are you...?”

[Who are you?]

“Oh, if I were to introduce myself.”

The lunatic bowed elegantly.

“I am Duoexini.”