Amelia the Level Zero Hero

Chapter 174

Noele watched as the golden light engulfed the sky. Her combined attack of Glorious Noble Slash and Elegant Noble Slash was as powerful as ever. It was what allowed her to defeat all of her strongest opponents who had been touched or blessed by the Void— even their healing factors weren’t enough to regenerate from the blast.

So she thought it would have been enough to wipe Nicholas off the face of the earth. In fact, she was pretty certain it was more than enough. So she waited for the smoke to clear. She watched as the golden light faded away, lowering her twin blades.

But her attention was drawn away from the blast as she heard an excited clucking from behind her. Noele spun around just in time to see a white blur shoot straight towards her. She blinked as Bucky crashed into her, knocking her off her feet.

“What…?” she sputtered.

And the chicken exclaimed, “Bawk bawk bawk!”

“Bucky? Wait, I’m in the middle of—”

“Bawk bawk bawk bawk bawk!” Bucky ignored Noele’s pleas.

The blonde girl struggled for a moment longer. But then she felt the way the chicken tightly hugged her. Her eyes went wide when she saw the worry on Bucky’s face.

And that was when Noele paused. Slowly, she reached back and hugged the chicken with a small smile.

“Bawk bawk…” Bucky squeaked softly.

“I’m glad you’re fine too,” Noele said as she ran her fingers over the chicken’s feathers.

The two lay there, embracing each other for a long moment. It was a strange feeling to Noele— she was used to recovering from small wounds thanks to the help of healing potions. And she had even recovered from some grievous injuries with higher quality regeneration elixirs. However, this was the first time she had ever… come back to life?

No— she had returned from the brink of death. But it was pretty much the same thing. After all, the Noble Spellsword knew she should have died there.

She looked down at herself, staring at the scar on her chest. There was once a gaping hole there, right where her heart was. And yet, it had now closed shut. Not through the help of a healing potion, but thanks to her brand new Skill.

[Healing Factor]. [Near-Death Resiliency].

Noele’s eyes flickered as she saw the blue box floating before her, listing her brand new Skills. It was what saved her from dying. And she had gotten it thanks to advancing into a [Champion Spellsword]. But… she didn’t remember even accepting the Class.

Something had happened while she was on the verge of death. She couldn’t quite remember what occurred— everything was a blur since she was stabbed through the chest. The most she remembered was seeing the option to advance, before everything became dark. Now, she felt like she missed something important.

“Noele!” a voice called out to her, breaking her out of her thoughts.

Both the blonde girl and the chicken looked up. Arthur and Garron hobbled over— the bartender was helping the Steel Tank stand. Noele blinked a few times, before getting to her feet.

“Garron… are you ok?” She gaped as she saw the state the B-ranked adventurer was in.

He was bruised, burnt, and cut all over. Noele didn’t even know how he was standing— he looked like he should be dead. But he was just smiling weakly as he looked her over.

“I should be the one asking you that question,” the Steel Tank chuckled, before breaking into a coughing fit.

The blonde girl rushed to his side. She took him from Arthur who nodded at her.

“Garron should survive. But—” The former Lich King hesitated. He bit his lower lip as he looked Noele up and down. “How are you still alive, Noele?”

Bucky clucked in agreement, looking up at the blonde girl in disbelief. Garron seemed to share the sentiment as he tried to steady himself.

“We thought we lost you, Noele. I thought…” He pursed his lips.

And Noele scratched the back of her head. She would have liked to know the answer to that as well. But she didn’t even know how to explain it to her friends.

“I… uh…” she trailed off as they waited expectantly.

But before she could continue, she heard a hard thud resound from behind her. She spun around as her brows snapped together. Arthur narrowed his eyes, and Bucky clucked in alarm. They all watched as a burnt figure landed in a small crater between a thicket of trees.

It looked like a charred corpse at first. But Noele watched as it began to twist and turn, regrowing flesh. The vaguest semblance of a face formed there, and a sharp gasp echoed from it.

Noele shook her head as she raised her blades. “Seriously?”

It was Nicholas to the Noble Knight. He was still alive. She almost couldn’t believe it. Almost.

She took a step forward as he continued to regenerate, and his pained voice grew more coherent. Bucky, Garron, and Arthur tried to join her, but she stopped them. Noele gave them a small nod.

“I can handle this.” She strode ahead as they paused. Garron opened his mouth to protest, but she met his gaze. “Please. I need to deal with this.”

“...right.” The Steel Tank came to a halt.

And Noele continued marching on towards Nicholas. She only slowed for a moment to murmur to herself. “I cannot believe he’s still alive.”

But she looked down at herself, before turning to Arthur. She saw the flicker of a purple aura come over him, and she looked back towards the regenerating Nicholas.

“I guess this is how he felt though, huh?” she said as she raised a brow.

Noele shook her head and finally reached her target.

—-

Nicholas tried to scream. But all that left his lungs was a gargled, wheezing noise. He could barely even gasp. He couldn’t breathe. He was in so much pain. This was the worst feeling he had ever endured. He wanted to die. He wanted his suffering to end. But…

His scrambling thoughts were overwhelmed by a strong emotion. A desire and anger that drowned out his desire to be put out of his misery. It was so intense, and it was focused entirely on a single target.

Noele the Noble Spellsword.

This couldn’t be how he died. He refused to perish like this. Not to some peasant girl living on a farm. He was going to kill her if that was the last thing he did.

Nicholas had lived a long and noble life. And he didn’t mean noble like what the peasantry thought— no, he did all he could do to be strong. He sought glory, and he refused to let others drag him down. He did whatever he could to accomplish his goals. That was what it meant to be noble. That was what made him great.

Not that bullshit of saving lives and giving to others. That was weakness. That was to be ignoble. After all, nothing mattered more in life than oneself. To compromise his own status for the sake of some peasant-folk was to sacrifice his dignity and greatness.

“I’ll kill you—” the Noble Knight inhaled sharply as his voice left his lips.

His lungs reformed, and he managed to find his words once again. He raised his head, watching as his hands grew back. He reached out as he looked up—

And a sword dug down into the palm of his right hand, pinning him to the ground. Nicholas screamed in pain as he tried to pull back. But he couldn’t escape. The blade held him down as he squirmed where he lay, still trying to regenerate.

His lower body hadn’t regrown yet, so he couldn’t get back to his feet. He looked up and saw Noele looking down at him with a callous gaze.

“You—” he yelled as he raised his other hand.

But Noele swung down with her second blade, slicing off his entire left shoulder. The Noble Knight’s eyes darted to his side. He stared at the dismembered limb, pupils trembling in shock. The surprise of it numbed him for a moment.

“I… what?” Nicholas got the question out, before a sharp pain echoed throughout his body.

He cried out in agony, rolling around where he lay and flailing with his head. All he had left was his right hand. But it was still pinned to the ground by Noele’s blade. Eventually, Nicholas stopped moving as he just sobbed there.

And Noele knelt next to him. He tried to look away, but she forced him to meet her gaze.

“You know, I really did respect you,” the Noble Spellsword said. “You were the reason why my sister became an adventurer.”

“Fuck your sister,” Nicholas spat back.

She ignored his remark, shaking her head. “What changed? What made you become… like this? Or were you always this kind of a person?”

It was a simple question. Nicholas looked back at her, and he opened his mouth. He wanted to curse out the blonde girl. But he paused. He saw the look on her face. The hanging sadness that she wore.

Was it disappointment? Or was it something else? Nicholas didn’t know. But he peered through that expression, staring deep into her eyes. And he saw something else.

The Noble Knight was used to reading people. That was how he grew to be so good at playing them— at using them as his tools. When he looked deep into Noele, he saw a glimmer of hope.

He had seen it plenty of times before. A desire to believe that reality wasn’t… real. Nicholas predated on that feeling. He used it against his targets. And now, he saw a chance to use it against Noele.

All he had to do was convince her he was acting against his will, and then he could exact his revenge against her. So Nicholas lowered his head as the blonde girl stared at him and waited for his answer.

“I… I…” He closed his eyes, reaching for his [Noble Charms]. When he looked back up, his eyes were round and afraid, the purple glint in them gone. “What’s going on? Where am I?”

Noele blinked as he pretended to panic. He swept his gaze over his surroundings, before looking back up at the blonde girl.

“The last thing I remember was… hearing a voice. And then I—” He caught himself. Nicholas pretended to look down at himself in horror. “What have I done?”

Noele frowned as she stared at him. Behind her, Garron called out.

“What’s going on, Noele?” He wore a confused look on his face.

Arthur’s brows furrowed together, and Bucky clucked quizzically. Noele didn’t respond. She just stared at Nicholas as he sputtered.

“You’re Noele the Noble Spellsword, right? It wasn’t me who attacked you! It was that voice in my head! It controlled me! I couldn’t fight back against it! I… I would never do something like this! You have to believe me!”

“He was being controlled just like me…” Arthur whispered from the side.

Bucky nervously glanced around as Garron stared at Noele. The Steel Tank opened his mouth, before pausing. He didn’t know what to say.

Good, Nicholas thought as he could see the others falling for his lies. He turned back to Noele as she just studied him. “I swear on my honor! I am not the monster you think I am!”

“...so you were being controlled?” Noele finally said as her gaze darkened.

“That’s right! How could I possibly do such heinous things? I am Nicholas the Noble Knight! I couldn’t have possibly earned such a Title if I were this… this… this monster!” he exclaimed.

“And now you’re back to yourself,” the blonde girl continued, speaking softly.

Nicholas nodded adamantly. “Yes! By the Thrones, I assure you it was not me who attacked you!”

Noele took in a deep breath as she rose to her feet. She reached for her sword, and Nicholas hid his grin. He watched as she yanked her blade up, unpinning him from the ground.

That’s right… now I just have to bide my time… He looked on as she took a step back. He shook his head, putting on his facade once again. “Thank you! I promise you, I shall pay you back for what I have done here! Even though it was not me, I cannot apologize enough! I—”

And the Noble Spellsword ignored him, cutting him off. “What was her name?”

That made Nicholas pause. He blinked a few times as he stared at her shadowed face. “Uh, what?”

“My sister,” Noele said as she raised her head. “Since you’re back to normal, you remember her, don’t you? Ten years ago, when we met for the very first time— in the Adventurer’s Guild of Whiteridge.”

“That’s…” His mouth hung open for a moment.

“So you don’t remember her? A D-ranked adventurer, golden hair just like me?” The Noble Spellsword tilted her head curiously. “You showed her around the Adventurer’s Guild. Does that not ring a bell?”

“It sounds kind of familiar,” Nicholas said apprehensively. Truth be told, he couldn’t even recall this. He spoke to plenty of D-rank women— mostly to seduce them. But he never actually cared to remember any of their names or faces.

Unfortunately, it seemed his response was not what the blonde girl wanted to hear. He stared at her, and he realized she didn’t believe him. He wanted to curse, but he gathered his wits.

“I have met a lot of people, Noele! You can’t possibly expect me to remember everyone I’ve spoken to before!”

But Noele shook her head. “The Noble Knight I looked up to would not have forgotten.”

Nicholas blinked a few times in a panic. He tried to protest. “You can’t be serious, Noele! You can’t condemn me for forgetting your sister!”

“But I can condemn you for all the lies you have told. I will not allow myself to believe another one of your facades.” Noele took a step back as she raised her two blades to her chest. “Goodbye, Nicholas the Noble Knight.

He watched with wide eyes as the sky darkened and dimmed. The eddying clouds above crackled with a golden light, and he clicked his tongue. Once again, his [Noble Charms] failed on her. So he did all that he could do now.

He clenched a fist as a purple aura gathered around him once again. His eyes shone with the power of the Void.

“I will kill you!” he screamed as he raised a hand, pointing at her.

But Noele just exhaled softly. “[The Guardian Angel’s Lance].”

And a tiny spell circle flashed in the sky, before expanding in size. All at once, a giant golden pillar came crashing down from the sky, falling faster than lightning. It engulfed everything in a hundred feet’s radius, consuming the Noble Knight.

He tried to unleash his own attack back at Noele. But he watched as his purple magic was washed away by the falling golden light. And when the attack struck him, he found himself being forced into the ground. At first, that was all that happened.

But then he felt a radiant heat begin to overwhelm him. His body started to burn, then twist and turn. He felt like his entire being was being compressed into itself. He tried to scream, but he couldn’t. His eardrums burst as an incredible roaring echoed around him. His skin melted away, and the rest of his charred flesh began to flake away.

Nicholas was crushed under this pillar of golden light as he was submerged in an immense pressure.

Until his mind collapsed in pain.

Until nothing was left.

Until Nicholas the Noble Knight was dead for good this time.

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