The Strongest in the World Doesn’t Want To Do Anything

9 – Ghost Rider

[He aspired for the throne and committed such a grave crime… From this moment on, we will strip him of all his positions and punish him for the crime of treason… Wolfgang is…]

Gilbert, who was beside Wolfgang, was trembling.

Wolfgang, realizing this fact, patted his shoulder and whispered softly.

“It’s okay. If I had to get rid of you, I would have done it long ago.”

“Yes, yes…”

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“Good. I’ll talk to my guard friends and be back. Stay here.”

“Yes, yes…”

Wolfgang, smiling slightly after patting Gilbert’s shoulder again, walked towards the guards who had stopped in their tracks.

“What’s going on now?”

“Wolfgang… a traitor?”

“Did I hear wrong?”

“Well… he murdered the hero…”

The sudden appearance of the queen’s apparition shocked the two guards greatly.

Wolfgang is right behind them.

Just a moment ago, they were having a conversation face to face.

Frozen in place, the two now began to discuss how to act in this situation.

“W-what do we do?”

“We should arrest him!”

“C-can we do that?”

As they bowed their heads and hesitated, a giant shadow loomed behind them.

Soon, Wolfgang’s thick arms enveloped their shoulders.

“Hey, friends. Why are you standing there instead of returning?”

Their bodies, dominated by intense fear, trembled uncontrollably.

Without uttering a word, the two silently prayed for his mercy.

“…Do you all have families?”

Although his tone was gentle, to the guards, it sounded anything but.

“There are family members who need to be fed, you know.”

Completely overwhelmed by the threatening voice of Wolfgang, the two guards nodded their heads.

“Let’s just pretend we didn’t see anything today. If we didn’t see anything, nothing happened. How about that?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the two accepted the proposal that felt like a threat.

The robust arms that had wrapped around their necks slowly loosened.

One of the guards mustered the courage to turn around.

“Um… Are you really letting us live?”

“Do you see me?”

Another guard pulled him away.

“What are you doing! Let’s go back quickly!!!”

So, the guards left the stable in a hurry without looking back.

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

Wolfgang turned around with a satisfied expression and patted Gilbert on the back.

As per Wolfgang’s ‘request,’ Gilbert stood still in that spot.

“Master. You mentioned that the horse I sat on was originally intended for me, right?”

“…Yes… Yes? Oh, yes. That’s correct.”

Following his absent-minded gaze, Wolfgang was still slaughtering the members of the Order in the lingering mist.

Wolfgang sighed.

“Phew… Master, that’s not me.”

“That’s… not you, Wolfgang.”

“Oh! Right. Master, how did you know?”

Wolfgang, who was preparing to explain himself, unintentionally raised his voice at Gilbert’s unexpected reaction.

“After doing business for a long time, there comes a point where you can’t help but remember the characteristics of the guests you’ve encountered, even if you don’t want to remember.”

Gilbert continued speaking, his gaze still fixed on the welcoming scene.

“Even the dull and rough gestures… I remember. There was a time when the Queen’s Guard came to provoke us, and I think I saw them then.”

“By any chance, does he have a large scar on his face and is not smaller in stature than me?”

“I don’t recall the facial scar well… but in terms of stature, he was similar to you, Wolfgang.”

“Captain of the Guard.”

“Oh! That’s right. He’s the Captain of the Guard!”

Wolfgang’s fist tightened.

A figure trapped in an illusion, slaughtering his subordinates in his own image while being held captive by the queen.

Vaguely thinking that he might be the captain of the guard, but not certain.

But now, hearing it through someone else’s mouth, it seemed to confirm my thoughts as well.

“No? Are you saying that Wolfgang was falsely accused?”

“…Seems like it.”

“Then who is the hero?”

“…It’s up to the master’s judgement, but it was his plan. It was unavoidable during the process of escaping from execution by Adelus.”

“That…I see…”

Gilbert dropped his head in confusion and fell into thought.

Wolfgang passed by him and moved his steps towards the stable where he crash-landed.

He found the face of the horse that had separated from his body and kneeled before it.

The empty eye sockets, black and empty from the great shock, were gruesome.

After a moment, Gilbert arrived and looked at the fragmented corpse of the horse with a mournful expression.

“This is him, right?”

“Yes… He tried to sell himself to the hero or Wolfgang.”

Wolfgang rummaged through his pockets and soon pulled out a glass bottle containing the eye.

“Dominic… You’re using the gift you gave me like this.”

“What are you going to do with it…”

In response to Gilbert’s question, Wolfgang wordlessly took out the eyeball from the bottle and dropped it into the empty eye socket.

As the eyeball rolled around inside, it seemed like the optic nerves started spreading in various directions.

Wolfgang quietly closed his eyes and chanted an incomprehensible spell.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew towards the stable.

The broken roof creaked, and the tied-up horses whinnied in alarm.

While Gilbert was busy trying to calm the horses down in the sudden weather change, Wolfgang continued reciting the spell without any movement.

After a while, the scattered fragments of ghosts that were scattered by the fierce wind began to gather together.

The pieces of the corpses, blown together by the wind, gradually took their original positions and formed into the shape of a horse.

The ghost’s head floated in the air and attached itself to the strange body.

And then, as the wind subsided, the torn pieces of leather, although loosely attached, stood tall, resembling the appearance of the ghost when it was alive.

Wolfgang opened his eyes slowly, stood up, and gently touched the horse’s face with his hand.

“As this happened, a blue flame spread along the mane of the horse.

Soon, the flames began to ignite from its hooves and tail.

Wrapped in a figure engulfed in blue flames, Ghost revived in such a manner.

With every deep inhale and exhale, a white mist dispersed into the air.

Wolfgang naturally caressed Ghost’s face.

“Yeah… yeah. Good boy.”

“Seriously?”

Witnessing a sight so unbelievable, Gilbert sat there, dazed.

“Necromancy?”

Seeing him like that, Wolfgang fetched a gold bracelet and necklace from his pocket.

“Master. No, Gilbert. It’s up to your judgment, but I am innocent.”

Wolfgang placed the retrieved jewelry in Gilbert’s hand.

“The dismissed guards might have reported. Soon, soldiers will rush here.”

“Is all this for nothing?”

Wolfgang pulled out another jeweled earring from his pocket, slipping it into Gilbert’s trousers with a smirk.

“What you have is compensation for damages and horse fees. What just went into your pocket is a bribe.”

“What?”

“These are quite valuable. If you try to sell them right now, you might be accused of trafficking.”

“But… that’s…”

“Oh, right! How about throwing in a saddle as a bonus?”

“Oh… yes… I’ll get one… but why such expensive bribes from me?”

“It’s a bribe to trust you… and the saddle, quickly.”

“To trust… oh, yes, I understand. I’ll get it right away.”

Gilbert was bewildered, unable to distinguish if what was happening was a dream or reality.

He went into the warehouse inside the stable and retrieved the most luxurious saddle, holding it in both hands and handing it to Wolfgang.

Wolfgang placed the saddle that Gilbert handed over on Ghost’s back, where flames were leaking between the seams of the stuck-together leather.

As Wolfgang skillfully mounted Ghost, blue flames extended like reins into his hands when he brushed the horse’s mane with his hand.

“Indeed, as you said, a good horse.”

Mounted on the patched-up horse engulfed in blue flames, Wolfgang’s appearance was both peculiar and exuded an indescribable sense of intimidation. Gilbert could only stare in awe.

Approaching Gilbert, Ghost pressed its face against his.

As the flames flickered, Gilbert hesitated for a moment as the horse’s face approached. However, he soon gathered courage and gently reached out his hand.

“Not too hot?”

“No. It can’t be. This blue flame only harms hostile opponents.”

As Gilbert’s hand touched him, Ghost boldly pressed his face closer.

“It seems Ghost is bidding farewell to his master.”

At Wolfgang’s words, Gilbert nodded and, as before, embraced Ghost’s face.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

“I told you! I’ll sell you to a master worthy of you!! Live well and be happy…”

Ghost, as if responding to him, withdrew his face slowly from Gilbert’s embrace.

“I guess it’s time to go. Gilbert. I’ll see you again when our fates cross next time.”

Wiping away flowing tears, Gilbert replied, “Yes, Sir Wolfgang. Take care until we meet again… Please take care of Ghost for us.”

“Yes, Mr. Gilbert.”

After bidding farewell to Gilbert, Wolfgang urged Ghost forward, and he started running with strength.

Still witnessing the lingering illusion magic in the air, Wolfgang signaled to Ghost.

At that moment, Ghost stopped momentarily, then spewed blue flames towards the illusion magic.

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As the flames dissipated, blue flames clung to the illusion mist, burning brightly.

However, the illusion magic continued to reflect the image of the queen, as if fire was burning on her face.

Watching this, Wolfgang spurred the horse again and swiftly left the stable, leaving behind flames on the ground. Gilbert silently gazed at their retreating figures.