The Broken System Chose the Antagonist
Chapter 31: A Scuffle between Scoundrels

Chapter 31: A Scuffle between Scoundrels

"KREEEEH!" x2

The two monstrous fiends were locked in a fierce brawl as they tumbled to the ground. They used their claws to rip through each other’s flesh and used their muscular legs to crush their rival’s limbs.

The injuries that plagued their bodies had become so severe that not only Callum, but even Nadia had to wince away.

Fortunately, though, the wounds they saw didn’t remain on the Scoundrels’ bodies for long — given their immense healing factor — but that only made the fight even more brutal as an endless amount of blood and gore spilt out of them.

At this time, Seraphine was still hidden inside Callum’s arms, so she had yet to realise the brutal fighting ensuing before them.

But when she did...

"U-urk...!"

She winced away as well, even feeling the urge to hurl at the gruesome sight.

Obviously, though, there was one exception in the group.

"They’re going at it pretty hard!" Hilda roared loudly with excitement.

Unlike the other three, who couldn’t bear to watch this spectacle, Hilda was highly engrossed in the thrilling battle taking place before them.

Right now, if she weren’t in the middle of carrying Nadia, she would’ve been raving her arms around like a zealous fan for a boy band.

"Come on, rip each other apart!" She cheered, "Get even more up in each other!"

Nadia, who was forced to listen to Hilda’s raving, knitted her brows with concern as she forced herself to look back at the fight. She hadn’t ever heard of anything like this from her uncle...

Was this a natural occurrence out in the field? And if so, why doesn’t this happen more often?

"I’m betting five quid on the masked Scoundrel!" Hilda cheered, looking towards the Predicament that had an unusual bone mask wrapped around its face.

She then stiffened when she watched the Predicament she chose get thrown to the ground.

"Get up damnit! There’s no way I’m this unlucky!" The German growled in displeasure.

Nadia narrowed her eyes as she fixated her gaze on the masked Scoundrel.

’Why does it look so different?’ She furrowed her brows before widening her eyes slightly. ’Could this Predicament be a different rank?’

From her uncle and other people at the LCEO, she had heard that Predicaments can come in different forms. The higher up the rank, the more they diverge from looking like a simple Scoundrel.

’Could it be a Soldier Predicament?’ Nadia leaned forward, slightly tense. ’I was told they looked slightly bulkier and taller than an ordinary Scoundrel... but this one doesn’t have any of those features.’

She then glanced down at Hilda, who was still enthralled in the bloody battle.

Nadia tapped the woman’s shoulder.

"Hilda, is this normal? I haven’t heard of two Predicaments fighting each other before..."

Hilda looked back and quirked an eyebrow.

"No? Looks like we keep a lot from the public than I thought," She reflected out loud, "It’s not entirely unheard of, but it is rare. Predicaments usually fight amongst themselves to devour the other and grow stronger."

"But why doesn’t all Predicaments do that?"

"Because of population."

"...Huh?"

Nadia quirked an eyebrow. What did she mean by ’population’? Were these monsters even affected by something so trivial?

’Wait, how do they even reproduce?’

As the Heroine tried to decipher the meaning behind Hilda’s words, the cause of her confusion chuckled.

"You’ll learn all about this at the academy. Right now, that information isn’t going to be of much help."

"I see..." Nadia nodded, "Okay, then, how about that Predicament with the mask? Is it a Soldier—"

"Nope, it’s not a Soldier," Hilda briskly interrupted, then shrugged without much care on her face. "Honestly, I have no idea what it is. Maybe there’s a fashion trend that we don’t know about."

Ignoring Hilda’s last sentence, Nadia turned fairly concerned about the masked Scoundrel.

’If even Hilda didn’t know what it was, is it going to be a problem for us?’

In the condition she was in, she had deduced that she should be capable of walking. Slowly, obviously, but capable. However, she doubted she could do anything more strenuous than that. So if something actually happened, she could only rely on Hilda to protect her.

Nadia let out a perturbed sigh with a tense and concerned look on her face.

’I feel so vulnerable...’

Hilda, who noticed the change in Nadia’s mood, revealed a comforting smile.

"Don’t worry. If something does happen, I’ll ensure your safety." Hilda then snickered with a mischievous grin, "But of course, for a price~"

"Ugh..."

Nadia’s face twitched irritably.

"My lap is off limits—"

"Pfft, not what I want." Hilda laughed, "Just a favour. Let’s say... if I save your life, you owe me a big favour—"

"No way." Nadia abruptly refused, shaking her head, "I have no idea what kind of favour you would have me do."

"Ehhh~..." Hilda moaned, then sighed, "Small favour, then. How about that?"

Nadia deliberated on this change, and after a while, finally accepted.

"Fine..."

Not like she had any other choice for protection. Well, one as secure and dependable as Hilda.

"Wonderful! It’s a deal—"

Just after Hilda finished her sentence—

THUD!

—A thunderous vibration shook the ground and immediately grabbed the two’s attention.

They hastily looked up over to see what had happened and found the masked Scoundrel Hilda had betted on to be pinning down the other Predicament.

It was winning.

"Hell yeah!" Hilda cheered triumphantly with a large grin on her face, "Now bite off its head! Don’t let it get up—!"

Hilda immediately paused towards the end of her sentence and turned to look towards their left. She sensed footsteps rapidly approaching their direction.

And whatever it was, it was coming from behind the pile of rubble of the ruined building.

"GET IT WHILE IT’S DOWN!"

"LET’S KILL IT!"

"GOUGE OUT ITS EYES!"

Charging over the pile of rubble was a zealous group of thirteen men, each equipped with combat knives and sharpened metal rods.

They rushed over to where the pinned Predicament was and hastily began to mutilate its head until it died, completely ignoring the masked Predicament that kept it pinned down.

It was a pitiful sight for the pinned Predicament, especially near the end, where it let out a dying squeal.

After the Predicament died, they roared in triumph as they pocketed its eyes.

"Good work, everybody!" A man who was suspected of being their captain shouted, "This is our fourth one this morning! The boss will be very happy when we come back."

"It’s because of the Predicament he tamed for us! Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to kill so many on our own!" A man shouted in the back, eccentrically, patting the motionless masked Predicament.

"Hahaha, you’re so right!"

As they all laughed in unison, a certain German woman chimed in from the side.

"Hoh~? Tamed? Meine Freunde, may we be allowed to join your group?"

The captain turned towards the direction of the voice.

"Most certaintly—urk, the LRM!?" He flinched back when he set his eyes on Hilda and her group.

Hilda blinked at them peculiarly and tilted her head.

Then she smiled.

"Hallo~"