Chapter 296
Chapter 296
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 296
Chapter Title: Chapter 6-4. Blue Spear Knight
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I turned my back and headed toward Lime and Arhil. According to the , the two were safely standing in their original spot, with the Wraith Knight guarding nearby. It seemed the Blue Spear Knight and the other soldiers had retreated, wary of getting caught up in the chaos after the basilisk tore up the ground.
The chances were slim enough to make one tilt their head in doubt, but perhaps the Wraith Knight's menacing appearance had deterred them from approaching carelessly.
Lime had finished preparing the teleportation magic and was waiting, a magic circle glowing blue on the ground. Arhil, who had dismounted from the Wraith Knight's back, waved her hand and shouted for us to hurry. Even without her urging, we were already moving quickly.
Kwaaang!
At that moment, an explosion erupted behind us. I turned to see a massive spear flying through the air, shattering the stone slabs the dead basilisk had created.
Iris, who had been running ahead, frowned at the sight, stopped in place, and swung her scythe with an annoyed expression.
A black line traced the path of her swing across the distant incoming spear. Moments later, mana burst forth, snapping the spear in two. Losing its momentum, it skidded across the ground, kicking up an enormous cloud of dust.
It looked like Organ and Kallikteser, who had defeated Lusen Ardahan, were approaching.
Judah and Iris picked up speed. When they were almost there, they used Shadow Movement to return to Arhil and Lime's side.
Arhil beamed at seeing them return unharmed. She must not have witnessed his upper body being severed, as there was no worry on her face.
Lime confirmed Judah and Iris were there, then immediately activated the magic.
"Just in case, don't resist."
His voice trembled slightly from tension as he spoke.
The magic circle, infused with his mana, had multiple small circles within a large one, each rotating in different directions while emitting light. Bluish light surged up from the outermost circle's perimeter, forming a wall.
Just before the teleportation activated, Judah gazed at the distant spot where thick dust lingered like fog. The dust parted as if by an artificial wind, revealing Kallikteser and Organ emerging from within.
Seeing them, Judah summoned the fragment he had obtained from killing the basilisk—Gaia—into his hand and held it aloft.
Fragment, Gaia.
Organ might not recognize it, but Kallikteser certainly would. It was a shame his helmet hid his expression. What kind of face was he making?
He would be grieving the loss of his comrade while burning with rage. He might also be wondering how things had come to this. Imagining his complex emotions made Judah's lips curl upward involuntarily.
Would Kallikteser feel the same anguish Arhil had when she lost her? Like Judah had, he would be furious. Unfortunately, unlike Judah, he had no way to start over.
It was regrettable that he couldn't make Organ feel those emotions too before leaving. Would he have to settle for wounding her pride? Next time they met, he would corner her so thoroughly she couldn't even flee, then bring her down.
From afar, Kallikteser hurled his spear at Judah with what anyone could see was his full might.
The conical spear, symbolic of the Blue Spear Knight, sliced fiercely through the air. But the magic circle activated faster. Even if Kallikteser had used the fragment Moonlight's power to block the teleportation instead of throwing the spear, the outcome would have been the same.
Paaang!
A thick beam of light shot high into the sky, then quickly tapered off, vanishing in an instant along with the magic circle and Judah's group from that spot.
Those left behind stared vacantly upward like dogs that had chased a chicken away, watching the blue mass streak off like a meteor with its long tail.
+ + +
As the teleportation magic activated, I felt my vision shift. The world visible to my eyes melted into colors like dripping paint.
It was a bizarre experience. Staring at it made my stomach churn and my head spin, so I closed my eyes once and opened them again. The phenomenon was gone.
"Ah."
Fresh wind blew in. The sulfur stench that had wrinkled my nose was absent. We had arrived somewhere completely different from the scene we'd just left.
Not blackened earth scorched by flames, but fertile brown soil teeming with life.
Not dead land piled with snow-like black ash, but a place vibrant with green grass and trees.
Instead of Blue Spear Knights standing threateningly with spears, shields, and armor, there were leafy trees. Rocky mountains were visible in the distance. The magic circle etched into the ground like a brand gradually faded until it disappeared completely.
"Uuuu...!"
At some point, Arhil, who had been clutching Judah's clothes from the side, groaned and shook her head side to side. She wasn't the only one dizzy.
Even Lime, who had cast the spell, groaned and exhaled heavily. Only Iris and Judah were fine.
Judah scanned the surroundings with the , confirmed no threats nearby, exhaled, and relaxed. He reverse-summoned the fragment in his hand or stored it in the <Bag>, and dismissed the Wraith Knight.
Then he looked at Lime, who had made their easy escape possible. He looked exhausted.
"You did well. Thanks to you, Lime, we got out smoothly."
"Huu— No need. If we hadn't done this, we'd have suffered terribly back there."
"Still, we seem to have come quite far in the right direction. Anyway, everyone's faces and clothes are covered in grime..."
As he spoke, he opened the <Bag> and pulled out the scrolls he had bought at the Langgritsa Magic Tower, distributing them to each person. Iris reverse-summoned her scythe and took hers.
Infusing a bit of mana into the scroll activated the magic within. A small magic circle appeared over it, immediately taking effect.
Something like water welled up from the circle, swirling around Judah's body from head to toe, sucking away all the dirt and restoring him to cleanliness.
Lime, Iris, and Arhil used theirs in turn. Seeing the cleaned Iris and Arhil felt refreshing, bringing a small smile to his face.
"Ah."
Judah realized that while they were all in good shape like when they entered the black land, his own clothes—pants aside—were in tatters.
"Hold on," he said, turning his back and stripping off his clothes.
Arhil let out a playful squeal at Judah suddenly baring his skin. Lime, hearing it from the side, chuckled.
Anyway, seeing his clothes shredded beyond use as rags made him sigh. It was a shame to ruin the outfit gifted by Earl Jenner of Urun. He had two spare suits and shirts, but it was still a gift.
Clicking his tongue, he pulled out a fitted white shirt, put it on, and donned the leather coat made from Requiem he had stored.
Iris, who had been watching Judah change right in front of her with her lips pressed tight, took out a notepad and pencil from her bosom. As she scribbled with scratching sounds, Arhil tilted her head watching.
"...Um. Iris?"
"?"
"Why write it down when you can speak?"
Thinking back, when Organ had forcibly teleported her in the labyrinth at first, Judah had been shocked to learn she could talk.
If her voice had been unpleasantly bad, he might have understood hiding it, but it had actually been pleasant—like a musical instrument, in hindsight. The situation back then hadn't allowed for shock, betrayal, or questioning why she hadn't spoken if she could, so it had passed naturally. Now, with some leisure, he could ask casually.
"......"
Iris stared silently at Arhil with her notepad, started to open her tightly shut mouth, then just wrote instead.
-I'm sorry for hiding that I could speak. But I don't like talking much. Writing is more comfortable, and it lets me think twice about what I want to say.
Arhil read the words held out to her, nodded, and replied "Nee~" with a slightly regretful expression.
After showing the note to Lime, who showed curiosity, Iris wrote more below.
-Is it okay?
"...? Yeah, as you can see, I'm fine."
-No, not that. You died once earlier. You clearly died, but you're alive again. That's what I'm asking about.
"Ah."
She meant when he had pushed her aside and blocked the basilisk's attack, dying in the process.
Bell-Terza's authority could be used again after a month anyway, so it was fine. Not knowing what worried her, Judah nodded.
"I'm really okay. If it hurt or something was wrong, I'd have told Arhil by now."
"Right! If anything hurts, tell us. Our Judah can't have any pain!"
...Oh.
Our Judah. A fond word before his name. Judah felt inexplicably pleased by her words.
"Anyway, let's rest here a bit before heading out again. We're starving, so let's eat something. Fill up properly and then go."
At Judah's words, Lime wondered if it was okay not to move quickly, but with tension eased, hunger was real, so he nodded and found a spot to rest.
Neither Lime nor Judah felt like cooking, so he pulled out pre-bought lunch boxes and water from the <Bag>, distributing them. He also set aside extras in case anyone wanted more.