Chapter 34
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Assassins and Sea Serpents
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“Why are there so many monsters?”
“Run! Everyone, run!”
“Where to? We’re on the sea!”
“Fight!”
Swarms of Sea Worms, a rocking ship, and students thrown into chaos.
The deck was pure pandemonium.
“…What in the world!”
- Do not draw your sword.
‘I know…!’
Officially, weapons were forbidden in the Yacht Club.
Of course, it was a rule set by the students, so there was no real need to follow it.
But since the students in question included an imperial prince and heirs of the Elector families, the rule felt heavier than any academy regulation.
Aint coated his hands in aura and struck the head of a Sea Worm as it opened its foul maw.
With a pop, the Sea Worm’s head exploded, and its body fell back into the sea.
“It’s just numbers! Don’t panic!”
“Kill them all!”
“Don’t let them climb up!”
“Don’t use fire magic, you idiots!”
Aint wasn't the only one.
The students, who had at first been confused about how to respond, began to regain their composure one by one and slaughter the Sea Worms.
The unique environment of the sea, their sudden appearance, and their numbers in the hundreds, if not thousands.
It was more than enough to cause a panic, but in truth, a single Sea Worm wasn't all that powerful.
And those gathered here were all top-ranking students within the academy.
Thanks to the academy’s emphasis on practical experience, they were talented individuals who had fought countless monsters and could more than hold their own on a battlefield.
At a glance, the Sea Worms seemed to cover the ocean, but as soon as they crawled onto the deck, they were sent back to be buried in their homeland.
“Stop them from chewing on the ship!”
The problem was that the Sea Worms were gradually gnawing away at the hull as they climbed aboard.
The corrosive components in their saliva even melted the magic circles applied to the ship.
The gradually weakening ship was losing its strength to withstand the waves.
“The deck isn’t the problem. Stop them from approaching the ship at all!”
“The Knight Department will take the front. We don’t have weapons, so don’t overdo it!”
“The Magic Department will support the Knight Department. Refrain from using fire and lightning magic as much as possible….”
“Block them from latching onto the ship itself! If the ship sinks….”
It was then that Ludger Schwaben began to distinguish himself by commanding the students.
He naturally took control, and the students, acknowledging his status and his reasonably sound instructions, raised no objections.
“They’re holding up better than I thought.”
But Pernyan wasn't worried.
After all, if it had ended with just Sea Worms, the ship would never have sunk.
And soon enough, the moment he had been waiting for arrived.
*Rumble—*
Far in the distance, beyond the Sea Worms, a waterspout shot up.
As the waterspout dissipated, showering rain in all directions as if in a downpour, a colossal body revealed itself.
“…Damn it, what is that!”
“It’s a monster!”
The students’ screams…
“It’s here.”
…and Pernyan’s smile intersected.
“It’s a Sea Serpent!”
The giant sea snake swallowed the worms and charged toward its more delicious prey.
* * *
- Wake up! Get up, now!
The cold seawater lowered his body temperature.
- Did you live this long just to die to scum like this!
His hazy mind slowly emerged from the darkness, roused by the incessant shouts.
- I said, wake up!
The trembling vibration of the necklace instantly dispelled the dreamlike darkness.
Aint opened his eyes.
‘…Where am I?’
The cold sea. Around him, he could occasionally see the corpses of Sea Worms and the fish feeding on them.
- Are you awake?
The one who had woken him let out a sigh of relief.
- Get to the surface, now. You’ll die if you stay here.
His breath was already catching in his throat.
Aint used his aura to hold on, pushing himself toward the surface as quickly as possible.
“*Gasp…!*”
He exhaled the breath he had been holding and gasped raggedly.
He scanned his surroundings first, but all he could see were some pieces of wreckage that looked like they had once been a ship. The vessel itself was nowhere in sight.
“…What happened?”
- Do you not remember the end?
“…The end.”
He remembered.
The sudden appearance of the colossal Sea Serpent, over ten meters long, known as the king of the sea.
The students had tried to stop it from charging the ship by unleashing a barrage of magic, but it wasn't enough.
The hull, already weakened by the Sea Worms, couldn't withstand the monster’s ramming attack and split in two.
The only saving grace was that the Sea Serpent, having split the ship, had walked right into a death trap between the two halves.
And the academy students, though panicked, were not foolish enough to miss such an opportunity.
The Sea Serpent was instantly critically wounded by the combined assault of dozens of the academy’s top students.
However, it didn't die quietly. The process was quite fierce, and Aint had lost consciousness after being hit by the breath the Sea Serpent had unleashed in its death throes.
“…How am I alive?”
- You would have died, normally. Hit by the Sea Serpent’s frigid breath, half-frozen, and then sinking into the sea.
It would have been natural to die right then and there, becoming a statue of ice from hypothermia.
If it weren't for the provision left by the first emperor, the sword inhabited by the first Royal Knight.
- I protected you. I dispersed the Sea Serpent’s breath and maintained your body temperature so you wouldn’t die in the sea.
“…Is that even possible?”
- This sword is not merely a vessel for sealing my soul.
- It is a comprehensive tool designed to provide maximum support to my successor in preparation for the future.
“…You’re more incredible than I thought.”
He had simply thought of it as an incredibly durable sword inhabited by a soul.
- Your opponents are not just humans seeking to unify the continent. They are demons, so for demons, this much is basic.
It also meant that one should not take the task of fighting demons lightly.
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
- There’s an island nearby. Go there. I’d rather not imagine encountering a monster in the sea.
“Yes.”
Fortunately, there was a small island not too far away, and after a long swim, Aint managed to reach it.
“*Pant, pant…!*”
Aint collapsed on the beach, breathing heavily.
After swimming for a long time while his whole body ached from the battle, he had no strength left.
“…I’m alive.”
- There’s someone over there.
Not far away on the beach, two people lay unconscious.
“The Golden Turtle Merchant Guild…?”
The crest embroidered on their soaked clothes was a golden turtle.
- They seem to be crew members from the ship. Go check if they’re alive.
“Yes.”
Aint dragged his heavy body toward them. He turned over the prone figures and checked their breathing.
“Fortunately, they’re ali—.”
It was at that moment.
- Aint, be careful!
*Fwish!*
The two men’s eyes snapped open.
Daggers were suddenly in their hands, flying toward Aint’s chest and neck.
“……!”
Aint hastily threw himself backward.
But his heavy body failed to react smoothly to the completely unexpected situation.
One blade narrowly grazed his shoulder, but the other plunged toward his chest.
*Clang!*
There was an impact, but not the wound he expected.
- Grab me!
Gardner’s sword had moved on its own to block the dagger.
Aint rolled backward and grabbed the sword. It had already returned to its original form.
A moment later, the daggers flew at him again.
*Fwish!*
*Fwish!*
The crewmen’s blades were fast, concise, and thick with killing intent.
And above all, they were relentless.
- This is the classic swordsmanship of an assassin. These men aren’t simple guild members; they’re professionally trained assassins!
“…Ugh!”
Aint couldn't help but be flustered by their assault, which disregarded their own safety in a "trade flesh for bone" approach.
He had no experience, no resolve for this.
His attacks grew increasingly timid, and naturally, the number of minor wounds on his body increased.
And that brought about another situation.
“…This!”
Feeling a wave of dizziness, Aint quickly corrected his posture.
- It’s poison! Circulate your aura through the sword. I don’t know how potent it is, but it should detoxify you to some extent.
“Yes!”
As he did, the poison receded, albeit slightly.
As his pale complexion slowly regained its warmth, the eyes of the assassins, who had relaxed for a moment thinking he was poisoned, widened.
That brief lull gave Aint a chance to catch his breath.
- A sudden monster attack sinks the ship, and by chance, you arrive on an island where assassins with poisoned daggers are waiting.
- What do you think the chances are of this being a series of coincidences?
And Gardner finally pinpointed the strangeness that had been nagging at his senses.
- Logically, it makes no sense for someone to try to kill you by controlling monsters at sea.
Unless you consider the existence of demons.
Some demons possessed the authority to command monsters.
- It’s demons. Those demon bastards have finally started making their move on you in earnest.
“…Could it be, Vile Breed?”
Aint muttered to himself at the thought that demons had begun to target him seriously.
Hearing his whisper, the two assassins’ demeanor changed.
It grew heavier, their killing intent became more vicious, and an ominous energy erupted from them.
- Demonic energy. Now that they’ve been found out, I suppose they have no intention of hiding it.
It was an aura Aint had never experienced before, but one he couldn't help but think was demonic energy.
An endlessly ominous, unpleasant, loathsome, and repulsive black energy.
“…I can survive this, right?”
Aint swallowed hard.
His body, burdened by fatigue, injuries, and poison, was not in its right state. Feeling that he was in no condition to fight, Aint muttered anxiously.
- It’s not a matter of whether you can survive, but that you must.
- Were you born with the name Armian just to die to some Vile Breed!
A pure white aura made the sword even sharper.
Just as the assassins unleashed their demonic energy and charged, and Aint extended his sword to respond…
A black shadow intervened between them.
*Clang!*
A clean sword strike deflected both attacks at once.
And a sudden wave of sand surged up, swallowing the assassins.
“…Senior Ruina?”
“Are you alright, Aint Armian?”
“Senior, how did you get here…?”
But she wasn't alone.
In the distance, a mage approached, moving the very earth.
He walked leisurely with his hands behind his back, a look of boredom on his face.
“They’re wearing the guild’s clothes, but….”
The sand trembled and floated into the air.
“These aren’t faces I know.”
The assassins, bound by the sand, rose with it.
“Who are you?”
*You vermin who provided the pretext for my downfall.*
The master of the magic, Pernyan, had his face contorted in a grimace.
“……”
“……”
They didn't answer. Realizing they had no chance of winning, they simply began to swell up.
“It’s self-destruct magic!”
“It’s dangerous!”
Self-destruct magic, which caused a mana heart to explode by colliding the mana within. The only difference here was that it was demonic energy, not mana.
Ruina rushed forward, but the explosion was faster.
*Boom—!*
A black inferno engulfed Pernyan, and then Ruina as well.
- Those crazy bastards…!
“N-No…!”
Aint and Gardner screamed, but when the smoke cleared, the scene was surprisingly intact.
“Don’t worry.”
Pernyan stood in his original posture, and beside him was Ruina, emitting a powerful aura.
And enveloping them were several layers of defensive barriers.
“I expected all of this.”
It would be pathetic to fall for such a crude trick after reading the Prophecy Book.
*Hmph,* Pernyan snorted.
“Are you alright?”
“…Yes, I’m fine.”
“How touching. To think you’d rush over to protect me.”
“…We are partners, after all.”
“But it’s not over yet.”
“Pardon?”
The question went no further.
*ROOOOAR—!*
A deafening roar shook the beach. The colossal body that had split the ship in two revealed itself once more.
The only difference was, this time, there were two of the massive beasts.
“…I will take one.”
“Take one? What do you mean?”
“The Sea Serpent.”
“What nonsense is this? Why would you do something so foolish?”
Fighting a Sea Serpent in the sea was an act of folly.
Unless one had overwhelming forces like before or was in an unavoidable situation, there was no reason to do so.
“We’re getting out of here.”
“Pardon?”
Instead of answering, Pernyan used sand to lift Aint and started to flee.
‘Which part of this island was that provision on?’
If they went there, Aint would naturally take care of it. There was no need to court unnecessary danger.
“W-Wait up!”
Ruina belatedly followed after them.
* * *
Meanwhile, not far from the scene.
“…Is this really the right thing to do?”
Bella, who had been unknowingly infected with demonic energy by a Vile Breed and had vowed to fight them with her friend, was in turmoil.
In her hand was a top-of-the-line recording device, consuming mana to capture the scene before her.
“I may not be the best, but I’m still ranked 19th in the Knight Department….”
Of course, she was far behind the second or tenth-ranked students, but objectively, she was still in the upper echelon.
And yet, she was told to just stay here and record.
“…Gah! Are they okay?”
When the assassins suddenly self-destructed, she had been so shocked she almost rushed out.
But when two Sea Serpents appeared with a roar, she couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
“…Yeah, I guess just recording is the right call.”
Two Sea Serpents. She had no confidence she could defeat them.
Despite her quiet mumbling, she gripped her sword with one hand, ready to charge out at any moment.
“…Huh?”
That was, until she saw them run away first.