Chapter 415
Chapter 415
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 415
Chapter Title: 2-38. Fugitive (2)
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#38
The sky was darkening.
The shadows draping over the campus were growing thicker by the minute.
The added weight in the air hinted at rain coming soon.
The man cloaked in his mantle was still staring at me.
"...Schlieffen."
The distance was far, but I was certain.
Whether by his skills or the vibe that screamed he'd even piss in perfect formation, that guy was Schlieffen.
I was just about to wave happily.
Schlieffen, who had been glaring silently, turned his back.
"Huh?"
There wasn't a hint of hesitation.
He rounded the corner of the building and vanished.
The whirlwind with the trimmed mustache scattered, leaving only a red streak behind.
"Hey, where you going!?"
I shouted loudly, but no answer came.
I bolted out like a mongrel robbed of its bone.
I vaulted over the railing.
It was seven stories high, but it didn't matter.
My cat-like landing was silent.
"Stop right there!"
The chase began immediately.
I had to catch him before he fully committed to hiding.
The hundreds of meters between us closed in just four seconds.
I rounded the corner where Schlieffen had disappeared and came to a dead stop.
"Argh, damn it."
A wide, labyrinthine residential district sprawled out.
It was Kratir Hall, where the underachievers lived.
The unmanaged wooden buildings had turned so eerie, ghosts could call them home.
Dozens of shacks offered countless escape routes—too many to count.
"This is why useless losers are completely... No. Adeshan lived here too."
Fortunately, I caught myself before finishing the sentence.
Hey, everyone has off days.
I thought he was a blockhead, but maybe he was born with shadow mana affinity or something.
Schlieffen was nowhere in sight, but I calmly scanned the surroundings.
Faint traces of someone passing by lingered on the road.
"You think I can't catch you?"
Tracking wasn't my strong suit, but I could handle this much.
I focused my mind, and my senses sharpened.
Sounds I hadn't heard before started registering.
The smells of wood, mold, and river water mixed with the wind grew vivid.
My hypersensitive skin picked up every shift in the air flow.
Soon, the corner of my mouth curled up.
"Found you."
The results came quick.
Within hundreds of meters, the only moving person besides me was one other.
Was this how a hunter felt spotting deer tracks?
I was just about to resume the chase.
"Don't move."
"Huh?"
"What are you? Why are you following me?"
A voice came from right behind me.
Killing intent I hadn't sensed moments ago now poked at the back of my head.
I carefully lowered my gaze, spotting the razor-sharp blade at my throat.
It was Pale Lord, the Grancia family's famed sword, honed in a blizzard.
"...Hah, experienced fugitives are on another level, huh."
I couldn't help but admire it.
Scouting and concealing presence were his specialties to begin with, but this was insane.
I ignored the warning and turned my head slightly.
The first thing I saw were dim, indigo eyes glowing faintly.
"Huh? Schlieffen."
"......"
Schlieffen's brow furrowed.
He looked openly annoyed at me ignoring his warning.
Yet the fact he didn't slash my throat right away showed his innate goodness.
Our eyes met naturally, and I raised a brow.
"What."
It wasn't his noble character that surprised me.
A scruffy beard.
A beard matching his dark blue hair covered his jawline.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, I finally spoke.
"Goddamn, what's with that fur?"
"Don't change the subject."
"No, but seriously, this is too much. What the hell... like some bandit..."
It was a shock rivaling hearing about the rebellion.
I'd bet my life he wouldn't have charmed my sister looking like that.
I wanted to laser it off permanently, but Schlieffen wasn't in the mood for leisure.
Pale Lord's blade drew closer.
"I won't say it twice. Who are you?"
"Got it, got it. My name's Ronan. Not your enemy—hell, we're on the same side. Stubborn as ever."
"Ronan... Never heard the name. Someone with your skills should be well-known."
"Obviously. To this world's me, I'm basically a monkey."
"This world?"
"Yeah, that kind of thing exists. Ugh, explaining this all over again."
The thought of recounting everything made my head ache already.
To avoid provoking him, I spoke slowly.
"Listen up, Schlieffen. I came from another world. Looks just like this one, but with a different history. There, you're the hero who saved the world and had the balls to propose to my sister. Ah, pissing me off just thinking about it."
"...What nonsense are you spouting out of nowhere?"
"Damn it, knew you wouldn't believe me. I answered your questions, so let me ask one. Is Regent Barka actually Barka Turgun? Zaifa's brother, the former Sword Saint."
"What's the intent behind such an obvious question?"
"Ah."
Schlieffen tilted his head.
The moment I heard that, I squeezed my eyes shut.
Unfortunately, my hunch was spot on.
Barka Turgun.
Zaifa's brother and the mastermind behind the Night of Fangs.
One of Nebula Klazie's bishops, and in the original world, the bastard who suffocated under Adeshan.
'He'd take runner-up in the asshole Olympics.'
The memories were still fresh.
Barka had used a puppet named Jäger to devour the North, committing atrocities like they were daily meals in the process.
Reviving Zaifa's son Aradan to exploit him, driving stakes across the North that cursed newborns to be monsters...
That familiar aura and the eyes peeking from the mustache guy's mouth suddenly made sense.
Barka was a warrior-built guy who majored in black magic.
Looks like that ambitious cat finally reached the empire's heart.
"Ha, fuck... So that bastard succeeded in the end."
I felt my blood pressure rising.
Time for some meds.
As I rummaged for my pipe, Schlieffen's brow furrowed deeper.
"I said. Don't. Move."
"Just this once. If I don't smoke this, a vein's gonna burst somewhere."
"You..."
Schlieffen's voice dropped low.
He seemed to be reaching the end of his patience.
He flipped the hilt and swung the sword.
"Oho."
Clean sword path, as expected.
I could gauge his level from that simple motion alone.
Not quite the original world's Schlieffen, but on par with the one from my first life.
I ducked low to dodge and closed in beside him.
Then grabbed the wrist holding Pale Lord.
"How'd you plan to kill with this?"
"What...!"
He froze as I chuckled and asked.
He stared at my hand gripping him like it was a monster's tentacle.
I pulled the pipe from my mouth with my other hand.
Exhaled, and white smoke billowed out.
Then continued, eyes on the harmless flat of the blade hovering in the air.
"You're the same as ever, Schlieffen. Puts my mind at ease."
"Damn it, let go!"
Schlieffen swung his elbow.
I casually stepped back.
Regaining freedom, Schlieffen gripped the hilt two-handed, ready for battle.
"Draw your sword!"
"Calm down, man. Not here to fight you."
"What the hell are you? Why infiltrate Phileon Academy? Why fight the Imperial Guard?!"
"Figured the academy might have something, didn't know that guy was Imperial Guard. We've got more to talk about, but one thing's clear now, and that's nice."
"Clear?"
"Yeah. You didn't kill His Majesty the Emperor."
"......!"
Schlieffen's eyes widened.
His near sword-aura-launching tension eased.
Up close like this, his haggard appearance stood out more.
It wasn't just the beard.
Deep shadows under his eyes and sunken cheeks told of his ordeals so far.
The guy who only wore perfectly ironed clothes was draped in a sackcloth-like mantle.
'Not a pretty sight.'
Shaaaa... Drizzle began to fall.
Rising mist narrowed visibility.
The landscape mostly swallowed in gray.
Rain pattered over the desolate campus.
We stood facing each other, unmoving, for a long while.
In that standoff.
"...Huh?"
"......!!!"
A chilling aura swept in like a cold front.
From the direction of the lecture spires.
The moment Schlieffen and I leaped back simultaneously.
Kaboom!
Bam!
Something tore through the mist and slammed into where we'd stood.
"What the hell now."
I narrowed my eyes.
Two well-forged spears were embedded deep in the ground.
Barka's aura from before blazed around the shafts like fire.
Schlieffen clicked his tongue.
"Tch, wasted too much time on pointless talk."
"Who's the bastard interrupting grown-up conversation?"
Schlieffen and I turned.
Seven spires rose above the thick fog.
One masked freak in uniform perched on each sharp tip.
"...Imperial Army?"
The long coats down to their calves were Imperial officer garb.
Their faces fully hidden by masquerade masks.
They said nothing, just stared.
Schlieffen gripped his hilt.
"Run. I'll buy time."
"Why so serious?"
"Barka's personal guard. Annoying bunch attached themselves."
His blue eyes turned grave.
Frost bloomed along Pale Lord's blade.
Judging by the aura seeping from their shoulders, they were all skilled.
'Why are these assholes standing on my school's buildings?'
Not my problem, though.
What mattered was they'd interrupted our chat and were dirtying my alma mater.
As I opened my mouth to retort.
Schlieffen shouted.
"Incoming!"
The seven freaks leaped as one.
They glided silently toward us.
Schlieffen unleashed a wide slash.
A massive crescent blade aura struck twenty paces ahead.
Kaaaa boom!!
A whirlwind barrier erupted, shattering the pavement.
"......!"
The two in front were swallowed by the wind.
The barrier stained red amid the sickening sound of tearing flesh.