Chapter 258: Bad News (2)
Chapter 258: Bad News (2)
Three days had passed since I lost contact with Helena.
News arrived that Solaris, the headquarters of the Church of Righteous Light, had been surrounded by a horde of monsters.
"Have these bastards finally lost their minds?"
It hadn't been that long since Iona and I had wiped out their key executives and the monsters they’d been stockpiling. Yet here they were, launching another all-out war?
What happened to hiding away and biding their time?
Their current behavior—acting without regard for the preparations they’d made or the consequences to follow—couldn't be considered the actions of a sane person.
…Then again, they were fanatics, so I suppose they weren't sane to begin with.
I let out a long sigh and turned to Iona, who had rushed over to inform us as soon as the urgent report reached the Academy.
"What’s the situation? How bad is it?"
"It’s dangerous, very dangerous. For now, they’ve turned the Great Temple into a fortress and entered a stalemate, but… you know, right? Who has the advantage in a siege between monsters and humans."
In the past, monsters were merely bizarre animals created during the process of creatures adapting to mana.
But the monsters of today had been reborn as far more atrocious beings, bolstered by the blessings of an Evil God.
If the Evil God they followed were to die, they would all perish together. Conversely, as long as the Evil God granting them power remained intact, they could survive for long periods without food.
The only reason they ate humans was for the sport and the taste.
Furthermore, the mental contamination of an Evil God converts negative emotions like fear or anxiety into the very madness that the god governs.
And in battle, that madness is just another word for morale.
An army whose morale never wavers and requires almost no food? On top of that, an army where every individual possesses significant martial prowess?
In a simple field battle, it might be one thing, but in a siege, humans were at an overwhelming disadvantage.
"Still, still! Fortunately, thanks to Student Yandel’s warning, it seems they were somewhat prepared. They’re trapped in the Great Temple, but aside from a few civilians, there are no reported casualties. Helena should be fine."
"…I didn't expect them to strike this quickly, though."
I smiled bitterly as I looked at the communication crystal linked to Helena.
They were the ones who had spent a long time preparing for the fall of the Righteous Light, but this was far too early.
They must have changed their plans. Instead of a complete corruption… perhaps they intended to neutralize her power by poisoning her with tainted faith, or perhaps drive the Saintess, who was linked to a god, into madness.
I wasn't sure exactly what it was, but it felt something like that.
Did the Saintess appear too early, making them impatient?
Regardless, the important thing right now wasn't why the cultists attacked Solaris.
"I have to go save Helena."
"You should, you should. I’ll come up with a decent excuse for your absence."
"Ah, by any chance, was the scale of the enemy reported?"
"We don't know the exact scale. However, the messenger said that everything within sight was green."
"Greenskins, then. They certainly have the numbers."
No matter how many there were, they wouldn't have been besieged by mere Goblins. It was likely Orcs or Trolls.
Of all things, were they the kin of Reckless Roar?
When you count them by the head, their numbers are beyond imagination, but the types of monsters that appear are usually fixed.
Orcs, Trolls, and Ogres.
They are divided into various sub-types—warriors or shamans, named or unnamed, normal or variants—but those three races form the base.
Add a pinch of foul-tempered monsters like Minotaurs or Cyclops, and you have the army of Reckless Roar.
In terms of pure monster quality, they were several levels higher than the Fisherman and Undead combination I had faced before.
They were pointlessly sturdy and pointlessly strong.
Carla must have had the same thought, as she gently grabbed my arm and leaned into me.
"Master… surely you aren't planning on going alone this time, are you?"
Her eyes shimmered, looking as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
I looked into those ruby eyes—different from Iona’s blood-red ones, more transparent and deep—and lightly stroked Carla’s hair.
"Why would I go alone? The situation is different now than it was then."
Back then, there was no one around, and Iona would have been in danger if I had retreated even temporarily.
The fact that the battle had reached a stalemate meant that, although they were surrounded, they were holding their own for now.
It wasn't enough to be complacent, but it wasn't a situation where everything would collapse this very second.
It was enough time to ask for help from those likely to give it.
"Elisha. Contact Iris and explain the situation. Tell her I’ll be coming by soon, so she should be ready."
"Understood."
I watched Elisha pour mana into the communication crystal I handed her for a moment before turning my head toward Carla.
"Carla. You go to Senior Fay and get everything you can. Potions, poisons, bombs, magical tools… it doesn't matter. Bring as much as possible, as long as it helps in battle."
"Yes, Master. Should I return here after receiving the items from Miss Fay?"
"Yeah. We’ll be moving via teleportation anyway, so there’s no need to gather outside."
Finally, I spoke to Iona.
"Professor."
"Yes, yes. What should I do?"
"Please guide me to the Chairman."
"Guide you? He should be in the Chairman's Office if you just go there."
"Not the clone. To where his real body is. You know where that is, don't you, Professor Iona?"
"…Are you serious?"
"I don't make jokes in situations like this."
When I shrugged and said that, Iona fidgeted for a moment before nodding.
"Fine! Fine! I’ll take you! But… I don't know what you’re planning to ask, but don't be too disappointed. The Chairman doesn't meet just anyone, and even if he does, he’s in a position where it’s hard for him to help."
"I know."
I probably knew that better than anyone else in this world.
*
I followed behind Iona, passing several classrooms where lessons were still in progress.
However, it didn't feel like we were heading toward a specific location; rather, it felt like we were wandering in circles through hallways and staircases as if we were lost.
Iona wasn't trying to screw with me by leading me in circles. This complex and tedious act was a type of "knock."
The Chairman’s real body was in a small room built deep beneath the Academy, but the problem was that there was no physical way to reach that room.
No corridors. Not even a ventilation shaft connected to the outside. It was a completely sealed chamber.
To enter, one first had to walk a predetermined path within the Academy to send a signal to the Chairman.
The Academy wasn't just a building designed to look cool; it was like a giant magic circle constructed according to precise calculations.
The reason space distortion magic was cast on every building was so that mana could flow through the objects at each location to activate the magic circle.
Well… because of that, unexpected side effects like the library ghost stories occurred.
Regardless, the Academy faithfully carried out its creator’s intent, which included a mana field in the basement that interfered with spatial movement.
In other words, the Chairman usually lived in a space that was perfectly isolated both physically and magically.
Even for someone like Iona, teleporting through an interference field laid by an Archmage would be difficult.
If you were lucky, you’d just be bounced to a random location; if you were unlucky, your body would be torn to pieces and scattered in all directions.
Therefore, by walking a specific path and letting mana flow, you signaled the Chairman, and he would decide whether or not to open the door from below.
If he opened it, you would teleport over. If he refused… you would just keep wandering forever, never meeting him.
He was likely watching Iona and me from somewhere even at this moment. I couldn't feel any particular sense of incongruity because his mana manipulation was so stealthy.
After walking back and forth behind Iona for quite a while, we arrived at an old warehouse building. It happened the moment we reached the shaded area behind it.
"Ugh."
Suddenly, a dizzying vertigo washed over me, as if the floor were collapsing. It lasted only a brief moment, and as I took a stumbling step forward…
The surrounding scenery had already changed.
The shaded, dark view had become brilliantly bright, and the walls and floor were covered in inorganic white tiles laid out in a regular pattern.
It was a space where anyone would lose their mind if they stayed too long, given how everything was stark white and the lighting was so intense.
The only things existing in this space were a cylindrical tank in the center and the thick cables extending from it.
…What? Where is Iona?
Just as my brow was about to furrow, a bizarre voice reached my ears a step ahead of me.
—Do not worry. I have only brought you here alone; Professor Iona is safely on the surface.
"Chairman…?"
It was a strange vocalization, as if he were vibrating the entire space rather than using vocal cords. As I tilted my head, my body floated into the air and was pulled toward the tank.
"Whoa!"
I flailed my arms in momentary panic, but I soon realized he was pulling me with telekinesis and stopped resisting.
—I apologize if I was rude. But neither I nor you have much time, do we?
"…That’s true. Shall we get straight to the point, then?"
I made a polite request toward the doll floating inside the pale orange solution that filled the tank.
"Please lend me a Dragon Heart fragment."
—Are you insane?
Hey, why?
I told you I’d give it back after using it for a bit.