Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Descent or Advent (2)
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“Phew.”
“Hah.”
The cadets of Team 3 finally let out the breath they had been holding.
“Did you just see Professor Navian’s aura?”
“I have goosebumps all over my body right now.”
“I thought a dragon was about to swoop down on us.”
Just moments ago, their faces had been utterly gloomy, but now they were filled with nothing but awe.
Professor Navian’s presence and aura were that immense.
“What an aura…”
Professor Dieter Lizner was just as surprised.
Navian Gaznae.
He knew she would be strong, given her background, but he never imagined she would be on this level.
He looked at his sword.
*Crackle.*
Remnants of lightning he hadn't managed to disperse still coiled around the blade.
It wasn't a power he had consciously drawn out.
By the time he came to his senses, the lightning had already enveloped his sword.
Like a frightened dog baring its teeth with its fur on end.
It was a reaction born from instinct.
Simply put, he was scared.
It was an absurd situation.
He was a man skilled enough to be treated as the commander of a mid-tier knight order the moment he stepped outside the Cradle.
While he often got stuck with troublesome duties that other professors avoided due to his lower rank, that was a separate matter from his actual skill.
‘Dieter, the Knight of Lightning,’ was renowned not only for his own abilities but also for his belligerence and the exceptional destructive power of his blessing.
In fact, his dueling record and achievements on the battlefield were anything but trivial.
Yet, he had been overwhelmed before a fight even began.
Worse, his opponent hadn't even intentionally pressured him or charged at him.
She had merely passed by in front of him.
Despite that, he was completely dominated.
A monster who had crushed the Knight of Lightning with her sheer presence alone.
“So the rumors about Gaznae weren’t just hype.”
To think an unknown knight he had never even heard of before coming to the Cradle was this powerful.
The Blackmoon Knights of Gaznae must all be monsters.
“Hmm…?”
As he shuddered at the thought, he suddenly tilted his head.
They were a considerable distance from the designated rally point.
“Don’t tell me, did she run here?”
The griffin riders had just passed over their heads.
Professor Navian had been only slightly behind them.
“No way.”
Professor Dieter Lizner scoffed.
No matter how fast a person was, they could never outrun a creature of the sky.
Just as they had been swept away by a gust of wind, Professor Navian must have also landed far from the rally point.
It just so happened that her landing spot was not far from here.
Having arbitrarily reached his conclusion, he spoke to the cadets.
“Let’s leave the kid’s rescue to them and get moving.”
This was no time to be marveling at Professor Navian’s skill.
They needed to regroup with the others as quickly as possible.
The fact that the sharp-eyed Sky Knights hadn’t given them any particular warning meant there were no significant threats nearby.
Or that they had already eliminated any threats.
Either way, it meant there would be no more variables.
But.
“Hurry up.”
He had a bad feeling.
“We need to reach the rally point before nightfall.”
Professor Dieter Lizner repeatedly urged the cadets on.
His ominous premonition came true.
“The smell of blood…?”
What greeted Professor Dieter Lizner upon his arrival at the rally point was the faint scent of blood.
Torches blazed throughout the prepared encampment.
Fully armed cadets stood guard at regular intervals.
The strict security, reminiscent of a frontline military camp, made his expression harden.
“Professor Dieter.”
The supervising professors emerged from a tent, likely alerted by the sentries.
“I heard your group had a rough time too. You look a mess.”
“Let’s get the cadets settled first.”
Cadets from behind them immediately stepped forward and guided the members of Team 3 to an empty tent.
Following the professors into the staff tent, Dieter Lizner was briefed on the situation by the other supervisors.
“Team 1 landed in a dire wolf pack’s territory, and Team 2 was attacked by what? Trolls?”
Hearing the explanation, he couldn’t help but let out a curse.
It was maddening enough that there was a harpy habitat and a wyvern nearby, but now there were dire wolves and trolls too.
At this point, it was more than a simple mistake.
It was an impossible scenario unless someone had deliberately planned to send the cadets into a death trap.
“Could it be…”
Dieter Lizner quickly shut his mouth.
The implication was too severe to voice carelessly.
He had to choose his words carefully at a time like this.
*Nod.*
Seeing the professors nod with grave expressions, it seemed they were all thinking the same thing.
There was a traitor in the Cradle.
Whether the intention was to kill the cadets or simply to ruin this training exercise, it was clear that someone had planned this.
Who, and for what purpose?
Questions piled up, but no answers came.
Besides, finding the answers was not his job.
The Cradle had experts who were masters at solving problems like this.
They would be moving soon.
Perhaps they were already on the move.
So, he should leave the troublesome internal affairs of the Cradle to them and focus on his mission.
The safe return of the cadets.
That was the duty he was responsible for seeing through to the end.
The problem was that even that was now out of his hands.
His body was a wreck from leading the remaining cadets to the rally point without tending to the injuries he sustained upon landing.
It was impossible for him to assist in the search effort again in this condition.
“Damn it.”
He clutched his swollen foot and swore.
For now, the best he could do was wait for the Sky Knights and Professor Navian to rescue the missing cadet and return safely.
And at that very moment, the cadet whose safe return everyone at the Cradle was hoping for… was sleeping peacefully.
*Snore, phoo. Snore, phoo.*
And snoring loudly at that.
* * *
“Gasp!”
I shot up with a start.
I must have fallen asleep while waiting for the paralysis to wear off.
*The Faceless Witch is staring at you incredulously.*
I gave an awkward laugh.
Even I found it absurd that I had fallen asleep in a situation like this.
*The Faceless Witch berated your nonchalance.*
I ignored the witch’s nagging and checked my physical condition first.
“Phew.”
All my limbs were still attached.
That was a relief.
My senses, which had been dulled by the paralysis, were completely back to normal.
It would have been quite a predicament to wake up and find an arm or a leg missing.
Sighing in relief once more, I surveyed the nest.
The wyvern mother and her child were sleeping peacefully together.
Under the distant sunset, the sight of the wyvern mother and child (?) sleeping while leaning against each other was like a painting.
If not for my current predicament of potentially being eaten at any moment, I would have loved to hang it in my dorm room.
*Korrong. Korrong.*
Hearing the faint snores, I carefully turned my body over.
Then, I began to crawl.
As quietly as I possibly could.
Slowly but stealthily, I moved toward Barisada.
And at last, Barisada was within arm’s reach.
Now, if I just reached out my hand…
“Ah?”
Suddenly feeling a strange sensation, I turned my head.
*Blink, blink.*
The baby wyvern was looking at me.
It tilted its head.
“Shh.”
I quietly placed a finger on my lips.
“That’s a good boy. Go back to sleep now. Night-night.”
Naturally, it didn’t work.
*Kyak! Kyak!*
The creature stared at me, then began to flap its wings and cry.
The mother wyvern’s chest, which had been rising and falling rhythmically, stopped cold.
*Flash.*
In the next instant, its long, vertically slitted eyes opened.
“Damn it!”
I reached out and snatched Barisada.
Then, without a moment to think, I threw myself aside.
*Thwack.*
A long, spear-like object slammed down right where I had been.
It was the mother wyvern’s tail.
I scrambled to my feet and shouted.
“Barisada!”
No sooner had the words left my mouth than the inverted bow opened its jaws wide.
Then, it chomped down hard on the head of the baby wyvern, which had been sent tumbling when its mother suddenly rose.
*KYAAAAAAAAAA!*
The mother wyvern shrieked and lunged its snout toward me.
“Stop!”
I thrust the baby wyvern toward its mother.
“Your baby’s not dead yet!”
As if to prove my words, the baby wyvern flapped its wings and created a ruckus.
*Flinch.*
The mother wyvern, which looked ready to tear me to shreds, froze in place.
“Come any closer, and I can’t guarantee your baby’s safety!”
Barisada made a cracking sound as it tightened its clenched jaws.
The flailing baby wyvern stopped its struggles.
“Stay right there!”
*Grrrrr.*
The mother wyvern growled menacingly.
But concerned for its young, it didn’t charge immediately.
*Phew.*
I sighed in relief internally.
Honestly, I hadn’t been sure how effective a hostage situation would be against a monster.
And even if it worked, I didn’t know how effective it would be.
It was working better than I expected.
*Struggle, struggle.*
The baby wyvern squirmed.
*Kyak! Kyak!*
The mother wyvern snapped its jaws threateningly.
But it still couldn’t come closer, only making threats from a distance.
The fact that the wyvern was intelligent enough to understand the situation was a huge relief for me.
Of course, I couldn’t completely relax yet.
My opponent was a monster.
It was holding back now out of concern for its young, but I didn’t know when its ferocious nature might take over and cause it to charge.
Indeed, the mother wyvern’s glistening yellow eyes were already turning red.
It was a sign that its monstrous ferocity was taking over.
*What next?*
The Faceless Witch asked for my next plan.
Instead of answering, I slowly took a step back.
As I retreated, the mother wyvern advanced.
I backed away again.
Soon, I was pushed to the very edge of the nest.
*Grrrrrrrrrrr.*
The creature’s breathing grew heavier.
This is as far as I can go.
Just as the witch said, this was the limit.
A ferocious wyvern in front of me.
A thousand-foot cliff behind me.
The answer had been decided from the start.
*Don’t tell me?*
The witch let out a dumbfounded sound.
Ignoring her, I threw myself off the nest.
*KYAAAAAAK!*
By a hair’s breadth, the mother wyvern’s teeth scraped the edge of the nest as I passed.
*Thud, thud, thud.*
Watching the fragments of the nest scatter in all directions.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
I fell.
*The Faceless Witch was horrified.*
*The Faceless Witch does not wish for your death.*
*The Faceless Witch proposes a Vow.*
*The Faceless Witch…*
The witch frantically spouted messages.
“I hate mages!”
Of course, I didn’t accept the witch’s offer.
*Is jumping off a cliff the best you could come up with?*
*Idiot!*
*You have no plan!*
*Ack, ack, ack!*
The Faceless Witch threw a fit, but I completely ignored her.
*Whoooooosh.*
All the while, my body was plummeting at a high speed.
But contrary to the witch’s thoughts, I didn’t have the slightest intention of dying.
As proof, my falling speed began to slow down.
*Flap, flap.*
The baby wyvern was flapping its wings like mad.
Even though it couldn't see, it seemed to have sensed the fall.
The creature flapped its wings desperately.
But its wings were too flimsy to support its plump body.
It was only enough to slightly reduce our falling speed.
That was enough.
Holding onto the creature’s two feet, I twisted my body this way and that.
“Whoa.”
After a while of adjusting my trajectory to avoid hitting the cliff face.
The ground was already right in front of me.
“The Cradle’s technology is the best in the Empire!”
Just before impact, I stretched out both legs and deployed the emergency shock absorbers.
*Fwoosh!*
I felt something soft inflate between my legs, and then…
*Crack.*
A terrible pain shot through me.
I thought.
*That’s definitely broken.*
“Guhk!”
A scream burst out a moment later.
But I couldn’t just lie there screaming while clutching my broken leg.
The situation was not good.
The surroundings had grown dark.
With tear-filled eyes, I looked up at the sky.
*SWOOOOOOOSH.*
The mother wyvern was diving down like a spear.
I belatedly looked for Barisada.
It was gone.
It must have been flung somewhere upon impact.
I pushed off the ground with my arms and rolled my body.
*CRASH.*
The wyvern’s powerful talons grazed my shoulder as they passed.
My shoulder was instantly torn open, and blood gushed out.
But I was still alive.
The problem was what came next.
*Grrrrrrr.*
The wyvern, now on the ground, looked down at me.
Its eyes were completely red, overcome with ferocity.
“They say forgiveness is better than revenge. What do you think about that…?”
*KRAAAAAAAAA!*
“Ah, so you don’t agree. I thought as much.”
After a ferocious roar, the creature clamped its jaws on me, thrashed me around, and then threw me.
*Tumble, tumble.*
“Cough.”
I stopped rolling and spat out blood.
It felt like my ribs were broken.
It was hard to breathe.
I forced myself to sit up to keep the blood from going down my windpipe.
*Thump.*
As I put my hand on the ground, it touched something.
It was Barisada, which I had lost during the fall.
Even in my daze, I clutched Barisada.
My body moved before I could think.
Draw the string, aim.
*Thwung.*
I pulled the trigger.
At that moment.
*Flinch.*
The charging wyvern stopped dead in its tracks.
“Huh?”
It swayed for a moment, and then collapsed.
*Slurp.*
A moment later, a slurping sound could be heard.
*The offering was well received.*
The Faceless Witch said.
I couldn’t tell if the offering she was talking about was the wyvern’s blood or my own.
Not that it was my main concern right now.
*KRAAAAAAAAA!*
A ferocious roar echoed from above.
At the same time, something began to fall from above.
“Right. If there’s a mom, there has to be a dad.”
It was a male wyvern.
I raised Barisada again.
No, I tried to raise it.
But there was no strength in my body.
*Thud.*
Barisada fell to the ground.
I stared blankly at Barisada rolling on the ground, then looked up at the sky.
The male wyvern was already nearly upon me.
This was really the end.
Or so I thought.
“You’re quite the troublemaker.”
Until I heard a languid voice.