Chapter 260: A■■ne(8)[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 260: A■■ne(8)[R-18]
Thud—!
“....”
Perched on the edge of the roof, Elfriede looked up at the night sky.
The moon was nowhere to be seen.
‘...Seriously, when is he actually coming back?’
Elfriede rested her chin on her hand with a sullen pout.
It had already been two weeks since Ian went missing.
The Academy, which she thought would be turned upside down, was running surprisingly normally.
The biggest reason was that Ian’s disappearance wasn't classified as a kidnapping or abduction...
It was because the fact that he had ‘run away from home’ had been confirmed through his self-proclaimed younger sister, Poporing.
Seeing as he even kept his destination a secret when asked, Ian must have had some circumstances he couldn't talk about.
So, for now, let’s just trust him and wait.
That was the tentative agreement they had reached.
...On the surface, at least.
No matter if he left of his own volition, two weeks without a single word meant everyone’s patience was finally hitting rock bottom.
The Imperial Intelligence Agency, the Red Rose Family’s Investment Analysis Department, Nine Tail’s information guild, and so on...
Elfriede knew they were all secretly gathering information regarding Ian in their own ways.
If Ian’s return was delayed even a little longer, they would all drop the word ‘secretly’ and start moving in earnest.
Just then, a low voice echoed in Elfriede’s mind.
[Are you not worried?]
“Worried? Who? Me? About Senior? Why?”
At Ifrit’s question, Elfriede snorted and shrugged her shoulders.
“That thing at the Black Dahlia Residence only happened because an out-of-spec existence like a demon appeared. Honestly, a second-year at the Sacred Academy isn't at a level where he’d get beaten up just anywhere. Besides, it wasn't for long, but Senior received direct lessons from the Genius Beauty High Elf, Elfriede-nim herself.”
[...Can that even be called ‘lessons’? All I saw was you beating Ian like a punching bag from morning till night.]
“You learn by getting hit. That’s how I learned, too. ...Especially Senior, you know? He has that unheard-of constitution where his ‘Talent’ itself grows the more he fights.”
Just as Ifrit said, as a price for inevitably beating her beloved Senior all day long...
Elfriede had pushed Ian’s talent, which could be increased just by getting thrashed, to its absolute limit in that short period.
“So, bluntly speaking, as long as Senior doesn't do something insane like walking into a ‘Sealing Designation’ zone, there shouldn't be any major problems. If anything, he might grow significantly through some proper real-world experience. Then, well... even if we have a lovers' quarrel or something, nothing disastrous will happen. Isn't that actually better?”
Twitch! Twitch!
Despite her nonchalant words, Elfriede’s pointed ears were moving incessantly, as if trying not to miss even the slightest sound.
[…Hah.]
Ifrit let out a small chuckle at the sight.
If she truly didn't care as much as she claimed...
There would be no reason for her to climb onto the roof every night to spread her mana wide like a net to monitor the surroundings, nor any reason to hide expensive healing potions in her bosom.
[You really aren't honest with yourself.]
“What are you talking about all of a sudden... You’re being noisy. Be quiet so I can concentrate.”
─────Shudder!!
At that moment, something caught in Elfriede’s widely spread mana net.
Clatter—
Elfriede’s body began to tremble uncontrollably.
“...W-what? What is that? That, that thing! What is it?!”
Her instinct was screaming a warning.
Danger.
‘That thing’ detected in her mana net was an existence that could neither be understood nor communicated with, as if it were born solely to scatter malevolence upon the world.
[Elfriede!! Pull yourself together!]
Even Ifrit, who had been with Elfriede for a long time, had never seen her this terrified.
But it was understandable.
The malevolence ‘it’ was radiating was something even Ifrit, who had lived through the Dark Age when demons roamed free at their peak, had never felt before.
Ominous.
An existence possessing a ‘world-devouring’ malevolence, a level of evil that couldn't be fully described by such a word, was approaching.
[Over there! We must deal with it before it reaches the village!!]
“...Kugh! I... I know!!”
Boom—!!
The roof Elfriede kicked off from shattered as if exploding, and her body soared like an arrow.
“Guh...!! Fuck!! Fuck!! Fuck!! What the hell is that thing anyway?! Is it another demon?!”
Elfriede, who forcibly spat out her fear through curses, asked Ifrit.
[No... it is likely not a demon. I never saw anything like that even during the Dark Age.]
“Fuck!! Then what is it?!”
[I do not know. Even I have never felt such malevolence.]
“No!!! If you, a Spirit King, don't know, then who does?! And can we even win?!”
Elfriede had recently annihilated the ‘Parasitic Demon’ without much difficulty, but she couldn't guarantee victory against ‘that thing.’
[...I shall try.]
“This isn't something that can be solved by ‘trying’!! Aaaagh!! I don't know!! I’ll just go take a quick look at the situation, and if it looks impossible, I’m running away immediately...?!”
Flinch—!!
She hoped she had sensed it wrong.
But the closer she got, the clearer the energy became.
At first, she hadn't noticed because she was crushed by ‘its’ overwhelming malevolence...
But she felt Ian’s energy, the very thing she had been searching for from the rooftop every night.
...Right next to ‘that thing.’
‘Senior!!!’
In that instant, the option to run away vanished for Elfriede.
Instead, biting her lip hard, Elfriede kicked off the air once more and flew forward like a projectile.
[There!!]
Ian’s figure, which had felt like a tiny dot, enlarged in an instant, and Elfriede landed in front of him.
K-boom—!
“Senior!!! Are you okay?!!”
“...Elfr...iede?”
Grit—!
Checking Ian’s condition, Elfriede ground her teeth in rage.
He was in a wretched state, just like when he faced the ‘Parasitic Demon.’
‘...You! You did this to Senior!’
Elfriede’s burning eyes turned toward ‘that thing’ behind Ian.
Wriggle—! Wriggle—! Wriggle—!
‘It,’ which poured out malevolence toward everything in the world, was buried inside a rotting, festering White Husk, as if waiting to molt.
The sight alone was nauseatingly disgusting, but Elfriede could see it.
Through the cracks in the White Husk, ‘it’ with Black Scales was flicking its forked tongue.
───Shudder!!
Every other thought was erased from Elfriede’s mind.
The Elders’ request to never summon a Spirit King in front of others?
She didn't give a damn about that.
At this moment, she had to eliminate ‘it’ no matter what.
“Ifrit—!!!!”
Whoosh—!!
At Elfriede’s call, the ‘Bird of Eternal Flames’ spread its wings.
Clop-clop! Clop-clop!
After buying a horse with the money he borrowed from Ricoris, he rode for another full night.
And finally, the lights of the village were visible in the distance.
It really wasn't much further now.
“Hayangi. We’re almost there...”
“....”
Hayangi’s once-hot body was gradually growing cold, and her breathing was becoming thin.
ㄴDivine Power Vessel■: Master, I’ve arrived!
Yuris-nim had already arrived home.
“Just... endure a little longer.”
To be honest, he didn't know how Yuris-nim would react upon seeing Hayangi.
In the first place, why did Hayangi, who was ‘beloved by the world,’ receive such a terrible curse?
Why did that curse not work on him?
He didn't know anything.
However, there was no other way.
There was likely no one on this continent more skilled in ‘Purification’ and ‘Recovery’ than Yuris-nim, the next Saintess Candidate.
He could only pray that Yuris-nim’s purification would work.
“...I’ll get off here.”
“....”
I entered the forest a short distance from the village and dismounted.
It would be easier to ride the horse all the way to the house, but...
There were always guards on the main roads large enough for a horse.
To avoid any potential trouble, I had to reach the house as inconspicuously as possible, using the most deserted paths.
Thud—!
“Kugh...!”
The moment I tried to hoist Hayangi onto my back, my legs gave out.
It seemed my battered body found it difficult to bear even Hayangi’s light weight.
“Whew...”
I let out a long sigh, and just as I was about to try picking her up again...
K-boom—!
“Senior!!!”
With a thunderous roar, a green flash of light plummeted from the sky.
“...Elfr...iede?”
After looking at me for a moment, Elfriede saw Hayangi on my back and screamed while grinding her teeth fiercely.
“Ifrit—!!!!”
Whoooooosh—!!
A sensation as if all the mana in the area was being sucked into Elfriede.
I had seen Elfriede summon high-ranking spirits several times before, but this was on a different dimension.
Night turned into day in an instant.
Fwooooosh!
A bird of flames, burning so brightly it felt that way, spread its wings.
“...A Spirit... King?”
Even I, who knew almost nothing about spirits, could sense its presence enough to intuit that it was a ‘Spirit King.’
But there was no time to be amazed.
Because the Elfriede before my eyes was clearly radiating murderous intent toward Hayangi.
‘Was the curse... this severe?’
I bit my lip hard.
Honestly, I thought it wouldn't be easy to get them to accept Hayangi, but...
I never imagined she would come to kill her with full force before we even entered the village.
‘...I can’t... run away.’
Even if I were in perfect condition rather than this mess, the gap between Elfriede and me was overwhelming.
Let alone now, when Elfriede had even summoned a Spirit King.
There was no way to escape, no matter what I did.
...If so, there was only one way.
Step—
I used myself as a shield and stood between Hayangi and Elfriede.