Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Carmin seemed to have taken the instruction to prepare for battle to heart, as her movements became agile.
Arrows rained down from all directions.
I covered Carmin with the Transfiguration shield, which I had enlarged.
Donning my Bodyguard Qi, I leaped over the urban skyline.
Ting! Teeng!
I deflected the incoming arrows with my sword and looked at Carmin.
"You know where to go to reach Ventura Academy, right?"
Carmin's eyes were now shining sharply.
"Yes."
I saw Carmin's steps falter.
Beyond her, a colossal man stood tall.
The sword he held was a massive halberd, befitting his size.
[NPC - Rank 4 Knight Magrid]
Rank 4, so there wasn't much sense of urgency yet.
"Do you know him?"
Carmin nodded at my question.
"He's a Knight from Count Raphaello's Family. I've seen him a few times at the Count's estate."
The halberd-wielding knight nodded his head.
"It's been a while, young lady."
The knight spoke again.
"If you surrender obediently, I will do my best to ensure you do not die."
I couldn't help but chuckle at Knight Magrid's resolute words, a Rank 4 Knight.
"That guy, he sounds serious, doesn't he?"
Naturally, my words seemed to have reached Magrid's ears.
"I am serious. Outsider. If you turn back right now and disappear, I will pretend not to know about the murders you've just committed."
His demeanor didn't seem entirely villainous.
But just because he wasn't a villain didn't mean I had the luxury of letting him live.
I had absolutely no intention of letting this escort quest spill over into a second playthrough.
"Big guy, even if you do your best, can you guarantee Carmin won't die?"
Big guy, Magrid merely furrowed his brow and didn't answer my question.
"There's no other way, I suppose."
Magrid ignited a red aura around his spear, his halberd.
I blocked the halberd Magrid swung horizontally.
Kagagag!
Sparks flew in all directions.
Magrid grunted and continued to move his arms.
This brute is fast.
His enormous body moved with surprising speed.
Dragon Slayer Sword, Sword and Shield Technique Type 1 Libra.
I blocked all the incoming sword strikes.
Magrid, who had launched himself into the air in an instant, swung both arms towards the ground as he landed.
A red lightning bolt, formed on the tip of Magrid's halberd, struck down.
['The Giant Who Swallowed the Moon' anticipates a direct hit from the attack descending upon your head!]
['The Saintess Who Chases the Light' squeezes her eyes shut!]
Direct hit, my ass.
I ducked my body low.
Pure white magic surged in both my feet.
I planted my feet.
My shadow twisted like a scythe.
Along with my body.
I kicked my right foot upwards.
Flexible Air Breaking Formation Second Style.
Shadow Severing Kick.
Thwack!
"Kuh-huh-huk!"
Magrid, caught off guard by the unexpected attack, couldn't react.
I swung my straight sword at Magrid's neck, which had been twisted to the left.
Kagagak!
Magrid somehow managed to raise his halberd, coated in red aura, and block the sword strike.
Squelch! With the Bloodied Dagger held in reverse grip in my left hand, I stabbed him in the side.
I swung my straight sword horizontally, slashing Magrid's neck.
Magrid clutched his neck and stumbled backward.
Magrid's body collapsed onto the ground.
[Level Up!]
[Lv.26 → Lv.27]
Welcome, level up.
['The Sword Demon of the Black Typhoon' admires your Sword Path.]
['Blood Demon' twitches an eyebrow at your technique.]
['The Giant Who Swallowed the Moon' scratches his bald head.]
I walked past the chillingly cooling Magrid and moved forward.
I checked Carmin's expression.
Fortunately, she didn't seem to harbor any doubts about what I had done.
It would have been quite unpleasant if she had said something like, "Did you really have to kill him?"
"Run."
Carmin dashed forward at my softly spoken command.
At the edge of the bridge.
"Go down first."
Without hesitation, Carmin threw herself off the bridge at my words.
I looked back with my sword drawn.
I would cut off the pursuers here and escape this encirclement.
Kwah-ah-ah!
Just before leaping from the railing, I struck the sword, fully charged with Sword Qi, downwards and then threw myself down.
The reason I struck the sword down with enough force to shatter half the bridge was, of course, to sow confusion among the pursuers.
Brushing away the dust from the gaps in the collapsed bricks, I walked into the overgrown bushes.
"Do you know how far it is?"
I deliberately matched my pace with Carmin's.
Carmin's lips parted.
"It's a three-day journey even by carriage."
She continued.
"I know a place where we can get a carriage. And I have one companion there."
A companion.
Could that companion be trustworthy?
The thought crossed my mind, but for now, getting a carriage as Carmine Everheart said was the most important thing.
The Academy was too far to go without anything.
"Lead the way."
"Yes!"
Carmin and I finally threw off our robes and entered the alleyway.
Passing through the alley, a wide street came into view again.
Carmin led me to a stable where several horses were kept.
"Miss Everheart!"
A young man with brown hair approached.
[NPC - Rank 3 Mercenary Rengel]
"You're safe."
I focused on Carmin's face as she looked at Rengel approaching.
"Rengel!"
Carmin's face brightened considerably.
She turned her head to look at me.
"He's a mercenary who often helped with the family's affairs."
It seemed he was someone trustworthy by Carmin's standards.
Carmin smiled faintly and began to speak to Rengel.
"I need to borrow a carriage from you. I can finally breathe a little easier."
Immediately after Carmin finished speaking, Rengel spoke again.
"You're in a dangerous situation right now."
Carmin let out a sigh.
"Yeah, I could really die like this."
It was right after Carmin finished speaking.
Rengel opened his mouth again.
"I will help you."
Rank 3, Mercenary.
I couldn't help but suspect this Rengel fellow first. He just appeared out of nowhere.
Although I had only ascended five floors so far, my intuition told me that a person who appears mid-mission like this was not a complete ally.
Perhaps I had developed an excessive paranoia.
"Miss, where is your destination?"
I expected Rengel's question to make Carmin hesitate a little before answering.
However, Carmin's mouth was lighter than I thought.
"Ventura Academy. If I can just get in, I think I can keep my life."
She seemed to trust him quite a bit.
"Using Monteum Forest would be a safer and faster way to reach Ventura Academy."
At Rengel's words, Carmin drew a smile on her lips.
"Really?"
"Yes, I will take the reins of the carriage and escort you to the Academy."
Rengel took out a map from his pocket and spread it out.
It was a map that recorded the surrounding scenery in considerable detail, so I could recognize it.
Indeed, taking a carriage through this forest seemed to be the fastest and safest route at the moment.
Which made me even more suspicious.
A person who appears with exactly what is needed at the moment you need it.
It was not easy for me to trust such a person completely.
I looked at the stable.
Across from the carriage were horses.
I took out the Holy Seal and infused it with magic on its back.
I had confirmed the effectiveness of the 'Veil of Secrecy' before opening the door to the 5th floor stage.
Rengel and Carmin walked towards the carriage.
I followed them, paying close attention, ready to cut Rengel's throat at any moment.
And with my left hand, I took out the Holy Seal.
-
Archmage) Constellations cannot see you in the first person. I confirmed this by asking the administrator on the later floors of the climb. Therefore, the Holy Seal given by the Shrine Maiden. The Veil of Secrecy on its back will definitely be effective.
It's Archmage senior's writing, so it should be reliable.
Swish...
After distorting the space around me with the veil, I took out the Transcendent Gallery terminal.
Carmin and Rengel seemed to notice no distortion in the scenery around me.
Just as the terminal was completely invisible to NPCs in the stage and players met at the exchange meeting, the gallery was unlikely to be clearly recognized by the eyes of Constellations, but it was right to prepare for all variables.
['The Saintess Who Chases the Light' displays a question mark above your head!]
['Blood Demon' tells you to remove what is obscuring your front.]
['Judge with a Thousand Eyes' recognizes the sudden distortion before you and frowns.]
I turned off the Constellations' notification windows so they were invisible to me.
I posted a message on the terminal.
Title: I don't know how to ride a horse, can I just get on?
Author: ㅇㅇ*
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I have to escort my charge to Ventura Academy. Ah, and a sort of helper guy showed up, can I trust this guy? Or is suspecting and weeding them out also a common quest format?
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Suspect and suspect again.
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Ice Queen) Brrr! You must suspect!
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Riding a horse is also a talent... Climbers adapt quickly.
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Sword of Light) Riding is ultimately about communicating with the horse. If the person is suspicious by your standards, keep suspecting them.
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Archmage) Horses make me carsick... I can just fly.
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Archmage) Quest types sometimes, if you're unlucky, can be like deduction games with no relation to combat. For escort missions, it's right to suspect everyone except your escort target.
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Okay, received.
A deduction game.
Why the hell would something like that appear?
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Absolute Monarch) Think of a horse as a comrade.
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Spear King) It's like a lover.
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That sounds weird, Spear-guy.
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Uncle Spear King, have you ever had a lover?
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Spear King) I'm married.
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Bummer.
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Shrine Maiden) Hawa-wa, if the difficulty star is six, there's a higher chance of encountering stronger enemies than expected, so be careful!
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Okay, I'm using the Holy Seal well. Veil of Secrecy seems effective even against Constellations. They can't see me using the terminal gallery.
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Shrine Maiden) Hawa-wa-wa!! Girl's Charm is excellent!
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Yes*) Went and came back.
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Scum Sword Saint) If your suspicion turns into reality, then don't hesitate to cut. If you hesitate, you will be cut.
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Yes*) Confirmed.
I took Uncle Gungchang's advice to heart and closed the gallery.