The Cost of Escape
While scanning the surroundings, Dierban’s eyes fell upon the fallen Radion. Blood already streamed from his head, and he was unconscious. The amount of blood scattered across the floor was enough that death by exsanguination wouldn’t have been surprising in the slightest.
“Radion is…” Beyond recovery. The attack had been too instantaneous to react to, and it had struck him squarely. At this rate, he would die from blood loss without question. His superhuman body was holding on, but multiple vital organs had been pierced.
“No one left to hold the front line. What now? Aang?”
The man carrying the blood mage on his back spoke with rising momentum. Dagger drawn, he lunged toward Radion in an instant.
“Stone Colossus.”
At Serdian’s spell, the cave ceiling crumbled into boulders and crashed down. Thud… thud…! The golems crushed the swordsman and the blood mage beneath them.
“Drag Radion over here!”
Up close, his condition looked even worse. Dierban tapped him a few times, but there was no response. Radion remained completely unconscious. In the end, Dierban made his decision.
“We’re going inside. Serdian, keep crushing them with the golems.”
“Got it.”
They had no choice but to abandon Radion. All they could do was hope the golems would pin their enemies down as long as possible. They laid Radion down in an inconspicuous spot and hurried deeper into the cave. The tracking talisman had long since been dealt with by the blood mage. They would have to search the cave directly.
“Stay together. There might be more of those monsters.”
“Let’s go.”
Serdian’s suggestion was reasonable. Dierban nodded and headed left with him.
What awaited them on the left was not Elesia.
“What the hell? I thought it was getting noisy. Are these the brats the boss mentioned?”
“Oi, oi, you got taken down by kids like these?”
This was the worst. Eight of them. Take them all out at once.
Before they could even notice, Dierban moved. Faces that had been laughing a moment ago burst apart right in front of him. The survivors, who clearly hadn’t expected to die, immediately fled in the opposite direction—toward the right.
“Hey, they’re heading that way! Grab them!”
“Tch…”
As expected, the enemies revived. They rushed into the right tunnel and found four more waiting.
“Aw, man, I was just getting into it…”
Seeing the men fixing their pants, Dierban and Serdian launched their attacks without hesitation.
Pubububung!
“Freeze.”
The torn flesh froze solid. It would buy them some time. They dashed deeper inside and found Elesia unconscious—fortunately untouched. Just as Dierban hoisted her onto his back to leave, a voice rang out.
“Ehei, why the rush? Is it okay for a master to run away like this?”
“You idiots. Just stay dead like that.”
The man grinned and kicked the frozen chunks of flesh. Dierban set Elesia down again and took his stance.
“Run!”
Grabbing the back of Elesia’s neck, Dierban fired an arrow at the ceiling.
Kwaaaaaang!
He fled through the hole with Elesia in his arms.
“Fly.”
Serdian also cast a spell and took to the sky. Dierban felt sorry for Radion, but he believed this was what Radion would have wanted. Just as he tried to escape, someone blocked his path.
Without even checking who it was, Dierban loosed an arrow.
“That won’t work… A master shouldn’t be doing this… You need to get stronger!!”
The man was clearly deranged.
“Frozen Lance.”
Multiple casts. Four ice spears flew toward the man.
Pabababak!
Even after being struck, the man showed no sign of damage. Yet the ice dug into his flesh and began freezing him solid.
“Now!”
Dierban tossed Elesia to Serdian, who had just finished casting. Then he nocked another arrow and fired. It was a strike carrying a Master’s full intent. An arrow capable of piercing a mountain flew straight at the man. He would revive eventually, but by then they would be long gone. Thinking this, Dierban immediately tried to flee with Serdian.
“Kuh… erk…”
What Dierban saw instead was Serdian with a blood-formed spear piercing his chest. Below stood the blood mage, looking annoyed. He moved his hand again.
Puhwak…!
The blood that had left Serdian’s body pierced back into him. Instant death. To Dierban, it was clearly instant death.
Whoosh…!
Elesia slipped from his arms and tumbled down the mountain slope. Dierban quickly caught her and rolled down the mountain with her.
“We keep going.”
Since the blood mage had come here, Radion was surely dead. Serdian as well. Both were beyond saving. So they fled at full speed.
“Elesia. Please hold on…!”
Dierban threw her down the mountain. Then he immediately turned and fired at the pursuers.
Pububububung!
Shwaaaaa…
Without checking the result, he poured mana into his legs and sprinted downward. Before hitting the ground, he caught Elesia again and accelerated even more.
Puhshuk! Puhshuk!
Blood swords flew from behind, but his Master’s senses let him dodge them easily.
If only Radion had reached Master rank, this would’ve been easier.
Shake shake.Pointless speculation.
Right now, he could only think about protecting Elesia. Dierban sprinted toward the Academy. Estelia was there. Even if not her, Kanahan had many lovers. A Master resorting to such cowardly tactics…
Heh heh… So this is all he amounted to.
He bit his lip at his own pathetic state.
Shake shake.First, save her. Even if it costs this life…
He had to. With them around, Kanahan would definitely intervene. There were also professors who were former imperial knights and the former Mercenary King. Just then, the man from earlier suddenly appeared.
“Haha, this is… A master only disappoints me… The rank I’ve wanted my whole life…”
“…Move.”
“Can’t do that… The boss told me to use that girl to deal with you all…”
It was a trap. A trap to eliminate three people: Radion Draken, Dierban Silver, and Serdian von. That meant the man’s target wasn’t Elesia.
“Lady Ortes. Please take care of her.”
Though he had no spirit affinity even after reaching Master rank, he could now sense spirits. Estelia, who had been watching, asked a spirit to retrieve Elesia. Elesia floated away toward the Academy.
As expected, the demon worshiper had no interest in Elesia.
“Phew… Thank goodness.”
“Aang..? You’re gonna die, you know?”
Snicker.
“So what? And why would I die?”
Click.
Dierban drew a single arrow from his quiver. It was one he had secretly brought from his family, just in case. An arrow crafted by the family’s artisans through a special method.
“Father would’ve scolded me if he saw this. Using a family heirloom on a woman I’m not even married to.”
Only one per year. There weren’t even a hundred in the family vault. Dierban nocked the arrow. The man in front of him, unable to hold back any longer, charged.
Standing still and staring at the man, Dierban spoke.
“It’s over.”
???!
It was power that had instantly dealt with even high-ranking demons. An arrow that worked even against the highest-ranking demons. The arrow crossed the air and embedded itself in the charging man’s heart. Dierban didn’t know which demon he had contracted with, but this should be the end. Especially since the arrow was also filled with a Master’s power.
“Persistent.”
Feeling presences approaching from behind, Dierban immediately turned. He fed arrows to the grinning men.
Pububububung!
Just as he tried to flee again, avoiding the chunks of flesh—
Seogeok…
“Kuhak!”
The man who should have been dead stood right in front of him. In an instant, he swung his sword and severed Dierban’s shoulder.
Now he couldn’t draw his bow.
“Kuh… Crush the rock! As expected… As expected, it’s that person’s power!!”
He was growing stronger by the second. It wasn’t a rise in rank—it felt like his very existence was changing. Blood streamed from the eyes of the man intoxicated by that power.
“Heh… I’ll take down the master with my own hands!”
The man’s sword swung toward Dierban. His shoulder was completely severed, and his mind was fading.
—What, you’re hurt..? It hurts when you get hurt. Come here, Illi.
—Hahaha! Dierban! What are you saying!
—Huh…? I’m getting sleepy…
—I like it too! You’re like family to me…!
Snicker.Why am I only remembering this now…
It was a past Elesia didn’t even remember. The thought that came to him wasn’t nostalgia for the past, but regret that he had never confessed his true feelings to her.
Ah… It wasn’t so bad.
Thinking this, Dierban closed his eyes.
…
..
.
“…?”
Feeling something strange, Dierban opened his eyes and saw a man with an enormous build. Taller than even the tall Dierban by another head. Kanahan.
“Whoa, he really gave you power. Belferno actually has a brain?”
Thud.
In front of Kanahan, who said this, lay the man with his head severed. Seeing Kanahan talking as if the man were dead, Dierban shouted.
“That guy revives…!”
“Ah, don’t worry. He won’t revive.”
Kanahan stomped on the fallen head and crushed it. Then countless talismans burst from the man’s body.
“Causality isn’t such an easy opponent. You have to soothe it properly. This is too rushed… Hmm…”
Kanahan stroked his chin and walked toward Dierban. Then he stuck a talisman on Dierban’s head.
“Go see the school nurse.”
With those words, his vision flipped. When he opened his eyes…
“Oh my! When did you get there?”
“Where is this…?”
Looking around, he was in the Academy’s infirmary.
“Ha… haha…”
Dierban could only let out a hollow laugh.
***
Dierban is alive. Belferno, one of the twelve great demons, turning a mere human into a subordinate. What a strange fellow. If he uses power like that, I’ll have to get involved too.
“Ah, shit… Shut up, you bastards. Can’t you be quiet? Do I still look human to you?”
Thud.
The stars that loved Elesia fell silent after requesting my cooperation regarding her danger. Damn stars. They were fine cursing me earlier, but now they’re throwing a fit.
“There’s nothing good for me in fighting, though.”
Since Elesia was saved, they were quiet. What they were saying now was to save Radion and Serdian. I thought they were already dead, but apparently they’re still alive. Thinking about what I could squeeze out of the stars, I moved my feet.
“Whoa… This is fun?”
And what I saw was Radion, who had reached Master rank.
“Elesia… Elesia…”
Radion swung his sword while searching for Elesia, having lost his mind. His left arm was gone, and his abdomen was torn to shreds. Looking around, the fallen enemies were reviving by offering sacrifices.
“Kya, this is it. This is the stuff.”
At least he had some sense of camaraderie—he had shoved Serdian into a corner. From what I could see, Serdian had about three minutes. He would definitely die in three minutes.
“You’re out.”
I’ve known him since the old days, so I have some attachment. A talisman that suddenly appeared stuck to Serdian’s body. Then he vanished in the blink of an eye. The enemies turned their heads, searching for the source.
“What the hell is that guy!”
“Quick, deal with—”
“Ah, why do you always stop mid-sentence…”
Do I really need to use specially made talismans on these guys? Just sticking ignition talismans would be enough.
“Uwek.”
The talisman spirit spat out ignition talismans again.
“Ah, by the way, I lifted the curse. They can’t revive anymore.”
Shiver shiver shiver.
It’s a waste to even use law power on these guys. Why did those two struggle so much?
“Bye now.”
The ignition talismans that filled the area around the enemies stuck to their bodies. Then they exploded.
Kwaaaaaang!
“Tsk, be careful.”
Since I was saving people anyway, I also rescued the ones who had been captured as sacrifices. I attached return talismans and sent them to the Academy, then looked at the only one left.
“Let’s see, let’s see… Why aren’t you Belferno? Come on, who do you worship?”
“This guy…”
“How can you use both Belferno’s power and another demon’s power? Did Belferno allow it? This is like sharing a hole… Hmm…”
“How dare you mock the heavens… Keck… Kuhk…”
Ah, why is he screaming? It’s a guy, too. Puhwak! I was going to ask, but he went crazy so there’s no helping it. These kinds of guys usually aren’t worth much anyway. In the end, when I burst his head, the guy’s arms went limp.
“I warned you, didn’t I? Huh?”
Why don’t they ever listen?
Pat pat.
“Ah, got blood on me.”
I’ll have to ask Luka to wipe it off.