Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: The Modified Queen and the Break-In
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Rain mixed with the sound of harsh wind slipping through the downpour.
With a hole punched through its throat, the Knight Hornet Queen couldn't utter a word.
But its insectile compound eyes glared at us with murderous intent—that much came through loud and clear.
Of all things, he had to plant that flag.
Once this fight was over, I needed to impose a no-flag policy on Ethan.
"Don't let your guards down, everyone!"
I shouted it to everyone present—and to myself at the same time—as I drew Deathwise.
The Knight Hornet Queen didn't originally have a Phase 2.
Even if Ethan had planted that flag, a Phase 2 was abnormal.
For that matter, it was weirder that it hadn't died with a hole in its throat.
As if to prove the abnormality, the Knight Hornet Queen's body began to swell.
The unnatural, rapid growth hinted at external interference.
And "external" could only mean...
The Precursors' doing, no doubt.
It looked like they'd artificially modified the Knight Hornet Queen.
Modifications? Sure, that tracked.
Most of what the Precursors did was along those lines.
But I couldn't guess their reason.
At this point in the timeline, the Precursors' raid on Esterro Academy was meant to stir up chaos across the Tekat Kingdom—a form of agitation.
The bigger the damage, the better, but as long as it caused disorder, that was fine.
So their strategy should have been to hit and run, even if Leon stopped them.
But now... it felt like they were thrashing desperately, no matter the cost.
Like they were hell-bent on annihilating the academy somehow.
Could I dismiss this change as just a random variable?
My instincts screamed no.
That said, the enemy right in front of me came first.
I refocused.
Bzzz—the Knight Hornet Queen's wings, dangling like a dress hem, vibrated without even leaving an afterimage.
It shot into the air, its speed far surpassing human dynamic vision.
"Ethan! Bind it!"
"Already on it!"
The Shield of Restraint circulated mana even more intensely.
The circuits engraved on the shield flashed pure white.
Even inside the binding range, it was this fast?
Bang! Noel fired, but the bullet sliced through empty air.
Was it too fast to hit, or did it dodge? Hard to tell.
Louis's lightning fared the same.
Lightning-quick... no, faster, if we're just talking speed.
Even as currents arced in all directions, the Knight Hornet Queen dodged them with acrobatic flair.
"Looks like it's my turn to step up."
That was around when Kyriakos moved.
He stepped forward calmly, closed his eyes, and murmured.
"No matter how high a pest flies in the sky, a single shot brings it down. My Black Water shall—"
"No, Senior, you stay put."
I grabbed his shoulder, and Kyriakos glared at me.
A question floated in his violet eyes, their focus hazy.
"Why?"
"Because we can handle it without you stepping in, Senior."
With all these variables popping up, I couldn't guarantee every future event would match the main story's difficulty.
Cases like the Knight Hornet Queen getting even stronger right in front of us would happen more often.
So we had to get stronger whenever we could.
This was a total curveball, but it was more than enough to level up everyone here.
That said, if Kyriakos went all out, that chance would vanish.
We might take down the Knight Hornet Queen easily, but... it wouldn't be good long-term.
Kyriakos pursed his lips and glared at me, as if trying to read my intentions.
Finally, he let go of his sword hilt.
"If it gets dangerous, I'll step in."
"I'll count on you then."
Seemingly convinced, he nodded and fell back.
Bzzz—in the meantime, the accelerating Knight Hornet Queen charged at Ethan.
He barely blocked, but... cracks spiderwebbed across his Kite Shield with every clash.
"The shield won't hold much longer!"
"Hang in there just a bit more!"
Think, how do we take down the Knight Hornet Queen?
My mind raced at full throttle.
Ethan's Kite Shield was on the verge of shattering.
Shield fragments scattered, mingled with yellow-and-black shards.
Ah, got it.
Now I understood why the Knight Hornet Queen was dodging every attack.
Its carapace was breaking down in real time too.
The throat hole had damaged it, and the strain of high-speed flight was causing cracks to spread, slowly tearing it apart.
In that case... there was a way.
"Louis Senior and Noel, lay down suppressive fire to block its path! Leon, get that ready!"
"You're so rough handling people...!"
Louis swept back his rain-soaked bangs and flipped through his grimoire.
Green currents surged up, forming walls around the Knight Hornet Queen.
It tried to weave through the gaps, but Noel sealed them with ice bullets.
Magic and bullets temporarily blocked its paths.
The only route left was straight at Ethan.
In the end, the Knight Hornet Queen shuddered its wings and charged him.
"Urgh...!"
Swallowing a groan, Ethan planted his feet firmly.
Boom! Amid the roar, he skidded back along the ground but held firm—though his shield didn't.
It shattered in an explosion.
The impact knocked Ethan backward, but the Knight Hornet Queen had to pause too.
And in that moment, Leon took a step forward.
Exwise's blade, tinged with gold, gleamed through the rain.
Its light—benevolent yet stern—seemed plucked straight from the sun beyond the thick clouds.
Holy sword, drawn.
The golden slash arcing from Exwise pierced the Knight Hornet Queen.
An absolute strike its damaged carapace couldn't block.
All escape routes to minimize damage were sealed.
An impromptu combo this flawless was hard to believe.
The Knight Hornet Queen collapsed without even a death cry, tasting its worth.
Bisected, it clearly wouldn't rise again, no matter what.
"This time... we really got it, right...?"
"Yeah, we did, but... don't say that from now on..."
Haa, I'm exhausted.
My knees buckled, and I flopped onto my back.
The barrier from the Shield of Restraint vanished, letting the torrent lash my cheeks.
Maybe I should just grab some fried batter and call it a day—but why did this happen?
Ruining my peaceful day like this.
I curse you, Precursors.
"First off... everyone okay?"
"My arm's a bit numb, but otherwise fine."
Ethan was the only one I'd worried might be hurt.
The rest were all unscathed.
After catching our breath, we left the main building.
Knight Hornets that had killed themselves littered the ground everywhere.
A bit of a hassle, but at least this part hadn't changed. Good.
"...Isn't it kinda chaotic?"
"We just got attacked by monsters out of nowhere, so of course the guards are rushing around."
Louis was right—the guards should be busy now.
But I felt the same oddness Ethan had.
For cleanup after an attack... the guards seemed to ignore the Knight Hornets entirely.
"Ah, Jin!"
I called out to Jin passing by just then.
His grim face soured further at the sight of me as he approached.
For someone who acted like everything was a bother, him hustling meant something serious was up.
"You again, huh. Failure kid."
"I'm not a failure kid; I'm Theo Agrit."
"Same difference. So, what? Make it quick—I'm busy."
"You seem busy. What's going on?"
"You see this mess and have to ask...?"
"I saw the Knight Hornets attack, so I know that much. Just... the guards don't seem to care about them."
Haa, Jin sighed and pinched his brow.
Fatigue was etched all over him.
"Intruders in the Forbidden Archive. No idea what they stole, but they're on the run, so every guard's out tracking them. Happy now?"
"......Huh?"
The Forbidden Archive... got hit again...?
4
"The Forbidden Archive?"
"Yeah, there's a special vault under the library for forbidden books. Security's insane—impossible to break in under normal circumstances."
Noel, still new to transfers, tilted his head curiously.
Ethan's friendly explanation nailed it.
Normally, unauthorized entry was impossible.
I knew the exceptions, though...
"What'd they steal from the Forbidden Archive?"
Everyone's eyes turned to Louis at Noel's innocent question.
Louis pouted and waved it off, leaning against the main building's wall.
"Not me?"
"You've got priors, Senior."
"I'm not into forbidden books. That was just... teenage rebellion or whatever."
Excuse accepted? Not really.
But Louis was innocent for sure.
The intruders had already fled, after all.
And it wasn't chocolate this time.
The motive and reason were the mysteries again.
The Forbidden Archive sealed dangerous tomes.
Reasons for Precursors to target it? Plenty.
But in Broken World, the Forbidden Archive had next to no plot relevance.
The Precursors had never even tried invading it.
And now, out of nowhere, something sealed there got stolen.
The Knight Hornet Queen too—it was hard to chalk up as mere variables.
"But is it okay? All the professors went to help with the dam breach."
"Oh... right. Yeah, I heard it was a once-in-ten-years downpour, and there was a royal order..."
"So that's why none showed up while we were swatting hornets!?"
Ethan seemed to realize it belatedly.
Thanks to that, I pieced something together too.
Right now, the academy had only a skeleton crew of professors.
The only freely mobile manpower was basically the guards.
But even they couldn't handle both the Forbidden Archive theft and the Knight Hornet attack.
So they'd likely borrowed outside help.
Say, students who'd tangled in incidents like this before and whose skills were proven...
"We should step up."
Leon murmured calmly, hand on his sword hilt.
But resolve burned in his red eyes.
Don't jinx it.
Before I could say so, Jin approached from afar, scratching his head.
"Hey! You still around? Perfect. Got a favor to ask."
I could guess what kind, and my vision darkened.
5
"...They went this way. Probably five of them."
Noel scanned the ground and pointed ahead.
Tracks should've washed away in the rain, but he spotted them fine.
Must be his special senses.
"Already past the capital?"
Ethan glanced back at the west gate and rubbed his chin.
"Any farther, and tracking gets dicey. Recommend pursuing fast."
Leon nodded at Kyriakos's words.
Everyone acted like taking on jobs like this was no big deal.
The kingdom's top school, short-staffed enough to throw students into danger.
No wars in centuries bar minor territory spats—peace had made them soft.
Sloppy and lax, nothing else to call it... but really, it was just a flimsy setup to slot Leon into the plot.
Trash game stays trash.
"What now?"
"Why ask me, Senior."
"You're the leader."
I glared at Louis's nonchalant claim.
Who's the leader... no, why are you all looking at me like that?
"Theo's leading? Solid!"
"Agreed."
Ethan and Leon, fine—but why's Noel sparkling?
Kyriakos looked utterly disinterested.
"You lead, Senior."
"You're just dumping it 'cause it's a hassle."
"Respect your elders."
Louis waved off my protest in horror.
"Nah. A jobless loser like me? Leader? Pass."
Tch, cheap self-deprecation.
Couldn't deny it, so I got forcibly voluntold as leader.
"Haa...."
Think positive, positive.
A leader's the one everyone trusts, right?
If they all trust me, it's not so bad...
"We pursue now. Ethan and I up front. Noel and Louis Senior in the middle. Rearguard to Kyriakos Senior and Leon."
Best balance, considering we might face all five at once.
No clue who broke into the Forbidden Archive...
But they went and annoyed me, so I'd catch them and make them pay...