Chapter 149
Chapter 149
Eleanor believed she had worked as hard as anyone.
And she had. It showed in her grades and her rapidly improving skills.
She had tried.
As much as others. No, even more than others.
But it wasn't enough.
‘I'm still so weak.’
She lacked talent. She had a special power that others didn't, but she was wasting it.
She had to try harder.
Even more, because of her lack of talent. What she desired was there.
‘It’s frustrating…….’
Her master, Oz, eventually moved on without her.
He only allowed three to stand by his side.
Baekyang, Alexios. And Ulla.
Of those, two followed Oz, and one remained.
It was a formation purely for efficiency, excluding personal emotions.
‘It’s too frustrating…….’
That's why she couldn't protest.
She knew how deeply Oz cared for Arietta. Yet, he even left her behind.
How could Eleanor protest?
Anything she could do, Alexios could also do.
But what Alexios did, she could not.
It was clear whom to take.
“I’m weak……”
Eleanor thought as she watched the wave of tree monsters approach.
Arietta, undeterred by being called a burden, was doing her part.
She spread a sanctuary, invigorating everyone.
Marie, despite Oz's words, was not disheartened and was forming a wall.
Endless hordes of undead drew a line on the battlefield.
Ulla saved people with sniping, and the maiden from the Federation disintegrated enemies using yokai magic.
So, what was Eleanor doing?
At most, she was swinging her greatsword at solid bark.
That was the limit of her own skill.
‘This isn't it. This isn't what I wanted.’
She was a burden. No, not even a burden. She was just an extra now.
Her master had said there might be something only she could do.
But simply waiting for that wouldn't sit well with her pride.
She needed to stand out.
She needed to imprint her presence on everyone. She didn't want to be someone who appeared when needed, but someone who stood before them and led.
Hadn't she told Lustitia she would be a sun, not a moon?
“Open.”
Eleanor's special ability couldn't be very effective in this situation.
Her power displayed an absolute advantage against enemies who protected their bodies by spreading their colour around them.
Because she could taint that colour with her own and make it her own strength. That meant she could nullify their defense and control that power itself.
And the stronger the opponent, the more pronounced this tendency.
The stronger one is, the greater the recoil, so preparing a protective force was fundamental.
Eleanor could get stronger the stronger her opponent was.
“Warmth of Kindness!”
But in the current situation, it had little effect.
The opponents were monsters moving purely by instinct. They didn't know how to unleash the power they held; they merely collided with their wooden bodies.
Against such opponents, Eleanor's power was of little use.
“No……. No……”
But was that truly the case?
Could the power her master himself acknowledged really be just that much?
It couldn't be. And it shouldn't be.
Therefore, what was lacking was herself. Her thoughtlessness, her recklessness in charging headlong without deep thought.
- How do you want to do it?
Eleanor felt like she heard someone's voice. To that voice, resembling her own, Eleanor spoke with all her frustration.
“To everyone.”
Eleanor gripped her greatsword tightly, which had begun to radiate a golden glow due to [Key of Understanding].
“Who I am.”
She wrapped the residual mana, Demonic Energy, yokai energy, and divine power swirling through the battlefield—the countless forces that clashed and scattered—around her sword.
It wasn't enough. Far from enough.
If she could seize the Saintess's sanctuary, the maiden's mist, the spirits of the dead.
If she could imbue her sword with all of that, it would be enough.
“I want to impress it upon them.”
But she didn't want to do that.
She wanted to be a hero noticed by everyone, but more than that, she wanted to be a reliable person who stepped forward and led.
“So.”
The faint power scattered and lingering in the air.
Eleanor began to understand the properties contained within that small power.
“For that!”
The golden glow soon enveloped her entire body.
There was a limit to strengthening oneself using mana.
There was a limit that the body could accept. At her current level, it was infinitely faint. Therefore, Eleanor encroached. She imbued her body with the characteristics of Demonic Energy, forcibly breaking through her limits.
“It’s natural for it to hurt!”
Eleanor stepped into a realm that had been impossible until now.
Her body ached as if it were tearing apart from the excess mana, but that too was fleeting.
Confusion began to set in on the sensation of pain she felt.
Periodically, divine power began to cleanse her body to prevent her from collapsing, layering over the pain.
Mana and Demonic Energy. Divine power and yokai energy.
Eleanor, who began to wield those powers organically, swung her sword.
“Even if it’s frustrating now, this will be my driving force!”
Skat!
Her sword sliced through the body of a tree monster.
Not by breaking it with force and weight.
[Key of Understanding]
But by understanding and using it.
“Next time……. Definitely.”
She accepted the frustration and looked to the future. Next time, it wouldn't be someone like Alexios by Oz's side, but her.
She would work hard to make it so.
- If that’s what you want.
The voice from within her was growing clearer.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I thought Alexios alone would be enough to clear the path, but with Baekyang, the guardian, added, it definitely felt easier.
No, it wouldn't have been possible without her.
Because the waves were rougher and more intense than I expected.
If the second wave was this much, the third would start to be overwhelming, and the fourth would cause numerous casualties.
Fairy Magic
[Will-O’-The-Wisp]
I set up a [Will-O’-The-Wisp] in the center of the continuously approaching tree monsters.
Exploding them from within was more efficient than I thought.
Intermediate Magic
[Fire Wall]
At my current level, linking intermediate magic was the limit. For now, that's enough.
“Hoo……”
They really come endlessly.
I have enough mana, but my mind was weary.
Because the surrounding environment was a forest, my senses were heightened, unsure when the trees next to me might turn into monsters.
Indeed, going against the waves and crossing the forest was suicidal.
But the reward will be just as sweet.
If I can save Tia, who will commit mutual destruction with the boss of the ‘outer beings’, that alone will solidify our victory.
Even setting aside the [Parade] and Janus incidents, the situation will be dozens of times better than I knew.
“Oz.”
“Hmm?”
Alexios, who had been smashing tree monsters as if chopping firewood with his bare hands, approached with an annoyed expression.
“That.”
“Baekyang?”
“Yes, that.”
Alexios pointed at Baekyang, who was smiling brightly at me from a little distance away.
“Was it really okay to bring her?”
“Aren't you also feeling that she's contributing to our combat power?”
“Yes, that's true.”
Thanks to Baekyang's [Power Step], which provides a shield to allies, we were able to advance without a single scratch.
Even if we had taken a hit, it would have been just a scratch, but thanks to her, there has been no consumption so far.
“Still, I think this situation is dangerous, as much as you asked for my help. I'm asking if it was okay to bring her along despite that.”
“……”
Alexios's argument was valid.
It might be dangerous for Baekyang. No, she was definitely not enough.
From the start, I couldn't guarantee success even for myself. That's why I decided to borrow Alexios's strength.
Considering the power of the enemies that appeared in the latter half of the waves, the World Tree itself would likely be threatening enough to require evading all attacks.
Yes, evasion is the premise. It might be different if an SSR-grade guardian had followed, but it's too much for Baekyang.
“I'm not an idiot, Alexios. Don't worry. If we see the World Tree, I'll have Baekyang wait at a distance.”
It’s purely a matter of efficiency.
I really wanted this to succeed, even if there was some risk.
“Worry……. Oz, I'm not worried about you. Because you're strong.”
“That’s out of nowhere.”
I never expected such words to come from anyone but him.
“But what about her?”
“……What do you mean?”
“Just because you're strong, and wise, and you planned everything that way.”
Alexios's raptor-like gaze, which had been looking at Baekyang suspiciously, then turned to me.
“Such insignificant things don't make a person's worries disappear.”
“……”
“She's someone who followed you to this dangerous place for your sake.”
I shifted my gaze slightly to look at Baekyang.
Her eyes met mine, and she gave me a gentle smile.
Thinking back to a while ago, it felt incredibly awkward.
“If you were to fall into danger. It might not be you who dies, but her.”
She stepped into this perilous place for me. She, who of all people would have disliked me the most.
She risked danger for me.
“Be careful not to regret it. If you only look ahead, you might not know what happened to the person who was following behind you.”
It was a self-deprecating remark.
It was Alexios's words filled with regret. He was referring to Lena's incident.
As before, Alexios feels responsible for Lena's incident. It's his self-reproach for abandoning his family due to his rivalry with Oz.
“……You tend to look too far ahead.”
I know that too. But I can't help what I see.
This world is quietly rushing towards destruction, and only I can see it so clearly.
Turning my eyes away from that… It seems utterly impossible.
The night that followed the second wave. We were taking a short break, utilizing that brief respite.
“Hmm. I feel a bit cold, don't you think?”
Baekyang, who had been sitting by a small campfire, subtly moved to sit beside me.
A sly smile played on her face, and combined with her unique purple eyes, it felt alluring. Was she planning to play a prank?
“If you're cold, shall I add more wood to the fire? There's more than enough firewood.”
“How about a different method? For example……”
Baekyang, who had been inching closer, put on a playful expression, then suddenly burrowed into my arms.
I didn't react, knowing it would be what she wanted; I'd already learned from Noah how to deal with troublemakers. If you react, they'll climb all over you.
“Actually, after seeing Noah do this, I also wanted to try it.”
Perhaps because she didn't get the reaction she wanted, Baekyang quickly returned to a normal smile and blinked.
“You and Noah are in slightly different situations, though.”
“How so?”
Well……. Would she get angry if I said "her curves"?
“……Weight.”
No matter what, I couldn't be completely honest, so I toned it down considerably. Baekyang began to glare at me with narrowed eyes.
I felt unfairly treated, thinking it wouldn't have made much difference even if I had just spoken honestly.
“……I see why Oz has never had a girlfriend.”
I hear that often. Really……. Too often. Am I really that bad?
“Still, maybe you had one before. Aren't you being too definitive?”
“Of course, I checked everything.”
When I retorted out of vexation, Baekyang, as if finding it amusing, pulled out a document from within her clothes and flaunted it, flapping it.
This bastard brought this again?
Would reading that, filled only with malicious edits, actually be helpful?
No, wait a minute.
“……Does that perhaps also contain my activities before entering Scientia?”
“Of course it does. I scraped together every bit of data.”
“Give it to me.”
If that were true, I could obtain a lot more information than I expected.
I had been avoiding asking [Tenebris] because it would seem too suspicious, so this was good timing.
“No. You’re going to secretly burn it, aren't you?”
“Do I look like that kind of person?”
“Yes.”
She saw right through me.
I was going to burn it after reading it, but I got caught.
Well, whatever. I didn't expect much anyway. Even if I investigated Oz's past actions, there wouldn't be the information I wanted.
He's thorough, so he would have hidden all the really important things.
“Hey, hands off.”
“Tsk……”
I had been lost in thought, and she had her hand on my clothing buttons.
Even if she was a Goblin, how could her actions be so identical to Noah's?
The problem was, what Noah did felt cute, but what Baekyang did, every gesture, felt suggestive. It made me feel even more burdened.
“Just looking at the fire reminds me of Jeokmae, and it’s annoying.”
She's changing her tone now?
Is she that serious about it? Jeokmae still cooperated in creating Fairy Magic to help you, didn't she?
“……When did you say the next wave would be?”
“Probably tomorrow evening.”
“You said you’d attack then, right?”
“Yes.”
We've already found the World Tree. In fact, we're camping near it.
We're just choosing the timing.
As the waves progress, the World Tree's power will weaken.
And that deadline is when the third wave begins.
The fourth wave could cause serious damage to our side, so if possible, we should strike before then.
So, if we start, it will be right after the third wave begins.
After the trees near the World Tree, corrupted by the yokai energy and will from the World Tree, have rushed out from the vicinity.
“Oz is my benefactor, so I’ll definitely protect you. It’s a promise. As for the Fist King, well, I’ll see how the situation goes.”
“……Alright.”
Baekyang chuckled and leaned further into me.
I pretended to pat Baekyang’s shoulder, deploying magic.
Fairy Magic
[Lullaby]
Baekyang, seemingly unaware that I was casting magic, simply smiled happily.
Step by step, she, who trusted me implicitly, fell asleep from the Fairy Magic.
“……”
I am her benefactor.
I am the one who showed her the proof that humans and yokai, for whom she had striven her entire life, could understand each other.
It's already impossible to deny, even if she tried.
If she didn't trust me, she wouldn't have fallen for a Fairy Magic of this level.
“Ready, Alexios.”
As Alexios said. If I were in danger, she might die for me.
“……That method might betray her trust.”
“Still, it's the fastest and most reliable way. Let her hate me if she wants. I don't care.”
So, I'm leaving her here.
After all, the will of the monsters that will rush in during the wave is merely to move away from the World Tree. In that process, they simply destroy whatever they encounter.
So, it will be fine here.
There are no trees nearby, and considering the World Tree's location, no monsters will pass through this area.
If I put up a blackout curtain so she can't see, and then set up a magical shield over it, it will be fine.
By the time she wakes up, the task will already be done.
“Shall we get going then? The third wave will probably be around 7 AM. We need to prepare.”
“You're unnecessarily good at lying. ……Terribly so.”
“I'm used to it, so I can't help it.”
Yes, lying is familiar.
After all, my very existence was also built on lies.
So, perhaps a little. No, perhaps everything. It might all be a lie.