Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Around the time Eleanor and her party clashed with the [Death King], Alexios opened his eyes, feeling a chilling coldness.
“Hello, Alexios-nim. Are you alright?”
“…….”
Alexios closed his eyes again to gather his thoughts. He remembered charging at Oz after abandoning his party members and his eventual defeat. He remained silent until he had fully grasped the current situation by observing his surroundings.
Once he had, Alexios addressed the most pressing matter.
“Arietta, stop talking like that. It’s creepy.”
“Mean.”
Perhaps due to their time at the monastery, Arietta’s formal speech felt awkward to Alexios.
“I’m not asking for a lap pillow, but couldn’t you at least have put a cloak under my head?”
“One is mine and the other is from Oz, so no.”
“……You’re seriously messed up too.”
Alexios sighed, looking at the Saintess’s bare face. How could this be the Saintess, a source of comfort for people? To Alexios, she looked like nothing more than a whining child. He felt like he’d gained another annoying little sister.
“Why did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Why did you hate Oz so much?”
“Well…”
The simplest answer would be ‘just because.’ But it wasn’t an issue that could be defined so simply.
Alexios knew. That Oz wasn’t that cruel of a person. Even if Oz didn’t consider them family, it was true. At least he had considered Oz family.
“Maybe it was because I didn’t understand.”
“Me neither.”
Arietta lowered her head. She couldn’t understand why Oz was distancing himself from her. He didn’t seem to dislike her, so she didn’t understand why he was pulling away.
“It’s a little different for you.”
Alexios grumbled at Arietta before continuing in a lower voice.
“What in the world is he thinking?”
Looking at Arietta’s dejected appearance, Alexios tried to gauge Oz’s intentions.
‘Why was he distancing himself from everything?’
Hadn't everything started with Oz leaving the monastery to get Arietta back? Then why was he distancing himself from Arietta too? Was there a need for that?
Until now, he had thought it was Oz’s own belief, waiting until he fulfilled his promise.
‘Based on what standard?’
But Oz was distancing himself from everything. Not just him, but Arietta too. But some were different. He couldn’t understand the criteria. If it was strength or status, there was no need for Oz to ignore him. Oz’s other party members, excluding himself, were people Alexios could defeat alone.
“You’re lucky, Alexios. At least you settled things with Oz.”
“Well… I’m not sure if it’s really settled.”
At Arietta’s complaint, Alexios’s questions only deepened. Why now?
Alexios had challenged Oz countless times. But each time, all he received was the bitter humiliation of defeat and Oz’s attitude of distancing himself from everything.
But something had changed.
“Hey, Alexios. What happened with Oz?”
“…….”
“It’s not just because of what happened before, is it?”
Lies didn’t work on the Saintess. Alexios sighed as if troubled.
Yes, it was something he had to reveal to someone eventually.
“Yeah, I tried to understand. I understood that I was weak and useless back then. So, until recently, it was more like a challenge.”
“Yeah, I know, I’ve heard and seen things. But…”
“…….”
Alexios seemed to swallow the words he was about to say several times. He was worried about saying it to Arietta, who liked Oz.
After a long hesitation, Alexios finally voiced his doubts to Arieta.
“I…”
This outburst was just a trigger. He had heard such contempt and disregard hundreds of times in his life. If he couldn’t endure something like that, he wouldn't have become the [Fist King].
The reason he held animosity towards Oz was…
“I thought he might have killed my Master.”
It was suspicion.
“What…?”
“That’s why I couldn’t even defend myself when my senior disciples, who thought I killed my Master, chased me out.”
“What are you talking about…?”
“How many mages do you think are capable of killing my Master?”
Alexios had fled to Scientia after being falsely accused of killing his master, the previous [Fist King]. The reason he became the prime suspect was that he had remained silent despite witnessing his master's murder.
“The one who killed my Master was around my age.”
Alexios had believed in Oz. That’s why he had remained silent. He couldn’t say anything until he was certain.
“He was wearing a mask, but he had a similar build to Oz, with the same black hair and sky-blue eyes.”
But the circumstances were too suspicious. The timing was too perfect. The timing when Alexios wasn’t by his master’s side. The very moment he had returned from challenging Oz.
He had walked back, but Oz had a more efficient means of transportation: magic. Teleportation was an advanced-level magic, but Oz, the [Successor of the Mage King], could probably use it.
But even setting all that aside, there was something else that made him suspicious.
“The one who killed my Master said this.”
Standing amidst a pool of his master's blood, the black-haired man had spoken in the same voice as Oz.
-“Too late. You’re still foolish and useless, Alexios.”
Cold, sky-blue eyes behind an expressionless mask. A color strikingly similar to the eyes that had looked down on him so arrogantly, trampling on his dignity. Those words had pierced Alexios’s heart like a dagger.
“I didn’t think Oz was the culprit, but…”
Seeing Oz trampling on a professor who seemed to be a martial artist during practice brought back his suspicions. That’s why his discontent and suspicion had accumulated, leading to his outburst.
“He’s definitely hiding something from us.”
With those words, Alexios stood up. He decided to bury his doubts for now. Considering the Oz he had seen during their fight, he didn't think Oz was the one who had killed his master.
“Anyway, tell me, Arietta. What did he say before he left?”
“…He told us to follow slowly, with Alexios.”
“What? He wasn’t trying to protect me, he was waiting to use me? He called me a high-level asset, but he changes his words all the time!”
“But I’m a high-level escort target.”
“Indeed you are.”
Following Alexios, who had been lying down, Arietta, who had been kneeling demurely, slowly stood up. A considerable number of undead were approaching them.
“I still can’t figure out what that bastard is thinking.”
Alexios muttered, looking at the [Death King]’s soldiers emerging from the forest. Zombies, ghouls, skeletons - a large army of undead from the Underworld.
“…How does he even predict these things?”
Crack!
Along with Arietta's singing, the [Fist King]’s bombardment began.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I traversed the forest of the examination hall, searching for Marie. With [Contemplation], it wouldn't take long.
“Li… ving… one…”
“Isn’t it moving too fast for such a slow way of speaking?”
Crack!
Despite looking like a sluggish zombie, it charged like a hawk eyeing its prey. I crushed its head with my fist.
“Well, that wasn’t very gentlemanly of me. My apologies.”
I was so startled that my fist moved before my magic. Fortunately, Arietta's divine arts were still active, so I wasn’t lacking in strength, but as a mage, my actions just now weren’t ideal.
Lately, it felt like I was engaging in hand-to-hand combat more than magic. It wasn’t a good sign. Wasn't it barbaric?
“Li… ving… one…”
“Hah!”
Crack!
Even with its head crushed, the zombie reached out. I stomped on its joints, destroying them. I was foolish to think that crushing the head of something with a rotten brain would stop it.
“There are more than I thought…”
A chill ran down my spine at the number of undead swarming towards me. I was momentarily worried about leaving Arietta behind, but then I realized I was in no position to worry about her.
“Should I have just abandoned that Alexios bastard?”
The divine arts Arietta used were only R-rank in terms of offensive power, but against the undead, they were unmatched. Just hearing Arietta's singing would make the undead collapse on the spot. Her song was a form of salvation. It was natural, since those who had fallen into hell would all look up to heaven.
Intermediate Magic
[Storm Blade]
I cut through the ribs of a skeleton rushing between the trees with blades of wind, exposing its core.
Bang!
Then, leaning back to avoid the burst of wind, I crushed the struggling skeleton’s core with my fist.
With that, the skeleton’s soul should have returned to where it belonged, be it the Underworld or Heaven.
“This is definitely easier.”
Arietta’s divine arts enhanced my magic power, but it was undeniably easier to just swing my limbs around without thinking. It seemed fine to resort to barbaric methods until the effects of the divine arts wore off.
“No one’s watching me anyway…”
That was the biggest reason. Despite appearances, I was quite conscious of how I presented myself. Even when using insignificant magic, I maintained a proper posture, so it was more comfortable when I didn't have to worry about others’ gazes.
“Li… ving… one…!”
As if seeking revenge for its fallen comrade, a new skeleton charged towards me. I grabbed its wrist and swung it at the other undead. I’d always wanted to try this.
Crack!
But it didn’t last long. The skeleton’s joints were weaker than I thought, and its arm was ripped off.
“Oh dear… Well, whatever.”
It didn’t matter. The area was teeming with undead, and half of them were skeletons, weren’t they? I was already hesitant to touch the zombie-type undead, so this was fine.
“Still, it’s better to conserve mana here.”
Intermediate Magic
[Stalagmite]
Thud!
I concentrated for a moment, then stomped my foot, deploying the magic. Stalagmites suddenly sprouted, restricting the movements of the undead swarming from all directions. The zombie and skeleton-type undead, with their low physical durability, were easily incapacitated by this magic.
The problem was the higher-ranking undead, the commanding officers. The Death Knight and Lich, who had been observing the situation from amidst the horde.
They started to move.
Even for me, the higher-ranking undead were troublesome. Moreover, the Lich was better at magic than me. It was an advanced-level mage.
“How insulting.”
The Death Knight positioned itself at the front, and the Lich at the back, both watching me warily.
I wasn't sure who the real monsters were.
“But still…”
They were barely SR-rank. They were no match for me, with my SSR-rank physical abilities enhanced by Arietta's divine arts.
I drew a composite spell formula in the air.
The Death Knight warily raised its shield and approached me. I wasn't sure if its class was guardian or warrior, but I could tell by its reaction.
“A warrior, huh? Then your durability is lower than I thought.”
With overwhelming SSR-rank physical abilities, I snatched the shield from the Death Knight’s grasp.
“Nice shield.”
Prejudice and carelessness. My most effective weapons.
“Li… Huh? Hey, give that back.”
“Who took it? I’m just looking.”
The Death Knight, which had only been repeating the word “living one” in a drawn-out tone, spoke fluently. But, as if dumbfounded by its own words, it froze, unable to comprehend the situation.
It was understandable. Until just now, it must have thought I was a mage since I was using magic. Even though I’d shown some hand-to-hand combat, it was only against low-level zombies and skeletons, so it couldn't have gauged my true strength. It probably hadn't imagined that I was stronger than it.
“Warriors and mages aren’t as good a combination as I thought.”
Being immune to allies’ magic was something that only happened in games, not in reality. Magic could hurt even the caster at close range. Therefore, the combination of a warrior, with lower durability than a guardian and the need to approach the enemy, and a mage was nothing short of disastrous. Of course, if the warrior was specialized in ranged attacks like Alexios, it would be a different story…
“You don’t have that ability, do you?”
“Gah?!”
If it had ranged attacks, it would have used them from the start. But it approached me. Probably to buy time for the Lich to prepare its magic.
I pressed the borrowed shield against the Death Knight’s other arm, restricting its movement. The Death Knight couldn’t swing its sword properly because of the close proximity and the size of the shield. Moreover, I was much stronger. If I pushed it towards the Lich like this—
“What…?!”
The Lich would also be forced to react. It would have to decide whether to fire the advanced-level magic it had prepared. A Death Knight was a commander. Recklessly sacrificing such a high-ranking undead wasn't a good idea. The Lich knew that better than anyone.
But it was also true that I was getting closer and closer.
The Lich’s choice was obvious.
“Wait… Stop!”
It would use advanced-level magic to blow away both me and the Death Knight before I got any closer.
“…Unfortunately, I have no choice.”
The Lich finally deployed its magic. I couldn’t see the Death Knight’s face because of its helmet, but I could sense its panic. It probably hadn't expected to die like this.
“What?!”
Taking advantage of its panic, I lightly pushed the Death Knight away. This created some distance between us. Of course, this distance wasn’t enough to avoid advanced-level magic. But I had a means to block even that.
[Spatial Barrier Lv. 1]
I had pushed the Death Knight away to create space. Since [Spatial Barrier] formed around me, if the Death Knight had been too close, it would have been caught in the area of effect as well.
A moment later, the advanced-level magic deployed from the tip of the Lich’s staff dyed the surrounding area red.
[Hellfire], an advanced-level magic. It had a relatively simple effect, but its firepower was among the strongest of the advanced-level magic.
“Haa…”
The moment [Spatial Barrier] collided with the Lich’s [Hellfire], which reduced the Death Knight to ashes, it shattered into pieces.
“You lack the basics. A mage panicking and closing the distance. That’s why you died at that level.”
“What…?! Impossible!”
The moment [Spatial Barrier] disappeared, I quickly dashed forward, grabbed the Lich’s face, and slammed it into the ground. Perhaps because it was a high-ranking undead, its durability was a bit higher, so its head didn’t shatter like the skeleton's.
But this was the end. Mages couldn't deploy magic at close range. They would end up killing themselves.
However, I was different.
[Mana Dominator Lv. 2]
[2/100 until guaranteed SSR-rank magic]
“W-Wait!”
[Wind Piercing]
Crack!
The magic deployed right in front of the Lich pierced through its skull, turning the ground upside down.