Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Giant of Northsweden
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Having confirmed that all the luggage was loaded onto the carriage, I slowly turned toward the academy.
Winter break had already begun before I knew it.
Unlike this summer, I had planned to tour the kingdom resolving incidents caused by evil spirits and unsolved cases buried away as their doing.
But thanks to Saintess Lucia finally having some free time and being active as of late, I was set to head to Viollen, the Bright family’s territory, for the formal meeting.
Erika, who had checked the luggage on the same carriage, sidled up to me quietly.
“Do you have any plans?”
“They’ll end up bowing their heads and coming to us anyway, so no issue.”
At my words, Erika nodded but then looked at me with a subtle expression.
“That sounds like you have no plans at all?”
“…….”
“Something’s off from your usual self?”
I didn’t bother answering, but that only made it seem stranger, and now Erika wore a worried look.
“Nothing’s wrong, is there?”
“Nothing.”
My curt reply made her back off for the moment.
“But where’s Pindenai? She’d normally be the noisiest one around.”
Erika shifted the topic naturally to Pindenai, perhaps to change the subject. But it hit the nail on the head unintentionally.
“She left.”
“Left?”
I thought I was using my usual tone and manner of speaking, but something felt different?
Erika’s face twisted as she turned to stare at me. The worry in her eyes unnervingly shook me.
“Yeah, she’s from the Clock Republic, so she went back there.”
“…….”
Erika stared at me blankly before clenching her fists and biting her lip. Then she bowed her head deeply and said.
“Let’s go after her.”
It was unexpected.
I never imagined Erika would suggest chasing after Pindenai.
“No need to waste time catching one runaway maid.”
“She’s not just any maid!”
Her outburst carried a mix of emotions: jealousy, anger, but also sympathy and concern intertwined.
She was pushing aside her own feelings to speak to me.
“I knew something was different about you lately, and that’s why. Deus, it’ll be fine, so let’s go to Northsweden. It’s just a nominal formal meeting anyway; we can cancel it.”
“That’s nonsense.”
“What’s so nonsensical about it!”
“The Bright family is already preparing to receive us, and Darius has probably set off already.”
“But!”
“And I’ve summoned the Zeronia family too.”
“What……?”
Erika gasped involuntarily and asked again. Her face said she never expected that name to come up here.
“Of course, it doesn’t concern you. Don’t worry about Gideon.”
“No, the Zeronia family said they’d come?”
“They’ll have to.”
The Zeronia family was backing toward a cliff. After reading the letter from me, a necromancer, they’d be itching to go, unable to hold back.
They’d probably already set off for the Bright family’s place, butts twitching with eagerness.
To them, my letter must have looked like the magical rope from an old fairy tale.
Unaware that it was actually a leash to bind them.
“Well…… so you did have some plan.”
Erika, at a loss for words, cleared her throat and spoke calmly again.
“Anyway, we have to go after Pindenai! She’s precious!”
“Unexpectedly attached to Pindenai, I see.”
At my flat response, Erika’s eyes widened, and she ground her teeth before barely forcing out words.
“You…….”
“…….”
“I’m doing this because I’m worried about you.”
It was a single line laden with shame and humiliation. She didn’t want to acknowledge the weight Pindenai held in my heart, but she’d accept it because I needed her.
That’s what it meant.
What should I say to Erika?
As I pondered and opened my mouth.
“Professor!”
Aria came running, hand raised high. With winter break starting and us parting for a while, she’d come to say goodbye.
“I’ll be off now! You worked hard this semester!”
“Yeah, you too.”
“See you later!”
With that, Aria dashed off cheerfully. Her steps were light, and a smile played on her lips—a picture of an ordinary girl.
“……She left awfully easily? Feels more like anticipation than regret.”
Erika eyed Aria’s retreating figure suspiciously from the side. When I stayed silent, another female student approached.
“Deus!”
“……Yes, Princess.”
During break, she shifted from student to princess mode, so I accepted Elenoa as she called my name and ran up.
“I’ll head out now! See you!”
She too grinned brightly, winked, and spun away.
Erika crossed her arms at the hurried footsteps and asked again.
“What’s going on here?”
“What do you mean?”
“No, both of them backed off way too easily.”
“Break time, so they’ve got things to do.”
Erika grumbled as if that left her without a retort. Frowning, feeling like she was the only one out of the loop.
“What are you thinking?”
“Nothing’s set in stone yet.”
“…….”
“But when the time comes to say it, I’ll tell you for sure.”
“Mm.”
My firm answer made her close her mouth and back off. I turned back to the carriage and said.
“Time to head out.”
* * *
A week after winter break began at Robern Academy.
A peculiar scene unfolded in the chill-laden Northsweden.
Blazing flames.
Though sharp cold dominated Northsweden, right now, the heat of the inferno whipped through the wind like a storm.
With everyone already evacuated, the streets resembled a ghost town, completely empty.
Sparks crackled here and there, flaunting raw violence.
And at the center.
Doberman, who had single-handedly ravaged the city, stood in the central plaza with his head bowed and eyes closed.
Clank, clank.
The heavy echo of armor spread solemnly. Doberman, eyes still shut, sensed it as the signal for battle and raised his head.
His armor was adorned with thick northern animal hides unique to the region. Behind the scorched silver plating trailed a long black cape, with thick fur trim around his waist and shoulders.
What stood out was the scorch marks and burn traces on the armor and cape.
Thud.
Darius Verdi, the northern bulwark with a greatsword slung over his shoulder, glared at Doberman and spoke.
“You did this to our home.”
“…….”
“And you planted the bomb-shaped mines outside.”
Doberman gave no reply. He simply raised his right hand and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet from the long-barreled copper revolver sped toward Darius’s forehead.
But Darius widened his eyes in reverse, drawing up mana throughout his body.
That was it.
Darius didn’t move a muscle.
His mana, cold as the northern chill, refused to let a mere lead bullet reach its master.
“Thanks to you, I had to rush back from heading to my little brother’s formal meeting.”
Swift reports had thankfully allowed Northsweden’s citizens to evacuate to Count Helian’s nearby territory, but the city itself suffered no small damage.
For reference, Count Helian had been guarding the North Wedden Mountains in Darius’s absence.
“Helian…….”
Helian lay at Doberman’s feet, eyes open, a bullet lodged in his forehead—dead.
Left exposed so long, the corpse was slightly frozen.
“Thanks to your bullets and bombs, we had quite the ordeal.”
Doberman had mined every city entrance, preventing troops from entering, so Darius had infiltrated alone.
Since the enemy was solo anyway, no need for casualties from bombs—he broke through by himself.
The scorch marks on his body dated from then.
“But they weren’t enough to fend off the northern cold.”
Clank.
The helmet visor lowered, shielding Darius’s eyes.
At the same time, the greatsword gripped in both hands lowered low. He crouched his waist and stepped forward powerfully—the giant of the north.
Boom!
With a sound like a bomb detonating, Darius charged ahead.
Each heavy step shook the earth.
Beep-beep-beep-beep!
Warning beeps from the ground again, followed by explosions.
KABOOM!
Not just one or two.
A massive number of bombs planted near Doberman detonated simultaneously, spewing flames and black smoke.
Doberman slowly lowered his hand and holstered his revolver at his waist.
Whoosh!
The wind blew.
Fiercely.
The gale called Northsweden.
“Aaah!”
A sigh mixed with mocking laughter pierced the smoke.
Doberman fumbled to draw his revolver again, but it was too late.
“Is this the Republic’s fire!”
His cape was fully burned away, the silver armor dulled to a sooty black.
Yet Darius’s owner pressed on stubbornly, just as before.
“Luke warm!”
The greatsword thrust precisely at Doberman’s heart.