Chapter 17: Anyway, I'll Serve You Awesomely (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 17: Anyway, I'll Serve You Awesomely (6)
The Academy was under terrorist attack.
And in a mysterious assault, even the Head Professor—the former Tower Lord—had been taken down.
In such an emergency, if I were to run, where would I go?
Escape outside?
Not a bad choice.
Usually, it’s a poor move, but this is the Academy. No matter how successful the terror attack was, unless the Empire’s security is as porous as a sieve, the number of intruders couldn't be that high.
Besides, the enemies had paralyzed the interior with a mysterious attack, so staying inside meant risking being neutralized myself. Thus, avoiding the enemies and trying to regroup with other students wasn't a bad plan.
However, unlike me, every member of the RoFan party is a person of high importance.
Furthermore, despite neutralizing the interior, the enemies hadn't swarmed in yet. I couldn't tell if the thing that paralyzed the building was dangerous to the enemies as well, or if they were lying in wait for people to come out.
If the enemies weren't coming to us, hiding inside instead of acting out was also a viable option.
So, where to hide?
The upper floors, obviously.
I could set traps or obstacles on every staircase to monitor anyone coming up. And if worst came to worst, I could escape through a window.
Conversely, an enemy could fly in through a window, but if they moved that flashily, I’d be able to spot them easily. Even if we encountered an enemy, as long as we could buy time and signal our location, it would be fine.
Basically, anywhere but the basement, which would become a deathtrap if we were cornered.
So, naturally, I went to the basement.
“I knew it, Adam!”
Why the hell are these guys here?
“When it comes to hiding, it has to be the basement.”
Liar.
If they decide to blow up the whole building in a fit of desperation, the basement is where you get buried alive without a chance to escape. Of course, this being a fantasy world, they say you can hold out with magic even if you're isolated underground.
But with the mana required for that, it’d be more efficient to just jump off the roof.
“What happened?”
“Well…”
They seemed quite flustered, as they rambled on with useless details, but the summary was this:
They were suddenly attacked, but the professors overwhelmed the attackers and drove them off. The professors went to chase the fleeing enemies, leaving the TAs—including the Head Professor—to protect the students.
But then the ground suddenly shook, and everyone, including the Head Professor, collapsed one by one.
The strange part was...
“The Head Professor collapsed first?”
“Yes, Lord McGregor was the very first to fall.”
For a man who was a former Tower Lord to fall first...
Was it something that the strong reacted to more sensitively? A man who earned the title of Grand Mage wouldn't be taken down easily, so there must have been something specifically lethal to mages.
“So, what is it?”
And I don't know a thing about magic.
It’s not just me; everyone from the Leon Kingdom is pretty much the same. Some people might try their hardest to solve a problem they don't know on their own.
Me? I’m the type to look for the answer sheet immediately.
That’s why I stealthily approached the one person who would know everything—Violet—and whispered.
“Hey. What’s the deal?”
Her reaction was lukewarm.
Ah, now that I think about it, I did flip her the bird earlier, didn't I?
“It’s an emergency. Share some info.”
In a situation like this, surely we can share information to survive together?
“I know everything. It’s fine. No one else gets hurt here anyway.”
What I got back wasn't information, but a future spoiler.
But wait a second. For someone saying it’s fine, her expression is pretty grim.
How should I put it? It looked like Senior Lucia’s face whenever Princess Hestia came looking for her.
“Then what about you?”
She said everyone else would be fine, but it felt like she wasn't including herself in that "everyone."
“I’m scheduled to get a hole put in my gut.”
“Are you insane?”
No, if your future involves getting a hole in your stomach, you should be thinking about how to change it. She’s actually planning to let her gut get pierced just to follow the original work.
“It’s important.”
“I value my own body the most, though.”
“Exactly, it’s my body. It’s got nothing to do with you.”
Well, that’s true.
But at this point, I couldn't help but wonder. No matter how much affection she had for the original work, this was bordering on obsession. Even the original author would dodge if they were about to get a hole in their stomach.
She wasn't just a devoted reader; she was someone who had possessed this body after cursing out the latest developments, yet she was clinging to the original plot far too much.
Like someone being chased by something.
“So, what do you get in exchange for a hole in your gut?”
“Saintess Awakening.”
“Ah, it was an awakening flag?”
“Yeah. And they’ll patch me back up anyway. Just watch.”
As expected of the RoFan female lead’s friend. To trigger the heroine’s awakening, you have to be willing to take a hole to the stomach!
“Does that even make sense?”
Even if it’s for an awakening, and even if it can be healed, who just offers up their own belly like that?
“I’ll change things after this.”
“Can’t you just start changing things now?”
“No.”
At her incredibly firm refusal, I scowled.
“You think I’ll let that happen?”
Unfortunately for her, I don't give a damn about the original work. She might want a hole in her stomach, but I have no desire to watch it happen. It’s not out of some "fellow transmigrator" sentiment; it’s just that nobody wants to see a person get a hole blown through them right in front of their eyes.
There’s me, Prince Ellen, and even the Minor Sword Emperor, though he’s a bit weaker. With the Magic Spammers backing us up, we should be able to handle most enemies.
“It will happen.”
Even though she must have known our strength, Violet’s voice was full of certainty.
“Really?”
“The boss of this part is that. The early-game character that’s absolutely impossible to beat.”
“……”
It happens sometimes. A pattern where a late-game boss pops up early just to teach the protagonist’s party the meaning of defeat. Someone who isn't even the final boss, but appears from the start and sticks their face into every important situation before the protagonists have grown.
And often, once you finally defeat them, the actual final boss ends up being a pushover by comparison. Overall, they’re a much more troublesome foe than the final boss.
“The Mage Slayer, Silence.”
“His name alone sounds damn strong.”
The moment Violet mentioned that name, a heavy thud echoed and dust swirled.
“Ugh, look at all this dust. Why on earth would you hide in a place like this?”
The moment a man who looked like a relative of the Flower Arrangement Club President emerged from the smoke, I didn't hesitate to swing my sword.
Clang! Clang!
The ears reacted before the eyes.
The man who had been whispering beside her just a moment ago was already at the front line, swinging his sword.
Adam Smith.
It probably wasn't intentional, but his movements brought to mind his famous nickname, the "Invisible Hand." After all, he and Ellen were the only ones who moved the instant the enemy appeared.
“Kids these days are scary. Swinging blades the moment they see a person.”
However, their surprise attack was meaningless.
The enemy was simply on a different level.
The Mage Slayer, Silence.
A monster who held an absolute advantage over mages while simultaneously possessing physical combat skills that could overwhelm knights. Currently, the only person in this Academy who could defeat him single-handedly was the Sword Emperor.
But according to the story, the Sword Emperor was in a position where he couldn't move.
“I prepared so diligently, I was curious if anyone would still be able to move. My, my.”
Between his narrow eyelids, red pupils gleamed.
The Magical Eye of Sealing.
An ability that suppressed not only his own mana but his opponent’s as well—a hard counter not just for mages, but for knights who relied on mana.
“Ugh.”
“What the hell is this?”
Ellen grimaced, and Adam spat out a curse.
In a fantasy world where mana is everything, a knight becomes powerless once their mana is taken away. Of course, they don't become a complete commoner like a mage would.
And they say Silence is also affected by the lack of mana.
However, the difference between someone who usually uses it freely and someone who is used to fighting under restrictions was unavoidable.
“Oh?”
Even in such a situation, Ellen’s talent was enough to surprise even Silence.
“Kids these days really are terrifying.”
And what was with Adam, who was keeping up with him? He said he had lived his life to the fullest, and it felt like she was seeing a glimpse of that now.
But.
“Urgh!”
“Asran!”
“Don’t worry about me, just fight!”
Even with the Minor Sword Emperor joining the fray, making it three against one, Silence did not falter. No, he was actually winning against the people destined to become the greatest swordsmen in the world.
If everyone here attacked at once, there might be a chance, but the barrier Silence had prepared caused people to lose consciousness faster the more mana they possessed.
Prince Esid, born of imperial blood with a massive natural mana pool and raised on countless elixirs, was already crawling on the floor. Gerard, who also had immense innate mana and had received elixirs to fight magical beasts and demons, was in the same state.
Prince Arwen of Dale went without saying.
Violet was the same. Her consciousness was gradually fading.
However, there was still something she had to do.
In fact, based on mana capacity alone, the three fighting in front of her should have already been unconscious. The reason they could still move was likely due to Daisy, who was unconsciously suppressing Silence’s barrier.
She had concentrated the power she used to protect everyone onto the strongest combatants. That was why they could still fight.
“Hmm.”
Silence noticed this as well.
The reason he could exude such an invincible aura was due to the various restrictive curses he had placed. He was hiding it behind a smile, but he must be quite flustered himself.
That was why.
After blocking the three sword strikes flying toward him and counterattacking...
He moved to achieve his goal, seizing the opening.
“The existence known as a Saintess is even more troublesome than I heard.”
With a metallic click, his sword lashed out.
Normally, it was a distance he couldn't reach. However, the blade segmented and extended gracefully toward Daisy.
The Whip Sword.
Since there was no mana involved, it was at a speed their eyes could follow. But aiming for that one single chance, the sharp fang of the viper flew toward its target.
Taking that hit and falling was Violet's role.
This was a fate that could not be avoided. Because Daisy awakening as a Saintess and growing from here was the true beginning of the novel. Even if she dodged everything else, she must not dodge this.
The developments after graduating from the Academy were a series of tragedies. And the very first of those tragedies was the death of Daisy’s childhood friend, Violet.
If she didn't start here, she was destined to die anyway.
She knew that even if Prince Ellen, one of the strongest beings in the world, grew stronger because of Adam’s existence, a happy ending could not be achieved. The core of the story was, ultimately, the Saintess.
As it was a RoFan, the heroine’s power was the most important thing.
“Daisy!”
Thus, gritting her teeth, she threw her body toward the Whip Sword heading for Daisy.
It’s going to hurt, right? It’ll hurt. In fact, if it hits the wrong spot, she’d definitely die. So, she tried her best to avoid vital organs and ensure it only pierced her side, just like in the original.
As she threw herself forward, her eyes met Daisy’s.
Daisy’s already large eyes grew even wider.
To be honest, she had told that jerk Adam it was because of the original work...
But in this moment, her heart was also for Daisy. She had resented her a lot while reading the novel, but after actually being with her, Daisy had become someone truly precious.
To the point where it felt like a waste for her to end up with those male leads... those husks.
She wanted Daisy to walk only on a path of flowers, but knowing all too well that this damn world was a path of fire...
She had put in the effort to dampen the flames, even if just a little.
...But it seemed she had put in too much effort.
“?”
Whoosh.
The body she had thrown toward Daisy was thrown back.
Using the self-defense techniques she had been taught so diligently, Daisy had lightly pushed Violet away.
“Huh?”
Startled, Violet looked up to see Daisy smiling with sad eyes.
“You can’t do that.”
No, I can.
This is how it’s supposed to be.
Before she could scream those words...
Blood erupted from Daisy’s body.