Chapter 76 Oblivion Whale (6)
Oblivion Whale (6)
I carefully set Adel down on the grass, releasing her from my arms. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she wobbled unsteadily, her legs trembling.
Seeing her like that, I offered my shoulder for support. She waved her hands dismissively at my sudden gesture.
"Ah, I'm fi—"
"You are clearly not fine."
I cut her off, frowning as I studied her. Adel let out a sheepish laugh before averting her gaze.
"You really can't be fooled, Abel."
"The fact that you thought you could fool me is the problem."
Her habit of insisting she was fine didn't seem to be going away anytime soon. In the original work, that very tendency had caused her trouble more than once.
Personally, I'd much rather she admit when she was struggling instead of pushing herself needlessly. It would put my mind at ease.
Perhaps sensing the seriousness in my expression, she closed her mouth before speaking again.
"...You're right. I'm a little exhausted."
After a brief silence, Adel leaned against me, half-supported by my arm.
Holding her steady by the shoulder, I turned my gaze back to the sky.
Kuuuoooooh!
The Oblivion Whale thrashed violently in the clouds, clearly in agony. The mist it had been spewing had weakened considerably, as though even it had grown weary.
With a gurgling, blood-churning sound, the creature began writhing, trying desperately to flee in the opposite direction.
Not that I could blame it.
It had been wounded internally, after all.
No living being could possibly train their own internal organs to withstand damage.
Which was precisely why I couldn't let this opportunity slip away.
I raised my staff toward the beast with my free hand.
'Calculation Deployment.'
Earlier, I had deliberately suppressed the output of my magic to avoid harming those inside the whale.
Focusing on suppression had made it difficult to fully restrain the creature, but...
'Now, there's no need to hold back.'
Huuuung...
A vibration pulsed from the gem embedded in the tip of my staff.
An artifact capable of amplifying both the power of the wielder's magic and their total mana capacity.
I had hesitated to use it before—after all, it was something I'd obtained from the Imperial Auction House.
Activating it within the Empire would have immediately exposed my identity.
But this was a subjugation expedition.
There was no need to worry about prying eyes.
'Let's go.'
With this power, taking down the Oblivion Whale as it was now would be more than possible.
Shwaaak!
Dozens—no, hundreds—of magic circles unfurled in the air.
The Oblivion Whale must have sensed their presence, as it stopped thrashing and fixed its gaze on me. Not that it would change anything.
Tap.
I flicked my fingers, and chains erupted forth, piercing through the beast's hide.
Kuuuooooh!
The whale desperately tried to escape, surging higher into the sky—but the chains forged from space magic would not break so easily.
Kwooooh!
Enraged, it let out a furious roar that echoed in all directions.
A shiver-inducing sensation crawled over my entire body, but I only smirked before flicking my fingers again.
"You think something like that can stop me?"
Monster Fear.
A skill primarily used by Disaster-class monsters and above. It exploited primal terror to paralyze its victims.
Of course, since I felt no fear toward the creature, its resistance was meaningless.
Huuung...
Hundreds more magic circles materialized in the air. My mana reserves were nearing their limit.
Had I been unarmed, I might have had no choice but to let it escape. But right now, I had my staff.
Spears of light rained down from the magic circles.
The whale, in a last-ditch effort, tried to swallow the chains—only to scream again as the spears impaled its body.
It writhed and flailed, desperate to flee, but I had no intention of letting it go.
A massive magic circle took shape in the sky.
"Haaah..."
By now, even I was nearing exhaustion. I had used up a considerable amount of mana earlier to suppress the beast.
A dry laugh escaped me at the unfamiliar sense of depletion. Then, I poured the last of my focus into completing the magic circle.
Huuung...
A tremor powerful enough to shake the earth radiated from the spell formation.
The beast's crimson eyes snapped wide open as it flailed wildly, trying to escape.
Of course, with hundreds of chains anchoring it in place, that was impossible.
"It's over."
Then, from between the clouds, an enormous hammer emerged.
Adel's eyes widened in shock—the hammer was easily large enough to dwarf the whale itself.
I clenched my fist, and the hammer fell.
KWAANG!
A deafening crash reverberated through the air as the beast plummeted to the ground.
The resulting shockwave sent the paladins and knights standing on the plains staggering.
Kuuuwooooh...
The creature, which had been shrieking like a wounded beast, finally fell silent, its breaths shallow and weak.
Had it somehow survived even that blow?
"Tough bastard, isn't it?"
One of the holy knights who had been silently observing the scene suddenly charged toward the Oblivion Whale. The fury burning in his eyes was striking.
"No need for me to finish it off, then."
Many others followed his lead. The holy knights swung their weapons indiscriminately, hacking and tearing into the creature with attacks fueled by resentment and sorrow. Seeing this, I withdrew my staff.
"Still as incredible as ever, Abel."
At the admiring voice beside me, I chuckled dryly in response.
"An archmage ought to be capable of at least this much."
"Ugh, that was such an obnoxious thing to say just now."
Despite her words, Adel leaned further into me.
My shoulder was buried in her unfamiliar silver hair. Watching her blink repeatedly, clearly exhausted, I smirked.
Who would've thought she'd dive alone into the belly of the Oblivion Whale to rescue people? It seems she's grown tremendously in such a short time.
Teaching her spirit magic really was the right choice.
I ruffled Adel's hair, and she shook her head in protest.
The sight was oddly endearing—perhaps because I'd grown fond of her after all.
"Ahem. Might I interrupt for a moment?"
"Ah. Your Holiness the Pope."
"Enough with the 'Your Holiness' nonsense. Call me as you usually do."
The Pope shuddered as if disgusted, brushing off his arms. I sighed and nodded.
Even if he insists on informality, it's not like I can just drop all decorum around him.
Still, I wonder what brought him over here.
Adel, who had been leaning against me, startled at the Pope's sudden appearance before straightening her posture.
Seeing this, he waved dismissively and spoke to her.
"Stay as you are."
The Pope chuckled warmly.
"I'm not such a wicked old man that I'd demand courtesy from someone exhausted."
"Ah..."
Seeming to relax at his words, Adel leaned against me again. Then, she reached for the leather bag hanging from her shoulder and opened it.
Untying the rope-bound opening revealed a collection of wooden crosses inside.
Facing the Pope's stunned expression, Adel spoke quietly.
"Mementos of the deceased."
Her face twisted into a bitter smile.
"If I'd had more time, I would've brought back their remains too."
"...No, no. This alone is more than enough. I'm deeply grateful."
The Pope took the bag filled with crosses, his expression solemn as he examined them.
Pulling out each cross one by one, he paused when he found a red one.
"This cross..."
After turning it over in his hands, he placed it back inside the bag.
"Thank you. On behalf of all in the Holy Kingdom, I offer my sincerest gratitude."
He bowed his head—a rare sight that left both Adel and me stunned.
I never imagined I'd see that sly, politically adept old fox bowing like this.
And to go so far as to say he was speaking for the entire Holy Kingdom...
"Uh... You're welcome?"
Adel, still dazed from exhaustion, responded awkwardly. The Pope smiled kindly once more before turning back toward the Holy Knight Order.
Watching his retreating figure, she murmured to me.
"Did I... do well?"
"Yes. You did more than enough."
"Hehe."
Blinking sleepily, she smiled in satisfaction before drifting off.
I smoothed her disheveled hair and carefully lifted her into my arms.
Turning my head, I spotted Arin grinning ear to ear.
I didn't even need to ask what that smile meant—I could already guess. A sigh escaped me. She approached and whispered conspiratorially.
"So, she really is your mother, right?"
"Think whatever you want."
At this point, denying it wouldn't make a difference.
Besides, ever since she took over Evan's role as Adel's guard, she'd known about our contract marriage—yet still acted like this.
"Casualties?"
At my question, Arin's expression hardened as she scanned the surroundings.
Thanks to borrowing Pii's vision, her answer came swiftly.
"None."
"Good."
"However... many seem to have been affected by the Oblivion Incense."
"Memory loss won't last long. Send those affected back to the Duke's estate. We'll finish the subjugation expedition with the remaining forces."
"Understood."
She nodded and stepped back.
At times like this, she's truly reliable—yet the moment Adel is involved, she becomes like this.
"Ah, and shall I take Mother with me as well?"
I almost retorted but decided it wasn't worth the effort and simply nodded.
"...Yes. She must be exhausted. Let her rest."
"Haha. Of course."
Still grinning, Arin took Adel from my arms.
She was fast asleep, not even a twitch in her brows. I smirked.
Well, after all she did in the subjugation, she's earned the right to be this worn out.