Chapter 160
Chapter 160
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: Clear at a Glance
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There's a word: clear as day.
It means the situation is so obvious you can grasp it at a glance, and that's exactly how things stood right now.
There were thirteen people in the room.
Five of them were big, burly guys with healthy complexions.
The other seven looked like they hadn't eaten in days, their faces gaunt and drawn. If not for their cadet uniforms, you'd mistake them for beggars.
"Do you value manners?"
"What?"
"I do too. In fact, that's the difference between humans and beasts. Whether you know manners or not."
Not everyone you can talk to is human, but would this brutish-looking guy even understand?
I realized the answer in the next instant.
The cadet swung his fist right away.
Getting pissed after taking some verbal abuse meant he was still human, at least.
Had he grown violent from being cooped up in this isolated place too long?
Or had he always been like this?
It wasn't worth pondering.
*Smack!*
"Arghhh!"
A scream erupted.
The guy who'd thrown the punch clutched his face and collapsed.
Most were like that.
Those who inflicted pain had no tolerance for it themselves. A shitty truth.
Three of the remaining four jumped to their feet, but one stayed seated, just observing me.
His attitude grated on me. *Tch.* It had been a while since I'd used Sun Shadow Steps—I closed the distance in a flash. As the cocky cadet's mouth fell open, I snatched his collar.
"……!"
Even then, I saw his hands flailing. A pathetic response, but reacting at all was impressive.
This one was at least low-tier aura level.
*Thud.*
About on par with Skull or Hans.
My fist sank deep into his gut. I saw his eyes bulge.
"No need to overreact."
I'd even held back, but his reaction was intense.
"Russo!"
One cadet screamed his name.
So his name was Russo.
I grabbed Russo's shoulder and hurled him at the screaming cadets.
*Crash!* The cadets caught him with their bodies and tumbled down.
"……."
"……."
The two still standing on their feet glared at me warily but didn't attack right away.
I'd expected as much.
They were hyena types.
A group that crumbled the moment their leader fell. Their darting eyes made my skin crawl.
...Maybe.
If these guys weren't cadets—if they'd crossed the line just a bit further—I might've ended them right here.
[Disciple.]
The Martial God's low voice cut coolly through my mind.
'Hm.'
I shook my head, quelling the rising killing intent.
I didn't show it, but I was a bit flustered.
I'm temperamental, sure, but I don't casually think about killing.
[It's the Demon King's domain. Stay clear-headed. Don't get swept up in the madness.]
'Then these guys too?'
[Probably. They're not decent folk, but they weren't originally such vicious brats.]
'…….'
In a way, they were victims too. My steam went out.
I said curtly,
"You lot, share your food with the seniors. Russo? Come here."
"C-Cough……."
"Cut the drama and get up. Before you take another hit."
Russo sprang up and scurried over.
Fortunately, he had some street smarts.
"Explain the situation."
"W-What situation……."
"Everything, from one to ten. All you know."
"Uh……."
I stared him down silently, and he spilled the info like a man stabbed with a knife.
I listened quietly, but there weren't any big revelations.
Most of it overlapped with what Arin had said.
Then one cadet munching on an energy bar shouted,
"Th-The basement stairs! *Cough*, there are some!"
He'd spoken so fast he was choking.
I waited calmly for him to drink some water, then asked,
"Basement stairs?"
"Y-Yes. I was too scared to go down, but... it felt hot down there, and the vibe was off……."
"……."
Arin had said the way out was the rooftop... and basements were usually far from exits.
But......
This was the Demon King's domain already. A place where common sense didn't apply.
I stood up.
The basement stairs intrigued me, but there was something to do first.
"Wait here a sec."
"W-Where are you going?"
Arin startled and asked me.
She kept glancing at Russo, worried they'd start up again if I left.
"Don't worry. I'll be right back."
True story.
No matter how brainless they were, they wouldn't pull the same trash twice in just hours.
At least a day, leisurely three or four if slow.
If I didn't return by then, they'd creep back to their sleazy ways.
Luckily, my errand wouldn't take long.
*Slide.*
After closing the door and taking a deep breath... I activated the Serpent's Eye right away.
──.
Fortunately, the building's structure came into view.
'Damn, it's huge.'
The shabby research building from before had expanded massively, bigger than several academy main halls stuck together.
Its two stories had become four, too.
Beyond the ceilings blocking floor from floor, blobs of intense heat moved wildly.
Living cadets, by the looks of it.
No time to waste—I started the rescue op immediately.
Five on the first floor, three on the second, three on the third, one on the fourth.
Twelve cadets in total.
"Th-Thank you... Thank you……."
"So scary……."
"...Thought we were done for."
The cadets expressed their gratitude in their own ways.
Some were as terrified as Arin, others surprisingly calm.
The one alone on the fourth was like that.
His necktie color marked him as the highest year.
A resolute young man named Jidon.
"My thanks for the rescue. Impressive martial prowess……."
He had decent skill.
As Arin said, the fourth-floor puppets were strong—not stuffed toys, but ball-jointed dolls.
They moved with eerie creaks, yet fast despite the awkward form.
Jidon had held out against them for a good while.
"The path to the roof was too treacherous....... I figured if we could just get out, we could call for help."
"Senior, sorry, but could you head to the first floor?"
"Hm?"
I explained the rough situation: cadets being bullied, Russo's crew running rampant.
Jidon's face twisted immediately.
"...A horrific affair. As a future knight, I can't abide it. Understood. I'll handle that Russo."
"Thanks."
"But I haven't asked my benefactor's name."
"Ruan. Transfer cadet, for now."
"Transfer? Ah! The future hero."
Jidon grinned brightly and seized my hand.
"Before becoming a knight, I dreamed of enlisting with Heros myself....... They're the true heroes of the continent."
"……."
"Haha. Yes. Aura's reassuring. Leave me to you."
Imperial folk seemed to admire Heros especially.
Like how southerners admired the capital.
The attitude felt a bit foreign to me.
Anyway, I took Jidon down to the first floor and sent the rescued cadets to the cafeteria.
Then, confirming Russo's face had gone pale, I headed for the basement stairs.
It didn't take long.
At the far end of the right wing were stairs leading down.
"Hm."
A humid heat wafted up. Different texture from sunlight.
And beyond the heat, something else.
[Disciple, I sense ominous demon energy.]
The Martial God warned quietly.
I nodded and cautiously descended.
No light at all, but it wasn't dark. Hot flames leaked from below.
The air grew stiflingly hot.
Even I, used to heat, soon had sweat beading on my forehead.
Finally, the stairs ended.
'This is…….'
[A prison.]
Exactly.
The scene was an underground jail.
But no people.
Beyond the iron bars, no signs of life, not even traces of habitation.
I walked on regardless.
Passing many cells without dropping my guard.
Prime spots for tiny puppet ambushes.
They had no life signs, no internal energy or mana, so I relied purely on senses.
Fortunately, no attacks even after many cells......
I finally found the prison's first inmate.
"……."
It was Dean Alderson.
Iron chains bound each limb in pairs, and a bloodied dagger pierced his chest.
Mages wrap mana around their hearts, right? So the dagger sealed the grand mage's magic.
'The real Dean Alderson.'
Not a puppet—the true head of Cartel Academy.
But I couldn't move rashly.
Before the tightly bound Alderson stood the source of the heat.
"……."
*Roarrrrr!*
A demon.
Had to be.
But the erupting heat overshadowed even the sinister aura.
It looked like a black knight clad head to toe in armor.
No helmet, though—where a head should be, crimson flames flickered.
The red blaze seeped from armor joints, uncontained.
Clothe a flame body in black plate, and you'd get that monster.
[Dangerous.]
The Martial God muttered gravely.
He rarely called something dangerous outright.
Only the High Priest's return had fazed him before, but his voice now held a hint of surprise.
[That level of demon energy, that presence. Must be a direct legion commander under the Demon King.]
'Legion commander? Strong?'
[Leagues above lesser demons. Blood kin inheriting the Demon King's line directly, or past rulers who claimed hell's domains.]
The low-grade demons summoned at the training camp were nuisances. Their boss, Grim Reaper, even more so.
And now, standing there was a legion commander.
The title alone put it beyond petty demons.
[An incomplete manifestation, but... that aura is no joke.]
Indeed.
Not just the heat—the demonic energy was beyond what I could handle now.
A monster that'd make the High Priest look like a child.
Yet, for some reason.
'…….'
The black knight wreathed in flames left a profound impression.
No weapon visible despite the armor. My eyes went to the demon's hand.
A pitch-black gauntlet.
Crimson flames writhed beneath, no doubt, but was I crazy?
From this armored, flame-bodied demon, I sensed the aura of a profound warrior.
A heroic bearing that briefly evoked my fourth senior brother. It had caught my eye before the demonic energy or heat.
'…….'
My competitive spirit stirred.
I hadn't felt this strong a thrill since regressing.
Arrogant maybe, but it felt winnable.
My core as a warrior, the Flame Arts of the Greatest, excelled against heat especially.
If the demon wielded heat like its form and extreme yang martial arts, I had an edge.
'But......'
Rushing in was risky.
I knew how vile and base demons were.
That aura might be a deception.
I glanced at Dean Alderson.
Potentially crucial for the Demon King subjugation.
Rescuing him meant massive intel—and even greater combat power.
After brief deliberation, I decided.
The risk was worth it.
"Martial God."
I spoke aloud on purpose.
To convey firm resolve.
[Speak.]
"I have to fight."
"By yourself? Tough."
A sudden cheeky voice— I lashed out reflexively.
My thrust was a primal straight punch, but packed with ample internal energy.
That meant I'd naturally unleashed the first form of White Sun Eclipse: Scorching Blaze.
*Chin.*
Easily blocked.
A soft palm quelled not just my fist, but the surging inner force ready to ignite.
"Shh."
The finger's touch on my lips.
Playful red eyes met mine.
"Hey, Ruan Bednicker."
"……."
I couldn't hide my shock.
Here, of all places.
No matter where, this unfamiliar face smiling at me felt off.
Leone whispered,
"I've come to help."