Chapter 62: Black Drug
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 62: Black Drug
The lightning bullet released from Ferda’s fingertips tore through the man's skull.
The sight of the body collapsing in a spray of blood was so sudden and jarring that the enemy froze, unable to react.
“Wh-what the—?!”
The enemy forces couldn't even grasp what had happened.
Seizing the opening created by Ferda’s preemptive strike, Consilus and Marco lunged forward, charging into the enemy ranks.
“Agh!”
“Urgh!”
Consilus and Marco cut down the two men standing at the very front in a single motion. Only then did the rest of the group realize the gravity of the situation.
“It’s an ambush!”
“R-run away!”
Just as they were about to descend into a full-blown panic, a woman’s voice shrieked through the chaos.
“You fools! There’s no way out anyway! Draw your weapons!”
At the command of the Dark Elf, Research Director Linne, the panicked soldiers drew their blades. Linne herself raised a staff, her eyes burning with rage.
“How dare you raid this place! Whoever did the sniping, show yourself!”
Ferda obliged, stepping into view without hesitation. Linne’s eyes widened as she took in his appearance.
“Gray hair and blue eyes… You must be Ferda Valdrova.”
She recognized him instantly.
“Well, this is a surprise. I was looking forward to seeing the face of the bastard who destroyed my nest, but to think you’d grace us with your presence personally.”
“Are you pleased?”
“Pleased? I’m ecstatic. Now I can kill you with my own hands. Kill them all!”
The minions lunged toward Ferda. At that moment, a serene yet powerful energy began to swirl around Consilus and Marco. Aura—the mana of a knight—enveloped their entire bodies.
A knight wielding Aura was a match for a hundred men. Dealing with twenty mere Servant-class opponents was child's play.
Whoosh—!
Every time Marco and Consilus swung their blades, the minions fell helplessly. The mercenaries, little more than a disorganized mob, quickly lost their morale.
The Dark Elf watched the slaughter with mounting fury.
“You useless things! Secretary!”
“Yes? Yes?!”
“Come here!”
At her gesture, the dazed secretary approached. The Dark Elf reached into the bag she was carrying and pulled out a syringe filled with a viscous black liquid. Without a word, she slammed it into the secretary’s neck.
“Ack?!”
The black liquid surged into the secretary’s body.
“Ugh… Ug-gegegegek?!”
The man began to convulse violently. The sound of his bones twisting and snapping echoed through the room. Consilus instinctively sensed the threat and shouted.
“Marco! We have to stop him before he transforms!”
“Leave it to me!”
Marco rushed toward the mutating man, sword raised high.
“Not a chance!”
The Dark Elf aimed her palm at Marco, a magic circle forming instantly. She was using human magic: Force Rush.
Thump!
“Gah!”
The space in front of her palm compressed before erupting into a shockwave that sent Marco flying back. They had failed to stop the mutation.
“Ugek! Gegegek!”
The man’s body, emitting grotesque sounds, began to swell. Simultaneously, his skin turned a deep, bruised hue. The growth only stopped once he had shredded his clothes and reached the size of a grizzly bear.
The creature lifted its head, revealing black skin, glowing red eyes, and jagged teeth. It bore the unmistakable, classic characteristics of a demon.
“A demon…!”
“A Bouncer, specifically.”
Demons of that class specialized in physical strength, capable of tearing through even restraint magic with raw power. Marco and Consilus felt a wave of intimidation wash over them.
“Ghehehe!!! Me too! I’ve received His grace as well!!”
The Bouncer ran wild, as giddy as a child with a new toy. Unused to its new strength, the room shook with every stomp it made. The vibration was enough to freeze even knights who had traversed countless battlefields.
However, even that failed to draw Ferda’s interest. Ferda’s eyes were fixed solely on the Dark Elf’s bag.
She pulled the syringe from that bag.
And there was no way it only contained that one injection.
I must secure that item.
Ferda turned his gaze and commanded Consilus.
“Count, take care of that Bouncer. Can you do it?”
Consilus replied firmly, “If I cannot overcome a wall of this level, how could I ever hold my head high again?”
“My sword belongs to the Regent!” Marco added, finding his courage and gripping his sword tight.
“I understand your resolve,” Ferda said, reaching out his hand. “But there’s no need to make it too difficult.”
A magic circle formed in his palm as he chanted the spell.
“Frenzy.”
The magic circle, dyed in black, shot out in the form of lightning and pierced the Bouncer’s head.
“Ghehe! Ge… G-ack?”
The Bouncer, who had been giggling, suddenly clutched his head.
“Ugh… Gaaaaah!! Argh! It hurts! It hurts!!”
The muscle-bound monster began to thrash about in agony, destroying everything in its vicinity indiscriminately.
“Gah!”
“What are you doing?! We’re on your side—pueck!”
A slaughter began, like a mad dog let loose in a chicken coop. The minions were torn apart in an instant.
“It hurts too much! I said it hurts!”
Just as the Bouncer's rage was about to turn toward the Dark Elf, she quickly chanted a spell.
“Restrain!”
A rune-shaped spell pierced the Bouncer’s head, and the rampaging creature quieted down instantly.
“Do you recognize who I am now?”
“Uh… D-Director?”
“You’ve finally come to your senses. If you understand, then hurry up and wipe out those pests!”
“Y-yes!!”
The Bouncer, having regained his sanity, charged toward the two knights.
“To embarrass me like that in front of the Director… You bastards! I won’t forgive you!!”
Marco and Consilus took the attack head-on.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
“Hmph!”
The two were pushed back by the heavy impact, but they held their ground. Because they held, they could counterattack.
Slash—!
Aura, which could normally slice through human flesh and bone like a radish, was now so dense it barely managed to pierce the creature's skin.
“Gahahaha! I’m stronger! I! Am! Strong!”
A fierce clash ensued between the two knights and the Bouncer. The decisive factor in this balanced fight would be the mages. Victory or defeat depended on the support of Ferda and the Dark Elf.
The Dark Elf deployed a magic circle first, intending to use Slug Time. It was a spell designed to slow down the two knights, giving the Bouncer an opening.
“Slug Ti—”
Before she could even finish the incantation, she sensed an attack. A bullet made of mana flew accurately toward her magic circle.
“Ugh?!”
The magic circle, infused with mana, exploded on the spot.
“Destroying a magic circle with a Mana Shot…” Director Linne was shocked. She forced down the confusion rising in her mind. There are very few people who can see through mana blind spots and strike them…
A blue light flickered in Linne’s eyes as she gauged Ferda’s mana.
A bratty Regent who has barely reached the 4th Circle can manipulate mana blind spots?
Her suspicion deepened. It was a lethal technique against complex spells like the Slug Time she had just attempted.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and try another spell,” Ferda provoked her. “What happens when an Elf, who has hideously abandoned the grace of nature to wield human magic, is outmatched in sorcery?”
“You’re at most the 4th Tier. Aren't you being a bit too arrogant for a fellow 4th Tier?”
Ferda also concentrated his mana to gauge her circles. Her power level seemed similar to his.
“Don’t lie to me. I already know you’re at the 5th Tier.”
“My eyes aren't just holes in my head, Regent. If you’ve reached the 4th Tier, you should at least have the ability to perceive mana circuits—”
“Do I look like a fool who wouldn't recognize someone using the mana cultivation method of the Aquinas School?”
At Ferda’s words, the Dark Elf’s eyes went wide. Before she could even ask how he knew, Ferda cut her off.
“Don’t make that face. It’s actually quite revolting.”
Ferda prepared a magic circle for Magic Blast, a powerful 4th Tier spell. As powerful as it was, it required a long casting time and was complex. However, Ferda was a Master Mage; every step of the process moved faster than any other mage could manage.
But his intent in using that specific magic was clear. It was a sign that he was looking down on his opponent.
“Such pathetic provocation!”
However, that magic circle lost its power before long. It wasn't by Ferda’s will.
“You’re right. As you said, I am at the 5th Circle.” Linne’s hidden secret had been exposed, but it didn't matter. “That’s why I don’t need to resort to tricks like mana blind spots.”
As long as there was a difference in circles, she could simply crush him. She dismantled the form of his magic circle with mana that was purer and of a higher rank. In reality, Ferda was in a disadvantageous position.
The opponent uses the cultivation method of the Aquinas School.
The Aquinas School was a firepower-focused sect that sacrificed lower-tier ranks to compress mana. It had the advantage of deceiving opponents and amplifying the effects of high-tier magic. To a normal observer, Linne appeared to possess 4th Tier mana, but in reality, it was high-purity 5th Tier mana in a compressed state.
If it came down to a battle of raw power, Ferda’s defeat was a foregone conclusion.
“Do you know something?” Ferda asked. He had always lived his life looking upward. If he lacked power, he used technique. If technique failed, he used the next means available. And if even that failed, he fought with his bare teeth. That was how Ferda had always fought.
“The fact that a monster lives under your desk?”
“What?”
Just as she was about to ask what kind of nonsense he was spouting, she felt a surge of energy from the desk. A blue light illuminated the darkness beneath it. It was undoubtedly part of a magic circle.
“How did you get a magic circle here—?!”
“Lightning Bolt.”
Crack!
A bolt of lightning shattered the wooden desk and surged upward, piercing straight through the Dark Elf’s head.
“Aaaaaagh!”
The one who had used the magic was Ferda’s Shadow Hand. In the midst of the chaotic battle, Ferda had focused on moving his shadow beneath the desk. Using Magic Blast had merely been a distraction to break her concentration.
It worked well.
Ferda had wondered how effective it would be in actual combat. It was now clear that as long as he hid his cards well, no one would suspect a thing.
“Truly disappointing,” Ferda said. “The Aquinas School is a sect that gains the upper hand by providing the opponent with false information. To think someone using their cultivation method would be caught off guard like this.”
It was a mockery, and at the same time, an expression of pity.
“Well… I suppose I didn't fully capitalize on the opportunity either.”
For Ferda, this had been the chance to kill Director Linne. However, instead of collapsing, she staggered and then stood tall again.
“Kugh…!” Linne groaned, clutching her left eye as she steadied her head.
Ferda examined the wound. The Lightning Bolt had pierced through her lower jaw and exited through her eye.
“Your survival instinct is impressive. I intended to kill you instantly, but to think you’d dodge the attack like that.”
“Damn it! You miserable, short-lived brat!!”
The Dark Elf glared at him with eyes full of venom. Ferda merely responded with a twisted smile.
“Ferda Valdrova! I will never forget this humiliation!”
As a last resort, the Dark Elf pulled out a scroll. It was emergency escape magic. As she tore the scroll, a burst of light erupted around her, completely swallowing her body.
“Uh… Director?”
The Bouncer stared blankly at the spot where the Dark Elf had vanished. Having lost his mage, the Bouncer was easily subdued.
Marco and Consilus, having finished the intense battle, looked down at the Bouncer while breathing heavily.
“Whew, whew… I never dreamed I’d end up fighting a demon.”
“Likewise. To think I’d only see one at this old age.”
“Save the small talk for later. We only have 20 minutes left.”
“Yes, sir.”
Still carrying the heat of the battle, they began their search. Since the staff had been in the middle of classifying information before abandoning the facility, top-secret and trivial data were already somewhat separated.
They scoured the area, and Ferda moved toward the spot where the Director had disappeared.
Emergency escape magic doesn't transport personal belongings.
As a spell designed for rapid effect, it required leaving everything behind—possessions, and sometimes even the clothes on one's back. What lay on the floor were her clothes, shed like a skin, and an alchemist’s bag made of leather.
Ferda pulled the bag open. Inside were a journal and a single case. Within the case, syringe ampoules were arranged in a grid, each with a label.
- Doppler
- Butcher (Prototype)
- Dark Sorcerer (Prototype)
All of them were aliases of Knight-class demons recorded in history. Aside from the Doppler he had learned about through the President’s kidnapping, new aliases caught his eye.
It wasn't just the Doppler that was a threat.
What he had seen until now was merely a single tree, not the forest.
This should be enough for now. What’s in the records?
Ferda opened the journal from the bag. Rows of unknown hieroglyphs were listed inside.
Is it a code?
The characters were written so that even if the journal was stolen, it couldn't be easily deciphered. Ferda had a hunch that hidden within this was something far more valuable than the scattered information around the room.
Ferda placed the journal into the sample bag and locked it.
“Count, I’ve obtained everything I wanted.”
“Understood.”
The information theft was a success. They quietly slipped out and began their return journey.
* * *
Meanwhile, the three who had headed toward the research wing were struggling. Jed, wrapped in cold-weather gear, rubbed his arms as he pushed through the blizzard.
“Ugh, damn, it’s freezing as hell. Why the hell would anyone build a house in a mountain valley like this?”
“Keep it down. What if they hear you?”
“Oh, don’t worry. In this weather, they wouldn't hear an Orc howling right next to them.”
He poured out complaints every time the cold wind touched his face, and the knights walked on in silence, listening to his grumbling. They soon found the designated point and stepped inside.
“It’s quiet.”
Unlike the living quarters, the research wing was already empty. All that remained were unnecessarily bulky items and trash—and the explosives prepared to bury the entire place.
“That demon was right. They really intended to blow everything up within six hours.”
“I wonder.”
“Are you saying he was lying?”
“I’m saying that ‘right now’ might be that time. How can you trust the word of those demon bastards? Let’s move quickly.”
Their mission was to rescue the demons. They had been told that the test subjects used for research were locked in the research wing. There was no way the facility staff would bother transporting prisoners; they would have been left behind with the intention of burying them under the explosives.
That prediction turned out to be correct.
“What on earth is this?”
However, when they witnessed it with their own eyes, they couldn't hide their horror.