Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: An Unwelcome Guest in the Dark (4)
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“Damn it! Am I too late?”
Thadd, who had ridden in a carriage all night, cast a teleportation spell the moment he entered Creas and arrived at the main gate. As expected, the guards stood blankly, showing no reaction.
It was dark magic.
And of an extremely high level.
‘I have to find my master first.’
Thadd turned toward the teachers' quarters. But before he had taken ten steps, the distinctive roar of teleportation echoed from the sky.
Just as Thadd, on high alert, entered the Spirit Zone, Etella descended on a beam of light.
“Professor Etella! What's the situation?”
Etella was puzzled that Thadd, who had just returned from a business trip, seemed to know about the incident at the academy. But since every second counted, she got straight to the point.
“It seems to be dark magic. Everyone, students and teachers alike, has lost their memories.”
He had expected it, but facing the reality of it left Thadd speechless. No matter how insane they were, to attack Alpheas Magic Academy, one of the kingdom's five most prestigious schools...
“We don't have time. Please, tell me the situation first.”
“I scanned with my Spirit Zone, and the entire student body is heading up the mountain. From the direction, it looks like they're going towards the Uncrossable Bridge. There are three people leading them, and three others tailing them. Among the teachers... it seems I was the only one who managed to escape.”
Arcane's dark magic was at the level of a grand mage, but Etella was a bishop of the Karsis Order; he couldn't have dominated her mind. Relieved by that fact alone, Thadd explained what he knew.
“I'll be quick. The one behind this is Viltor Arcane. A grand mage who threw the world into chaos forty years ago.”
“I've heard of him. Why would someone like that come to a magic academy...?”
Thadd bit his lip. It was a dark personal matter concerning his master, Alpheas. But right now, Etella was the only one he could rely on, and he knew her character was such that she would accept it without prejudice.
“Viltor Arcane... is the Headmaster's master.”
Etella blinked. But just as Thadd had predicted, she didn't read any more into it than what she was told.
“I see. But Arcane doesn't seem to be among those leading the students. I don't know the circumstances, but we should rescue the students first.”
“We can't. As you must have felt, Professor Etella, mental magic isn't easily broken. If we try to rescue the students one by one, we'll likely be counterattacked.”
“But we can't just leave them.”
“You said there were three people tailing them. Do you know who they are?”
“I couldn't get a clear look, but... I think it might be Shirone.”
“Shirone?”
At Etella's words, Thadd had a sudden realization. Arcane's spell must have been cast roughly 24 hours ago. The only students who would have been outside the academy at that time were Shirone and his group, who had been suspended.
“I couldn't confirm their appearances, so I'm not certain. But based on their temperaments, they felt like Shirone, Nade, and Iruki.”
“It's probably them. If it's those kids, they'll be fine for now. They're smart; they'll know what to do. It's better to leave it to them for the moment. Professor Etella, please find Arcane.”
“What will you do, Professor Thadd?”
“I'll look for the Headmaster. Finding my master and dispelling the dark magic is the priority.”
Etella nodded in agreement.
“Understood. I'll find Arcane, then.”
Thadd looked over the mountain ridge. The academy grounds were so vast that he had no idea where Arcane could be.
“Hundreds of people were affected simultaneously. A spell of this magnitude must have drained a significant amount of his mental energy. He's likely hiding in a secluded area. It would be fastest to search the mountain. In Zoner Mode, what's the radius of your expanded Spirit Zone?”
“Hmm, about two kilometers in diameter.”
Thadd made a quick calculation and nodded.
“Five key points should be enough. Please patrol, using the training grounds as a reference. I'll head to the academy.”
“Right. I'll capture Arcane and then rescue the students.”
“Don't push yourself too hard. Arcane is...”
Thadd swallowed his words. Telling her how strong the opponent was would only fuel her sense of duty. If he couldn't trust a bishop of the Karsis Order and a nationally recognized Zoner, who could he trust?
“Never mind. I'm counting on you.”
Feeling a sense of responsibility as Alpheas's disciple, Thadd bowed his head on his master's behalf. Etella gave a shy smile and shook her head.
“I don't know the full story, but I'm a teacher at this academy, too. I'll do my best for the students.”
“Yes. Then...”
From now on, it was a race against time.
As Thadd teleported towards the academy, Etella took a deep breath and focused her mind.
Her numerical formula ascended at high speed, and her Spirit Zone expanded. A unique expansion exclusive to Zoners unfolded, allowing her to perceive everything within a two-kilometer radius through synesthesia.
‘First, to Training Ground 26.’
Etella's body transformed into light and shot toward the mountain peak. She had covered a kilometer in a single teleport.
The Mage's Battle (1)
Canis and his group gathered the memory-wiped people at the starting point of the Uncrossable Bridge.
Having completed her task, Arin's face was pale. Even with them under the effect of Abyss Nova, mentally controlling and moving hundreds of people was grueling labor.
Watching Canis's group from the bushes, Nade spoke.
“Why here of all places? There's nothing but the bridge and the cliff.”
“I don't know. Maybe they're waiting for someone?”
Iruki counted on his fingers.
“A cliff, mind control, and villains. Looking at just these three elements, the answer is obvious. They plan to push them off the cliff.”
“What? Why would they do something so crazy?”
“Logically, it doesn't make sense. There's nothing to gain from pushing students off a cliff. But what if it's an emotional issue? Like a grudge or revenge.”
Shirone thought that made sense. And if they really were planning to do that, just waiting around wasn't the best course of action.
“We have to act before that happens. We might even have to fight.”
For ten minutes, nothing happened. The students and teachers stood blankly under mind control, while Canis and Arin gazed out over the cliff, waiting for their master.
“Will this really be okay, Canis? We searched the entire academy and still couldn't bring Alpheas.”
“It can't be helped. Master told us to be especially careful if we ran into Alpheas. We just have to do what we can.”
“Still... I feel like we're going to get scolded.”
Canis turned to Arin with a displeased expression.
“Arin. Master is a good person. He would never scold us for something like this, so don't worry.”
Lucas, who had been listening to their conversation, was starting to get annoyed. He had come along because they promised him a large sum of money, but he hadn't expected them to commit an act of terror against an entire magic academy.
Considering the mission's difficulty, the advance payment he'd received felt small. On top of that, Arcane was long past the promised time and still hadn't shown up.
“Hey. When the hell is your master showing up? Don't tell me he ran off.”
This was an attack on one of the kingdom's five most prestigious academies. Considering most of the students were high-ranking nobles, the fallout would be immense even if the mission went smoothly. Even a grand mage might get scared and flee. That possibility couldn't be ruled out.
“Don't you dare speak of our master so lightly. He is not someone for the likes of you to mention.”
“Hah. I can't believe this.”
Lucas scratched his head in irritation. Then, he suddenly lifted his head and glared at Canis with a viper's gaze he hadn't shown before.
“You think I'm some kind of pushover?”
An abnormal level of hostility washed over them, and Arin, with her sharp mental sensitivity, hastily backed away. Canis, on the other hand, remained calm. He had faced that kind of gaze countless times in Radum.
‘Snake Eyes.’
A Schema technique that paralyzed the central nervous system by striking the diencephalon with one's gaze, it was a skill developed more through real combat experience and innate disposition than training. Just seeing him use Snake Eyes gave a hint as to the kind of life Lucas had lived.
“I'm done going easy on you because you're young. You'd better watch your mouth from now on. You talk about contracts, but you're the ones delaying things.”
This time, even Canis couldn't argue. Why wasn't their master here? It was certainly strange for him to be late, especially since he had been looking forward to this day more than anyone.
As Canis remained silent and withdrew his fighting spirit, Lucas also released his Snake Eyes. They were still a team, after all, and more importantly, he still had the rest of his payment to collect.
‘I shouldn't have come here in the first place.’
Lucas glanced at those under the effect of Abyss Nova. Their metabolism was normal, so they wouldn't be able to stand for much longer. Once those with less stamina started collapsing, dealing with them would become even more complicated.
“Hey, why don't we just kill them now? It'll be a pain if they start fainting. Can't exactly throw them off one by one.”
Lucas had been hired as a professional killer. A mage was good for taking many lives at once, but for slitting the throats of survivors one by one, nothing beat a swordsman. Eventually, when their stamina ran out, it would all fall to him, so he wanted to thin the herd in advance.
“Not until Master arrives. Annihilating them in front of Alpheas is the core of the plan.”
“Tch, then let's at least have some fun. They're all going to fall off the cliff soon anyway.”
Canis glared at him in disgust, but in this situation, he had no grounds to stop him. Hailing from Radum, he knew just how dangerous men like Lucas were. In the end, Lucas would do whatever he wanted. The thought was infuriating.
“You piece of trash.”
Lucas's steps halted. He should have killed Canis with the first Snake Eyes. The human brain adapts to shock, so using it repeatedly on the same target was less effective.
“Kekeke, you know why I hate you? You act like you have some grand conviction. You and I are just criminals. After today, you'll be a murderer who's slaughtered hundreds, too.”
“I don't uphold my beliefs to become great. I just find people like you disgusting.”
“Haha? Is that so? You know what's really disgusting? Weaklings who are all talk. What are you going to do if you find me disgusting?”
Lucas turned to the front and grabbed Shina by the throat. With her face contorted, he lifted her body with one hand and strode toward the cliff of the Uncrossable Bridge.
“Once I kill one, you'll see. That you're the same kind of trash as me.”
As Lucas extended his arm, Shina's legs dangled over the cliff. Gurgling sounds escaped her lips.
“This woman's not bad. A shame to kill her, but well...”
Lucas loosened his grip and dropped Shina. At the same time, a spark flashed in his eyes. A hair-raising sensation. It was the unique stimulus of a Spirit Zone that only a Schema user could feel.
‘Where?’
His sensitive nervous system detected the focal point of the Spirit Zone. As he leaped into the air, an explosion erupted right where his right knee had been. A direct hit would have shattered the bone.
Lucas landed and immediately backflipped away. Even without knowing the Spirit Zone's radius, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the caster was standard procedure when fighting a mage.