Chapter 154: The Lich (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 154: The Lich (4)
“You said there’s a faster way?”
“Yes.”
Leslie nodded and led the way into the lord’s castle. The interior was just as much of a mess as the outside. Ignoring the wreckage, we followed her to a staircase leading down to a basement.
Leslie descended the stairs without hesitation, and we followed right behind her.
We followed her down to the first basement level.
It was an empty space, with nothing in it.
“What is this? There’s nothing here.”
Leslie didn’t respond to Eri’s grumbling. She created an ice dagger, sliced her palm, and clenched her fist, letting drops of blood fall to the floor.
With each drop of blood, a red magic circle began to form on the floor.
As the grumbling Eri and the rest of our party fell silent, Leslie began to explain.
“Unlike other kingdoms, the Duchy has never had a Hero in its lineage. Unable to receive a Hero’s help, we’ve had to protect our country with our own strength.”
The magic circle was already about half-complete.
The circle, densely packed with runes, looked intricate at a glance. Reading the runes, I could roughly guess what kind of magic it was for.
“The warriors of the Duchy are brave and strong. But being brave and strong doesn’t guarantee victory in war. To win a war, you need strategy. That’s why we created this…”
“A teleportation circle.”
“As expected of you, Cloud. You noticed.”
Leslie nodded in affirmation.
Eri’s eyes widened as she examined the magic circle on the floor.
“A teleportation circle? This is?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“No way! There’s no way those old geezers at the Magic Tower would allow a dangerous spell like teleportation…”
“Of course, we didn’t get permission from the Magic Tower. Those old men would never give up one of their privileges, would they?”
“What? Then don’t tell me you stole—”
“My distant ancestor received permission from His Majesty the Emperor. He was in His Majesty’s favor at the time.”
As she explained, the magic circle finished forming. The dark basement was filled with a red glow emanating from the circle.
“This magic circle was created for strategic use, so it can normally transport dozens, or even hundreds, of people. But right now, its maximum capacity is one person.”
“Isn’t that a bit of an extreme reduction?”
“It can’t be helped. There are supposed to be crystal orbs filled with mana here, but they’re gone. They were probably stolen during the attack.”
Leslie’s expression twisted with rage.
It’s rare to see Leslie get so emotional.
She must be furious about this.
She sighed, her expression returning to normal.
“Teleportation magic requires an immense amount of mana because it has to account for all sorts of variables. Sending even one person is only possible if Eri and I give it our all.”
“Me? Why am I suddenly involved?” Eri asked, bewildered.
“Eri, this is an emergency. I’m asking for your cooperation.”
“Ha! You have the nerve to ask for my cooperation now, after shamelessly stealing my research? Do you have any conscience?”
“I apologize for that. Please, forgive me.”
Leslie bowed her head deeply to Eri. Startled by the sudden turn of events, Eri stammered.
“Wh-what… D-doing that only when you need something doesn’t feel sincere at all, you know? And apologizing doesn’t change the fact that you stole my research…!”
“Eri, I’m asking you too. This is an urgent situation. We can sort out who was right or wrong later. For now, I need you to cooperate with Leslie.”
“Cloud, you too… Ugh…”
At my words, Eri’s resistance softened.
She let out a deep sigh and asked Leslie with a displeased look, “What do you want me to do?”
Once Eri started to cooperate, things went smoothly. Under Leslie’s lead, the two of them began preparing the teleportation spell.
When I commented on how amazing it was that the two of them could use such a large-scale spell, Leslie mentioned it was thanks to a spell Eri had researched.
At Leslie’s praise, Eri’s shoulders puffed up with pride, and the preparations for the spell proceeded without a hitch.
“Do you happen to have anything related to Lady Frillite? It would allow us to track her coordinates.”
“Here.”
I handed her a piece of the broken Ferdiac family VIP token. Seeing the shattered token, Eri’s face went pale.
“C-Cloud? Wh-wh-why is that broken?”
“It just… happened?”
“It just happened? Are you crazy?! Do you have any idea what that is, breaking it like—”
“Coordinate tracking complete. She’s not far from Aikenhard. Beginning transmission. Eri?”
“Aargh!! Fine! I get it!!”
Eri muttered something to herself and prepared the spell with Leslie.
The red magic circle began to turn blue. Just before it was completely engulfed in blue light, Leslie spoke.
“To prevent a collision, you’ll be dropped slightly above the actual coordinates.”
As she said that, the magic circle flashed blue, blinding me. I closed my eyes for a moment, and the feeling of the stone floor beneath my feet vanished.
Feeling a sense of weightlessness, I opened my eyes to prepare for landing, but…
“…How is this ‘slightly above’?”
A sigh escaped my lips as I saw the undead below, looking as small as beans.
A moment later, I fell.
Dozens of swords and spears flashed through the air, chasing the Corruption Dragon. The dragon weaved through the sky, dodging the blades, then opened its maw. A green torrent of corrupting breath poured down toward the ground.
Spinning red greatswords intercepted the breath aimed at Frillite.
—Groooaaar!
The Rag Golem took a running start and leaped high into the air. The five axes it threw went spinning toward the dragon. Frillite’s gaze shifted to the axes and the Rag Golem.
Swish, swish, swish.
Ten spears flew out, deflecting the axes before piercing through the Rag Golem.
The massive, deflected axes fell and split unfortunate undead in half. From behind them, hundreds of barbarian warriors charged toward Frillite.
As expected, a baptism of swords and spears rained down upon them.
The barbarian warriors at the front began to fall in droves. By the time their numbers were halved, they were less than ten steps from Frillite, and most of them fell before they could take another eight.
But some survived.
They were the ones the barbarian warriors had protected with their lives.
The past Grand Dukes of the Polichia Duchy, its greatest warriors.
Only two steps separated them from Frillite. They tried to tear her to pieces with their respective martial arts.
Keeping her eyes fixed on the blades coming for her, Frillite focused more deeply on her magic.
A crimson sword formed right beside her.
It moved faster than any sword she had created before, executing her swordsmanship flawlessly.
Swoosh—
The Grand Dukes’ weapons slid harmlessly past.
At most, their attacks only managed to graze her skin, and they had to pay the price for their failure.
Slice—
Greatswords materialized at point-blank range and bisected their bodies.
—It seems you cannot move while using your magic. You could have easily dodged, yet you chose to block with magic.
“…”
—They say silence is an admission of guilt. I am not one to agree with that sentiment, but for once, I believe that saying holds true.
The Lich smiled and raised a hand.
—Now then… taste endless despair.
With a wave of his hand, all the undead that had been observing from a distance charged at Frillite in unison.
At the same time, magic began to pour down from the magic circles that filled the sky.
Frillite’s eyes darted around.
She blocked the incoming magic by spinning her swords in a circle and held back the charging undead with long spears.
But even for her, blocking everything was impossible.
Her concentration and stamina had their limits.
The swords blocking the magic shattered, and a few of the swifter undead dodged the spearheads and rushed in.
Each time, Frillite created new swords and spears to fill the gaps, and her mana and mental fortitude were being rapidly depleted.
She began to tire, dripping with blood and sweat, but the undead did not. Of course not. They were an army, and Frillite was an individual.
Even if an individual possesses power comparable to an army, they are still just an individual.
An individual’s stamina is finite, and as it wanes, so does their combat strength.
Their diminished strength can no longer match that of an army, and the individual is ultimately defeated.
That is the nature of a battle between an individual and an army.
The moment her defensive line began to break, Frillite sensed her defeat.
The word ‘death’ flashed through her mind.
Along with a conversation she once had with him.
—If something were to happen to me, would you cry for me?
—Yeah. I’ll cry. I’ll cry so much my tears could form a river.
He had been so serious then, unlike his usual playful self.
—I’m not kidding. If you don’t want to see me die of dehydration, you’d better take care of yourself.
Remembering his face, Frillite let out a small smile.
Even as her heart pounded as if it would burst and her mind grew hazy, she smiled.
I miss him.
It’s been too long.
She had thought they would meet again when the time was right, as they always had, but that wasn’t the case.
Killing monsters that threatened people, greeting nobles with a professional smile.
Killing heretics that threatened the continent, greeting church officials with a professional smile.
Repeating that cycle left no opportunity, no time, to meet.
I never dreamed I would miss someone so much.
The Goddess is so cruel.
She brought us together when I thought nothing of it, only to sever our connection now that I long for it.
I don’t want to die.
Before I met you, such a thought never crossed my mind. I used to think I wouldn’t mind dying for the sake of my mission.
But you’ve changed me.
This is all your fault, Cloud.
But don’t worry.
I won’t abandon the greater good for my own selfish feelings.
There were so many things I wanted to say to you, so many things I wanted to do with you, but it’s all right.
I am a Hero, after all.
I can bear this much.
So you must endure, too.
Don’t cry like you said you would.
Don’t harbor any useless desire for revenge.
Just silently fulfill your duty as a Hero.
Frillite released her magic.
The mana that had stained the earth red receded, and a darkness so thick she couldn’t see an inch in front of her enveloped her.
Of the hundreds of swords and spears, all that remained was a single, thin one-handed sword plunged into the ground before her.
She looked up and saw the ravenously charging undead under the faint moonlight, and in the distance, the Lich, who seemed to exist in a world of his own.
She smiled.
Cloud. My friend. If there is such a thing as an afterlife.
Let us meet again there.
Frillite reached for the crimson-glowing sword.
Just as she grasped the hilt, about to pull it free—
Whoooosh. CRASH!!!
Something fell from the sky at high speed, landing right in front of her.
Puzzled, Frillite walked through the rising cloud of dust. When she saw what had fallen, her eyes widened in shock.
“Cloud?!”
The thing that had fallen was Cloud.
He was lying motionless where he had crashed.
The sight of him sent all sorts of thoughts racing through her mind.
Just as she came to her senses and reached for him, his eyes snapped open. He immediately darted his gaze around, taking in the situation.
Once he had assessed his surroundings, Cloud turned his attention to Frillite.
He took in her disheveled state, then slowly reached out and pinched her cheek.
“…What are you doing right now?”
“I just felt like pinching it.”
“…I see.”
Frillite let out a dry laugh.