Chapter 183: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (47)
Chapter 183: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (47)
Catching up with the Princess’s party required a significant amount of effort.
The first obstacle was the entrance to the Versia Palace. Academy guards stood watch there in every season.
The fact that my relationship with the Princess had soured was common knowledge within the Academy. Naturally, there was no way they would grant me entry.
Part of me wanted to flash my Dragon Blood Runes right then and there and tell them to move. However, the circumstances surrounding my runes were far too complicated to show them to just anyone.
The fewer people who knew I possessed the Dragon Blood Runes, the better.
So, I had no choice but to sigh and step back.
"Well, if that's how it is, I suppose there's nothing I can do."
The guard let out a sigh of relief, as if my words had put him at ease.
Things were already chaotic enough with the demonic beast intrusion; it was clear he had been worried that I—the man known as the 'Mad Dog' of the Academy—would go on a rampage.
He even added a few words of caution, just in case.
"Thank you for understanding. Things are quite grim lately, so..."
But the guard couldn't finish his sentence.
With a sharp thwack, an axe buried itself into his temple.
Even though it was the blunt side of the head, a chunk of metal that heavy was a lethal weapon in its own right.
The light faded from the guard's eyes, and he collapsed in a heap.
A fellow guard, who had been watching closely, thrust his spear forward and shouted.
"You crazy bastard! I knew you'd—!"
However, for a mere guard who wasn't even a knight, facing me was an exercise in futility.
My body spun like a leaf caught in the wind, riding the trajectory of the incoming spear.
The guard had struck first.
Yet, I was the one who seized the initiative. As I closed the distance, spinning along the shaft of his spear, the guard’s eyes widened in shock.
That was his final reaction.
Driven by centrifugal force, my hand axe swung around and slammed into the side of his head. He fell forward in the same posture he had used to thrust his spear, unable to even let out a groan.
It had been a while since I used Turning Cut.
I wondered if I had grown rusty, but the guard's spear had been so slow that I’d reacted instinctively.
He was a decent enough opponent for a bit of practice before the real fight.
However, the threat of guards didn't lie in their individual skill. Typically, guards relied on overwhelming their opponents with sheer numbers.
As proof, four more guards were already hesitantly taking their positions in front of me.
It was exactly what one would expect from a dormitory housing royalty.
Even with the chaos outside, six of them remained here—even though there shouldn't be anyone left inside the Versia Palace.
Since they didn't know about the existence of the underground cavern, they likely thought someone might still be inside.
I shook my head regretfully and spoke.
"...Excuse me."
I took a step forward. When a spear lunged at me, I batted the shaft aside with my hand axe.
The metal shaft didn't break from a single blow. Instead, it let out a sharp clang, sending a massive vibration through the weapon.
That alone was enough to make the guard let out a startled "Uh, uh!" as the spear slipped from his grasp. Two more spears rushed into the opening.
The blades thrust out in a cross, aiming for my left and right. My hand axe targeted the exact point where the two spears intersected.
With a fierce downward swing, I slammed both spearheads into the ground.
Then, I kicked the junction of the two shafts as they were forced down.
Unable to withstand the sudden double shift in height, the two spears went flying into the air. The last man remaining was faltering.
He was a coward.
So, I decided to relieve him of his fear.
Thud. The thrown axe struck the guard squarely in the forehead.
I had controlled my strength, so his skull wouldn't be fractured. However, the impact was more than enough to rattle his brain.
As he slumped over, I moved among the now-unarmed guards with my bare hands.
An elbow to one solar plexus, a kick to another, and a punch to the jaw of the last man.
Thud, thud, thud. The three bodies hit the ground in rhythmic succession.
I let out a long breath and dusted off my hands. Then, I walked over and picked up my fallen hand axes.
It hadn't even taken a few minutes to neutralize six guards.
This level of prowess was comparable to any Expert. Despite that, the glow of Aura on my blades remained faint.
It wasn't strange. No matter how high one's level, actual combat was filled with countless variables. It was difficult to predict a victory based solely on the level of Mana or Aura.
But the reason I felt so frustrated was that the wall known as 'Expert' felt like it was finally within my reach.
Some cross this wall to join the ranks of the truly powerful. Others spend their entire lives unable to scale it.
Naturally, I wanted to be the former.
Reaching the Expert level meant more than just proving one's Aura had grown stronger. It was the starting point where one's Mental Imagery began to manifest, allowing Aura to distort reality itself.
Of course, knights like Seria, who had only just reached the Expert level, sometimes hadn't bloomed their Aura's unique characteristics yet. But Seria would surely refine her own Mental Imagery before long.
Once that happened, she would possess an incomparable advantage.
The power of Aura was not only unpredictable but also infinitely versatile. It acted as a massive variable in real combat.
Just like during my duel with Senior Neris.
I had struggled immensely then. To be honest, I had been on the verge of defeat. That was how difficult and dangerous it was to fight an opponent skilled in the use of Aura.
As I continued these idle ruminations, I suddenly recalled Professor Derek's words.
He had said I needed to awaken 'Single-Mindedness.'
It was still an incomprehensible concept to me, so I simply continued my descent into the basement of the Versia Palace.
It was only after running until the taste of blood filled my mouth that I finally encountered him.
The Dark Priest in a woman's clothes, Mitram.
He was laughing uproariously.
The situation inside the cavern was nothing short of disastrous.
Several escort knights lay groaning on the floor. Their bodies even bore the scorched marks of an explosion.
The area presumed to be the epicenter was gouged out.
Normally, a conventional bomb would leave char marks. But here, the only traces of the blast were a pool of blood and fragments of flesh and bone scattered in every direction.
Seeing that sight, one possibility immediately jumped to mind.
It was the same pattern as the self-detonating cat demonic beasts.
However, judging by the scale, it wasn't something as small as a cat; likely, one of the escort knights had been turned into a bomb.
It was horrific. No matter how depraved the Dark Cult was, to use a human being as a bomb...
My gaze deepened as I stared at the mysterious woman who stood there smiling. At my hostility, which was becoming increasingly overt, she let out a giggle.
"I was just talking about you. Ian Percus... Oh, wait. Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself, have I? My name is—"
"Mitram."
The name surfaced abruptly in my mind.
I had heard it from Reto. He said the name of a Dark Priest remained in the orphanage's ledgers.
It was no coincidence that I had thought of Flesh Nests and Flesh Seeds when I saw the swarming demonic beasts.
Few beings could use living creatures with such utter contempt. And here, before me, stood the human presumed to be the culprit.
The woman's eyes widened in brief surprise, but she soon gave a serene smile and bowed her head.
"...Correct. I see you already knew about me?"
"I've owed you since my time at the orphanage."
Mitram burst into a fit of giggles at my words.
It had been a lucky guess, but Mitram seemed to have reached a certain conclusion through our brief exchange.
A thick, viscous killing intent settled in her eyes.
"So you've been hunting me since then... Incredible. To think such talent remained in the Empire."
Bubbling flesh quickly restored Mitram's two severed arms. She took a relaxed stance and glanced down at the girl lying prone behind her.
The girl, with dark blue hair and light gray eyes, was letting out faint groans.
Her eyes had long since lost focus. By all appearances, she had succumbed to an anesthetic poison.
It was a miracle she was even clinging to consciousness.
The 'Dragon's Eye' didn't just grant the power to read hearts. It was proof of the dragon's bloodline itself, meaning her magical talent and resistance to poison would be formidable.
And the same likely applied to the female knight collapsed next to Mitram.
I had heard she was the Captain of the Guard. Naturally, she would be a top-tier powerhouse.
I still couldn't remember her name, though.
A beautiful female knight with cool, blue hair was the type of person one didn't easily forget.
For now, those two seemed to be the last ones who hadn't completely lost consciousness.
Of course, they didn't seem capable of helping, so I kept an eye on their safety while shifting my gaze toward Mitram.
A blatant sneer was etched onto her lips.
"But tell me, didn't this 'Great Successor of the Dragon' treat such a brilliant talent like you with utter disdain? Even though you did your absolute best to save her... this... piece of trash!"
Thwack! The woman's foot slammed down onto the prone Princess's head.
The Princess's face was driven straight into the dirt. She struggled weakly, as if suffocating.
"Mmph! Mmmph, mmm-mmph!"
Even through the anesthesia, her survival instinct seemed to remain.
The Princess feebly slapped the ground with her palms, but Mitram only ground her heel into the girl's crown. The blue-haired knight tried to stagger to her feet.
But after only half-rising, she collapsed back down.
No matter how skilled a warrior was, once a potent poison took hold, it was over.
They might last longer than an ordinary person, but neutralizing the poison on their own was impossible. That was why most knights carried antidotes.
Looking at her now, it seemed she had been struck down before she even had time to drink one.
My eyes remained calmly fixed on Mitram.
I couldn't tell yet if he truly intended to kill the Princess. Rather than provoking him needlessly, I had to maintain a stoic reaction to ensure the hostages' safety.
"This... this... trash, trash! Every single one of them is a hothouse flower! Don't you agree, Ian Percus?! You're a noble too, but you've walked the line between life and death, so you must know!"
After grinding his heel into the Princess's head for a while, he kicked her away.
The Princess's body flipped over, and a hacking cough escaped her. With every cough, the dirt she had inhaled spilled from her mouth.
The pure white cape that symbolized a first-year student had long since been stained with filth.
It was a pathetic sight for a member of the imperial family.
"They can do nothing in the face of a true crisis! At best, they use their authority to desperately cling to their pathetic pride! Isn't this woman the same?"
Tears began to well in the Princess's dull, light gray eyes.
Soon, a single tear rolled down her cheek. It was a drop mingled with terror, regret, and apology.
I accepted Mitram's rage in silence.
"No matter how hard you try, there is no reward! When something feels strange, one usually looks for the cause, but simply because her pride was wounded... Pfft, shall I tell you what this woman did?"
The Princess's eyes, as she gasped for breath, filled with a desperate plea.
A look that begged him to stop. But Mitram did not stop.
As the words continued, the despair in the eyes of the Princess and the knight only deepened.