Chapter 74: The First Letter (74)
Chapter 74: The First Letter (74)
“S-stop… I was wrong.”
Chewing on her humiliation, Senior Delphine muttered those words. For her, it must have required an immense amount of courage.
Yet, it wasn't enough to satisfy me; my brow remained slightly furrowed. Sensing my mood, Delphine grew even more frantic.
“I… I made a mistake today. And I’ll… I’ll let everything that happened afterward slide, too….”
Her voice was thick with a sense of profound disgrace. She bit her lip so hard it looked as if blood might seep out at any moment. Her fading words carried a faint trace of moisture.
Her body trembled violently as she swallowed her shame. It seemed this situation was more agonizing to her than the fear of impending death.
It was the fall of a proud noble lady.
Watching that pathetic sight, a long sigh finally escaped my lips.
“……I see. That’s a relief.”
Delphine didn't answer. Only her quivering shoulders betrayed the heart of a wounded lioness.
Begging for one's life is a truly miserable thing. For some, pride is more precious than life itself.
And so, I declared with a sigh-laden voice.
“Then let’s finish this quickly. The finale belongs to Seria.”
At my words, Delphine’s eyes snapped wide. Her gaze turned toward me once more.
Reflected in her eyes was my shadow, still holding the hand axe high.
My head throbbed. My entire body ached. Because my mana was running wild, every single one of my meridian points was in a state of total overload.
I just wanted to rest. With that single-minded thought, I put strength into the arm holding the axe.
My arm muscles twitched as I swung the hand axe down.
The blade traced a line of light. Its destination was one and only: Senior Delphine.
Delphine instinctively clutched her head and wailed.
“W-wait! I-I apologized… S-stop! Hieeeek?!”
Just as Delphine let out a scream that was uncharacteristically cute.
“……Senior Ian.”
The words, spoken softly, made the axe blade falter once again.
My eyes naturally turned toward the source of the voice. A beautiful girl with gray hair was looking at me with a pained expression.
“Please stop.”
“Seria…….”
But I couldn't seem to let the strength out of my arm. It was an inexplicable obsession. Some kind of compulsion had burrowed into my brain like a finger.
Of course, I didn't actually intend to kill her. But I did intend to break her even more than she was now.
So that she could never bare her teeth at my precious people again.
Feeling sorry that Seria couldn't understand this, my voice trailed off. Seria simply shook her head at me in silence.
Just as hesitation began to cloud my eyes, a sudden shout erupted.
“I-I-Ian! Are you crazy?!”
Clutching her shoulder where blood was seeping through, she came running toward me with quick, short steps.
Despite the pain she must have been in, no sign of it showed in her amber eyes. Even though she looked like she could barely move, she was desperately rushing to my side, stumbling as she went.
My gaze turned toward the black-haired girl, filled with bewilderment.
But she didn't care about my look at all. As soon as she reached me, she slapped me hard on the back.
“Ow?! Hey, Celine! I’ve told you before that hurts….”
I instinctively reacted with irritation, but Celine immediately grabbed me by the collar.
Faint tears were welling in her amber eyes. That was how shocked she was. Her voice trembled on the verge of crying.
“K-k-killing a noble? Are you actually insane?! Stop this right now and apologize! You’re going to be in huge trouble!”
And.
The moment I saw Celine’s tearful eyes.
Suddenly, my senses snapped back to reality.
It was a strange sensation. Like waking up from a dream and returning to the real world; the hazy, blurred world suddenly became clear and pushed me back out.
As if a blocked vessel had been cleared, cooling fluid circulated through my heated brain. The compulsions that had dominated me until now were swept away one by one by the current.
Huh? I thought, staring blankly down at Senior Delphine.
Delphine was looking up at me with eyes full of terror. Her arms, wrapped around her head, were trembling, and her eyes were moist.
The haughty and arrogant new sun of the Yurdina family was nowhere to be found. In the face of death, she was just a girl.
The moment I realized that, all the hostility remaining in my veins vanished as if washed away. The strength left my entire body.
I simply grit my teeth. Squeezing out the last of my strength, I threw the hand axe.
“Kyaaaaak!”
Thud. The sound of the blade sinking in.
It was right next to Senior Delphine.
Delphine, who had been screaming, stared with dazed eyes at the hand axe embedded in the ground. Then, her blood-red eyes turned toward me.
“Senior Delphine, you said the winner takes all, right?”
Heuu, heuuu. There was no answer from Senior Delphine, who was struggling to catch her ragged breath. So, I leaned down and whispered softly into her ear.
“Your life belongs to me now. So be careful from now on… because I might come to collect it whenever I feel like it.”
There was no reply from Senior Delphine. However, her trembling gaze and breath testified to one fact.
At the very least, my words must have been deeply engraved in her mind. All that was left was to hope she would uphold her honor as a noble.
I sighed and turned around. I had to pick up my sword and retrieve the hand axe embedded in the demonic beast’s neck. I was losing my weapons quite often today.
However, what awaited my exhausted self was Celine’s eyes, filled with droplets of tears.
“I-I was worried! I thought… hic, I thought you’d gone crazy, Ian…….”
Did I really look that different? I pondered for a moment, but even reflecting on it now, I couldn't quite grasp what had been so strange.
Maybe it was because I hadn't fully come to my senses yet. So, I reached out and stroked Celine’s head as I spoke.
“Why would I go crazy? I was just a little… excited.”
Despite my words, Celine just kept shedding tears.
Seria seemed to have been inwardly anxious as well. Only then did she let out a deep sigh of relief. Then, she looked at her half-sister with a pained gaze.
I suppose she felt a bit of pity, seeing as they were family. When I first raised the hand axe, I had wondered if it would be better for Seria to deliver the finishing blow and claim the victory instead of me.
Thinking back on it now, that was a incredibly cruel thought. Why did I even think of such a thing?
It was a mystery. Tilting my head, I was about to start retrieving my gear when I heard someone’s voice from afar.
“Kyahahahaha! Well done, well done!”
A small figure came hopping toward us, and I instantly recognized who it was.
It was Senior Elsie. Perhaps she was finally able to use magic again, as she looked down at Senior Delphine with a cheerful, mocking smile.
“Why didn't you go a bit further! You should have smashed her completely, so she could never show her face to us again! Hmm, what should I do? I’m torn… Should I run a current through her nerves and make her flop around like a stabbed fish?”
Contrary to her angelic appearance, the words coming out of Senior Elsie’s mouth were nothing short of cruel. As she continued, Seria’s expression grew worse and worse, to say nothing of Senior Delphine, who was trembling as if she’d lost her mind while clutching her head.
I felt the need to take drastic measures.
“Or maybe engraving an electrical signal in her brain so she wets herself whenever she sees us wouldn't be bad? Hehehe, I’m looking forward to— Hieeeek?! I-I’m sorry!”
When I showed her the hand axe I had just picked up, Senior Elsie immediately shut her mouth and pulled her pointed hat down low. Her curled-up body trembled.
I let out a long sigh. Honestly, Senior Elsie’s cruel temperament was a problem.
After shaking my head for a while, I placed my hand on top of Senior Elsie’s head.
It was to calm her down. My hand gently stroked Senior Elsie’s hair.
“Being a bedwetter is your unique charm, Senior Elsie. Don't give up on it so easily.”
“……I-I’m not!! Well, anyway. Keep stroking my head.”
After a brief resistance, Senior Elsie seemed to decide it didn't matter and gave a happy, dazed smile. Her reaction was getting better every time I stroked her head.
If she had a tail, it would probably be wagging right now. Of course, considering her pride, I didn't put that thought into words.
So, a few things had happened. But in the end, I thought all the problems had been resolved well.
All that remained was to transport the prey.
Chancellor Delemore, an old mage with a snow-white beard reaching down to his waist, adjusted his monocle.
A massive crowd had gathered in front of the forest located south of the Academy.
This was because it was the stage for the Hunting Festival. The performances organized by the student union were nearing their end.
The sky was turning dark. Soon the sun would set, and darkness would fall. Then, this year’s Hunting Festival would finally come to a close.
Most of the groups that had gone out to hunt had already returned. Among them were groups that had brought back impressive prey. There were even a couple of high-ranking demonic beasts; unless something unexpected happened, one of them would take the victory.
If it had been last year, Chancellor Delemore would have been engaged in pleasant conversation with key figures from various countries by now. The VIP seats where he sat were occupied by famous figures of the continent whose names alone carried great weight.
No matter how large the forest was, the prey was limited. There was no guarantee that staying longer would result in hunting stronger prey.
In other words, by evening, near the time the Hunting Festival was to end, most of the winners were already bound to be decided.
And once the results were determined, it was customary to exchange empty praises and mockery disguised in complex political rhetoric.
Yet, an unnatural silence hung over the VIP seats right now. There was only one reason for it.
The strongest candidate for this year’s victory had not yet returned.
Delphine Yurdina, the successor of the Yurdina family, the lords of the North.
Never before had a successor of the Yurdina family entered the Academy and failed to win the Hunting Festival. When a Yurdina successor reached their fourth year, the victory of that year’s Hunting Festival almost always belonged to the Yurdina family.
History always repeats itself. Therefore, the prevailing outlook was that this year’s victory would also belong to Delphine Yurdina, and the high-ranking officials from various countries held expectations accordingly.
Just how magnificent a prey would she bring back?
If not, they might witness the Yurdina family’s first failure. Either way, it was bound to be an exciting spectacle.
It was almost time to declare the closing. Chancellor Delemore looked toward the forest entrance with anxious eyes.
Are they still not here?
If so, it couldn't be helped. Regulations had to be fair, and the Academy, which at least pretended to be equal on the surface, couldn't give special treatment just because someone was from a prominent family of the Empire.
It was just as the elderly mage was staring helplessly at the ticking second hand of his watch.
A commotion broke out at the entrance of the forest.
Another group had returned. Usually, when a hunting group returned, a commotion would arise from acquaintances welcoming them, but the scale of this commotion was different.
The sound of murmuring spread through the crowd in an instant. It was enough to instantly cool the heated atmosphere of the student union’s performance. Hundreds of pairs of eyes turned blankly toward the forest entrance.
They’re here, a flash of delight crossed Chancellor Delemore’s eyes.
This was a reaction shared by everyone in the VIP seats. Some even jumped to their feet, unable to contain their anticipation.
A commotion and murmuring of this scale surely meant that the most likely winner had returned.
However, their eyes, which had initially sparkled with anticipation, soon sank into a dull stupor.
Grrrrk. The sound of something scraping against the ground.
It was the sound made when an object of immense weight was forcibly dragged across the earth. Along with it, trees shook, and some small trees even snapped and fell. Just from the sound alone, it was a behemoth.
As the prey emerged from the trees like pushing through tall grass, its form forced everyone into silence.
It was an incredibly massive wolf.
No one present had ever seen a wolf of such terrifying size in their lives. First, they were overwhelmed by its size, and then their attention was drawn to the horn on its forehead.
The horn, which was crackling with mana, testified that this wolf was no easy opponent. A monster that manipulated mana at will. A high-ranking demonic beast? No, it was more than that.
It was a demonic beast of a level worthy of a name.
Chancellor Delemore, whose wealth of life experience made him the first to be certain of that fact, felt the hair on his neck stand up. Just how on earth had they managed to hunt it?
First of all, the fact that a named-class demonic beast existed in the southern forest was news to him. A beast of that caliber would surely cause casualties unless professors were involved. Yet, the fact that a group of four students still attending the Academy had hunted it was astonishing.
As expected of the Yurdina successor.
Chancellor Delemore couldn't help but marvel inwardly. No matter how much he thought about it, she was the only one who came to mind as someone capable of facing a named demonic beast.
While he shuddered at the thought that casualties could have occurred at such an important festival, he couldn't help but let out a gasp of admiration at the skill displayed.
He felt indebted to the Yurdina family. It was just as Chancellor Delemore let out a sigh of relief.
“……Ian Percus.”
A name he had never heard before struck his ears.
Chancellor Delemore’s eyes instinctively sought the source of the voice. There, he saw the shadow of a man who was grit his teeth while dragging the corpse of the demonic beast.
Ian Percus? Was there such a name in Delphine Yurdina’s group?
Chancellor Delemore tilted his head. The high-ranking officials in the VIP seats seemed to feel the same, as they began to whisper among themselves.
Because they were far from the forest entrance, they didn't know yet.
Why the onlookers had all fallen into a chilling silence.
“I am the team leader. Reporting our return.”
As if cold water had been poured over them, silence fell upon the VIP seats as well.
Their wide eyes spoke of their shock.
Hunting a named demonic beast was something even Academy graduates had to risk their lives for. To think that a current student, not even a graduate, had accomplished this was an unbelievable feat.
Even considering the reputation of the name ‘Delphine Yurdina,’ it was so. But ‘Ian Percus’—wasn't that a name they were hearing for the first time?
The mana flowing calmly in the VIP seats began to fluctuate. It meant everyone was hurriedly enhancing their vision with mana.
In the distance, they saw him. Black hair and golden eyes.
His appearance was as elegant as a young nobleman’s, but his clothes were bloodstained, contrasting sharply with his looks. He looked as if he might collapse at any moment.
Nevertheless, as if he were about to crack a joke, he spoke with a faint smile.
“By any chance, was there a group that hunted a better prey than us?”
It was the moment the winner of the Hunting Festival was decided.