Chapter 207
Chapter 207
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 207
Chapter Title: Summoned Guardians
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You never know where this one's gonna bolt to.
"Herka. 「Cooperate with me」"
"Cooperate..."
It's not my preferred method, but things are too urgent for me to leisurely hypnotize and train her.
Skipping the tedious persuasion process, I turn Herka into an ally.
This marks the beginning of my connection with Herka.
Clap.
I clapped my hands to wake her.
"Herka."
Herka, fresh out of her trance, blinked up at me.
"Let me introduce myself properly.
I'm Decal. Hero candidate at Melbritt and adventurer. Student council special investigator.
No time to waste. I need your help."
"No way. Too much hassle!"
What the—?
Did the hypnosis fail?
Herka grinned at my frozen panic.
"Just kidding!
If it's Decal asking, then this genius girl, Herka Filioate, will help you out. No more worrying from now on!"
"......"
Sigh. You scared me.
Falling under hypnosis that easily, and now she's pranking me instead.
Genius girl? More like weirdo girl.
Takes some thick skin to call yourself a genius girl.
"Found anything out?"
"The enemy's a mage. They've been hiding as a hero candidate inside Melbritt, pulling strings from within.
Haven't pinned down their exact methods yet, but it looks like they've hijacked Melbritt's systems."
"Systems?"
"There were anomalies.
Mana reactions slipping past the admin systems, multiple ones disguised as hero candidates inside Melbritt.
I'm guessing they're demonic beasts, but not certain."
The black demonic beasts rampaging through Melbritt right now are just decoys, like Esty said.
Too many for the ones hiding among the candidates. And they're multiplying nonstop, even now.
Herka's the only one who can crack this mystery.
"It's ritual magic.
They've prepped a ton of tokens, so the enemy's come with some real firepower."
"Meaning we might be facing more than one Demon King Army exec?"
Herka shoved her hand into her blazer pocket and fidgeted around.
"Yup~~. Sharp as ever, Decal.
That's why I kept telling them to invest in defenses, but the headmaster wouldn't listen.
Melbritt's a key facility in the human-demon war. Not your average school—prime target anytime."
"......"
Herka was spot on.
Melbritt's a core facility in the human-demon war. A factory churning out hero-grade talent.
No surprise if the enemy sent a strike team.
And now that key facility's exposed to attack.
A fatal blunder.
Not my blunder, of course. It's those national leaders who can't function without relying on heroes like idiots.
But.
I know the truth of this world.
"Melbritt will be protected."
No matter how cleverly the Demon King Army pokes our blind spots.
That's unchanging.
Because the Goddess of Light guards Melbritt.
"Yeah. Melbritt won't fall easily.
Neris is here too... and most importantly! I've got this!"
We understood it differently, but
I got what Herka meant.
Yeah. Hero candidates are strong.
I can trust them with this.
But that's exactly why I've been rushing around.
"Even if the gods watch over us.
We can't prevent every casualty. Someone might get hurt.
I want to minimize that as much as possible."
"Then hop on!"
A sudden gust of wind.
A black board floated up before us.
The same ride Herka had been messing around on before.
Didn't Esty smash it? Must've made a new one—bigger now, carpet-width.
"Black Crow Mark Two!
Surprised? You are, right?"
"......"
I'd seen it before, so no surprise.
"Your reaction sucks, Decal!"
"Wow, amazing."
I said it like a soulless robot.
"Hehe! Good enough."
"But aren't crows naturally black? What's with calling it 'black' crow?"
"Ugh, read a book! Crows are, like, originally white!"
Herka hopped onto the Black Crow—this near-future ride.
I followed suit.
One woman and one adult man on this thin board, and it didn't wobble a bit.
But as it lifted into the air, it got scarier by the second.
One loop like aerial acrobatics, and I'd hurl.
I crouched low and tensed up.
"Let's go! Geomka!"
Herka activated the combat drone with her lame nickname.
No warning, it thrust forward—total shock.
We shot up high enough for Melbritt to look small below. Dizzying.
"We gotta hunt down the ones fueling the ritual magic first.
Best view from up here. And..."
Herka snapped her fingers.
Whoa. Same routine as me.
Casually, like breathing, she gathered energy—easily a hundred times my total mana—and conjured countless light orbs in the sky,
blasting the ground below.
From up here, it was clear.
Pinpoint precision, no margin for error.
Sparing candidates, the orbs speared the heads of those fueling her "energy"—tentacled freak organisms—in one shot.
Dropping altitude a bit, we saw every hero candidate staring up at us.
"Herka!"
"Herka Filioate!"
"Melbritt's great mage!"
"We've won!"
"Woooah!!"
"Everyone! Don't let your guard down yet! The enemy's about to get serious!"
Herka's popularity was insane.
Her small back somehow looked huge.
At first, I thought she was just annoying and loud...
But every world has them: those extraordinary types who floor the normies. The girl before me shone like that.
"Decal. Focus."
"Huh?"
I looked down.
Around Melbritt's main building, suspicious magic circles in three directions.
Made of the black demonic beasts' bodies, stuck to the ground, oozing ominous purple glows.
"Guardians.
Summoned with the energy they've gathered so far."
One Guardian per circle.
At a glance, like black demonic beasts, but shapes sharpening into specifics.
Warriors in red, black, blue armor.
Ghostly, grimacing monsters. Giant-sized, over 3 meters,
arms replaced by massive axes, swords, clubs—reeking of blood even from here.
Candidates who'd bravely one-shot beasts against black demonic foes froze solid.
Those things... are strong.
Not something to rush in on. They felt it in their bones.
The red ghost moved.
It swung its massive double-bladed axe on its right arm, slicing five hero candidates on the edge in an instant.
Danger...!
Karen and Stia's over there!
The red ghost spotted them. Stia and Karen drew its gaze and bolted.
The double-bladed axe swung.
"No!"
I nearly jumped down on instinct.
Herka blocked me with one hand, pointing at the ghost with the other.
"My light, my power.
Protect all from the enemy's assault."
The red ghost's axe halted just before Stia and Karen,
stopped by a colorless wall.
Herka erected a castle-wall-thick magic shield in empty space, blocking the ghost's strike.
"Get out of there!
You can't handle it!"
Stia nodded our way.
Once they escaped, the red ghost pounded the shield like mad.
Cracks spiderwebbed across it—Herka broke a sweat.
"Pissed it off, huh.
That's like steel-thick, though..."
The blue and black ghosts moved.
Danger. Mass slaughter incoming.
Ekaterina, you...!! At least claim responsibility first. What're you doing killing everyone who wants to surrender?
"Herka! We gotta stop those Guardians!"
"Wait. There's something more urgent right now..."
More urgent?
"Then drop me off!"
"Sheesh. Just a sec. Evac's done. Hero candidates who can handle them are coming now."
"Who can handle...?"
Then it happened.
The red ghost got smacked, tumbling across the ground.
In a burst of black light appeared fully geared Neris Rikke.
Black armor, riding a black horse wreathed in black flames, she overwhelmed the red ghost instantly.
"Herka.
Found the enemy's altar?!"
Neris yelled our way.
"Found it! Guardians are yours?"
Neris yanked the reins without a word.
Her black horse roared—enough to scatter ghosts—and charged the red one.
The ghost swung back, but couldn't halt Neris's charge, getting pushed.
This side's good. I can leave it.
The others? Anywhere need me?
By the blue ghost... Esty.
Esty had already punched ten holes through it.
The assisting candidates just gawked at the Lofty Hunter's form.
"......"
The real shocker was the ghost.
Riddled with holes—see-through to the other side—yet charging Esty undiminished.
But Esty permitted no approach.
The black ghost opposite had twin swords for arms.
Whirling blades like a storm against someone I knew well.
"Sir Veil Noah! Alone is dangerous!"
"Sometimes numbers make it riskier.
Watch from behind."
Facing the black ghost: Noah.
Wrist flicks spun her tonfa, casually parrying attacks from a ghost three times her size.
Then counter.
One tonfa swing.
It hit like quaking the earth.
The black ghost couldn't take it, flying nearly ten meters.
"Ah, coming right to me."
Tilia opposite Noah grinned, spreading her legs shoulder-width, drawing her sword.
"Mind if I finish it?"
Noah nodded, and Tilia's sword erupted in massive flames.
"Great Heavenfire!"
She swung—flames pillar up.
Hot enough from here by my standards. Insane heat.
Tilia's flame pillar surged to grind the black ghost.
I gawked like the nearby enforcers.
"Ahh. Good stress relief."
"Tough hide, but dumb. Doesn't realize it weakens with every hit."
Noah gave her curt take and sheathed her tonfa.
Ooh...!
"My girls are killing it!"
I turned cheerleader.
Noah looked up, flashing a smile.
"That way!"
Herka spotted something, cranking the Black Crow's output.
Nearly fell—I hugged her tight with both arms.
"Eeek! Pervert! What're you doing? Hands off my body!"
Feigning inevitability, I buried my face in her butt.
Soft and squishy.
As I huffed humid breaths, Herka smacked my head.
"Don't inhale! Get off! I swear I'll drop you?!"
"Then I definitely can't let go!"
"Ugh...!"
Herka landed the Black Crow in front of the auditorium, then shoved me off.
"Off now. We're here!"
Shame.
Such a soft butt.
I hopped off, standing beside Herka.
"The altar's inside this auditorium.
Probably turned the interior into a demonic beast hatchery."
"Hatchery? Sounds like where they spawn."
"That's the idea.
Unlike summoned via contract, these take time.
Hiding among candidates means those were the seeds."
"They finished hatching prep inside the auditorium?"
Herka nodded gravely.
"Probably.
Probed with detection magic—energy flowing here.
Location's solid, but attacking won't be easy."
"Why not smash the whole building?"
It's an unused auditorium anyway.
Candidates only came recently 'cause I used it for roll call. Otherwise abandoned.
"Would've if I could.
Takes time, so this might be their main force.
The 'ritual magic' I decoded: two types. Abyss Egg Revival. And mass space transfer."
"Space transfer..."
"Probably
to summon some heavyweight they couldn't sneak in disguised.
Stronger than Guardians by miles. Obviously warded the building.
Straight assault means focused fire, then battle starts."
"Did we even do well?
Feels like everything's playing into their hands."
"We did good. Situation's just dire.
If we hadn't cut the link quick, might've fought Demon King Army elites."
Hmm.
And she tried ditching 'cause it was a hassle.
I stared hard at Herka.
Caught out, she averted her eyes.
"I-I didn't know it'd be this big at first."
"Even as a genius girl?"
"Ugh. Genius girl? Cute Herka doesn't know about that stuff."
Herka amped the cuteness to dodge my grilling.
This girl... shameless...
Whatever, hypnosis got us here on time.
"Got a plan?"
"Of course! Me, Herka, infinitely close to genius."
I listened patiently.
"Gather the strong ones and charge!"
"......"
If this girl ever brags again, I swear—zero expectations.
Promise to myself.