150. Wandering Master
150. Wandering Master
"This place is hell."
"This... is hell?"
Upon hearing it was hell, Hulan paused for a moment before speaking again.
"So... you mean it's a region named hell? Could you tell me where the nearest country is?"
Hulan, a Dragon Beastman and Master, genuinely seemed unaware that he was in hell.
He seemed to think he had just arrived in a rather hot desert region.
Even the Flame Sea burning beyond the horizon and the demons as common as roadside pebbles only seemed to make him think, 'The world is vast, so a place like this probably exists.'
"It's not a region with the nickname 'hell,' it's literally hell. This isn't the continent; it's the homeland of demons."
"Hmm... literal hell... I can't believe it, but I did think there were way too many demons around."
He seemed to think the abundance of demons was simply due to the strong influence of heretics nearby.
While most Masters had their own factions and couldn't move freely, there were three Masters who could move about freely.
Two of them were the Shadows of the Empire, me and Teacher.
While the Shadows were said to move freely, they were essentially under the Empire's command.
Whenever we acted, we usually had to report to the Commander of the Imperial Knights, the Empire's greatest sword, so it wasn't perfect freedom.
But Hulan was perfectly free.
It wasn't by his own choice, but either way, he was free.
That was because, although he was a Beastman Master, he wasn't affiliated with the Beastman Federation; he was actually wanted by them.
He got caught up in complex internal politics within the Federation, was exiled, and subsequently wanted.
Having fled the place he was supposed to be, he could have settled down in another country and lived in luxury, but instead, he wandered around living like a chivalrous rogue.
"Anyway, why is a Beastman Master stuck in hell?"
"...I don't know either. I got lost wandering around and ended up here."
'That directionless fool doesn't even know where he is.'
I almost let out a hollow laugh.
Actually, while people called him a chivalrous wanderer, the truth was he was a hopelessly directionless fool who could barely figure out his own location.
I knew he didn't even know where he was going, but I never imagined he would walk right into hell.
Every time he showed that hopelessly lost side, it made me wonder whether his knight-errant lifestyle was a conscious choice or if he just couldn't settle down anywhere because he was so catastrophically directionless.
"Is that person the current Beastman Master, Hulan-nim?"
"He might not look like it, but he is a Master."
Amy looked at the rarely seen Wandering Master with curiosity.
Still, it was a relief to have met Hulan.
If he hadn't helped, our lives would have been in danger.
Aside from his lack of direction, he was a Master with very few flaws.
Being a Dragon Beastman Master, he was stronger than average and had a good personality.
The fact that he didn't talk unnecessarily was also a plus.
He was one of the Masters Mackintosh truly liked, but because he was a wandering directionless fool, he had never once attended the Master's Summit hosted by Mackintosh.
"Ugh..!"
"Are you okay??"
My legs gave out, and I almost fell backward.
Thankfully, Amy caught me from the side.
I had been gritting my teeth and enduring, but after firing off Secret Sword Techniques wildly while suffering from full-body burns, I felt like I could collapse at any moment.
"It's... I'm fine."
"I knew you weren't fine!!"
"...I'll heal quickly once we get out of here."
I had kept saying I was fine, but when she actually saw my legs give out, Amy panicked as if she were the one who was hurt.
I looked like a complete wreck.
Even attempting to absorb the hellfire burning on my body and convert it into an attack prevented the worst-case scenario, but I still suffered severe burns all over.
However, I didn't think it was critical.
It was bad, but I could recover on my own as long as we escaped this hell, where even treatment was difficult.
The method of escaping hell wasn't difficult.
Coming to hell was hard, but getting out was simple.
Since several demons came through every day, if you searched specific areas, loopholes large enough for one or two people to pass through would appear.
"If you know a way out of here, let me help. You seem pretty capable, but... I'm strong too."
The Beastman Master Hulan helped support my body.
Proclaiming his own strength... I knew that even without him saying it.
"For now, let's look for a loophole."
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The way to escape hell was simple.
Find a loophole created by dimensional instability, find a mid-level demon or higher, cut off its horn, and possess it; then you could pass through the loophole.
"Huaaaat!!"
"Kyaak!"
"Oh!"
A hole tore open in the sky above a lush plain, and three people fell out.
"Ugh... we made it back safely."
As soon as I confirmed we had returned, I sat down on the spot and regulated my breathing.
Then, I stimulated and activated the two most powerful Essences residing in my body.
"Huuuuuuup...!!"
The Dragon Essence that came attached when I acquired the Polymorph Authority, which I had never properly used even once, and the Wolf God's Essence that happened to enter my body,
I channeled the two greatest powers throughout my injured body.
As the Essences spread throughout my body, a golden aura of light swirled around me.
As soon as I was confident they had been sufficiently dispersed, I moved on to the next step.
I directly stimulated several specific pressure points with my fingers.
It was a technique I had demonstrated while teaching Shara in the past.
By issuing direct commands to the body, it multiplied the body's natural healing ability several times over, rapidly recovering from even severe burns.
If I merely accelerated the healing, it would pull power intended for other areas and ruin my balance, but because I had heavily drenched my body in the fuel of the Essences as a foundation, recovery proceeded without any significant issues.
New skin grew beneath the festering blisters.
"Hoo... that's better."
I would need to treat it more thoroughly when we returned, but this was enough for the moment.
"Wow..."
"I told you I'd be fine, right?"
Seeing the severe burns begin to heal in just a few minutes while I groaned to myself, Amy covered her mouth as if finding it hard to believe.
"Thank you for your help."
"Don't mention it... I was able to escape from there thanks to you as well, so let's call it even."
Hulan wrapped himself in his tattered robe again.
"...But where is this?"
------------------------------------------
The place we had landed was the plain between the Academy and the Black Forest.
It was a relief that we didn't end up in a foreign country and cause trouble, but the problem was Hulan.
"This is the famous Academy of the Empire?"
If word got out that a Master had entered the Academy, there would be an uproar.
I had brought a 'Recommendation Letter,' so there was no problem for me, but Hulan was different.
Normally, the alarm should have sounded the moment he touched the barrier surrounding the Academy, but he hadn't come in from the outside; he had simply popped into existence on the inside.
Probably, no one knew he had entered the Academy.
"I've always wondered what the Academy was like. Would it be alright if I stayed for a few days?"
"Since you're a Master, they won't refuse. First, let me show you a place where you can stay."
"Thank you."
When I said I would arrange a place for him, Hulan expressed his gratitude.
But there was a condition attached.
"In return, I would be grateful if you kept what happened to us a secret. It would be troublesome if people found out we fell into hell."
"I can do that much without a problem."
Ultimately, Hulan had just gotten lost wandering in hell and popped out on this side.
He came alone, and there was no one who came with him.
The Headmaster would foam at the mouth, asking why on earth I brought an external Master at a time like this, but it couldn't be helped.
"Where are you taking him...?"
"A place that is friendly to Masters and has accommodations... it has to be the Church."
As was the case with Mackintosh, the most favorable organization toward Masters was the Church.
.
.
.
.
.
Hulan was safely transferred to the custody of the Church.
The Holy Knight on duty at the Church was so startled that he fell backward the moment he realized Hulan was a Master.
Hulan said he would stay inside the Church and talk to the Headmaster tomorrow.
After confirming from afar that Hulan had entered the Church, I returned to Amy.
"...Does this not hurt...?"
"It's bearable now."
Amy was staring painfully at the burn marks on my body where new skin was growing back.
She was still worried, seemingly thinking it was her fault.
"Anyway... first, I'll have to tear down that house and build a new one."
"That mansion... it was directly connected to Asmodeus's trap. Shouldn't we investigate it further?"
"What if we get trapped in something similar again? Neither of us could detect it."
This time, we escaped thanks to Asmodeus's voyeurism, but now that we've been marked, I'm not sure we could escape if we got trapped again.
It seemed like obliterating the entire mansion and leaving only the empty lot would prevent any future trouble.
"A lot has happened, but you did well against a Great Demon."
I patted the gloomy Amy on the head.
I didn't know how Amy felt about it herself, but she was quite helpful.
Especially at the end, preventing the demons from approaching was a huge help.
If dozens of demons had rushed us all at once when I was in that defenseless state, it would have been very difficult.
"What should we do about Asmodeus...? He survived."
"Since he's a Great Demon, he can't easily cross over here, so for now... yes, we should target Asmodeus's cult next.
If we crush his forces, all he'll be able to do is rage alone in hell."
"Are you going to raid another hideout?"
"I did it last time... so this time, I'll have someone else do it."
I was looking forward to the Summit.
What kind of reaction would they have when I showed them Asmodeus's horn in my pocket?