Chapter 75
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: You Really Are a Prophet
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(5)
10.
The body of Quint, cleaved clean in half.
The bisected torso soon crumbled to the ground like a collapsing ruin, spilling crimson innards and fluids.
A multitude of eyeballs that had hung around his neck tumbled across the dirt alongside it.
Thud! Roll!
Magical eyes scattered like marbles.
Among them were eyes that could glimpse five seconds into the future, but Ullan turned away without a hint of interest.
Six in total now.
That meant every single Abyss Worshipper Noa had warned him about was now eliminated.
Still, he couldn't let his guard down.
To prepare for any potential enemies, he activated Enemy Search. Fortunately, no presences stirred, so he finally relaxed his vigilance.
After shaking the blood and flesh from his axe, Ullan headed straight for Dilia.
Dilia lay slumped against White Wolf's body, utterly motionless.
"Has she passed out?"
Probably from the tension releasing all at once in relief.
Or perhaps a mana shock on top of that.
Fortunately, her breathing and pulse were steady, so Ullan let out a sigh of relief.
"No helping it, then."
He grabbed the back of her neck.
And hoisted her over his shoulder. She was so small and light that it was no burden at all.
"Well, then..."
What to do next?
With the Abyss Worshippers gone, all threats had vanished.
Head back to the academy like this?
Or find Professor Stella first and regroup with the other students?
As he pondered his options,
a sudden sound shattered his thoughts.
Crunch! Chomp!
It was White Wolf.
The beast was devouring something voraciously.
What on earth was it eating?
Curiosity piqued, Ullan glanced over—and frowned. He instantly recognized what it was.
The thing it was eating was eyeballs. Specifically, the magical eyes Quint had worn around his neck.
To be precise, it was sucking out only the power and mana embedded in them, then spitting the empty eyeballs back out.
"Is that tasty?"
[Grrr!]
White Wolf grinned as if to say yes.
A short time later,
after finishing its meal, White Wolf suddenly perked up its pointed ears. Then it melted back into Ullan's shadow and vanished.
At the same moment, presences approached from afar.
Soon, a familiar voice rang out.
"Ullan!"
Green hair and yellow eyes.
It was Professor Stella.
She pushed through the underbrush, eyes widening in shock at the sight of Dilia slung over Ullan's shoulder like luggage.
"D-Dilia?! Is she okay? Is she badly hurt?!"
"Just unconscious."
"Really? Phew, thank goodness."
Stella's relief was genuine.
But it was short-lived.
"More importantly, this isn't the time! We need to get back to the academy and call for backup."
"What's that all of a sudden?"
"What? Didn't Dilia tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"That the monsters and illusions in the forest were all because of an Abyss Worshipper attack..."
She trailed off urgently, but then clamped her mouth shut.
She had no choice. Only now did she take in the scene beyond Ullan's shoulder.
"...!"
A battlefield strewn with blood and corpses.
The mages presumed to be Abyss Worshippers all had their heads blown off or bodies split apart.
As she stared in a daze,
Ullan replied softly.
"If it's Abyss Worshippers you're talking about, they're all gone now."
The answer sent a chill down her spine.
Yet it also sounded like a declaration that every threat had been eradicated.
With those plain words,
the hellish night came to an end.
11.
The next day, after dawn broke,
the hunting exam was immediately halted.
Arsen Academy erupted in chaos upon receiving Stella's report.
As it should.
The sudden Abyss Worshipper assault and their aim to kidnap students had all come to light.
An investigation team was dispatched to uncover the truth, and soon the damages from the night were tallied.
Five dead in total.
All special task force agents assigned to escort the students.
Fortunately, no students had died. Most had merely fainted and been bound at the forest's edge.
Perhaps because of that,
the incident was publicly announced as the special task force heroically fighting off the Abyss Worshippers to protect the students.
Of course, that wasn't the truth.
The real hero who faced the Abyss Worshippers was none other than Ullan. But the military department, which received the first report, deliberately concealed it.
The reason was simple.
Revealing Ullan's true prowess would cause all sorts of problems. Fortunately, there were few witnesses, making it easy to fabricate the story.
After the false announcement,
Dean Berje Erkazan of the military department sighed heavily, his expression troubled.
"Hoo..."
His conscience bothered him.
No matter that it was for the empire and military, stealing Ullan's achievements was an undeniable fact.
As he sighed repeatedly,
a blue-haired middle-aged knight at his side spoke up.
"Don't trouble yourself too much, Your Excellency."
"...Sir Seoric."
"Someday, when Ullan stands with the empire, he'll understand. That this was all for the greater cause."
Seoric Al Gorfant.
One of the empire's Five Swords.
Berje replied, his troubled look not fully gone.
"I hope so..."
"He will."
Seoric grinned.
Perhaps thanks to the comfort, the distress faded from Berje's face.
A moment later, Berje looked at Seoric.
As if remembering something.
"...By the way, about you."
"Yes, speak freely."
"Don't you need to return to the front lines?"
Last month, after his duel with Ullan,
unlike Count Deorg who returned to his territory, Seoric had stayed at the academy.
With the excuse of resting now that he was near the capital for once. Seoric let out a hearty laugh at Berje's words.
"The west runs fine without me."
"Same as Sir Istan."
Masters, one and all.
Battle maniacs to a man.
As Berje eyed him in exasperation, Seoric spoke first this time.
"More importantly, Your Excellency."
"...What is it?"
"Is the recruitment operation for Ullan still on hold?"
The moment he mentioned recruitment,
Seoric's eyes sharpened.
"You can't hide a needle in your pocket forever. The sooner we bring him into the empire's fold, the better, I think..."
"Hoo, if it were up to me, I'd do it in a heartbeat."
Berje sighed.
As if venting his frustrations.
"But as you know, the military has no leeway right now. And of all times, Prince Shartlan has made his decision now."
"This autumn, was it?"
"Yes, right when the second semester starts."
Berje nodded.
Seoric's expression hardened.
"Blood winds will blow through the imperial family."
"What of it? It's always like that when the empire changes hands."
Unlike Seoric's grim face, Berje chuckled dryly, devoid of emotion.
A moment later, Berje smoothly shifted the topic.
"Anyway, if you're so idle as to linger here, help me think."
"Think about what?"
"About rewards for Ullan."
"Rewards?"
Seoric's eyes widened slightly.
As if surprised.
"In a way, the special task force stole his credit this time. So once this blows over, I plan to give him something appropriate."
It was a consideration for Ullan.
And a way to ease his own unease. Seoric replied as if it were obvious.
"Just ask him."
"What? Directly?"
"Yes. And while you're at it, find out if he has any desires—or what his personal goals are."
Hearing that,
Berje's eyes gleamed. He grasped Seoric's intent.
"I see. If we learn his goals..."
"We can use them for recruitment later."
Seoric grinned. Berje did too.
It was a solid plan.
As their laughter faded, Seoric spoke again.
"If it's alright, leave it to me."
"Hm? To you?"
"Yes, I have something in mind."
Seoric's eyes sparkled.
Like he'd devised a clever scheme.
12.
That evening, after the military department's official announcement,
Ullan visited a cafe with Noa.
To thank her for the prophecy that warned him ahead of time. And to fill her in on what happened in the forest.
How much time passed?
"That's what went down in the forest."
The long tale concluded.
From the six Abyss Worshippers' assault to all the illusions. Noa swallowed hard, her face tense.
"S-So the Abyss Worshippers..."
"All gone."
Ullan replied nonchalantly.
Noa gulped dryly.
And rightly so.
According to a brief mention in the original story, those six Abyss Worshippers were all high-grade mages or better.
And he took them all out?
Without a scratch, no less?
Noa gazed at Ullan with renewed awe. As expected of a master. She sighed inwardly in relief.
At least it's over.
Thanks to Ullan, they'd definitively avoided Dilia's death flag.
Until the Hero's Trial arrived, Dilia had no more death flags.
As she breathed easier again,
"Ullan!"
a familiar voice called out.
A light blonde girl came rushing up, breathless.
Ivela Elead.
She approached with an urgent expression, as if she'd heard some news. Then she immediately inspected Ullan up and down.
"A-Are you okay?! Not hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine."
"Really? Phew, what a relief."
Ivela's relief was heartfelt.
After catching her breath,
she explained why she'd rushed over.
"I just happened to hear the military department's announcement on my way here. They said Abyss Worshippers attacked the northern forest, so..."
She'd come looking for Ullan in a panic.
As she explained, Noa chuckled as if it were nothing.
"What're you worried about? Ullan's a master."
"True, but when I heard, I just panicked. Anyway, you're safe—that's what matters."
Ivela beamed.
Ullan smiled faintly too. He could feel her genuine concern.
As their talk wrapped up,
Noa noticed something.
"Huh? What's that?"
"Oh, letters from Mom."
Ivela dumped a stack of letters from her bosom onto the table. A hefty pile—over ten.
A moment later, she hung her head.
"...And from the count too."
Her voice was tiny, almost crawling.
She seemed embarrassed.
But only for a moment. She pulled out one letter and handed it to Ullan.
"Here, take this."
Ullan took it, puzzled.
He tilted his head.
"Why give this to me?"
"Because it's addressed to you."
"To me?"
He examined the envelope curiously.
Sure enough. His name was on the recipient line. The sender: Istan El Deorg.
One of the empire's Five Swords—and Ivela's father, who lost to Ullan last month.
Why would he send a letter?
Curiosity surged.
"Can I read it?"
"Sure, go ahead."
With permission,
Ullan tore open the envelope. As he pulled out the letter inside, his expression hardened.
It was quite thick.
Maybe fancy paper? No—seven sheets of ordinary stationery.
Gulp!
He swallowed unwittingly.
Then peeked at the letter before quickly closing it. The pages were crammed with tiny script.
That was all he needed to see.
Whoosh!
Ullan slipped it back into the envelope.
Ivela blinked in confusion.
"Huh? Not reading it?"
"I'll read it slowly later."
It'd take a week at least.
Maybe more.
As he pocketed it,
Dong! Dang!
The clock tower in the square chimed.
Signaling the end of today's lectures. And exactly 6 p.m.
Hearing it,
Ullan stood abruptly.
"I'll be going."
"Already?"
Ivela asked, surprised.
With a hint of disappointment.
Of course. They'd only just met; she wanted to talk more.
"Some errand?"
"Heading to the hospital."
"To see Dilia?"
As Noa said, Dilia was currently hospitalized in the military department's comprehensive ward.
Diagnosed with mana shock and depletion from overuse; at least a week bedridden.
But that wasn't why Ullan was going.
"No, they summoned me for an exam."
"Huh? Exam?"
"What exam? You said you weren't hurt."
Noa and Ivela stared, shocked.
Facing the two girls, Ullan explained the exam.
Abyss Worshippers wielded forbidden magic with corrupted mana.
So there was a chance of contamination; they'd called for a thorough check.
After his explanation,
the girls nodded in understanding.
"Ugh, if that's why, no choice."
"Take care, Ullan."
Ivela waved, looking wistful.
Bid farewell by the two, Ullan turned toward
the military department's comprehensive ward.