Chapter 127: Monologue — Interlude (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: Monologue — Interlude (1)
The air was crisp.
The sky stretched wide before Dorothy’s eyes, painted in the deep hues of sunset.
However, the only thing truly lingering in her vision was the face of the young man she had sat with on a bench, holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes.
Isaac.
As promised, he had returned to Märchen Academy. She knew because she had seen him flying atop the Frost Dragon earlier. Dorothy let out a long, lingering breath of relief.
However, Isaac seemed to be in a desperate hurry, as if something urgent had happened. Unfortunately, Dorothy wasn't in any state to chase after him.
“Ugh… I can’t even move a muscle…”
They were at Isaac’s hideout deep within the Josena Forest. Dorothy lay sprawled on the roof, whimpering softly.
The backlash of interfering with a different timeline had slammed into her all at once, leaving her paralyzed. If she had stayed in the sky just a few moments longer, she might have plummeted helplessly to the ground.
She was incredibly fortunate to have made it back to the surface in time.
[You overexerted yourself. You shouldn’t have abused that power, you know?]
Beside her, Ella—the white cat familiar with a pink ribbon tied to her tail—scolded her in a coy, haughty voice. Dorothy pouted.
“Listen here, cat lady. I didn’t have a choice, okay? What was I supposed to do when I was so worried about the President?”
[Worry about yourself instead… Fretting over a guy that powerful is just a waste of time.]
“No, it’s not.”
[Huh?]
“The President isn't invincible. He isn’t made of iron. He’s human, and he can break down just like anyone else… It was the first time I’d ever seen him look so distressed. He’s usually so boringly upright.”
When Dorothy had encountered Isaac in that other world, his emotions had seemed like ashen gray. He was clearly struggling just to maintain his resolve and will.
The only thought Dorothy had in that moment was that she had to save him as quickly as possible.
She had forced a bright smile, laughed until her cheeks ached, and pushed her energy levels far beyond her limits—all because she wanted to reach him.
She just wanted him to smile for her.
[…Are you his mother or something?]
Ella let out a heavy sigh and curled up comfortably beside Dorothy. She clearly had no intention of arguing further.
“Haaah. President, when are you coming back…?”
Dorothy tossed her head from side to side like a bored child. She wanted to see Isaac again as soon as possible.
*
Before Isaac revealed himself in the Astrea Duchy…
The Knight Order under the command of House Astrea was charging toward the location of the black tower demon, spurred on by horses and familiars.
Its size was massive enough to scrape the sky, shrouded in swirling black clouds. There was no doubt that an extremely dangerous demon had emerged.
Kaya had manifested a colossal, enigmatic tree and was engaged in a fierce magical duel against the black tower demon. However, from a distance, it appeared she was being pushed back.
The Knight Commander, Sharon, led the charge at the forefront atop a large eagle familiar. The situation was dire. Protecting the Astrea Duchy by eliminating the demon was a given, but more importantly, protecting Lady Kaya was her lifelong duty.
Sharon had long admired Gerald Astrea, the Sword Saint who approached every battle with eyes as sharp as a hawk. However, his demeanor had softened when his bond with the genius wizard, Historia, bore fruit; Sharon could never forget the way he smiled with pure pride while gazing at the newborn Kaya.
To fail to protect the one she served was a disgrace far worse than death for a knight.
She had to protect Lady Kaya at any cost. Sharon grit her teeth, repeating that vow like a mantra in her mind.
“What is that?”
Suddenly, the crimson Arbor Gigantes vanished, and the outskirts of the desolate land of death were transformed by a wall of black-red flames. It was a blaze fused with dark mana.
The wall extended toward the heavens themselves. The sheer heat from the flames evaporated the surrounding clouds in an instant.
As the distance to the black tower demon closed, the knights felt a surge of powerful mana that stirred a primitive fear deep within their souls.
It was a mana distinct from that of demons.
No matter how dull one’s mana perception might be, there was no mistaking the weight of it.
“This mana…?”
Sharon, who had served in the Imperial Knights, had once been overwhelmed by the immense mana unleashed by an Archwizard.
Because of that experience, she knew. Behind that wall of flames stood something that equaled or perhaps even surpassed an Archwizard.
“Commander, this mana…”
“Do you recognize it?”
“When I was dispatched to Antrico, I felt something very similar.”
Sharon’s brows furrowed at her subordinate’s words.
Antrico was a port city along the Arkins Sea. If mana of such terrifying magnitude had been felt there recently, then…
“The concentration is even denser now, but it’s unmistakable. It’s the ‘Nameless Hero’…!”
There was no other incident that fit the description apart from the clash between the Black Monster and the Floating Island.
“What?”
One day, an unidentifiable Archwizard had appeared at Märchen Academy and began purging demons.
A powerhouse among powerhouses, the one who had brought down the gargantuan demon known as the Floating Island.
Deciding that a sinister title like ‘Black Monster’ didn't suit such a savior, the world had begun calling them the ‘Nameless Hero,’ revering them as a guardian.
How did they know such a demon would appear here?
“…!!”
Right then, Sharon spotted a girl with emerald-green twintails using wind magic to fly, carrying a boy and another girl in tow.
The girl’s unstable flight indicated that her mana was almost entirely depleted.
Sharon’s eyes narrowed before widening in shock.
“Lady Kaya?!”
Fortunately, Kaya had managed to escape the battlefield between the two monsters.
Kaya spotted the Knight Order and descended toward them. With her was a black-haired man who had fallen unconscious and a white-haired girl screaming in a panic.
The Knight Order ground to a halt.
As they reached her, Kaya gave the order to stand by, offering only one explanation.
The one who would defeat that demon had arrived.
“Sigh.”
As I felt the hand gripping the Obsidian Blade beginning to petrify, I immediately retracted the weapon; it dissolved into rock mana and was absorbed back into my body.
The moment [Hunter] deactivated, my frayed nerves finally eased. When I’d used [Clairvoyance] and saw Ian wandering around nearby, I’d nearly had a heart attack…
I collapsed onto the ground. Perhaps it was a side effect of the Trial of Sandstone, but my body felt like lead.
Until just a moment ago, I had been overflowing with vitality thanks to [Hunter], feeling as though I’d downed a gallon of caffeine while sleep-deprived. Now, the crash was hitting hard.
Similarly, the enormous golem familiar, Eden - The Breaker, glowed briefly with rock mana before shrinking back into his usual small, cute form.
He faceplanted into the dirt with a pathetic groan: [Kooong…]. It seemed he was completely exhausted now that the powerful buffs had worn off.
With [Hunter] deactivated, Eden’s level dropped from a temporary 175 back down to 103. It looked like he’d gained some levels while we were taking down Babel the Corrupted.
Swooshhh──.
Just like my stocks back in Korea, the bisected body of Babel crumbled into ash and vanished.
Following that, the wall of flames disintegrated into dust from the top down. I had deliberately restrained my icy chill so the barrier would stay up long enough to serve as cover.
The dark beads containing the captives gradually lost their glow and settled on the ground.
Boom. Boom. Boom. As the beads burst, the unconscious hostages spilled out onto the earth. In one fell swoop, the dark mana evaporated from the land of death, and the entire area transformed into one giant outdoor sleeping ward.
When a Devil Pillar takes damage, it absorbs the life force of its hostages to heal. That was why Eden and I went for one-shot kills in both Phase 1 and Phase 2—to deny the bastard any chance to drain the people.
They’d all be weak for a while, but with some food and rest, they’d recover.
[Babel the Corrupted]
Psychology: [Bewildered because you have become drastically weaker.]
Babel let out a final, pathetic Kiriririk… moan.
It must feel cheated. After all, it just got absolutely wrecked by a "nobody" who was technically far weaker than it.
‘What can I say? You were just unlucky. I’m a Demon-Limited Hunter, after all.’
The monster glared at me with its one wide eye before completely dissolving into ash and scattering in the wind.
[Congratulations! You’ve defeated the demon [Babel the Corrupted (Lv 165)] and gained EXP!]
[Level Up!! Your level has increased to 105!]
[You have gained 4 stat points!]
[You have unlocked the achievement ❰I Shattered the Tower Before Even Ascending It?❱! You have gained an additional 10 stat points!]
Where Babel had vanished, ash-colored clouds swirled and condensed into two cubes floating in the air.
The two mana-cubes then dropped softly to the surface.
‘Loot.’
I forced myself up, walked over, and snatched the two cubes.
[You have obtained the Loot [Corrupted Dust]!]
Both cubes had the same effect; they each granted a unique skill.
Since a person can only use one, even if I took mine, there was one left over. It would be best to give the spare to Ian, since he has the light element.
I shattered one cube with a simple flick of ice magic. As I did, the ash-colored powder inside seeped into my mana circuits.
[The energy of the Loot [Corrupted Dust] seeps into you...]
[Congratulations! You have acquired the Unique Skill [Domain Expansion]!]
[Domain Expansion].
Just as Babel the Corrupted had turned this area into a land of death, I could now establish a domain based on my own elements. It was the creation of a territory completely dominated by me.
Since it was a skill, the stronger I became and the more I trained it, the greater its range and effectiveness would be.
I tucked the remaining cube into my pocket.
‘Ah, I’m dead on my feet.’
I was so incredibly tired. I wanted to find a bed—or even just a patch of grass—and pass out.
But now wasn't the time for a nap. The Knight Order under the Astrea Household would be here any minute.
I scanned the surroundings with [Clairvoyance]. They were still a fair distance away.
They must have paused briefly after meeting up with Kaya. Perfect.
They’d likely arrive and immediately begin search and rescue operations. Of course, that mostly meant the tedious task of hauling all these sleeping people to safety one by one.
Regardless, I needed to disappear before they arrived.
“Eden, you okay?”
[Kuoooo…]
Eden replied with a faint, weary voice, feebly lifting his right arm. He remained slumped on the ground, unable to even raise his head.
He clearly wasn't up for acting as my transport, so I unsummoned him.
“Hilde.”
I summoned Hilde in her small dragon form from the circle engraved on my left wrist.
[Did you call, Master?]
“Use [Frostwind], please. Keep it weak so it doesn't hurt anyone. Just enough to scrub the mana trail.”
When you use elemental magic, it leaves a residue behind.
What is that, you ask?
Usually, when you dismiss something made of elemental magic, it turns to dust and vanishes. However, when that dust collides forcefully with other objects, it doesn't disappear instantly, leaving a "mana trail."
It doesn't last long, but a moderately strong wind can blow it away and accelerate the dissipation, just like releasing magic normally.
I needed to destroy the evidence before I made my exit.
[By your command.]
Whooooosh──.
A silver wind imbued with frost, [Frostwind], spiraled out from Hilde and enveloped the area like a whirlwind. The chill and the force were both minimal. Though the color was dark and misty, it felt like nothing more than a light winter breeze.
[Frostwind] didn't harm the unconscious people; it simply swept away the mana residue scattered across the battlefield.
Now, all I had to do was vanish into the night like a Dark Hero, and the picture would be perfect.
‘…Wait, how much mana do I have left?’
Come to think of it…
Hilde’s mana efficiency was as much of a scam as her power. This was likely why I was still technically too weak to handle an end-game level familiar.
Riding her all the way here must have drained me significantly. On top of that, she just used [Frostwind]… My body was starting to feel like a car running on empty.
I pulled up my status window.
[Status]
Name: Isaac Lv: 105 Gender: Male Year: (2nd) Title: Prospective Second Year Mana: 105/26,000 – Mana Recovery Speed (A-)
‘Holy crap!’
This was bad. I was about to bottom out!
The Astrea Knights would find me any second. I couldn't keep [Frostwind] going much longer. I had to get out of here now.
“Hilde! Run!!”
[Ah! What?! Master, wait! Don’t leave me behind!]
I bolted through the [Frostwind] at full speed.