Chapter 294: Iron Fairy Subjugation (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 294: Iron Fairy Subjugation (4)
He felt as if he were being pulled toward something, his feet moving instinctively toward the sensation.
At the age of eight, Noah Bartin had stumbled upon a graveyard of swords while holding the hand of his younger sister, Taryn Bartin.
Only days prior, this place had been a simple, empty plain. Noah and Taryn sensed immediately that something was profoundly wrong. The sheer volume of blades made it impossible for them to have been placed there for any ordinary purpose.
The swords themselves looked anything but mundane.
“Brother, let’s go back. I’m scared…”
“If you want to go back, go ahead.”
“Why do you want to go through here? Aren’t you afraid?”
“I am. But for some reason, I feel like I have to go there… Huh?”
As they reached the heart of the graveyard, the two children discovered a skull resting on the ground.
“Eek! B-Brother…!”
Young Taryn clung tightly to Noah’s arm, trembling with terror.
Noah’s gaze shifted forward, falling upon a hill constructed entirely of skulls. Atop the macabre mound stood a massive, ash-colored greatsword, several times his own size.
[Come here.]
At that moment, a faint voice echoed in Noah’s ear. The pull he felt suddenly intensified, becoming an irresistible command.
“Taryn, wait here.”
Taryn continued to tug at Noah’s sleeve, pleading with him to leave, but he shook her off and approached the greatsword.
Noah climbed the hill of bone and gripped the hilt with his small hands. He felt as if his very existence depended on it.
In that instant, iron mana surged from the greatsword as if it had been waiting for this exact moment.
“Ugh!”
The iron mana pierced Noah’s flesh, flooding into his veins. He let out a harrowing scream.
“A-argh!!”
“Brother! Kyaa!”
A wave of mana erupted outward, forming a barrier that blocked Taryn from approaching, warning her not to interfere.
As his consciousness began to flicker, Noah saw another child who appeared to be his age. Though the child’s face was shrouded in shadow, making his expression unreadable, Noah could tell his entire body was forged of iron.
[My name is Rachnil.]
The iron child introduced himself.
[Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you.]
“Aaaagh!!”
The Iron Fairy Rachnil listened to Noah’s screams with a pure, unaffected smile. Noah was forced to endure agonizing pain to fully integrate Rachnil’s iron mana and become its vessel.
“Run, Ta… ryn…!”
Even amidst the soul-searing agony, Noah’s only thought was for his sister’s safety.
Swish!!
Noah groaned in pain as he relived the memory.
As if cutting through the nightmare, a sharp whistle interrupted his thoughts. Hilde swung her Frostscythe, cleaving through an Iron Knight in a single motion.
The biting cold touched his skin.
Noah snapped back to reality, gasping for air as he pushed himself off the ground.
“You… Ice Sovereign…?”
Before him stood a young man with silver-blue hair. Despite being his peer in age, this man was an Elemental King—a powerhouse of tremendous scale.
It was Isaac from Märchen Academy.
*
“Get up. You can still move, can’t you?”
Just as I thought. I knew this would happen.
The iron mana inside Noah was being steadily siphoned away. This was Rachnil’s domain, and the iron mana was naturally being reabsorbed by its source. Noah had been caught in an illusion, left vulnerable while Rachnil targeted him.
But he still has plenty of mana left, so he should be fine.
Unlike the events in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, Noah hadn’t spent any mana yet. He should still have enough energy to fight.
“Haa…”
Noah staggered to his feet.
“Hilde, please take care of the other students.”
[Understood.]
Whoosh!
Hilde vanished in an instant, leaving only a lingering trail of frost.
She’s faster than I expected.
Even in her half-human form, her physical capabilities were remarkable.
“Who was that just now…?”
“An ally. You don’t need to know the details.”
“Oh…”
“Follow me.”
“Ah, okay…!”
As I broke into a run, Noah followed close behind. I could read his thoughts; he was clearly dwelling on the moment I had attacked Rachnil.
“Uhm, Ice Sovereign…! What are you planning to do? Even you would be helpless against the entity at the top…”
“Nah, I’d win.”
I gave Noah a blunt assurance, telling him not to worry about unnecessary things. If I didn’t win, it would be all over anyway. But just like every battle I’d faced until now, I intended to come out on top.
Noah’s eyes widened slightly.
“Abel!”
“Finally found you!”
Not far from our starting point, we reunited with Abel, who was carrying Ian on his back. I already knew their location thanks to [Clairvoyance], so there were no surprises.
Abel looked immensely relieved to see me.
“Senior Isaac, what exactly is going on…?”
“The Iron Fairy is playing a game with us. The situation outside must be utter chaos.”
“F-fairy…?”
Rachnil’s mana would be saturating the entire region outside, creating a sea of molten iron and a rain of falling swords. The high-ranking wizards under the Emperor would be doing their best to resist, but they wouldn’t be able to hold out for long. They would be struggling just to approach the Iron Sanctuary, likely focusing on evacuating the people of Aldreque while searching for a solution.
Rachnil was currently manifesting an iron heart on the top floor of the sanctuary, continuously pumping power into the iron sea. This would become the core of his newly claimed territory.
In other words, Rachnil intended to amuse himself with us until the iron sea spread far enough to solidify his new domain. Anyone who survived this "game" and proved compatible with iron mana would become his direct servant. Everyone else would be turned into mindless puppets.
To think he’d turn the entire world against him.
The more I thought about it, the more arrogant and foolish he seemed.
“How’s Ian?”
“He’s still out cold!”
“Lay him down for a second.”
“Yes, sir!”
As Abel laid Ian on the ground, I stepped forward and began slapping his cheeks in rapid succession, my hands moving like a spinning fan.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
“Ian, wake up. Wake up. Wake up.”
“S-Senior Isaac! You’ll kill him!”
I ignored Abel’s panicked cry. I knew this guy was tough enough to handle it.
Soon, Ian’s eyes fluttered open.
“…Hmm?”
“You’re awake?”
Fortunately, it didn’t take long for Ian to regain consciousness, though his cheeks were noticeably swollen.
“Senior Ian, you’re awake!”
“Isaac? Abel…? Was that a trap? I can’t remember anything after feeling a blow to the back of my head.”
“Yeah, it was a pretty nasty trap…”
“Where are we?”
I grabbed Ian’s arm and hauled him up.
“I’ll explain on the way.”
“Something big happened, didn’t it? I can feel a terrifying power coming from above…”
“We’re going to take that guy down. I need you.”
“Ah… I get it. One of those situations, huh? Just like back at the academy.”
Ian smiled and held out his fist.
“Leave it to me, Isaac! I’ve gotten a lot stronger over the break!”
“Just don’t pass out again.”
Despite his tendency to faint, Ian was the protagonist—the one who always managed to pull through when it mattered most. He had the rare ability to remain calm and think clearly regardless of the emergency. He also possessed an unshakeable sense of justice.
With the Luminous Sword, he had finally reached the level of combat power I expected from him.
Rumble!!
“Whoa! W-what’s happening?!”
Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the sanctuary. Another powerful force had descended from the top.
“Dorothy? Kaya…?”
I looked up at the ceiling, sensing the potent resonance of starlight and plant mana. Dorothy and Kaya must have breached the Iron Sanctuary. As fairy kins, they possessed the power of the fairies themselves. They must have smashed through the outer wall to stop Rachnil.
They’re trying to prevent the heart from being completed…
I tried to use [Clairvoyance] to scan the top floor, but Rachnil’s barrier blocked my vision. Dorothy and Kaya couldn’t defeat Rachnil on their own. I had to hurry and join them.
“Ian, Noah—you two follow me.”
“Me, too?” Noah looked surprised.
“You have business with the guy upstairs, don’t you?”
“…Yes, I do.”
“Then come along. I need your help.”
A sharp glint appeared in Noah’s eyes. His desire for revenge burned silently. He was desperate to resolve this, knowing his sister, Taryn Bartin, was still in danger.
“Thank you.”
Well, his emotional motivations didn’t matter much to me. Noah had to face Rachnil regardless. After Rachnil’s defeat, Noah would be the only one capable of absorbing his remains to grow stronger. His power would be an asset.
Iron King Noah…
That would be his future title. If I left him indebted to me now, he might be more inclined to join the Evil God Subjugation later on.
“Senior Isaac, I…!”
“Take this to our academy’s base.”
I pulled a note from my pocket and handed it to Abel.
“What is this?”
“Clues to the location of the keys. I made a rough sketch.”
“What?! Senior Isaac, you knew where all the keys were…?”
It hadn’t been long after the Academy Clash began… Using [Clairvoyance], I had scanned the entire tournament stage and recorded several peculiar landmarks that served as hints for the keys.
“Well, you are who you are, after all…”
“There’s a covenant here in this sanctuary, just as Rachnil mentioned. Once you open the vault in the center, the enemies will stop targeting you. Until then, Alice and my familiars will protect you. Work with the other academy students to find all the keys and open that vault as soon as possible.”
The "covenant" was a convenient lie. Rachnil would likely stick to his word anyway, but being too honest about the situation might make the students uneasy. Furthermore, Alice and Hilde needed to join me once the students were secured.
Especially Hilde, since she and I could share power. In other words, I could transfer the effects of my unique trait, [Nightfalls’ Edge], to her.
“I’ll do as you say!”
Abel gave a sharp salute and dashed off. As expected of the top student in Class B of the Knight Department’s first-year, his speed was incredible.
“Ian.”
“Yeah.”
“We’re heading straight for the top.”
“That’s what I was hoping for.”
Ian extended his right arm. With a shimmering sound, a pure white aura—laced with a hint of iridescence—coalesced in his hand, transforming into a holy blade.
That’s the real… Luminous Sword.
The Luminous Sword, Ian’s ultimate weapon, imbued with Divine Power. Seeing it in person, I felt an unexpected swell of emotion. Having played ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ countless times, I realized just how attached I had become to this character.
“What is that…?” Noah muttered, staring at the iridescent blade. Even he could recognize the sheer majesty of the sword in Ian’s hand.
The moment of sentimentality was brief. I drew the Obsidian Blade, gripping it with both hands as I infused it with ice and earth mana. Ian infused the Luminous Sword with an even more radiant Divine Power.
And then…
That girl is also a problem.
A female student had been secretly tailing me for some time now. Her ability to conceal her presence was impressive; without [Clairvoyance], I wouldn’t have noticed her.
I glanced toward her position. Even though she was hiding in the shadows, a single strand of hair peeking out from behind a wall was enough to trigger my status window.
[Methel Valencia]
Lv: 185
Race: Heavenly Being
Elements: Light
Danger: Extreme
Psychology: [Plans to assassinate you while you are occupied fighting the Iron Fairy.]
Even if she was wearing a Bellatrix Academy uniform, there was no way I wouldn’t know about someone this powerful. But today was the first time I’d ever seen her.
In short, she was Vuel’s subordinate. A Heavenly Being disguised as a human.
Planning to strike while I’m distracted, are you?
My eyebrow furrowed, and a small chuckle escaped me.
I’ll just have to make use of you.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
From here on, it was a dead sprint to the top.