Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Gremia (1)
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He had literally butchered a demon noble, even if it was the lowest rank of baron.
'I couldn't even see it properly.'
He hadn't seen a thing.
Everything had happened in an instant.
Beryl had only flickered forward a few times at blinding speed.
'Is this the authority he possesses?'
Upon reaching the Sword Master realm, one gained a specific authority.
Beryl was nicknamed the "Storm Blade," so Jamie had figured it had something to do with wind.
And seeing it firsthand, that seemed to be the case.
'Wielding a massive greatsword with extreme speed, moving too fast to track, and cutting power that sends chills down the spine. All of it is possible with the authority of wind.'
But it wasn't mere wind authority that enabled such movement.
It required mastery over wind after gaining the authority.
Beryl had become the wind itself.
Jamie swallowed dryly as Beryl approached.
Beryl smirked at the tense Jamie and asked,
"Why did you come here?"
"O-out of curiosity..."
"Don't try to fool me. Aren't you here because you're interested in demons?"
"It really was just curiosity!"
Jamie decided to brazenly play dumb.
But Beryl spoke with a face that said he knew everything.
"I watched it all."
"...What did you see?"
"You fighting."
Jamie's pupils trembled violently.
He had faced countless crises from his Diablo Volpir days until now, but he'd never felt this level of danger.
'How much did he see? No, that's not the point. Did he see me using black magic?'
His black mana was different from other black sorcerers', but fooling a veteran like Beryl was impossible.
Sweat beaded in his palms.
"I'm kidding. You fell for it so easily."
"Huh? Oh, hahaha! I got tricked. Totally tricked!"
"Well, everyone has a secret or two they want to hide."
Beryl tossed out a meaningful remark and turned away.
Jamie's body froze.
He couldn't tell where the truth ended and the lies began.
'But since he didn't mention black magic outright...'
If he'd seen it, he surely would have called him out.
Even if he was the son of the woman he'd once loved.
In this world, black magic was a grave sin—the worst of them all.
Not mentioning it was proof he was just probing.
Jamie let out a quiet sigh of relief inwardly.
Looking at Beryl's back, he asked,
"How did you get all the way here, Sir Onyx? I heard you'd left Upton."
"Various circumstances brought me here. I was the most suitable candidate."
With that, Beryl walked toward Teveron, who lay sprawled not far away.
Jamie followed, glancing cautiously at Beryl before speaking up.
"I heard about it from Mother."
"I see."
Beryl replied calmly, but he couldn't hide the slight darkening of his expression.
He turned to Jamie and asked,
"Did she call me trash?"
"She didn't."
"That's a relief, then."
Beryl's face turned slightly bitter.
He was probably regretting the past.
Those days he'd been cruel to Sears, an irretrievable history.
Jamie quietly followed Beryl in silence.
Soon, a hill covered in pitch-black fur came into view.
"It was astonishing from afar, but up close, it's truly massive."
Teveron was a colossal beast rare even on the surface world.
In size alone, it rivaled a dragon.
Teveron, who had been resting lying down, turned its head to look at the two.
"Who are you?"
Teveron demanded of the unfamiliar Beryl.
"You seem like an incredible powerhouse. What business do you have with me?"
"Beryl Onyx. I ask that you open the door."
"Door?"
"The door to Gremia."
"How do you know that name?!"
Jamie tilted his head at Teveron's startled reaction.
'What's Gremia that this bear is so shocked?'
Teveron hesitated for a moment before struggling to its feet. Its left front paw was still soaked in blood from Rueta's blade.
It glared murderously at Beryl and demanded again,
"Where did you learn that name?"
"One who explores the world's secrets. Guided here by the will of 'Isis.'"
Teveron's face grew even more shocked.
A bear's expression didn't change much, but to Jamie's eyes, it did.
"...Were those words true?"
"I've come to retrieve the entrusted item."
"I never expected the awaited one to appear like this."
Teveron let out a hollow laugh.
Only Jamie among them had no idea what the conversation was about.
His ears perked up as he strained to understand.
Then Teveron shook its head.
"But I cannot open the door."
"What do you mean? If it's not a ridiculous reason..."
Beryl drew his greatsword halfway, killing intent leaking out.
At the menacing warning, Teveron glanced at Jamie.
"Unfortunately, I'm not the administrator of Gremia."
"What does that mean?"
"Isn't that right, kid?"
Jamie frowned at the sudden remark.
"What the hell is Gremia, and why am I the administrator?"
"Are you pretending not to know after conquering the system, or do you really not know?"
"Conquering the system... You mean the ruins?"
"Hah. So you've already entered and exited not just the demon realm but Gremia too?"
Beryl spoke in a weary voice.
Jamie coughed awkwardly out of embarrassment. He'd come out of curiosity and ended up doing far too much, making excuses impossible now.
"Anyway, that guy will open it."
"Is that possible?"
"...I'll open it."
Jamie wondered what purpose Beryl had in the ruins—now called Gremia.
The 'Isis' he'd mentioned earlier, too.
'Vena should be fine, right?'
She was laid safely in a secure spot.
He'd even cast invisibility just in case, so no monsters would attack her.
'Not that there are any monsters left.'
Mirene Forest was practically in ruins.
Any monsters that survived this chaos would have fled far away.
Jamie used the vice-master's authority to open the entrance to Gremia.
Moments later, the giant bear and two humans vanished.
"Phew— this should be okay now, right?"
Kanna leaned her exhausted body against a tree.
She never imagined a day would come when she'd be pushed back by a black sorcerer. As one of the Seven Knights, her divine power surpassed even a bishop's.
Normally, a black sorcerer should kneel before such divinity.
'What the hell was that kid...'
It was unmistakably black magic, yet the black mana the boy wielded lacked the inherent evilness of black magic.
She'd wondered if he wasn't a black sorcerer after all, but his refusal to deny it confirmed it.
'And disgustingly strong, too.'
She called him a kid, but he clearly wasn't.
Definitely an old monster in a changed form with horrific tastes.
Still, she'd achieved her goal.
She hadn't expected the demon egg to target the monster's heart at the last moment, but it had led to perfect hatching.
'Baron, was it?'
She knew well about demon nobles.
In the demon world, where strength ruled, rank was determined by power.
A baron was the lowest nobility, but that alone meant master-class strength.
Disgusting existences, but now that it had set foot on this land, every human in Upton was ripe for its harvest.
"I need to escape before I get caught up in it."
She wanted to hurry back, soak in hot water, and bury herself in soft blankets to sleep oblivious to the world.
Kanna pictured her room and forced herself to stand, resuming her steps.
Then.
Whoosh—
A breeze blew in.
A refreshing mountain wind that lifted the spirits.
But Kanna couldn't enjoy the freshness. She sensed an intensely powerful force in the wind.
"N-no way."
And the demon's presence vanished like a lie.
Her strength failed her.
Collapsing to the ground, Kanna thought of Sable, the leader of the Seven Knights who had sent her here, in this unbelievable situation.
"...You said there was no way to stop the demon in Upton, Leader!"
Things had gone terribly wrong.
At the same time, rage boiled up as her long-prepared plan crumbled in an instant.
'That kid's doing?'
Kanna shook her head.
He was strong, but far from enough to defeat a demon. Besides, that wind wasn't magic.
She'd felt that sensation from the wind a few times before.
"Power like the Leader's."
It was something only a Sword Master could unleash.
And there was only one possible Sword Master in Upton.
The Storm Blade, Beryl Onyx, said to have left Upton!
His authority was, coincidentally, wind.
"Damn it. It's Beryl Onyx. Has to be him!"
Then she had to flee this place immediately.
His speed matched the wind; if caught, survival wasn't guaranteed.
At that moment.
Pfuk!
Kanna looked down at her chest.
The wind blew, scattering her blue hair.
Blood rose from her throat, splattering the ground as she collapsed.
Instant death.
"Looks like we've arrived."
Beryl glanced upward, sensing something.
All that was visible was the worn ceiling of the ruins.
Jamie asked at his sudden action,
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Anyway, I won't pry into how this happened."
"Thank you..."
Jamie bowed his head in gratitude for Beryl's consideration, while glaring at the irritatingly huge, bad-tempered bear.
"Hmph."
Teveron smirked smugly and took the lead.
Jamie clicked his tongue inwardly and surveyed the ruins, now called Gremia.
The ruins were in far worse shape than before.
Apparently, dropping the monster-ified Rueta here had damaged the entire Gremia.
'Enough to destroy parts of the passages.'
Sure enough, Teveron snarked,
"Thanks to someone, Gremia's turned to rags."
"If a certain bear had done its job properly, it wouldn't be like this."
"What did you say?"
"Did I say anything wrong?"
As Jamie and Teveron bickered, Beryl, standing between them, spoke up.
"I'd prefer we keep moving."
Teveron shot Jamie a glare and resumed walking.
Jamie, annoyed by the bear, snorted through his nose—then noticed its limping front leg.
The gashes were severe, more than a few.
Some wounds needed immediate amputation, yet the foolish bear showed no sign of pain.
"Tough one."
Beryl frowned at Teveron's wounds, sharing the sentiment.
But there was nothing the two could do.
Ignoring the injuries as best he could, Jamie asked Beryl,
"By the way, earlier you mentioned something about exploring the world's secrets. Isis, was it? What does that mean?"
Beryl turned to Jamie with a serious expression.
"Just curiosity? Or are you asking out of interest?"
"Just asking."
"If it's just that, I can't tell you. Once you hear it, you must choose."
Choose?
What?
As Jamie hesitated, Beryl chuckled.
"There exists a faction that seeks to uncover the world's secrets."
"You said hearing it means I have to choose."
"So you don't want to hear it?"
"It's not that."
"Anyway. To continue, that faction explores secrets humanity can't reach. Traveling the whole world."
"What is this faction?"
"The faction's name is..."
Beryl dropped his smile, replying gravely.
"Frontier. A group that seeks to pioneer the world."