Chapter 132
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: Rescuing the Princess
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Her pent-up emotions burst forth like a dam, long blocked and suddenly exploding to unleash a torrent of feelings.
The aftermath hit soon after, as her awkward sentiments finally took on vivid color.
"Kyaaah!!! No!! I hate it!!!"
Forgetting everything about her usual self, she thrashed wildly at the sight of the Faker Voice approaching with its grotesquely gaping maw stretched wide.
If only she'd known this would happen—she never should have come in. She should have listened when Instructor Leon warned her it was dangerous and told her not to enter.
A boy barely a year or two older than her had shown up calling himself an instructor and spouting such warnings, which had left her full of resentment and disbelief.
-Eh... Eh... Eileeeenaaa...
The monster, struggling to mimic a voice she could no longer even identify as anyone's, lunged to swallow her whole. Just as its stark white fur was about to envelop her completely.
Slash!!
A slicing sound rang out, and someone yanked her forcefully into their embrace.
"Kyaaaaah!!! No! Please, no! Save me!!!"
She screamed and struggled desperately with her entire body, but the one holding her ignored her resistance without a second thought.
Then, a calm male voice whispered into her ear.
"Your Highness, shh. You're safe now."
"...!"
Her eyes widened in shock as she stiffened, then lifted her head.
The first thing that met her gaze was a pair of cool sky-blue eyes.
Those icy eyes were fixed on the white monster that had been about to devour her.
"I told you not to come in. You never listen to a word people say. You're not a child—do you even know what 'dangerous' means?"
Such rude words for royalty.
Yet the man's embrace felt so warm, reliable, and comforting.
His face etched itself into her mind with unforgettable intensity.
"H-Hueeeeng! Waaah!!"
Overwhelmed by the wave of relief that followed, she couldn't hold back her tears and began sobbing pitifully.
"W-Waaaah!!"
"Your Highness, listen carefully."
Leon's whisper made her sobs halt for a moment.
"The Faker Voice... well, that Jangshan Tiger pup feeds on fear. The more scared you are, the tougher it gets. So please, just stay quiet."
She glanced at the Faker Voice's face again and started freaking out once more.
"W-Waaah!"
"You're driving me crazy. This spoiled brat..."
Leon's exasperated voice echoed, and soon the space around them shifted entirely.
Cool forest air brushed her cheeks, but she clung tightly to Leon's chest, sobbing for a long while.
From sheer relief. From profound gratitude. And from utter terror.
"Ah, cut it out already! I told you, it won't die if you keep crying?!"
His explosive shout startled her into freezing.
Then she sniffled and burrowed deeper into his embrace.
"Huaaa!! No!! It's scary!!"
"What kind of lunatic is this? You're so damn loud."
Even as he tossed aside all decorum toward the princess, Eilena buried herself in his arms like a baby bird seeking its mother.
Finding the sole survivor, Princess Eilena Lu Pascalia, was a fortunate gain.
The other cadets had all evacuated safely, and he'd instructed Luna to prevent any further entries.
Of course, he kept in mind the chance they might force their way in anyway—but if so, she would have signaled.
Now, all that remained was resolving this wretched red moon phenomenon.
Too many variables.
The longer this dragged on, the worse it got for his side.
The problem was...
'Hey, Oracle, killing that Jangshan Tiger pup won't end this, right?'
[That is correct. It will keep appearing until the core causing this incident is eliminated.]
-Kihihihihi!!
A bizarre laugh echoed, and stark white threads shot out from the darkness.
"Kyaaaaah!!"
Princess Eilena shrieked in a fit at the sight, and the threads visibly accelerated.
"Princess Eilena."
"Hic...!"
The girl burrowing into his chest flinched and clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Close your eyes and cover your ears."
"Save me... please save me."
"I'll get you out safely, so don't worry."
"R-Really?"
Completely different from when they'd first met.
But he understood. Once gripped by extreme terror, people become profoundly fragile.
"Don't worry."
He nodded to the teary-eyed girl looking up at him, and she obediently plugged her ears with both hands and squeezed her eyes shut.
Then a black veil enveloped her.
Death Authority, Thanatos, couldn't distinguish friend from foe right now.
The issue was the time crunch—and facing a Faker Voice that refused to die easily.
Plus, his tracking skills weren't sharp enough to locate the core yet.
To protect her from the fallout now and ensure safety later, he needed to buy more time.
Slither...
The Faker Voice retreated warily for a moment, then peeked out, mimicking a mother's voice.
-Leon... Leon...
Even as it called more desperately to shatter his calm, he took a short breath.
Damn monster, but one thing was grateful—at last, his mother's voice after so long.
Different source, but hearing it again brought a strange feeling.
Shing...
His phantom sword Electra slashed the air, scattering an aura blade.
Tough monster, but not unkillable.
No time to hunt the core hidden somewhere in this forest.
[Corrosion rate is accelerating further.]
"I know, so shut up."
[Using Death Authority in your current state may impose restrictions on reuse for several days.]
"It's fine. You don't swing a power you can't control recklessly."
Unlike the Machine God's Heart, this authority wielded massive influence—no sane person would abuse it.
But hoarding it out of regret would leave him stagnant forever.
Shriiing!!!
Suddenly, stark white thread clusters flew at him from all directions like an ambush.
They looked fragile, but their toughness mocked steel, and their tension resisted all but the strongest pulls.
Ignoring the incoming threads, he locked eyes straight on the monster.
Just before the threads could wrap around him completely, he took one step forward.
Distance to the target: about 10 meters.
Perfect.
Nameless Sword
Daylight
Craaaack!!!!
A flash erupted instantly, sword energy scattering in all directions.
The white threads snapped and dispersed in a blink, making the Faker Voice flinch violently and try to retreat.
But by the time it twitched, my figure was already reflected clearly in its pupils—right up close.
"You don't die easy anyway, do you?"
Splatter!!!
Its head split in half horizontally once, vertically once, then shattered into countless fragments amid a flurry of slashes.
Princess Eilena, trembling in utter terror, slowly opened her eyes at the continuous thunderous roars.
Leon, her rescuer, had told her to keep her eyes shut and ears covered, but the booms seeping through her plugged ears made her peek anyway.
Her eyes flew wide.
First, she saw the translucent purple barrier enveloping her.
Thanks to it, the violent aura flows raging from all sides couldn't touch her.
Next came the sight of the stark white monster endlessly regenerating and attacking Leon.
A terrifying existence. Just looking at it threatened to shatter her mind—yet somehow, the shaking had eased compared to before.
Perhaps because the warm, solid sensation from moments ago lingered.
She couldn't explain it, but the fear that had nearly consumed her was steadily subsiding.
At that instant, the monster's gaze flicked toward her.
But the emotion was starkly different from before.
Confusion? Fear? She didn't know, but it was unmistakable.
Even under Leon's assault, it tried to charge at her.
Fear surged reflexively again.
Then the monster's lips curled into a chilling grin.
Ah, right—it grows stronger the more she's afraid.
By opening her eyes, she'd ended up hindering Leon.
Would he be angry? Disdainful? This man had come alone to save her.
Yet instead of helping, she was getting in the way.
"Don't be scared. Just remember one thing. Think of it as an ugly-ass goblin. No matter how much it thrashes for a hundred thousand years, it can't touch you, Your Highness."
His calm, gentle voice made her eyes widen.
Despite the small age gap, she felt more reassurance from him than from anyone else.
She wiped away her streaming tears.
And nodded with resolute determination.
"Yes!"
Her emotions began to shift.
Extreme terror had triggered panic before, but now it was different.
And the result was evident in the monster's range and regeneration.
At the same time, countless intricate magic circles began glowing and etching onto the surface of the translucent purple veil around her.
"All set."
Suddenly, grotesque female-shaped undead swarmed from all sides of the black forest like an army of ants, encircling the two with their arms and legs twisted unnaturally.
And though hard to see, space itself began to warp.
The Black Forest was a place where chaotic rifts periodically tore open.
This must be the fallout—even in the outskirts.
"Ha. Does corrosion turn it into this?"
Leon sneered coldly and tossed his phantom sword Electra into the air.
The red blade sparked and vanished into the void.
Subspace? High-level magic...
Then he leaped at tremendous speed toward the purple barrier around Eilena.
Of course, that wasn't the point right now.
The regenerating Faker Voice and hordes of female undead were closing in like a tidal wave—and he discards his weapon?
This was suicide.
As she opened her mouth to scream.
A bizarre magic circle unfurled at Leon's feet.
Ah.
Her worries ended there.
Thinking back, it was strange. At first, she'd assumed he used artifacts.
But now, bare-handed, he wielded such power.
Aura. And death spirit mana.
Either one defied norms.
She recalled a story from the Knight Commander.
You can only gauge opponents when the level difference is moderate.