Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: A Shift in Plans
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Loan's icicles were formed by a core of water-attribute magical power that drew in and bonded with mana.
They were that pure.
Free of impurities, they were bound much more tightly than ordinary ice.
Their crystalline structure was dense and uniform.
In other words, they possessed a strength greater than most swords.
Hundreds of such icicles hovered above the heads of the Libertha.
*‘No need for talk.’*
He recalled the eyes of the victims he had just seen. Terrified, or as if they had given up on life.
But if left alone, far worse things would have awaited them.
At the hands of these men.
*‘My will is the Union’s will.’*
The extermination of the Grave was his own desire.
Loan released the force sustaining the immense weight, adding a massive load.
They fell in an instant.
*Crash—!*
The icicles pierced their bodies like long spears.
Those whose bodies were impaled and killed instantly couldn't even scream.
If the wrath of a god were to rain down, would it not be like this?
But there was one who had dodged it.
The owner of considerable magical power, who had retreated a good distance in a split second. Despite his large build, he was incredibly fast.
Loan didn't wait for the man to spot him.
He dissolved the remaining cloud of magical power into the Convection and launched himself downward.
The man’s eyes widened as he watched Loan land softly.
The shock came from the fact that the one who wielded such powerful magic was such a young boy.
There might have been other reasons, but it wasn't a thought to entertain in a life-or-death situation.
“…”
The two silently sized each other up.
Their age difference was considerable, and their builds were polar opposites.
The only thing they had in common was something pinned to their chests. Loan wore the symbol of the Union, while the man wore a multitude of medals of various colors and shapes.
He flaunted them as if he were a general of the royal army who had achieved countless merits.
Disgusted, Loan spoke first.
“They say you consider murder and rape to be merits. Your sins are heavy indeed.”
“Quite the speech for one of the kingdom's dogs.”
They had stated their reasons to fight.
The man drew his sword.
The Aura shimmering from it like a heat haze was greater than Sienna's.
*‘Tch.’*
The thought was infuriating.
Loan rapidly swirled the Convection. The dissolved water-attribute magical power caused a faint mist to rise from his body.
At a glance, it looked as if he was emitting Aura from his entire body, causing his opponent’s eyes to widen once more.
The series of displays Loan had shown was enough to fluster and make his opponent hesitate.
*‘No. He’s been intimidated from the start.’*
If that was the case.
*Fwoosh—*
From following the Narrow Path into the man's range to establishing his Domain, it all happened in an instant.
Before the opponent could even react, the swirling Convection had already extended from the tip of Loan's index finger in the form of a very thin cylinder.
The moist magical power was perfectly condensed into a single droplet, and the cylindrical Convection was spiraling, ready to add more force.
Loan read the man's mana, which had come within reach, and found the single point of the Narrow Path where the water bullet should travel.
And he brought his finger toward the man’s bright red medal.
*Twang—!*
A powerful shockwave belatedly pushed back the man’s hair, and with a hole pierced through his heart, he fell backward with a look of disbelief.
The heat haze shimmering from the man’s sword had already vanished.
* * *
Loan and Boris slowly walked to the rendezvous point.
The intersection in District 1 of Donton Main Street, where Loan had often panhandled.
Their arrival time was roughly the same as the other teams.
Oscar arrived first, followed by Sienna’s team and then Loan’s.
“My side only had remnants. I was a bit late getting the information, but I heard there was supposed to be a deal with a high-ranking Libertha official on Loan’s end.”
“It was the same for me. I’m glad Loan didn’t act rashly and came back.”
“I was worried, but you held back well, Loan.”
The gazes of Oscar, Sienna, and Lucas gathered on Loan and Boris.
It was a reasonable assumption.
The two of them looked as neat as they had at the start, as if they hadn't been in a fight.
The only difference was their demeanor.
Loan was staring blankly with a slight tilt of his head, while Boris wore a very serious expression, his eyes fixed on the tips of Loan's feet.
Oscar said.
“Boris, it seems you did a good job reining Loan in. I was worried he might rush in recklessly because of my earlier reprimand. It would have been quite dangerous if a high-ranking Libertha official had joined them.”
“No, sir!”
Boris said, shaking his head vigorously.
His gaze was still lowered, but his voice was loud enough to draw the attention of those nearby.
Only then did Oscar and Sienna sense that something was off.
Oscar immediately pressed Boris, asking what he had done, but for some reason, Boris didn't speak.
After a moment of silence, Loan took a piece of cloth from his coat. The medal attached to it had a hole in it.
Oscar’s brow furrowed as he took it.
“Isn’t this a Libertha medal?”
“Yes. Just as I finished exterminating the hideout, some men who appeared to be Libertha officials arrived. According to the captives, they themselves were the goods to be traded.”
“And?”
“I exterminated them as well. I took this from one of them. He seemed to be the leader.”
“The head…”
“Yes. I fed it to Aul.”
Lucas pouted and shook his head as if he could hear Aul burping.
Oscar held up the piece of cloth and said.
“From Libertha’s perspective, this man must have accumulated significant merits. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say he was at least a Runner, if not higher. His skills would have been comparable.”
“I believe so.”
Sienna and Loan’s eyes met briefly.
Loan frowned, recalling that the man’s Aura had been stronger than Sienna’s.
“What is it?”
“Nothing. I hope you grow stronger, senior.”
“What was that?”
“…”
Loan avoided Sienna’s glare by asking Oscar a prepared question.
“By the way, does Libertha also worship demons or something of that sort?”
“They don’t care about origin or status. As long as their goals align, they’ll accept anyone. There’s no guarantee there aren’t demon worshipers or former dark mages among them.”
“But they all seemed…”
“Why? Was something strange?”
“They were similar. To the Le Tell bastards.”
“Hmm…”
Oscar exhaled slowly and looked at Sienna.
It seemed their thoughts were similar.
Sienna said.
“What we feared might actually be happening.”
“The possibility is high. Perhaps it was the Union’s mistake to lump them all together as the Grave.”
“It feels like we gave them an opening.”
From their conversation, Loan deduced that Libertha had allied with other groups.
If they were using murky mana, they might have learned something from Le Tell's dark cult or Brien's dark mages.
In any case, they were growing stronger by any means necessary.
“The Union will have to move a little faster.”
After saying that, Oscar glanced at Loan and Boris.
“For now, I must acknowledge your great contribution. You’ve worked hard. Sienna, send a message to the Administration Bureau immediately.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I did nothing. So please do not include my contribution in the report.”
Boris suddenly said. His attitude was extremely serious.
“What do you mean by that?”
Boris told them the plain truth.
That it was safe to say Loan had single-handedly exterminated the Libertha in Donton.
The telekinetically controlled sword fragments, the incomprehensible magic that pinned Balder to the wall while he stood still, the rain of icicle spears that felled many at once, and the extraordinary method of killing an opponent with his fingertip.
And on top of that, the monstrous owl that appeared out of nowhere to eat the enemies’ heads.
After listing the unbelievable abilities shown by the newly joined Oz—
“I’d like to rest. I’ve had a lot on my mind today.”
He just wanted to get away.
* * *
Guided by Boris, the Faith Division party settled into a quiet inn and continued their meeting late into the night.
This was because the nature of their mission had changed somewhat after exchanging messages with the Administration Bureau.
Sienna said.
“To summarize, the scattered Libertha groups are trying to regroup in Varcino.”
Oscar stroked his beard and replied.
“As you know, this mission was to travel to Varcino while checking on and supporting the various branches. If this is the case, we’ll need to rethink our strategy.”
“It’s going to be a race against time. Should we go see the Security Division right away?”
“But we can’t completely ignore the branches. It might be better to go to them quickly, to check and exterminate them before they can gather.”
“I’m worried if that’s the right direction.”
“The branches are in Beliya and Luder, weren’t they?”
“Yes. They aren’t on the direct route from here to Varcino; they’re rather spread out.”
“It would take quite some time to visit all of them as originally planned.”
“Travel between each branch alone will take two days. If the situation is similar to Donton, we’ll need to add at least another day for each branch.”
Listening to their conversation, Loan asked.
“What if we split into three groups like we did today? We could at least delay their gathering or break their momentum.”
It wasn't that Oscar and Sienna hadn't thought of it.
But they had refrained from mentioning it because it was difficult to assign such a mission to an Oz.
Of course, Loan must have already figured that out. In that case, he must have something in mind.
Oscar asked.
“Then how would you suggest we split up?”
Pointing at the map, Loan explained.
“Vice Commander, you and Senior Sienna can each take a branch, and Lucas and I will go straight to the Security Division.”
Even if Oscar and Sienna went alone, they could handle the branches.
There would be personnel from the Practical Division like Boris at the branches.
A joint operation between the Faith and Practical Divisions wouldn’t have trouble throwing the enemy into confusion.
The only question was how long it would take.
Sienna shook her head.
“You two are Oz. Whether you go to a branch or the Security Division, no one will take your words seriously.”
In essence, she was saying that she and Oscar needed to stay together.
Loan nodded slightly.
“Yes. You’re right, senior. Senior Boris was the same.”
Ranks don't exist for nothing.
It was the same even for different divisions.
No one would consider an Oz a proper member of the Union.
They were like apprentices, so it was difficult to make their voices heard wherever they went.
If Oscar hadn't reprimanded Boris and clarified the responsibilities of the mission, Loan would have had a very difficult time carrying out his will.
“But I think the Security Division might be a little different. That’s why I suggested I go there directly.”
“How is it different?”
In response to Oscar's question, Loan took something out of his pocket.
“This is a token from the archbishop, given to me by Headmaster Gregor. The priests of Sion in the Security Division will listen to what I have to say.”
On Loan’s palm lay a shiny metal bookmark engraved with Gregor’s name.