Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Glasis's Meteor 3rd Knights
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Glasis's Meteor 3rd Knights Division.
Having received the rescue request, they were hastily heading to the 4th hierarchy.
This morning, a knight from the 4th Knights Division had emerged from the Tower in a wretched state.
He reported that a monster had appeared in the 4th hierarchy and that their captain was in danger.
The captain of the 4th Knights Division was the youngest direct descendant, Dratein.
Naturally, they couldn't let him die.
Upon receiving the rescue request, the 3rd Knights Division moved out immediately.
"Everyone, get ready! That whale calamity beast we saw earlier must have attacked the 4th Knights Division!"
At that moment, one of the knights shouted loudly.
The whale that had shattered the ground and soared into the sky just moments ago.
They judged that it was the culprit behind the near-annihilation of the 4th Knights Division.
It was a calamity beast of a size they'd never seen, even in the upper hierarchies.
The moment they pushed their speed to the limit, expecting a massive battle—
What appeared in the icy snow forest they entered was the whale's corpse.
"......It's already dead?"
The cause of death was a piercing wound.
The whale's chest had been blasted wide open.
The 3rd Knights Division was stunned.
Anyone could see it was a calamity beast of dangerous proportions.
Yet it had died before they even arrived.
Then who on earth...?
Crack!
At that instant, they heard footsteps.
This was still the forest of calamity beasts, even in the 4th hierarchy.
They hurriedly prepared for combat.
But the figure that entered their sight was a familiar one.
"Ugh... sniffl."
It was none other than Dratein, staggering into view.
His face was a mess of tears and snot.
There was no trace of the once valiant Dratein.
Pria, the vice-captain of the 3rd Knights Division, rushed forward.
"Dratein, sir, are you alright?"
Pria first covered Dratein's face.
It wasn't a sight fit for the knights to see.
He seemed to have fallen into a deep panic from the terror of death.
"The calamity beast is dead. You don't need to be so scared."
So he hurriedly patted him reassuringly.
But even then, Dratein couldn't stop his trembling body.
"Dratein, sir?"
Something was off about his condition.
No matter how terrified he was of death, the cause was now gone.
Moreover, the Meteor Knights Division had come to rescue him.
There was no reason for him to fear this much.
Step—.
At that moment, another set of footsteps approached.
The one who appeared was a white-haired man.
Despite his striking good looks, the man with an eerily faint presence looked at Pria.
Then he asked expressionlessly,
"Meteor Knights Division?"
"Yes, that's us. And you are...?"
"Havel. From the Banpellyon family."
Pria's eyes widened round.
The Banpellyon family had been making waves lately.
What were they doing here?
"Vice-Captain Pria, didn't I mention that friendly match earlier?"
Then one of the knights whispered a hint.
Pria finally remembered.
The friendly match that Glasis's youngest had stirred up.
"There was a problem during the friendly match."
He leisurely explained the situation.
"That calamity beast suddenly appeared and attacked the Meteor Knights Division, wiping them out."
Pria's eyes fixed on him steadily.
'Did he make that hole in the whale?')
But even so, he didn't seem to be on that level.
"Well, you're here now, so it should be fine. Another Meteor Knights Division has come to help."
"Ah, yes, exactly. Thank you for your hard work. We'll take your group and get out of the 4th hierarchy quickly."
"What are you talking about?"
Havel tilted his head as if he'd heard something strange, digging into his ear with his pinky finger.
Pria, who had been preparing to evacuate, blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"I was talking about the friendly match."
He said with a smile.
"We have to continue, right?"
"Pardon?"
Pria couldn't comprehend what he was saying.
So Havel kindly explained.
"More Meteor Knights have arrived, and the main participant, Dratein, is alive. What's stopping us?"
It was utter nonsense.
Continuing a friendly match after the 4th Division had been wiped out.
She couldn't fathom his thinking.
"Dratein, what do you think?"
At that moment, Dratein shuddered violently.
Seeing that, Pria finally realized.
What Dratein feared was that man.
"I-I-I..."
"Dratein, sir, it's okay. We'll escort you out right now..."
"We'll... continue the friendly match."
But Dratein declared it with his own mouth.
Pria's brow furrowed.
She couldn't understand how the prideful Dratein had been broken like this.
"Dratein says so. Of course, the rest of your knights can leave if they want. He can come alone."
Could they leave Dratein in this state by himself?
Of course not.
They had come to rescue the direct descendant.
If Dratein died, it would all be for nothing.
"Then we'll head out first. There are only two of us."
Havel turned around after saying that.
Pria felt utterly played.
'Does he think two of them can beat the 3rd Knights Division right now?')
Naturally, the Meteor 3rd Knights were stronger than the 4th.
Did he really believe two people could overcome them?
A bad premonition settled in.
The super rookie Dante and the enigmatic man.
These two seemed poised to unleash a storm upon Glasis.
"Everyone, support Dratein, sir, and move out."
A chilling glint flashed in Pria's eyes.
"We'll need to go all out."
After finishing the talk, Havel returned straight to where Dante was.
No members of Graiza were in sight.
They must have gone back.
It didn't matter.
The priority now was the friendly match with the Meteor Knights Division.
'They must have sensed something suspicious by now.')
He had blatantly shown his hand.
So they would surely come at full throttle.
To leave no excuses in defeat.
"Dante, take this."
"Yes, sir."
Havel handed Dante the ice essence he had obtained by conquering the trial.
Dante carefully stored it in his subspace.
"Did the talk go well?"
"Yeah, they accepted."
They already had experience in the 4th hierarchy.
So they knew all the shortcuts too.
"Havel."
At that moment, Dante called out.
"Don't worry about me."
Havel understood what Dante meant.
"If I hold you back, go on ahead."
Dante's eyes were sincere.
Seeing that, Havel couldn't help but chuckle.
"I've learned from you too, Havel, sir. In the 4th hierarchy, I can make it up on my own somehow."
So don't lose because of him, Dante pleaded.
Beat Glasis no matter what.
'The Banpellyon family hasn't fallen yet.')
Not with knights like this showing such loyalty.
In that case, the family had to live up to their knight's expectations.
"Up to the 39th floor."
Havel declared.
"From there, I'll go on my own."
Dante had earned the right to see the end of this friendly match too.
"......Yes, sir!"
Dante showed his resolve to follow with everything he had.
Havel turned around.
"Follow me with everything you've got."
I'll win this friendly match for sure.
The deeper they went into the 4th hierarchy, the thicker the chill became.
Before they knew it, the surroundings were nothing but ice, no snow in sight.
Atop mountains and plains of ice stretched in rows.
Parties were blasting through the 4th hierarchy at tremendous speeds.
One side included Dratein and the Meteor 3rd Knights Division.
The other was Dante and Havel.
The Meteor 3rd Knights Division was definitely a cut above the 4th.
They were swift and knew the paths well.
Having prior experience in the 4th hierarchy was a huge advantage.
And Havel and Dante weren't falling behind them either.
They pierced through places normally impassable with ingenious methods.
Though lacking experience, their pace was never slow.
In fact, it was shocking enough to stun the experienced Meteor 3rd Knights Division.
In that fierce competition, the moment they took different paths and arrived—
They both reached the 39th floor at almost exactly the same time, with negligible difference.
"Hoo, haa."
Dante gasped for breath.
Simply following Havel's path had been that taxing.
And the Meteor Knights were in the same boat.
Shortcuts and experience.
Plus preparations for the 4th hierarchy rescue.
Yet even they had to go all-out just to keep pace.
Havel and Dante were too fast for just two people.
"How in the world..."
Pria stared at them in astonishment.
They had struggled so hard to shave off time.
Yet they arrived simultaneously.
She couldn't believe it.
Were they really monsters?
Her unease became reality in that instant.
"Havel!"
Dante, drawing a deep breath, shouted.
They had made it this far.
His cry, laden with the wish for victory, became Havel's starting signal.
Boom!
Kicking off the ground, he surged forward in a cloud of dust.
Havel began pulling away in an instant.
"V-Vice-Captain!"
The knights cried out in panic.
They were all exhausted.
The only one who could chase Havel was Vice-Captain Pria.
Pria hesitated.
She was the 3rd Knights Division vice-captain, but command this time lay with another.
"Pria, go on ahead."
At that moment, Dratein spoke.
During the climb, his expression had been serene.
As if he had let everything go.
"......Yes, sir."
Pria bowed her head and kicked off the ground.
Fortunately, she still had stamina left.
Pria gradually pulled away.
Meanwhile, Dratein turned to Dante.
Dratein and Dante's eyes met.
Dante cautiously placed his hand on his sword hilt, just in case.
Dratein had pulled a sneaky backstab before.
There was no guarantee he wouldn't try it again.
But Dratein made no move against Dante.
"The Banpellyon family."
Instead, he simply voiced his curiosity.
"What do you plan to do with something like that?"
He was clearly referring to Havel.
"Havel is just Havel."
If he was a Banpellyon mercenary, then just that.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Even if he wielded the lost Dawn Swordsmanship.
Even if he seemed deeply tied to Banpellyon somehow.
Dante had no intention of prying until Havel said it himself.
He knew one thing for sure: that Havel truly cared for Banpellyon.
Dratein let out a scoff.
"The Glasis family has passed down 'Insight' through generations."
A power that pierces through a person's true nature.
A peculiar ability that only one or two per generation in Glasis awaken.
Ironically, aside from the family head, the Sword Saint,
Dratein was the only direct descendant to have awakened Insight.
Through that Insight, he had seen it.
"That's no human. It's a monster."
Dratein looked up.
"What meaning is there in what humans do against a monster?"
That's why he sent Pria ahead first.
She too would soon face reality.
And foresee the outcome of the friendly match.
If so, she could escape the Tower avoiding Havel.
You don't fight calamities head-on.
You avoid them. That's the way.
Dratein only hoped to flee to a place out of Havel's sight.