Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Cloud Mist Island Assault
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After arriving at Cloud Mist Island, what Havel did was simple.
He first subdued the mages firing off light magic spells.
Havel, bearer of a dawn far brighter than their light, was unscathed even when struck head-on by their spells.
The mages stared in horror at the sight.
They unleashed a barrage of spells at him in desperation.
Havel simply gave them each a solid knuckle to the forehead, knocking them out.
As a bonus, he did the same to Azaris, who was getting too rowdy.
This pyromaniac needed to stop setting everything ablaze.
After that, Havel reached Celentia's stronghold.
Celentia had deployed defensive magic and holed up, but Havel just sliced right through it with his sword.
For some reason, Baria's eyes were starting to cloud with unease,
but Havel paid it no mind.
As soon as Havel entered, Celentia's vice-leader, the commander of Cloud Mist Island, appeared.
Havel mentioned his conversation with Elasia and tried talking to the man.
"Don't spout nonsense!"
But the vice-leader dismissed Havel's words as rubbish.
"You think we don't know you're in league with that gang from before?!"
He unleashed his most powerful spell at Havel.
It was Solarum, a spell that focused power into a single point of extreme heat, piercing through anything.
A high-tier 6th-circle spell, no less.
Considering Jeblam Ignor of the Ignor family was a 9th-circle archmage—the pride of the world—
this man's skill was certainly worthy of acclaim.
So he was confident of victory.
Solarum had pierced straight through Havel's neck, after all.
"Hm."
But Havel, the one actually hit by Solarum, just scratched his neck.
As if he'd been nipped by a bug.
Havel's diamond-hard body couldn't be breached by a mere 6th-circle spell.
Celentia's vice-leader was left dumbfounded at the sight.
He'd lost all will to fight.
"Cel... Celentia."
But he was the vice-leader.
"Eternal glory!"
As he desperately tried to activate a self-destruct spell through gritted teeth,
"If you're in charge, then listen."
Havel's knuckle cracked into his face.
And with that, the man lost consciousness.
Elasia heard every detail through Havel.
She covered her face with both hands.
It was partly her fault for being late.
It was also partly because Havel had arrived too quickly, before she could relay the message.
But that damn brother of hers—if he'd just listened, it wouldn't have come to this.
Though he probably would've dismissed it as nonsense anyway.
She found it easier to blame her brother than Havel.
So that's what she did.
"I apologize for our vice-leader's rash actions."
As she bowed her head in apology, Vice-Leader Elbaram Celentia turned to her.
But she shot him a glare that said to stay put.
"It's fine. No real harm done."
Havel brushed it off nonchalantly.
Elasia sighed in relief,
but his next words were the problem.
"Anyway, according to this guy, one of the island's keys is missing."
Elasia's eyes trembled.
"Isn't that basically forfeiting your lives?"
Havel's fingers drummed on the table.
Elasia was at a loss.
No key to summon Cloud Mist Island's master?
Her brother should have had all the keys, for sure.
She turned to him, demanding an explanation.
He bit his lip, looking ashamed.
"We were attacked by a gang recently."
According to him, they'd been raided by a gang who stole a key.
Celentia might not be one of the Five Great Families, but they were renowned in their own right.
They couldn't stand idly before Havel, but they weren't sloppy enough to lose a key to thieves.
So even Elasia was flustered.
A small gang, from the sound of it.
And Celentia had fallen to them?
"You're not lying, are you?"
"Do I look insane enough to lie in this situation?"
Elbaram looked genuinely aggrieved.
That's why they'd attacked Havel's group right away—they'd pegged them as the key thieves.
They thought the rest had come to steal the remaining keys.
"Then who the hell..."
"Enough of that."
Havel waved a hand, cutting off their conversation.
"So, this situation doesn't match our deal. What now?"
Havel had no interest in their excuses.
Before Havel, Elasia was like a rabbit facing a tiger.
So she scrambled to survive.
"I-I'll find it! I'll assemble a search party right away!"
Havel nodded slightly.
"I won't give you much time."
"I'll find it, no matter what!"
Lives were on the line.
She planned to move immediately.
"Havel."
At that moment, someone else entered the meeting room.
It was Baria.
He glanced at Elasia, who looked ready to drop to her knees, then approached Havel.
"I have something to tell you."
Havel stood from his seat.
As Elasia caught her breath,
Havel walked over to Baria.
"Didn't you ask me before about the Whisperer?"
Havel's expression changed.
"Yeah, I did."
"I looked into it. Apparently, the gang that stole the key from Celentia mentioned that name. One of the mages overheard them."
In that instant, Baria felt a chill.
The atmosphere had shifted completely.
As Baria swallowed hard,
Havel's lips curled into a grin.
'Found you.'
The Whisperer.
The one who, while Havel climbed the floors, had carved words into his vision alongside the Tower itself.
And possibly a superhuman who, like him, had become host to a Calamity.
This was the one Havel had been seeking.
He'd thought the trail led outside.
Who knew it was inside the Tower all along.
'Lucky timing.'
It was perfect.
The gang claiming to be the Whisperer's might not include the man himself,
but they'd surely have info on him.
This changed everything.
The Tower was one thing,
but finding those who knew his condition—like the Whisperer—was top priority.
"Elasia."
"Y-yes?!"
"You're coming with me."
Elasia's face drained of color.
After dropping that bombshell on Elasia,
Havel took the keys from Elbaram.
No sense letting the Whisperer's gang come back and snatch them.
Elbaram handed them over without resistance.
He was as quick to submit as Elasia.
Best to avoid disaster.
So he surrendered the keys promptly.
Elasia trudged along with Havel to pursue the Whisperer.
With Havel going personally, a full search party was pointless.
He just needed mages capable of tracking the gang.
And that mage was Elasia herself.
She was skilled in tracking spells.
"Hang in there."
Baria offered words of comfort to the slumping Elasia.
"I'll be sticking with Havel on the 6th stratum."
"Ah."
Elasia looked at Baria with pity, a beat too late.
Havel's strength aside,
she knew how soul-crushing it was to stay by his side.
"Hurry up. We'll lose the trail at this rate."
As she commiserated with Baria's shared plight, Havel called out.
She bowed to Baria and turned away.
The group, including Baria, would wait on the island.
Too many people would hinder the pursuit of the Whisperer's gang.
Thus, only Elasia accompanied Havel.
"Protect yourself with magic and climb on my back."
"Y-yes?!"
Elasia's eyes went wide at the unexpected order.
Havel reacted as if it were obvious.
"They came here over water just like me, right? You gonna catch them rowing a boat?"
"Aren't boats faster than legs?"
"Then why'd you arrive after me on foot?"
Because you're not human.
Elasia bit back her true thoughts.
Then, as instructed, she layered defensive spells on herself.
Better overprepared than sorry.
"Make sure the barrier isolates you from the surrounding air currents."
"Already done."
Once she finished the adjustments, Havel turned his back to her.
She climbed on, then activated her tracking spell.
Her tracking magic followed traces via light's memory.
An advanced spell, indeed.
She'd served as the group's guide while climbing the Tower.
Soon, she spotted a trace amid the light and lifted her head.
"I'll reveal the light path."
Chanting an incantation, Elasia twirled her index finger.
A trail of light shimmered into view before Havel.
It stretched across the sea—the gang's path.
Impressive. She was right for the pursuit team.
"Hold on tight."
Elasia obeyed Havel faithfully.
She had a bad feeling about this.
The moment she hunkered down against his back,
Havel thrust his foot forward.
Boom!
The shockwave hit belatedly as a gale-force wind roared in.
"KyaAaAaAh!"
Elasia screamed within her barrier.
Her vision whipped wildly.
How could human legs produce this speed?
Even spatial magic couldn't match it. She swallowed tears.
Meanwhile, Havel pursued the light trail.
Considerable time had passed since the gang raided Celentia.
The trail extended far into the distance.
Havel ran on for a good while.
Soon, a small island entered his view.
Smaller than the others, it looked like a rocky isle.
The light trail pierced straight through it.
Havel ignored it and kept running.
"H-Havel, wait! That's a Calamity Beast!"
Elasia finally spotted the rocky isle and cried out in panic.
The Calamity Beast disguised as a rocky island was a massive rock spirit, infamous even on the 6th stratum.
Known for swallowing ships whole.
As proof, it thrust its head up the moment it sensed the water's disturbance.
"Doesn't matter."
But Havel didn't slow down.
Instead, he stomped the water and leaped.
"KiiIiIaAaAk!"
A sound no human could make assaulted Elasia's ears mid-leap.
Aura cloaked Havel's legs.
As he plummeted, he landed squarely on the rock spirit's head.
Crunch!
The spirit's head caved in, plunging deep into the sea.
The "island" vanished with it.
Havel casually resumed his run after dispatching the beast in seconds.
"Hiiiing... Mommy."
Elasia whimpered on his back, regressing to infancy.
"Cry on my back, and I'll toss you here."
"S-sorry!"
At least she was somewhat sane.
"We're almost there anyway."
Havel saw the light trail fading ahead.
There.
Not the rock spirit's fake isle—a real one.
The light cut off abruptly there.
Which meant,
'The Whisperer's gang is on that island.'
If the man himself was there, perfect.
If just his gang, he'd wring the info out of them.
As a cold smile crept across Havel's lips,
'Please exceed expectations.'
He could only hope.