Chapter 149
“According to the Yggdrasil Law, I shall execute you, Francesca.”
From a distance that could penetrate the heart.
A red lance is thrust towards Francesca.
There’s no time to devise any defensive measures against Clemens.
Any spells I had prepared for a potential battle with her require at least some movement. I cannot respond!
And just like that, at the speed that Francesca barely had time to react.
A menacing aura is released, aiming directly for Francesca’s vital spot.
⎯Ka-gak-gak!
The shadow of the Ancient Dragon flickers.
It is blocked by something invisible, believed to have jumped out from within.
Francesca recalls the faint power she felt from the Ancient Dragon moments ago. It’s not entirely clear, but it had protected her.
‘Is this… a familiar?’
Clemens’s brow twitches, intending to pierce the body of the necromancer without mercy.
‘When on earth…?’
In a fleeting moment.
Francesca deduces the identity of the mysterious familiar that shielded her. But when and how this situation was anticipated and prepared is beyond her comprehension.
What’s crucial now is that a gap has appeared in Clemens’s actions.
She must not miss this timing…!
While the identity of the familiar protecting her remains unclear and deflecting harm.
Francesca hastily reaches out to inject her Unique Spell into her bones.
*
“…Oh. Looks like I met at just the right time.”
Sitting in an appropriate position, I noticed the activity of the familiar I had planted beforehand.
A familiar that I often use, capable of transforming its body into the shape of shadows, and merging it with Taesan, who has a massive physique and can also turn invisible.
Taking the merged entity of these two created the shadow that can become transparent.
On the third day of the festival, I had visited the mound early and stuffed it inside the shadow of the Ancient Dragon.
I had hoped it would stay hidden, but if Francesca were to get hit by Clemens’s attack and die, that would be a problem.
I even warned her to be careful of Clemens, so my familiar popping out of nowhere must have meant I was quite concerned.
Boom–!
Then came the overwhelming surge of mana.
While it’s impossible for the aerial city of Academia to experience earthquakes, the current situation was exactly like that.
The ground shakes with the fierce emergence of mana.
The atmosphere quakes.
Though the rough roar of that historical artifact could not be heard from a distance, I could almost hear its rage in my ears.
“Soul Manifestation Spell”
As I imagined Francesca’s Unique Spell, with its high level of completion and complexity.
I smiled.
‘Francesca is handling her business properly.’
To get to the point.
Francesca’s Unique Spell is completely…
“Hmm?”
When the chair I was sitting in tried to move on its own will, I cast a curse into it to stop its motion.
Oh, speaking of which, I didn’t explain about where I am and the chair!
Currently, I’m inside the small theater of Academia, single-handedly ensuring everyone’s safety.
⎯There was no need to go that far… Heh!
⎯Do we really need to go this far… huh…!
⎯Wasn’t that person a first-year? I mean, even if it’s an event, is it okay to treat the seniors like that…?
The outsiders I’m protecting are making a ruckus.
Some are terrified, but honestly, I can’t help but find the situation absurd. I’m not the villain here, I’m playing the hero, yet the terrified gazes are all directed at me, not the second-years.
What on earth did I do?
…Could it be because of this?
I lowered my head and took in what I was using as a chair. On the surface, they looked like perfectly fine second-years. But underneath, their mana flow was all tangled up, and they were pretty much messed up from paralysis magic.
I had arranged them into a pleasant form to sit on.
I was sitting on a nicely arranged chair made from eight second-years.
It’s not like I twisted or set them up in some weird shape; I just stacked them comfortably, but it seems that’s hard to understand.
It wasn’t with any bad intent or perverse inclination, I just did it to avoid distractions.
Since the usual chairs were absent, I simply took a seat instead.
Feeling quite lonely like this.
From a distance, a man starts walking towards me slowly.
“Is it right to treat your seniors like that?”
His steps were very peculiar.
They looked as light as walking on clouds, flitting along like feathers.
But the upper half of him was leaning on a long spear, much like clothes left out to dry.
As he stretches, he continues speaking.
“Vargan. I could tell it was you from far away. …Looks like my classmates are quite comfortable here.”
“Ah, it’s you, Pertigle-senpai.”
“Oh… You know me? That’s strange. I don’t remember doing anything standout at Academia, yet there are quite a few juniors who recognize me.”
“I’ve memorized the names and faces of all current students at Academia, so it just came out naturally.”
Pertigle replied in a rather tired and bothersome tone.
I shrugged my shoulders and stood up.
Second-year Pertigle.
A spear master hiding his strength.
In the original story, he fought against Arterion’s group during the festival episode, and now he stands before me.
I asked in a playful tone.
“Surely there were many other places and people, but is there a special reason you came here to find me?”
“…Well, I feel like if I say it, you’ll get a swelled head, so I don’t really want to… Ah, but I guess boasting is the same anyway. …The reason is simple.”
He answered.
“Because you’re the strongest.”
Saying that to finish this noisy festival quickly, Pertigle readied his spear.
Even though he simply held the spear.
You could see the level of a master.
His face might look like he’s about to fall asleep, yet that carefree attitude was completely misleading.
There was no sign of relaxation in his posture.
If I took even a single step closer to him…
His attack would come down like lightning.
⎯Crackle.
Yeah, ‘like lightning.’
I saw a small discharge of blue electricity at the tip of his spear. It closely resembled Liam’s techniques.
If I had to compare, I’d say Pertigle is like an upgraded version of Liam.
While they differ in swordsmanship and spear techniques, they follow the same root style.
As he readied his stance, I glanced around and casually mentioned.
“By the way, Pertigle-senpai. Do you really think it’s right to confront me like this?”
“…It’s a rule for second-years to face first-years. It’s not like I want to do this… Honestly, I’d rather crawl into bed and sleep right now.”
“…I see.”
I scanned the area with a narrowed gaze.
There’s no one else around except for us.
Just me, the eight fallen second-years, and the outsiders.
And…
“Senpai, do you happen to know a name by the line ‘Blurans’?”
“…Blurans?”
“Yes, he’s the bishop of the Goddess Church and is quite obsessed with combat. They say he boasts top-tier skills in this archbishop selection.”
“Apparently, in this Archbishop selection, there’s a guy boasting top-tier skills.”
“That’s a shame, but I’ve never heard that name before.”
“Is that so?”
I let out a sigh as if regretting it.
Then, I conjured a spell of decay in one hand.
Black fog crackled with sparks as it swirled around my hand.
I said to him, “Rumor has it that this guy named Blurans is hiding in the Academia. Planning to kill Chancellor Gulemashia alongside the collapse of the Academia.”
I exaggerated my reaction on purpose.
“What a hilarious situation. Who does he think he is?”
To insult him.
To mock him to the fullest.
“Catch Chancellor Gulemashia? That’s utter nonsense. Don’t you think? He isn’t even an Archbishop, yet he’s trying to play at capturing a great figure who stands at the peak of magicians.”
Hiding my laughter, I provoked him.
“Once he faces Gulemashia, he’ll be trampled like a bug without being able to wriggle.”
“……”
“What’s wrong? Senior. Feeling unwell… no.”
I pointed out the expression of the spearman in front of me.
“You actually look quite delighted.”
The corner of the spearman’s mouth, which had always held a sleepy expression, was stretched wide, revealing his red gums.
His eyes looked madman-like.
“Ha ha ha ha!”
His personality and speech transformed entirely, reminiscent of Jekyll and Hyde. Pertigle had become rough.
Known by another name, the Archbishop with top-tier power, ‘Blurans’, laughed as if the theater was about to explode.
A human with dual personalities.
Pertigle Blurans.
The truth of his identity will be revealed not now but in the second-year tragedy episode of Academia, but I hastened it.
“I can’t believe it! I didn’t think something so fun would happen! Ha ha, ha ha ha!”
The atmosphere changed.
His thick, ominous mana suffocated like poisonous gas, making it hard to breathe.
The outsiders were uneasy, clinging closely to the other characters around them.
“Thank you, human! For granting me such laughter!”
I ignored his voice and checked my condition again.
Dagu and Taesan were left at the tomb where Francesca and Clemens were.
Furthermore, due to the unique spell, I had imposed restrictions on my own mana.
In other words, I was in an absolutely unfavorable situation.
“I’m dying to know how you even learned about me, but more than that, the thought of wanting to fight you makes my brain feel like it’s bursting!
…By the way, I was just about to talk about Francesca’s unique spell’s results.”
The Spirit Summoner Francesca’s collaborative work with the Ancient Dragon and her father, Niklas.
The essence of both their unique spells turned out just as expected this time.
“You’re being quite noisy, which I really like! I almost want to kill you and turn you into a corpse!”
It splendidly “failed.”
And that was a completely natural outcome.
*
“It’s a chilly, sinister mana… How heavy is the soul?”
Outsiders gathered in an open-air stage where everything was wide open.
Among them were the siblings of Schugenharz.
The female servant Riel, noticing the suddenly altered atmosphere, frowned in discomfort and continued her assessment.
“Just a glance, and I can see lives with a mass equal to thousands wandering around. What the hell is this?”
Riel glanced at her younger sister Rina, as if hoping for an answer, but Rina’s gaze was not directed at Riel.
Rina, shedding her usual pretentious expression, surveyed the surrounding situation with a serious and sharp look.
One of the first-year students guarding the outsiders trembled and said, “Is this… an abnormal situation? Something’s gone wrong?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking? Please, shut that mouth! The second-year seniors are also here. It’ll be okay somehow…”
“‘Somehow’…!”
“Stop annoying me and pour out your mana! If the barrier breaks by mistake, we’re in big trouble!”
The first and second-year students joined forces to create a barrier protecting against outsiders.
Outside that barrier, skeleton soldiers were swarming, trying to break through the defense, serving their new master.
Those skeletons, once soldiers of Francesca, were not in an incomplete state with missing armor or in poor condition regarding their weapons.
They were fully prepared for battle, capable of exerting maximum mana.
Fortunately, the students of Academia were doing their best to hold the line, but if even a single hole appeared, the entire form would collapse instantly.
As Rina observed the scene, Riel was also paying attention, unable to shake off her calm demeanor.
After a brief moment of thought, Riel asked Rina, “Hey, Rina. Is it okay for us to intervene?”
“…I think so, sister?”
“Does Belo oppa think so too?”
“Since it seems like an emergency, you can do whatever you want, Riel.”
With Belo’s permission, Riel beamed with excitement.
“Is this it…?”
She boldly stepped forward to the barrier.
The outsiders in the same position tried to stop her, but the second son, Belo, kindly urged them to back off instead.
Riel, observing the barrier by tapping on it, turned to a flustered male student beside her and said, “Can you lower the barrier? I can’t get out.”
“Wh-What nonsense are you talking about! Hurry and step back or you might get seriously hurt!”
At the unknown boy’s words, Riel pointed at herself with a puzzled expression.
“Me…? Were you talking to me right now?”
“Then who else could I be talking to! Don’t disturb those who are trying hard—help us out a little…”
“Puhaha—! What are you saying? Who is protecting whom!”
Riel laughed loudly.
She couldn’t hold back her laughter.
When Rina, following behind, pointed out her lack of decorum, Riel finally calmed down, but the tears in her eyes proved just how ridiculous she found the situation.
Wiping her tears, Riel said, “You shouldn’t be so rude and spout nonsense, looks like you’re a commoner stuck in some remote kingdom, huh?”
“Wh-What…?”
“Do you know where our family is from?”
If you don’t, I’ll let you know. Step aside.
After saying that, Riel pushed the male student who was diligently pouring his mana.
As the male student stepped back, the power of the barrier in the space he was guarding weakened, putting the overall barrier in jeopardy.
The astonished male student and the people around him tried to stop Riel.
“Thanks, oppa.”
The outsiders trying to rush Riel were frozen in place by the mana field created by the second son, Belo.
Riel cheekily blinked one eye and looked at a male student who had warned her to stay back for her safety.
“Listen well. Our family’s business is managing and trading dungeons. Do you understand what that means?”
Well, he probably doesn’t since he’s just a commoner from a village.
With a dismissive snort, Riel unleashed her mana.
From her and from Rina and Belo around her, blue crystals began to radiate and spread out.
These formed positions soon merged, resulting in hundreds of spells easily completed, shining simultaneously.
“I can’t collect only the bizarre, unusual elite specimens like that pervert… No, I ‘won’t’ do that, but this much is no big deal.”
A number of spells exceeding the skeleton soldiers in the area.
And from within, familiars emerged.
Those monsters, well-trained and always in prime condition, would absolutely obey ‘one name.’
“We are ‘Schugenharz’.”
The familiars were ready to fight against the skeleton soldiers.
With the barrier completely shattered and an arrogant smile lingering, Riel declared, “Do you still think the name Schugenharz is X?”
Her smile, no matter how much she denied it, closely resembled that of Vargan.
