novelraw Chapter 103 : Chapter 103
Chapter 103 : Chapter 103
103
The domain had vanished, but the Giant-Block's corpse remained on the ground.
Acrid smoke endlessly billowed from its body, and a foul stench like that of sulfur fire filled the air.
“It's dead, alright.”
Rozalin poked the Giant-Block's corpse with the tip of her sword, tap, tap.
“A little anticlimactic.”
That was my honest feeling.
I had prepared a lot over the year after being warned that a demon would appear.
I invented Aura, refined my swordsmanship, and devised strategies.
The more I heard about demons, the more my fear grew.
But the demon we met today fell with just a few swings of our swords.
The demon was too easy.
Is this really okay?
“Hey. I told you. I said we could lead the students to the first demon and use it for practice.”
Rozalin nodded as if it were obvious.
Hati was the same.
“But it even blocked Ulf's magic.”
“It must be because of the domain. Here. Look.”
Ulf, who had come to my side, poked the corpse with the end of her staff.
At that, numerous seeds sprouted from the corpse with a popping sound, and soon a part of the corpse's surface was covered in mold.
And in an instant, its skin disappeared.
“The magic is working properly.”
“Now that the domain is gone, this thing is also subject to the laws and order of this world. Do you know what ‘fantasy’ is?”
“Isn't it talking about trivial daydreams or imaginations?”
“From ancient times, fantasy meant the laws and order of another world. For example, the King Gorilla you saw was not a fantasy, but an illusion. But this thing, did it not come here with the order of its own world, not the laws and order of this world? Therefore, this thing is a fantasy.”
It was a somewhat difficult explanation, but it wasn't impossible to understand.
“So it's a fantasy because it adheres to the laws of its own world.”
“A fantasy is only valid when the being that brings the external power is alive. Now that the being is gone, this thing can no longer bring in external order. However…….”
“Tsk, old lady, that's enough! Stop!”
Just then, Rozalin hurriedly cut Ulf off.
Ulf narrowed her eyes at Rozalin, then smiled as if she understood. “Oho.”
“Alrighty. I understand. I won't say any more.”
It seemed there was more that only the two of them knew.
I sheathed my sword and looked around.
The students were all stunned.
Although it was dealt with quickly, a monster they had never seen before had blocked all their attacks and moved strangely.
And the magic beam it shot at the end.
If it weren't for Aura, it was an attack that would have killed most of the students here instantly.
The fact that the spies in the distance were sitting down with pale faces was enough to guess the situation.
‘The example has been set clearly, I see.’
At that moment, Freutche and Jessie approached my side.
“Should we start retreating now?”
They hadn't played a direct role in this battle, but their expressions were bright.
It seemed that having a proper chance to see how far the Aura they had learned could be effective was a big part of it.
“Please organize the students.”
“Got it.”
Led by the two instructors, the instructors began to organize the students one by one.
The students, with heavy steps, began to board the carriages one by one.
Just as I was about to move to help guide the students, Rozalin grabbed my sleeve and stopped me.
“Teacher, please wait here for a moment. I have something to show you.”
Was she talking about the reward she mentioned back then?
It seemed that Rozalin stopping Ulf's words earlier was also related to the reward.
Rozalin gathered the people she mainly communicated with, such as Pan, Bridget, and Eleveth, from the assembled crowd.
After everyone else had left, the only people remaining were me, Ulf, Rozalin and Hati, Pan and a few members of the Firestorm Mercenary Guild, and Yuria.
No, we weren't the only ones left.
“Looks like there are some curious folks. Take care of them.”
Perhaps because I had been concentrating on Aura until just now, my heightened mana sensitivity picked up the presence of people.
Rozalin gave an order through Hati, and Hati gestured to send out mercenaries.
“It's fine. I'll take care of them.”
But Ulf was a step faster.
As she tapped the ground with her staff, a thin membrane began to surround us.
“I have blocked sound and sight. They won't be able to see this place even if they want to.”
“Thanks, old lady!”
Rozalin grinned and walked towards the demon.
Meanwhile, the demon's corpse was melting and becoming gooey like a liquid.
Every time Rozalin took a step, the demon's corpse stuck to the ground made a squelching sound as it stuck to and pulled away from the soles of her feet.
Each time, black smoke and a terrible stench rose up, but Rozalin didn't seem to mind.
She even went to the center of the corpse, where its huge body had been, and stuck her hand deep inside.
“Ugh.”
She began to rummage inside the body as if looking for something, and a sticky noise tormented our ears.
Eleveth dry-heaved, and Bridget quickly covered Eleveth's eyes.
And finally, looking as if she had found what she was looking for, Rozalin pulled out her hand with her characteristic mischievous smile.
In her fingertips, covered in dark green and reddish-black body fluids, was a small bead.
The black energy inside the bead flickered endlessly, as if a fire was burning.
“It's a Fantasy!”
“According to Ulf's explanation, is this the core of the strange ability that demon showed?”
“Hehehe, that's right. I think a sword would suit you, teacher, but just a moment.”
Rozalin said that and held out her hand to me.
It seemed she wanted my sword.
When I gave her the sword as requested, Rozalin removed the ornamental jewel from the hilt at the very end of the sword handle and attached the Giant-Block's Fantasy.
The result.
“The size adjusts by itself?”
“Because it's a Fantasy!”
Does that answer everything?
Rozalin held out the sword as if that was enough.
“Teacher. Would you like to try using it like you use Aura?”
Using it like Aura—that seemed to mean I should imbue it with mana.
I took the sword back and swung it once in the air.
In that moment, it felt as if the surrounding mana was drawn in at once and instantly pulled into the sword.
My body felt full for a moment, then I felt a sense of exhaustion as it sank to the bottom in one breath.
And at the same time.
Woooong—.
I felt a sort of grayish energy spreading out around me.
It was a familiar yet unfamiliar energy.
“Don't tell me this is?”
“Huhu. Teacher. Do you know how we, who are pathetic losers without Aura, were able to win the fight against the demons? There's Geis and Necromancing, but actually, the most crucial part was thanks to this Fantasy.”
“Showing once is more effective than telling a hundred times.”
As Ulf waved her staff lightly, a few leaves from far away in the forest were shot at me like arrowheads.
The dozens of leaves were all aiming for my vitals, but.
“Ah…….”
I felt a subtle sensation.
A net-like energy, different from mana, was forming in a 2-meter area around me.
It strongly caught all the projectiles flying towards me.
The speed of the fast-flying leaves gradually decreased.
When the leaves finally touched my skin, they fell powerlessly to the ground.
It was the very same ability the Giant-Block had shown.
“Do you now understand why that child said we had to secure the demon quickly?”
I understood completely.
And I also understood well what would happen the moment this information spread.
“……Many people will be sacrificed.”
“That was the demons' trick.”
This was a special ability that could not be explained by the laws and order of this world.
How many nobles would covet such an ability?
“In the early days after the demons appeared, people were more absorbed in the sweet rewards the demons gave than in the fear of them. Nobles competed to dispatch their armies, and countless people died.”
“But the dispatches wouldn't have stopped.”
“Because that's the nature of kings and nobles.”
After a few years passed like that, people must have suddenly realized.
‘Too many people have died.’
By the time they realized that, it must have been too late.
The demons that appeared all over the world each displayed their own special abilities, and to fight and stop those abilities, the unity of all humanity would have been necessary.
But if competition had overheated to defeat demons and obtain Fantasies…….
“They wouldn't have been able to unite for a while.”
“Correct! That's why the Empire used force to rally people. Why do you think I rose to the rank of Great General? It's because the army took the lead and fought!”
“The Empire, in proportion to its size, possessed many Fantasies. Humanity had to choose. To die by the demons, or to die by the Empire.”
Hearing Ulf's story, I also understood why the Wolf King had made such a choice.
He wasn't simply a madman, but had prepared in advance to secure the demons and Fantasies.
“…….”
Just in case, I glanced at Ulf.
As if she had read my mind from just that glance, Ulf let out a hearty laugh and shook her head.
“Don't you worry. How could this graduate student of mine covet my teacher's possessions? In this old one's view, that Fantasy seems to suit you. Look here. Don't all the people who know about demons agree that you should have it?”
Only then could I properly see the expressions of the others, not just Rozalin or Ulf.
As Ulf said, no one was showing any signs of jealousy or envy.
‘My vision had narrowed without me realizing it.’
It seemed not only the students, but I too had been extremely tense.
“Now, that aside, the real deal starts now.”
With a clap, Hati focused our attention.
“Brother Cassian. Do you know how many regressors you've met in total?”
Regressors?
Rozalin, Hati, Ulf, Avril, Yuria.
That was a total of five.
“Plus, there's one that Abrahal is said to have, though we don't know who it is. And one Wolf King. That's a total of seven. Now then, do you know how many regressors came over in total?”
“Didn't you say about ten came over?”
“That's right. In that case, what do you think the three who haven't revealed their identities are doing?”
“……Preparing for the fight against the demons?”
Hati snorted at my answer.
“That's the optimistic way to think. But if that were the case, they should have rushed to protect you right away, like us. For humanity to survive, your safety is the most important thing.”
“Just me…….”
“Hey. No matter how lame you are, you sliced up a demon in one go! All hail Aura! Aura is the best! You know? It's not for nothing that in the final war of humanity in the future, all the Artifacts were pushed onto Pan.”
“To, to me?”
“Yeah! You were amazing! Your whole body was an ornament! Your armor had 31 sparkling cubic zirconia decorations…….”
“Ugh, I don't think that would be very practical.”
Then what could the other three be doing?
The answer came without much difficulty.
“Building their own power, like the Wolf King?”
“You might meet them when we leave this forest. No matter how far away they are, the people of this world would have felt the demon's appearance. And in the worst-case scenario, we might have to fight again as soon as we leave this forest. At the very least, with an army that came prepared to face a demon.”
At Hati's warning, the surrounding air froze heavily again.
Would the students who went out first be okay?
Why couldn't everyone just cooperate?
That thought briefly crossed my mind.
“Don't worry too much!”
Rozalin smiled brightly and leaned her face in.
It was her usual cheerful smile.
“Even if they do, they're still below Aura. They're just pathetic losers without Aura. Well, they might have come slathered in things like Geis. But we have you, teacher! You guys don't have Cassian, do you?!”
Her unique, lively energy melted the surrounding atmosphere that was about to harden.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
Perhaps the reason Rozalin rose to the rank of Great General wasn't because of her military or political power, but because of that personality of hers that cheerfully draws people in, no matter the situation.
“Right. I won't worry. Let's go out first.”
Whoever comes, whatever it is, I'll just face it.
And so, after tidying up the area, we walked out of the forest.
And outside the forest, we came face to face with the person waiting for us.
It was someone I knew well.