novelraw Chapter 150 : Chapter 150
Chapter 150 : Chapter 150
150
By evening, Serris was waiting with a Griffon, clad in the distinctive armor of an Inquisitor.
Since his entire body was dressed in black, it was difficult at a glance to tell whether he was even there.
“Are the others not coming?”
“All the other brothers and sisters have already returned to the Holy Kingdom.”
That was unexpected. He had appeared without warning when he came, but I had not thought they would leave just as suddenly, without a word.
Serris, however, spoke as though this were only natural.
“We are Inquisitors.”
“Then does that mean our academy no longer has any heretics?”
“Heretics exist everywhere. They simply are not the ones we must deal with.”
“So there are heretics you deal with, and heretics you do not?”
“We do not go out of our way to purge heretics who pose no harm to humanity. For example, worshiping a lord as one’s god instead of the Lord God and the subordinate divine beings does not make one a heretic.”
Contrary to common perception, his reasoning was surprisingly rational.
From behind his armor came a soft, knowing chuckle.
“People fear us because when we decide someone is a heretic, we show no mercy.”
“Ah. So that image is useful.”
“Indeed. It is not a bad thing if heretics fear us.”
Even their reputation served as a tool of faith.
That, perhaps, was what it truly meant to devote one’s life to a god.
As we spoke, Viscount Welfes of the Kingdom of Namress approached from the distance.
“Teacher! Are we departing?”
“Yes. I will go ahead first and deal with the root cause. In the meantime, several of our security personnel and student volunteer groups will handle the monsters that have invaded the Kingdom of Namress.”
More students than expected had volunteered for the Namress expedition.
Thirty-three students who had mastered Aura, and nearly a hundred when including those who had not.
In addition, free knights who had been visiting as auditors had also volunteered.
They likely judged that taking part in real combat alongside the security team would be a valuable learning experience.
“You said the individual monsters are not particularly strong. In that case, removing the cause should take priority.”
“Indeed. But… is it truly all right for you to go alone to deal with something that massive? Are you certain you will be all right?”
“It will be enough.”
“It is not that I do not trust you, Teacher… I have experienced your skill firsthand. But this is different from fighting people, you see, so, well…”
“I understand, Viscount.”
I meant it sincerely. If our positions were reversed, I would have felt the same unease.
It was not distrust in me, but concern for his land and people.
“Still, since you have asked us, please trust us. We have weighed the possibilities and prepared the most reliable course.”
“……Very well. I will trust you, then.”
After reassuring him, I mounted the Griffon.
With a light beat of its wings, the massive creature lifted its enormous body effortlessly.
It stepped into the air as though invisible stairs existed, then began to ascend.
Its pace steadily increased, shifting from a brisk trot to a full sprint.
Before I knew it, the Griffon was racing through the sky like a horse galloping across open plains, and everything below shrank into the distant horizon.
It was flight.
‘Fast.’
I had felt it before when leaving the Empire, but a Griffon’s speed was incomparable to horses or carriages.
In the sky, nothing impeded its charge. Once it caught the wind, it flew straight ahead, as fast as a fired Magic Arrow.
For a while, all I could do was focus on enduring the wind battering my body and the sensation that I might fall at any moment.
After some time, as I leaned low against the Griffon’s back and steadied my breathing, the pressure gradually eased.
It was proof that my body had fully adapted to the Griffon’s speed in midair.
I slowly raised my upper body. Serris was already accustomed to the wind, leaning slightly forward as he held the Griffon’s reins and adjusted our course.
Sensing my movement, he spoke.
“At this speed, we should arrive by tomorrow afternoon.”
“When this is all over, will you be leaving the academy as well, Serris?”
I already knew our arrival time. What I truly wondered about was where he would go afterward.
If all the others had left, did that not mean he would too?
“Yes. I intend to observe the manifested Demon directly, confirm its form, and then return to the Holy Kingdom.”
“Would it be possible to request personnel from the Holy Kingdom for our academy? As more students participate in real combat, we will need medical instructors dedicated to recovery.”
“When I return, I will post a recruitment notice. There are many people who consider healing and service to others a virtue. I am sure suitable individuals will come.”
“I would appreciate it.”
Our conversations on the way to Namress were mostly like that—strictly professional, devoid of emotion or personal matters.
When there was nothing to say, we simply remained silent.
‘There is a clear line.’
Someone who deals with those they once trusted, and who is always ready to leave the moment it is time, no matter how long the exchange.
That seemed to be Serris’s way of life.
After flying nonstop for an entire day—
“That is Namress.”
The territory of the Kingdom of Namress came into view in the distance. No—more precisely, the traces of destruction did.
The kingdom was burning on all sides. Thick, black smoke of unknown origin rose everywhere, and a choking stench rode the wind straight into my lungs.
Most horrifying of all was the land itself. Monsters filled the fields in every direction, covering the plains as though they were level ground.
They moved endlessly toward the cities in search of humans, like swarms of black insects writhing across the land.
A visceral disgust crept over my skin.
“……”
At the end of their advance lay the city. Countless monster corpses were already piled near the walls, used as makeshift steps by those climbing endlessly upward.
From within the walls, arrows, stones, magic, and even daily necessities and rotting food were hurled down.
Yet all of that combined was not enough to match the number of monsters below.
The city would soon fall, and soon after, be annihilated without leaving even a trace.
What we were witnessing was life on the brink of extinction—its final, desperate struggle.
I recalled what I had told Viscount Welfes before our departure.
Since the monsters would continue to pour out endlessly, the correct answer had been to deal with the Ocean Hall as quickly as possible, before even more appeared.
That was logical.
But was it truly right to focus solely on the Ocean Hall while leaving those dying people behind?
Was that truly the correct answer?
I called out to Serris cautiously.
“Serris.”
“I apologize.”
After saying that, Serris turned the Griffon’s head toward the city under attack below.
“I understand the operation well, and I know that your plan is correct, Cassian. But I cannot simply ignore that.”
Relief washed over me.
His heart aligned with mine.
In response, I drew my sword.
Perhaps because my will had already settled within my body, the blade resonated with it and trembled once.
External mana flowed rapidly into me. As if sensing it, Serris spoke again.
“When we descend near the city walls, trust me and jump straight down, then unleash your Wave. We will cut through as many as possible, as quickly as possible, in a straight line.”
“Understood.”
I quietly steadied my breathing. Mana that had entered my body with my will lingered in my sword, unsure where to go.
With so much energy flowing in without release, my entire body trembled as though blocking a massive current.
My blood vessels felt swollen, as if they might burst at any moment.
Fortunately, Serris soon gave the signal.
“Jump after three breaths. Three. Two. One. Now!”
The Griffon tilted its body as though offering itself as a foothold.
I leapt from its back, imagining solid ground beneath me, and lowered my center of gravity.
It felt as though a colossal weight had been dropped from the sky. My body accelerated and slammed into the ground.
BOOOOM—!
My body itself became a projectile, and countless monsters were flung away in all directions.
I was almost completely unharmed. No—there was not even the slightest pain.
The deep violet energy enveloping my body had blocked it all.
That allowed me to focus entirely on swinging my sword and releasing my mana.
In an instant, all the strength drained from my body.
It felt as though my entire energy was being pulled down and absorbed by the ground.
A shrill ringing filled my ears, and a brief blackout followed.
But the power was undeniable.
—?!
————!
—— ——— — ————!
Beyond the piercing ringing, rough, low howls overlapped.
They came from far away, gradually drawing closer. Flickering black silhouettes took shape.
— KIEEEEEK!
Monsters writhed in agony in the distance.
Roughly five hundred meters out, monsters across a wide area had lost more than half their bodies and lay scattered across the ground.
Size and type did not matter. None remained standing, and more lay prone than not.
— Kie, kie!
— Grrr!
They drooled and thrashed in terror, like children who had no idea what to do.
So many were panicking that even the monsters behind them were blocked from advancing.
“Teacher!”
Serris, who had already approached, handed me two potion bottles.
“If I use holy power in this situation, I will collapse. These are elixirs. Drink them and mount the Griffon!”
“And you, Serris…?”
“I will hold this place in the meantime.”
I swallowed the elixirs immediately.
A clear, refreshing sensation flowed down my throat, filling me from the tips of my toes to my fingertips.
As I finished the second bottle, the Griffon tugged at my clothes with its beak and swiftly lifted me onto its back.
“I am sorry I cannot accompany you. I will hold them off as long as possible, so please resolve the situation quickly.”
The Griffon rose back into the sky. I think I said something in reply, but I do not remember what.
My entire body felt as though it were boiling. The pain came a beat late.
I wrapped the reins around my hand as though binding them.
I pulled so tightly that my left wrist tingled, as if blood flow had been cut off.
Urged on by the reins, the Griffon tore through the sky far faster than before.
Perhaps it was because only one rider remained instead of two.
I was barely hanging on.
How much time passed?
As my body gradually stabilized and the surrounding scenery slowly came into focus—
————.
A vast ocean spread out before me.
And at its center, I saw it.
A hole radiating ominous energy.