Chapter 66
Chapter 66
Just Deliver Us (1)
The frenzied charge continued for quite a while. There was only a single path to begin with, so there was no room for hesitation.
“What.”
Something snagged on us from time to time, but it was swiftly impaled on the lance and disappeared.
Whenever I felt something catch on my hand, I saw bandages that inevitably burned away and vanished.
“Are we there yet?”
Walls occasionally rose up again, but they couldn’t stop our charge. We ran for a long time like that and only stopped when a massive cavern appeared.
“The head.”
The first boss battle was right before us. In the center of the vast cavern, a massive head floated in midair.
It was an eerie sight—the head alone, eyes closed, drifting through the air.
“Thank you for the use.”
I returned the lance to Robe. The moment his hand touched it, the lance emitted a small flash of light and disappeared.
No matter how many times I saw it, it was still a fascinating ability.
“The battle begins.”
As I said that, I reached for the Holy Scripture. Before that, I had already stacked the Thunder Horn Mark on the military shovel three times.
―…….
A massive bolt of lightning burst from the Scripture. Emitting tremendous heat, it illuminated the dim cavern in a brilliant flash.
In response, the giant’s head opened its eyes. Its irises, as if made of blue gemstones, were filled with fury.
“Nice to meet you.”
I thrust forward the Lightning Spike with all my might. The nearly 10-meter-long lightning, barely maintaining the form of a blade, was swung down.
From its eyes, the giant’s head fired an intense magic cannon.
―…….
The magic cannon collided with the Lightning Spike, creating a violent backlash.
For a moment, it seemed the cannon would push the Lightning Spike back, but it quickly lost momentum. I put more strength into the arm that swung it.
―Clap, clap.
At last, the Lightning Spike completely deflected the magic cannon and struck the giant’s head.
Light flashed as if something had exploded, and Robe, who had been watching quietly, clapped as though impressed.
‘Not bad.’
The unenhanced head was manageable. Its attack patterns were limited to firing beams from its eyes and releasing a shout that radiated magic in all directions.
“Kh.”
I had no intention of waiting while it was stunned by the electric shock. Gripping the military shovel in a reverse hold, I charged, and without fail, the head let out a roar.
The powerful repulsive force brought my vigorous charge to a halt. A vibration rang through my brain, and a high-pitched ringing filled my ears, but I endured it firmly.
“Ah, my head.”
I couldn’t feel pain, but my head throbbed violently. Even after shaking it once, the ringing didn’t fade.
Clicking my tongue softly, I moved forward. I staggered slightly, but quickly regained my balance.
―Clang.
I shot forward fiercely and thrust the shovel. A solid metallic sound rang out from the eye I struck, and the giant’s head was knocked backward.
I thought I had stabbed it quite hard, but the pupil didn’t crack. It was harder than most metals.
―!
The head quickly regained its senses and opened its eyes wide. It reacted swiftly, as if the electric shock from the Lightning Spike had already worn off.
A fierce light gathered in its eyes. The beautiful blue glow poured toward me just as I had finished rolling to break my fall.
“Oh.”
I had been about to roll away again, but upon seeing an axe flying in a graceful arc, I steadied my posture instead.
The axe, which seemed to have been thrown by Robe, spun with terrifying speed before colliding with the giant’s head.
―Kugugugung.
The spinning axe emitted a strange grinding sound the moment it touched the head, then triggered an abnormal explosion.
Struck by it, the giant’s head was helplessly blasted into the wall. The axe fell beneath it.
“Huh?”
The double-bladed axe, shaped like a treble clef, was entirely pure white, as if forged from some unknown material. The gold ornaments scattered across it and the turquoise gemstone embedded at its center drew the eye.
Its rare design made me recognize it immediately. A low exclamation slipped out of me.
“……?”
Because I had stopped fighting and was staring at her, Robe tilted her head.
The swords used by the Imperial Knight Order were fairly common. The lance was something I had never seen before. But not the axe.
“Imperial Princess.”
“Huh?”
An incredulous sigh escaped from the mouth of the previously silent Robe.
That axe was the weapon favored by the Imperial Princess in the game. Due to her traits, she possessed a combat style that utilized various weapons at the right time and place.
And among them, the one she particularly favored was that beautifully crafted axe.
“Davide. Now is the middle of a battle.”
With no intention of denying it, the Imperial Princess pointed toward the giant’s head. I let out a small sigh and reset my stance.
I had thought the Empire had sent someone from the Imperial Family as an observer, but I hadn’t expected the Imperial Princess herself to come. As her characteristic manner of speech lingered, the giant’s head rose again.
“This is driving me insane.”
Just knowing the Imperial Princess was behind me made me unbearably conscious of it. If she were to suffer even a scratch, things would become complicated.
If the Imperial Princess, the next strongest force after Bereninche, became my ally, there was nothing more reassuring. But at the same time, she absolutely must not be injured.
Had this become easier? Or harder?
***
Eliza Atticus, the Imperial Princess and the sole imperial heir of the Empire, looked anew at Davide, who had been struggling at the vanguard.
‘Was he always like that?’
Just a year ago, there had been no sign of such a figure. She had believed people did not change, but it seemed his expulsion had been quite a shock.
“Davide. Your body?”
“I am fine, Your Highness.”
That bastard had been human trash unprecedented in the Academy. The kind of lunatic who, even when facing the Imperial Princess a year ago, had dared to look down on her.
And yet now, Davide treated the Imperial Princess with more courtesy than anyone else. He gently declined her concern.
“Your Highness. How did you come to be in a place like this?”
Davide, looking flustered, reported while kneeling. The Imperial Princess rested the sword of the Imperial Knight Order on her shoulder and surveyed the surroundings.
She had expected something more from a legendary being like a giant, but it was dull beyond imagination. Its attacks had been fairly fierce, yet none were impossible to evade.
Thus, the giant’s head was split in two and lay scattered across the floor.
“Davide. How did you know that I am the Imperial Princess?”
Rather than answering Davide’s question, the Imperial Princess asked what she herself wished to know.
There were many things she was curious about, but that was the most important. The moment Davide saw the axe she favored, he recognized her immediately.
“There is no one within the Academy who uses such an axe, Your Highness. Moreover, upon seeing you wield a sword that only the Imperial Knight Order may carry, I deduced you were connected to the Imperial Family, and among such individuals, the only one who would use such a refined axe would be Your Highness.”
“It is lacking, but not entirely incorrect.”
She had heard from Sheila that he not only knew her identity but was also aware of the existence of her Master. And yet, despite that, he had dared to refuse when summoned.
Curious about that, she had followed him. It took considerable effort to persuade Sheila, who had stubbornly tried to stop her. And as a result, the Imperial Princess had been treated to quite an entertaining spectacle.
“Your scheming mind is impressive. You treat mere speculation as certainty. Is that how much you trust in your own abilities?”
What could only be speculation, Davide had believed without wavering. Astonishingly, every one of those claims had proven true.
It was almost as if he were beloved by the Goddess of Fortune.
“Davide. Raise your head.”
At the Imperial Princess’s words, Davide slowly lifted his head. He had to be careful not to frown.
The Imperial Princess quietly examined the handsome young man with tanned skin and sharp eyes. Then she removed the Robe that had concealed her.
“In the span of a year. No, in just a few months, you have changed greatly.”
“I am deeply honored by your words.”
The reddish-brown hair hidden beneath the Robe was revealed. It spread out like a rich mane, and beneath it, her features came into view.
Rather than delicate lines, it was an intense charisma that struck first. Eyes like a blazing red sun scrutinized Davide thoroughly.
“You have been attending the Academy quietly, so there should be few who know your face.”
“To not recognize the noble visage of the Empire’s august Imperial Princess would be the ignorance of a fool—”
“Enough. Your tongue writhes like a worm sprinkled with salt. Spare me such formalities.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Had she truly been so poor a judge of character? The Imperial Princess had once evaluated Davide as nothing more than utter trash.
Yet what had transpired today was by no means something trash could accomplish.
“I hear you have received a Holy Scripture.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Though I am lacking, I follow the will of The Goddess to the best of my ability.”
“Huh.”
It was not something a proud and violent scion of the Duhein Family would say. At this point, he might as well have been an entirely different person.
At a glance, he looked like a devout Believer. Beneath that, however, lurked a terrifying information network capable of uncovering even state secrets.
“There is something I wish to ask you—”
Before the Imperial Princess could finish, the surroundings shook violently. Walls had occasionally formed before with the sound of grinding stone, but this was different.
It was so intense that it was hard to keep one’s footing, as if an earthquake had struck.
“How tiresome.”
The Imperial Princess rarely showed irritation. Whenever she tried to do anything, interference like this accompanied by tremors would follow.
Davide, who deeply sympathized, nodded—then immediately lunged toward her. The sudden action, without any warning, startled even the Imperial Princess.
“Wh— What is the meaning of this!”
A skilled warrior, the Imperial Princess reacted to shove him away, but she hesitated when she saw the urgency on his face as he rushed her.
In the end, Davide committed the unthinkable act of irreverently pushing the Imperial Princess aside. As she fell back helplessly and prepared to severely reprimand him, Davide had already vanished from sight.
“…….”
A massive right arm, appearing from nowhere, struck Davide away in place of the Imperial Princess. Before she could hurriedly draw and throw her axe, the arm moved first.
“Kh.”
Smashed helplessly into the wall, Davide crossed his arms against the enormous fist flying toward him.
With the monstrous physical force, his back felt momentarily cool. The punch, carrying tremendous weight, shattered the wall entirely and sent Davide flying far beyond it.
“That….”
With that single blow, cracks formed in his left arm and his ribs fractured. Fiercely hurled away, Davide only came to a stop after breaking through yet another wall.
The dungeon called Giant’s Tomb existed to seal the giant. The giant’s remains were not truly severed but separated according to magic.
To prevent them from recombining, the space itself had been divided and stored separately by magic. That was this dungeon.
“Krrk. Ptui.”
In other words, the separated body parts were never meant to gather in one place. Yet something that should have been impossible had occurred.
“Senior! Senior!”
As I lay on the ground catching my breath, a familiar voice reached me. When I slightly lifted my head, I saw Winter calling out desperately from afar.
“Huh? What. Is that you, Winter?”
Had it only been a few hours since we separated? For some reason, it felt like I was seeing her after a long time.
I looked around Winter. Worden and Canis appeared unharmed as well. Canis tossed me a potion.
“A solid crystal sword, please.”
As I drank the potion, heat spread through my body. Canis obediently created a crystal sword for me.
It was so densely formed that its interior couldn’t even be seen. I didn’t like the balance, but there was no helping it.
The shovel had exploded along with the activation of the Thunder Horn Mark. I didn’t have the nerve to ask the Imperial Princess to lend me a weapon.
“It’s coming. You guys go ahead. If you reach the center, everything will be resolved. Ah, try not to ring the Silent Bell.”
It would be nice if someone like Worden helped, but if I was sending them to the center, it was better to leave them intact.
The chest at the center didn’t have particularly dangerous patterns, so they should be able to clear it on their own.
“Hoo.”
Gripping the crystal sword more firmly, I took a deep breath. The enormous arm drawing closer finally entered my field of vision.