Chapter 87
Chapter 87
Save Me Through Death (2)
A crack formed where Anash’s corpse had been. The Imperial Knight Order secured Canis and me and hurriedly withdrew from the area.
“My heart nearly dropped.”
The ground heaved several times, and then a small tree suddenly sprouted from that very spot.
We stared at the small tree for quite a while.
The tree that had shot up sharply had no branches or leaves, making it look like a thick thorn. I washed my face in the puddle the Vice-Commander had created.
The puddle quickly turned red. One of the Imperial Knight Order members hurried over and took out an emergency treatment kit.
“I will examine your wounds.”
At his words, the Vice-Commander brought her palms together. The mana that flickered briefly formed a translucent barrier that enclosed us.
I heard something burning, and breathing became a little easier.
“Purification magic? You’re water attribute~”
I roughly understood from Canis’s explanation. The Imperial Knight Order member, who appeared to be a healer, examined my body. There were numerous wounds torn and burst open all over.
“My goodness.”
After expressing his shock once, the knight silently devoted himself to treatment. He disinfected the wounds, applied medicine, and wrapped them in bandages.
I refused the hand that was about to wrap my face entirely and stood up. Bandages were wrapped all over my body. Rotating my shoulders and neck here and there, I headed toward where Anash’s greatsword lay.
“You’ve worked hard, Student Davide.”
“Well, it would’ve been difficult without you, Vice-Commander, and Canis.”
At my current level, it was still difficult to defeat Anash perfectly. It was my first time facing an opponent against whom lightning did not work.
He had been far more troublesome to deal with. If not for the proper assistance from the Vice-Commander and Canis, I would have had to be prepared to lose an arm.
The Vice-Commander showed clear signs of guilt. She had been confident she would protect me, so it was understandable that she felt that way seeing me so injured.
“Student Canis provided tremendous help. The Imperial Knight Order will be sure to compensate you.”
“Oh my. It was only natural for me to do so~”
Leaving behind the Vice-Commander’s goodwill and Canis’s feigned modesty, I touched the greatsword. It was larger and thicker than I was tall. It was a weapon one could believe to be a building’s pillar.
Using it directly was out of the question. I was planning to offer this to Anaye as a tribute.
‘Magus.’
The giant had shown guilt from beginning to end while taking pride in the being called Anaye.
I had not expected Magus’s influence to have reached even ancient times. Though Anash had disappeared, I pulled out the greatsword he had left behind. At the same time, a system alarm appeared.
▶Title. [Anash] has been acquired.
Frowning deeply, I opened the status window for the first time in a while.
[Davide Duhein]
Gender: Male Year: 2nd Year Title: Apostle of Anaye, Anash Trait: Crack Head (Crack Head)
Skill [Trace of Anaye] [Lv. 10] [Religion] [Apostle]
The trace of the Ancient God, Anaye, the Thunder Deer.
Anaye, who was born from the lake and raised by drinking lightning, controls water and breathes lightning. She paid special attention to her first child.
―Blessing of Paillet Lake: Increases resistance to the water attribute. Recovery increases by 60%.
―Thunder Horn: Increases resistance to the lightning attribute. Consumes 30% of current stamina to leave the ‘Thunder Horn Mark.’ The ‘Thunder Horn Mark’ additionally deals damage equal to 10% of maximum stamina.
―Lightning Spike of Anaye: Summons a spike that deals damage equal to lost stamina x60.
―Circle of Reincarnation: Summons the Circle of Reincarnation. The Circle of Reincarnation copies and stores recovered stamina.
[Covenant of the Golden Rule]
A contract with the Goddess of Justice. As the contractor did not specify the desired compensation, a reward equivalent to what was offered is granted at the system’s discretion.
What is offered: Everything related to mana
What is desired: Undetermined → Adaptive Body (Anaye)
▶Adaptive Body (Anaye)
―Iron Body: Solid muscles, tough skin, and robust stamina.
―True Vessel: The Trace of Anaye is permanently engraved.
“Hmm.”
‘Trace of Anaye’ had stopped at level 10. It seemed that some special condition was required. Aside from that, I had gained a new title called ‘Anash’ and a new ability called ‘Circle of Reincarnation.’
“I’ve never seen this before.”
Since it stored stamina, I would have to test it properly later. Judging by how Anash used it, it felt like spare stamina that automatically restored my condition.
It was encouraging to see changes in the skill section, which had been quiet until now.
“Vice-Commander.”
“Yes?”
“I killed him. What should we do?”
I asked the Vice-Commander. Anash had been the long-standing ruler and master of the Poison Swamp. In the wild, where the law of the jungle and survival of the fittest prevailed, the presence of a strong ruler was important.
Something would surely aim for Anash’s vacant seat, and it would soon take over this Poison Swamp. Anash had been relatively gentle, so there had been no problems.
“Indeed. The master of the Poison Swamp will change.”
If an aggressive creature became the new ruler, it might lead its pack to invade the Academy or nearby villages.
“We’ll have to seal it off for now. After that, we’ll respond by conducting periodic investigations. Later, the Academy Director will provide her opinion. So don’t worry too much.”
The Vice-Commander reassured me well. With her saying that much, my worries eased. The atmosphere suggested things were wrapping up. As I looked around, my eyes settled on the building at the center of the lake.
A structure Anash, who was connected to Anaye, had raised. I pointed at the building while looking at the Vice-Commander. She nodded and volunteered to accompany me.
“It’s quite old.”
“And there’s not much here.”
There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the building. The temple, open on all sides, had nothing of value except for the emblem symbolizing Anaye on the ceiling.
“Student Davide.”
“Yes?”
“There's an artificial trace here.”
Just as I was staring blankly at the ceiling, the Vice-Commander called out to me. When I turned my head, I saw her touching something at the center of the temple.
I looked at where she was touching. What appeared to be a small groove was actually a rectangular slot.
“This looks like…”
“It seems to be a place to insert something.”
We both thought the same thing. The long rectangular groove was about as wide as the maximum distance one could spread their legs.
That width felt somewhat familiar. Our gazes turned toward Anash’s greatsword. The blade of the greatsword had a similar width.
“Shall we try inserting it?”
“If I tell you not to, will you refrain?”
“Yes.”
“Hehe. It’s fine. This time, I’ll make sure to protect you.”
Encouraged by the Vice-Commander’s reassuring words, I dragged the greatsword over. Before I knew it, the others had also entered and were examining the temple.
The Vice-Commander finished preparing, holding a magic sword in one hand and a staff in the other. Seeing that, I lifted the greatsword and inserted it into the slot.
—Clank.
About one-third of the greatsword went in, and a sound of something locking into place echoed. The slot containing the greatsword gradually rose, revealing a circular form.
The slot slowly began rotating counterclockwise and stopped after about 90 degrees. Strange lines of light started to engrave themselves onto the greatsword.
“Pu…rifi…cation?”
Those who sensed the anomaly quickly stepped back and assumed combat stances. However, the lines of light carved peculiar patterns into the greatsword and then extended toward the ceiling.
Like roots spreading into the ground, the lines of light branched out and wrapped around the entire temple. Soon, a gentle radiance spread widely into the surroundings.
That radiance met the toxic fog in the air and emitted a loud resonance. One member of the Imperial Knight Order, recognizing the phenomenon, muttered in a daze.
The area around the temple was being purified.
“This is… quite new.”
I could feel clean and clear air. The heavy and foul atmosphere was replaced with a cool freshness. Unafraid, Canis removed her gas mask.
“Mmm~ So refreshing~”
Canis brushed aside strands of hair stuck to her sweat-soaked face and spoke as casually as ever.
She spread her arms wide and took a deep breath.
“There’s really no poison.”
The Vice-Commander, who had also removed her gas mask, looked surprised. The air filling her lungs contained no poison.
“I’d like to rest, but treatment comes first.”
As members of the Imperial Knight Order began removing their gas masks one by one, the knight who had treated me earlier stepped forward and cautioned them.
The gazes of the others turned toward me. I shrugged. Since I couldn’t feel pain, I didn’t look particularly injured.
“That’s right. We’ll return promptly.”
The Vice-Commander gestured with her eyes toward the greatsword, asking if it was fine to leave it behind. I nodded. It had originally been meant as an offering to Anaye, but using it like this was acceptable too.
I planned to buy fine liquor and offer it upon returning. If Anaye was watching me, she would probably feel a bit unsettled.
***
“Ugh.”
Winter swallowed the surge of emotion rising from within. I had gone to the Poison Swamp at Canis’s request and returned injured.
Worden had contacted her, and after hearing that I was badly hurt, Winter rushed over and had just arrived.
“You’re here.”
I greeted her with a sluggish, slow wave of my hand.
Seeing my calm expression, Winter’s face flushed. She hurried over and examined my body. She slightly lifted the bandages to check my wounds and held my eyelids to examine my pupil response.
“…Sigh.”
The emergency treatment had been done well, and the follow-up care was thorough. Only then did Winter let out a sigh of relief.
“Cult Leader? What happened?”
“Uh, when I got there, I ran into the Imperial Knight Order. They asked for help, so I helped them and ended up fighting the master of the Poison Swamp.”
“The master of the Poison Swamp?”
Worden looked puzzled. Museion Academy had several dungeons and dangerous areas.
In those places were powerful enemies that had grown strong over long periods, and they were called “masters.” Each of them was so formidable that even the Imperial Knight Order had to make a serious effort to deal with them.
“Oh? That sounds fun—”
It wasn’t something a mere student should face. Worden briefly showed a disappointed expression that I had taken on something so interesting alone, but it quickly disappeared.
After hearing the perilous story that I had fought the master of the Poison Swamp, Winter grabbed the back of her neck and nearly collapsed.
“Dangerous… dangerous things… please…”
Winter pleaded, her face turning pale beyond mere shock. Tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks as her complexion grew gaunt in an instant.
Worden, who was supporting her, pulled out a guardian’s chair and seated her. Winter gently held my hand and began to complain.
“Sunbae. You know, you really—”
Don’t cause worry. If you die, we’re all finished. You getting hurt isn’t a rare occurrence. Please at least send word. No, don’t even send word—just stay put and behave. And if you must do something, at least don’t get hurt.
“……”
“……”
Do something about this. I don’t know? Amid the nonstop scolding, I shot Worden a look asking for rescue.
Worden merely shrugged. There was nothing he could do.
“So you killed the master of the Poison Swamp?”
“Yeah. Turns out he was Anaye’s son.”
“A-Anash? Y-You killed someone like that—no, a monster like that!?”
At the revelation that the one I killed was Anaye’s child, Winter was horrified. Her scream filled the single-patient hospital room.
Her hands trembled as she stood speechless. She didn’t know how to react to such an unthinkable act of irreverence on an entirely different level.
“Yeah. He called me his brother and asked me to punish him for killing Lady Anaye. So I killed him.”
“Ah… I see. You did well.”
At my explanation, Winter nodded in understanding. She seemed to have recalled the contents of the red-covered magic book.
Worden looked at Winter with a slightly surprised expression.