Chapter 134
Chapter 134
The Wolf’s Howl (3)
Anger’s attack was easily blocked. The black robe swung its sword, creating a massive dark wind that stopped Anger.
Anger, halted by an invisible wall, snarled, but couldn’t reach the black robe.
“Come back~”
At Canis’s words, Anger turned his head and gestured toward the black robe. But Canis simply shook her head.
As she watched Anger return with a deep sigh, the black robe’s eyes gleamed.
“So that’s the Ancient Magic Ulbushis boasts about.”
Canis pouted and stroked Anger. The enraged Anger shoved her a few times before slipping back into her body.
“That’s quite a picky reaction. What do you think?”
Ironically, Canis thought of Davide. What would Davide have done? No, would Davide have even made such a proposal?
Canis slowly examined the black robe. The sharp black water that had blocked Anger dissolved into the air like ink dispersing in water.
“I have no intention of fighting.”
Seeing the clear hesitation on Canis’s face, the black robe spoke. Canis narrowed her eyes and stared at him.
The ability to control wind with a sword—or a technique related to it. It was something she had never even heard of.
More than anything, she couldn’t understand why the black robe was trying so hard to recruit her.
“Mister suspicious guy~ you’re quite kind~”
As Canis said, the black robe treated her rather kindly.
Normally, a battle between a mage and a warrior was a fight of distance. If the mage entered the warrior’s range, the mage lost; if not, the warrior lost.
At this distance, with the black robe’s skill, Canis believed she was already within his range.
“I hate troublesome things. More importantly, you’ll be quite useful.”
Of course, a mage of Canis’s level would have thorough defenses prepared. The black robe spoke meaningfully.
After a brief moment of thought, Canis nodded.
“What should I do~”
“You’re more reasonable than I expected.”
At Canis’s response, the black robe let out another sinister laugh.
He had investigated Canis thoroughly. And he knew well that she was the kind of person who wouldn’t hesitate to betray others for her own benefit.
“Follow me.”
Canis slowly followed behind the black robe as he turned and walked away.
The corridor they disappeared into was quiet. After some time passed, the infirmary door opened.
“……”
Winter stepped out, her eyes frozen with a chilling cold. She quietly stared down the corridor where Canis had vanished.
In a corner of the hallway, there was an unfamiliar object.
***
“Monsters ahead!”
I ran with all my strength. Unlike the usual Poison Swamp, the current one had an extremely high difficulty.
Monsters that normally never left their territories had gathered in one place. Among them were some that showed annoyingly coordinated attacks.
“I’ll intercept the ranged ones!”
When I shouted loudly, the Vice-Commander following at the very back responded. She immediately drew up her mana and fired an ice spear.
“What a hassle.”
Wrapped in Lightning Armor, I crashed head-on into the monsters. The club made from the horn of a Hellhorn Bull had been left at the chapel, so in my hand was a sword formed from Blood Magic.
It was much easier with the Vice-Commander handling the ranged monsters, but a hassle was still a hassle.
“Hm?”
Against enemies with high defense, nothing beat a blunt weapon. Many had tough hides and hardened skin, making them annoying to deal with using a sword.
With no other choice, I brought out the Chill I had been saving. The fragment of the star sleeping within the gauntlet emitted light, and cold air surged around me.
The Imperial Princess, who had been about to throw her axe at a monster, looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Hah.”
As I thrust forward with the gauntlet, the chill burst out. Some monsters were completely frozen, others only partially—but I didn’t care.
As the cold swept through, countless shards of ice formed in the air, and the electric current from my Lightning Armor surged through them.
Watching the monsters convulse from the wide-area electrocution, the Imperial Princess let out a hollow laugh.
-Thud. Thud.
Soon after, the axe thrown by the Imperial Princess traced a graceful arc, literally smashing through the defenseless monsters.
Clearing a straight path ahead, we pushed forward.
“It’s over there!”
The Imperial Princess pointed somewhere. Soon, we could see a collapsed lighthouse.
It was the only place where we had been able to rest comfortably when we first came to the Poison Swamp. I had thought it was old but sturdy—who would have guessed it was an ancient barrier?
“I’ll take a look. Please watch our backs!”
“Leave it to me!”
The Vice-Commander surrounded the area around the lighthouse with a solid wall of ice and headed toward it. At her words, the Imperial Princess, who had responded firmly, turned around.
A horde of monsters chasing after us came into view. I stepped in front of the Imperial Princess and enlarged the sword formed from Blood Magic.
“You’re just like a knight.”
Even in this situation, the Imperial Princess spoke calmly. I let out a small chuckle and shrugged.
“My character is far from that of a knight. If Your Imperial Body were to be injured, I’d be in serious trouble, wouldn’t I?”
“Of course. That is true.”
With a playful reply, the Imperial Princess took out another artifact. The red shield was large enough to completely cover her body.
“I’ll support you. Rampage as much as you like.”
With her words, a thread extended from the red shield and connected to me. At the same time, I felt a surge of exhilaration and a lightness in my body.
A buff embedded in the item, perhaps. Though if possible, it would’ve been nice if she had given me a weapon I could wield—but among the Imperial Princess’s arsenal, there was probably nothing I could use.
“It’s an honor.”
“Well, you’re the one taking the vanguard for me.”
With that, I charged straight into the horde of monsters. At some point, the Laurel Crown of Victory had settled upon my head.
With the crown restoring my lost stamina, my combat endurance was immense. At this rate, I had more than enough stamina to hold out until the Vice-Commander finished her task and returned.
“Ha.”
A beast-type monster baring its massive fangs was mercilessly torn apart by the Blood Magic sword.
Insect-type monsters that tried to exploit openings were instantly fried by the Lightning Armor.
The relatively slow, large ones were shattered to pieces after being struck by fists filled with Chill.
“Be careful!”
In this kind of chaotic melee, it was difficult to avoid ranged attacks aiming for my back or blind spots. When a forearm-sized spike pierced my shoulder, the Imperial Princess shouted angrily.
Soon after, the axe she threw smashed the head of the ranged monster.
“Are you alright!”
“Yes!”
I answered energetically to the Imperial Princess’s concern. Before I knew it, the Circle of Reincarnation had appeared behind my back.
The rapidly spinning circle instantly healed my wounds and restored my stamina.
“Hah, seriously.”
Watching me rampage again in perfect condition, the Imperial Princess let out a hollow laugh.
“More are coming!”
The Imperial Princess, who had been diligently throwing her axe, shouted loudly. When I glanced over, I saw a massive cloud of dust behind the horde of monsters.
I immediately drew out the power contained within the fragment of the star to its maximum.
-Kraaaak!
As many monsters as we had already fought appeared again. The moment I saw the second wave join, I slammed the ground with my gauntlet.
A massive chill spread outward in all directions, swallowing everything around it. The noisy surroundings, once filled with frantic movement, fell silent in an instant.
“Hoo…”
The intense chill froze not only the monsters but also the surrounding moisture and even the poisonous mist. As they froze, everything became interconnected.
Unable to fully resist the cold, I felt my body grow rapidly heavier. My resistance wasn’t enough to endure it completely, and my body began to freeze as well.
But it didn’t stop there. The Lightning Armor I had activated violently discharged electricity into the surroundings.
“Hoo…”
The current surged fiercely through the interconnected ice. Watching the monsters, frozen solid while their insides burned away, I steadied my breathing.
White breath escaped from my mouth. The world around me, turned completely white, formed a spectacular sight.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes. I’m just a bit frozen.”
Thanks to the Circle of Reincarnation and the Laurel Crown of Victory, my stamina was more than sufficient. Hearing my answer, the Imperial Princess threw her axe once more.
The axe spun violently, shattering everything that had been frozen, before returning to her hand.
“You’re back. How is it?”
“Repairing it seems practically impossible. Even if the Academy Director came, it would likely be difficult.”
“Then it can’t be helped. We’ll abandon the Swamp of Gehenna.”
At the Imperial Princess’s declaration, we prepared to move. In that case, our target would be the structure at the center of the Poison Swamp.
That structure had definitely been a place of purification—what connection it had to this poisonous mist, I couldn’t tell. Still, the decision was for the Imperial Princess to make.
“Do you know the way?”
“Yes. I’ll guide you.”
I gave a short answer to the Imperial Princess’s question and moved first. The Imperial Princess and the Vice-Commander followed in sequence, forming the same formation as before.
Since I didn’t have a gas mask and could move more freely, I kept checking behind us and adjusted our pace.
“Is this the place?”
Thanks to most of the monsters being gathered near the boundary, there wasn’t much fighting. It was even easier because the Vice-Commander, perhaps having heard something from the Imperial Princess, stepped forward unusually actively.
Before long, we reached the center of the swamp. Upon seeing the structure at the center of Paillet Lake, the Imperial Princess’s eyes gleamed.
“The air here is clean, Your Imperial Highness.”
“Hmm?”
At the Vice-Commander’s words, the Imperial Princess immediately removed her gas mask. It could be called a reckless act, but she didn’t seem to care.
She tidied her sweat-soaked hair clinging to her face and slowly walked toward the center. In case any monsters were hiding, I took the lead.
“This is where you fought the giant, correct?”
“That is correct, Your Imperial Highness.”
The Imperial Princess asked as she examined the structure from corner to corner. The Vice-Commander bowed deeply as she answered.
I, too, recalled Anash. His massive body and solid presence—he had been quite a decent opponent, and for some reason, I had inherited that name.
“Wasn’t there a greatsword here?”
“There was, but for some reason, it’s no longer visible.”
Having heard about it from the Vice-Commander, the Imperial Princess showed curiosity about the missing greatsword. As someone deeply interested in artifacts, she couldn’t hide her disappointment.
“That greatsword was identified as a Holy Relic of the Religious Order.”
“Ah, I see. That’s unfortunate.”
It seemed she had intended to take it while she was here. As the Imperial Princess clicked her tongue in regret, both she and the Vice-Commander turned their gaze toward me.
Under the focused attention of the two women, I tilted my head.
“You said placing the Holy Relic here purified it. Then doesn’t that mean this structure itself is related to your Religious Order?”
At her question, I nodded. I didn’t know the details, but this was where Anash had resided—and Anash was the son of Anaye, whom we worshipped.
It was hard to imagine there being no connection.
“That’s troublesome. We need to destroy this.”
“That’s fine, Your Imperial Highness.”
The Vice-Commander showed a hint of fluster. It was something that could have been inferred from my conversation with Anash, but she had missed it.
The Imperial Princess gave her a brief reproachful look before turning her gaze back to me. At my unexpectedly calm answer, one of her eyebrows twitched.
“It seems deeply connected to your Religious Order. Are you certain it’s fine for me to destroy it?”
“Yes. The safety of the students comes first, doesn’t it? Also, Your Imperial Highness need not worry. Above all, our Mother Anaye is magnanimous and will surely understand something like this. Even if not, I will personally step forward and appease Lady Anaye.”
Honestly, I didn’t care that much. Anaye was very important to me, but completing the episode properly was even more important.
And to proceed with this episode, we needed to fully deal with the poisonous mist.
Even after I finished speaking, the Imperial Princess gave no immediate response. When I glanced at her, she was staring at me with a meaningful look.
“I appreciate your sincerity.”
With those words, the Imperial Princess handed me an artifact. The returning axe she had lent me in the Ulla Desert, the lance she had used there—along with numerous other artifacts.
Among everything I had seen so far, the most noble item revealed itself.
“Oh.”
It was a sword. A long, Western-style blade. Adorned in gold, with a gray blade—it looked extraordinarily valuable.
The Imperial Princess adjusted her grip on the sword with both hands.
“You, Davide.”
“Yes, Your Imperial Highness.”
“If I use this, I will immediately lose consciousness.”
“?”
At her call, my eyes widened. The Imperial Princess’s specs were incredible—enough to overwhelm most warriors with ease.
On top of that, she had armor protecting her body, yet this would render her unconscious. It was a fitting cost for something meant for large-scale destruction.
“Afterward, I won’t wake for a month. That means I’ll be trapped in the nightmares that torment me.”
“……”
“I have a request. Just once, I want to meet you in my dream.”
The Imperial Princess actually used the word request. Before I could respond, her sword began to shine.
“Your Imperial Highness.”
At my call, she barely shifted her gaze toward me instead of answering.
“I’ll come to see you soon.”
“Heh.”
Holding the sword with both hands, even bringing her face close to it, she pointed it toward the sky. At my response, she only let out a faint laugh.
Brilliant golden light began to illuminate the surroundings, and the Imperial Princess drove the sword into the ground. A wave of golden light filled my vision.