◈ Episode 395: Anxious Search (2)
There were about 20 people gathered at the spot where there was a sheer cliff.
Dressed in different robes, they moved eagerly, measuring the ground they were moving.
“Move quickly! They must have noticed our plans too!”
The Black Dawn Second Order shouted loudly at the subordinates and approached their immediate superior.
“Mrs. Leslie.”
“How is the situation?”
Leslie, standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the distant landscape, asked without looking back.
The second order directly under him lowered his head and replied.
“It’s smooth. The current pace is about 20% faster than originally planned.”
“late.”
Despite being told that it was faster than originally expected, Leslie was not satisfied.
“More speed.”
“Ha, but… … .”
“They are not stupid. They noticed that we were trying to destroy the leyline and are moving to stop it. In their current state, they’ll come all the way here before they even find the leyline core.”
“I will buy time. There are things we have been preparing for.”
“It will be difficult even with the medicine to call the beast.”
“I found a nice guy. He’ll buy you quite a bit of time.”
Leslie didn’t answer.
The unspoken meaning of doing it if you can. The Second Order lowered its head and stepped back.
Leslie felt the wind blowing from the edge of the cliff.
The dreamy light from the sky has decreased considerably.
As the mansion’s leylines overflowed, the mysterious phenomena of the Cassar Basin faded.
Thanks to him, he was able to reach this place where he could not have come originally.
“But we are still far away.”
Leslie took out the locket from her neck and opened the lid.
On the inside of the lid was a small portrait of a smiling Isabella.
Beside her was a man with arms crossed with her in a huddled posture.
There was a slight water drop in his dry eyes.
It was a look that even his subordinates had never seen before.
A torrent of emotions took him far into the past.
Most people who have reached middle age do not remember their snoring days very well.
It’s just nostalgic, I’m just pointing it out that it was like that then.
But Leslie remembered that distant past clearly.
Even now, when I close my eyes, the events of the day are as vivid as if they were unfolding in front of my eyes.
As a child, he was an avid reader.
I used to crouch in the corner of my room, read books, and never get close to anyone.
At that time, she, Isabella, was the first to enter his space.
─What are you doing there? let’s play together!
how can i forget
The kindness that took her weak hand and led her to a world full of light.
That moment when you get out of your own dark and narrow room and go outside where a fresh breeze blows.
At that moment he was reborn.
Like a bird breaking out of its shell, I saw a new world.
What made this possible was the girl who held his hand.
—You were always dazzling like the sun.
shoot it
Leslie came back to reality.
Memories of the past were washed away by the wind that blew like waves.
──Will this kind of heart be conveyed to you somewhere here?
Leslie closed the locket lid.
His thoughts were also cut off as if they were cut off from the outside while being contained inside the rocket.
here he dies
If this thing succeeds, it dies, and if it fails, it’s the same.
But if there’s one thing he needs to accomplish.
to save a loved one.
That would have been all.
* * *
Wizards moved quickly.
They might find the core of the leyline and destroy it, so we had to stop it as soon as possible.
“Your progress is slower than I thought.”
Derek Olsen, who was in the lead, looked back slightly and murmured.
Rudger, who heard that, nodded as if agreeing.
Despite a strong start, the pace of advance slowed considerably.
The first reason was that it was a scale of over 100 people.
Only the number of people who went to each leyline was about 100.
They had to slow down to move all at once.
Even this was the result of reducing the number as much as possible, so it was unavoidable.
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The second was the magician’s stamina problem.
If you strengthen your body with magical power, you are a wizard who can engage in close combat with knights, even for a short time.
However, strengthening the body does not mean omnipotence.
Strengthening the body through magical power differs from mage to mage.
It was a combination of constitution, preference, and fitness.
Most of all, most wizards prefer long-distance support, so they don’t train physical strength through magic, so even if you use it right away, the efficiency is low.
It was self-evident that mana would be depleted before reaching the destination if magic was wrapped around the body to make the advance a little easier.
It also helped that they were moving on a wooded slope.
Having to walk uphill without a road without stopping, your stamina is quickly exhausted.
And the last third.
It was because of a trap set by the Black Dawn.
“stop!”
The knights who were walking in the lead felt something and stopped.
The wizards who followed him sent their gazes, ‘Again?’
“I installed it to the point of disgust.”
Derek Olsen clicked his tongue as he looked at the enchanted trap.
The number of magic traps they encountered on their way here already exceeded double digits.
It did not stop there, but also used explosives using gunpowder.
So far, there has been no direct damage.
This side was also made up of only talented people, so I wasn’t stupid enough to fall into this trap.
Just-.
“It’s not very nice to be delayed like this.”
Having 100 people tied to their seats because of a trap aroused more anxiety than I could have imagined.
Derek Olsen agrees with Ludgar but doesn’t stop disarming the magic trap.
The priority was to dismantle the trap as soon as possible in order to prevent the enemies from moving as they wished.
“This is over. What about that one?”
“It’s already over.”
“her.”
Derek clicked his tongue as he looked at Ludgar, who quickly cleared the complex magic trap.
“Does Seorn’s teacher know how to dismantle magic traps these days?”
“I learned it for a while when I was in the military.”
The identity of Ludgar Celish was also a former soldier.
Rudger could naturally use that as an excuse.
After the trap was lifted, the stopped march resumed.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, the work was completed quickly.”
“It’s a rare feat.”
“haha. is it. Rather, it seems you have something you want to ask me.”
Derek Olsen was quick-witted.
From the moment Rudgar moved with him, he had a vague sense that there was a purpose.
“Are you noticed?”
“It has to be. You must have been curious about my former membership in the School of Truth, right? I know everything. Because many of the people who died this time belonged to the School of Truth.”
Above all, it was the sage, Rimrei, who did it in the mansion.
Derek’s face was stained with confusion as he remembered Rimray.
“You were a good person. Even if he pretended not to be on the outside, he was a person who thought of others more than anyone else. How could someone who did that suddenly do something like this? He still can’t believe it.”
“Not all of a sudden. It was something she had been preparing for a long time to avenge her daughter.”
“I mean Isabella… … .”
“Did you know, Derek?”
Derek shook his head at Ludger’s question.
“I didn’t know. Because Mr. Rimray didn’t reveal his feelings. I knew he would be sad, but I never thought he would still have it in his heart.”
“It wasn’t just Rimrey-sama who did this. There is one more.”
“The other one?”
“Do you know the man who was Isabella’s betrothed?”
“Leslie? How did you name it… … ?”
Derek widened his eyes as if he had heard that.
“You knew that, too.”
“Can I not know? He was a classmate of the School of Truth like me. He wasn’t friendly, but he didn’t know anyone among his classmates. Those three were pretty famous in a sense.”
three?
Derek, lost in the past, continued.
“Of course, it was largely because of Isabella’s monopolization of attention. Still, they were all great people. It’s really sad that it happened because of an accident. But why does Leslie ask… … ?”
“Would you believe it if Leslie led this?”
Derek’s shoulders trembled at those words, and his questioning gaze lit up.
“What are you talking about? Leslie did that… … . It can’t be.”
Rudger pondered for a moment how to explain this.
But there was no need.
From far away, I felt something approaching my direction.
“… … Something is coming.”
“Right.”
Derek also stared straight ahead, hardening his expression, as if he had noticed something.
Something was moving through the thick trees.
It was fast, even huge.
A tree fell with a distant clank.
“Everybody stop! Prepare for an attack!”
Right after that cry ended, the tree in front exploded like an explosion.
In Kassar Basin, even trees contain mana, so its strength is comparable to that of steel.
The tree was broken and scattered like a toy.
What made it possible was the gigantic hand covered in pitch-black fur.
“bear? Could that be a bear?”
What appeared after breaking the tree was a beast that would have been called a bear from the outside.
However, the bears here were not simply ordinary bears.
In the Kassar Basin, even rabbits on the road can kill people.
Then, what would happen if a bear that teared people apart even outside lived in the Kasar Basin?
The result was now unfolding before my eyes.
Kreureung.
Standing tall on two legs, the height of the man seemed to be 8m.
Even the largest bear on record is barely over 3m tall. The guy has more than doubled that maximum.
Even the hideous Cryptid would be a meek lamb in front of him.
Rudger was so sure.
Kreureung.
The bear’s eyes were unfocused and red as if they were stained with blood.
Red afterimages scattered around the eyes of the little boy who was shaking little by little.
That was proof that the mana inside the body was flowing outward like a runaway.
‘It’s not a normal condition.’
At that time, there was a person who moved faster than anyone else.
‘Barencina?’
Among the siblings who assist Ekaterina, Barentina is the younger sister.
The moment she realized the purple hair, she had already kicked off the tree and jumped up to the bear’s head.
Chew!
The sword he drew before he knew it drew a full moon and swung it once, aiming precisely for the bear’s neck.
Indeed, judgment and swift movements worthy of a high-ranking knight.
But the opponent was not good.
Kagagagak!
The moment the aura touched the bear’s neck, sparks flew and made a noise.
The sword wrapped in an aura that could easily cut through steel couldn’t pierce the bear’s hide.
Everyone was stunned by the sight.
It was the same with Barencina who wielded the sword.
‘Did you put a rock on your skin?’
The moment she was about to swing her sword, something like a hard rock formed on the bear’s skin and blocked her sword.
At the moment Barencina panicked, she felt something pulling her floating body in the air.
It was the [Pyrokinesis] magic Ludger used.
Barencina’s body quickly headed downwards, allowing her to barely avoid the bear’s paw.
Fain!
With a burst of air, the tree hit by the bear’s paw exploded like a bomb, scattering debris in all directions.
Seeing this, Barencina felt a chill run down her spine.
No matter how strong a knight may be, it was clear that if he was hit by an attack like that, it would turn into finely minced meat.
Woooooooo!!
The Giant Bear roared in anger at the thought of missing its attacker.
The whole forest roared and the birds fluttered and flew up.
“Why such a monster all of a sudden!”
The wizards were shocked, but Ludgar seemed to know why.
‘It’s the same as the Cheshire Tiger.’
A sudden attack by an apex predator.
At that time, a lot of people gathered so I thought it just happened, but if it happened this time, there must be a reason.
Even if that bear’s eyeballs were turned upside down right now.
Even if the mysterious phenomenon had faded a lot, common sense made no sense to run amok so sensitively.
It was clear that the Black Dawn was up to something.
At that moment, the Giant Bear raised its front paw.
“Stop!”
“Unfold the shield!”
The magicians all gathered their mana and wrapped their shields.
Right after that, Giant Bear’s paws touched the shield, and the shield shattered and scattered like glass.
“What, how powerful.”
No matter how urgently the magic unfolded, it was a shield containing the magical power of 30 wizards.
It just didn’t make sense in common sense to break it with a single front paw swing.
quadruple.
The Giant Bear’s front paws were covered with stones.
Originally, it had hard forepaws and even rocks, so its power doubled.
Just as the Cheshire Tiger uses the element of wind, that bear knew how to use the element of earth.
Rock-type magic is dull, but it is as strong and powerful as it is.
But a bear over 8m uses it?
It was clear that even the tank unit would be weak and crumble in front of him.
“Everyone keep your distance! If we unite, we will be defeated! Focus on dodging!”
“order! Catch his eye! Never stay in one place for too long! Hit and run!”
Kreung!
It was not a giant bear to leave it alone.
He frowned at the tip of his nose once, then got ready to swing his front paw again.
What they’re aiming for is the sluggish wizards.
They lost their fighting spirit after seeing their shield shattered with a single front kick kick.
Wild instincts captured the frightened weak prey at once.
He could have killed at least 10 people just by swinging his forepaw like this.
Wow!
At that moment, a series of brilliant flashes burst out in front of the Giant Bear’s eyes.
3rd tier light magic.
[Stellar Light]
A tremendous amount of light that flashes at a rate of over 30 times per second.
Giant Bear couldn’t avoid the magic exploding right in front of his eyes.
Whoa!!
Faced with a light that would cause blindness to an ordinary human being, the Giant Bear just squinted and backed away.
At that moment, Derek activated his magic.
4th tier tree magic.
[Forest Wave]
The ground shuddered, and a strong tree root rose like a wave, lifting one leg of the Giant Bear standing on its two legs.
However, with a sense of balance that was not commensurate with his size, he did not collapse and endured.
At that time, it was Barencina who stepped out.
Hwareuk!
An intense aura burned at the tip of her sword, severely slashing the Giant Bear’s other ankle.
Perhaps thanks to the stronger energy emitted than in the first surprise attack, it split her black leather and left a proper scar.
Whoops!
The guy who was attacked by both legs stumbled backwards and fell down.
The ground cracked, and a cloud of dust rose.
At that moment, Rudgar quickly rode on top of the Giant Bear’s head.
Rudger looked down at him and pointed his staff at his forehead.
“You’ve got one more tooth to take.”
