Episode 131. Rescue Operation (4)
Hurrruk! Hurrruk!
A crematorium filled with heat. The incineration process is in full swing. Enzo wiped away the sweat dripping down his body. He could see the blazing fire beyond the thick firewall.
Now, he and Kuze are stopped in front of the incinerator. They have been running with difficulty with their injured legs, but they have not yet escaped the ‘valley prison’.
“Hey, are you trying to go up the incinerator or are you trying to throw me in here and burn me?”
“There is a gap in the middle of the incinerator that we can escape through. I will guide you there.”
“The fire is this strong? And you’re going to leave your master behind?”
“… The fire in the crematorium stops for 45 seconds every 15 minutes. You can wait for that moment. And you don’t have to worry, my lord.”
“But what can that child do on his own… … .”
“You must have seen it.”
It was as if he was saying that the person you should be most worried about here and now was Enzo.
At that moment, the prison became noisy all at once. Then, a trumpet sound rang out, “Phoohoohoo.” This meant that there was an emergency.
‘Is it because of me? No, ah… then that kid?’
The prison floors shook with vibrations. Footsteps and shouts were heard, whether from prisoners or guards. It seemed like a black-haired child was really turning the prison upside down.
“There are Imperial troops within close proximity to the prison. They may have been deployed as well.”
“Don’t worry. Now, it’s time.”
As he said that, Kuze immediately lifted Enzo up and tied him up.
“Your legs are uncomfortable, so I will move you like this.”
“Is this really the right way to survive?”
“Yes, of course. That is also the most efficient way to live.”
Srrrrrr.
The flames in the crematorium die down for a moment. The 45 seconds of no flames have begun.
Kuze threw his strength into opening the thick fire door.
Beyond the door was a mountain of corpses. Each one was charred and held embers like briquettes.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.
Kuze quickly advanced upwards. With every step he took, corpses were crushed and bones crumbled.
But then it happened.
“… Shit!”
Enzo, who was being carried, saw about fifteen Imperial Army officers and soldiers. It seemed that they were assigned the task of checking the crematorium.
The imperial army, having discovered the two men, immediately prepared to pursue them.
“Hey, over there, the Imperial Army saw us!”
“… … .”
“Hey, are you listening to me?”
At that moment, Kuze was so frustrated that he didn’t respond.
Rubin’s voice was heard from somewhere.
“You came just in time.”
Enzo only saw a fleeting afterimage of light flashing, but he was confused as to which direction exactly Rubin had appeared from.
The next moment.
Rubin appeared behind Kuze, who was running. It was as if he was falling from the sky.
Shasat.
Sparks rose around Rubin as he landed softly. He added.
“Don’t worry, Enzo.”
“… … .”
“Because everything is going according to plan.”
Kuze ran alone, leaving Rubin behind, and headed towards the gap in the incinerator. That was Rubin’s planned escape route.
Rubin, on the other hand, started running in the opposite direction of the escape route. Enzo shouted in surprise.
“Hey! Where are you going? Kuze! Are you going to leave your master like that? He’s going to burst into flames any minute now.”
“I know.”
“If you know, you should help!”
“I will only be a nuisance to you and the wizard.”
“…what?”
At that calm response, Enzo could only look at Rubin’s back.
Rubin is quickly descending the mountain of corpses with sparks flying. On the other side, the Imperial Army is standing firm. This is literally jumping into a pit of fire.
“Here it is.”
Unlike Enzo, who was completely frowning, Kuze was focused only on finding a way out.
Finally, I found the only opening leading outside, and I pushed Enzo in first.
“30 seconds so far.”
There are 15 seconds left until the incinerator flames start emitting again.
Now, Kuze’s role is over.
As I said, helping Rubin would only be a hindrance, so Kuze waited quietly.
However, I couldn’t help but be curious. So I carefully trimmed the dark smoke and spread it downwards.
Because I wanted to know how Rubin fought. I couldn’t watch it directly, but Amyeon would tell me the outline of the battle.
Soon, Rubin’s shadow appeared.
‘It’s been two years since I last saw your Majesty’s battle.’
Two years ago, this was the first real fight since the Black Tower. We had trained together as the ‘Shadow Force Master’, but that wasn’t real combat. Rubin also trained alone when he was training his swordsmanship.
‘How much you’ve grown.’
The outline of the battle scene drawn by Amyeon began to ripple.
Rubin charged towards the Imperial Army. The black lacquer aura gathered around his sword was so powerful that it was overwhelming to the watching Kuze.
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‘As you said, you are trying to focus on leaving a trace of Aura.’
In all the movements Rubin made, there was no sign of the Assassin’s Blade. Even if there were, no Imperial soldier would notice, but Rubin paid attention to every little movement.
‘Ugh.’
Imperial soldiers falling one by one.
The sight was truly admirable. No, it was wonderful.
Even though it was only perceived as a dark smoke from afar, the power of the aura was felt up to here. It was as if it was tearing apart Kuze’s dark smoke.
I don’t know for sure, but it seemed like Black Lacquer’s aura had grown at least twice in just two years.
‘I would believe you even if you said you were the son of a famous swordsman.’
The black lacquer aura continued to cut through the bodies of the Imperial soldiers without stopping. It pierced through armor, cut off arms, and severed ankles.
The fate of the Imperial Army officer who was likely to become a three-star Auror was no different.
Push!
Eventually, Rubin’s sword plunged deep into the heart of the Imperial officer who had only clashed their swords three times.
Phew.
The heat emitted by the black lacquer aura was tremendous. It was enough to overturn even the heat of the incinerator.
‘It’s over.’
All of this happened in the span of ten seconds while the flames paused. Soon the incinerator began to vibrate violently.
Wheeeeee.
“Your Majesty! There are only a few seconds left!”
“Get out first. I’m on my way.”
Kuze went into the gap where Enzo was hiding first, preparing for the surging flames. It was an action he could take, as he had no concern for Rubin whatsoever.
Whoosh whoosh!
Finally, the flames began to rise. Enzo shouted, unaware of Rubin’s actions just now, when he had cut down all the imperial troops.
“Father, the flames! What about your master… … ”
At that moment, a single figure runs through the pillar of fire.
Before Enzo could say anything, Rubin appeared through the flames. He was expected to be completely burned, but he was fine.
No, rather… … .
“… My whole body is cold.”
The bitter cold of the bloody frost protected Rubin, suppressing the hellish flames.
“What the… … ?”
Enzo was caught off guard by Rubin’s grip and dragged along without a moment’s hesitation.
“It’s safe now. Let’s go.”
* * *
The escape route started from a crack in the crematorium and led to a narrow cave. I advanced for an hour while keeping my body low.
From then on, the terrain seemed to change. Everyone sighed as they were finally able to walk with their backs straight.
Rubin asked.
“How much is left?”
“If we walk for another hour at our current pace, we will be out of Tresden. Once we get above ground, we will be able to travel by horse, my lord.”
“Okay. Enzo, are you hurt anywhere?”
“…are you okay.”
Enzo was still confused by what had just happened at the incinerator.
What happened to the more than ten Imperial troops? How did Rubin get through the flames? What was that cold air that was freezing me just now?
‘It definitely wasn’t magic. What on earth is that kid’s true identity?’
I don’t know for sure, but it was clear that he was hiding tremendous power.
If someone like that is helping you, you should consider yourself lucky.
“… I’m sorry I took up your time.”
Enzo sincerely apologized for causing trouble because of his limping leg. He then asked.
“By the way, where is the tracking stone that was planted on my leg?”
“I caught a pigeon earlier and tied it to my ankle. It’ll buy you some time.”
“That’s true. You said you were the same age as Perang, right? Is that true?”
As Rubin smiled, Kuze answered instead.
“Why would your majesty lie about his age?”
No matter how much I thought about it, that kid was full of questions.
If you just look at his sturdy physique, he doesn’t look strange even if you think of him as an adult, but above all, his aloofness…
‘A thirteen-year-old could never have that.’
Auror’s level was certainly surprising, but it was somewhat understandable for a child of a renowned swordsmanship family.
But it was a completely different matter that he could commit murder so calmly at the age of thirteen. The look in his eyes, without even the slightest wavering, was chilling.
‘I don’t know what kind of kid he is… … .’
Anyway, since he was helping me now, there was no need to be too harsh. No, he shouldn’t have been.
“Okay. What should I call you? At least tell me your name. Even a fake one is fine.”
“Luden Poinen.”
“Is that a pseudonym?”
“That’s the name Perga knows.”
An ambiguous answer. Enzo didn’t ask any further questions.
“Then I guess I should call you Luden too. By the way, how’s that guy Per doing?”
“I’m doing well. I’m doing so well that it’s a problem.”
As the story of his son came up, Enzo’s guard began to gradually ease.
“That’s fortunate. He’s been following me around from place to place since he was little, so I thought he’d do well in Capotini too.”
Then Enzo frowned and clenched his fists as if something had occurred to him.
“I wasn’t telling Hitan that Capotini had a son… … .”
“It wouldn’t be the worst if it weren’t for the fact that Oscar was known as Per. He had planned it so that I would be mistaken for Per.”
“Really? Then you’ll be in danger.”
“They won’t be able to move recklessly either. They don’t even know who Perga is, and they’ve lost you too.”
“Hmm, that’s true.”
“Now all that’s left is where you’ll go, sir.”
“… Actually, I have thought about that.”
“It must be the Rhapsody Hall.”
At Rubin’s guess and words, both Kuze and Enzo’s eyes widened.
The reason Kuze was surprised was because it was so unexpected. If it was the Rhapsody Hall, then it was the dormitory of a magic school.
Considering the dangers of the ‘Chain of Awakening’, it would be reasonable to stay away from Per. Why did you think of the Rhapsody Hall?
That curiosity was soon resolved.
“Wow. That’s right, the Rhapsody Hall is the destination I was thinking of. How did you come up with that?”
“Before I left Capotini this time, I was doing some research on you. Enzo, you were an architect and worked on the renovation of the dormitory, right?”
“That’s right. Well, he was just one of many architects I’ve worked with. It was a very long construction project.”
“Is that so? It doesn’t say that in the construction records in the library. It says that the most advanced magical architecture was applied during the period you were in charge of.”
Rubin had been trying to explore the Rhapsody Building since the day he first moved into the dorm.
However, the reason why they were not able to achieve satisfactory results was not only because of the beasts ruled by the Srehim sage.
The Rhapsody Hall was no ordinary magic tower. Among the 33 magic towers in the school district, no, in Capotini, it was the one with the most intricate and diverse use of magical architecture.
“He is a wizard from Capotini and has participated in the construction of the Capotini dormitory. If he has sent Per to Capotini, then it is easy to infer that he is the one who did it.”
Enzo nodded.
There were several reasons why he sent his son to Capotini. First of all, he was sure that if it was the current Principal Keegan and Benitez who followed him, he would protect his son, who was a third-year magic student.
And one more thing.
13 years ago, the Rhapsody Hall was undergoing renovation. Enzo had discovered several secret locations in the Rhapsody Hall during the renovation.
‘Chain of Awakening’ was also something that was encountered unavoidably during that process.
“I won’t deny it.”
“I have no intention of opposing it. It is true that it is the best hiding place for now.”
After that, they left the underground cave and went up to the surface. As they pushed through the bushes, they came across three horses tied to a tree. At that moment, Kuze sent a telegram.
-Your Majesty, some of the vassals are watching us. They are far away, but what should we do?
Enzo may not have felt it, but he could actually sense several dark clouds scattered widely around Rubin and his group.
-It’s probably the Greasers. They’re probably just trying to protect us until we get out of the area. Don’t worry about it.
-All right.
“It’ll be daybreak soon. If we hurry, we should be able to get into Capotini by noon.”
Enzo said as he mounted his horse. Rubin responded calmly.
“Sir, you go straight to Capotini with my attendant. I have a place to stop by.”
“Where?”
Of course, he didn’t reveal where it was. Enzo just smirked as if to say, ‘Well, then that’s right.’
“Then I’ll see you later, Young Master.”
“Here!”
Watching the two people moving away, Rubin thought about his plans for the future.
‘Cancion.’
Even if I had told Enzo the name, it would have been the first time he had heard of it. It was such a small and remote town.
In fact, until he left Capotini, Rubin had no plans to stop by Cancion. After rescuing Enzo, he would head straight to Capotini.
But some ‘important facts’ revealed by Naif Greas twisted Rubin’s plans.
‘They said that the Magic Brigade’s training committee was stopping by that village. If that’s true… … .’
What happens in Cancion will be crucial to getting revenge on the Emperor. If not now, then there will never be another chance.
Hehehe!
Rubin started his horse, clutching the blood-red frost tucked into his waistband, thinking that it might be a tough day.
