Chapter 70

EP.70 Underground Giant (4)

"Again?!"

"It's collapsing!"

"Why?!"

"Because the main body has disappeared!"

"Was that elephant the main body?!"

I took the lead and ran. Thanks to continuously exploring the way back with [千里眼] (Thousand-Mile Eye), I could move forward without any hindrance, even though my head was dizzy.

If I glanced back, I could see the crimson mana chasing us with a terrifying momentum, like a tsunami. If it touched us, we would die.

Kaya was slumped on my back, unconscious.

The usual faint scent that Kaya gave off was nowhere to be found, replaced by the smell of blood and entrails.

"Why are you just running?! You can have your golem carry you! It was so big and fast just now! Are you brainless?!"

I barely managed to suppress the urge to flip her the middle finger.

I couldn't entrust Kaya to Iden, who was already carrying Ian. Of course, he had his limits. At least, the speed we could maintain was thanks to the level-up.

Iden was clearly struggling, perhaps due to the high-density rock mana I had released twice.

If I entrusted Kaya to him, his running speed would definitely slow down.

"From the start, you're not even human!!"

"Ugh!! Shut up!! If you're going to complain, then summon your familiar! You're no help at all!!"

"Ah?!! You just said everything…!"

Lizetta clenched her teeth and shut her mouth, as if she had realized something.

[ Lizetta Lionheart ]

Psychology: [I am afraid of you.]

Lizetta is a girl whose competitive spirit burns when she faces a strong opponent.

The fact that she instinctively feared me seemed to indicate that she felt an overwhelming power difference.

"Damn…!"

Lizetta summoned her male lion familiar, Jeff.

[Heh! Are you going to intoxicate me with the scent of a new battle again! Master!]

Jeff, who had been summoned, shouted in a brave voice. Then, he turned his head with a 'hmm?' and screamed in shock.

[Keek!!! What's going on?!!]

"Shut up and carry the vice-captain!!"

Really, both the master and the familiar are so noisy!

Still, Lizetta is a girl with some sense. She seemed to have noticed that I was carrying Kaya.

The smell of blood and entrails. The unique, faint scent that Kaya usually gave off was completely gone.

"Then, why are you just running?! You can have your golem carry you! It was so big and fast just now! Are you brainless?!"

I barely managed to suppress the urge to flip her the middle finger.

I couldn't entrust Kaya to Iden, who was already carrying Ian. Of course, he had his limits. At least, the speed we could maintain was thanks to the level-up.

Iden was clearly struggling, perhaps due to the high-density rock mana I had released twice.

If I entrusted Kaya to him, his running speed would definitely slow down.

"From the start, you're not even human!!"

"Ugh!! Shut up!! If you're going to complain, then summon your familiar! You're no help at all!!"

"Ah?!! You just said everything…!"

Lizetta clenched her teeth and shut her mouth, as if she had realized something.

[ Lizetta Lionheart ]

Psychology: [I am afraid of you.]

Lizetta is a girl whose competitive spirit burns when she faces a strong opponent.

The fact that she instinctively feared me seemed to indicate that she felt an overwhelming power difference.

"Damn…!"

Lizetta summoned her male lion familiar, Jeff.

[Heh! Are you going to intoxicate me with the scent of a new battle again! Master!]

Jeff, who had been summoned, shouted in a brave voice. Then, he turned his head with a 'hmm?' and screamed in shock.

[Keek!!! What's going on?!!]

"Shut up and carry the vice-captain!!"

Finally, we managed to reach the throat of the giant!

I created a rock staircase to climb up the wide throat. Although it didn't reach the top, we decided to take turns creating the staircase.

We started climbing the rock staircase.

"Whoa!!"

"Ah! Your legs are that weak! If you don't want to die, don't fall!"

"Is that even under my control, brat?!"

Just as I was about to fall due to the earthquake, I grabbed Lizetta's wrist and pulled her up.

Then, I continued climbing the throat while letting go of her wrist.

The ground beneath us was being layered with the cross-section of the earth, as if trying to bury us alive.

Just a little more! We're almost there!

"Phew!"

Finally, we successfully reached the mouth of the giant!

I created a rock surface to step on in the mouth.

The giant's breath and the sticky amylase. It was a completely unpleasant space.

"The ceiling…!"

The tightly closed teeth ceiling. Thanks to the red mana flowing around, we could distinguish it.

It didn't matter. We were safe here.

"It's fine."

"What's fine?!"

The red mana tsunami, which had been changing into the ground, was now right in front of us. Lizetta screamed in shock and covered her face with her arms.

The red mana finally covered the entire mouth of the giant and disappeared into dust.

Only a massive sinkhole remained where the giant's mouth had been. This was the spot where the giant had extended its head after manifesting, so it hadn't been replaced by the ground.

A sudden sense of floating. We were in the middle of a dark pit.

"What the hell?!"

We started falling all at once.

In my memory, this pit wasn't very deep. Of course, if we fell, we would die instantly.

"It's not very high, so quickly create a rock!"

"…What? Ah!!"

Lizetta created a tall rock using [Rock Creation].

Rumble───!

The landing point was higher than expected.

Thanks to that, we could land on the rock Lizetta created without any trouble.

"Phew, phew…! We almost died!!"

Lizetta, who had collapsed on the rock, sighed in relief.

I agree. We almost died….

'It's over…'

I also sighed in deep relief and collapsed like her.

The male lion familiar, Jeff, exclaimed, 'This is the first time I've faced such a crisis in my life…'

We took a while to catch our breath and compose ourselves.

'Is Kaya and Ian okay?'

As soon as my breathing calmed down, I turned my gaze to Jeff, the male lion familiar.

I looked at Kaya, who was still slumped on his back.

She was sleeping soundly.

[ Kaya Astraean ]

Lv: (140)

Race: Human

Attributes: Wind, Ice, Plant, Blood

Danger: X

Psychology: [ ]

The [Flower of Evil] that had spread from her neck to her cheeks was now gone.

It was fortunate that she was unharmed….

'Temporary level 140…'

A side effect of the blood mage.

The blood attribute has the setting of creating a new personality.

This means that the personality of 'Kaya of Evil Hunger,' who handles blood magic, is still present in Kaya.

The status window must have measured that the human form of Kaya of Evil Hunger was at this level. It was 10 levels higher than the original scenario, likely due to her full awakening as a blood mage.

Additionally, the human form of Kaya of Evil Hunger is safe. The murderous intent and instincts of a demon, which Elphert had transmitted, were gone.

For reference, it's not that the personality itself completely changes. It's just that dramatic personality changes occur repeatedly. Kaya is still Kaya.

However, to handle blood magic, she needs to become the personality of Kaya of Evil Hunger.

'What about Ian?'

Next, I looked at Ian Fairytail, who Iden was carrying.

The blood on his forehead had already clotted. He should be fine. The kid has a light attribute constitution, so his recovery ability is excellent.

If he woke up during the journey, I planned to hide my appearance with black ice [Black Ice]. That way, I could buy time to hide my identity. The problem was whether Lizetta would keep her mouth shut.

[The academy announces.]

At that moment, Professor Fernando Frost's voice came from the bracelet.

The magic interference from the giant's outer layer had disappeared, and it seemed that the communication magic was finally starting to activate.

[The hunting evaluation has been urgently terminated. Rescue operations are underway, so everyone, please wait in your current positions. If there are any special circumstances, report them immediately. I repeat…]

"Hey."

Lizetta spoke to me. She was sitting cross-legged and rotating her sore shoulder.

"Do you have something to say?"

"When did you ever ask for permission?"

Lizetta's forehead veins bulged in irritation, but she didn't argue with me.

Lizetta took deep breaths to calm herself.

For her to calm down her temper, this must be the logic of power.

"I won't ask for the details. If it's something you can't reveal, it must be a big deal~. Was the vice-captain brainwashed by a demon? Really, anything can happen."

"…"

"You're a black monster, right? You're deliberately hiding your identity."

I nodded.

"There are circumstances. I'll reveal everything when the time comes, so please keep it a secret."

"Then what are you going to tell the academy? It's ridiculous to proudly announce that we took care of such a powerful demon. Besides, our location is being tracked in real-time, and the vice-captain is covered in blood. The academy will definitely figure out that we were involved with a demon."

"What can I do? I'll just say a black monster appeared."

"…"

Lizetta closed her eyes tightly and stood up, leaning on a rock.

She opened her eyes again.

"I'll play along until I figure out what's going on. I know which side you're on."

Her attitude has become quite obedient.

"Still, tell me one thing. Why do demons keep appearing so often? Is there some secret hidden in this academy?"

"I can't tell you that."

It was a fact I hadn't revealed to anyone yet, for fear of complications.

I hadn't even told Kaya, who I felt a sense of camaraderie with, for fear of burdening her. I certainly couldn't reveal it to Lizetta.

"…Are you the type to carry everything alone? Ha, it's funny. Even if you told me, I couldn't help you, idiot. You're in a situation that even someone as abnormally strong as you is struggling with. What can I do?"

Lizetta snorted and sighed.

There was nothing else to say, so I didn't bother answering.

"I wish I never knew about you."

[ Lizetta Lionheart ]

Psychology: [I feel a strong sense of inferiority towards you.]

Is this a cliché where someone who thought they were a genius is frustrated when they meet a true genius?

I'm not a genius, so I don't know, but Lizetta might be feeling something similar.

'I don't care.'

Of course, Lizetta's emotions were none of my business.

"Let's go back now."

I stood up and started walking. If I used elemental magic to create a staircase and ladder from here to the sinkhole, we could easily escape outside.

Lizetta followed me silently, along with Iden, who was carrying Ian, and Jeff, who was carrying Kaya.

……

The situation outside the sinkhole was quite serious. The cave had collapsed due to the earthquake, blocking the path.

The mages were likely unable to use their full power due to the giant's outer layer.

The royal knights would have found it difficult to clear the debris and advance. Skilled individuals who could easily cut through rock debris hadn't been dispatched yet.

Of course, now that the giant was gone, everyone could easily use magic and clear the rock debris.

Lizetta and I used elemental magic to clear the debris and headed towards the entrance.

We were rescued by the exam supervisors who were running towards us.

The academy was in the midst of rescue operations, moving students with wind magic and makeshift carriages. We boarded a makeshift carriage and moved to the pier.

The students gathered at the pier couldn't close their mouths when they saw the state of Lizetta, Ian, Kaya, and me. The awkward silence was palpable.

"Isaac…!"

Suddenly, a female student with long rose-gold hair ran towards me, her face as pale as a corpse from fear.

It was Lucie Eltania.

[ Lucie Eltania ]

Psychology: [I am deeply relieved that you are safe.]

Lucie stopped in front of Lizetta and me, then shuddered. Her reaction was to the surroundings, not just me.

First, the unconscious Ian, who had lost a lot of blood from his head.

Similarly, the unconscious Kaya, whose uniform was soaked in red blood.

Lizetta, who was visibly exhausted.

And me, whose uniform had been partially burned or torn due to Rose's attack earlier.

Healing mages rushed over and placed Ian and Kaya on stretchers.

Lucie bit her lip with a serious expression.

"Captain?"

"…"

Lucie's eyes, which seemed to hold the vast ocean, turned towards Lizetta.

She seemed to be organizing her thoughts, then suddenly bowed to Lizetta.

"Thank you."

"…!"

Lizetta was taken aback. The students who had been watching us were also bewildered.

The captain who had always shown a guarded attitude and a cold, sarcastic demeanor towards everyone except Isaac.

The fact that she was sincerely thanking Lizetta was quite unfamiliar to the students.

"You protected Isaac, right? Really, thank you…."

Lizetta had agreed to play along with my story.

Although she was the one who had been protected, she must have found it absurd, but she maintained her silence, wiping her cold sweat. I'm grateful she kept her promise.

Then, Lucie lifted her head and approached me, or rather, ran towards me.

"Lu…"

Suddenly, Lucie hugged me tightly.

She rubbed her face against my chest, feeling my body heat.

She clung to my waist as if she would never let go again.

"I'm glad you're safe, Isaac. Really, really glad."

Her voice, as deep as moonlight, was filled with sobs. I could feel her trying to hold back tears against my chest.

My heart felt heavy. Her genuine concern and tears for me were incredibly beautiful and touching.

I held Lucie's shoulders and gently pulled her away.

"Lucie, I'm fine. No need to worry. Thank you, Lucie."

Lucie looked at me for a while, then wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled faintly.

"Isaac, stay with me from now on. Don't leave me, okay?"

"Sure, why not. I'm fine with it."

"Then, wear this."

Suddenly, Lucie took out something that looked like a restraint bracelet.

What is this?

"What is that?"

"A restraint bracelet. I bought it from an unmanned store."

No way, she's serious. It's really a restraint bracelet?

"Let's wear this on our wrists. Then we can always be together."

"…"

"It's inevitable. Isaac, you might be in danger again… Isaac needs to stay with me."

Her worried expression. I could tell she was genuinely concerned, but…

Her judgment, stemming from that concern, was quite twisted.

[ Lucie Eltania ]

Psychology: [I have a strong protective instinct towards you.]

"I'll protect Isaac. So, from now on, stay safe by my side…. Ah! Isaac?!"

I quickly ran away from Lucie. It was an instinctive sprint.