Chapter 88

Chapter 87

“Huff……”

Whirring……

One in front of me, one behind, and one to the left.

The magic circles began to reveal their presence, glowing purple as they spread out around my body.

- A language I've never seen before… Is this Runes?

In a world where magic was highly advanced, these unique languages, known as Runes, could only be wielded by a select few geniuses.

Each magic circle, with its own purpose, was inscribed with Runes that began to emit their presence and started to rotate.

Crackling… Crackling!!

The magic circles, rotating like motors, gradually moved away from my body and began to multiply, forming a circle more than 10 meters away from me.

Each newly created magic circle had a different shape and began to resonate with each other as they rotated according to their unique mana arrangement.

Magic, in essence, is a pseudo-physical science for controlling the natural, intangible forces.

Even if you create lightning in a different way, it's far more efficient to induce lightning from an already formed thundercloud rather than create and direct it arbitrarily.

There's a significant difference between changing the direction of an existing water flow and creating water and a path to replicate the flow.

The boundary extends to all areas behind me.

There's no need to search for the scattered ones; I just need to deal with those passing behind me.

I caught Hongdan, who was floating in the air, as I watched the Chimeras enter the area without noticing me.

At the same time, the large amount of mana flowing from Hongdan and my own mana resonated, activating the switch.

Like a magnet attracting metal pieces.

The unique Runes began to appear above the heads of the monsters passing by me.

“Ah, I've always wanted to try this.”

- What else…

“Die, you insect-like creatures!”

It's a thunderstorm, not a firestorm.

It doesn't matter.

Rumble… Boom!!!

Eventually, starting with a light stroke of Hongdan in the air, hundreds of lightning bolts from the sky struck the Chimeras marked with the Runes.

* * *

As if forming a massive barrage, the Chimeras passing through the area were all reduced to ashes by the lightning falling from the sky.

The lightning, dormant in the massive thundercloud, was lured like a possessed being by the very faint traces of mana I spread, and it struck the monsters marked with the Runes with a powerful flash reaching 27,000 degrees Celsius.

While I can demonstrate most magic, this particular type, selected for its extreme danger if revealed to the world, is one I can't easily get away with.

I felt the blood draining from my face due to the intense concentration, but I gritted my teeth and maintained the area.

From a distance, it would look like hundreds of lightning bolts striking the entire forest.

- It's theoretically possible, but…

She trailed off, now looking at me as if I were a monster.

- Is this the control a single human can handle, realistically…

Shaking her head, she fell silent when she saw my extremely pale face.

- If you had consulted me about such a difficult task…

Her bitter muttering didn't reach my ears.

Maintaining the area, the pain of my brain burning away second by second, was something I couldn't avoid.

* * *

Perhaps my physical abilities had increased to an extreme, but my intelligence had decreased.

The bio-monsters, presumably created by Rington, entered the area I had set up like moths drawn to a flame, and as a result, they all turned to ashes.

-Dave!

“Haa… Haa, I'm fine, I'm fine.”

-Do you even know how pale your face is?!

“If this level of exhaustion could kill me, I wouldn't have made it to the 9th Circle.”

The consumption of mana wasn't that much, but the depletion of mental energy was severe.

As I panted, I was about to release the magic after the last monster was incinerated by the final lightning bolt when something strange caught my eye.

“Ugh… I feel dizzy… I might go crazy. I need to go back and rest, or I'll die…”

It was because of the carriage that entered the area I had set up, where friend and foe were indistinguishable.

A carriage?

Why is there a carriage here?

While it's not impossible for a carriage to enter a deep forest, it's unusual. Normally, when such abnormal lightning strikes, one would either stop or take a detour.

Either they are suicidal, or they have a way to avoid my lightning.

But it didn't take long to dismiss those thoughts.

I noticed the carriage and the knights guarding it, as well as the series of black figures following behind, gradually killing the knights.

-That is…

Did Perserker also realize the existence of the carriage? Her eyes sparkled.

-Dave, it's the royal emblem.

As she said, the emblem on the top of the carriage door was engraved in platinum.

On this continent, only one entity can have a platinum emblem on a carriage.

The royal family.

Contassa Empire is in the far west, so it's out of the question.

That leaves only two empires.

The Palan Empire and the Lindis Empire in the eastern continent.

I couldn't see the emblem clearly, but it was clear that the carriage belonged to the royal family and that the royal family was being pursued by unknown assassins.

-Dave, ignore it. If these assassins are targeting the royal family, they're not ordinary. Provoking them could lead to a different level of danger…

Despite her worried words, my gaze was fixed on the carriage.

I saw someone looking out the window, their body tense.

A girl, probably in her mid-teens, with a frail build, plain clothes, and striking teal hair, was wearing a mask that covered her entire face.

Not only that, but she also wore white gloves, completely hiding her presence.

And the refreshing aura that seemed to clear my aching head…

Hmm, this scent is the taste of an elemental mage.

“Hmm…”

I didn't ponder for long.

-Dave?

-Keeeeeing!!!!

The magic circles began to rotate and resonate at high speed again.

Gathering the remaining power from the almost dissipated thundercloud, I left marks above the assassins chasing the carriage and installed a guidance magic circle, using the remaining mana.

Rumble!!!!

A massive lightning bolt, incomparably larger than before, began to strike the assassins.

They probably wouldn't even know what killed them, and even if they saw it,

They wouldn't think this unnatural disaster was caused by someone's intent.

For now.

“Oops! My hand slipped.”

-…

“I don't know! I didn't see anything!”

I seemed to meet the eyes of the girl behind the mask in the carriage, but it didn't seem to be a big problem.

“Perserker.”

As I watched the carriage escape the assassins and disappear into the distance, I quietly called her.

-Why are you doing this…

“Let's… rest a bit.”

-Dave!!

With those words, my vision, which seemed to fall to the ground, began to blur.

Every time I do something big, extreme drowsiness follows…

Unfortunately, this time, it doesn't feel like I'll experience a significant advancement in my realm, as I did with the sacred magic.

Sometimes, I can't shake the feeling that I'm stupid.

* * *

To put it simply, it was a very comfortable sleep.

Even though I usually sleep well, what are you talking about?

No matter how well you sleep, when your senses become sharper, you can wake up to the sound of bugs crawling.

This is a good thing about having sharp senses, but…

“Huff…”

On the other hand, it's also a ridiculous situation where you can't rest properly when you want to.

It's like wanting to take a break, but your body reacts first.

After letting out a tired sigh and slowly lifting my head, I saw the quiet forest.

“Perserker?”

-Ah! Dave, you're awake!

With a dazed look, I lifted my head as she approached, floating a large leaf full of water in the air.

While she can't exert physical force except through me, her symbiotic partner, she can use her mana, the source of her power, to manipulate things like a poltergeist.

At first, she could only slightly move thin paper, but it was clear that her power had grown over time.

-Let's have some water first.

“Ah… Thanks, I feel refreshed after a good rest. How long did I sleep?”

-Just a few hours, but…

She smiled bitterly.

-At least there wasn't a commotion in the Ordem estate.

“That's true.”

Speaking calmly, I got up and immediately climbed a tree to a high spot.

Fortunately or not, they didn't send a pursuit team right away.

No, with Baris absent, it wouldn't have been easy to mobilize troops.

“Let's go back. I don't want to worry them unnecessarily.”

Perserker looked at me with a dissatisfied expression but didn't say anything.

* * *

“Brother!!”

It was a bit unexpected.

As soon as I entered the estate, the one who greeted me was not a citizen or a guard but Baris himself.

This guy was absent when I arrived, so I wondered when he returned.

“What's up, Baris? When did you get back?”

“I just got back! But are you… Are you okay?!”

“Hmm?”

The guy, who was frantically checking my body at my words, let out a sigh of relief.

Judging from my appearance, there was no significant problem except for the bloodstains on my body.

“I'm glad you're not hurt. I was so worried. Winry and Yulius 5th told me that you were left alone in the hidden facility of Baron Rington in the forest…”

He trailed off, grinding his teeth.

“I heard that you stayed behind after helping the two of them escape. I was about to organize a rescue team and set out…”

But you couldn't come, right?