Chapter 128 – Senior Hunting Season (6)

Inside a dark sewer.
I quietly closed my eyes and knelt on the floor.
In one hand, there is a fly swatter that I brought from the store, and on my shoulder is a polar fish that I borrowed from Erzsebet.
As I was listening to the small resonance that the flowing water made inside the pipe, I heard Erzsebet’s voice.

— I’m ready.
“All the remaining seven?”
— Yes, but are you really okay without support?
“It’s done. Please send the saint in time. “Don’t let them fool you.”
— You should tell Adela that, not me. Anyway… Then let’s begin.

Sigh!

Pii spread her wings and touched the narrow ceiling.
Erzsebet will also be watching the situation through 〈 assimilation 〉 with her familiar.
The maximum flight speed of the polar bird, a spirit creature of the Ravier Mountains, is fast enough to be compared to that of a chariot.
She, who is reading the map on the ground, will lead me to the center of the sewer in the shortest possible time.

“Pee—!”

Eventually, the guy who had been spinning a few times in the air gave a light cry once to see if he was ready.
I also opened my eyes and held the fly swatter in my hand.
And–

Cooooo!!!!

It ran at incredible speeds, reminiscent of a first-person racing game, creating black spray in the sewer.

***

Beneath the site of Parenzia Academy, there was a strategic point of its own within the sewage system that stretched like a spider’s web.
Places where drainage facilities that manage water levels are located.
It was normally a place for plumbers to stop by when problems such as sewer pipes backed up, but now it is a base for graduate students.
Barricades will be installed here where many passages intersect, and in case of emergency, the water level will be raised to drive out intruders.

Cough——!

“Hey, don’t you hear something strange?”
“Did you hear that too? I think it’s over there…”

The two graduate students guarding the place carefully sent a sphere of light in the direction of the sound.
However, when there was no enemy within sight, they chatted again.

“You know, Cleric. “I think I’ll just stop doing this.”
“Are you serious, Barnes? If you do that, your chance of getting a diploma will disappear forever! Not only for the past three years, but as a student of a worthless magic tower, I have to start from the bottom up again!”

The Cleric tried to stop Vance from throwing away everything he had worked for, but it was no use.

“I just want to go to my hometown and get married. “My girlfriend wants me to come back now.”
“But…”
“I’m tired of this. “I go to work in the lab every day and hunt down graduating classes to fill empty positions, and I’m not doing this because the academy doesn’t properly replenish manpower.”
“…”
“There is no future here. Now… “I have to find my life.”

After making a big decision, he carefully took off the red cape he had been wearing for three years after deferring his graduation.
Although it was worn out with time, the wonderful red color that made my seniors admire me when I first entered the academy showed off its brightness even in the dark sewer.
Barnes smiled involuntarily and let the cape float in the flowing water.
Then he quietly took his staff and crossed the barricade.

“Barnes…”
“Goodbye, Cleric. Later, when you graduate, come to our territory. “I’ll celebrate with Johanna.”

It felt like my heart was breaking to let my friend go like this.
But in the end, the cleric nodded his head heavily.

“… Bye.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t come again. “Because this is not the place for you.”
“It’s still like that… Bye.”

He stood there blankly until the back of his friend, wading through the current, disappeared.
Without realizing it, a hot tear rolled down my cheek.
Just when I was about to turn around——

— Wow!!
— What is this guy? Don’t you know that you can’t drive at a constant speed in one lane? No, is it a reverse run?

Pi-. A strange crying sound.
Before I could hurriedly throw the sphere of light again, Vance flew in from afar, creating a spray of water.

“VANS!!!!”
“P-!”
“Shit! Area A-13 here! Please apply urgently! There’s a strange guy in front of me right now… !”
“Weird, whatever.”

A man who broke down the barricade and ran straight ahead.

“Ah… !”

The moment the cleric saw the green fly swatter in his hand, his consciousness was cut off.

***

— Next, where are you?

Ergé Bet, who was sharing Piy’s vision through 〈 assimilation 〉 with his familiar, could not keep his mouth shut.
The image of Lewis following the polar bird and sweeping away all obstacles, like an arrow fired at a timed interval.
As he made his way towards the center of the sewer, everyone there was thrown into confusion.

“Boo, 300 meters northwest. If you turn at the third passage, you will reach the next base. “If you go a little further from there, you’re in the center.”
— Let’s go. What about the rest?

Erzébet took a moment to look at the other communication crystals he had set aside, then nodded his head.

“I’m blocking it well… “Like you said, it’s more useful than I thought.”

The basement was truly a mess.
When Lewis came down into the sewer like a cat let loose among a swarm of rats, the graduate students began to disperse in confusion.
But there was something blocking their path.
It was the ice duck army launched by Adela.

— Bleep!
— Bleep!
— Bleep!

The guys who rushed in angrily exploded and completely froze the entire area.
The entire sewer pipe, which was already filled with water from my ankles to my thighs, had frozen and I had no choice but to retreat.
To make matters worse, it was not just ice, but Rochear’s unique magic, so it had excellent stopping power.

“Probably no one will escape.”
– Good for you. We’re almost there, so I’ll take care of the rest.

Like a wolf with his teeth bared, he ran through the length and breadth of the sewer.
He rushes in, catching everything that moves with a fly swatter like an insect, and no one can stop him.
It was truly a board made for Lewis.
With Adela taking on the role of stopping the enemies and herself taking on the role of guide, Erzsebet once again learned how strong Luis was.
And it was obvious that the saint who had just departed would also see that scene.

‘She doesn’t want her to know, but…’

What can we do since Lewis has no intention of hiding it?
Rather than taking a quieter route, he chose to get Darling quickly.

“I’m jealous, really…”

Last time, Darling also took care of Lewis, who was having a hard time because the canteen was broken, as if he understood everything.
What on earth is going on between them that makes them do something like that?
Even if I were in danger, would he make the same choice?

— It wasn’t that I refused because I didn’t particularly like the princess.

‘There must be no lies in those words, Lewis.’

Erzsebet suppressed the irritation rising inside her and led the way again.

***

The strap of my slippers broke and I stopped walking for a moment.
Seeing it being swept away by the old water brought back memories of playing in the valley a long time ago.
If you swung your feet with your shoes on, the resistance was so strong that each shoe would float away.
The memories of that time can no longer be enjoyed again.

When she came to her senses, the fly swatter in her hand had suddenly broken off and the top part was gone.
I threw it away as it was now of no use and walked slowly.
You can see the chairs where the students were tied and the blackboard with lots of fingernail marks.
None of the others appeared to have run away.
At that time–

– Louis! It’s over there!

I ran in the direction pointed by the extreme color bird and found Darling holding the hair of a man who appeared to be a warlock in his hand.
The surrounding area was filled with countless artifacts that had been destroyed and the poison left behind by black magic.
After confirming that I had arrived, she calmly pointed to her white gloves that had fallen on the floor.

“Could you pick it up for me, canteen owner?”
“…”
“Please.”

I silently picked up the gloves stained with dirt and sewage and handed them over.
The burn on my palm was a scar I got as a child while searching for my father’s remains in the western forest.
In addition to her way of speaking and acting, it is a device that protects her vulnerable side that must always be hidden.
You don’t want to be seen by others—especially me.

“I didn’t get the right information. It may be due to my own skills, but it is not easy to communicate with warlocks.”

She said, putting dirty gloves on the hands that had been holding her hair a moment ago.

“If you search the Florence family, you will definitely find evidence, but the problem is that the capital’s inspector general’s office will intervene if things get this way. “Because the Viscounty of Farencia has no authority to investigate other territories.”

Since there is no way to reveal the warlock’s whereabouts, it is obvious that the investigation will be conducted in complete secrecy.
His face was blunt and his face was young.

“So, before that, I wanted to hear the truth from this guy… “It’s a shame.”
“Couldn’t you have waited until I came?”
“Store owner.”
“…”
“I am not a child. “This was something I had to do myself.”

Darling glared at me fiercely.
Hidden behind it —— was the anger of her child, who had lost her parents.

Demonic statues that bring in remnants of the past and cause monsters to run rampant, and those who spread them throughout the kingdom.
It may be fortunate that this fact is known to the royal capital now that it is certain that Antiope is behind it.
However, we cannot just sit back and leave everything to them.
I woke up Alfred, who was in a daze and muttering something continuously.

“Can I ask you one more time?”

Then, Caroline with a cold expression approached from across the dark passage.
She replied curtly as she frowned at the small wounds on her body and Alfred.

“Of course not. All traces of mind-manipulating magic remain. “There’s no way Penheim’s counterintelligence unit wouldn’t notice.”
“Just interrogating?”
“The professor and the security guard are running behind me right now? “I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“Because it’s good enough. Please.”

Tsk, she clicked her tongue and walked over to Alfred, making eye contact with him.
Meanwhile, I approached Darling and asked.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Your fingernail is a little broken. “Other than that, it’s okay.”
“If you go out, I will scold you.”
“Can’t you be a little overprotective? “You clearly explained that this is something you should have done.”

It’s also my job to scold her.

“Hug me.”
“Yes?”

Chuck! Darling stretched out his arms.

“Wouldn’t she give the saint a little more time if she went over there and let them know that she was safe?”
“What does that have to do with being held by me?”
“I don’t want to touch the garbage, so you can move it.”
“No, that’s the same for me…”
“Now that I think about it, if you hadn’t come so quickly, we wouldn’t have had enough time to interrogate the author! “I’ll hug you quickly, quickly!”
“…”

Caught up in her strange logic, I unconsciously hugged her, and Darling naturally wrapped her arms around my neck.

In the dark basement, you couldn’t see anything as you walked away from the lamp with the wick twisted on oil.
She had been there for a few days and she had a musty smell.
The gloves that touched the back of her neck were soaked in fresh water a moment ago, and an unpleasant coldness ran down her spine.
But what I listened to was the faint tremor that was hidden among all the nauseating senses.

“Store owner. “You must break the habit of reluctantly listening when a woman pushes you hard.”
“…”
“Isn’t that why strange flies keep clinging to me?”

With dark vision.
A smell that numbs your nose.
She wanted me to not be able to focus on the trembling because the cold touch wasn’t enough.

“She assures me that the saint over there will soon be there too.”
“… “Probably not.”

He kept talking to me, filling up my last remaining hearing.

***

“No… I, I had no choice but to do this… !”
“Ha, I really can’t use it. Hey, do you want me to answer? Should we do it again from the beginning?”
“Hey! Oh, no! That’s it… !”

Left alone, Caroline used her divine powers to heal Alfred’s injuries.
And as she lightly caressed her wound where new flesh had sprouted, she created a feeling of fear.

“You didn’t die a nice death anyway. Not only did he dabble in black magic, but he also kidnapped, brainwashed, and instigated… Better tell it all now. Then I will kill you cleanly.”

Of course it was a lie.
She has absolutely no reason to show him her mercy.
However, perhaps because he was out of his mind from extreme fear or because he was too immersed in black magic, he was not in a situation where he could even have a proper conversation.
All he did was constantly rationalize himself and reveal his irrational past.

“This was it! Because I had no talent for magic. If I wanted to somehow gain great power, I had to learn at least black magic… !”
“Hey, just shut up and answer whatever they ask.”
“Okay! As he said, if you want to catch a spider, you have to throw yourself into the net!”
“Oh really, this isn’t going to work…” … Uh?”

Fighting.

Then, the coating peeling off the rusty pipe fell to the floor.
Caroline looked up at the ceiling without thinking and opened her mouth at the faint trace of her divine power emanating from it.