Chapter 269 – Albert #2

‘Phantom Thief Tracking Quest’

A quest to catch the phantom thief who caused a stir in the Northern Kingdom.
Even when I first accepted the quest from the Adventurer’s Guild, I thought it was no big deal.
I thought I just had to catch a thief with a lot of tricks.

Now that I think about it, even if the prediction was wrong, it was far off.
I never thought I would realize the secret of my birth during the quest. I thought such dramatic secrets literally only exist in dramas.

Luke Wiseman.
Did I say that my body, reincarnated in another world, surprisingly inherited the lineage of the dead demon king? It is the bloodline of the Wiseman family, which can be said to be the successor of the demon king who caused the great war.

‘Demon king spoon is awesome.’

It is like choosing the wrong spoon to be born with in your mouth.

Anyway, isn’t the devil’s spoon too much?
If I could be reborn, I’d like to change my spoon like a chimney.
Maybe it would be better to choose a clay spoon?

This much would be surprising, but what’s more, the thief I was chasing was a member of the Wiseman family. A phantom thief named Albert and a dreamer who has learned alchemy. In other words, you could call it my blood and blood.

Blood relatives with the same bloodline.
Albert, maybe a close relative of mine.
He has to kill him with my own hands. He has no affection for his blood relatives, but he can’t help but feel nervous. If he inherited the devil’s lineage, he must be an excellent wizard.

And, finally, it’s been two months since I received the quest.
We caught up with Albert Wiseman.

*

“Kurereu. Do you see it? That’s the Dergantus Temple. It’s the remains of an ancient kingdom of beasts that used to live in the Great Forest.”

As I was walking through the dense jungle, I heard Kart’s voice in my ears. A prisoner soldier dispatched from the Principality to cooperate in dealing with Albert. As he said, when he raised his head, he could see a magnificent building rising in the distance.

“The time has come for us to get rid of that troublesome alchemist. Master Luke, please take good care of us. The only one who is knowledgeable about magic is the wizard in the subjugation party.”

Kart looked at me with eyes full of anticipation.
I guess I’ll just have to put my hopes on it.
Top-notch wizards like me are treated as strategic weapons by the soldiers. You will naturally have no choice but to rely on the wizard who pours out terrifying firepower from the rear.

“…No, of course.”

If it was the same as usual, I would have gladly told you to leave it to me.
My voice trembled subtly as I answered Kart. I knew that Albert, whom I would soon encounter, was a first-class wizard, just like me. Moreover, since they would have inherited the same lineage from the devil, the other side would have great magical talent. He can’t guarantee that he will win unconditionally.

‘There’s a saying that if you’re not sure, don’t bet on a match.’

Is it human nature to be scared when the time for a decisive battle approaches?
However, the time to give up the quest has already passed. What would be the difference between a deserter and a deserter if he jumped out of here? Rebecca, Kate, Bella and Wendy, who have come a long way, must have the same thoughts.

“Whoa.”

When you take a deep breath to calm your tension.
I felt a hand stabbing my shoulder from behind.

“Luke.”

I turned my head at the sound of a voice calling my name.
A red-haired female swordsman with a curved sword came near me and was staring at me.

“I heard that the beastmen soldiers have almost reached the ruins? You are not in bad shape anywhere?

It was Rebecca.
She was a nonchalant and chic woman who asked questions, but her worried mood in her words could not be hidden.
It seems like a ghost noticed that I was falling into anxiety.
Because she’s a really smart girl.

“I’m in good shape.”
“Really?
“I’m fine, Rebecca. Rather, you should be scared. What kind of girl is so fearless?”

I looked up at Rebecca as I waved her hand.
A bloody bloodbath will soon begin, but isn’t it natural for anyone to be scared? Even among the prisoner soldiers of the Principality of Morph, a tense atmosphere was evident.

A first-class wizard who has fallen in another world is bound to be treated as a natural disaster.
If people were slaughtered with great magic that transcended providence, would there be anything more terrifying than that? Even veteran soldiers who have gone through all the battles in the mountains naturally feel fear.

In the midst of this, Rebecca, who maintains her composure, feels strange.
There’s not even a single hair that’s really frightening.

“I have nothing to be afraid of. The women of Jakarta are brave.”
“Very good.”
“Anyway, it’s okay if you don’t have any physical problems.”

Rebecca patted me on the shoulder and stepped back.
She turns her glance away from her and sees the others walking alongside her soldiers’ procession.

Like Kate, who is drinking from several bottles of holy water.
There’s also Bella who looks at Kate with an ironic expression.
You can also see Wendy who is commanding the spirits.

“Gulp, gulp. Puha.”
“Kate, drink some holy water in moderation! You should leave something to drink when you go home.”
“Mister Bugilma, should I just leave it alone? It’s the nun who makes the holy water anyway. Die as much as you drink and work to extract it. Well, give birth to as much as you kill. It feels like?”
“It doesn’t matter if you take responsibility for it.”

There seems to be a minor conflict going on, but it probably doesn’t matter.
Isn’t holy water a very trivial thing compared to the battle that is about to begin?
Rather, I just pray that my party members are safe.

How much time has passed
We arrived at Dergantus Temple with the beastmen soldiers.
At that moment, of course, I ran into enemies loitering at the entrance of the temple.

The voices of the enemies filled with vigilance echoed.

“Are they soldiers sent from the Principality of Morph? It’s annoying.”
“Kill them all. Leave no one behind.”

A homunculus that takes the form of a human.
A creature created by alchemist Albert.
The moment they encountered the punitive force, the homunculus began to reveal their true nature as slaughter puppets.

Gul-gul-gul-gul!

The arms attached to the shoulders of the homunculus spewed flesh and changed their appearance. What used to be smooth skin changed sharply and gradually began to take on a metallic appearance.

In the blink of an eye, both arms of the homunculus became blue blades.
A blade large enough to tear a person in half.

A creature that can turn its arms into blades?
I’m looking at it with my own eyes, but the things called homunculus are really bizarre.

‘I’m afraid it’ll appear in my dreams.’

I cast a spell before they do anything more outrageous.

[Icicle Drop]

The moment he gathered mana, a large amount of cold elements flowed out of his staff. The elements of cold air, which were like scattered fog, condensed tightly in the air and created dozens of icicles.
They are icicle bullets with penetrating power that can pierce even plate armor.

“Eh, a wizard?”
“A wizard who handles cold!”

Only then did the homunculus realize my true identity and scream. There were a few guys who quickly turned their entire bodies into metal, but it didn’t matter. Icicle bullets could not be blocked with an iron plate that was only skin-thick.

Patter! Forty bullets of icicles flying through the air. Icicles falling like hail from the sky hit the homunculus guarding the entrance of the temple.

“Kwaaaaak!”
“Aaaaagh.”

Holes were pierced one by one in the bodies of the murderous homunculus. I saw homunculi screaming with thick icicles embedded in them.

“As expected, you are the master! What a hot spell!”
“Is this the power of a first-class wizard?”

The beastmen soldiers let out cheers as they watched the homunculus helplessly scattering around. But now is not the time to be drenched in joy. I opened my mouth briefly as I created a new icicle bullet.

“Take care of the incapacitated homunculus. Don’t give those monsters a chance to regenerate.”
“All right!”

The beastmen soldiers, led by their commander, Kart, charged at the homunculus while screaming. As an adventurer, it would be awkward for me to give orders to the soldiers, but it was unavoidable because the situation was urgent. The great warrior Lefiel, who was silently watching the battle from behind, didn’t say anything to me.

The homunculus’ most annoying feature is its super regenerative ability.
They are tough guys who can recover in a day even if they lose a couple of limbs. It is necessary to surely reduce the number of each individual. Of course, I plan to leave such detailed confirmation and kill tasks to the prisoner soldiers.

Patter!

The homunculus guarding the temple eventually stopped breathing.
It goes without saying that the number of soldiers neatly confirmed the kill.

‘They’re definitely weaker than the homunculus I encountered before.’

Was it during the quest to retrieve the rune scroll?
The homunculus men and women I encountered back then were much more troublesome opponents.
The homunculus guarding the temple were knocked down by icicle bullets. I didn’t have to use [Quick Freeze] And hit each one with a staff. The difference in durability is quite large.

Perhaps that homunculus man and woman were special individuals.
There must be a reason why Albert entrusted them with external exploration.

“Daejangsaengnim! We’ve wiped out all the homunculus at the temple entrance.”
“Lead your troops and rush into the temple. If you see Albert, shoot him immediately.”
“Are you going with us too?”
“Yes.”

Lefiel, who had been watching the battle so far, finally stepped forward.
It was the participation of Lefiel, who could be said to be the most elite force of the Principality of Morph. Although it is difficult to deal with the dreamer clan Albert alone, Lefiel’s power cannot be underestimated.

“It’s been a while since I had a chance to unleash my aura. I was worried that the skills I’d been training would become dull.”

Lefiel raised his spear while chanting lowly.
The moment the long spear, which exceeded 3 m, soared high toward the sky, a strange change occurred.

Auras began to emanate from the long spear blade.
Aura stems that look like thin threads squirm along the spear blades.

If you only look at the form of that thread-like aura, there would be no reason to give it special treatment. It’s about emitting aura indiscriminately, because it was possible for most people to be second-rate.

What is noteworthy is what happened immediately after.
The wriggling aura stems instantly concentrated and wrapped around the spear blade. The auras united as one possessed a powerful aura that was incomparable to that of the previous stage.

‘Aura Blade’

A seasonal skill that can only be possessed by warriors who have reached the first rank.
If wizards transcend the providence of nature by implementing great magic, it can be said that warriors transcend the providence through the Aura Blade.

If you explain its effect, it is literally a bamboo spear from another world!

If it cuts you, you too.
Me too

Anything that comes into contact with the weapon will slaughter. If you only look at pure destructive power, you can say that it is one level higher than the Great Magic. Of course, since it is impossible to use it in a variety of ways, it will be less practical than great magic.

“That is amazing…”

A small exclamation of Rebecca’s voice could be heard nearby. Like a warrior, she seemed to recognize the identity of the Aura Blade as soon as she looked at her. She responds much faster than the rest of her party.

After lightly swinging his long spear, Le Piel turned off his aura blade. Of course, only the action is light, but the power is never light. Because the walls of the temple swept away by the wind were about to crack.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting. I checked to see if the aura blades are normally released. Now let’s go inside the temple.”

Lephiel grabbed the spearhead and trudged into the temple.
We followed Lepiel with the beastman soldiers.