Chapter 271 – Episode 271 – Academy (4)

Episode 271 – Academy (4)

Lydia said, her expression darkening.

“Ha.. There are some complicated circumstances.”

She was about to speak next but stopped. I glared harshly at Evan, who was mumbling.

“Evan! What are you doing if you’re still not out? “Do you really want to get scolded?”
“Oh, no! “S-sorry!”

The guy was startled and ran away.

Saint Lydia sighed and said.

“I’m really sorry, Siwoo. She said she disciplined herself with care… There are many things lacking. “Even though my memory and personality have been erased, old habits sometimes come back.”

“Okay, that’s it. “That’s enough.”

I remembered Evan’s rude past.

She wasn’t just rude, she was a misanthrope. He made that guy so polite. The saint’s education was quite remarkable.

I stopped her from trying to apologize again.

“It’s okay, so just tell me about the kidnapped paladin.”

“Ah yes. In fact, it is clear who the culprit is. According to eyewitnesses, there is a high probability that it was a pirate.”

I frowned slightly.

“If you’re a pirate, the scope is too broad?”

“There are not many pirates who would dare to kidnap a paladin. “I’m almost certain it’s the Harman Pirates.”

“Harman? “The guy called the Pirate King?”
“Yes.”

When I traced my past life memories, I was able to figure out who it was. He was quite a famous person.

A sea not managed by the state. He was the leader of a large pirate group that lived on the high seas.

‘Living on the high seas.’

The seas of Academy Earth are not ordinary seas. The areas near the city are managed well, but even if you go a little further away, it’s a monster paradise.

Cracks and erosion occur several times a day, and the resulting monsters are everywhere.

The sea was literally a magical place.

“If you know who the culprit is, shouldn’t you just deal with it?”

The Goddess Freya’s Church was the state religion of Elvenheim. If it were the saint’s request, it would not be unreasonable for her to send an army.

Although it is very large scale, it is ultimately a pirate. If national-level power is deployed, it cannot survive.

But her saintly expression was dark.

“···It is impossible for Elvenheim to come forward publicly.”
“Hmm?”

I waited quietly and her explanation continued.

“Have you ever heard of the fish people who live under the sea?”

“Fishman? “Are you talking about Mermaid?”

“Yes. Mermaids are also fish people. “Usually female fish people are called mermaids.”

I remember meeting Mermaid. Once upon a time she went to the auction house with Helena. A merchant who sold a seashell-shaped artifact for 100 million came to mind.

‘The face was quite pretty.’

Like the elves, most of them were beautiful women. The race itself had excellent off-white color.

There were many similarities to the mermaids in legend. The same goes for the lower body turning into a fish in the water.

After nodding her head, the saint continued her words.

“The Fishman and Elvenheim are allies. We work together to stop sea monsters. But… The fishmen do not want Harman killed.”

“Hmm..?”

My eyebrows furrowed. According to his past life memories, Harman was a fishman. It was not a mermaid, but a merman, a male body.

“…Could it be that the entire Fishman tribe is on the same team as Harman?”

“It’s not like that. Even the fishmen treat pirates as if they were pirates. “Few people like them because they are criminals.”

But why is it not okay to kill Harman?

As I was pondering, the saint continued her words.

“It’s all because of monsters. Where Harman lives is on the high seas. It’s a place full of monsters. Because… The number of monsters his pirate group kills is not small.”

“Then don’t kill him…”

“Yes. If the Harman Pirates suddenly disappear… The balance with the monsters, which was barely maintained, may collapse. That’s why the fishman people tolerate Harman’s evil even though they know about it.”

“···I guess the same goes for Elvenheim?”

“Yes. It’s an embarrassing story, but it’s not easy for us elves to stop the monsters that come up from the beach.”

“Right.”

I roughly knew what the story was about. It is clear that Harman is the culprit who kidnapped the paladin, but he cannot bring himself to kill the guy.

The problem was that once the monster disappeared, the monster attack became stronger.

After thinking about it carefully, she asked her saint.

“Still, I think kidnapping a paladin crossed a line?”

You dare mess with a paladin who is no better than a soldier. It is something that shakes the foundation of the country. If he did something like that, there was no way he would let Harman go, no matter how useful he was.

“That’s right. Harman is not oblivious, so he usually stays in line. Groups over a certain size were not touched. But···.”

“You definitely crossed the line this time.”

“Yes. But there is no substantive evidence, so it is difficult to argue.”

“So you asked me a favor that has nothing to do with Elvenheim?”

I roughly understood it. Because of his relationship with the fishman tribe, he cannot come out publicly.

I stroked his chin and nodded his head. He had no idea what to do.

“Good. I’ll solve it. Do you have any pictures? “To rescue someone, you need to know their face.”

“Ah! Thank you so much. Master.”

Lydia held out something. It was a photo, and it showed a cold-looking beauty wielding a sword.

“Hmm..”
“Sorry. “I hate taking pictures, so these are the only pictures I have.”
“Are you okay.”

The photo was probably taken during training, but it was covered in dirt. But she was a beauty nonetheless.

I looked closely at the facial features of the woman in the photo.

There wasn’t a single smile. The stiff expression and straight, tightly closed mouth told us about his personality.

She was literally a strong female knight.

‘···Indeed.’

He nodded at her elf-like beauty.

“Let’s leave right away.”

***

A sea that does not belong to any country.

High seas.

In a place overrun with monsters. A battleship made of steel split the waves.

Quang!

The monster hit the outer wall of the ship and was shattered. It was that huge. It was so magnificent that it was called a moving castle.

It was a battleship that it would not be strange to have soldiers on board. But the place was full of pirates.

Among pirates dressed in guise. A man dragged by a rope gritted his teeth.

“Harman, you bastard! “Go to hell!”

I screamed with my blood-covered body. His voice was full of resentment. Her throat was cracked and it gave me a chill.

“Hell? Hehe..”

Harman, who was yawning, laughed at him.

The corner of his mouth quirked up. Shark-sharp teeth gleamed eerily.

“You’re so stupid for being such a weak human race. Do you think there is such a thing as hell? “Get started.”

“Yes!”

The pirates moved at Harman’s command. The man was stabbed with a hot skewer.

Chi-ik!

When the bright red metal touched the skin, smoke rose. The flesh was cooking and there was a smell of burning meat.

“Aaaaahhh!”

As the torture continued, the blood-covered man’s words gradually changed.

From curse to plea. It didn’t take long for the man who had been begging for his life to beg to be killed.

The moment the crying man became a cold corpse. Harman held out a black bead.

Ugh.

The foreign energy flowing from the corpse was absorbed into the black beads. The lingering energy seeped into Harman.

“···Her. “It was real.”

Harman, who had been silent, let out an exclamation.

Magic power, which had been stagnant for a long time, increased. Although it is a little bit, the level has risen. It was the first time I felt growth in a long time since I became an 8-star superhuman.

“Bring him in.”
“Yes.”

Soon his men brought someone in. The man with the hood pulled down said with a smile.

“What do you think, my king? “It works like I said, right?”

Haha! Well then! It was great. “What did you say this thing was called?”

“It is the grace of God.”

“Hoo.. It’s a grace…”

“It is a new object that raises the bar. “It’s not that there’s no cost, but it’s very cheap compared to the reward.”

Harman nodded and said with satisfaction.

“But. All you have to do is offer up the trash that is scattered around as a sacrifice. I will put this item to good use. Would you like to have a drink?”

“I’m sorry, but I decline. “I’m quite busy, so I have a lot of places to stop by.”

“Where are you going? Shall I take you there?”

“I’m fine. “Okay then.”

The man with his hood pulled down flew up. It disappeared somewhere in the sky.

The moment he disappeared from sight. Harman’s laughter suddenly stopped. He spoke softly.

“Chase.”
“Yes.”

Several pirates disappeared without a sound.

“Stir…”

The subordinate who was standing behind like an adjutant swallowed his saliva. He said, looking at the beads with wide eyes.

“Harman. Has the level really risen? You’ve been stagnant for a long time since you reached 8 stars. But the wall was breached just by killing one person?”

“Okay. “But you, come here.”

He snapped his fingers. The moment the subordinate, who had blinked his eyes, approached.

Wow!

“Evil!”

He slapped me repeatedly. His teeth fell apart with an intense sound.

The subordinate did not even dare to voice his complaints. He lowered his head and trembled. I apologized without even knowing what I had done wrong.

“Ugh…! “S-sorry!”
“Stupid bastard. Come to your senses. “You’re bewitched by a bead or something.”

“Yes···?”

Harman, who was fiddling with the black bead, said.

“God’s grace? Under! This thing is a monster. “I feel it fueling my greed.”

“Well, what do you mean..”

“My image was shaken just by holding this body that had reached the 8th grade in my hand.”

He continued to tap the beads and spoke.

“It is an object that manipulates emotions arbitrarily. “Aren’t you, the guy who was suspicious and on guard, now coveting the marble?”

The subordinate, with his mouth wide open, took a step back. I looked at the beads with trembling eyes.

“Isn’t it too dangerous for you? “To destroy it even now…”
“Hmm..”

Harman closed his mouth.

He threw the marble he held in his palm into the sky. He repeatedly threw and caught it as if he was joking.

“···No. I can handle it. This body will establish a nation and become king. I can’t be swayed by things this small. Just use it moderately and then throw it away.”

Widely!

He glanced away, clutching the marble tightly.

“What happened to what I asked you to do?”

“We are trying to catch as many as we can to sacrifice. But is it really okay? “There were quite a few.”

“What?”

“Yes. I caught the paladin of the Goddess Freya Church. “I think the ears are bothering you. Should I just pretend not to notice and let them go?”

“No, it doesn’t matter. A paladin is perfect as a sacrifice. Those hard bitches are fun to play with. And···.”

He said while grinning.

“In the end, the world is all about power. “If I become stronger here, what can you bastards do?”

***

An underwater city of the fishmen in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Atlat’s teleportation magic circle emitted blue light.

Flashing.

Si-woo, who appeared with a radiance, took a step forward.