episode_0153

Cracks suddenly began to appear in large numbers, and monsters began to pour out of those cracks.

Everyone around them reacted with shock at the sight.

The army, which showed the spirit of a warrior in a reversal of battle, each opened their eyes wide and looked at the pouring monsters.

However.

That was a very calm level.

Because the residents of Perdion and the personnel inside the Academy reacted very strongly.

It wasn’t uncommon for people to scream, and there were even people who fell down because their legs were weak.

It was a natural reaction.

It is normal for an ordinary person to become completely confused when a monster appears in front of them, but the phenomenon unfolding before their eyes went far beyond that.

It was a sight that wouldn’t be strange even if it were described as raining monsters.

It was natural to react that way when seeing such a bizarre scene.

However, there were no exceptions.

“This phenomenon… This is my first time seeing you.”

“I’ve never heard of anything like this either.”

Estel and Cairn maintained their composure even in this situation.

Although there was no sign of surprise at all, his expression was also quite calm.

My reaction was not much different from their reaction.

… No, if you ask me, his expression might be a little more stiff than the other two.

Of course, it wasn’t because I was afraid of the monsters in front of me, there were other reasons.

“Hmm. It’s too strange to be considered just a coincidence.”

Estelle muttered.

“That’s for sure.”

Cairn agreed with him.

I also quietly agreed, although I did not say anything.

I have never even heard of this phenomenon.

But it happened at this very moment.

As if they were trying to prevent the military from entering the academy.

It would not be strange to feel that this series of situations is unnatural.

However, it was only speculation and had no basis.

also.

“Well, it doesn’t matter either way.”

It didn’t really matter what the truth was.

Either way, what we had to do was decided.

That’s right, organizing these guys.

I glanced at the soldiers and saw that they had recovered from their surprise to some extent and were preparing for battle.

If this is the case, there will be no major problems.

Even though the number of monsters in front of me is large, it doesn’t mean much in front of this number of soldiers.

It probably won’t take long for those monsters to be sorted out.

I was just organizing my thoughts like that.

Coogung─

Once again, a vibration occurred.

“No way again… !”

Some people looked up at the sky with their faces distorted.

and.

As if responding to that expectation.

Cheok─

Numerous cracks appeared in the sky, and a corresponding number of monsters began to pour out.

Looking at it up to that point, it could be seen that it was no different from before, but there was something clearly different this time.

This rain of monsters was mixed with monsters that looked dangerous at first glance.

“Um, that… !”

“No way… ?”

Most of those on the ground recognized its identity at once.

“Disaster level… !”

The truth is that the identity of those monsters is a disaster.

“Crazy… !!”

Someone cursed.

It was not a remark worthy of being seen in the presence of two future emperors, but no one pointed it out.

Because their feelings were no different from his.

“… It looks like work is going to be more troublesome than I imagined.”

Cairn muttered that with a noticeably heavier expression than before.

It was definitely as he said.

Simply having a large number of monsters and having disaster levels mixed in with them are two completely different things.

The level of difficulty you face also varies greatly.

With that amount of monsters and a catastrophic number, even an army this size would have to endure damage.

Up until that point, it could have been called a big incident.

However, the changes did not end there.

Coogung─

Another vibration rings out.

Change has occurred.

The good news was that the crack did not open again.

So what has changed?

That was something I could recognize right away.

“Um, that… !”

None other than the center of the academy.

A mountain towering there.

It boasts a mountain so large that it can be seen from outside the academy, and no one approaches it because it is dangerous due to the frequent occurrence of strange phenomena.

The mountain was showing strange changes.

Gigi geek─

With an unpleasant noise, the mountain began to distort.

No, more accurately, it ‘looked’ like it was distorted.

I noticed right away.

What is actually distorted is not the mountain, but the space surrounding the mountain.

Eventually, the distortion surrounding the mountain became worse, reaching a point where it was impossible to look inside from the outside.

Of course, the changes did not stop at the visual aspect.

“The flow of magic power… It has changed.”

Estelle frowned.

She probably figured it out right away because she was an excellent wizard herself.

Of course, I had already noticed it too.

The flow of magical energy in the mountain and its surroundings, namely the Academy, has changed significantly.

Unlike before, it was shaking very violently.

“… … .”

My expression, which was already stiff, became even harder.

Because the ominous intuition I had been feeling a while ago has now become confirmed.

Here, something unusual was about to happen.

***

Although embarrassed by the sudden change, Estel and Cairn did what they had to do.

He calmly calmed down the shaking soldiers and gave precise instructions.

The first thing the two instructed was to stop and deal with the monsters.

This was simply because monsters were blocking the path to the academy and the path leading into it, but there were other reasons as well.

“We can’t let these guys run amok.”

It was because they knew the tragedy that would occur if they were to run wild without any interference.

If this number of monsters were released, it wouldn’t take long for the academy and Perdion itself to turn into hell.

Therefore, Estelle and Cairn mobilized the army to prevent the monsters from escaping.

However.

However, not all personnel were deployed to deal with the monsters.

It was decided to separate some people and send them to the academy.

“There will be a need to gather people from within the academy.”

An incalculable number of troops were dealing with the monsters, but not all the monsters were being suppressed.

The road leading to Perdion itself was completely blocked, but the number of monsters was so large and there were not enough people inside the academy, so the monsters inside the academy were virtually out of control.

It is an obvious fact that if things continue like this, those monsters will roam inside the academy and cause disaster.

Before doing so, it was necessary to rally the internal personnel and protect them from monsters.

And the people gathered like that will become a force in their own way.

Therefore, Estelle and Cairn separately selected people to enter the academy.

also.

“I’m sure it wasn’t a coincidence.”

This series of situations.

In this situation, the flow of magical power changed, the mountain at the center of the academy showed a noticeable change, and monsters began to pour out in droves.

No matter how you look at it, it would be difficult to regard this situation as a coincidence.

There we are.

“Perhaps the head of the cult has done something.”

I made that guess.

It was just a circumstantial suspicion.

The conclusion that Cairn, Estel, and I reached was the same.

The head of the church, or someone equivalent to him, was cornered and did something.

Furthermore, something is happening on that mountain right now.

If I leave it alone, something bad will happen.

At the point where opinions were agreed.

“I will go.”

I decided to enter the mountain.

Although the words came out without hesitation, they were said after much thought.

It’s clear that something is happening on that mountain.

If so, you have to go in and check what’s going on and, if something suspicious is going on, stop it.

And among these, the person best suited to that role would be me.

Simply put, I’m probably the strongest here.

Of course, there were no Ten Sword-level warriors here other than me.

However, that number was actually few.

It was because Estelle and Cairn intentionally excluded such unmanned people.

Today’s operation was one in which information should never be leaked out.

Therefore, the two excluded most of the Ten Sword-class warriors from this operation in the first place.

The Ten Sword-class warriors are an important force even within a huge nation called the Empire.

This was because they inevitably had significant status, and the more people there were, the more involved their interests were, so the risk was high.

Of course, some people came here because they had a good reputation and were trustworthy, but they could not be sent to the mountains.

Because they had work to do.

The Empire’s Ten Sword-level warriors had to remain here and deal with disaster-level monsters.

This number of elite soldiers could easily deal with a disaster-level soldier, but there was still a big difference between having a Ten Sword-level warrior and not having one.

Even though I knew that there would be countless sacrifices, I couldn’t put the Ten Sword-level warriors into the separate unit.

So how should we organize personnel?

We were in the middle of exchanging various opinions about him.

A question crossed my mind, and I immediately said it out loud.

“… Come to think of it, the swordsmith didn’t come?”

Swordsmith.

The strongest force of the Elbrent Empire, both in name and reality.

Even though it was impossible for him to be absent as the two empires were at war, his presence was not felt.

So, I asked Cairn.

And to that question.

“Swordsmithing was excluded from the beginning.”

Cairn answered indifferently.

“He is a very suspicious person from the beginning. It wouldn’t be surprising if they were holding hands behind the scenes with an unknown group. Therefore, no information about the plan was revealed to the swordsman, and he was not brought in just in case. If the prediction is correct, that old man will become a scarier sword than anything else.”

“… … .”

I was amazed to hear that.

To Cairn’s insight and judgment.

Without me having to say anything, he was already aware of the danger of being a swordsman.

“The swordsman probably has connections to the religious order.”

“Hmm?”

At my words, Cairn’s eyes turned to me.

Looking directly into his eyes, I continued speaking.

“When I was being chased by the empire, there must have been a time when there were rumors of my death.”

“… There was. The body could not be identified, nor could it be confirmed exactly what happened, but based on the traces and blood stains, it was reported that the probability of death was very high.”

“At that time, I really almost died. In the end, I was lucky enough to survive… … .”

After taking a breath, I continued speaking.

“The person who pushed me to the brink of death at that time was the swordsmith.”

“… I see.”

Cairn nodded quietly.

“First of all, I have never received any report about it. There is also information that a swordsman was seen nearby. But… Not only is there no reason for you to lie in this situation, but there is no sign of lying on your part. so… … .”

Soon he closed his eyes for a moment and came to a conclusion.

“There is a high probability that that is true.”

The swordsman is suspicious.

“I’ll handle the sword-fighting stuff later.”

“… Please.”

And so, the topic about swordsmanship came to an end.

Because it wasn’t something to worry about right away.

Anyway, the conversation proceeded that way.

In the end, it was decided that I would be the only detachment dispatched to the mountain.

The reason was that even if there were a large number of people, it would not be of much help.

“… Are you okay alone?”

Estelle asked me with a face that could not hide her worry.

Looking at Estelle like that, I laughed.

“It’s okay. I have also become quite strong.”

It wasn’t a bluff.

There is a huge difference in level between the person I was when I left the academy and the person I am now.

In addition, since I had the warrior’s sword, I was confident that I could crush most problems head on.

Estelle looked at me with shaking eyes for a moment at my words that made me feel confident.

“… okay. If so, I will believe it.”

In the end, my opinion was accepted.

“… Don’t die. At that time, I really won’t forgive you.”

I hesitated a little at Estelle’s quietly added words.

“… I will definitely come back alive.”

He answered in a calm yet heavy voice.

Estelle, who heard those words, smiled faintly.

So the conversation came to an end, and it was finally time for me to leave for the mountains.

“Sleep tight!!”

I suddenly heard a loud voice that made me turn my head.

thud!

A man appeared with a fierce force.

“… Ah.”

As soon as I saw that face, I remembered someone I had forgotten about.

“Hey, man! I told you to take your time!”

The presence of Ethan, whom I had unintentionally left behind on the way home because I was anxious.