Ch.116116. Delving In (3)

“…It’s killing me.”

How many monsters was this? No, how many times had I been resurrected? Eugene rose from his position with labored breathing. The training was much more grueling than he had anticipated. At most, he thought they’d just increase the number of monsters he faced at once, but he never expected to be resurrected immediately after dying to a monster in the barrier and continue training.

“Still, fighting as a team makes it somewhat manageable.”

Cora resurrected next to Eugene as she spoke. She stabbed her sword into the ground and stood up, her expression still brimming with competitive spirit. Eugene looked into her eyes and let out a hollow laugh in disbelief. Cora shook her head vigorously and adjusted her equipment.

“What about Natali?”

“She’s fine. She looks quite displeased, but maybe because of that, she seems much more focused when facing monsters. I haven’t seen her get properly injured yet.”

Just how strong was Natali? Eugene trembled at her strength, which became more apparent with each training session. He hadn’t fully realized it before, but now in actual combat, the difference felt enormous.

“She could probably pass this on her own, right? Since the professor said we need to break through the forest together as a team, I guess she’s waiting for us.”

Cora spoke while looking down at her refreshed body. Eugene shook his head and started walking forward again. He had managed to recover by drinking potions whenever his mana was about to run out, but now even the potions were gone. This was their last chance for today.

“How many times have we died?”

“This is the sixth time, I think.”

There were times when they thought they had reached the end of the forest. But without fail, monsters would appear in swarms and kill them. At first, they sometimes let their guard down, thinking it wouldn’t be dangerous. That’s when exceptionally powerful monsters would appear and kill them. When they didn’t let their guard down, they simply died from exhaustion.

“I wonder if we can actually pass this.”

“Didn’t you see what the Hero showed us? He took us through it like it was nothing.”

Eugene could only close his mouth at that. The Hero had first gone through the forest with them, claiming he would show them the exit. Of course, monsters charged at them with the same ferocity, but the Hero killed them all without even giving them a glance. Like raindrops blocked by an umbrella, the monsters couldn’t get within three steps of them before perishing. Moreover, the Hero hadn’t even used mana. There was no need to discuss how monstrous his skills were.

“…That’s because he’s abnormal.”

“The Hero passed through while protecting all three of us by himself. We don’t have anyone to protect, and we have teammates to rely on. So we should try to get through somehow.”

Cora spoke passionately, her voice filled with determination. Eugene continued forward despite pretending to lack motivation. After all, their skills were improving with each death.

“First, let’s get to where Natali is waiting for us.”

He didn’t draw up his mana. He would use his full strength after joining up with Natali. Until then, he needed to break through quickly using minimal power. He couldn’t keep wasting mana and dying like a scarecrow. Eugene forcibly suppressed the mana welling up inside him.

“Let’s move as quickly as possible. We can’t keep Natali waiting forever.”

Eugene followed behind Cora, increasing his pace. Cora was much better at detecting presences than he was. He would leave the enemies in front to her while he focused on monsters attacking from behind.

“Kuk-!”

And Eugene was unconsciously realizing the advantages of clearly dividing roles as they advanced. Others fill in what you lack, and you fill in what others lack. Moving organically like a single body would make it much easier than trying to break through this cursed forest alone.

“I’m counting on you for the rear!”

“I know that-!”

A momentary increase in magical output. If he could somehow endure the strain on his body, what followed was predetermined: the burning corpses of monsters vanishing. Eugene fired off spells at the three white wolves that Cora had been holding back, without even a moment to catch his breath.

“No time to rest. We need to move quickly.”

The most dangerous place was where a battle had just ended. After dozens of fights, Cora and Eugene had realized this fact. They set fire to the corpses and moved swiftly. After fighting with the same tactics at each encounter, they eventually found themselves surrounded. They had been fighting well, but fatigue had accumulated from having to repeat this training seven times.

“…This will be our last chance.”

Eugene muttered as if giving up. Beside him, Cora lowered her sword as if her will had completely drained. More accurately, she had no strength left to hold up her sword and fight. There were about ten monsters surrounding them. Just as they thought they truly couldn’t go on any further—

“You’re late.”

That voice was like a ray of light. Jet-black hair fluttered in the air. And in the blink of an eye, half the monsters were already gone. Eugene opened his eyes wide and called out the name of their savior.

“Natali!”

“Finish the rest yourselves.”

Natali said this and then folded her arms, her gaze suggesting she would watch. Perhaps stimulated by that look, Cora and Eugene regrouped and squeezed out their remaining strength.

“We’re not baby kittens learning to hunt-!”

Eugene drew up his mana while fuming. The mana he had been saving for meeting Natali was finally going to shine. Cora took a defensive stance and stepped forward to help Eugene. The monsters bared their teeth and lunged at Cora.

“I can do this without your help.”

Eugene’s spell was completed very quickly. A magic designed to sweep away multiple monsters at once—4th Circle Fire Attribute Magic, Burst. Eugene extended his fingers toward the monsters, and a series of massive explosions occurred, blasting the monsters apart.

“Aaaah-!!”

The magical power Eugene poured out bloomed. Eugene blinked, feeling his ring become even more solid. He exhaled deeply and contained his preserved mana. Cora and Eugene let out hollow laughs at the traces of the evaporated monsters.

“We did it…”

“No time to be impressed. We need to hurry if we want to complete the assignment.”

Natali spoke coldly. Couldn’t she give at least one word of praise for this? Well, that’s just who Natali is. Eugene followed behind Natali as she walked ahead.

“Stay alert.”

Natali left only those words and lit up magical power in her hand. The presence of monsters increased significantly. Eugene began to adjust his tactics. He would definitely support her.

“Just follow the path.”

Natali snorted and began walking forward. Monsters flew at them without even hiding their presence, and Natali mechanically dispatched them. The remaining monsters came at Eugene and Cora. Eugene glared at the swarm of filtered monsters.

If they couldn’t even handle the leftovers, how could they move forward? How could they surpass her? Eugene and Cora gritted their teeth as they deflected and took down the charging monsters. They didn’t think about the end. They left that to Natali who was leading the way, while they focused solely on dealing with monsters and not dying. Just one more, just one more monster—!!

“Well done.”

And then, a familiar voice reached their ears. Eugene and Cora looked up to face the owner of the voice. At the edge of the forest, the Hero stood tall, welcoming them.

“It’s… over.”

Eugene and Cora’s legs gave way, and they collapsed to the ground. The Hero supported them and moved them to prepared beds. The two students were in a daze, absorbed in the feeling of completing their assignment, not even realizing the Hero was moving them. The Hero looked at the students who had collapsed on the bed with a pleased expression and then turned his head.

“Natali, good work as well.”

Natali showed no signs of fatigue. She looked at the forest she had just traversed with emotionless, rational eyes. There was no joy at having completed the assignment.

“I could have passed through alone.”

“Yes. But passing through with others is a completely different type of challenge than passing through alone. You’ll come to understand that as you live on.”

The Hero smiled. Natali couldn’t understand his smile.

“They’re in the way.”

“That’s the responsibility of those with power, one way or another.”

Natali looked at the Hero with an expression of unquenched thirst. The Hero smiled casually at such a girl.

Kill the Hero.

A voice echoed in Natali’s mind. Now is not the time. It wouldn’t be too late to execute the plan after learning more about the Hero. Natali thought this as she took a step forward. That desire to know was somewhat mixed with Natali’s personal curiosity.

“Teach me more.”

The Hero looked at Natali contemplatively at those words. Then, very slowly, he nodded.

“Alright. Let’s consider this a special case. It’s a reward for completing the assignment I gave.”

The Hero drew the sword at his waist as he spoke. It looked different from the “Holy Sword” that Natali knew. Probably a practice sword provided by the academy. Though the blade wasn’t sharp and didn’t look threatening, the swordsman holding it seemed to be infusing it with spirit.

“Come at me. I’ll face you just this once.”

Only then did the look of insufficiency disappear from Natali’s face. The opponent she must kill. To understand his full capabilities, she needed to fight him multiple times. How much power was he hiding normally, how strong would he be if he revealed all his power, and what were his weaknesses?

“Barrier, setting change. Training ground.”

In an instant, the scenery of the barrier transformed into a room covered with pitch-black walls. The Hero was looking at Natali with the eyes of someone looking at just another student, whether he knew or not that Natali would someday try to kill him.

“You come first.”

At the Hero’s words, Natali rushed forward without hesitation. Both were hiding their true power. Then, with just the power they revealed, how close was she to the Hero? Natali’s form became blurry.

Kiiiing-!

Mana activated. And in the slowed world that only she could reach, the Hero’s teal eyes were following her precisely. Natali’s eyes widened in surprise as she caught the Hero’s lip movements.

“You’re fast indeed.”

BANG-!!!

With a thunderous sound, Natali was sent flying. The Hero’s strike that knocked her down was something even Natali’s eyes couldn’t properly capture. Natali glared at the Hero with fierce eyes.

“Let’s try again.”

And the Hero looked at Natali with a smile, as if taunting her.

==

“…You seem brighter these days.”

I looked up. Across from me, Nella Tarr hadn’t touched the food she’d received. I put down the spoon I was using to scoop rice and faced Nella awkwardly.

“Brighter?”

“Teaching the kids suits you, huh?”

I chuckled. If she had asked with sarcastic intent, I would have given her a retort, but the current Nella seemed completely lost in thought even as she spoke to me. Those green eyes were staring at me blankly for some reason.

“It’s responsibility. Though I do find some enjoyment in it. They’re still young, so their absorption rate is much faster than I thought. It’s quite satisfying to see that.”

I could feel them gradually building up defenses against monster attacks. Dealing with the comet was still uncertain, but with Daphne, we’d manage somehow. As for Natali… I’d need to observe her a bit more.

“[I’m glad you’ve found some peace. That’s the power of succession, the power of disciples.]”

It’s not like I’m some reclusive master raising disciples. I smiled at the Holy Sword’s words.

“…I see.”

Nella said that and lowered her head back to her bowl. After nibbling on her food a bit, Nella took a big gulp of water and raised her head sharply. I tried to read the emotion in those green eyes. A burning look, like that of a knight before declaring war or challenging someone to a duel. It reminded me of the knights of Evernode.

“Hey, Hero.”

“?”

Nella put down her spoon with a clack.

“The countermeasure for the sixth calamity. I’ll accomplish it without your help. Even if you don’t defeat the calamity, I’ll defeat it and prove it to you.”

It was an unexpected statement. I stared at Nella in bewilderment as she continued.

“You just keep teaching those kids well. Just watch. I’ll show you exactly who the mage is that the Hero dismissed from his party.”

And then, as if embarrassed by her own words, Nella scraped up her food in one go and stood up. I watched her retreating figure, which seemed to be fleeing, then turned my head back to the table and let out a chuckle.

“…She left her wallet.”

She’ll come back for it.

I thought this as I slowly picked up my spoon. Sure enough, Nella, with her face flushed red, began approaching the table again with quick steps, her head bowed deeply.

==

“You said you dislike him?”

Edwin’s attitude seemed to be testing her somehow. Nella was about to answer that of course she did, but she swallowed her words. There was something there. She sensed that uneasiness in Edwin’s question. Nella frowned and questioned Edwin.

“Why are you asking such a question?”

“…Well, one can’t say you have a good relationship with him. I just got curious and asked.”

Edwin shrugged as if it was nothing. Nella glared at him with narrowed eyes. She hated the Hero. That was true. But while she would openly express that to him directly, she wouldn’t cowardly bite and tear at him behind his back. That was the strong self-identity Nella had as a mage, and the minimum respect she could offer to the Hero who had saved the world even after dismissing her.

“…That’s not for you to be concerned about, Professor. And while I may not personally like him, I have no intention of disparaging what he has accomplished as the Hero. I can objectively understand his mindset as well.”

She had been dismissed because she didn’t meet his standards. The mage named Daphne was selected because she had superior talent to her own. Even if she couldn’t accept it, she had developed by engraving that fact in her mind. She couldn’t tarnish what little pride she had left as a mage by venting about him to someone else.

“…I see.”

“If you have no further questions, I’ll be going now.”

Nella turned her back on Edwin and walked away, casually ignoring his gaze that continued to follow her.