Ch.329329. Coexistence

To be precise, it was about a year and a bit more from now.

When evil spirits ran rampant at Robern Academy, the institution ceased to function properly.

The Dark Spiritmaster died helplessly at the hands of Septima’s angel.

And now, in this land where the boundary between life and death had become slightly blurred through her Black Magic…

Souls are once again running wild.

The most powerful entity among those evil spirits back then.

Even Findenai realized she couldn’t inflict any damage and fled.

A one-armed warrior who stood alone at the main building’s entrance to protect the souls.

Ironically.

Findenai was now standing at the academy’s main building, just like that man, facing enemies.

Thud!

Findenai, who had planted Baekseol into the ground, glared at the approaching army and pulled out a cigarette from her pocket.

It was identical to the custom-made tobacco that Deus Verdi had ordered for her, which she had commissioned from the craftsman during her recent trip to Norsweden.

Hiss!

With the cigarette in her mouth, Findenai lit it with a lighter. Right now, she couldn’t bear it without smoking.

As the smoke escaped like breath, she recalled the Norsweden mountains.

“I almost died for real.”

During the time Deus Verdi was imprisoned, Findenai had found things she could do on her own, and…

The result was the white tiger tail protruding from her back.

Taking inspiration from how Ranhart had absorbed the power of the ancient dragon and made it his own…

Findenai had asked the mountain spirit of the Norsweden range to lend her its power.

Surprisingly, the mountain spirit neither took great offense nor found it difficult to accept.

She didn’t know why at the time, but…

Now, having absorbed the mountain spirit, Findenai understood what it had been thinking.

Nothing is eternal.

The guardian deity of the Norsweden mountains had witnessed other guardian spirits like itself perish one after another in less than a year.

The ancient dragon of the Empire she just mentioned, and Horua of the Great Maria Forest.

Especially the incident where Ranhart and the hunters attacked the Norsweden mountains and cornered it had shattered the guardian spirit’s mindset of eternal immortality.

Staying in these mountains like this…

Eventually, death would come anyway.

If one doesn’t know what form it might take…

The mountain spirit preferred to enjoy even a fleeting moment of what could be called life, rather than slowly dying in a safe but confined space.

This might have been because it had observed Deus Verdi living an intense life for just one year.

“Whew, is this too strong for a mountain tiger that’s only smelled trees?”

She asked the mountain spirit while taking a drag from her cigarette, but naturally, there was no answer.

After Findenai absorbed it, she couldn’t communicate separately with the mountain spirit, but…

She couldn’t help but ask, the corners of her mouth turning upward.

In a life full of stress, it’s permissible to enjoy small pleasures like this.

Especially in situations like now.

Findenai exhaled cigarette smoke while glaring at the kingdom’s magic inquisitors who had rushed into the main building.

Magic Inquisitor Chief Tairn Ol Velocus approached Findenai with his staff in hand.

Obviously, this wasn’t a situation for friendly greetings. Though he knew she wouldn’t step aside, as someone executing public authority…

“Findenai.”

Tairn was about to politely suggest surrender, but…

“You know what.”

Findenai interrupted him while smoking. Having quickly finished one cigarette, she took out another.

Smoking one after another like this was something she hadn’t done since her days as a scrap dealer…

These small actions…

Were announcing her displeasure like a loud alarm bell, but unfortunately, no one noticed.

“Do you know how many times I’ve tried to get with that wooden blockhead?”

“…What are you talking about?”

No one understood the meaning of Findenai’s words, but…

That didn’t matter.

Findenai wasn’t speaking to make them understand anyway.

It was a kind of complaint.

“Hmm? Even though I talk big, I have no experience. I have my own sense of embarrassment too.”

“…”

It was strange.

The magic inquisitors suddenly noticed faint breath escaping from their mouths and frost forming on their thick robes.

“Just one day.”

Slowly.

Findenai’s hand moved again toward Baekseol planted in the ground.

“If you had just come one day later. I might have spared your lives.”

“Everyone, battle—!”

“You fucking bastards.”

Whoosh!

It felt like the wind was blowing.

A very intense, rough wind from the snowy mountains that seemed like it would cut your skin.

Yes, to create such an illusion…

Findenai’s Baekseol possessed speed and destructive power that was difficult to follow with the naked eye.

CRASH!

The magic inquisitors, symbols of solidity, were sent flying like children.

The impact of their flight completely destroyed the entrance to the main building, and…

The inquisitors rolled back pathetically in a way that could only be described as unsightly.

At best, only Tairn managed to block by crossing his hands and raising his staff, but…

Though he remained standing while being pushed back, the result was essentially no different from the other magic inquisitors.

As the entrance collapsed, dirt and debris spread in all directions like an explosion.

However, as if to freeze even those…

The maid with a tiger’s tail, emanating cold from her entire body, stepped outside holding her halberd.

“Huff.”

Standing on the debris, she exhaled cigarette smoke again.

Her blood-red eyes scanned the surroundings before her expression hardened.

What she saw were elite troops from various countries.

Following the magic inquisitors were Valestan Duchy’s iron-clad soldiers, the Empire’s Fenghuang faction warriors, Zerman Kingdom’s Black Mages and desert warriors, and more.

They were forces that would be formidable anywhere, but…

“Look at all these similar creatures gathered together.”

Findenai merely clicked her tongue at them, feeling no threat whatsoever.

It must have been quite humiliating, but…

If they tried to preserve their pride in front of the current Findenai, they would lose their lives.

A boss responsible for one chapter in Retry.

At that time, an empress wandering the back alleys of Greyfond to gather resistance forces.

If then she was a revolutionary carrying a mission and crying for freedom…

Now she was simply one man’s maid.

This might sound diminished in comparison, but in reality…

The game’s Findenai and the current Findenai were on incomparably different levels.

‘So this is…’

Tairn swallowed hard as he looked up at Findenai, who was exuding overwhelming pressure against an entire army.

The maid that Deus Verdi had raised to protect himself.

The unique necromancer’s guard.

“My master today,” said Findenai.

Findenai spat out her cigarette and gripped Baekseol with both hands, swinging it.

Following the arc of her swing, ice spears rose from the ground, looking like a line that should not be crossed.

“Is refusing all visitors.”

It felt as if the form of the mountain-guarding tiger appeared behind Findenai.

The two resonating beings didn’t have vastly different roles.

The mountain spirit that protected its home in the Norsweden mountains.

Findenai who protected Deus Verdi for similar reasons.

The longer the battle continued, the stronger Findenai would become.

However, since no one on the continent could defeat the current Findenai in an instant…

A grueling battle was inevitable.

* * *

[Wow.]

[Amazing.]

The Dark Spiritmaster and Stella, pressed against the window, genuinely admired Findenai’s battle.

I too felt various emotions welling up as I watched her struggle.

Her fighting style had already evolved beyond simply swinging Baekseol.

Sharp ice formations rose around Findenai, and snowstorms swirled.

Not just snowstorms—when infused with her power, they transformed into sharp ice shards that prevented anyone from approaching carelessly.

But all of these things…

Seemed like they were trying to cool down Findenai’s heat that was intensifying through battle.

Findenai was traversing the battlefield more fiercely than ever, continuing the fight.

Her usual bold smile had disappeared. She was facing the battle with a serious expression, and…

I knew it was because this was a fight to protect me.

She couldn’t enjoy it because she was fighting to protect.

She was a woman with beautiful convictions.

[At this level, couldn’t she win against anyone one-on-one on the continent right now?]

I nodded without hesitation at the Dark Spiritmaster’s question.

“I believe so.”

Her individual skill was outstanding, and she had also absorbed the mountain spirit’s power.

Though she couldn’t fully control it and was far from the Norsweden mountains, there were now only a handful of people who could fight Findenai on equal terms.

‘Even Aria…’

Probably couldn’t face the current Findenai. As the game story progressed toward the latter half, Aria would display extraordinary power, but…

Now that she’s entrusted that role to me, she won’t be able to reach that level.

I predicted Findenai would have the advantage even fighting against the former hero Aria.

“Thanks to her, we can prepare at our leisure.”

I turned away from the window, gripping my staff. The current Findenai could probably hold out until dawn.

But I had no intention of dragging this play out for long.

After a certain amount of time, the curtain needed to fall, and we needed to come down from the stage smiling as if everything had ended.

So…

“Let’s go.”

I walked into the darkness of the academy.

I had two objectives.

One was to resolve the fate that required me to either commit suicide or be eliminated by the army.

The other was to bring peace to the souls contained within me.

The moment I died, all the souls would pour out, and the continent would be destroyed.

I…

Had to die, yet not die.