Ch.4746. Awakening (1)

# 46. Awakening (1)

“Isn’t it just going to be something like ‘The Babylon Kingdom is preparing for war’?”

While Babylon Kingdom wasn’t the only entity we needed to be wary of, considering the current situation, that possibility seemed almost certain.

After hearing my guess, Riel showed an ambiguous reaction.

“Well… I can’t tell you that.”

That possibility was certainly high, but other scenarios couldn’t be dismissed either.

“This is a psychological battle I can’t win.”

“I told you I’d tell you if you confessed.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Riel spoke in a rather unpleasant tone.

“Sure~ Think about it carefully.”

“Enough of that. Help me with this instead.”

When I pointed to the pile of books with completely messed-up order, Riel gave an awkward smile.

Her expression seemed to say, ‘Why should I do that?’

“Good luck with that…”

Riel left those words behind and disappeared somewhere.

She had clearly fled in fear of the terrifying amount of books.

‘That is a lot…’

I looked at the still massive pile of books and let out a hollow laugh.

***

Before the start of the tenth and final survival test.

The survival prey were entering the set one by one.

And I was watching a red-haired girl who was looking in our direction from right in front of the entrance.

“It’s Sister Rachel.”

Aelin, who had also spotted Rachel, waved her hands frantically in that direction.

“She’ll pass, right?”

“Why ask something so obvious? We have other things to worry about right now.”

“Like what?”

“What did you hear when we were talking last time?”

Aelin glared at me as if to say, ‘What nonsense are you talking about?’

Just to be sure, I brought up what she had told us yesterday.

“You know the princess has taken charge, right?”

“Of course I know.”

“Then that’s fine.”

As I tried to end the conversation with those words, Aelin hurriedly asked.

“No! What exactly is there to worry about?!”

“You don’t need to know.”

I ignored Aelin, who kept urging me to tell her, and watched Rachel entering the set.

Her appearance, even more heavily armed than when she usually went to clear dungeons, showed Rachel’s determination.

‘Even with all that, she probably won’t land a single hit… but she could beat someone like Aelin.’

Still, those expensive magic defense items would give Rachel some confidence.

“So what is it?”

“The princess is going to do for Rachel what I did for you.”

“What you did for me?”

As Aelin pondered deeply, someone who suddenly appeared answered for her.

“It’s the second awakening, Aelin.”

“Ah~ But second awakening?”

“Yes, Rachel has only achieved her first awakening so far.”

I raised a small objection to her words.

“Then it would have been nice if you’d done it for others too.”

“It’s not certain.”

Indeed, as she said, we didn’t know whether the others besides Rachel had undergone their second awakening or if they needed that much power.

However, Rachel had not yet experienced her second awakening and had shown a firm determination to join our party no matter what.

“That’s true.”

“Will it go well?”

She answered Aelin’s question with a calm expression.

“Of course. If it’s Rachel, she’ll succeed brilliantly.”

She certainly had great trust in the subordinates she acknowledged.

She had a firm belief that Rachel would definitely succeed.

Aelin spent thirty minutes with a somewhat dissatisfied expression, but she was the opposite.

“Let’s go in now.”

After the thirty-minute waiting period ended, it was finally time to start the last survival test.

‘This is the final one.’

I stepped into the set that I had entered nine times before.

-Creeeeak!-

The large entrance to the set was opening with a loud noise.

Though it was now a familiar sight, the fact that this was the tenth time made it feel new again.

Once the large door fully opened, we entered the set.

I thought I would see the same old familiar scene when entering the set, but…

‘Huh?’

Reality was a bit different.

There was something different in that familiar scene.

Rachel was waiting for us at the entrance of the set.

Seeing fully armed Rachel, she said to us.

“Let’s go our separate ways this time.”

That message probably meant she wanted us to leave quickly.

However, since Aelin didn’t understand the hidden meaning, I grabbed her arm and tried to leave.

“Ow! That hurts! It hurts!”

“Be quiet and follow me.”

Aelin rubbed the spot where I had grabbed her while following me away from there.

“Come on! You could have just said so. Why grab me so hard?”

“Such exaggeration…”

“It’s not exaggeration, it really hurts like hell!”

Ignoring Aelin’s words, I said what I needed to say.

“Let’s just do what we need to do.”

We should leave Rachel to her and focus on our own task.

I immediately activated [Mortal’s End] and [Pitch-Black Sword].

***

“I guess I have to face the princess after all. Would have been better if I didn’t have to…”

Still, thanks to Albert’s advice, Rachel knew about it in advance and could prepare.

Elizabeth asked Rachel, who was armed with magic defense items.

“Did Albert tell you?”

“Of course.”

Elizabeth wasn’t angry that Albert had told Rachel about it, but she felt a slight jealousy.

Rachel noticed that jealousy and said in a playful tone.

“Are you jealous?”

“Let’s start right away. I won’t go easy on you.”

Elizabeth took out her staff as soon as she finished speaking.

-Crackle!-

She immediately activated [Cruel Cold], and the area around them began to freeze rapidly.

Before the entire area was covered in [Cruel Cold], Rachel used [Fire Magic] to melt the frozen surroundings.

“Not such a good decision.”

Elizabeth cast [Ice Magic] toward Rachel, who was busy melting the surroundings.

Rachel ignored the sharp ice flying toward her and used [Swiftness] to close the distance between them.

Having gotten closer to her, Rachel immediately pointed her staff and used [Blue Flame].

-Whoosh!-

However, she defended by raising an ice wall where the magic was flying.

Rachel bit her lip and frantically cast spells at the ice wall she was sick of seeing.

Normally, it would take quite a long time for Rachel’s magic to melt her ice wall, but not this time.

-Whoooosh!-

Whether Rachel’s magic had become stronger or she had deliberately made the ice wall weaker, the wall melted quickly.

Rachel tried to send her magic through the gap in the melted ice wall.

But.

-Swish!-

Elizabeth cast a spell through the gap before Rachel could.

“Ugh…”

Rachel’s left arm was pierced by the spear that flew in an instant, and the pierced area was freezing rapidly.

“Argh!”

Rachel endured the pain, pulled out the spear with her hand, and successfully melted the frozen area using her magic.

But as soon as that emergency treatment was done, another spell flew toward her.

-Whoosh!-

This time, having somewhat anticipated it, Rachel countered her spell with her own magic.

From that alone, it seemed she was responding well.

However, as she gradually increased the tempo, Rachel struggled to keep up.

The number of incoming spells increased, and Rachel barely matched the tempo.

“You look quite exhausted.”

As she said, Rachel was breathing heavily.

Yet contrary to that, she still maintained a calm state.

“Huff… huff…”

Rachel’s magic power was running low, and as a result, she started getting hit by one or two of her spells, with the number gradually increasing.

With spears stuck all over her body, Rachel groaned and slumped to the ground.

“Is that all you’re capable of? Honestly, I’m disappointed.”

Even in that situation, Rachel was looking for something she could do with passionate eyes.

But in that desperate situation, there was almost nothing Rachel could do.

At best, she could only pull out the spears stuck in her body or squeeze out her remaining magic power to delay the freezing of her body.

Looking up at her face, Rachel thought.

‘If I had undergone my second awakening, could I have won?’

Of course, Rachel knew she couldn’t beat her even with a second awakening.

Still, she couldn’t help thinking that way.

‘If I were stronger, could I have won?’

Rachel needed power.

Not just a small power to escape this situation, but a great power that could defeat even her.

Rachel had heard through rumors that she had undergone her second awakening while facing an assassin from the Babylon Kingdom.

‘Come to me too…’

Rachel wished and wished.

She hoped that the blessing of a second awakening would come to her as well.

‘I just want to hit her once, even just once…’

It was a somewhat twisted wish, but also a very intense one.

Since no one knew about Rachel’s wish, it wouldn’t reach anyone.

Yet strangely, that wish clearly reached someone, and whoever heard it gave Rachel help like an oasis in the desert.

Rachel looked at the message that appeared before her.

[Strong desire calls forth strong power.]

[Your intense wish will make you stronger.]

As soon as Rachel confirmed the message, powerful and massive flames flowed from her body.

And those flames healed Rachel’s wounded body and instantly melted the frozen battlefield.

Rachel rose from where she had slumped, as if her body had recovered.

Then, raising her staff high into the sky, she warned her.

“This might be a bit dangerous.”