episode_0088

“This can’t be happening!”

Basel, now completely covered by a black barrier.

The bright sun had quickly turned into a black sun.

Darkness descended all around, creating an illusion as if one had entered the underworld.

I was close to the edge of the barrier, so I tried knocking on it, but there was no response.

As soon as I touched it, I could feel it.

A gut feeling that this was a barrier that my power or skills couldn’t even scratch.

Just to be sure, I tried placing Cali’s soul stone against the barrier, but it was futile.

The magic was completely shielded, unable to be absorbed by the soul.

This sturdy barrier was undoubtedly a complete barrier.

“A complete barrier.”

Among barriers that block sound, light, magic, there are various types, but the one called a complete barrier is the ultimate form of a barrier.

No matter what you do, it prevents any interaction between the inside and outside.

So, we are trapped in a reality completely cut off from the outside.

So how do we get out of here?

There are two ways.

Wait until the spellcaster can no longer maintain the barrier.

Or defeat the spellcaster.

So, being trapped in a complete barrier doesn’t mean we can’t do anything.

I’m not the urgent one here.

The other side has to kill me before the barrier disappears.

“Mumu, what have you done!!! Because of you! Because you stole the Druid’s item and brazenly walked around, we were tracked down, right?!”

“Why are you making such a fuss. Calm down.”

“Do I look calm? You’re going to die! You’re going to die! Everything······!”

But Tran Silvia’s state was strange.

Not only much stronger than the Four Kings, but also far above me.

Frankly, even if I fought both Four Kings at the same time, I wouldn’t lose.

Why is Tran Silvia so flustered?

Why is this guy acting like this?

Wasn’t he from a monster background?

“Return that soul stone to the Druid immediately! It might prevent a bloodbath!”

“No. How can I return this to someone who’s already dead.”

“What are you talking about?”

“This. It’s a soul stone created by killing Cali and gathering his magic.”

“What······.”

Tran Silvia’s expression twisted, then she turned pale.

No. She was pale from the beginning, so it’s not that she turned white.

Anyway, she looked shocked, then took a step back quietly.

Seeing her so surprised, it seems she knows nothing about Cali’s soul.

I shouldn’t have said that.

I ended up exposing my hand.

“This can’t be happening! You’ve even reached delusions! You’re completely insane!”

“If you can’t believe it, then don’t.”

“I warned you clearly! Return the stolen item! It’s the most peaceful way!”

“They didn’t come to receive the item either. We can’t avoid a fight. Why not stand together and not fight?”

“You’re out of your mind! Stand and fight? Don’t talk nonsense! I don’t fight for anyone! I always maintain neutrality between monsters and humans! That’s my creed!”

I know well that Tran Silvia maintains neutrality between monsters and humans.

But even in a situation where she’s being attacked unilaterally, she’s acting like this?

This Tran Silvia is a bit different from the one I know.

The Tran Silvia I know is aggressive and doesn’t avoid a fight.

“Maintain neutrality? Is that right? If you’re from a monster background, you should know that this world will be destroyed in 1000 years. Having a body theoretically capable of eternal life, are you going to quietly die when the world is destroyed in 1000 years? Isn’t that a contradiction?”

“Shut up! You short-sighted fool! Maybe it’s because you’re human that you don’t know how to see the big picture!”

“You didn’t······. Did you get scared?”

“What? Huh? Ha! Geez! Scared? Me? Tran Silvia, who single-handedly destroys armies, scared? It seems like you’re just babbling nonsense with your mouth wide open, so I’ll let it go for today! I’m busy with my journey! I’m not running away out of fear!”

After venting all kinds of annoyance.

Tran Silvia quickly mounted her horse and disappeared into the mountains.

“She got scared.”

“······Scared, huh.”

It was clear to anyone that she was scared.

Could it be trauma from when she was severely beaten by the Four Kings before?

She was so frightened and ran away, it seems unlikely that she will be caught again.

It seems impossible to receive help from Tran Silvia now.

So now, Mi Jung and I have to face the one who cast this barrier alone.

“Do you feel anything?”

“…Quiet.”

I lowered my breath and activated my magic control, but there was complete silence all around.

Using my senses, I can’t feel any signs of magic or mana being used.

“Are they planning to attack with a time delay? Let’s head to the village for now. We need to check on Tei.”

“Sure.”

It seems there is still time before the attack.

We need to hurry and go see Tei.

He’s the master craftsman who will take care of my magic stones for the rest of my life.

If something happened to him, it would be a problem.

“What in the world is going on!”

“It’s the end! The end is here!”

“Everyone run away! We need to seek shelter!”

“Is the road blocked? What’s this about a wall being built…!”

The streets of Basel are in complete chaos.

It’s a mess just 5 minutes after the chaos started.

There are people holding crosses and shouting towards the sky.

There are people carrying their belongings and heading towards shelter.

And there are people who have already resigned themselves and are quietly praying.

They may be different in their reactions, but they all have one thing in common.

None of them predicted this situation at all.

The fact that there is someone who can create such a massive barrier, they had no idea.

“Is this the work of Velfegor?”

The dense magic is almost bitter.

I’m not very good at distinguishing the scent of magic, but I can’t shake the feeling that this is familiar.

It’s almost certain that Velfegor had a hand in creating the barrier.

But does Velfegor have enough power to cover all of Basel with a complete barrier?

That’s a bit unclear.

Velfegor is still in the process of absorbing power from his contractors.

So, he’s in the awakening phase.

Is he already this strong?

Something doesn’t seem right.

“Please evacuate the building! We will close it now!”

“Hurry up and get out!”

We finally arrive at Tei’s workshop.

It’s just as chaotic as everywhere else.

Perhaps because there are well-trained staff, they seem to have things under control.

“Hey. Little guy over there.”

“Oh! Tei!”

Thanks to Mijeong pulling on my sleeve, I spot Tei heading somewhere surrounded by security guards.

I push through the crowd, waving my hand and shouting, and finally Tei recognizes me and stops.

“Tei! Stop! Quickly, to the shelter!”

“Let go! This person is safest to be with!”

Despite the guards’ objections, Tei rushes towards me.

And then, he runs into me, burying his head in my stomach.

He wraps his arms around my waist and looks up at me with worried eyes.

“I’m so glad you’re okay! Ahh! I was so scared! Your presence here is reassuring!”

“Are you okay? Are you hurt? What about the workshop?”

“Everyone is fine. People were startled when the sky suddenly turned dark, but… no one has been directly harmed.”

“Is there a place to take shelter?”

“Yes. When the building was constructed, we built a shelter underground. It’s spacious enough to accommodate all the staff.”

“Then stay there. Oh, burn all the letters that have come to me.”

“Why?”

“We need to eliminate any evidence that connects you to me. If things go wrong, you could be targeted for retaliation.”

“…!”

Tei’s eyes widen.

It seems he hadn’t anticipated such an extreme situation.

“N-no! That won’t happen! Promise me you’ll come back unharmed!”

“I will. But just in case-”

“Just in case…!”

“It’s possible. You always have to be prepared for the worst. If those letters are found, both you and I will be in trouble. So, they all need to be burned. Understand?”

“Yes…”

Despite trembling with resistance, he eventually calms down and agrees.

After explaining patiently, I pat his shoulder and push him away.

“Go quickly! Don’t look back!”

“Yes…”

Tei rushes out.

We also leave the workshop building and step back into the chaotic streets.

In the midst of this chaos,

Mijeong cautiously asks, clearly afraid of fighting in such a crowded place.

“First, we need to lure them in. To a place with fewer people.”

“How do we do that?”

The worst-case scenario would be getting attacked in a crowded city.

Just by Bellfegor appearing and releasing that dense magic, thousands of people here would either die or suffer serious injuries.

That’s something we need to avoid at all costs.

That’s why we have a plan in place.

“They’re chasing after Cali’s scent. We’ve placed it in a less crowded area.”

“Where?”

As Mijeong asked, suddenly…

Boom!

“Ah!”

“An explosion?”

“This is a disaster! The disaster has finally begun!”

In the distance, black smoke rose with a loud noise from the mountains.

There.

“We put it in the bag attached to Transylvia’s horse.”

“Wow.”

Mijeong exclaimed, her mouth hanging open in awe.

They must have followed Cali’s scent all the way here.

It seems they can’t smell it when disguised, so we put it in the bag hanging from the horse’s saddle while keeping them disguised.

What if we reveal the disguise here?

Transylvia is currently under attack by those chasing Cali’s scent.

We just found out their location from the explosion a moment ago.

Now, if Transylvia fights in our place, we can join in and intercept them together.

“Really. This is bad.”

“What’s wrong?”

It’s a common gameplay tactic.

Give an enticing item to an NPC and then track them back.

The real scoundrels give it to weak NPCs who can’t resist.

Since I gave it to the strongest in the world, I’m on the good side.

Plus, I couldn’t bring that danger into the city.

If I didn’t want to put innocent citizens in danger, there was no other way.

After all, vampires aren’t even human.

Does it really matter if we deceive or betray them?

“I, I’ve always been on Eugene’s side.”

“Yeah. Thank you.”

“I’ll never, never betray you.”

“Okay.”

“Whatever happens, I’ll never, never.”

“Why do you keep saying that if you’re grateful?”

As we ran towards the site of the explosion, Mijeong kept repeating the same words while tightly holding my hand.

Why is she suddenly like this?