NOVEL NEXT Chapter 54
“Wow~ If it weren’t for you, Hero, how much longer would we have suffered…! Thank you so much!”
“It’s thanks to all of you hunters that I was able to help. I just placed my hand there.”
“Hahaha! You, Hero, are so thoughtful! Aren’t you taking too much?”
“Exactly! If you’re that considerate, what are we supposed to compete with the ladies?”
As Aswel and the hunters descended into the village with their bounty of magical creatures, Aswel pondered about his comrades in the city.
“I should probably hang around the city now that I’ve completed the requests.”
To be honest, he hadn’t planned on resolving so many requests from the nearby village. But after being asked a question by Ariya a few days ago and avoiding her gaze, he ended up choosing to tackle more requests as an escape.
“…I wonder, is she still staying up at night?”
While he hoped she wouldn’t, he also found himself questioning what right he had to meddle in her lifestyle.
“Well then, now that the request is successful… what do you say, Hero?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Hey! How can you be so oblivious when you have everything? Of course, I’m talking about drinks!”
“Drinks after completing a job are the truth! The truth!”
Aswel glanced at the sky.
The sun was high, fully shining in the day.
Even though they had pulled an all-nighter, it felt a bit strange to be drinking casually at such an hour.
“Still, since we have a connection from past days, we need to have a little…”
“Hey, what’s that horse over there? Pretty cool, isn’t it?”
“Right? That can’t be the Hero’s horse, can it? The Hero’s horse was a white one.”
“Is that a knight’s horse that wandered in?”
Aswel followed the hunters’ gazes and looked at a specific spot.
“…Nightlux?”
There stood a black horse, dear to her.
Why on earth is Nightlux here? Does that mean she’s come to this village?
Aswel hurriedly looked around, but neither she nor Nightlux was near.
“Hero, do you know that horse?”
“It’s my comrade’s horse. But… why is it here?”
Aswel approached Nightlux slowly.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed that Tempest, his horse, was also nearby.
And Tempest looked a bit off.
It was standing still, as if entranced…
“…Nightlux.”
Aswel, facing Nightlux, received a sudden strong mental shock.
Before he knew it, Nightlux’s eyes were glowing blue.
Yet the surrounding hunters didn’t seem to notice.
Only Aswel could feel Nightlux’s will.
“…”
After a moment of silence, as the blue light faded from Nightlux’s eyes, Aswel adjusted his holy sword and climbed onto Tempest.
Seeing Nightlux and Tempest preparing to run, the hunters looked disturbed and asked,
“Uh, Hero?”
“I’m sorry. I need to head to the city.”
Something must be wrong in the city.
*
Magic.
I loved magic.
So when I studied under my master, rather than focusing on any particular magic, I aimed to learn as many spells as possible.
Instead of being unable to use magic due to a lack of elemental mana, I’d rather learn a variety of spells.
And keep studying and researching to create my own magic and spells.
The embodiment of that wish is the Master Key.
A wand designed to use as many spells as possible, with the appropriate form and capabilities.
That is the first form, [Dreaming (夢想)].
And differently, there also exists an additional form developed to enhance the realm and power of magic.
The fundamental purpose was to heed my master’s warning.
“I’m going to create a safety device for your unique magic.”
It serves as a safety device for my unique magic, a condition for manifestation, and elevates all magic by one level.
The second form, [Rising (飛上)].
“Shield.”
Zzziinnn-!
Over the commercial district, which was the first goal of Behiraja, a massive protective barrier unfolded.
Behiraja’s large, sharp fangs struck the barrier at high speed but did little damage.
Of course, to maintain its durability, it continuously consumed star mana.
But since I hadn’t used magic for weeks, the inside of Ultimate Star-spear was filled with a considerable amount of star mana.
I didn’t need to worry for a while.
‘The problem is Behiraja’s offspring.’
That’s just one reason Behiraja is called the thousand bug’s servant.
Those similar-looking bug creatures I saw inside the mine.
Small in size but countless tiny bugs numbering a thousand.
A hundred bugs similar in size to humans.
And ten bugs, not explicitly described by name, that are the size of buildings.
They had already scattered throughout the city.
The flames and chaotic sounds rising here and there confirmed that.
Unlike Alphares, there would be quite some damage to the citizens.
‘…That part I have to leave to my comrades.’
I must concentrate on the two beings before me now.
“Shield, shield, shield. Are you just defense? Or is your attack magic poor?”
Merka Die grumbled.
Her stomping on the ground like a spoiled child was, quite frankly, unnerving.
“…”
“Not saying a word. This is getting boring!”
My goal is to buy time until the Hero arrives.
So there’s no need to fall for such provocations; as much as possible, I should just hold her off like this…
“Well, if I break that shield, will you talk?”
Boom!!
Zzziinngg…
“Ugh…!”
She simply punched, but cracks began to form in the robe’s shield.
Despite being claimed to be sturdier than metal, who knew it would possess such brute strength?
“Two more punches and it’ll shatter.”
Merka Die grinned as she quickly closed the distance.
But this time, I read her movements.
“Recoil!”
I reinforced the incantations etched into the robe with the Master Key.
The robe’s slight recoil was significantly strengthened, bouncing off her fist that struck the shield.
“Finally thinking of fighting while talking?”
Merka Die’s right fist was crushed.
Yet, it quickly twisted and returned to its original form.
‘Should I be surprised by her recovery speed that surpasses her destructive power, or by her destructive power itself that pierces even her defenses?’
Until now, she only displayed fistfights, but even that revealed three physical abilities surpassing humans and demons.
[The Empire’s army’s swords, spears, and magic barrages didn’t faze Merka Die one bit.]
It was a direct match to the mention of Merka Die depicted in the original epilogue.
Effectively, among dukes, Merka Die is close to the strongest in terms of physical ability.
Given that I can’t outrun her for more than five minutes, it’s impossible to shake her off or confront her head-on.
So…
“Master Key. Focused operation.”
Whirr!!
Four large and small pillars began to revolve fiercely, emitting light.
Simultaneously, preparations for a specific spell commenced.
Vooooom…
Above, Behiraja continued to strike the protective barrier encompassing the commercial district, removing its countless tentacles in succession to break the shield.
Just as Merka Die’s attacks were about to strike my protective shield, the Master Key finished its operation.
Just when numerous tentacles from Behiraja were about to contact the commercial district’s shield…
And just as Merka Die’s fist was about to hit the robe’s shield…
“Synchronization.”
The two shields connected, transmitting the impact they each received to the opposing barrier.
—-!!!
Zzziinngg-!
Ka-bloom…
“Haa… Haa…”
The sudden consumption of mana made me dizzy, but I quickly scanned the situation.
Merka Die was flung away by Behiraja’s force, creating a dust cloud on the far side of the mine.
Behiraja stumbled at the impact of Merka Die’s blow and collapsed, crushing the mine beneath it.
‘It worked this time, but it’s going to be tough next time.’
They aren’t fools; if it works, they’d likely think of it as a tactic.
I infused mana to recharge the robe’s shield and confirmed that the folk in the commercial area were evacuated.
With this, I could now disable the commercial district’s shield.
‘Next, what should I use to deal with them?’
In a sense, the matchup is the worst.
Facing beings that excel in physical strength while most of my spells are non-combat magic leaves me only one method to fight — to utilize their own power against them.
There is another option…
‘But I can’t use it.’
With Merka Die descending onto the ground, using that option might lead to the worst outcomes afterward.
Clang.
I took out the Sky Spear modified from the Space of Space and prepared to attack Behiraja.
‘There was definitely a weakness in Behiraja.’
A way to momentarily incapacitate that gigantic bug.
If I can recall that, I can reduce one opponent.
“Charging.”
Kachow!!
I concentrated mana at the end of the Sky Spear and unleashed it, creating an artificial mana storm.
Just as I prepared to launch it towards Behiraja’s eyes, a voice echoed.
“I’ve never hit Behiraja before, but you’ve ruined that.”
The previously lively tone shifted to a calm voice.
Crack.
Crack-crack.
Accompanied by a bizarre bone sound, Merka Die’s expression was extremely tranquil.
“Behiraja also wanted to receive love, regardless of circumstances. So I’ve lived for Behiraja, and it has lived for me.”
“Such deep affection.”
Whether Merka Die was talking or not, I turned my gaze to launch the Sky Spear.
‘…Where is it?’
But that gigantic Behiraja had vanished.
I felt no tremors or explosions whatsoever.
In a hurry, I turned my eyes to Merka Die, but Behiraja was gone.
“To break apart our bond… You are too much. Boring.”
With those words, Merka Die turned away.
It felt as if she had lost interest in my very existence.
Then she plunked down on a shattered rock.
“Maybe I should just wait for the Hero. Hmph.”
At that moment, a phrase sprang to mind that I couldn’t comprehend.
[Although Merka Die was a physical type, she obviously had a unique magic as a demon. Due to that magic, countless imperial soldiers lost their lives. That was…]
“Behiraja, you can eat that.”
Kachow-kachow!!
In that moment, the ground beneath me shook as Behiraja burst forth, and I was unable to evade its maw.
[Eternal Predator. The eternal predator that devours even concepts.]
With that, my vision was engulfed in darkness.