Book 15 Chapter 27
Burning Youth,
Not doing the studying they were supposed to be doing (3)
Chaos on earth began during 5th period.
At that time, Reasta was taking a statistics class at <Yeriti>.
Statistics at this top elite school was not at a level Reasta could keep up with, yet again she was called to the front of the blackboard and tested on solving an example problem.
“Alright, Jess. Show everyone how to solve this problem.”
Everyone was watching. 40 pairs of eyes were fixed solely on Reasta.
A hero, cannot back down.
Reasta, without thinking, wrote down numbers from 1 to 99, and at the end, wrote the word [Justice (正義)].
“The answer to this problem is… justice.”
“What in the world does that mean?”
“The very act of wanting to solve this problem, that very heart itself springs from justice! It's a law where the beginning is justice, and the end is justice! If only you have the courage to follow that justice!”
Then, suddenly, the professor began to tremble. The students sitting at their desks also one by one rolled their eyes back and convulsed.
“Kyaaaaaaaah…!”
Then, the elites of <Elity> began to rush at Reasta! Was this the wrath of academia!
“I'm, I'm sorry! I, I'm really good with my body! But when it comes to math, I'm really, really an absolute ignoramus… I'm sorry for forcing it! Please don't be too angry!”
Reasta, who was hurriedly apologizing, suddenly felt a resonance in her heart, deeper than her heart, in her soul.
The power of the dragon etched into her soul.
Its name, Dragon Spirit (龍靈).
Dragons are servants of <Those Who Have Come>, and their reactive response to the Abyss is stronger than any other living creature. In other words, Reasta intuited:
‘The Abyss is rampaging… Did so many students have [Fragments of the King's Flesh] dwelling within their bodies?’
Students who did not have [Fragments of the King's Flesh] were dumbfounded by this chaos.
“Wh-what? What's wrong?”
“Oh, don't come! Ugh, uwaaah!”
Friends who were just laughing and chatting together, were now rushing at her, aiming for her neck or heart…
Dragon Spirit bodily burden, maximum.
…The platform Reasta was standing on, was shattered to pieces by the force applied in an instant.
Explosive sound (爆音).
Reasta, who arrived at the school warehouse with the leg strength of that instant, tied about a dozen tug-of-war ropes stored in the warehouse into one, and then disappeared again with an explosive sound.
Thus, from the 1st floor to the 3rd floor in a single breath.
By the time Reasta's sweep was over, all the people of <Elity> who were controlled by the rampage of [Fragments of the King's Flesh] were hanging outside the windows, tied by one of their limbs with a rope.
“Lady Reasta!”
A special forces mage who had infiltrated <Elity> rushed over in a hurry.
“Chaos is starting throughout the city! This is the first time [Fragments of the King's Flesh] have rampaged uncontrollably…!”
“It's probably not rampaging on its own. Where is the building with the Integrated Student Council?”
“It's in the center of the school grounds.”
“I'll head straight there. Find Rin and Fride and tell them I went there. While protecting civilians as much as possible.”
“Huh? But you're currently unarmed…!”
There's a saying that the holy sword and its wielder are one in heart and body.
The higher the resonance with the holy sword, the farther away one can summon it, it is said.
However, the distance between the dormitory and this school must be considerable… As if reading the special forces' concern, Reasta reached out her hand.
1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds…
Soon, a mysterious light flashed from beyond the sky, and the next moment it flew into Reasta's hand and was caught. It was the Supreme Holy Sword, Schurpeng.
‘This is truly, the youngest Fae Cavalier of all time…!’
Meanwhile, Rin, who was taking an acting class at <Yeriti>, had finished reading a book a little earlier.
“…I will begin the 5th period acting class. Today, we will learn how to act out 'an utterly boring moment.' You might easily assume that all you need to do is yawn, but that is absolutely not the case. The simpler the acting, the more difficult the technique required.”
Rin, throughout lunchtime, recalled Fride and Reasta whispering something.
He couldn't remember the content.
But it didn't matter. Just like any other time, it probably wasn't anything important.
“…Mr. P.M., the rumors of your acting skills are well-known even in the faculty office, would you grant me the honor of witnessing it?”
Could there be a time as boring as a moment without a book to read? Rin stretched and yawned, and slipped out of what seemed to be a classroom.
“…Oh, ohhh! Yes, that's it! Everyone saw it correctly, right? It has to be that real!”
“…But where's he going?”
“…Kyah! That's part of the acting too! When you're tired, you want to go out for some fresh air, right? To the point where you can't tell if it's daily life or acting, amazing!”
Leaving behind the meaningless commotion, I unleashed 4-star magic onto my palm and released Rudiyen.
“Take me to a place with high magical energy. I want to read some good books.”
Rudiyen went out of the school building, and led Rin far away… to a space that stood tall and slender like a spire in the center of the school grounds.
‘How far do I have to walk for this?’
Even the time spent walking felt wasted, so he took out the book he had been reading earlier from his pocket and decided to review the key points, engraving them into his mind.
“Khuhuhuhu, where do you think you've come to, transfer student? We are one of the top students who received a superior grade, an ignorant nobody like you… Kraaaagh!”
Rin's [Reading a Grimoire to a Cow's Ear] mode had been extremely enhanced between (probably) the two loudest women in the world.
“To come this far, unlike the flies that have come until now, you're quite something. I am the general affairs manager, in charge of the weakest of the student council's Four Heavenly Kings… Kwaaaagh!”
If an opponent launches an unexpected attack, Rin's brain automatically activates defensive and counter-attack magic. This function was perfectly modified upon acquiring the Osarius Rosary.
“This ahead is the student council room! I am the student council vice-president, the gatekeeper protecting the student council entrance! If you wish to pass this place… Kyaaaak!”
Hmm, by the time the review was over, Rudiyen was fluttering in front of a certain door before dispersing into light particles. Rin read the sign on the door.
“Student Council Room?”
He had hoped to find a library or reading room, but could it be that there were books with high magical energy here? He had to check if it was Rudiyen's mistake.
Drrrrrrrk…
It was quite a high place. With windows on all sides, all four directions were clearly visible, and the bookshelves were full of books.
“Kuh, I found the right place.”
However, a previous guest was already there.
Holding a book shimmering with bizarre colors, he was glaring at Rin as if in warning.
Regardless, Rin decided to focus on looking around the bookshelves for books to read.
“Have you come to judge me?”
“No.”
“You cannot deceive my eyes.”
“It's true.”
“You've probably come knowing everything, but my name is Roblos. Since childhood, I have dreamed of infinite knowledge. Humans are confined to the realm of moments. They can never transcend time.”
“Shut up for a bit so I can pick a book.”
“I wanted to overcome that limit. So, I became engrossed in how to communicate with beings beyond time and space, that is, ancient beings. For that sin, I was once imprisoned in <Ikegrad Prison>, but I escaped like this and reclaimed the student council. They call this fate.”
“『The Path of Time』… that sounds quite interesting.”
“The Path of Time, indeed. I commend your intellect for elegantly explaining this situation by quoting a book title. Yes, it is the Path of Time. Or rather, the path to transcending time! Hahahaha!”
“Less impressive than I expected.”
“Indeed, will you still say that after seeing what I have prepared! Right here, one of the ancient lords of time shall be revived and become my subordinate… Awaken from your long slumber, Thraize!”
It was half-simultaneous.
Reasta arriving here, almost breaking down the door, and the ground beneath their feet beginning to shake violently.
Rin was flustered. How did she immediately realize he was slacking off and come here?
“Rin!”
He must not be flustered here.
In fact, he needed to put on a brazen face, as if all of this also had meaning.
“Hmmph…”
“Surely you didn't know everything and come here first?”
“Hmph…”
From Reasta's eyes, light of emotion and thrill flowed.
‘As expected, it's Rin!’
He always has the insight to approach the mastermind one step ahead of anyone else.
“Hahahaha, even if you say you knew everything and came, it's already too late!”
A deafening roar as the strata ruptured, vibrations so strong they couldn't stand on two feet, and the windows on all sides shattered one after another, letting in the wind.
From the park that was once the center of the grounds (where they had all eaten lunch together), an immense dust storm erupted.
At that moment, Reasta flinched. Even before that, the holy sword was roaring fiercely with an intense light.
“A powerful aura of the Abyss?”
Ku-gu-gu-gu… The vibrations that made the park sink to its very bottom showed no sign of ending, but strangely, the shaking wasn't going downwards but was getting closer to the surface.
“Reasta! Rin!”
Fride, riding a broom, flew in hurriedly through the broken window.
“These madmen are now trying to awaken an Old One! We have to stop them!”
“It's too late! With this power, I will obtain all knowledge──!”
Roblos's head, which was screaming thus, instantly exploded.
The hero's party instantly felt the air grow heavy and sink, which stemmed from an overwhelming presence.
Breaking through the dust storm surging from the collapsed grounds, a certain being burst forth into the sky.
Ah, how mighty this Abyss was!
At first, shrouded in the dust storm, only its outline was visible, but soon the figure of corruption, poisoning the entire area with its venom, revealed itself.
Was that a crow…?
Its upper and lower body were strangely modeled after primates, but its face, hands, and feet were like a primordial crow, scattering countless feathers of corruption.
“F-Fride, that's…?”
Reasta reached behind her back, grasped Schurpeng's hilt, and said.
“Somehow, on days with particularly bad luck, developments like this always happen… That's an Old One. Probably a fairly high-ranking Old One.”
Old One.
Ancient beings, that is, beings that ruled this land during the time <The Forgotten Kings> reigned. Seeing that, Rin trembled.
This situation, a situation that only occurred in his childhood fantasies, the presence of an ancient Abyss manifesting before [The Strongest Mage]…!
“Do bishi naku, my name is Thraize. I am the servant of 'The Queen Who Walks Through Time.' Where is this place?”
It is said that most servants of the Lord of Time, one of <The Forgotten Kings>, are characterized by having three eyes, and this one was no different. Another eyeball was embedded in its forehead.
“Judging by the position of the celestial bodies, it should be Anshurnab (Twisting Mountain Range), but it's not Anshurnab. What happened?”
At Thraize's words, Fride shouted.
“What ancient place names are you rattling off, you crazy old geezer! You'd better quietly go back underground before I fry you into chicken.”
Thraize's third eye curved craftily, grotesquely.
“Hehehe, to the descendants of these insignificant creatures, I must remind them of the ancient rules their ancestors followed.”
From Thraize's suddenly gaping maw, venom began to condense into a fierce vortex.
“The manners and etiquette for dealing with great beings!”
Just as Reasta was about to unleash Schurpeng's power and Fride was about to reinforce the barrier's power, at that very moment, someone shouted.
“Where are you looking, ancient being?”
It was a single boy.
Slightly lifting the conical hat he had intentionally worn low, he made his eyes gleam provocatively.
“With a being like me, [The Strongest], before you, do you have the leisure to do that?”
“Gyugyung!”
Rin could not stand by and watch this situation.
He absolutely could not remain an onlooker.
The development where something delicious was naturally taken away by Reasta, like last time! Now, he decided to actively approach first like this.
“This rascal…!”
In ancient times, when physical size was considered equivalent to labor power and combat ability, human children of the slave class were not even treated as 'living beings.'
Yet, that young human provoked an Old One. This was something that could neither be tolerated nor allowed.
Thraize, who accepted the provocation as a truly fatal humiliation, immediately turned its maw, which was on the verge of spewing venom, towards Rin.
“Ta Mi Ri Calle!”
[The Strongest Mage] defends against and deflects any attack. Even if it is an attack from an Old One.
He must not use his full power.
After blocking the powerful enemy's attack with only the minimum necessary defensive barrier, it would be best to walk out completely unscathed from the smoke and say, "Is that all?"
Kwaaaaaaaaaaah…!
It surely would have gone according to plan. If Thraize's power had not included internal force (內力) in addition to external force (外力).
“Rin, Rin!”
Reasta hurriedly ran towards the venomous explosion site.
Rin became a shield.
To protect Reasta and Fride, his comrades.
“Are you alright? Rin!”
Reasta found Rin amidst the vortex of venom that had completely melted the central spire and turned its foundation into a wetland.
“Reasta, how is Rin!”
“Thankfully, he's unharmed!”
“Jump down immediately with Rin! The building is melting and collapsing!”
Reasta, with Schurpeng's sword wind, scattered the storm of venom.
Then, immediately grabbing Rin, she landed, creating an impact on the ground.
Next, like a warrior (勇士), she turned her back to her comrades and pointed her blade at the enemy.
“Prepare your magic. I'll take the front── Re, Rin?!”
At that moment, the sharp composure of humanity's strongest soldier was broken.
It was irresistible. Suddenly, Rin ran from behind and tightly hugged Reasta's back!
Even Fride was momentarily dumbfounded.
“It's alright. No need to be scared. I'll definitely protect what's ahead now.”
With his face buried in Reasta's back, Rin, who had been sniffling like a child, finally opened his mouth and said this:
“Ungya, I am baby Rin… Give me milk!”