Book 5 Chapter 13

Episode 115

"You met Frisvia?!"

After hearing our full account, Kasena's face turned as white as a sheet, then she made a tearful expression and rolled around wildly in the snow. Isn't she a child?

"That's impossible! I wanted to meet her too! Why did only Rain meet her and come back! I could have gone too!"

"I thought it would be dangerous. And she seemed like a very dangerous person."

"She's not dangerous! They say her personality is eccentric, but she's actually incredibly kind, and how many great achievements has she left behind?!"

According to Kasena, a fanatic of adventure and adventurers, that was the case.

While most adventurers are active in Trident Point, south of Harvadonia, Frisvia is said to be the owner of overwhelming power active on the Harvadonia mainland.

Furthermore, she is said to have left behind various biological and geological research achievements here and advanced technology severalfold by excavating artifacts from the Age of Gods.

"Moreover, the place Frisvia uses as her base is the 병선기지(兵船基地; Battleship Base)!"

"Yes, she told me to go there if things went wrong."

"Really? The <Ones Who Came> brought that warship for the Harvadonia subjugation campaign, but it was wrecked in the ice floes. But the <Ones Who Came> made that ship into a forward operating base just as it was! That's the Battleship Base!"

After enthusiastically agreeing with her as she expounded her knowledge about the adventurer Frisvia, the young lady seemed to cheer up a bit.

I didn't know much about Frisvia, but I knew the Battleship Base well. An adventurer who uses the <Ones Who Came>'s colossal artifact as a base.

On top of that, to be active so casually in this Harvadonia, and even defeat the ancient ones.

- They say her personality is eccentric, but she's actually incredibly kind, and how many great achievements has she left behind?!

Could Kasena's words be true?

Looking back, her personality was indeed strange, but she did kindly explain this and that…

I can think about this later. Right now, there was a problem that was bothering me even more.

"Alakish, could what Frisvia said be true? That the White Wolf Brigade was annihilated…"

Alakish, who had been glaring with worried eyes at the 거봉(巨峰) that impiously pierced the sky from the northern end of the world, stroked his chin.

"Though twisted in many ways, he is not one who speaks falsehoods."

"In that case…!"

"But it would be difficult to say it's accurate. He said it was a rumor."

Alakish placed a hand on my head as if to tell me not to worry too much, but now there was truly no choice but to hurry.

There were too many variables. If the White Wolves' patrol had truly been annihilated, if the power to control the ancient ones had truly awakened…

Despite the bone-chilling cold and the anxiety that prevented sleep, Alakish would emerge in dragon form every night and warmly embrace Kasena like a mother.

'If it weren't for Alakish, I would have collapsed long ago from the extreme cold and the fatigue of sleeplessness…'

How to express our gratitude, that's how we were able to travel busily south for ten days.

Although hurrying wasn't truly possible due to the elderly and children, Chieftain Beduel still picked up the pace more than before.

Since Alakish stood watch alone, even the warriors could get a good night's sleep.

"We have arrived."

So, finally, as Alakish stopped at the edge of the plateau where the plains ended and a steep descent began, Kasena's mouth opened brightly.

"Wow…!"

The majestic natural scenery of a frozen river slowly melting and merging into the vast sea, the 북해(北海) (North Sea).

If we followed that sea route by ship, we would be able to return to the territory of the Holy Human Empire.

And beside that silver-shining 만(灣) (bay), an ancient city solidly built of stone, wood, and earth revealed its weighty grandeur.

"That place is LavenFell; Winter Harbor."

* * *

Two and a half months after the appearance of the 흑점(黑點) (Black Spot), the <Delaiten> students had to undergo an in-depth investigation by the special task force mages.

The investigation focused on those who had any kind of relationship, big or small, with student council president Valencidis, but most students defended Valencidis, making the investigation difficult.

Our president would never do that, you must have misunderstood something… like this.

"Wow, it's vacation, but the 2nd and 3rd-year students are really being called out for everything."

Ilrin of the Chaihark faction muttered, clicking her tongue.

In <Delaiten>'s fitness room, just now, two more 2nd-year students were called out by special task force mages while training.

Furthermore, even though it was vacation, all students were forbidden from leaving the city, so returning home was an unthinkable dream.

"Still, it's a relief, isn't it?"

Lifting the barbell, Ilrin looked up at Logan, who was spotting her.

"The 천재(天災) (Natural Disaster) Young Master is gone, you know."

"What?"

"Now that you don't have to act anymore, you won't have to listen to those sixteen miscellaneous jerks spouting nonsense like Chaihark becoming Ludwig's flunky or whatever."

The Natural Disaster Young Master is gone…

Yes, he's gone.

The appearance of the Black Spot, the Papal Curia incident, and Rain Ludwig, who had gone there that day, vanished without a trace. Even now, two months later.

"Oh… right."

After a long moment, Logan nodded blankly and left the fitness room like someone whose spirit had departed.

"Hey, hey! Logan! Agh, damn it, it's heavy! Hey, where are you going without helping me! Hey!"

The next day, by pure coincidence, all the late-comers of the Eight Great Factions gathered in the school cafeteria.

They thought they had become quite close, but for some reason, something felt awkward. Everyone knew the reason but didn't utter it.

The one who could be called their center, Rain Ludwig, had disappeared.

"Hmm, boring~ It's fun when the Natural Disaster Young Master is here, making every day new and exciting★"

As Nora sighed with a fork dangling from her mouth, Kaiden took out his notebook and agreed with her opinion.

[Agree;;]

Wiver, who had become sharp again like before, chided Nora.

"If it's boring, go eat somewhere else. Why are you whining next to me?"

Lillian, who had simply been eating silently, voiced her question in a relatively calm tone.

"But what really happened? Did he die, as the rumors say?"

"He didn't die."

The one who answered was Logan. Without intending to, a loud voice came out of him. Everyone looked at Logan with surprised faces.

"No, I mean… sorry."

Logan got up from his seat, leaving more than half of the meal tray he usually finished two or three servings of. The late-comers exchanged bewildered conversations.

"That's the first time that guy has ever raised his voice in front of me."

"Well, no matter what anyone says, he was the closest to us all♣"

[He just looks really tired.]

"How foolish. What if it wasn't him? There are only rumors that he died."

Wiver irritably stuffed garlic salad into his mouth, forcibly ending the conversation.

Meanwhile, Logan, who had been trudging through the sunset-lit campus like someone who had lost something, suddenly bumped into something solid.

Stumbling back and looking up, he saw Professor Owen looking down at him with a pitiable expression.

"What the hell! Logan, you monkey-like fellow, walking around school with a face that looks like you've carried all the world's shit, aren't you making the whole school stink of it!"

"Senior Brother… no, Professor. I'm sorry."

"What a pathetic fellow."

He hit him on the head as if to make him snap out of it, but the emotion conveyed in the tone of his voice and the strength of his fist was more pity than reprimand.

"Professor, I, um… may I ask what happened to Rain Ludwig?"

Owen, who looked back at Logan with a bitter gaze, sighed heavily and looked up at the summer twilight.

"Chancellor Madelia is bedridden, and Professor Elin returned to her mansion as if she'd trade her professorship and everything else for a piece of taffy… so I guess he must be dead."

"I, I didn't quite hear that?"

"They say the ghosts of the special task force, whose specialty is finding people and messing them up, haven't found a single strand of hair in two months. How could he still be alive?"

"So you're saying… he's dead now? Rain Ludwig?"

"Damn it! Answer me, Logan! In that fucked-up situation where the Yellow Dragon Legion was half-annihilated and the Papal Curia's Imperial Guard was completely wiped out, how could a mere brat like Ludwig survive?!"

As Logan, who had been staring up at Owen with a dumbfounded expression, finally hung his head, Owen said in a chiding tone.

"Is there any reason that lump of shit, who lived on his own self-importance, *must* return alive? Answer me, Logan!"

"Well, it's just that we were going to play more magic volleyball together, and it just, it just feels like yesterday that we promised to do that again…"

A single tear flowed down Logan's cheek as he despondently lowered his head, leaving a stain on the ground.

"Because you suddenly said he was dead…"

And as his sturdy shoulders shook greatly and pitifully, Owen placed a hand on his disciple's back with a sigh like a lament.

"Hah, what a pathetic fellow!"

At that moment, Owen's gesture of patting Logan's back was incredibly gentle, almost unbelievably so for him.

"You've become truly pathetically useless over these past six months. Now you're finally worthy of being called a late-comer of our Chaihark."

* * *

I thought I was somewhat prepared, but entering LavenFell caused problems far exceeding my expectations.

First of all, problems didn't arise from the very beginning.

At first, we all admired LavenFell's size and the vast number of tents spread out beyond its walls, chatting amongst ourselves.

"It's truly the first time so many tribes have gathered in one place like this…"

Barlzen, who had been blankly surveying the unfamiliar sight unfolding to the left and right of the city' entrance, spoke.

"It's an enormous number indeed. To smell the scent of our kin so strongly."

"So, are you pleased?"

"Hmph, a warrior doesn't rejoice over such things. It's merely surprising. By the way, judging by the situation, it seems we're just barely not too late."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Look at the tents, half-folded on top. They're ready to leave at any moment. They were probably planning to go to the barrier within two or three days."

A sigh of relief escaped. If we had been even a little late, it would have been a really big problem.

Outside the city, non-combat personnel seemed to be positioned, as the beastfolk caught sight of generally had less wildness and resembled humans in appearance.

Kasena's eyes sparkled at the laughter and traditional tribal songs echoing from various tents.

"We will unpack our things here. Barlzen, you go and have those children meet with Griffion."

For the tribespeople exhausted by the long forced march, Chieftain Beduel set up tents in the northeastern part of the city.

Seeing tents out this far, it's likely the city interior is already saturated, so this would be a reasonable decision.

So, a total of four people moved to LavenFell: myself, Alakish, Barlzen, and Kasena.

"Alakish!"

"It's Alakish!"

As expected, Alakish seemed to be trusted by various tribes, as many children flocked to him, begging him to breathe fire or tell interesting stories.

'Hmm, thankfully, everyone is full of vitality.'

While enjoying that momentary peace, a child who seemed to be observing me and Kasena closely, suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs.

"A, a human?!"

That very scream served as the signal for chaos to erupt.

Terrified children screamed and scattered in panic, and warriors came rushing from all directions, howling menacingly.

In an instant, we were surrounded by dozens of warriors, and even as I thought that, more warriors were gathering.

"Calm down, these children are…"

Alakish was about to quickly intervene and mediate the situation, but then he closed his mouth and stepped aside.

Because I had asked him to.

In the chaos where killing intent was drawn taut, the beastfolk bared their claws and fangs… with gazes of hatred as if they were seeing monsters.

"Humans…"

"It's humans…"

Kasena faltered back, clutching tightly at the hem of my fur cloak.

"What do we do? What should we do, Rain?"

Even if she asked that, in this situation where communication was utterly impossible…

"Kill them!"

"Kill them off!"

Did I tell Alakish not to actively step forward for nothing? I did it because I felt that if Alakish's power suppressed the situation, it might somehow worsen.

"Excuse me, please listen to what I have to say."

I cried out desperately, but no one listened.

Kill them, kill them… they only bared their teeth and claws menacingly, coming even closer.

Just then, as if to protect us, it was surprisingly War Chief Barlzen who stepped forward in front of me.

"These two brats are friends of our Durankus tribe!"

"What did you say?"

"Let those who bare their fangs know that they are challenging our tribe, and Barlzen, son of Batu, will personally break every single one of those fangs!"

Friends with humans, the warriors were dumbfounded and began to murmur, looking at each other. Just then, someone walked out from among the warriors.

It was a warrior with the head of a pure white polar bear, and he was much taller and larger in build than Barlzen, who was already on the taller side among the warriors.

"How dare you bring furless beasts into this LavenFell?"

He was a cyclops with a long sword scar over his left eye socket, and his one remaining eyeball chillingly scanned us up and down.

"At first, I watched thinking I had seen wrong, but after being born and raised in the deep, has your head rotted in the abyss, Barlzen!"

"My eyes and head are as fresh as my father bequeathed them, Opus. Move that damned hulk out of the way right now and clear a path. We need to meet Griffion."

"With those human brats?"

"That's right."

"We can't let Griffion suffer such disgrace. I'll kill them right here, along with those furless brats!"

In that very instant, even before Opus's words had fully ended, the moment some warriors rushed towards our necks──

The moment Barlzen grabbed the shoulder of the first warrior who rushed and slammed him to the ground──

The moment Alakish, unable to watch any longer, finally decided he had to suppress the situation by force and was about to assume his dragon form──

"Stop it!"

With a shrill shout, letters elegantly drawn in the air, emitting light, transformed into some kind of power.

A translucent gravity field spread out in a circle around us, gently pushing back the beastfolk who had charged right up to us. Without harming them at all.

The tension, which had reached its peak, briefly subsided, and a strange silence fell.

'This is… a telekinetic barrier?'

The magic square of wind, which had been rotating on my palm, crumbled powerlessly.

Originally, I had planned to summon a gust of wind to push back the agitated warriors. Of course, it would have been a rough method, so the situation might have become even more serious.

I haven't seen telekinesis with such perfect control of power in a really long time…

"Why won't you listen to us? Why do you just try to fight without reason!"

The owner of that magic, though there was no need to consider anyone else, we gazed at the girl with renewed surprise.

Kasena Page, who had made remarkable progress under Alakish's guidance during these three months.

That hair color, surely not… Opus, the white bear, who had been staring blankly at the light purple hair, let out a fierce roar.

"What kind of conversation are we supposed to have with furless beasts?!"

Then Kasena, without fear, strode purposefully toward Opus and kicked Opus's thick shin with her small foot.

"What does having fur or not having fur have to do with anything! Aren't you and I both the same humans?!"

Opus blinked his one eye, even forgetting the shock that a mere human brat had dared to kick him.

It was no wonder. Even we, who knew Kasena's personality, had to look at her with surprised eyes.

If innocence were a weapon, wouldn't Kasena possess the most powerful weapon in the world?

It was clear that the unblemished innocence contained in that voice and gaze just now had thrown the beast-warriors into confusion.

'The same humans, she says…'

'Does she see us as the same kind of humans?'

In that confusion, Kasena pointed at me with all her might.

"We, Rain, came all this way to help you! So please listen to what Rain has to say! You can do at least that much!"