Chapter 128

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The darkness enveloping Zone 2.

A phenomenon that even swallows light.

This was a situation I had never faced before, but Laurea didn’t lose her composure. After all, there were people by her side who could explain the current situation.

“Has something like this happened before?”

Ulan, Noa, and Delia.

They were the three present when the Abyssal Rift last opened, so they must have known what this phenomenon was.

“No, it was completely different.”

“So this has never happened before?”

“That’s right. Last time, the rift opened, and monsters just came pouring out.”

Yet the answer returned was one of denial.

In other words, they too were experiencing this for the first time. Laurea frowned in worry.

“Then what in the world…”

A low groan slipped through her lips.

However, disappointment didn’t linger long.

After all, there were two individuals in this place who knew the future. So Laurea turned to Ulan and Noa and asked.

“Do you guys know anything?”

Just as Ulan was about to say something, suddenly someone cut in with an answer.

“It’s an Abyssal Erosion phenomenon.”

It was Noa.

As if she had no intention of hiding her knowledge of the future any longer, she began to share details about the Abyssal Erosion.

After the explanation of what happened concluded, everyone widened their eyes in surprise.

“…It changes the surroundings to resemble the Abyss?”

“Does that mean we’re practically stepping into the Abyss right now?”

Delia and Ivella responded with astonished faces.

Noa nodded silently.

Perhaps due to the unexpected answer, not just the two of them but the whole party stiffened in expression.

“It’s definitely draining our mana.”

“I felt a little heavy since earlier, but I didn’t think it was for this reason.”

Indeed, the darkness of the Abyss had an effect of gnawing away at vitality and magic power. Meanwhile, Laurea wore a rather serious expression.

“So, what happened this time is…”

“It’s likely man-made.”

“Are you saying it was the work of Dean Diplyn, just as Delia mentioned earlier?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

When Ian asked, Noa nodded in response.

With that answer, the party was able to grasp the current situation firmly.

“In other words, the root cause of all this is…”

“Dean Diplyn.”

Ulan’s eyes flashed fiercely.

It was all Diplyn who opened the Abyssal Rift and triggered the erosion phenomenon.

Just as all explanations were coming to an end.

“But hey,” Delia suddenly spoke up.

She had a face full of suspicion.

“How do you know all this?”

…

Finally, the moment had arrived.

Noa bit her lips.

Of course, she had prepared for this moment since she started explaining the Abyssal Erosion phenomenon, but she couldn’t hide her nervousness now that it was time to speak.

But the dice had already been cast.

Noa took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

Just like she had done with Ulan, she was ready to confess the secret she had been hiding.

“Actually…”

But in that moment, others cut into the conversation.

“We’ll hear about the source of the information later.”

“That’s right. What’s important now is getting out of this place.”

It was Ulan and Laurea.

Delia frowned at the sudden interruption, but soon nodded. She realized that lingering here wouldn’t bring any benefits.

At that moment, Ian chimed in.

“By the way, when does this erosion phenomenon disappear? It doesn’t seem like it’ll last long.”

It was a valid concern.

Only after the erosion phenomenon vanished could they search for Teron or the Empire’s research team scattered about.

However, Noa shook her head.

“It won’t disappear.”

“…What?”

“If it were natural, that might be different, but to eliminate a man-made erosion phenomenon, you have to remove the sacrifice used in the ritual.”

Noa said earnestly.

Upon that, Laurea asked again.

“The sacrifice?”

“It refers to an item containing the essence of the Abyss. It’s usually in the form of jewelry. Like a necklace, a ring, or perhaps a pendant.”

As she recalled information about the item, suddenly.

“A pendant!”

Delia shouted out loud.

Laurea turned to her with a look of surprise.

“Whoa, what’s going on all of a sudden?”

“The pendant Noa mentioned!”

“What about it?”

“I think I saw it through the Eye of the Watcher!”

Just before the Eye of the Watcher was destroyed, Delia had seen a pitch-black pendant sitting in the center of the magic circle. With this explanation, the party’s expressions hardened significantly.

And it was understandable.

The discovery of solid evidence meant that Noa’s earlier claims, which had been mere speculation until now, were actually true.

“If we break that, will it solve the issue?”

“No. This time, we shouldn’t break it.”

Noa smiled awkwardly.

“If we break the sacrifice, the essence of the Abyss inside will scatter, and it would take a tremendous amount of time for the erosion phenomenon to disappear.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Usually, most issues get resolved by breaking the source, but it seemed this time was an exception.

Ulan licked his lips, looking a bit disappointed.

Next, Laurea asked.

“So, what should we do?”

“We need to purify the sacrifice.”

“Purifying means using divine power, right?”

“Exactly.”

There were only two methods to purify the essence of the Abyss.

Either divine power or spirit art.

And currently, there were two Named Characters among the divine power users who could be considered top-tier.

As if on cue, one of them spoke up.

“I think we know what we need to do.”

Move to the place where the Abyssal Rift opened.

Then, purify the sacrifice and eliminate the erosion effect that covered Zone 2.

As soon as they set those two goals, Laurea’s eyes sparkled.

“Then I’ll take the lead.”

No one had any objections to that.

Since among the party members, Laurea was the only one capable of perceiving the darkness of the Abyss.

“And we shouldn’t fall behind, so let’s all hold hands and move.”

This was a sensible suggestion as well.

The party nodded in agreement.

But at that moment.

“Hey.”

Suddenly Laurea reached out.

And swiftly grabbed Ulan’s right hand.

As if she had been waiting for this.

Ulan looked puzzled by her sudden action, and she replied with a bright smile.

“This is the right way to do it.”

“Right way? What do you mean?”

“This way, should a dangerous situation arise, you can protect me.”

She smiled shyly.

Meanwhile, at that moment, Delia and Ivella, who had been paying close attention to their conversation, squinted their eyes and asked.

“Wait a minute, just to confirm… did you hold Ulan’s hand?”

“Yes, I did.”

Laurea answered without hesitation.

As soon as her frank answer was given, the atmosphere around the two girls quickly turned icy. Even Noa, standing nearby, shifted away cautiously.

However, Laurea remained undeterred.

There was justification for her actions.

“But this is only natural.”

“…What’s natural about it?”

“Think about it. If an Abyssal Monster appears and ambushes us, how could I, weak and delicate as I am, defend against an attack?”

Looking at Laurea who posed her question with an innocent tone, Noa had a baffled expression.

And it was only right to feel that way since the future Saintess in front of him was absolutely not weak when you considered all the Named Characters from the original.

‘Just look at the mock battle.’

She fought incredibly well.

If she hadn’t stopped midway and kept fighting, Noa would have been the one to lose.

‘Moreover, based on the original information, she possesses a considerable amount of close combat skills.’

And that was just the beginning.

Her swordsmanship was top-notch.

In the latter half of the original story, she reached the level of Expert solely based on her sword skills.

‘And if she uses a sacred item on top of that?’

She would become strong enough that she wouldn’t need protection.

And yet, to call her weak? Knowing who the original Laurea was, Noa understood how ridiculous that claim sounded.

However, Ivella and Delia did not share that knowledge.

“Hmm, that’s…”

Because they were unaware of the truth.

Plus, Laurea’s image as the next Saintess carried a fixed notion of vulnerability.

And she had no other weapons.

So they couldn’t argue against her claim of weakness. They could only accept it as it was.

But just then, an oblivious response rang out.

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

A bewildered-looking young man.

It was Ian. He looked at Laurea as though hearing this for the first time.

“Are you saying you’re weak, senior?”

“Of course. Naturally.”

“Oh come on, that’s a joke…”

Ian chuckled lightly.

As if he heard something absurd.

Then, at that moment, Laurea gently approached Ian. She leaned closer, smiling sweetly.

“Why do you think it’s a joke?”

“Well, if I just go by what I’ve seen…”

“…Ian.”

Just then, a cold voice dug into his ears.

Laurea had approached him closely. She grabbed Ian by the collar and whispered in a low tone.

“Wake up. Does this sound like a joke?”

“Wh-what are you talking about…”

“Say just one more word.”

The chilling voice.

Soon Laurea’s whisper continued.

“Then I would take that as you wanting to increase the sparring time with Ulan.”

“…!?”

Ian’s body froze immediately.

As if he had heard something truly dreadful.

Laurea patted his stiffened shoulders like a woodblock.

“If you got it, behave yourself.”

After finishing what she wanted to say, she quickly released her grip on Ian.

Then, with a wide smile, she asked.

“Ian?”

“Y-Yes?!”

“What did you just say?”

“I said that you are weak!”

“Hehe, that’s exactly right.”

“Yes! You absolutely need protection! So holding Ulan’s hand is a reasonable choice!”

His attitude had completely changed from earlier.

Laurea smiled contentedly.

Until she heard the voices of Delia and Ivella.

“Then you can hold it instead.”

“M-Me?”

“That’s right. Then it would be solved.”

Meaning if Ian held Laurea’s hand instead of Ulan, that would resolve the issue.

Of course, Ian also preferred that.

But the chilly aura radiating from Laurea brought out a strong refusal from him.

“No way. Absolutely not!”

“Why not?”

“I’ve never fought an Abyssal Monster before. Ulan, who has experience, is more suitable to protect you, senior!”

It was an incredible ad-lib.

Delia and Ivella couldn’t even refute it.

As the surroundings went quiet, Laurea grabbed Ulan’s right hand once more and said.

“Anyway, since I already claimed the right hand, you all can figure out the left side.”

At the moment her words ended, the eyes of the two girls lit up.

Without a doubt, they both rushed to grab Ulan’s left hand. It was such a quick reaction that even Noa was astonished.

Despite the darkness obscuring their sight, Ivella and Delia managed to grab Ulan’s hand. The two shot glares at each other, growling.

“Hey, aren’t you letting go?”

“…Why should I?”

“You’ve had enough of a hold on him!”

That was true.

But Delia had her justification.

“I’m a mage. I need protection.”

“I can take care of that.”

“Hmph, your skills aren’t enough.”

“What do you mean?”

As the two girls kept bickering.

Noa couldn’t help but chuckle awkwardly. Thinking back to their relationship in the original story, the scene before him felt utterly strange.

‘Back then, they were quite the dream team.’

Now they were just a frustrating combination.

Noa sighed.

Meanwhile, just as the two girls were busy waging a tug-of-war over Ulan’s left hand, Laurea, keeping an eye toward Zone 3, suddenly raised an eyebrow.

“Wait, what’s that?”

“Is there a problem?”

“I see something sparkling in the distance.”

“Sparkling?”

Ulan’s eyes widened a bit.

Perhaps due to the unusual conversation? Ivella and Delia tilted their heads in confusion as well.

“What? But….”

“Didn’t we say that the darkness of the Abyss swallows all light?”

According to Noa, that was the case.

And it was true.

In the depths of the Abyss, spirits or ethereal beings were the only sources of light.

‘But something is sparkling?’

It was likely that Laurea had misseen. There was no way there could be spirits or ethereal beings in a place like this.

Noa thought so.

But she was the one who was wrong.

“Huh? It really is!”

“Look, it’s really sparkling.”

Not just Laurea, but the sparkle was visible to the others too.

It was the same for Noa.

That made her even more astonished.

Noa stared wide-eyed at the twinkling light visible in the distance.

“Wait, but somehow…?”

“Doesn’t it seem to be getting closer?”

Ian asked with an awkward expression.

As he said, the bright white light was indeed drawing nearer. Delia, with a stern expression, began chanting a usable attack spell.

“For now, it’s best to be prepared.”

The moment her words finished, Ivella’s sword was drawn.

Ian positioned his shield in front and gripped his sword tightly, while Noa, preparing for any surprise, took out her talisman.

But only one person remained still.

Ulan did not draw his axe at all. Instead, he started to walk toward the sparkling light.

A sudden, unexpected action.

The party’s eyes widened.

“Ulan? What are you doing…?”

“It’s alright.”

Ulan replied as he shrugged, as though there were no need for concern. Then he stated confidently.

“That thing is on our side.”

No sooner had Ulan’s words ended than the dazzling white light rapidly took shape. Moments later, it transformed into a massive wolf with pure white fur and ruby-red eyes.

[Grrrr!]

The wolf grinned wide, showing its teeth.

In front of Ulan was a swirling tail.

It was none other than the White Wolf.

Chapter 30. If the tail is long, it’s destined to be stepped on.

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