Chapter 158

(1)

1.

The Trial of the Hero bestowed upon Delia.

The moment Ulan stepped beyond that entrance, the world around him changed rapidly.

“What a mysterious place.”

A dreamy world filled with light.

Ulan, having uttered a brief impression, took a step forward. Before long, a massive door blocked his path.

This must be the gateway Noa mentioned earlier.

As he approached the door, writing appeared on its previously blank surface.

“Unauthorized visitor.”

“This place is not for you.”

“Yet if you dare to challenge, answer this.”

“What is magic to you?”

Letters sparkling softly like starlight.

It was the ancient fairy script. However, Ulan frowned and muttered.

“What does that mean?”

He had no clue what it said.

To him, it didn’t even look like writing.

It merely appeared as a bunch of squiggly lines and worms glowing in the dark.

But he didn’t need to worry. Noa had told him how to pass through this gateway.

“Physical strength.”

The simple solution hit him right away.

He immediately put it into action.

He wedged his finger into the gap of the door and pulled with all his might.

A little while later.

The iron door began to creak open.

*Creeeak!*

With a loud noise, thick veins popped out on his forearm. Moments later, the door, which seemed it would never open, swung wide.

Having solved the problem with sheer strength.

He walked straight through the door.

Yet at that moment, a sudden mist surged up and enveloped the surroundings.

“What’s this?”

Without a moment to be startled, the space around him transformed. The scenery changed dramatically.

A dark, fog-filled area.

Towering walls shot up around him, reaching towards the skies.

“This must be…”

Likely the maze Noa had spoken of.

After looking around, he realized every path was tangled like a spider’s web.

Coming to grips with his situation.

He recalled Noa’s words once again.

“Getting through a maze is simple if you know how. Just move east, following the right wall, and you’ll find the exit.”

Right wall, and east.

Remembering these two bits of information, Ulan placed his hand on the wall. But just a moment later, he found himself unable to take another step.

“Wait, but where’s east?”

In a space without a hint of wind.

With the sun, the moon, and even stars completely out of sight, the sky was pitch black. How was he supposed to determine direction here?

Not only that.

He couldn’t tell if the wall he was touching was the right or left wall. If he turned around, it could easily change.

“Hmmm.”

Ulan’s brow furrowed deeply.

Faced with a problem he hadn’t anticipated.

What now? As he sat down and pondered, something suddenly crossed his mind.

“Now that I think about it…”

There was a similar situation in the past.

Of course, it wasn’t exactly like this, but he had once been isolated in a maze-like area.

During the midterm period, when he took the practical exam for Practical Hunting. Specifically, when attacked by the Abyss Worshippers.

He remembered the dense fog that suddenly appeared and turned the forest into a maze.

“Back then, Noa gave me a solution too.”

A somewhat complicated solution.

But Ulan didn’t follow it. Instead, he came up with a simpler and surer method.

To simply get rid of the forest itself.

If he could cut down all the trees and trample the underbrush, the maze would naturally vanish. Having completed that line of thought, he looked around.

“…….”

The towering walls.

As he sat quietly observing them, he couldn’t help but think they resembled trees.

After a moment, Ulan made his decision.

“Let’s smash it.”

Just like he had done in the forest last time.

If he destroyed everything without leaving anything behind, he would surely find the exit. Taking out his axe, Ulan took a deep breath and braced himself.

*BOOOM! CRASH!*

The collapse of the maze began.

2.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Delia, who had fallen into the maze a step ahead of Ulan, managed to find the exit.

Thanks to spotting the path to the exit through the eyes of a watcher. Soon, relief escaped her lips.

“Hah.”

She was currently drained from fatigue.

Having faced countless monsters while escaping the maze. But before she could catch her breath, a sudden thick mist surged up.

A phenomenon she was now familiar with.

Delia waited with an impassive face for the surroundings to change. At the same time, she recalled those who had ambushed her earlier.

“Who could they be?”

She thought of anyone who would want to target her, but no particular suspects came to mind.

Especially in the Arpen Duchy.

As she continued to sift through her memories.

“……Ah.”

One name suddenly popped into her head.

A few months ago.

Those who had suddenly targeted her life.

“Abyss Worshippers.”

Now that she thought about it, those Abyss Worshippers had worn gray robes as well. The coincidental commonality made Delia’s eyes coldly snap.

However, not all her questions were answered.

They acted as if they knew she would come here today and enter this enigmatic place.

“Ugh.”

Her brows crinkled in response to the ongoing questions.

Shortly after, she cleared her mind of all her doubts. She figured they were questions she wouldn’t be able to resolve for now.

Just then, the haze that engulfed the room lifted entirely.

“Where is this…?”

Once more, the surroundings shifted.

The towering walls had vanished without a trace, replaced by a massive bookshelf.

Watching this scene unfold, the first word that popped into Delia’s mind slipped from her lips.

“Library?”

Just like that, the bookshelf was overflowing with countless books. As she briefly browsed through the collection, Delia pulled out a few volumes.

She thought she could understand what this place was by reading a bit. Thus, she opened a random page around the middle and started reading.

“—As much as I longed for adventure, my twin brother wandered across the continent early on. One day, he sent me news.”

“He had found a special being.”

Since she opened it from the middle, she had no clue about the prior or subsequent contents. Conversely, Delia flipped through the pages as if the details didn’t matter.

“His name is Kazan Rudrik.”

“Said to be a human born in the desert.”

“Honestly, I was surprised. I never thought my brother would take an interest in a short-lived species. But it seems he chose to stay by his side.”

The mention of “short-lived species” made Delia’s eyes shine with interest.

That meant the author was probably not one of them.

“After a rather long time for a fleeting moment, she returned from her wanderings, appearing a little strange.”

“I doubted she was the person I knew. When I asked what had happened, her answer was always the same.”

“That she had seen the end of the far future.”

“That we must stop the ‘Abyss’—.”

“Abyss?”

Her eyes widened at the unexpected word “Abyss.” As she turned the page with questions swirling in her mind, she soon reached the last page.

“The day after she ended her cryptic words, my brother left home once again to begin wandering.”

“At this time, I did not know the nature of the end she had seen. If I had known the truth a bit sooner, I could have helped her.”

The content of the book ended there.

Delia flipped to the next volume, but unfortunately, the content did not continue. It was filled only with mundane daily records and idle chatter.

Soon after.

After reading dozens of additional books, she finally realized the true identity of the stored volumes.

“A diary.”

Just a collection of daily recordings.

Some were dated, and some weren’t; but it was undoubtedly a diary.

And one more thing.

She recognized a peculiar fact.

“They were all written by one person.”

The consistency in handwriting was evidence of that.

To realize that this enormous number of books was merely the diary of one individual was mind-blowing. At that moment, a conjecture flickered in her mind.

“That means…”

The author of the diary was not human.

It was an obvious guess.

Just looking at the number of books, it seemed they had been written over several hundred years. Also, her earlier surprise at the mention of “short-lived species” added to this notion.

Based on all these clues.

Delia formulated a hypothesis about the author’s identity.

“A long-lived species.”

Beings that live for hundreds of years or more.

Familiars, phantoms, spirits, and fairies all fit into that category. Delia, being a half-human and half-fairy, also belonged to the long-lived species.

Also, considering that most of the writings in the diary were in the ancient fairy script, it was reasonable to assume that the author was a fairy.

“How interesting.”

Currently, little written record from fairies remains. Yet here lay an astonishing number of diaries stored away.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

As a mage pursuing the truth, her curiosity was piqued. Just as she was about to reach out for another book,

*WHOOSH! KABOOM!*

A sudden massive explosion erupted.

The abrupt blast engulfed both the bookshelf and Delia, followed by a series of chain explosions that rocked the area.

After what felt like a long time.

A group emerged from the library entrance. Dozens of wizards clad in gray robes. They were the culprits behind the explosion.

*Thud! Thud!*

As debris fell and dust rose into the air.

Suddenly, a strong wind arose, instantly blowing away the cloud of dust surrounding them.

“Hah.”

Following the dust storm, Delia appeared.

She emerged unscathed, thanks to her preparations in case of sudden attacks after the first ambush.

After letting out a brief sigh, she glared at the encircling wizards and asked.

“Who are you guys?”

“…….”

There was no answer.

Just then, someone stepped forward from among the wizards. A swordsman wearing a white mask. It was the same one who had targeted Delia’s neck during the initial ambush.

He silently tossed something toward her.

A thick leather pouch. What spilled out contained countless fingers.

The fingers shared one thing in common.

They were all index fingers, and without exception, each was adorned with a green ring.

“This is…?”

Delia instantly recognized who the fingers belonged to. Only the Rangers of the Duchy wore green rings on their index fingers.

At that moment, her gaze turned icy.

A sharp ambush was launched.

*WHOOSH!*

A slicing strike cutting through the air. The masked swordsman once again targeted Delia but failed.

In that split second, a protective spell, a type of celestial barrier, enveloped Delia.

“……”

Realizing the attack had failed, he quickly retreated, and without a blink, Delia replied.

“A mere sight like this won’t rattle me.”

Those from Arpen are no strangers to death.

She had been raised seeing gruesomely mutilated corpses since childhood. She wasn’t so weak as to be shaken by mere fingers.

However, she couldn’t suppress the rising fury.

“Don’t ever think of making it back, alive.”

She intended to make them pay dearly for touching the Rangers of Arpen.

With a killer instinct in her gaze.

One of the Abyss Worshippers encircling Delia had their head explode. The result of a celestial magic was instant.

“One down.”

At Delia’s murmured signal.

All suspected sorcerers among the worshippers began chanting spells in unison.

“―――.”

In battles between mages, there are many considerations.

Knowing the attributes and respective weaknesses predominantly utilized by the opponent is basic yet crucial, as is predicting what type of magic they might cast.

But Delia was an exception.

She could see mana.

Consequently, all forms of magic that the Abyss Worshippers were conjuring were systematically dismantled.

“……!”

“W-What the…?”

For the first time, a voice of surprise escaped their lips.

And there was one more thing.

They were unaware of something.

In battles among mages, there exists a simple winning method that does not require considering attributes or predicting spells.

“Speed.”

If one can rapidly implement the process of constructing spells and infusing them with mana, they can overwhelm the battle regardless of any weaknesses.

This was Delia’s specialty.

Thus, without giving the sorcerers a chance to regroup, she completed her offensive spell.

“Meteor’s Flash.”

A five-star celestial magic.

An area spell that starts with a bolt of starlight striking a specific target and results in widespread devastation.

*RUMBLE! KABOOM!*

The area was trampled as if hit by an explosive force.

Delia guessed that at least half were taken out. Yet, reality was different from her expectations.

“Only two down?”

The only ones turned to charcoal were two.

The rest were singed but otherwise intact, indicating there were powerful mages capable of halting such a robust spell.

While pondering this, the mystery was quickly revealed.

*Gooorrrk!*

One of the worshippers’ bodies turned to jelly and collapsed. The very moment Delia witnessed this, she realized the reason they were able to withstand the Meteor’s Flash.

“Forbidden magic.”

Magic using body parts.

Or magic involving humans as materials.

The moment she understood the horrific nature of this magic, she was certain of the identity of her foes.

“Abyss Worshippers!”

As her inference turned into certainty.

Suddenly, the masked swordsman sprang into action.

With a flurry of relentless strikes directed at Delia, she immediately summoned the celestial barrier once more, and in that fleeting moment, the Abyss Worshippers unleashed their magic.

After a series of intense battles.

Delia’s expression grew increasingly strained.

No matter how much time passed, there seemed to be no end to the fight.

“As I wish….”

She wanted to use her Meteor spell to wipe out the horde instantly, but that was impossible.

There was but one reason. The masked swordsman continued to look for an opening to launch his attacks.

“So annoying.”

Of course, eliminating the masked swordsman first would resolve many of the issues, but that was easier said than done.

Presumably, he was an Expert level fighter.

Absolutely not an easy opponent.

If only she had even one ally to buy her some time.

“Like Ulan, for example…”

But that was just wishful thinking.

He couldn’t possibly be present in a place like this. Hence, Delia shook off her distractions and refocused her concentration on the battle.

How long had passed since then?

With time slipping away, her anxiety grew.

She thought she had defeated quite a number of the worshippers since their initial clash, yet more than half remained.

“At this rate…”

The chances of losing the battle were significant.

Her mana was running low, barely at 30%.

As she silently bit her lips, she noticed the Abyss Worshippers gathering together to chant their spell.

“I can’t just let this happen.”

So she immediately aimed to disrupt their magical performance.

But that proved impossible.

“Huh?”

In a moment of surprise, just as she was about to try again.

She suddenly felt an unknown sensation climbing up her leg. A rather large and hard insect crawling around her body, causing an unpleasant feeling.

Soon, Delia realized what it was and widened her eyes in shock.

“This, this is…!”

To cut to the chase, it was not an insect.

It was the fingers of the Rangers she saw in the leather pouch earlier.

Several dozen fingers clung to Delia’s body like living creatures, rapidly absorbing her mana.

“Uugh!”

A wave of dizziness hit her.

As her concentration faltered, the mana forming the celestial barrier scattered.

A gap formed in an instant.

The masked swordsman didn’t miss the opportunity.

“……!”

In that brief moment, he lunged with a terrifying speed. Realizing it too late, Delia scrambled to cast a defensive spell.

However, it was futile.

“My mana…!”

She had almost none left.

Naturally, the spell couldn’t be completed, and in the meantime, the blade was already upon her. At that moment, she felt the scent of death in the air.

*CLANG!*

The blade harmlessly bounced off.

As if blocked by an invisible barrier.

Not only that, but the fingers feasting on her mana fell to the ground all at once, quivering as though they were electrocuted.

With this sudden turn of events.

Something entered Delia’s view.

“……Talisman?”

Suddenly appearing talismans embedded in the air.

What is this? Could it be that Noa secretly placed more talismans for her? As that doubt sprouted, the masked swordsman stepped back.

Then he pointed towards a corner of the library.

“What the hell?”

As if there was someone over there.

Yet, no answer came.

Instead, the ground suddenly turned swampy. Then, talismans filled with flames erupted from all sides, incinerating two of the worshippers in the process.

A new enemy emerged.

Realizing the situation, the Abyss Worshippers immediately regrouped. Among them, she spotted someone emerging through the darkness.

A ghostly blue flame flickered in the dark.

Soon after, the figure spoke.

“Have you ever heard this saying?”

“……What?”

“The protagonist always appears last.”

That voice felt strangely familiar.

Just as she considered where she might have heard it, Delia’s eyes widened.

The moment the figure emerged from the darkness, she recognized who it was.

“I came to help, Delia.”

A girl appearing wrapped in countless talismans.

Noa Darshen smiled brightly.