Chapter 65: Act 1 – The Burning City
Koo-oo…
A tremendous roar echoed in all directions. Upon hearing the grating sound, reminiscent of an unpleasant siren, I raised my head to locate its source.
A colossal creature with a pitch-black body was gliding effortlessly through the skies. Its crimson eyes remained fixed upon me, and I gritted my teeth at the sight of its wailing form.
‘That thing.’
The situation was identical to the one from before.
I’d been unsure until moments ago, but after witnessing Yurph shove me aside and be engulfed in its stead, I was certain.
It was targeting me directly, much like the calamity-grade monster during the Hunting Festival. I glared at the whale, my lips pressed tightly together.
The paralyzing effect had worn off long ago, but with the creature soaring so high, I had no idea how to rescue Yurph.
Kal, standing idly beside me, was in a state of panic, repeatedly uttering incoherent noises—”Uh, uh”—as he struggled to regain composure.
Sibley crossed his arms and stared quietly at the whale before finally speaking.
[Ever heard of the Forgetting Whale?]
The Forgetting Whale.
A monstrous being located in the Forest of Oblivion, located to the north of Numen Castle State. This beast is so enormous it could swallow an entire fortress whole.
Anyone who breathes in the smoke it exhales loses their memories. The so-called “Forgetting Incense,” commonly used by covert assassination groups, is made from this very smoke.
[And it’s also one of the reasons why the spirits were driven out of this world.]
Once upon a time, the Forest of Oblivion was teeming with spirits. They frequently communicated with the elves living nearby, until the emergence of the Forgetting Whale forced them to flee.
Many spirits that escaped into the Spirit Realm harbored resentment toward this very whale.
Sibley also appeared to have no fond memories of it, judging by the way he clenched his teeth.
“Uh, how is it here?”
“They said only monsters from another dimension were appearing. What’s going on?”
“Hmph. Damn. I felt uneasy even before we set out.”
“Yurph? Could she…?”
Anxiety-fueled discussions began spreading among the Holy Knights.
Some were visibly terrified, gasping for breath. Others clenched their teeth in fury, glaring with intense anger.
Bu-oo-oo…
The whale let out a peculiar roar and opened its enormous mouth wide.
The Forgetting Whale’s crimson eyes began to glow, and a gray mist started to spout out from its gaping jaws.
What initially looked like it would disperse around the creature was already closing in at an alarming rate, nearly upon us.
At the sight, both the Holy Knights and our own knights were taken aback.
“Forgetting Incense! Be careful with your breathing!”
“Shit, how are we supposed to block this?”
With the appearance of this near-disaster-level creature, the rising morale plummeted instantly.
I was similarly confused, shaken by the loss of Yurph in the recent attack, and my mind wasn’t functioning properly.
All I could do was grit my teeth to keep from losing my mind.
Chaos dominated the battlefield. Though everyone was skilled, avoiding a collective panic, most were still in confusion over what to do.
Amidst the turmoil, Abel approached me. With a calm expression, he glanced at me before turning his attention to the Forgetting Whale.
“What do you want to do?”
“Huh?”
Despite my query, Abel remained silent, his gaze fixed on the whale as it emitted the gray mist.
His eyes showed no trace of anger or panic.
He waited silently for my response.
What do I want to do?
More than anything, I wanted to save Yurph immediately, but I had no idea how.
How could I rescue her from this living natural disaster? Even unleashing powerful winds wouldn’t do more than tickle something of this size.
And there was no guarantee that we could deal effective damage from close range either.
‘Does there exist a way?’
Moments of Yurph’s final smile before shoving me appeared in my mind, followed immediately by the image of her being swallowed whole by the Forgetting Whale’s mouth.
I clenched my teeth, and then a thought occurred to me.
‘It’s not impossible. There’s definitely a way.’
The common method used to fight giant monsters: if external damage isn’t working, you infiltrate it internally to do harm.
Though risky, it was the only viable option available.
“Abel, please open that beast’s mouth.”
“Hoh, quite an aggressive tone there.”
With a smirk, Abel opened a subspace portal and rummaged inside, producing a staff.
The staff, made of what looked like beech wood, had a radiant white gemstone embedded at the top.
It was clearly not an ordinary staff.
Abel, gripping the staff firmly, started channeling mana, a smile playing on his lips.
“Guess it suits me.”
Finishing his statement, he raised the staff high, swinging it like a conductor’s baton.
A massive magic circle started to form in the sky above the whale.
Koo-oo…
Startled by the sudden appearance of the magic circle above it, the whale flailed in midair.
Despite its attempts to rise higher and escape the circle’s confines, the magic acted like a wall, trapping the creature.
A thunderous crash echoed as the creature groaned in agony.
“Hmph. Where do you think you’re going?”
Clasping his other hand, Abel took in a deep breath and then clenched his fist again.
Instantly, the gigantic magic circle above the whale started descending rapidly toward the ground.
Kwoaah!
BOOM!
Crying out in terror, the whale plummeted to the ground, landing close to where I stood. It continued its anguished cries.
Staring at the scene, Abel flicked his fingers, producing a snapping sound. The whale’s mouth began to open wider—unlike anything we’d seen before.
As if someone was forcibly prying its jaw, a deafening cry escaped the creature.
Koo-ooaa!
Even though the gray mist partially obscured my view, Abel showed no signs of hesitation, continuing his assault with the white magic circle surrounding the creature.
Though slightly out of breath, Abel still seemed calm.
“Will it suffice?”
Nodding at Abel’s inquiry, I clenched my rapier tightly, the image of Yurph’s last smile still in my mind.
“Yes, that should be plenty.”
I stepped into the whale’s gaping mouth, determined to strike from within and ultimately rescue Yurph.
Sibley looked at me with concern and asked,
[Are you sure? Do you need his help?]
“Yeah. This time, I want to do it myself.”
It might be impossible.
The Forgetting Whale was known to be a calamity-grade monster. It was hard to believe that no one had thought of this method before.
If someone had, this monster wouldn’t have survived for hundreds of years.
Still, I had enough confidence to at least rescue Yurph even in the worst-case scenario.
I didn’t want to rely on others to flee or ask Abel for help. Sibley, seeming to understand my thoughts, chuckled and nodded.
[Alright. If that’s what the contractor desires.]
“Let’s go.”
“Right.”
And so, Sibley and I entered the belly of the Forgetting Whale.
—
The Forgetting Whale.
The very first monster that caused Abel’s defeat in the original story. Though overconfidence was partially at fault, the sheer power of this creature was the main reason.
Even now, as I try to restrain it, I feel the immense difficulty of the task.
If I, who’ve reached a higher level than the original story, find it challenging, how much more daunting must it be for the Holy Knights?
Koo-oo…
The whale emitted another wave of mist.
“…Huh, so this is how it plans to attack?”
Even during the extermination operation, the emperor’s intentions were unclear. But if the whale had specifically targeted Adelle, it fits now.
Looking at the large red seal carved onto the whale’s back,
‘There must not be many here who can see it. That’s why the emperor kept sending this monster to attack the Castle State.’
It must explain why there’s been an unusually high number of casualties in the Castle State—it’s because the emperor’s been using this monster as a pawn.
‘Guess even monsters can have seals on them.’
Clucking my tongue, I forcefully closed the whale’s mouth. Its cries of pain echoed from within, and the creature began thrashing violently.
“Need assistance?”
Turning around, I saw the Pope staring coldly at me. The usual kind smile was nowhere to be seen; his eyes blazed with fiery determination.
Oh, right. He also cared deeply for Yurph. His unusual anger must have been due to her situation.
Still amused by his ever-caring nature, I addressed him.
“Surely you didn’t plan on standing by with your hands in your sleeves even now, did you?”
“Permit me some cheek back. Of course not.”
He retrieved a staff and struck the ground. A deep rumbling resonated, signaling the rise of his divine power.
“Hmph. Just as expected.”
The form of a giant, powered by divine energy, emerged before him. Even without his original divine power source, his strength was impressive.
The emperor’s reluctance to go against the Pope made sense now.
“Enough talk. Let’s move.”
With the Pope’s command, the giant took a step forward.
—
