Chapter 75

(5)

10.

The split corpse of Quint.

The body, divided in two, began to crumble as if it were about to fall apart. Gushing out its crimson entrails and bodily fluids.

Along with that, numerous eyeballs that were hanging from its neck rolled onto the floor.

Thud! Clatter!

The demon eyes scattered like marbles.

Among them was one that allowed vision into the future up to five seconds ahead, but Ulan turned away as if he had no interest.

‘That makes a total of six.’

With that, all the Abyss Worshippers that Noa had mentioned were taken care of without leaving a single one behind.

Still, it was no time to let his guard down.

He activated a search to prepare for any possible enemies. Fortunately, no significant presence was felt, and only then did he relax his vigilance.

After shaking off the blood and flesh stuck to his axe, Ulan headed straight for Delia.

Delia lay sprawled on the body of the White Wolf.

She was completely still, without a hint of movement.

“Has she lost consciousness?”

It was likely that she had relaxed from sheer relief.

The magic shock might have played a part too.

Fortunately, her breathing and pulse were normal, so Ulan let out a sigh of relief.

“No choice then.”

He grabbed the nape of Delia’s neck.

Then, he immediately hoisted her onto his shoulders. Given her small and light frame, it was hardly a strain at all.

“Now then….”

What should I do next?

With the Abyss Worshippers gone, it was safe to assume that all threats had been eliminated.

Should I just head back to the Academy?

Or should I find Professor Stella first and join the other students?

As he pondered his options, a sudden sound shattered his thoughts.

Chomp chomp! Slurp!

It was the sound made by the White Wolf.

The creature was mindlessly gobbling something up.

What in the world is it eating?

Momentarily curious, Ulan glanced over and frowned. He immediately realized what it was.

It was munching on eyeballs—the very demon eyes that Quint had worn around his neck.

To be precise, it was sucking out only the power and mana from the demon eyes while spitting out the eyeballs.

“Is that tasty?”

[Grrr!]

The White Wolf seemed to laugh in affirmation.

A short while later.

After finishing its meal, the White Wolf suddenly perked up its pointy ears. Then it faded back into the shadows around Ulan.

Simultaneously, Ulan sensed a familiar presence approaching from a distance.

Soon, he heard a recognizable voice.

“Ulan!”

With green hair and yellow eyes.

It was Professor Stella.

As she pushed her way through the bushes, her eyes widened in surprise. It was because she spotted Delia sprawled across Ulan’s shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

“Is, is Delia okay? Did she get hurt badly?!”

“She just lost consciousness.”

“Really? Phew, what a relief.”

Stella was genuinely relieved.

However, that relief was short-lived.

“But this isn’t the time for that! We need to hurry to the Academy and request backup!”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

“What? Didn’t Delia tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“That the monsters and illusions that appeared in the forest were all because of the Abyss Worshippers’ attack….”

Just as she continued speaking in a hurried tone, Stella suddenly fell silent.

She couldn’t help but. She finally witnessed the scene stretching out behind Ulan’s shoulder.

“……!”

A battlefield filled with blood and corpses.

The wizards presumed to be Abyss Worshippers all bore decapitated heads or split bodies.

As she stared blankly at the scene, Ulan quietly interjected.

“The Abyss Worshippers are no longer here.”

Somehow, that response felt eerie.

However, it also sounded like a proclamation that all threats had been eliminated.

Just like that, with that straightforward voice, the hellish night came to an end.

11.

The following day, after dawn.

The hunting exam was promptly suspended.

Simultaneously, Arsen Academy, having received Stella’s report, was utterly thrown into chaos.

And who could blame them?

The sudden attack by the Abyss Worshippers, along with the revelation that their objective was to abduct students, complicated matters further.

Following that, an investigation team was dispatched to assess the situation, and soon the damage from the previous night was tallied.

There were a total of five fatalities.

All were members of the Special Operations Division tasked with guarding the students.

Fortunately, there were no student casualties. Most had merely lost consciousness or were tied up on the outskirts of the forest.

Perhaps it was for this reason?

The incident was publicly announced as one where the Special Operations Division had risked their lives against the Abyss Worshippers in order to ensure the students’ safety.

Of course, this was untrue.

The real hero who faced off against the Abyss Worshippers was none other than Ulan. However, in the Academy’s Military Department, they intentionally concealed the truth.

The reason was simple.

Revealing Ulan’s true abilities would cause difficulties in many ways. Thankfully, there were few witnesses, making it easy to fabricate the lies.

After concluding the false announcement.

The dean of the Military Department, Berge Erkazhan, let out a weary sigh.

“Hoo.”

It was a discomforting feeling.

Even if it was for the Empire and the military, it was an undeniable fact that they had stolen Ulan’s achievements.

While he was lost in thought, the middle-aged knight with blue hair guarding Berge suddenly spoke up.

“Don’t worry too much, Your Excellency.”

“……Sir Seoric.”

“If the day comes when Ulan stands with the Empire, I’m sure he will understand that this was all for a greater cause.”

Seoric Al Gorphant.

One of the Empire’s Five Swords.

With his words of comfort, Berge still wore an expression that hadn’t completely shaken off its gloom.

“I hope so….”

“It will surely be so.”

Seoric chuckled warmly.

Was it thanks to his comfort? The troubled emotions reflected on Berge’s face seemed to have dwindled considerably.

After a moment, Berge turned to look at Seoric.

As if something he had forgotten came to mind.

“……By the way, are you not returning to the front lines?”

After finishing his duel with Ulan last month, unlike Count Deorg, who returned to their fief, Seoric remained at the Academy.

Now that he was near the capital, he figured he could afford to take a little more time off. At that, Berge couldn’t help but chuckle at Seoric’s words.

“The West is running fine without me.”

“You sound just like Istan.”

Masters sure are all obsessed with fighting.

Just as Berge looked at Seoric with a resigned expression, this time Seoric initiated the conversation.

“By the way, Your Excellency.”

“……What is it?”

“Is Ulan’s recruitment operation still ongoing?”

The moment the word “recruitment” was mentioned, Seoric’s gaze turned sharp.

“You can’t hide the dagger tucked in your pocket forever. I think it’s best to integrate him into the Empire’s ranks as soon as possible….”

“Hoo, I would like to do that as well.”

Berge sighed.

It was as if he was venting his frustration.

“But as you know, the military doesn’t currently have the capacity. Especially since Prince Chartang made a decision at this precise moment.”

“He said this fall, right?”

“Yes, right around the start of the second semester.”

Berge nodded.

Seoric’s expression stiffened in response.

“Looks like a storm is brewing within the Imperial Family.”

“What are you acting surprised for? It’s always been the case whenever the Empire undergoes a change of rulers.”

Unlike Seoric, who wore a serious expression, Berge burst into a dry laughter that revealed no emotion.

A moment later, Berge naturally shifted the topic elsewhere.

“Speaking of which, if you have nothing pressing to do here, I could use your help with some concerns.”

“What kind of concerns?”

“About the reward for Ulan.”

“Reward?”

Seoric’s eyes widened in surprise.

It seemed he hadn’t expected such a response.

“In a sense, this incident has stolen credit from the Special Operations Division, hasn’t it? So once things settle down, I plan to grant him a suitable reward.”

This was a kind of consideration for Ulan.

At the same time, it was an attempt to alleviate some discomfort. Seoric responded as if questioning why such a straightforward matter needed to be addressed.

“Why not just ask him directly?”

“What? Directly?”

“Yes, while also figuring out if he has any desires or personal goals he wants to pursue.”

At this point, Berge’s eyes lit up. He had grasped what Seoric was getting at.

“I see. If I can understand his purpose….”

“It can be used as a resource for future recruitment.”

Seoric grinned. Berge did the same.

It was a good plan, in his opinion.

Just as the laughter waned.

Seoric began to speak again.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll take responsibility for this.”

“Hmm? You?”

“Yes, I have a few ideas in mind.”

Seoric’s eyes sparkled.

As if he had come up with a clever strategy.

12.

That evening, after the official announcement from the Military Department.

Ulan visited a café with Noa.

It was to express his gratitude to Noa, who had forewarned him about the threats via prophecy. Plus, he wanted to share the events that had unfolded in the forest.

How much time had passed?

“This is what happened in the forest.”

At long last, the lengthy tale came to an end.

From the assault of six Abyss Worshippers to the bizarre illusions that emerged—all was revealed. As Ulan spoke, Noa wore a tense expression and fidgeted.

“S-so what happened to the Abyss Worshippers….”

“They were all taken out.”

Ulan answered nonchalantly.

Noa gulped audibly.

And who could blame her?

According to the original story, the six Abyss Worshippers were all high-ranking mages or above.

‘And you handled them all? All without sustaining a scratch?’

Noa looked at Ulan with newfound respect. Truly, he was not just any master. Internally, she let out a sigh of relief.

‘Thank goodness.’

With Ulan’s intervention, Delia had undoubtedly avoided a death branch point.

For the duration leading up to the Trial of the Hero, Delia would have no death branch point.

Just as she was relieved with this fact.

“Ulan!”

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out.

A light blonde girl came running in, breathless.

It was Ivella Elea’ad.

She appeared flustered, as if she had heard some news. She hurriedly approached and began inspecting Ulan closely.

“A-are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine.”

“Really? Phew, what a relief.”

Ivella genuinely expressed her relief.

After taking a moment to catch her breath, she hurriedly explained why she had dashed over.

“I just happened to overhear the Military Department’s announcement. I heard something about the Abyss Worshippers attacking the Northern Forest….”

That was why she was worried and sought Ulan out.

Just as she was explaining, Noa chuckled, as if dismissing her concerns.

“What’s there to worry about? Ulan is a master, after all.”

“That’s true, but I didn’t think of that when I actually heard it. I’m just so glad you’re okay.”

Ivella smiled brightly.

Ulan too smiled silently. He could feel the heartfelt concern in her words.

As the conversation began to wrap up, Noa suddenly noticed something.

“Hmm? What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s a letter from my mom.”

Ivella spilled out a considerable pile of letters she had pulled from her pocket onto the table. Quite a few; there were even more than ten.

After a moment, she hung her head low.

“……There’s also a letter from the Count.”

Her voice was a whisper, as if embarrassed.

But that was short-lived, as Ivella suddenly pulled out one letter and handed it over to Ulan without preamble.

“Here, take this.”

Caught off guard, Ulan accepted the letter.

He cocked his head in confusion.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

“Because it’s a letter addressed to you.”

“To me?”

He examined the envelope, looking puzzled.

Sure enough, the name was written on it. It was addressed to Ulan, with the sender being Istan El Deorg.

One of the Empire’s Five Swords and Ivella’s father who had lost to Ulan in their duel last month.

Why on earth did this guy send me a letter?

Curiosity suddenly piqued within him.

“Can I read it?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

As soon as the permission was granted.

Ulan immediately tore open the envelope. But as he pulled out the letter, his expression froze.

It was quite thick.

Maybe it was made of heavy paper, he thought. But that assumption quickly crumbled. It was just ordinary paper—seven sheets packed inside.

Gulp!

Ulan gulped down a lump in his throat involuntarily.

He briefly unfolded the letter and then closed it again. That was because the writing filled the paper in tiny letters.

Just at that moment.

Swoosh!

Ulan quickly shoved the letter back into the envelope.

Ivella looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Hmm? Aren’t you going to read it?”

“I’ll read it slowly later.”

If I read it fully, it might take a week.

Maybe even longer.

As he slipped the letter into his pocket.

Ding! Dong!

The sound of the clock tower in the plaza chimed.

It was the sound signaling that all classes for the day had concluded, and it marked exactly six o’clock in the evening.

The moment he heard the chime.

Ulan jumped up from his seat.

“I’ll take my leave first.”

“Huh? Are you leaving already?”

Ivella asked, taken aback.

She looked somewhat disappointed, for they had only just reunited and she wanted to talk more.

“Do you have something to take care of?”

“I need to stop by the hospital.”

“Ah, to see Delia?”

As Noa pointed out, Delia was currently hospitalized in the Military Department’s comprehensive ward.

Due to the magic shock and magic exhaustion from excessive use of mana, she had been diagnosed to stay in the ward for at least a week.

However, that wasn’t Ulan’s reason for visiting.

“No, they asked me to come in for an examination.”

“Huh? An examination?”

“What kind of examination? Didn’t you say you weren’t hurt?”

Noa and Ivella looked shocked.

Facing the two girls, Ulan explained the reason for his upcoming examination.

Abyss Worshippers were deranged folks who employed forbidden magic with tainted mana.

Therefore, there was a possibility that he might have been affected by the contaminated mana, so they sent a notification for a thorough inspection.

Once Ulan finished his explanation, the two girls finally understood.

“Uhm, if that’s the case, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Take care, Ulan.”

Ivella waved goodbye with a bittersweet smile.

Receiving their farewells, Ulan turned away.

He headed towards the comprehensive ward of the Military Department.