Chapter 204: Turning Point (4)
Only after facing Anguster’s corpse did I understand why Windy May had shown such a reluctant, even repulsed reaction, saying it would be horrible to see.
His body, to be honest…
Even I, who had been through and seen all manner of things, couldn’t help but frown slightly at the horrific state it was in.
Yet the gazes of everyone present—including mine—weren’t fixed on Anguster’s body, but rather on someone else, standing beside the corpse as if supporting it.
The sound of a limping, dragging gait.
The figure approaching slowly along with it was nothing short of grotesque.
“Tch.”
Windy May let out a sigh.
“Do attackers all follow some unspoken rule or standard? Every single one of them always shows up with either those damned rags or a hood thrown over their heads. Seriously.”
Though she grumbled like a child, her eyes were more serious than ever.
She was deep in thought over one thing: why on earth Anguster’s corpse—something that should have been lying in a corner of her workshop—was here in the first place.
‘Surely……’
She recalled what I had told her not long ago.
That Jode, the one she had killed, had suddenly come back to life in the place where I had been.
But Windy May soon dismissed that theory.
The possibility was extremely low.
That left only two options.
Either Anguster had walked out of her workshop on his own—or that unidentified figure draped in rags, standing behind as if supporting the body, had carried him out.
‘Hah.’
When her thoughts reached that point, a chill ran down Windy May’s spine.
A small, dry laugh escaped her lips at the sensation crawling down her back.
Even if it was only a temporary workshop and not her main one, it was still a magician’s workshop.
She had layered it with all kinds of security and detection spells she’d learned directly from her master.
And yet not only had Anguster’s corpse left its place, but it had apparently been carried out of the Academy entirely without her—or anyone else—noticing?
Among those spells were even a few personally taught to her by Archmage Edas.
In other words, the opponent possessed skills capable of completely deceiving all those spells and the eyes of countless people.
‘At the very least, they’re above my level. Perhaps even equal to Master…… or maybe even the Grandmaster himself.’
Was such a skilled individual, whose name and identity she didn’t even know, still hiding somewhere?
A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips as she finished her thought.
“……It’s been a while.”
She felt a spark of competitive spirit.
Her blood boiled.
As Windy May lightly spread both her arms, swirling energy of different kinds began to gather in her hands.
“Lian, watch closely.”
She glanced at me as if to say, Take a good look.
“You might think it’s ironic……”
Windy May continued in a calm voice.
“But unlike you, who has talent, this is the result of someone without talent who has desperately polished themselves to reach this point. I’m sure it’ll help you greatly.”
It was the power she had once briefly shown me—her power as the Sky Guide.
I understood instantly what she meant.
“Need a hand?”
Urkubar, who had approached at some point, asked in a low voice.
Windy May scoffed and declined.
“No, thanks? Don’t go stealing a child’s precious fun and chance to learn just because you’re a clueless old man.”
“Hmph, by human standards, you’d already be old enough yourself.”
Urkubar shook his head in disbelief.
“……”
That’s when Junongren stepped forward.
Her eyes gleamed cold and fierce, as if contemplating exactly how to smash her opponent.
“Tsk.”
Windy May clicked her tongue as she looked at her.
“Sweetie, if you make a fuss and get yourself hurt, you’ll cry a lot. So why don’t you just stay back and quietly watch?”
“Don’t mock me, you filthy little mutt.”
Junongren growled in response.
“And if we’re just talking age, I’m older than you.”
She raised one hand, and her nails stretched out with a grating sound.
“And I came here in the first place to serve and assist the Elder. I can’t just stand still in a situation like this.”
Windy May shrugged, as if to say she couldn’t be bothered.
“Do as you please, then. I’ll take the front. You take the rear.”
“I was going to do that anyway…… but!”
Before Windy May could even finish speaking, Junongren sharply swung her hand toward the rear.
A chilling sound tore through the air.
Crack!
With a gruesome sound of something being crushed, another rag-covered figure who had been silently approaching was sent flying backward.
“……It’s fine to take off a limb or two, but don’t kill them.”
Absolutely not.
At Windy May’s suspiciously specific command, Junongren responded with a growl rather than words and immediately leapt at her target.
Shiiing.
In the meantime, I stepped up beside Windy May and drew my sword, just in case something happened.
Windy May only glanced at me briefly from the corner of her eye and said nothing more.
It was then.
The rag-covered figure supporting Anguster’s corpse stretched a hand toward us.
BOOOOM!
With a tremendous explosion, the ground rippled and shook violently.
Windy May easily dispelled the blast’s shockwave with a wave of her hand, but she couldn’t stop the thick smoke from filling our vision.
Shhhk!
Through the smoke, Anguster swung his axe at Windy May’s throat with unimaginable speed.
“……”
But Windy May didn’t even flinch.
She simply stood still.
Because I was beside her.
Clang!
I blocked Anguster’s axe with my sword as it flew toward Windy May’s neck.
Having fought him once before, I immediately noticed that his strength had become far greater than it was when he was alive.
“Hmph!”
Even so, I deftly pushed him back and readjusted my stance.
The difficulty in facing him hadn’t come from his brute strength, but from his experience and skill.
Immediately afterward, I concentrated divine power into my right arm and unleashed a sword strike.
A blow akin to a bolt of lightning.
Maybe because I had used it several times before, I had now reached a point where I could somewhat restrain its power.
Thwack.
Anguster’s body was cleaved cleanly in two—so effortlessly it was almost hollow.
The assailant who had been standing behind him threw himself to the side in a hurry to dodge my strike.
But by then, the opening to escape had already closed in completely without a sliver of space.
Clap!
As Windy May lightly clapped her hands, the assailant was slammed into the ground as if crushed by an invisible, enormous force.
A chilling sound of bones cracking and breaking.
It marked the end of the fight.
“Haaaap!”
Turning back, I saw that Junongren had also just finished her opponent—having sliced off their right arm with her claws, then pinned them down with her fist.
Say what you will, but it seemed she had indeed followed Windy May’s instructions not to kill.
I had also slightly adjusted the path of my sword, having heard her words beforehand.
“Well done.”
Windy May quietly placed a hand on my arm and cast a light healing spell.
Without saying another word, she then walked over to the rag-covered figure she had subdued.
Anguster’s corpse, lying crumpled nearby, didn’t earn even a glance.
“……”
She roughly grabbed the rags covering the collapsed assailant.
Once she saw the face revealed underneath, a faint sigh escaped her lips.
It was the kind of expression that said: I had prepared myself for this possibility… but the reality still hits harder than expected.
I stepped closer to her and looked down at the middle-aged man whose eyes had already lost focus, as if he were dead.
It was a face I had never seen before.
“Who is he?”
To my question, Windy May replied in a low voice.
“Aleph.”
She murmured the name with a sigh.
“He was a magician with a bright future ahead. Every debate with him was always refreshing and enjoyable… I wonder if I’ll ever find that kind of joy again.”
As she spoke, she began pulling back the cloth covering Aleph’s chest.
Beneath it, an iron needle of a strange shape was embedded in his chest.
“……Fool.”
Then Windy May told Junongren to bring over the other assailant she had taken down.
At her words, Junongren ground her teeth hard enough for the sound to be audible.
“How dare you, a lowly and filthy mutt, give orders to a noble and mighty dragon like me……!”
She muttered with a vicious tone, but obediently dragged over the subdued attacker and laid them before Windy May.
“As I suspected.”
Windy May confirmed the identity of the second attacker.
This time, it was a young woman with a rather gentle-looking face.
“Jemira.”
She softly whispered the woman’s name.
“You always cast magic in the most unconventional and inventive ways. Watching you always sparked new inspiration in me……”
Trailing off, Windy May checked the woman’s chest.
Just like Aleph, this magician named Jemira also had an iron needle lodged in her chest.
As I briefly turned my gaze away, I cautiously asked,
“……They seem like people you know. Are they from the Magic Tower, by any chance?”
Windy May nodded.
“Do you remember the sudden downpour on the day of the Academy’s entrance ceremony?”
“Yes, I do.”
I nodded despite the sudden question.
“These two were part of the investigation team looking into related incidents since then. They also regularly reported on the gathering and movement of dragons. Both were highly skilled and trustworthy magicians.”
Windy May murmured in a quiet voice.
“……So they’re declaring war, just like that.”
As she whispered, Urkubar approached her.
“You were hit first, I see.”
“Yes, it seems we’re two steps behind this time.”
Windy May gave a brief reply and nodded.
“We have to move immediately.”
Around that time, Cecilia was heading to the library to explain the situation.
Fortunately, she made it there without issue and was able to meet with Amaruah and Menoruka.
Cecilia quickly explained everything.
As she spoke, Amaruah remained composed, while Menoruka’s expression darkened subtly.
The moment they were about to head to the location I had mentioned…
At the very entrance of the library.
Someone stood there as if they had been waiting for them.
“……”
A man in a bizarre outfit we had never seen before.
A slightly outdated, ill-fitting suit.
Shoes stained and scuffed in several places.
But the strangest part was the mask—massive and heavy, covering not just his entire face but even his chest, resembling a knight’s helmet.
Because of it, not a single part of his real face could be seen.
“Greetings, lovely ladies.”
The man lowered his head slightly, as if meeting them for the first time.
“Forgive the abruptness, but I’ll get straight to the point, given the urgency.”
His gaze turned to Menoruka.
“Pardon me, young dragon lady.”
A low, gentle voice flowed from inside the mask.
“I would like to continue the conversation we started that day. Would you be so kind as to come with me?”