Chapter 205: Turning Point (5)
“This child already belongs to someone else.”
Amaruah murmured softly as she stepped forward.
Behind her, Menoruka stood with a puzzled expression, watching the masked man warily.
“……”
All the while, Cecilia had begun summoning her spirits in silence.
Particles of faint mana swirled and gathered around her.
Then, Menoruka quietly opened her mouth.
“……This humble one does not know who you are. It would be improper to follow someone I’m meeting for the first time. Moreover, I already have a prior engagement, so it is all the more impossible.”
At that, the masked man tilted his head slightly.
He, too, seemed just as puzzled as Menoruka.
“So you don’t remember me.”
A low and gentle voice slipped from beyond the mask.
“No, hmm... I see.”
He snapped his fingers lightly.
The sound rang out loud and clear through the library.
“In that case, I have no choice. I’ll have to take you by force.”
With those words, he suddenly slammed the long, slender staff he held into the ground.
It was then—
Kwa-rurururung!
Soon after, the library floor began to churn like a living creature.
Then it flipped over completely, surging toward the three of them like a massive tidal wave.
“Is there a bastard who’s never been taught manners? How dare you cause such chaos in someone else’s nest?!”
Seeing the library being destroyed before her eyes, Amaruah shouted furiously.
She swiftly swung her hand.
Then, as if time itself were rewinding, the rampaging floor of the library reversed its flow and began returning to its original state.
At the same moment, Amaruah charged at the masked man like a beast and threw a punch with all her might.
“Hrrmph!”
Kwaaang!
With a thunderous crash, the masked man was hurled outside, smashing through the front doors of the library.
But it wasn’t as though he had simply taken the attack without resistance.
Even as he flew through the air, a piece of black cloth slipped from his coat and squirmed like a living thing, shooting toward Cecilia and Menoruka.
“……I’m counting on you.”
At Cecilia’s whisper, the two spirits flanking her immediately revealed themselves.
A stag formed of ice, exhaling cold frost.
And a spirit shaped like a boar, spitting fierce flames.
The two spirits expelled wind-chilling frost and roaring fire, intercepting the incoming black cloth.
After a violent clash, the fluttering cloth suddenly halted midair and vanished without a trace.
“……Let’s go.”
Cecilia spoke to Menoruka, who stood there dazed.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep hiding in the library, but considering they had two dragons and a Spirit Sorcerer capable of summoning a Spirit King on their side…
Rather than hiding, it would be better to intercept the enemy and silence them.
Kwaang! Kaang!
By then, the masked man and Amaruah had already exchanged several fierce blows in the clearing in front of the library.
“Hmm.”
To be precise, the masked man was constantly retreating, evading her attacks, while Amaruah chased after him with relentless ferocity.
After a few exchanges, he seemed to have decided that a direct confrontation was disadvantageous.
“You leapt at me so boldly—what are you doing now, you filthy maggot?!”
“Indeed, it’s quite difficult to have a dignified conversation with someone so brutish.”
The masked man barely, sometimes narrowly, dodged Amaruah’s attacks.
Each time her strikes missed, they struck the surroundings, destroying everything and sending clouds of dust into the air with loud crashes.
“You were furious when the library was damaged, yet now you seem intent on turning the surroundings into a ruin?”
“……”
Amaruah ignored the provocation and continued to charge at him in silence.
Tak.
Tak, tak.
At that moment, amidst the roaring and dust, came the muffled yet rhythmic sound of hooves drawing closer.
By the time he noticed, the sound was already at his heels.
“Ah.”
Realizing something, the masked man glanced back.
Only then did he see it—a centauros with flowing blue hair had approached right before his eyes.
“……”
Without giving him any chance to react, Deiare swung her halberd.
The blade of the halberd, falling like lightning, sliced cleanly through the masked man’s neck like a guillotine.
Sseugeok.
A dull, heavy sound.
Then his head—or rather, the mask shaped like a helmet—was flung into the air and fell to the ground, rolling unceremoniously.
It all happened in an instant.
“What on earth……”
Deiare murmured in a low voice, retrieving her halberd.
But before she could finish speaking, she sensed something—and once again struck down at the headless corpse.
Sreeek.
Then, the headless body, as if it were alive, dodged the descending halberd with movements far too agile to be human.
It then pulled something from within its severed chest and slowly brought it to where its head should be.
A dazzling mask like one used at a masquerade ball.
“……”
The man holding the mask slowly turned his body to face Deiare.
“A centauros with blue hair… then you must be the famed Deiare.”
His voice was still low and gentle, but now carried a bizarre resonance.
He then looked back and forth between Amaruah and Cecilia, who had now exited the library and stood at the ready.
“And a dragon. And a student who can command high-ranking spirits. ……Hmm. That’s too much force for me to handle alone. Especially since I’m quite poor at fighting.”
Deiare ignored his nonchalant tone and asked in a businesslike manner.
“Is that all you have to say before you die?”
The masked man exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, since you’ve decided to hear my last words, would you mind listening just a bit longer?”
He continued without waiting for a response.
“To introduce myself briefly, I am a collector. And what I collect are none other than the stories of heroes.”
As he continued, a faint heat began to creep into his voice.
“Heroes.”
“Ah, what a sweet word. What use is a thousand blades?”
“Only the one who carries a single, burning sword in their heart can truly be called a hero. Stories of such heroes always make my heart race, stealing sleep from my nights. They make me restless, like a girl in love.”
“Anyway, as I went about collecting every kind of hero’s tale, I ended up gathering their belongings as well.”
Rambling like the lead actor in a play, he suddenly let out a sigh.
“In the end, that desire for possession reached toward the heroes themselves.”
“I do love a fully-fledged hero, but I also adore those who possess the seed and qualities of one.”
“And I’m quite fond of those who collapsed before ever becoming one.”
Yes.
For example…
“Someone like this?”
As he said that, he suddenly pulled a piece of black cloth from thin air and flung it to the ground.
Then, lifting the cloth again, just like a street magician’s trick, a young man had appeared in that very spot.
He gripped two swords tightly in both hands, brimming with fighting spirit—yet paradoxically, there was not a hint of life in his eyes.
A massive iron needle was deeply embedded in his chest.
“……Huh?”
At the sight of the young man, Deiare’s face stiffened in shock.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
“Ah. So you do recognize him.”
The masked man clapped once.
“That’s right. Your first disciple, the one you cast out.”
He continued his narration like a host at an event.
“Exiled to Prison Island to atone for his crimes, he ultimately met his death there. His body was even refused by the bereaved family. It was going to be discarded, so I paid a high price to acquire it. You didn’t know? Well, I did intercept the letter along the way, so I suppose you never received notice. Now then, this poor man who failed to become a hero and faded away—his name is…?!”
The masked man paused briefly and cleared his throat.
“……Apologies, but what was his name again? Honestly, he wasn’t that valuable a collectible, so I ended up forgetting…”
“You bastard…!”
Furious, Deiare roared and charged at him.
The young man with the swords moved without hesitation to intercept her, slashing at her with both blades.
Halberd versus twin swords.
As their weapons clashed, a chilling metallic sound rang out.
“I’ll kill you!!!”
“Hmm, sorry to spoil the mood, but that man is already dead, you know.”
The masked man shifted his gaze away from Deiare.
Now his eyes were only on Amaruah, Cecilia, and Menoruka.
“I’ve reduced one, but three is still a bit much to handle alone… Ah, pardon me. Two, I suppose.”
At the moment the masked man murmured those words—
A sharp scream burst from Menoruka, who had been standing behind them.
“A… Aaaah!”
The masked man tilted his mask toward her.
“Looks like the suggestion has worn off.”
He muttered as if delighted.
“So now you remember?”
“Ugh… Aah… Ah! N-No… this can’t be…!”
“Now then, my lady. Let’s go and finish the promise we couldn’t complete that day.”
Menoruka, paralyzed with fear, trembled violently, unable to say a word.
At that moment, Amaruah of Mossven charged at him again.
“Picking on a kid—how grown-up of you!”
The masked man spun swiftly, as if expecting her assault, and kicked her in the side.
But Amaruah, too, had anticipated his move. As she was kicked, she grabbed hold of his leg tightly.
“Hm.”
Without hesitation, he tore off his own leg and leapt back.
As he flicked his fingers, the leg piece Amaruah was holding exploded.
“Ugh…!”
Wincing at the shock of the blast, Amaruah staggered back.
Watching it all, Cecilia quietly whispered a single name.
“Taranis.”
At her call, a massive two-headed snake slowly revealed itself from behind her.
The Spirit King of Fire, Taranis.
The sheer pressure it exuded made everyone present instinctively tense.
“Ah.”
Especially the masked man—he stood frozen in place the moment he laid eyes on Taranis.
“Burn him.”
At Cecilia’s command, flames erupted from the serpent’s heads.
The fire, with the force to incinerate everything, engulfed the masked figure.
“O… Ooooh!”
Enveloped in the blaze, he began to react with extreme fervor.
It wasn’t agony—it was admiration.
“To summon and command a Spirit King at that age, and as a human no less…!”
Even as his body was burned to cinders, he could only mutter blankly.
“Truly, what incredible hero potential…! Ahh, I want it…!”
“Disgusting scum.”
Just then, a composed yet firm male voice rang out.
“Don’t expose such filthy desires toward someone else’s student.”
The newcomer was none other than Yeriel, the Headmaster of the Academy.
He continued, a frown forming on his brow.
“Seems like all sorts of strange creatures are crawling out now that it’s festival day.”
“……”
The masked man didn’t respond.
He simply clapped once again.
Immediately, his scorched and wounded body began to regenerate in an instant.
Holding a staff shaped like a rod, he glanced around.
Aside from Deiare, Amaruah, Cecilia, and Yeriel had surrounded him from three sides.
“Hm.”
He let out a short sigh.
Everything is going according to plan.
The reason he caused a commotion in front of the library wasn’t just because he knew Menoruka was there. More than that, it was because of the alarm magic installed inside.
Now, all the powerful enemies’ attention is focused solely on me.
Looking pleased, he flicked the hand holding his mask slightly.