Chapter 236

TL: TangSanFan

ED/PR: Tanthus

***Bellbrook Subjugation Battle (4)***

I anticipated that things would not go as planned. Thus, I could swiftly judge and act, even when Bellbrook abruptly rose and turned the island upside down in this urgent situation. I had gotten used to the flow that twisted subtly from the scenario I knew, "The Failure of Sylvania's Knight of the Sword". So, for the time being, I moved.

When Yenika Faelover was caught by Velosfer a month early, when Lortelle Keheln faced the crisis of being caught by Elte Keheln, when Lucy Meyril was not plot as the mastermind as expected, when Saint Klairis did not fall into darkness, when Crebin unexpectedly released Mebuler in the Rothtaylor territory, contrary to the plan...

I've survived somehow, adapting to each situation and finding the best way to cope. However, the reason I could respond to every crisis was... ultimately because the existence of the enemy had not changed. I knew who I needed to defeat, I had the means to subdue them, and I could prepare in advance for what ultimately needed to be done.

However, the figure outside the storeroom window... was an existence that transcended all those rules.

The Great Sage Sylvania Robespierre.

Revered as the greatest genius in human history, she left an extensive record of magical research and achievements and was the founder of Sylvania Academy, as well as a master of holy magic. And... she was a character from the distant past. She shouldn't exist in the present.

According to "The Failure of Sylvania's Knight of the Sword," she's a magician from a past era when magic wasn't as developed as it is now. And... she's also responsible for maintaining the seal magic that kept Bellbrook confined deep in Acken Island.

I checked the words scrawled across the wise woman's sealed letter with a feather pen once again. Despite being hastily written, the message was undeniably addressed to me—Sylvania Robespierre was aware of my existence. Moreover... it implied that Sylvania Robespierre herself had summoned me to this world.

But what could be the reason for leaving me a message in such a roundabout way on this letter from the sage? If she had summoned me, she could just appear before me and explain everything.

"Couldn't... find me...?"

There aren't many possibilities that come to mind.

"Or perhaps... there's been a major change to her... For instance..."

Outside the storeroom window, I glimpsed Sylvania's appearance. Against the backdrop of a corridor window shattered and cracked, she stood with her opulent robe turned inside out and hair undone in a scene of pandemonium as Bellbrook rampaged and Lucy's high-level magic exploded in a cataclysm.

Amid that scenery, Sylvania let out a bizarre laugh. It was clear that she had greatly changed from the revered Great Sage Sylvania handed down through stories. Rachel, the vice principal pinned to the wall, widened her eyes in shock.

At that moment, the identity of the girl who stormed into Triss Hall and took down key academic personnel... I started piecing it together. It wasn't easy to recognize at a glance. The person described in tales has changed significantly, and more so, she is supposed to be a figure from the distant past. It's unreasonable to expect someone to instantly recognize her.

"You are—"

Before Rachel's hazy mind could piece together her words, Sylvania's expression darkened. The previous manic laughter was replaced by a chillingly expressionless face as the Great Sage uttered her words.

"You've had a hard time."

Her voice, now devoid of any laughter, sent shivers down Rachel's spine.

"Now rest."

And so, two shafts of intermediate ice magic 'Ice Spear' pierced through Rachel's heart. She was, in fact, the ultimate decision-maker of Sylvania Academy, who should've controlled all events.

Silence filled the corridor.

Interspersed with Bellbrook's roars, the sound of battles echoing through the academy, and the noise of magic circles endlessly spawning monster races resonated in the background.

Amidst the silence of the hallway, Sylvania, after a few fits of crazed laughter, abruptly stopped and regained her composure.

She slowly scanned her surroundings. Perhaps she thought the clean-up at Triss Hall wasn't finished yet.

The students trapped within the storeroom all held their breath.

A student hidden under the supply shelves covered themselves with dust and stifled their fear-stricken whimpers. Taely, leaning against the corner wall, gritted his teeth suppressing the rising pain as he clutched at his wounds. Aila repeatedly swallowed her dry saliva while sticking close to Taely.

Other Combat Department and Alchemy Department students were hidden here and there, peering out of the storeroom window at Sylvania.

Sylvania began to slowly walk across the corridor. She stared out the window before sharply turning her head toward the storeroom door. Thanks to the last illusion magic cast by Vice-Headmaster Rachel, it would appear as an ordinary wall.

But Sylvania Robespierre's magical prowess was unparalleled in history, reaching an immense level no one could match.

Bowing her head low, she suddenly jerked up and strode toward the storeroom door. Staggering as she approached, she brushed her head against the glass window.

The cold touch of glass pressed against her forehead made Sylvania's smile twist into a chilling, sinister grin.

Her hair disarrayed, eyes burning with madness and bulging veins clearly visible, the sheer image of the insane Great Sage prompted thoughts of death.

Grinning widely as she talked to the wall, she said, "Something's hidden here."

"Everyone, get down!!"

- Bang!!

Before Sylvania could act, I gathered my mana quickly and unleashed an intermediate magic 'Point Explosion' at the doorway.

Despite using the magic at such close range and worrying that other students could be caught in the aftermath, there was no time for concern. If we didn't act, we'd assuredly all die.

"Aaaah!!"

Aila screamed, clutching her head, and Taely tightly embraced her shoulders. All other students braced for defense, anticipating the blast, but the wave of the explosion never extended outward.

-Whooosh!

The explosion I had triggered was instantaneously consumed by holy magic, disappearing as if sucked into a black hole, as if it simply ceased to exist.

'Annihilation,' a high-ranking divine magic spell.

It wipes from existence any object imbued with magic, regardless of its form—undeniable evidence of divine magic's characteristic: there's no counter, no resistance, practically no way to neutralize its power.

The rules of the world dictate that such an outburst of heat and blast should destroy everything in its vicinity, but in the face of Sylvania's divine magic, my power had no influence whatsoever.

However, I had indeed managed to blow open the edges of the door. I had created an entrance for Sylvania. She would have probably broken in with her magic anyway.

"Here you are."

At Sylvania's utterance, students en masse gasped and stumbled backward.

"You kids... if that sly fox hid you, then you must be of some value. Just in case, to remove any 'variables', I should probably erase you."

The level of magic swirling around Sylvania was far from normal.

The twisted uplift of her lips seemed to indicate a thrill or some emotion akin to delight. Before Sylvania made another move, I rapidly accumulated my mana and manifested 'Point Explosion' once again.

But this time, I targeted the opposite interior wall.

-Boom!!!

Demolishing the opposite direction created a massive exit leading to the outside. The sudden gust of wind briefly flapped everyone's clothes.

"Jump out, now!"

I yelled to the students and quickly grabbed Taely by the collar. Despite wincing from the pain of his would-be wounds, I disregarded it and hurled Taely through the wall opening.

It was a four-story drop—a height where serious injuries would not be unusual—but I invoked wind magic to manage Taely's landing.

Watching this spectacle, the students screamed and jumped out one after the other.

The fear of death paralyzes people. Jumping from the fourth floor isn't easy, but the immediate terror of Sylvania's presence was far more daunting.

The students implemented wind magic as they leaped, bruised from tumbling but their lives intact.

...

But of course, Sylvania did not stay idle while the students escaped. With a mere wave of her hand, a surge of magical energy filled the storeroom.

I protected Aila, who hadn't yet escaped, and we both plunged out through the hole in the wall.

-BOOM!!!!!

A massive explosion burst from the center of the storeroom we had just vacated.

Sylvania had manifested magic in less than a second.

But for a spell summoned in such a brief moment, the ensuing destruction was immense.

The entire fourth floor of Triss Hall was obliterated. Following the colossal blast, debris rained down onto the academy's front yard.

-Bang! Crash!

"Aaaaah!"

While some students received heavy injuries from colliding with the debris, most somehow managed to avoid or shield themselves.

Thus, dispersed throughout Triss Hall's courtyard, we looked up at the oncoming catastrophe.

The devastated Triss Hall.

Countless bits of debris suspended in air by Sylvania's magic.

The sky was lined with numerous magic circles, many of which were Bellbrook's, spewing monster races.

Amid the clash and thunder of the academy-wide battle, ...

Standing on the fourth floor of the Triss Hall, which had become indistinguishable from a rooftop, Sylvania looked down upon the world.

"Screams echoed...!"

"Save me...! I don't want to die! I don't want to die...!"

"Run away! Everyone run! If we stay here, we'll all die!"

The students who burst out of the supply room all fled down the hill. Some sprinted with all their might, and even those who were injured tried desperately to escape by limping along.

Even if they managed to escape in their wounded state, encountering a demon would lead to certain death. In this state of utter panic, it would have been better to flee together rather than scatter in different directions to increase their chances of survival.

I wanted to impart this knowledge, but the chaotic situation made it impossible.

In the end, the students ran off in different directions without regaining their senses.

"Urgh, ugh...! That, that thing...!"

Taely, clutching his wounds, struggled to his feet and looked up at the Triss Hall.

One look by anyone with sense would tell them.

This was not an opponent one could hope to defeat. It was an entity from which one must flee.

Yet, Taely McLaurin drew his sword. Despite the quiver in his battered Frame, he stood to challenge the foe.

The choice of flight was never present for this boy. Whatever trials may come, he would muster all his strength and collide head-on.

Courage and recklessness differed by a paper-thin line. While it wasn't my business if others met their demise that way, I had to ensure, at the very least, that Taely survived.

Drawing upon every ounce of my magical power, I summoned Merilda once more. The high-cost summoning of a senior spirit bit into my magic reserves with every call, and it was starting to take its toll, but weighing such consequences was a luxury I couldn't afford.

- Whooosh!

However, though I pulled at my magical power, I felt no sign that Merilda was accepting it.

Frowning, I looked at the summoned form of Merilda with great difficulty.

It didn't even take on the shape of a wolf. As always, it was the figure of a human with neatly tied back, white hair... looking up at the Triss Hall.

"Hey, Merilda!"

I quickly got to my feet and approached Merilda. I grabbed her by the shoulders and, making eye contact, said,

"Snap out of it! If you let your guard down even for a moment, we're all dead!"

『Ah, ugh... But...that...』

I knew that Merilda and Sylvania were particularly close. Despite being a spirit who had lived for a long time, always composed and contemplating everything in stride, she became flustered in this situation.

However, we did not have the luxury of time to be flustered.

"Listen, Merilda. Do you think that being... is in its right mind?"

Firmly pressing down on Merilda's shoulders, I brought her back to her senses with synchronized breathing.

Then, looking up at the Triss Hall, where the students were fleeing, I twisted a smile onto my lips.

Fleeing in such panic would only lead to a disastrous encounter with demon-kind.

The few students who tried to stand against it were of levels far too low to even be considered opponents.

『I'd like to talk.』

Merilda soon spoke with a slightly calmer tone.

『We need to find out...what exactly happened...』

Merilda's point had merit.

At the very least, Merilda was familiar with the mage now enveloped in madness. If we used Merilda, there was a chance for dialogue that could lead to an improvement in the situation.

However, even now, Sylvania, who stood atop the Triss Hall, showed no signs of recognizing Merilda.

Despite their special friendship, it was unimaginable that Sylvania couldn't sense Merilda's magic, regardless of the form taken.

A bad premonition lingered.

Again, I frowned, squeezing Merilda's shoulder as I spoke.

"If you act rashly, you'll be struck down in a single blow. You can tell that's the kind of opponent you're facing."

Even if we set aside whether Sylvania could recognize Merilda, we had to maintain readiness for immediate response to any sudden movement.

Merilda met my gaze for a moment, and then, closing her eyes briefly, nodded in agreement. I understood Merilda's psychology, but we were in an emergency state.

The Grand Sage Sylvania lightly lifted her enormous staff.

The flow of magic springing toward the sky covered the expanse above Acken Island. It was impossible to know what move would come next. There was no prior information, no inferred principles of action.

What was certain was: we couldn't just stand by.

"Run away."

I rolled up my sleeves, flexing my wrists a few times. The strain didn't seem to have reached detrimental levels yet.

Taely, who had drawn his sword, gaped at me in disbelief.

"What do you mean...?"

"I'll try to buy some time any way I can, but for now, get down to the faculty building and find a way to deal with the dragon in the sky. Gather everyone you can, and come up with a plan."

"That magician... How can you... do you have a way?"

"I don't have a method right now."

She wasn't an opponent I could fend off alone.

I wasn't even certain if gathering all the forces within Acken Island would be adequate to confront him.

But one thing was clear: Taely had to vanquish Bellbrook for there to be any chance at all.

The fortunate thing... was that Bellbrook had not fully broken free from his seal yet.

I didn't understand how, given the frenzy Sylvania was in, Bellbrook was still struggling without breaking his bonds... but perhaps there was still a chance now.

Taely possessed the power of the Sword Saint that could cleave the heart of Bellbrook.

If my calculations were correct... even his current specs should be adequate to slice through Bellbrook's heart.

The challenge lay in navigating through numerous patterns to reach Bellbrook's heart. If the seal hasn't completely worn off, there's a way.

While I would handle Sylvania. How? If asked, of course, I don't know the method.

Everything I knew had come to an end here.

The entire journey of Sylvania, as recorded in "Sylvania the Failing Sword Saint," concluded with this battle against Bellbrook.

I don't know the subsequent story. I don't know why the Grand Sage Sylvania has descended here. All of this is unknown terrain to me.

—In truth, it would be odd if I knew.

Like most things in life... it's filled with unknowns.

Living in this Sylvania Academy, knowing how everything should flow originally, having plenty of information that ordinary people could not preemptively obtain... My time of persisting on informational superiority had come to an end.

The current crisis must be resolved with my own strength and ability, no matter how daunting the challenge... Because that's the only way to survive.

Life is a continuous struggle against the unknown.

I had become comfortable with a life in which I knew all the flows of the future, but that is no excuse to forget the essence of existence.

"Find your companions as quickly as you can and head out to subjugate Bellbrook."

"Ed Rothtaylor..."

Taely hesitated for a moment, looking at me with rolled-up sleeves then said,

"That's not doable. This isn't a situation to handle alone. Our relationship may have been nothing but antagonism, but still... that's not right."

"Don't waste time with lengthy talk. There's no luxury of time to repeat myself."

Naturally, trialblazer Taely McLaurin wouldn't just run away from such a situation.

That's why... I turned my gaze to Aila instead.

Most of the situation had already been explained to Aila. As I glared at her with a shot-like stare, she clenched her eyes tightly and then yanked Taely's arm.

"Taely! We have to go to the scholars' hall now!"

"But, Aila..!"

"Hurry! You're the only one who can take on Bellbrook...!"

"Even so, can you really leave that monster to be faced alone? Even enemies deserve better than to be left for dead!"

"It's not about leaving someone for death, Taely!"

Aila clutched Taely's collar tightly and pulled him close.

"Senior Ed is struggling to survive! You must understand that!"

"What...?"

"Quit the nonsense... and go! We don't have much time!"

As Aila pulled him with such urgency, Taely alternated his gaze between her and me. Though we had much bad blood, I knew he couldn't just leave the situation and escape. Taely was meant to heal, re-equip, and set out to defeat Bellbrook.

As much as I would have liked to meddle further, the priority was to ensure he was sent off alive.

Magic power surged throughout my body.

Pulling out all my magic engineering gadgets, I gestured to Taely several times to usher him away without giving him any further attention.

"..."

Taely, with a look of non-comprehension, glanced at me and then, clenching his teeth, dashed down the path.

Aila too nodded slightly and rushed toward the faculty building, leading Taely.

What was certain was... if Aila stayed by his side, at the very least, Taely would not falter. That was some consolation.

I pressed my palms to my face, splashed water over it, and took deep breaths. Then, sweeping up my forelock, I tensed my brow and looked up at the Triss Hall.

Perhaps it was touching that everyone fled, yet I could not lose the will to stand and meet my gaze alone.

The Grand Sage Sylvania, with a flick of her staff, gathered an immense amount of magic.

The possibility of victory was infinitesimal.

Yet I stood firm, my feet planted solidly on the ground.

Because I had to face it.

That reason was enough.