NOVEL NEXT Chapter 107
EP.107 The Runaway of Group Project (4)
When people talk about the star, they never forget to include the word radiant. For them, the star is a symbol of warmth and peace.
Chosen by the star, a hero.
Blessed by the star, the royal family.
Servants of the star, the Deloheim Church.
Anything related to the star has always been radiant.
Because of this, people often mistake the star for something beautiful and good. Only a handful can see the true nature of the star, so the misconceptions in the world remain uncorrected.
However, there is a boy here.
A boy who has witnessed the truth of the star at a young age.
“I offer this.”
The star may be radiant, but it is not good.
The star is merely a form of providence. If one offers something, the star grants corresponding rights.
Ching.
The star does not turn away those who seek a deal.
Snap.
The deal has been established.
Time that had been frozen begins to flow again.
Belnoa’s gaze sharpens. He regains control of his stolen body. The transaction does not end there.
Creek, creak.
Belnoa’s eyes are stained black.
The long shadow lurking in the underground sewer wraps around Belnoa’s body. A darkness thicker and filthier than shadows.
Thud.
The man who had been carrying Belnoa collapses to the ground. The marionette, even in death, finally finds peace.
Jolt.
The ones in front stop suddenly. They turn their heads to look back. Their soulless eyes gaze at the boy wrapped in shadows.
A hunched back.
Drooping arms.
Tentacle-like writhing shadows.
Closer to a beast than a human, resembling a stray dog. Those who were looking at the boy flinch and shudder.
They have no self.
They are nothing but puppets, mesmerized and controlled. However, they feel fear. It is the instinctive horror of prey standing before a predator.
And a beast never lets go of frightened prey.
Snap.
It was a moment. Something brushed past them. A single leap and a single slide. The gap between them is mere an instant.
In that fleeting moment, three heads fell.
Slash.
Blood splattered everywhere. The bodies that lost their heads fell into the sewer with a plop, drifting along with the current.
“······.”
Belnoa grasped the severed head.
The place where the spell is deeply engraved is the eye. Belnoa plucked out the eye from the decapitated head. His senses, expanded to their limits, precisely follow the traces of the spell.
He gauges the continuous trace.
The trace leads far off through the sewer. It was undoubtedly the mana of that disgusting woman.
‘If I follow the trace…’
I can find Chloe.
There was no need for other thoughts. Belnoa moved, dragging the shadows. Toward a place unknown.
—
“Did you call for me, senpai?”
Magic is an efficient tool. There are almost no problems that cannot be solved with magic. Therefore, I can handle most things on my own, but…
‘This is not my field.’
Finding people.
This was a territory I was not confident in. Capturing missing persons, defectors, kidnapped hostages, etc… Such things cannot be solved by spells alone.
‘That’s why there’s a Tracker class.’
There are those who are far more skilled than any superhuman in “tracking” something based on traces.
And I knew the first name mentioned when listing such capable individuals.
“…What’s up? You’re incredibly fast?”
A tracker and royal hound.
I looked at my former subordinate, Kalt, in surprise. While I did call for him, I never thought he would come this quickly.
“Weren’t you on guard duty?”
“Yes. I still am.”
“But can you just run out like this? It doesn’t feel like it’s been thirty minutes since I called you?”
There’s a distance from the royal quarters to here.
It would be hard to view him as having covered that distance in thirty minutes. The only explanation was that Kalt had already been on his way to find me.
“Well, I had my reasons.”
Kalt shrugged at my question.
“The guard duty was nearing its end… The First Prince’s faction seems to be keeping a low profile as well.”
“Still, buddy…”
“I left a reliable hound to take over for me. Plus, I’m currently working on another mission as well.”
“…A mission?”
“Yes, it seems to be similar to the one you called me for, senpai.”
Kalt clapped his hands.
“Since a competent senpai called me, it must mean… you’re trying to find someone, right?”
“Uh, a student has gone missing.”
“Belnoa, right?”
At his answer, I frowned.
I somewhat expected it, but I sensed that the situation was becoming a bit strange.
‘Kalt is a hound.’
An individual within the royal hierarchy.
Unless it’s an important mission, he shouldn’t be getting involved. There’s no way Kalt would know about a mere student going missing.
“Don’t tell me.”
I said what I was thinking.
“Is that the hero mage you talked about before? Did she go missing with that girl?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Hero candidate Chloe and Belnoa went missing two days ago in the square.”
Kalt nodded, and I let out a long sigh. This situation was getting more complicated than I expected.
“It sounds like you’ve done enough investigation from the way you’re talking.”
“······.”
“And if you’ve done that much investigating and still haven’t found them… then it can only be one of two things.”
I raised two fingers.
“One is that the hostages are dead, and the other is that the situation has become too tangled for you to handle. Which is it?”
“…It’s the latter.”
“Then how tangled is it?”
Instead of answering, Kalt pulled out a small wooden box from his pocket. The box was wrapped in several chains. It looked like something was sealed inside with a spell.
Click.
Kalt unwrapped the chains and opened the box.
Inside the box was a decayed, rotten hand.
“…Beasts have been appearing in Kadinak. This is a part of one of the beasts I tore off.”
“······.”
“We cannot handle this on our end. I’m truly sorry, but… we need your help, senpai. So, I was on my way to summon you to the royal capital.”
Kalt explained, and I fell into silence.
I couldn’t help but remain silent.
It wasn’t because I didn’t understand. Rather, it was the opposite. Knowing what that was, understanding the implications of it, I stayed silent.
“······.”
Knowing that, Kalt also waited for me to speak first.
“Ha.”
Finally, with a laugh, I opened my mouth.
“What the hell.”
…Alchemist or summoner.
What they create or summon bears traces proving their creations. The traces cannot be disguised. They cannot be erased.
The mark imprinted on the rotten hand.
I know the alchemist responsible for that mark.
And that was the answer to why Kalt had rushed to my call. This is why it was something Kalt couldn’t handle.
“Backstabber.”
I spoke up.
Pronouncing the name that was engraved in my mind.
“Backstabber, Gletus.”
That madman was behind the incident.
—
3.
The city of night, Kadinak.
The streets of Kadinak shine not in the light of day but at night. When night falls, ordinary restaurants transform into taverns. The sound of revelry begins to fill the air.
A vibrant street.
Adventurers exchanging stories in taverns.
The pleasure district lighting up with lanterns, welcoming guests.
To truly appreciate Kadinak’s essence, one must experience the night festival is what people say, making the nights of Kadinak vibrant. Beautiful.
The sweet aroma wafting from the brothels.
Drunken revelers parading the streets with the scent of alcohol.
The streets of Kadinak at night always buzz with adventurers chasing after a night of happiness.
‘If there are no adventurers looking for brothels in the night Kadinak, something big must have happened.’
The residents of Kadinak joked about this. Little did they know that the joke would soon turn into reality.
—
Boom!
With a tremendous roar, bricks burst into the air.
It isn’t just bricks that fly. Humans soar too, crashing hard into the ground. They become buried under the debris.
“Ugh, uuaaaah!”
“Fall back! Maintain formation!”
“Block! Block them!!!!”
The night streets of Kadinak are filled not with adventurers in search of brothels but with heavily armed knights. They shout as they brandish their spears.
Hwooooshh!
The target of those spears are the beasts.
From the ruins of buildings, through the alleyways, from the thick darkness, the beasts emerge.
“Another wave!”
“Hold until reinforcements arrive!”
Their numbers are alarming.
The beasts that suddenly appeared last night have taken over the alleyways of Kadinak and thrown everything into chaos. As time went on, they became wilder.
‘Attacks aren’t having any effect.’
The knights wielding their spears lack confidence.
It’s no surprise. Not even renowned adventurers or the captain of Kadinak’s defense could land meaningful strikes against the beasts.
‘These beasts are unlike any ordinary ones.’
They are of a grotesque shape.
Though weakened by the barrier, their fangs and claws remain sharp. Bodies of knights lie strewn across the alleys. The stench of blood is overwhelming.
Boom!
More beasts continue to appear. The ground shakes with a resounding crash. Something erupts from underground.
Roar!
A gigantic beast.
So large it’s a wonder how it was hiding underground.
Crunch, crunch!
The giant beast bursts up through the roof of the underground waterway, grasping the bell tower in its jaws. It yanks it out, the bells ringing loudly.
Ding, dang!
The sound of the bells echoes in the ears.
With the thunderous noise, the knights flinch and take a step back. And the beast swings the tower with its grip.
“Ugh, uuaaaah!”
The bell tower targets the knights gathered at the outpost.
A shadow falls over the heads of the knights. Some scream, and others sit frozen in fear. And then, yet another…
“Get out of the way.”
Steps forward.
“Get out of the way, I said.”
A thin voice rings out among the knights.
She pushes aside the shoulder of a knight who had been standing dazed. And steps forward. Despite the giant tower closing in, her eyes remain unshaken.
One step.
The robe she wore sways.
Two steps.
The robe, shaken by the wind, falls away. Revealing ashen hair. Between the swaying locks, her blue eyes gleam.
Three steps.
On the third step, she stamps her foot down with force.
Crack! The ground splits with a sound. The paving stones flip over centered around her. In the chaos, the girl clenches her fist.
The bell tower is almost upon her.
She swings her fist toward the tower.
Smash!
The spell glows brightly.
Boom!
With a tremendous sound, the bell tower shatters.
The fragments do not scatter in all directions. Following the direction of her punch, the shards burst out in a radial pattern, where the beasts are clustered.
Thud, rumble!
The pouring fragments crush the small beasts beneath them.
The giant beast that had been swinging the bell tower falls backward, having a massive hole punched through its body. Once again, the shockwave rattles the streets.
Dust clouds rise.
The rain of bricks and the blood and screams of the beasts fill the streets.
“······.”
No one dares to make a move.
The knights stare agape at the girl. She lightly dusts off her hands and turns around.
“I’ll go ahead. Follow me.”
“Yes, senpai.”
Among the speechless knights, the girl walks ahead.
Following her is a man dressed in black. Their destination is deep within the alleys.
The city of night, Kadinak.
There has come the nightmare of Apuria.