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Episode 278: The Undead Human (4)
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Ashes to Ashes.
This incantation, symbolic of the Ashen Mage, demonstrates a firepower that surpasses even the highest-level spells with just enough ash powder. The leftovers of mana are used, making its cost-effectiveness terrifyingly good.
However, right now, Raniel casts the spell without regard for cost-effectiveness. In addition to the scattering ash, she draws all the mana from her body to amplify the spell’s power.
A single spell that she bets everything on.
No matter how much of an Undead reconstructed from a Hero’s body they are, there’s no way they can withstand such a horrible spell at close range. Kuntel’s sixth sense screams in warning.
Zzzip!
Before the punch even lands, Kuntel’s body begins to melt away. As Raniel half assures herself of victory seeing this, Kuntel moves.
Crack.
That movement is shockingly fast.
Kuntel tears his captured left arm away from his body and stretches his empty right hand to grasp the blood-soaked hilt of a sword. Then, he swings it.
Not downwards, but upwards.
Thwack! The sword that had been lodged in Raniel’s shoulder soars into the sky. But there’s no time to swing again. The spell is already erupting into a flash, and Kuntel’s sword is directed towards the heavens.
Crunch!
Stepping on Karioth’s skull that bites at his ankle, Kuntel jumps back. He takes a step out of the spell’s range, creating space to swing his sword.
Then he swings the sword towards the encroaching flash.
Kuntel’s right arm moves, scattering afterimages. Even the rebuilt body cannot keep up with that movement, muscles tear, and bones break… but Kuntel’s sword(?!) does not stop.
Swish!
Every time the sword swings, the flash splits and the heat diminishes. Reading the essence of the spell, Kuntel continues to swing his sword. If one swing is not enough, then ten, and if that’s still not enough, then a hundred.
The silvery blade cleaves through the flash.
Despite his whole body being torn apart, Kuntel still puts in a single strike towards Death’s Blade. Even as an Undead, that determination remains. Burning with heat, Kuntel never lets go of the sword.
However, despite that resistance, the flash inevitably devours Kuntel. The heat slams into Kuntel’s body, painting the area white.
BOOM!
With a great roar, Raniel’s vision flickers.
As the light faded and the heat dissipated, Raniel barely managed to pull herself up, almost falling over. She couldn’t afford to collapse yet.
That judgment was correct.
As the heat lifted, Raniel caught her breath, involuntarily gasping at the scene that laid bare around her.
Thud, thud.
Kuntel is still alive.
Flames cling to his body that cannot extinguish, and as his body melts away, he still stands on two feet.
His melting flesh, the severed left arm, a right arm that hangs limply with all bones shattered. Yet, he still holds a single sword tightly. But even that won’t last long.
Clang!
Kuntel drops the sword.
His body clearly hit a limit. Yet, Kuntel’s eyes are still fixed on Raniel. With that chilling gaze, Raniel gulps.
‘What the hell.’
He’s still alive in that condition.
Of course, he looks like he could fall with the slightest touch, but that’s not just Kuntel’s story. Raniel herself was in the same situation.
Having foolishly reinforced her body with a spell, fatigue began to set in. Her vision blurred. Even breathing was becoming difficult.
Karioth, whose body is regenerating, and Galahal, completely exhausted from blocking the sword’s glare, are no different.
They have no strength left to stop Kuntel.
“Fire!”
However, they are not the only ones present.
As the oppressive pressure in the area dissipates, the knights begin to move. Arrows rain down from the watchtower, and knights charging forward brandishing swords and spears.
And.
Thud.
Kuntel lightly stomped his foot.
The ground rumbles slightly, but that’s it. Arrows pierce Kuntel’s body, and the knights are about to cut off his breath.
Boom!
The ground starts to shake.
The charging knights fall over, and debris from the castle walls rattles around.
“…Raniel!”
Galahal urgently grabs Raniel’s arm.
At the same time, something bursts from beneath the ground. Debris from all around lifts into the air, dust swirling as Raniel looks up to see what has erupted.
“Hah…”
Before the black shadow casting over the area, Raniel lets out a laugh. Her eyes reflected a Beast wearing pitch-black carapace.
Kakakakakakaka!
The Beast, the Carapace Dragon, now a symbol of calamity, emerges from below. With a crack, the Carapace Dragon opens its mouth wide, swallowing Kuntel.
The knights rushing at Kuntel are caught in the Carapace Dragon’s charge, turning into chunks of meat. No one can stop the Carapace Dragon.
Having devoured Kuntel, the Carapace Dragon immediately changes direction, disappearing back into the ground.
Thud, boom!
As if to announce that everything happened in an instant, debris that had soared into the sky begins to fall one by one. As the ground shakes, Raniel bows her head low.
“Hah, ah…”
A smile breaks out at the corners of her lips.
That laughter doesn’t last long. She bites down hard on her lips, muttering.
“Are you playing with me…?”
As she bites down, it bursts open, blood flowing.
Crack! With the sound, Raniel rises. With her body at its limit, she reaches her hand toward the air.
Balance.
The empty Balance rises.
Watching the hole the Carapace Dragon dug, Raniel extends her senses to their limit. With the Carapace Dragon appearing, the likelihood of Gletus also showing up is high.
If that happens, she would be the only one who could buy time. Her breath falters briefly, but Raniel steels her resolve.
A few seconds more pass.
The vibrations shaking the ground come to a complete stop. Until the very end, there was no sign of Gletus. Only after confirming that does Raniel wave her hand, dispelling the Balance.
“……”
Raniel lets her arms droop silently.
Turning her head, Raniel looks around. The debris of collapsed walls. The corpses of knights who died by Kuntel’s hand. The remnants of flesh torn by the Carapace Dragon.
Everywhere she looks, it’s nothing but corpses.
“…Rania.”
Galahal called her name softly.
Raniel does not answer that call. Clenching her teeth, she begins to walk towards the knights buried under the debris. To save even those knights who are still alive.
“Rania, please rest. This place is…”
“Let go.”
“Rania.”
“Just let go, I’m fine.”
Galahal frowned.
Blood continues to flow from Raniel’s injured shoulder. If she doesn’t get emergency treatment soon, she might die from blood loss.
Just as Galahal had resolved to forcibly stop her, Raniel’s body suddenly crumples.
“Rania!”
Just before she hit the ground, Galahal caught Rania in his arms. Her limp form felt as hot as a red-hot piece of metal.
2.
“The healing is done.”
“…Is it fine?”
“I just completely drained the mana, that’s all. I can’t even fathom how you’ve moved with such a burden on your body…”
Sara sighed.
“With divine magic used to its limits, she’ll be fine after a day.”
“What about her shoulder…?”
“Galahal.”
Sara cut off Galahal’s words.
“I’m not called a saint for no reason, you know?”
Even if an arm is torn away, if the surface is clean, it can easily be reattached. She pointed at the unconscious Rania.
“After all, I don’t think this is the real problem.”
“Eh? What do you mean by that…?”
“Galahal.”
Sara squinted her eyes.
“It’s Raniel, right?”
“……”
Galahal remained silent.
Sara sighed again, brushing her hair back. With a troubled gaze, she looked at Rania lying in bed.
“There’s no use pretending. You know what’s going on and only someone like Raniel can harbor something this terrible in her heart.”
Sara, who once treated Rania, knew the curse she bore, so she couldn’t possibly miss it.
“I didn’t expect it.”
Sara chuckled bitterly.
“Now that it’s come to this, it makes sense to hide her identity. How ridiculous. No wonder she acted like she knew everything about Kyle… no wonder…”
Muttering to herself, Sara sighed deeply. What would be the point of talking to someone unconscious?
‘No wonder she freaked out at the mention of a tail.’
Now that she understood the situation, everything fell into place.
The intense reaction she had towards her, the way she looked at her like a bug… it all makes sense if the girl before her is Raniel.
‘If only I could spread the word.’
Sara clicked her tongue.
Now that Raniel is fighting on despite being in that state, Sara now feels pity for her.
‘A body that’s dying, a limited lifespan left.’
She’s expending it all on that blood-soaked battlefield.
Sara cannot understand what drives that mage to such lengths.
‘In the first place, I don’t want to understand.’
That’s why Remia gave up.
The proud elf had initially had her heart set on Raniel before Kyle, but ultimately distanced herself when she was overwhelmed by Raniel’s lofty ideals.
“Such a pathetic man.”
With a sigh, Sara placed her palm on Rania’s chest. Starlight blooms, and the curse binding Rania’s heart begins to settle.
“Galahal.”
“Yes, Sara?”
“I don’t plan on spreading rumors or wanting to get involved, so let’s pretend I didn’t hear anything.”
She didn’t wish to get tangled up with Raniel any further.
Saying that while drawing a line, Sara grinned mischievously at Galahal.
“What’s the good of getting tangled up with a colleague? It just makes things sticky, and I hate sticky relationships.”
“Then what about Raniel…?”
“Just tell him that I didn’t notice and just went my way. With that arrogant mage’s brain, he won’t suspect a thing, thinking I’m just some foolish fanatic.”
If she makes some vague excuse about Deloheim, Sara mumbled to herself as she waved her hand.
“I didn’t see anything, nor did I recognize anything. I have no intention of telling Kyle either.”
“…Is that so.”
“What’s the point of increasing romantic rivals?”
Even if she had no intention towards Raniel, it was uncertain whether Kyle felt the same. Kyle has shown interest in the girl already. While unlikely, she cannot dismiss any possibility.
‘What if I end up with one more rival?’
Adding another rival with such a huge advantage as a hometown friend of all things would only complicate matters. Two women next to Kyle are enough.
If one more appears, it would only stretch out the unsatisfying nights. Thinking this, Sara took a last look at Raniel with a wry smile.
“Anyway…”
You’re still the same.
Snicker, laughing softly, Sara turned to leave. She had a more urgent patient to care for.
The immortal Karioth.
Of course, a power that defies the principle of immortality (death) cannot be done without any cost.
For 37 hours, she must stick closely to that unsavory man. Already, Sara felt her annoyance bubbling up as she sighed deeply.
3.
A half-day passed since the incident, and I was finally able to open my eyes. Dragging my heavy body outside, I could see knights clearing away debris.
“Oh, Miss Rania.”
The knights’ gaze towards me changed slightly, but I didn’t have time to care. How many had died, how severe the damage was. I asked a few questions and got answers.
The damage was not light.
They managed to minimize it by stopping Kuntel, but it seemed a lot of knights had been swept away.
I looked at the hole the Carapace Dragon had burrowed. The hole led far out into the plains away from Kateron Castle.
‘The Undead used the underground sewer, and the Carapace Dragon dug its way here.’
Numerous layers of barriers, interception spells, and traps sit around the Kateron Castle area. No matter how strong the Carapace Dragon is, it’s impossible for it to tear through all those spells.
Most likely, it was the Undead wearing Kuntel’s skin that managed to get through. After all, spells and traps would hold no meaning in front of a Sword Master.
Huh…
I sighed deeply.
What a freakin’ nuisance. Truly, a real nuisance.
‘What on earth is the point?’
I had no idea why he had invaded here alone, nor what his purpose was. In the end, the traitor never showed up. I couldn’t decipher what that damn lunatic was plotting.
As I was messing up my hair with a sigh, a knight approached me.
“Here, this is what the Knights Order Leader asked me to give you, Miss Rania…”
He held out a sword.
I frowned. This was the sword wielded by the Undead. It looked remarkably similar to the sword that Uncle Kuntel used when he was alive.
“It was found nearby.”
“Why me?”
“The Knights Order Leader said it would be best kept by you, Miss Rania.”
I slowly nodded and accepted the sword.
The sword I grasped felt quite heavy. The blade, not dulled even amidst the chaos, shone sharply under the sunlight.
*
Two days have passed since the ambush.
During those two days, I was busy with the cleanup, spending time participating in the restoration of the Kateron Castle’s barriers and trap circuits.
“Ugh, I feel like I’m dying. Really.”
On the second day, Karioth awoke from his sickbed.
The price for 37 seconds of high-speed regeneration would be paid over 37 hours. I had seen many high priests gathered for healing in the past… but it seemed that wasn’t needed this time.
“I really thought I was going to die, you know?”
With Sara, the Saint, standing next to him, no less. Her eyes were half-lidded with fatigue.
“How many times have you died? Seriously, how long has it been since you used divine power this way…”
“Well, I guess I must have died around 50 times or so…”
“During those 37 seconds?”
“It was that kind of opponent.”
Sara shook her head as if in disbelief.
I silently shot her a glare. I heard that Sara was the one who treated me when I collapsed. Galahal said that Sara didn’t recognize my identity, but…
‘She must know.’
She couldn’t possibly be unaware of the curse that had settled in my heart. After all, she was the one who treated me once. Seemingly aware of my gaze, Sara turned to look at me.
“What are you staring at?”
“Thanks for the healing.”
“Healing? Me?”
Sara scoffed.
“I just kept pouring the holy water on you, what’s the point of using divine magic on an atheist?”
Is she out of her mind?
I exhaled a sigh, shaking my head. But after all, it wasn’t that hard of a job for her, as I hadn’t lost an arm, and it was just a cut from a sword.
“Yeah, well, anyway, thanks. That holy water must be pretty expensive.”
“Just be grateful.”
Waving her hand dismissively at me, I stepped up to Karioth. Thanks to the abundant divine magic from Sara, Karioth seemed healthier than a few days ago.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Absolutely. Thanks to our Saint.”
Karioth patted the Saint’s shoulder before turning to me.
“As for the trials, let’s keep going. That’s the reason I came here.”
He said with a bright smile.
“I think now’s the time.”
That much was right.
That night, Karioth passed the trial of the Holy Grail.
*
