Episode 1 Mid-Boss (2)
Unlike the confident start, a dull stretch followed. Normally, monsters would frequently block my path, but for some reason, they were nowhere to be seen.
“When am I supposed to check all three places.”
Classes at the Academy had ended. The upperclassmen had long since left and were mostly at the training grounds. First-years, who still had many theoretical classes, often chose to gather in lounges for discussion instead.
Unlike the upperclassmen who quickly sensed the abnormality and left the space, the first-years ended up foolishly getting trapped.
Lounge, dormitory, library. The three places were divided, but the one I was looking for, unfortunately, appeared in a random location.
Starting from the nearest one, in order. I wasn’t worried about missing it. The first-years would already be fighting the golems by now.
“You’ve got something on your clothes.”
“Hmm? Where.”
“Left shoulder.”
“Oh, you’re right. Thanks... Wait, what are you doing here.”
I was about to thank them while brushing off my shoulder, but when I turned my head, I saw blue hair. I had asked her to watch Winter, but it seemed she had followed me anyway.
The funny thing was that, despite being a mage, she had managed to sneak up with such stealth that I hadn’t noticed until now. I had tried giving her a sharp glare, but she casually brushed it off.
“Where’s Winter.”
“She’s fine~ There are lots of people over there~”
“‘Lots’?”
“...Sir!”
She clearly intended to keep following me, so I decided to ignore her. She wasn’t the type to go back just because I told her to, and I didn’t have time for this back-and-forth right now.
I pulled out the electric grenade I had crafted in advance. It wasn’t as heavy as a rock and didn’t cost as much as a shuriken. The glass orb had the Thunder Horn Mark engraved on it.
I should’ve used these when we were dealing with the mana stone spider. Thinking back on how I scoured the mountains looking for rocks made me feel pathetic.
“Are we going the right way~?”
Canis followed with her characteristic light, quick steps. Even though the situation was fairly serious, she looked completely carefree. The melodic lilt in her voice suggested she was enjoying herself, which made her all the more annoying.
“End of the hallway~ Magical energy surge to the right~”
“I know already. Be quiet, you're too loud.”
Even though I was running with long strides, she kept up with ease. Her stride didn’t change, but the distance she covered did. Damn mages. I clicked my tongue in frustration.
The first place I reached was the lounge. A spacious area designed for student rest and smooth communication, it had an open layout.
Though I called them golems, they were really dolls. Wooden dolls modeled after human bodies. Slender in build and lacking any special weapons, but the problem was their sheer numbers. They swarmed in like a horde of locusts, their momentum fierce.
“Not bad, better than I thought.”
Reaching the source of the noise, I nodded in satisfaction. Furniture had been stacked and bound together to form a barricade blocking the wide entrance. First-years were gritting their teeth, holding back the golems from that narrow opening.
According to the school rules, students weren’t allowed to carry weapons outside of practical classes, so they had broken the furniture to craft makeshift weapons. They were holding out better than I expected.
“Watch out!”
There were about fifty golems in total. I shouted as I threw two of the orbs. Lightning burst out from the double-stacked orb.
But something strange happened. Instead of falling downward, the orbs flew upward. An abnormality where objects rose instead of dropping. Fortunately, because the golems were clustered tightly together, a large number of them were still taken out.
Before I could leap forward to finish them off, Canis’s magic struck the golems first.
Sharp blue crystal shards mercilessly battered the golems. I swung the shovel I’d gotten from Winter with all my strength, smashing it down on a golem’s head.
“Support’s here!”
A few sharp-eyed first-years grabbed their improvised weapons and joined in. Thankfully, we managed to crush all their heads before the electric shock wore off. The folding shovel embedded perfectly into their heads.
I had worried the weapons wouldn’t work properly since these weren’t living creatures, but thanks to Canis and the first-years, we finished them off more easily than expected.
“Phew! Thank! You!”
Most of the first-years in the lounge looked exhausted. They were supporting the barricade made of furniture to keep it from collapsing, and in the open gaps, they had to fight off golems that managed to break through.
A handsome male student with golden hair expressed his thanks. I replied with a rough nod and looked around. Unfortunately, the one I was searching for wasn’t here.
“Hmm. You. What’s your name?”
“Me? Ah, Dike Justia. Are you part of the reinforcements?”
“I’m a second-year in the Combat Department. You know where the main auditorium is, right?”
“Yes!”
“That’s the evacuation zone. Lead them there.”
I was about to head to my next destination, but I hesitated. I thought they’d be able to handle it on their own after I saved them, but if that were true, they would’ve gone to the auditorium already.
Dike firmly nodded and began guiding the first-years. He had a good sense of leadership and his judgment wasn’t bad either. I wondered if he was a character from the game, but no matter how hard I looked, nothing came to mind.
Dike bowed and left. There was a faint warmth in the faces of the weary students. Leaving them behind, I headed to the next location.
“You’re not doing this out of justice, so is there someone you’re looking for?”
Canis asked what had clearly been on her mind. I ignored her and made my way toward the library. She was helpful in battle, sure, but if she was going to chatter like this, I’d rather be alone.
“Ah~ Come to think of it. You have a little sister, right?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. I understood what Canis meant. She was asking whether I’d come out here because I was worried about my sister.
She probably had no idea just how ridiculous that question was. The original Davide envied and resented Bereninche. As for me now, I didn’t feel anything at all.
More than anything, Bereninche didn’t need anyone’s help. If she put her mind to it, I was absolutely sure she could handle everything on her own.
“I’m not worried.”
“Huh?”
“You have no idea how strong she is.”
Bereninche was filled with a fierce selfishness that didn’t care about anything unrelated to herself. No doubt she was hiding out somewhere, taking a nap because it was too much of a hassle.
At my words, Canis tilted her head in confusion. Annoying. As expected, bringing Canis along was a bit too much.
“You’re really going to keep following me?”
“Yup!”
“God, you’re way too cheerful.”
What was she so damn cheerful about? The answer I had half-expected came right back at me. She wasn’t a bad person, but for some reason, she really got on my nerves.
I couldn’t help but imagine taking her to Bereninche and having her head get blown off. Given that she’s from the Ulbushis Family, there’s no way it would end peacefully.
No matter how competent Canis was, in front of Bereninche she’d be like a child. I should pray they don’t meet.
“Next is the library?”
“What, you know the layout of the Combat Department?”
“Well~ I’ve kind of seen it once.”
“So damn smug.”
On our way up to the third floor, we ran into two groups of golems. They were small clusters of about five to ten, so it wasn’t difficult to deal with them. When we finally reached the third-floor lobby, Canis figured out the destination.
Her continued smug remarks made me frown. Memorizing the layout just from one glance? Even when I responded bluntly, she just kept smiling.
“We’re saving people in our own way, right?”
“Don’t know about the intention, but yeah, it sure looks that way.”
Suddenly, a strange sound broke in. When I glanced at her, Canis had a surprised expression on her face.
She was far more sensitive to things than I was, so it looked like she’d picked up on something. Thinking some students might be hurt, I quickened my pace.
“Oh, my god.”
“Wow.”
The first thing we encountered when we rushed forward was devastation. This building had clearly been surrounded by solid walls, so when did it become this… open?
It had been about two minutes since we turned right from the lobby. From a certain point onward, the destruction began. Every wall was shattered, and puddles of water were everywhere.
It looked like someone had thrown a ship through the place. I swore under my breath, and Canis, uncharacteristically, stood with her mouth wide open.
“What the hell. So she was here?”
A voice I was far too familiar with pulled me back from the absurdity. When I turned my head, I saw a group of students huddled together at the far corner of the building.
Standing confidently in front of them was Bereninche, speaking in her usual disinterested tone. I let out a hollow laugh as I walked over. Was this really necessary?
“What happened here?”
“There was this pretty interesting guy. He was kinda quick? His spear flew in a weird direction, so that was a bit annoying.”
The funny thing was, it seemed this whole mess was intentional. The ceiling and floor had been flipped, and the spear went flying in a completely random direction. Looked like she held back a little, but judging by the damage, I figured this side of the building would probably collapse once everything settled down.
The boss of Episode 1 was, of course, the one guarding the core of the barrier. Aside from that, there were a few mid-bosses and several named monsters. If someone was quick, they were probably one of the named ones.
“But what’s that supposed to be?”
Here it came. Just as I expected, Bereninche narrowed her eyes at Canis, who was standing behind me. No way in hell anyone would look at that and think she was just a girl in her early twenties.
I casually stepped away from the two of them. Avoiding their puzzled gazes, I raised both hands as if to say I had nothing to do with this.
“I don’t know anything. Met her for the first time an hour ago, and she just followed me on her own.”
“Wha—! Betrayal!”
“‘Betrayal,’ my ass. What bond do we even have for you to be crying about betrayal?”
I cut ties without hesitation. Canis looked genuinely hurt, but it didn’t matter. You can’t betray someone when there’s no relationship to begin with. When I growled at her, Canis pouted.
“I thought you two didn’t get along.”
‘Didn’t get along’ is putting it lightly. I nearly got a water drill shoved in my gut. Shaking my head in disbelief, I moved farther away from the two of them and turned my attention to the huddled group of first-years.
“Not here.”
The one I was looking for wasn’t among them. I was starting to get annoyed. There had been no named monsters in the lounge, and no mid-boss here. That meant the dormitory must have both the mid-boss and the one I was looking for.
Naturally, the dormitory wasn’t going to be in good shape like the previous two locations. The rescue team was probably struggling over there as we spoke.
“Where’s Winter?”
“I told her to stay put in the main auditorium.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. If you’re heading there, take those kids with you.”
Why was she asking about Winter? I wanted to ask, but I held it in. Bereninche nodded at my suggestion. It seemed clear that getting her to participate was going to be impossible.
She was a natural disaster. You don’t just walk up to a hurricane and ask it to help you clean up some trash. I gave up cleanly and prepared to move on.
“You’re not coming?”
“No.”
As I was about to head for the dormitory, I saw Bereninche still standing in place. When I asked with a puzzled look, her expression was full of annoyance.
“The librarian ran off saying they were requesting support and never came back. Two other idiots also said they were going to rescue someone and haven’t returned either.”
That explained it. The first-years had been trapped in their locations because of the golems. But if the library team had already dealt with them, there was no reason for them to still be here.
I looked at Bereninche again. I’d thought she’d just leave without caring about anyone else.
“What’s that look for?”
“Just go. I’ll find them.”
Bereninche noticed my stare and questioned me with a glint in her eye. I quickly brushed off the topic.
“Why?”
“I’m looking for someone. You go ahead.”
Bereninche didn’t ask anything more. She wasn’t the kind of little sister to ask, and I wasn’t the kind of older brother to answer.
“Move it, you weaklings.”
At her words, the kids began moving one by one. Not a single one looked offended by her rough tone. If anything, they responded like it was expected. Sadly, it looked like they’d gotten used to it.
Maybe Davide’s rotten personality wasn’t just a Duhein Family trait.
“She’s way scarier than I thought~”
Canis, who had crept up beside me again, spoke. Oh, right. She was still here. I’d completely forgotten—her presence had disappeared at some point.
“So you went into hiding ‘cause you were scared, huh.”
“...That’s not it! It’s like a passive skill or something!”
“Now that I think about it, she let it end peacefully. That’s not like her.”
“It’s the barrier. Perception suppression. Feels bad, but... I guess I didn’t even register for her~”
That made sense. If someone wasn’t paying attention to you, they’d forget you were even there. Since Bereninche hadn’t given Canis a second thought, once she started hiding, her presence had completely slipped her mind.
“Why are you even looking at me like that?”
I gave Canis a displeased stare. The barrier may have helped, but running away from Bereninche like that? This girl wasn’t a mage—she was basically an assassin.