Raid The Academy

Chapter 245 : Chapter 245

What I borrowed from Luis was none other than [Domain Imitation].The ultimate secret technique of Imitation Art that draws out a space or situation existing in the caster's memory and recreates it in reality.

Caaaw──

It wasn't a sound from Raven.

Pitch-black crows that flew from somewhere in the forest are sitting on bare tree branches looking down at us.

The night sky is silent, and the appearance of the moon hiding in thick fog clouds is dreary beyond measure.

Although it is clearly a summer dawn, the blowing wind was chilled with cold. It also sounded like someone's sobbing.

And the creaking of old hinges.

Caaaw!

Caw!

"......What is it? Crows?"

The glasses-wearer revealed displeasure seeing the crows looking down at us.

"There shouldn't be crows in the Iron Tree Forest?"

Creak...... Creak.......

"Hey. Does this place look like the Iron Tree Forest to your eyes?"

Only then did the glasses-wearer's eyes examine the surroundings.

A forest of trees died bare.

Cold fog covering the ground passes between legs like vipers, and corroded tombstones are shaking while making bizarre sounds.

The nameplate of the guard post hanging precariously in the bleakly blowing wind.

There, it was written like this.

"......Icata Cemetery?"

***

"......Icata Cemetery?"

Dr. Lorenz Edric could not believe this phenomenon.

Should I say he was dumbfounded.

Until just a moment ago, this place was the Iron Tree Forest.

......Of course, no matter who looked, this place was far from the scenery of the Iron Tree Forest, but.

Still, for the space to change suddenly?

Among the knowledge he knew, there was only one knowledge that could explain this strange phenomenon.

Specifically, [Spatial Barrier], known as an extreme secret vision.

'But I heard only a very few mages have mastered that.'

The Skull Mask in front of his eyes is such a very few mage?

He thought it didn't make sense.

Information about Skull Mask was roughly grasped by the Beltus Cult.

Especially how he fights and what visions he uses was widely known information that even low-ranking clerics grasped, and Lorenz knew this much too.

Although the activity area is different, because he heard that he gave Bishop Cristiano and Bishop Lutus a hard time, he had looked into it out of curiosity.

'But I have never even heard of him using such a vision.'

Then Dr. Edric recalled the pitch-black beam that flew from his staff.

That was not shot at him. It was shot at a person who appeared to be Skull Mask's subordinate.

'And this phenomenon occurred.'

Although he couldn't know what vision it was, it seemed clear that it came from that subordinate.

"So. Is your deduction finished?"

Skull Mask asking at that moment.

Seeing him strolling through the cemetery as if out for a walk, Dr. Edric let out a deep sigh rather than venting anger.

"It is cowardly. Borrowing another's power in a fight between us two."

"......Bullshit. Didn't you bastard fight sacrificing your subordinates first?"

"That was originally my power. I just took back what I lent for a moment."

"Fuck off."

"Tsk. So lowly."

Gerard was momentarily dumbfounded by Dr. Edric’s shamelessness.

A face at a loss for words.

"......Phew. Fine. Right now, that isn't what's important."

Shaking his head side to side, Gerard asked.

"So what are you going to do now? As you see, there is only death here. A land of death where life force cannot be found."

"It can't be helped, can it?"

Dr. Edric answered calmly.

An expression asking if such a thing becomes a problem.

"You seem to think the tide will turn just because the place changed a bit, but that is a very great misconception."

"......Ah, really?"

"I will let you know. How much the gap is between the inferior you and the great me."

Gerard laughed low.

Even seeing this place filled only with death where life force cannot be filled, Dr. Edric’s sense of elitism knew no bounds.

And that rather reassured Gerard.

"That's a relief. I was worried what if you chickened out."

"Me? Why should I?"

"Oho? Okay, good. I hope that superiority doesn't change until you die."

Gerard smirked and drew Raven.

And.

"......."

The battle ended surprisingly quickly.

"......Kuh......Kugh."

From the moment the condition was attached that life force could no longer be replenished in the first place, it was a fight where victory and defeat were decided.

Of course, Dr. Edric put up a desperate fight in his own way.

Since he was fighting carrying a demerit, there was virtually only one method he could choose.

Using all the spirit beast abilities he had spared due to severe life force consumption.

Knowing he couldn't subdue Gerard with simple attacks like vines and throwing arms while defending with iron armor and scales, he made his own decision, but.

The problem was that the gap coming from actual combat experience was enormous.

The life force replenished by subordinates ran out quickly, and Dr. Edric eventually drew and used even his own life force, but in the end, he knelt.

"......Grrrk."

Gerard looked down at Dr. Edric, who was breathing with difficulty.

A dagger pierced the airway of his neck, so whenever he tried to say something, blood flowed down along with bloody bubbles.

Is that all? Seeing him with the remaining four daggers dangling from his body and burns all over his body, the composure like before could no longer be found.

"I guess regeneration doesn't work anymore either?"

An old and shabby gaze met Gerard’s eyes.

When did he break his glasses.......

Gerard saw sticky longing and obsession for life in that gaze.

"Huh? What?"

"You, dare look down on me? I'll kill......"

Thuck-

Gerard thrust Raven into Dr. Edric’s chest.

The sword tip that split the human's soft skin and ribs like tofu split the heart precisely.

Extinguishing life.

Soon, Dr. Edric’s head fell back with a thud.

"Phew."

Checking his death, Gerard stretched his arms and waist straight.

Rising thrill.

It was a sign that his level had risen.

"It's been hard work after a long time."

From the journey to find the disappeared Yuria until now.

Nothing was easy.

'As expected, if I don't know the original story, my body suffers that much.'

Especially this guy.

Spirit Beast Slayer Lorenz Edric, whom I never faced in the original work.

I was roughly aware that he was a 'strong enemy', but facing him directly, there was no enemy trickier than this.

It was thanks to Luis coming here that I could catch him without damage.

However, if Luis and his vision [Domain Imitation] were not there?

'......Honestly, I think it would have been difficult.'

Gerard realized the importance of comrades once again here.

'Individual strength is important too, but to survive until the end, I must grow my force.'

And that, a force of mine that I can trust.

"Are you coming out now, Boss?"

[Domain Imitation] released before I knew it.

"Why did it take so long? I waited for a long time."

"Clean up is finished, Master."

Looking at the comrades waiting for him outside, Gerard smiled inwardly.

And Yuria watched this scene with strange eyes.

***

"Not long after the Master entered the barrier, they fell one by one."

"Really?"

"Yes. Next to the mercenaries' corpses, parasitic magical beasts had popped out of the bodies and died."

It seemed Dr. Edric was sharing life force with the parasitic magical beasts too.

"Then what about Laiadon?"

At my question, Evan, who was standing still, answered.

"It ran away."

Then he took a step toward me and whispered in a low voice.

"Drop the formal speech immediately. Yuria has been looking this way since earlier."

......Oh shit.

Unknowingly, I just.

It's a relief I didn't call him Professor, but thinking she would see it strangely, I shouted quickly.

"What? You missed that? Are you kidding? I didn't know your ability was only that much!"

......But the acting must have been a bit awkward.

Seeing everyone looking at me with strange eyes.

Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I let out a dry cough.

"Ahem. Because it's regrettable, regrettable. Anyway, everyone has any injuries? Is there?"

"None."

"Reina? Are you okay too?"

"Oh my? Are you worrying about me, Captain? Heheh. I'm touched. Of course I am okay! Didn't you see my performance earlier?"

Reina raises her slender forearm and taps her bicep with her palm.

Of course, the bicep isn't even visible, but a smile formed on my lips naturally at that liveliness.

"I saw. Since it was the official first actual combat, I asked out of courtesy."

"Hehe."

"But did you guys exchange greetings?"

I asked, looking at Evan and the twin sisters.

Rachel was at the Academy, so she would have roughly known that Professor Evan is inside this armor.

But she wouldn't have known that such Evan belonged to our Shadow.

"We roughly greeted each other before you came out."

"Oh, fast."

"Right now, more than that."

Rachel said while gesturing toward Yuria with her eyes.

"......Shouldn't we sort things out somehow? I'm getting uncomfortable. I'm also worried about getting caught."

Even if she didn't say that, I was also paying attention earlier.

Even so, the reason I leave it alone is, watch well on this opportunity.

"It's fine. Because I intended it."

"Intended? What?"

"She would be curious too. About our atmosphere, what kind of place Shadow is."

"......So?"

Rachel frowned her brow as if she didn't understand.

I explained kindly.

"If you want to enter somewhere, wouldn't you want to know beforehand what the atmosphere there is like? How the atmosphere is, how the work-life balance is. How the welfare is, whether the boss is nice, etc. Right, a family-like atmosphere. Showing that."

"What nonsense are you......?"

As expected, she doesn't understand my deep meaning.

I let out a deep sigh.

Shadow's image known to the public is half and half.

There will be people who think of it favorably, and there will be people who still think of it badly.

In terms of ratio, the latter would still be much higher.

'A secretive group of thieves hiding in the shadows and operating.'

Among them, the gaze looking at Shadow from the Academy was exactly like this, and I think Yuria also won't deviate much from this.

'So I have to show more.'

I thought this opportunity was perfectly exquisite.

While there is a change in perception by receiving great help from us, if we appeal to a family-like atmosphere as well?

Keuh, this can't be resisted.

If I slide in the application form at this time, she stamps it right away.

It was then.

Yuria approached the place where we were gathered.

"Excuse me."

Don't tell me?

I looked at her with a shred of expectation.

"Do you have some business?"

"......First, thank you for saving our lives. Master of Shadow."

She placed her right fist on her chest and bowed at the waist.

Pitch-black hair flowing down.

I think my gaze was stolen by it for a moment.

That was the traditional etiquette of Royal Knights without a single grain of disarray.

At her greeting where confidence and nobility were felt, everyone was looking at her as if possessed.

In that state, Yuria continued.

"I will never forget this grace."

"......."

"However, I have one thing to ask."

Yuria raised her head.

And, staring precisely at me inside the mask, she asked.

"By any chance, are you a person of the Academy?"

The surrounding air seemed to freeze coldly.