Suddenly, there were more mages in Rekordak. Ipeurin did not know why, even as she studied in the library.
Rekordak, where supplies had been cut off due to the demonic beasts and the Jeokgwe. How could five or six, or sometimes as many as ten, come here in a single day? What on earth could they want?
"…."
Ipeurin, who had been studying at a library desk, quietly looked around. Even excluding the Imperial Palace mages who were originally stationed here, there were quite a few new faces.
"…Excuse me."
Tap, tap—someone tapped Ipeurin's shoulder. She flinched and turned around.
"Yes?"
"Have you… finished reading that by any chance?"
The male mage pointed at the book on Ipeurin's desk.
[Probability Magic: Advanced Edition].
Dekyullein's treatise, composed of Basic, Fundamental, and Advanced volumes. A groundbreaking theoretical work that introduced the concept of probability into magic.
"Ah, yes. I think I'll be finishing up soon."
"Then the next turn is…."
"There isn't really a waiting list. I'll lend it to you when I'm done."
"Thank you."
There weren't many books in the underground library beneath Rekordak's main building. Most of the decent ones were kept at Dekyullein's mansion.
Therefore, there were only four bookshelves, and all of them contained nothing but Dekyullein's new writings.
「Probability Magic」, 「Magical Analysis of Phenomena」, 「Formulae of Action Induction」, and so on….
A total of 340 volumes, including copies, of the 17 books he had written in the North were stocked here.
"…Did they come because of this?"
But the mages Ipeurin knew weren't the type to be so fanatical that they would throw away their own safety just to come to Rekordak….
Then, she spotted a mage in robes. The woman quickly hid herself between the study shelves, but Ipeurin thought she knew who it was.
Blonde hair glimpsed in passing. Locks as brilliant and well-maintained as pure gold.
Silbia.
"…That kid."
Well, she was the type to light up at the sight of books.
Ipeurin gave a small smile but didn't let on that she had noticed. She simply resumed her studies.
Just until the next wave came….
"Haaaaaahm—"
She yawned. Ipeurin quietly looked around.
Of course, Dekyullein had told her that whether it was a nap or bedtime, she was to sleep "only where he could see her," but that was easier said than done.
Ipeurin slowly drifted off to—
—I knew you'd do this.
"…!"
At the sudden voice, Ipeurin opened her eyes wide and sprang upright.
"Huk! Was that a dream?!"
Everyone in the library turned to look at Ipeurin.
The scenery was exactly as it was in reality, and Mokgangcheol hadn't reacted either.
It didn't seem to be a dream, but then what was that voice just now?
"What is this…."
—Here.
The voice rang out again. Ipeurin, who had been shifting in her seat, looked in that direction.
The mirror placed atop her desk.
Inside it was Dekyullein's face. Ipeurin stared blankly at him.
"P-Professor, how are you there…?"
—How many times have I told you not to sleep when you're alone?
"Ah, I wasn't sleeping, I just yawned—"
—This is a warning.
"…Yes."
Ipeurin nodded sullenly.
* * *
Yulri visited Dunjeonji. Although barely ten days had passed since sowing, the barley fields had already grown considerably.
"Oh my~ if it isn't the Knight!"
The residents approached, stopping their work. She quietly looked out over the lush field.
"They're growing without issue."
Rekordak's biggest problem was, without a doubt, food. Supplies had been cut off, and with the number of demonic beasts increasing, hunting had become difficult as well, so seeing the barley grow like this made her feel strangely at ease.
"Yes, yes. Don't you think we'll get quite a lot at this rate? The grains are even big."
"…Yes. Thank you for your hard work."
"Eheh~ why say such things? We're doing this to put food on our own tables."
Watching the residents smile so brightly, Yulri felt warmth and sadness simultaneously.
Could she really protect them? Could she preserve their home with her own body?
If only she could….
"Hello~"
Then, a voice came from behind a tree. Yulri looked over.
"Ah! Leader?"
Ganesya of the Red Garnet. The hero who had single-handedly delayed the southward advance of the demonic beasts.
"It is an honor to meet the leader of the Red Garn—"
"Enough with that~ it's embarrassing."
She approached with a bright grin.
"I heard the news~ that Dekyullein buried dozens of Jeokgwe alive, so they say."
"…Yes."
Yulri bowed her head for a moment.
"Are you certain that they were all Jeokgwe?"
She didn't answer that question. She was once again disappointed by Dekyullein's handling of this matter.
She had thought she had no disappointment left, but Dekyullein always showed her a new side.
"…Even if they were Jeokgwe, burying them alive was wrong. But I already knew the Professor was that kind of person."
Without even confirming if they were Jeokgwe, without any thorough investigation or verification.
He had buried forty humans in the ground.
It would not have been this horrifying had he simply hanged them.
Burying alive was the most cruel method of execution, abolished in the Empire alongside burning at the stake….
"Yeah, I can tell by your face. Anyway. You know that thing you asked Reilli about last time~?"
"…Yes?"
Yulri's eyes went wide. Ganesya asked back.
"Didn't you give Reilli money to recruit some adventurers?"
"Yes. I have done so, but to you, Leader Ganesya, I—"
"Ah-ah. If you asked Reilli, you asked me. And I like you too, Knight Yulri~ Dojeumu?"
She said while looking somewhere. Then, a member appeared from the darkness.
Dojeumu, a founding member of the Red Garnet adventurer party.
He handed Yulri an envelope.
"This guy took on that mission. As for the investigation results~ well, Beron is presumed to have been killed by Dekyullein, and Rokpel's death is also quite suspicious."
"…."
Yulri looked at the contents of the envelope.
For a moment, her breath stopped.
"Rokpel's… diary."
"Yep. That's right. Along with letters he exchanged with someone. The testimonies of the family he had spoken with through a communication orb during his lifetime. His son and daughter are eight and seven years old, respectively."
The contents of Rokpel's letters were simple.
Someone is after me. I need help. It seems Dekyullein is trying to kill me….
Yulri tucked them all away into her bosom for now. These were not things to check carelessly out in the open.
"Thank you."
"Yes. So, what are you going to do now~?"
Ganesya asked with a smile. Yulri shook her head without revealing her emotions.
"I don't know yet. I truly want to know, but I don't. I understand that he has come to hate me. But why Rokpel and Beron…."
She clenched her fist. She bit her lower lip.
"But once I know everything… even if it is Professor Dekyullein, I shall make him pay the price. Without fail."
Ganesya also looked at Yulri with a rather serious expression.
"I'll look into it separately too~"
To Ganesya, Dekyullein was no longer simply a bad person.
To be precise, he was a cold-blooded man who did not hesitate in his means and methods.
However, he was also a man who loved his family more than anyone else.
"…Don't trouble yourself too much~ you won't even have the strength to move your body soon."
Yulri's face stiffened belatedly.
"Yes. I understand."
The fact that Ganesya had returned meant that the "time" she had been delaying had now come.
* * *
Boom—! Boom——! Boom————!
Drums beat, and in the distance, demonic beasts marched. Their numbers already transcended imagination, and the ranks of the individual creatures were even more powerful.
Swhooooosh——!
Triggered ballistae covered the sky of Rekordak. Countless destructive magics bombarded the far side, and auxiliary winds coiled around the bodies of the knights who had taken to the battlefield.
"There is nothing to fear! The wall has mages!"
The encouragement of Knight Dellik. Thanks to the countless mages who had joined as he said, Rekordak's human resources were of the highest quality.
Until their mana was exhausted, the wall would never fall.
Tactical weapons specialized for siege warfare. That was what mages fundamentally were.
Kuuung——!
Then, footsteps that shook the earth. A giant demonic beast, hidden until now by the winter fog, revealed its might.
An ogre.
One even larger than Rekordak's wall, wielding a club as massive as the wall itself.
"Magic support needed! Target is the ogre!"
Yulri shouted. In response, the mages' bombardment concentrated on the ogre.
Kwakwakwakwakwakwak—!
Numerous destructive magics tore through the air and surged forth. The combination was fire and wind.
Kwaaaaaaaah—!
A pillar of fire exploded from the ogre's abdomen.
■■■■■—!
The gloomy screech it let out. A sound that pierced the eardrums.
The enraged ogre hurled the club in its hand.
Kwadddddeuk——!
A gigantic weapon dozens of meters in length. That insane club soared like a boomerang.
The mages atop the wall were greatly startled, their eyes wide as saucers….
Swhaaaruk—!
Mokgangcheol rose in its path. A collective of sharp metal spreading like a net. The club was pulverized the moment it touched the barrier.
Immediately after, nineteen blades of steel embedded themselves into the ground.
Swhaaaaah—
Iron-colored flashes that pierced the demonic beasts. The arrogant mage standing atop the wall who wielded them.
Dekyullein.
Having entered the battle while looking down upon the area, he gauged the scale of the enemy with his eyes. As if having calculated that steel alone was insufficient, he suddenly closed his eyes. He concentrated his mana and mind to deploy magic.
Groooooooo….
That vibration was ominous.
The knights who sensed danger stepped back for a moment, and the very next instant.
"…!"
The entire ground was shattered. To be precise, the earth's crust separated.
Kkadeudeuk— With a grinding sound, massive fissures formed, and demonic beasts poured down into them below.
"What the—"
"Mother of god!"
The knights hurriedly clung to the edges of the wall.
Sheathing their swords for a moment, they quietly watched the breathtaking sight of the devastated land splitting open and demonic beasts falling to their deaths.
Kkadddddddeuk——!
This was merely the intermediate-level 「Telekinesis」. However, it was the most efficient magic in this world, infused with all of Dekyullein's theories.
Its power seemed to rip the ground apart….
No, it literally ripped it apart.
———!
Tectonic plates split like parched earth. Already, hundreds of thousands of demonic beasts were trapped between them. The countless numbers that had filled the horizon were reduced to less than half.
"…."
Dellik looked up at Dekyullein with a bewildered face.
He simply let his formal coat flutter in the wind, utterly nonchalant, showing no signs of strain whatsoever.
"Well, well… so that's why you were confident. Everyone! Prepare again!"
Dellik shouted and gripped his sword properly.
With the magic having broken the front line, all that remained for them was to finish off the survivors….
* * *
Late at night, after the battle had reached a lull. The edge of the wall where a bonfire blazed.
"…Casualties. Are there any casualties?"
Yulri moved busily in search of the wounded. Because knights by nature tended to hide the wounds on their bodies….
"There's a casualty there."
Then, Sirio spoke. Yulri quickly approached him.
"Who is it? I have medicinal herbs."
At that, Sirio laughed as if dumbfounded.
"I said the casualty is there. There. I'm talking about you."
"I am fine. It is not such a large wound."
"…Don't lie to me."
Yulri said nothing and offered him the herbs. Sirio shook his head.
"Even if I don't need them."
"…."
"You won't be able to endure it. Your mana recovery won't keep up with the intervals between battles, and your fatigue will pile up unresolved. Your dantian is already contaminated."
"…."
Geuwen approached from the side. She too was worn out and seemed to agree with Sirio's words.
So much so that today's battle had been fierce.
Sirio spoke.
"I'm not telling you to leave. You won't leave anyway. But you have to take care of your body. Because it seems like southward marches of this level will continue for an entire month."
"Yes. Thank you for your concern. But…"
Yulri closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them.
———At that moment.
"Are you al… right?"
The scenery had changed.
Yulri blankly looked around.
It wasn't the North, but some dark corridor.
"What is this place…"
She hesitated, then heard a voice.
"You came here too."
A voice devoid of emotion. Yulri turned around and flinched in surprise.
"…Lord Illeideu?"
Silbia, heir to Illeideu. She spoke while glaring at her with narrowed eyes.
“I don’t welcome you to ‘Voice.’”
* * *
Meanwhile, I was walking down the corridor of “Voice.” Epherene was at my side.
“Um, but I’m low on mana. I used it all stopping the southward advance.”
“…….”
“But Professor, what was that magic of yours? The ground was splitting apart.”
Epherene chattered on and on. I didn’t even have the strength to answer.
Truth be told, the phenomenon I had brought about with 「Telekinesis」 in today’s battle had been quite a burden even for me.
I had overturned the earth for no reason.
“Professor. But how about holding classes in Reccordak too? A lot of mages came looking for you, Professor. I want to attend too.”
“Be quiet for a moment.”
“……Seriously.”
Epherene stuck out her lips sulkily.
Step, step.
Step, step.
We walked down the corridor in silence.
Epherene opened her mouth again.
“But where are we going? You can at least tell me that much.”
“……There are many places in Voice. It is also exceedingly vast. However.”
I stopped in an alley. One block ahead, I could see a sign that read [Tavern].
“First, we must go to that tavern.”
“Why?”
“You’ll know once we go.”
This was the pattern for clearing Voice. First, go to the tavern, receive a quest, and move based on that objective.
“Follow me.”
“……Yes.”
I approached the tavern and opened the door.
The moment I opened it, a clamor of shouts, chatter, and the smell of alcohol came rushing out.
That much, I could endure.
“……Professor?”
I stood still, gripping the doorknob.
“What are you doing?”
Epherene, blocked by my back, asked again.
“Professor? If you don’t go in, I can’t go in either. Aren’t you going in?”
“……Ahem.”
I cleared my throat once, then checked again the heads I could see through the crack in the door.
One pure white, one pale yellow.
Yuli and Sylvia.
No doubt about it.
“Ah, Professor, what are you doing? Are you telling me to go in or not…….”
I closed the door again. Then I deliberately glared at Epherene.
“……Stay still. I’m doing this because I have a plan.”
“……Yes. I’m sorry.”
Epherene bowed her head.
Standing in front of the door, I began to think for a moment.
Sylvia was one thing, but why was Yuli with her? Was something tangled up in the progression of the story, or the process of a quest……
“……Fine.”
But for now, whatever it was.
This tavern was the first place I had to pass through. Whether Yuli was there or not, avoiding people did not suit my nature.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes.”
I opened the door together with Epherene.