NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 40
Chapter 40
“…Hey, Dein.”
“Yeah.”
“Do we really need to step in for this?”
“…I guess not.”
At Eri’s question, Dein shook his head. The two were overwhelmed by the scene unfolding before them. Eri was trembling all over, while Dein, though not showing it, was internally very tense.
Just moments ago, they had witnessed an enormous white whale. Its presence was nothing short of astounding. It had instantly altered the terrain and swallowed countless foes. It was absurdly powerful—this was a force that could not be explained by common sense.
“That whale just now… it materialized in an instant and then vanished just as quickly. How is something like that even possible? Is it even magic… or is it really some kind of spell?”
“It wasn’t magic.”
Dein had studied and trained extensively as a Shif-class, and naturally honed his senses to react to magical power, just like a thief working in the shadows.
Yet, he sensed no magical power from the white whale he had just seen. If that had been magic, he would certainly have felt its power. But the fact that he hadn’t meant…
“It was really alive.”
“…Is a whale really supposed to be that big?”
“It’s big, but…”
That was not it. Where would you find a whale larger than a mountain? It became clear why Nahun had pulled back his troops drastically. Its size posed a significant risk of ensnaring allies.
Dein narrowed his eyes for a moment and drew a dagger from his waist.
“Eri.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s help as well.”
“What? I don’t think we need to!”
“We have to prove our usefulness. Even if we don’t need to help, we have to do it.”
“……”
Dein was certain. The choice he and Eri made was undoubtedly not the wrong one. Joining under that man may just have been…
‘A once-in-a-lifetime decision.’
To remain under him, he had to prove his usefulness of his own accord. He needed to be a help to him, even if Nahun didn’t order it.
“Request support.”
“Got it.”
As Dein jumped down the slope, Eri immediately took out a round bead from her back pocket and inserted it into her staff. Then she cast a spell.
“A sturdy shield for you.”
《 Protect shield 》
A shield made of magical energy appeared beneath and in front of Dein.
Boom! Crash!!!
Using the shield, Dein slid down the slope as if riding a sled.
Another person started to descend the slope, and Crwah and Dahak would not stay idle. Coordinating the remaining soldiers, Dahak led half of them while Crwah led the rest.
Dahak drew his sword and turned towards Dein, who was coming down the slope.
“Don’t let that thing come down! Prepare bombardment magic!!”
The surviving magical combatants began chanting in unison, and immense magical power was transformed into spells. Massive fireballs, swirling winds, sharp ice chunks, and large rocks rained down.
Dein did not stop even after witnessing this. Rather, upon seeing the magic raining down towards him, he seemed to snap back to reality and calmly raised his body.
Eri had created two shields, one beneath him and one in front. Dein intended to utilize the shield in front. He believed in the abilities of his only surviving childhood friend, the only remaining human by his side.
Boom! Ka-boom! Ka-whoom!!
The magic bombarded like artillery shells. Seeing that the blasts hit Dein perfectly as he descended the slope, Dahak quickly tried to give the next command. However, something shot up rapidly through the smoke-filled slope from the magical bombardment.
“Is he… still alive!?”
It was Dein. Though his shield shattered, he had hardly taken any damage from the spells and jumped off the slope.
“Huff.”
He took a deep breath. His heart raced, blood surged throughout his body, and his muscles contracted. As his heart raced with the supply of blood and heat rising, Dein’s mind remained colder and calmer than anyone else’s.
“Phew….”
His eyes shifted as he clenched his teeth, and as he caught his breath, Eri’s magical carpet floated in the air, and he launched himself forward, as if he were an arrow shot from a bow.
Swoosh──!
“……What?”
It happened in an instant. Dahak, now realizing his severed ear, screamed in agony.
“Graaah!!”
“Dahak?!”
Dahak’s sudden scream forced Crwah to turn his head. What he witnessed was a man landing on the ground, a blood-stained dagger in his hand.
“…A human?”
“Nahun!!!”
“Thanks for drawing attention.”
The man who had ambushed Dahak had diverted attention for only a moment—at best thirty seconds, if even that.
The master of the white whale was already upon them.
“How… already…?”
“Don’t be so sad.”
Nahun held a sword, not particularly special but of very high quality. It was crafted from the 70th floor, designed according to Nahun’s own plans.
“I’ll send Dekarabia to your side as well.”
—
Eri sighed with relief upon seeing that Dein had arrived safely. Just then, someone poked her from behind.
“Human, where is the teacher?”
“!”
It was Seere von Debata, a girl with snow-white hair and beautiful blue eyes resembling a crescent moon. Eri was somewhat taken aback by her question and pointed downwards.
“Th-there!”
“Aha… so all of this was done by the teacher?”
The land left with signs of being devoured by a gigantic something, the slope, and the demons bursting into the sky with massive magical energy, along with the corpses strewn about—all of it was the doing of one individual.
Eri nodded slightly in response to Seere’s inquiry.
“…As expected.”
“What?”
“The teacher is amazing…”
Eri was taken aback. Seere’s gaze and expression were beyond admiration; she was enveloped in rapture. Eri had never seen anyone wear such an ecstatic expression in her life.
Seere clasped her hands together and murmured.
“I wonder if I can become like that someday?”
“…Of course! You’re a great Demon King!”
“You can say quite nice things, can’t you?”
When Seere chuckled softly, Eri felt her tension ease a bit. However, with the relaxation came a question she shouldn’t have asked.
“Um, by the way, does the king know that Nahun is here…?”
“No, he doesn’t. I haven’t told him, so how would he know?”
“Is it okay for it to be like that…?”
Seere glanced at Eri. Eri flinched and shuddered at her gaze. Here was a child younger and shorter than herself, yet the pressure and intimidation were no joke.
“What does that have to do with you?”
“I-I’m sorry! I spoke out of turn…!”
“…I’ll let it slide this once since you said something pleasant earlier.”
Seere’s expression relaxed, and she smiled as she looked at the battlefield, which was coming to an end.
“I came to meet him.”
“…Meet him?”
“‘My own teacher.’ Naturally, I have to come and greet him.”
Seere smiled sincerely. However, as Eri looked at her, she couldn’t help but feel a chill.
‘…My own?’
What did that even mean? Eri rolled her eyes, lost in thought. Then Seere spoke.
“You.”
“…What?”
“Surely you don’t have strange feelings for the teacher?”
Eri looked at Seere with confusion. What did she mean by strange feelings? Was she perhaps talking about fear? If so, that would be true. Eri, worried that Seere might be offended by her fear of Nahun, quickly laid flat on the ground and bowed her head.
“I-I’m sorry for being afraid of Nahun!!!”
“…What?”
“W-was it because of that you said those things?!”
At Eri’s question, Seere Lock eyes with her for a moment, then let out a chuckle.
“No, I must have misinterpreted. Sorry.”
“…Huh?”
“Oh, it seems to have finished.”
As she said so, the loud explosions that had been heard on the battlefield faded away, and the surge of magical power was no longer felt. Like Seere, Eri looked down. A man spotted her and waved his hand.
“Dein! You’re safe!”
Dein was also unharmed. Though his body was covered in blood, nearly all of it was not his own. And in front of him stood a clean, well-defined man.
“Teacher~!”
Seere skipped down the slope. Eri, startled, attempted to cast a spell for her but Seere casually slid down the incline.
Nahun squinted slightly at the girl running towards him.
“…Seere?”
“Teacher!”
“You… why aren’t you listening again?”
“I came to meet you! I had no intention of disobeying your words and fighting.”
Seeing the smiling Seere, it seemed she wasn’t lying at all. Nahun chuckled and ruffled Seere’s hair.
“Good, you even came all the way out to meet this teacher. I’m happy.”
“Hehe….”
“The commander Lin is likely waiting with the army behind. Can you go and call him?”
“Yes~!”
Pleased by the ruffle, Seere happily hopped back up the slope. Despite the steep slope that one could slide down, she bounded up, climbing back up after a few hops.
“Human.”
“Yes?”
“You come with me and Commander Lin. The teacher summoned you.”
“Y-yes?!”
Seere hastily commanded Eri, and Eri felt torn, unsure of whether to go down to Nahun and Dein, but ultimately decided to follow Seere.
Nahun surveyed the surroundings and spoke.
“Dein, where did Eri go?”
“She was just over there until a moment ago, before you went up.”
“Did Seere take her?”
Nahun drew his sword and beheaded Crwah and Dahak. Then he also severed the head from the corpse of Rubya, which he had pierced through to death.
He presented the three heads to Dein.
“I’ve seen your usefulness.”
“Eh?”
“You’ve worked hard. You’ve been diligent for five years.”
“…!”
Nahun was satisfied. Originally, he had seen this much growth as a nuisance when appearing as the Warrior’s companion, yet now he witnessed how they had developed as part of his subordinates. Naturally, he couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.
Though Eri had not fought directly, the fact that she had perfectly protected the relatively defenseless thief Dein with a single spell showed that she had gained sufficient skill.
“Dein.”
“Yes.”
“Eri and you will go to the human realm from now on and act as spies.”
“…What?”
“I need someone to keep an eye on the movements in the human realm in real-time.”
At Nahun’s words, Dein narrowed his brow slightly. He was indeed afraid of Nahun, and though he knew he had to follow his orders…
“Nahun, if you send us to the human realm, what will you do next?”
“What do you mean?”
“If we cut off contact as is, won’t Nahun’s plans come apart at the seams?”
“…Well, do you think you’ll really cut off contact with me?”
“How can you be so sure?”
“You can’t forget Luke.”
Dein looked astonished. His eyes widened as he gazed at Nahun, who had understood his feelings.
“On the contrary, it might even make sense to use my power more for revenge. But cutting off contact would not make sense.”
“…You know us too well.”
“I can’t help it.”
Nahun chuckled lightly.
“Do you really think the one who supported and watched over you until you grew this much would think otherwise?”
“……”
Dein lowered his gaze slightly. His previously stiff expression had relaxed. He knelt before Nahun, bowing his head.
“Your order.”
“Return to the human realm with Eri, disguise as adventurers, and become part of the S-rank adventurers.”
“…That doesn’t sound too hard.”
“If you become an S-rank adventurer, you’ll have many opportunities to learn about the current state of affairs in the world, and you’ll hear a lot as well. Just relay that information to me.”
“Understood.”
Nahun nodded slightly at Dein’s obedient attitude. He laid a hand on his shoulder.
“I trust you.”
“Yes.”