Chapter 86 - Clean Up (2)
Translator: Seven
Editors: Ana_Banana, Yahiko
“…”
Syax was dumbfounded by the sight in front of her.
The Bone Dragon, a monster powerful enough to be considered the Lord of undead.
It was the first time Syax was seeing one in person, but from the knowledge that she had gained, she knew how ridiculously powerful it was.
When the Bone Dragon first appeared from the bloody summoning circle, Syax believed that the village’s destruction was inevitable.
And she was not alone.
The majority of the Elves thought so too.
Neither their spells, spirits nor weapons had been able to so much as scratch the Dragon’s bones.
That’s why the sudden appearance of people, who suddenly began fighting the Dragon, was like the arrival of a team of heroes to the Elves.
Crack, crack.
Suddenly, hundreds of ice spikes filled the sky, causing Syax’s jaw to drop.
‘So many ice spikes were created in an instant…’
It was clear who had cast the spell. Because there was only one Wizard in the village who might’ve been able to utilize such powerful magic.
Frey.
Moreover, she didn’t just focus on the scale of the attack.
The movement of the Dragon made it tricky to deal damage to it while minimizing the destruction of the village.
“…!”
Syax shuddered.
Frey’s skill was phenomenal. It was beyond amazing.
Syax was perhaps the only one among the Elves present who could truly understand how shocking the sight before them was.
Archmage.
Frey was definitely an Archmage.
Syax finally realised the weight of the word at that very moment.
She could see it clearly.
An image of the entire battlefield was in Frey’s mind at that moment. On it were the positions of every ally, enemy and civilian that were present, and by using that image, he was able to think of ways to combine dozens of spells, and he was able to pinpoint the right places to release them.
But it wasn’t just Frey who was amazing.
“Kuhh!”
A man roared as he charged toward the Bone Dragon, his lion mane-like hair blowing fiercely in the wind.
Boom!
His fist struck the Dragon’s leg with a loud sound.
Considering the Bone Dragon’s size, such an attack should have been akin to being bitten by a mosquito. However, the result was the opposite.
Crack!
The Bone Dragon’s front paw was smashed, and the giant monster staggered backward.
The bones of this large Dragon, which had not been scratched by the Elves’ attacks, shattered like glass.
“A-, amazing.”
“They are…?”
Then someone appeared behind the Dragon and swung their sword at the Dragon’s remaining foot.
Kak!
The forefoot was cut off easily, revealing a clean cut.
“Aht!”
“Th-, that lady!”
The High Elves simultaneously revealed expressions of relief.
They soon cheered with their arms raised in the air.
They immediately recognized the masked, black-haired swordswoman.
“I-, it’s Swordna!”
“Hiralgard’s Swordna is here!”
* * *
‘It’s loud, but it’s not that much of a threat.’
Snow’s judgement had been accurate.
As she said, they had overwhelmed the Bone Dragon from the moment the fight began.
However, it wasn’t that the Dragon was weak.
How could that be?
The being that they faced was none other than a Bone Dragon. Something that only a necromancer who had reached the pinnacle of necromantic arts could even hope to summon.
But this one was incredibly clumsy.
It was unable to properly use its destructive power, the strength of its bones or even the simplest of spells.
‘Come to think of it, none of the undead that Oydin summoned had a consciousness.’
Undead were not monsters that were all without intellect.
Like the Lich that Frey encountered on the Cortez, the higher the undead’s rank, the closer they got to human intelligence.
However, Oydin’s undead were different.
Their power was slightly higher than normal undead, but their intellect was much lower.
Was it because he was only half an Apostle?
“Get down, you lizard bastard!”
Ivan’s fist crashed into the Dragon’s head.
Boom!
There was a loud explosion as the Dragon’s head was smashed.
The Bone Dragon lost its balance and stumbled backward, and Snow did not miss that opening.
She jumped up with a light step that looked like a gentle dance move, and sliced the Bone Dragon’s neck.
Krrrr…
That was the final blow.
Smoke billowed out of the Bone Dragon’s body as it began to fall apart like a rain of bone fragments.
The size of these bone fragments were large enough to be threatening to the Elves, even if they couldn’t harm the three of them.
Snow’s expression hardened.
“That savage…”
“Barrier.”
Suddenly, a barrier appeared to block the bone fragments, and Snow’s stiff expression smoothened.
“You’re an even more amazing wizard than I thought.”
Frey responded after confirming that no more fragments were falling from the sky.
“The front was strong, so supporting from the rear was easy.”
Snow smiled and turned to Ivan.
“Right. This Magic Warrior is also quite powerful. But you know. You are the reason that guy and I could fight so comfortably.”
Frey’s ability had long surpassed the level that could be described as skillful or talented.
He had overwhelming experience, impeccable judgement and was able to maintain his composure even in an extremely chaotic situation.
Thanks to this, they had been able to defeat the Dragon while sustaining barely any damage.
It wasn’t that there were no casualties, but considering the Dragon’s might, their losses were negligible at worst.
“His battle awareness is really strange.”
Ivan approached them while brushing bone dust off his face.
Snow nodded and sheathed her sword.
Chuk.
Just as she admired Frey’s ability, Frey was also astonished by the skill that she had displayed.
Frey noticed that there was something hidden in her power, but he chose to keep it to himself for now.
“Hoo…”
Ivan shook his head, his mane-like hair swinging wildly and his face red with exhaustion.
He was definitely the most tired among them.
After defeating the four Bloody Knights as well as the other undead, he had helped them subdue the Dragon without taking a break.
“Goddammit. I came out to have a bath. I didn’t expect to have to deal with this sh*t.”
“Let’s clean up first. Then we’ll hear what this woman has to say.”
“Sure.”
Snow looked around.
They won, but it had left a huge scar on the forest.
She muttered with a depressed voice.
“First… I should probably say something to everyone.”
* * *
It took about three days to restore the forest to a state that was barely acceptable.
In particular, Frey once again displayed a spectacular performance.
The moment he cast a cleansing spell on the trees that had been damaged by the death energy, Snow showed a shocked expression for the first time.
“You even know purification magic?”
“Is that a problem?”
“N-, no. There’s no problem… but isn’t that magic basically useless to humans?”
“It is.”
Purification magic.
It was something that was only used by priests and saints who specialised in purification.
The mana cost was not very high. However, it was very inefficient and difficult to control, so most Wizards didn’t bother to learn it.
Of course, Frey, who had been known as the Great Mage in the past, had learned a lot of magic that many would not have bothered to learn.
He had used many small tricks before, but none were on the same level as purification magic.
“…”
Snow became even more curious about Frey’s identity.
She could not understand him at all.
The man in front of her had displayed incredibly high attack, defense and support skills. And looking at him now, it seemed that his skill in purification magic was not lacking in the slightest.
“You know a lot about magic for an elf.”
“I can’t learn it myself because my talent is lacking, but I am incredibly interested in Magical Science.”
This made Frey wonder just what she was talented in then. He looked at her waist.
The sword that she’d used to kill the Dragon was no longer there.
Snow smiled.
“Huhu. What’s with that lecherous gaze? Are you having trouble taking your eyes off of this Queen’s slender waist?”
“…”
From her words, it would have been impossible to tell that she was an Elf.
Was this type of personality common among the Ice Elves?
Frey began pondering that and completely ignored Snow.
“…it’s not fun when there’s no response.”
Snow grumbled and left.
That night, Frey and Ivan headed to Hruhiral since they had been summoned by Snow.
Tak.
The door closed behind them.
They were in a large room, but only Frey, Ivan and Snow were present.
Snow sat on a chair with her legs crossed.
“If it’s here, then we won’t have to worry about our conversation being overheard.”
Ivan snorted and said.
“You are quite courageous, Your Majesty. To call us here without any escorts.”
He clearly still didn’t like this demonically beautiful woman.
However, when Snow simply smiled and took out Jenki’s Mask, his expression changed.
“That mask…”
“I have the skills to protect myself, so of course I wouldn’t worry.”
As she put on the mask, her hair changed color once again.
Ivan had a dumbfounded expression on his face.
“…you were that strong fighter wearing the mask?”
“Thank you for the compliment. You’re not bad yourself.”
“…”
Ivan’s lips shut tightly.
He had been the one who had watched her fight from the closest distance. He knew that her skill was in no way inferior to his.
Ivan, who believed in giving respect where it was due, could no longer ignore Snow.
Even though he still didn’t like her, he would not continue to treat her in the same rude manner.
“That’s enough for introductions. Can you tell us your identity now?”
“Of course. I am Riki’s Apostle.”
“…”
Frey and Ivan fell silent at the same time.
They were shocked when she had simply revealed her identity without any hesitation.
“That guy has an Apostle? No. Well. There’s nothing strange about it even if he did.”
In the first place, they hadn’t been interacting with Riki for very long.
Ivan nodded as he inspected Snow once again.
“That explains your sword skills.”
“Huh? I didn’t use my divine power in the fight.”
“…you’re that strong even without using divine power?”
“Right. Isn’t it natural? If I was to use my divine power, then the aura would definitely leak out. I’m an Apostle, but I rarely use my divine power.”
“…”
If that was the case, then her true strength was quite terrifying.
But Frey felt that something wasn’t right.
What was Riki’s power in the first place?
‘Demigod with the power of the sword.’
That was how Riki introduced himself.
It was a very abstract power, unlike the other Demigods who had powers over lightning, poison, or death.
‘Using a sword?’
He felt that it was very likely that something more was hidden beneath that simple explanation.
“The Queen of Elves is an Apostle. If Syax learned of this, she would be devastated. So that’s why you go under a different name while using the mask.”
“I am also the Circle Master of the Hiralgard, and while I play that role, I use the pseudonym Swordna. Only a few people know this.”
“…does anyone know that you are an Apostle?”
“No one else knows. Only you two. It’s not an easy thing to accept.”
“Why did you become Riki’s Apostle?”
“My entire family was destroyed by a Demigod. That means that I am the only surviving Ice Elf on the entire continent.”
Snow’s voice was calm. It didn’t sound like she had any anger or resentment toward the Demigods.
But Frey knew that everything wasn’t as it seemed.
“But they are too strong. As a mere mortal, there was nothing that I could do. So I don’t regret accepting Riki’s offer.”
Snow smiled bitterly.
“You are a true Queen.”
Snow felt like Frey was one of her own kind.
This man was truly interesting.
She was sure that he was human, but she couldn’t help but feel that he was much older than her. Even now, as they sat face to face, she couldn’t even begin to guess his true depth.
Although he seemed so warm and kind, he was also able to become more heartless than anyone when necessary.
And she was sure that it would be one of his greatest weapons when he faced transcendent beings like Demigods.
‘She’s so similar.’
Frey didn’t think that his words were wrong.
It would have been impossible for him to sign a contract with Asura 4,000 years ago, even if in a desperate situation.
How would he react if a traitor other than Riki were to appear before him and offer him the chance to be their Apostle?
“Anyway, what I’d like to tell you is… hmm.”
Snow suddenly stopped talking and closed her eyes.
Ivan tilted his head.
“What’s wrong? Why did you stop talking?”
“It seems she’s connected to Hruhiral. Let’s just wait for a moment.”
“She calls us here late at night and then does sh*t like this.”
Ivan folded his arms and grumbled in a childish manner. It was clear that he really didn’t like Snow.
After a while, Snow woke up from her state and looked at Frey with a complicated gaze.
“You’ve been in contact with Mother.”
“That’s right.”
“To enter Mother’s Soul Space without being an Elf… I don’t know how many more surprises you will give me.”
“…”
“…anyway. Mother would like to express her sincere gratitude for your help before.”
“Anyone can express their gratitude in words.”
When Ivan said those words in a blunt tone, Snow gave a laugh, showing her agreement.
“Huhu. Right. I also have my face as a queen, so I won’t be stingy. Follow me, and I will give you something as a sign of gratitude. You will not be disappointed.”
Ivan scoffed as he also stood up.
“Hmph. I won’t take it lightly if you make me look forward to it like this and your gift turns out to be a salad.”
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