Episode 21. Queen of the Snowstorm (4)
Maryd’s developed Snow Age sealing technique.
It visualized intangible spells into small capsule forms, passing through Jenny’s throat.
Having innate talent, she could create it, but it wasn’t perfect from the start.
No matter how talented one is in creating sealing techniques, without the corresponding capability, it’s all for naught.
Hence, some guidance was necessary.
And there are materials to be provided based on the presence of magic to nullify. Without them, no matter how good the talent is, only imperfect sealing techniques can be created.
The remnants of the Snow Age extracted from Radon are exactly those materials. Thanks to his cooperation, it was made smoothly.
The turbulent Snow Age has diminished by about 80%. Though 20% may still rampage, it was within Jenny’s control range.
While being able to control it is good, it also means her power has weakened relatively. Therefore, a Lycansroff, capable of withstanding cold, wouldn’t just fall from that.
“Auooooo!”
Crack! – The Lycansroff, frozen by the blue gust, broke the ice and emerged again. Thanks to the reduced output, it escaped faster than before.
And it fiercely shot lightning from its mouth. Although a powerful current flowed, it was blocked by a suddenly formed barrier.
[Shield of Light]
It was Maryd who blocked the lightning with barrier magic. Unlike others, she seemed not to need a staff.
“Kuooo!”
Now, the Lycansroff, no longer a beast but howling like a monster, finally turned on its glare as if it had given up hunting leisurely.
Roar! –
But then, its eyes burned from Maryd’s subsequent lightning magic. It would regenerate soon anyway, but its vision was blocked, preventing it from restraining its body.
It would buy some time for sure.
“It wasn’t unscathed even after receiving my full power. Can we really defeat it?”
“Long or short, you only know after you try. We must handle at least one of them here.”
“That’s easier said than done. We don’t even know what its weaknesses are.”
Crona clicked her tongue and let out a sigh. No matter how serious the situation became, Maryd’s way of thinking seemed simplistic.
Indeed, tearing through the Lycansroff’s hide seemed impossible. Even if they managed to injure it, it would quickly regenerate, making it all for naught.
“I have a good idea.”
But a promising sound came from Jenny’s mouth as she regained her senses.
Maryd, being the first to react, asked what it was, and Crona, even if a beat late, activated his ears.
Long ago, they had abandoned anything resembling principles in such emergency situations.
During their discussion, the current situation was clarified.
Five Lycansroffs invading. One they had under control, another held by a senior, and the remaining three restrained by Radon Crawler sacrificing himself.
They couldn’t afford to fail here and shift the burden onto the others.
“Radon Crawler…”
Suddenly, among the chaos, they saw the Radon Crawler exerting all its strength, despite being electrocuted.
Why he broke his promise, why concealed his strange power along with the fishing rod, she still didn’t understand. But there was no reason to look down on him, especially in his current state.
“You must survive.”
After finishing the strategy briefing, Jenny looked straight ahead again.
The Lycansroff, with its restored bloodthirsty gaze, also turned towards them.
And the air froze once more.
“Crona, just once will do. Give us the firepower you showed earlier.”
“Alright. I’ll cooperate with you this time.”
“As if it’ll be just this time.”
Setting aside his hesitance, Crona summoned Sunread again.
Despite its wings being pierced, the Phoenix’s power to generate intense heat remained unabated.
The heat, ready to explode at any moment, awaited Jenny’s signal.
Shooosh!
First, a barrage of cold struck towards the Lycansroff. Rather than just slashing, it cooled the air, causing icicles to sprout from the ground.
“Now!”
“Explosion!”
And the projectiles that burst out from behind rapidly expanded the chilled air. It then transformed into an indescribable shockwave, increasing the speed and destructive power of the heat.
A shockwave surged forth.
A dimensionally different explosion occurred, shattering the training ground into smithereens.
Crona herself was astonished by the unprecedented destructive power, but even more astonishing results awaited.
“Urrrrrrr…..”
Finally, the creature knelt down. Its fur, previously intact, now bore severe burns.
They needed to finish it off before it recovered, but both of them were drained from that last strike.
In a flash –
A lightning bolt struck the creature’s forehead. A thundercloud formed over the Blitz, Maryd’s lightning magic.
The nearly indistinguishable difference due to the night was overshadowed by the impending disaster. Lightning in the shape of blood vessels surged forth with tremendous intensity.
The creature’s regeneration speed wasn’t as fast as the lightning.
The lightning relentlessly penetrated the burnt areas, expanding within its body. As everything inside was charred, it led to an explosion.
Boom! The flying debris shielded them. When they regained visibility, they could see the creature’s upper body completely obliterated.
They wondered if it would resurrect like an undead, but soon after, it collapsed like a puppet.
“We won…”
Exhausted from the heavy consumption of magic, they slumped down, wearing worn-out expressions. Looking around, they realized the situation was nearing its end.
One of the other four creatures had its head and chest completely burned by the combined efforts of the seniors, and the remaining three also exploded from within, losing their heads and hearts before collapsing.
As the situation ended, they felt a sense of relief akin to being freed from shackles. However, in the places where the creatures had died, there were human corpses as well.
Upon confirming this, Jenny’s eyes widened.
* * * * *
All five creatures have been subdued. Though how they invaded remains unknown, they overcame the crisis with their own strength. Those who overcome trials become even stronger.
Meanwhile, what happened to me…
“What’s going on?”
Jenny, having recovered, asked nearby student beside her in a flurry.
I was there, lying beside her completely charred by lightning.
In other words, I was a corpse.
Even the students who knew healing magic were of no use.
The students couldn’t cheer despite overcoming ordeal.
Thanks to me restraining the Lycansroffs, they were able to pass the situation around.
Initially seen as a swindler, their heart changed upon seeing me being electrocuted.
My tragic end was so pitiful that they couldn’t cheer even after surviving.
“Sob… I’m sorry for being stupid all this time…”
Trisha was crying as she looked at me turned to charcoal. I thought she was just eccentric, so it was unexpected to see her like this.
Although there were no close friends, many students sympathized with the somber atmosphere.
But not the student council, they were quite composed. Especially Kent Eigist, the representative of the first-year, sniffed disdainfully and said he would check the academy’s security.
“It’s the right thing to do, but how can he maintain such a poker face? He’s just being annoying even though he barely survived.”
Still, it was a pitiful loss of a student’s life.
Most of the students’ faces were gloomy. It seems they acknowledged the existence of the swindler Radon this time.
“How could you end up like this?”
Jenny looked down at my body with a stoic expression. But she, too, was deeply engrossed in her own conscience.
The events that had transpired were still vivid, so she had not yet forgiven me.
It seemed bitterly ironic that even the opportunity to forgive me had vanished since my death.
“I still can’t fathom you. Just because you’re doing this now doesn’t mean it makes up for what you did to me before.”
As she said this, Jenny couldn’t bring herself to meet my eyes.
“Sob… Don’t say that. The sealing technique that saved you… it was all thanks to Radon.”
“What?”
Interrupting through tears, Maryd spoke about the existence of the sealing technique. Jenny only now realized that I had cooperated.
“It was risky to extract your abilities to make the seal. Especially with a storm like this brewing. If it weren’t for Radon, we wouldn’t have achieved the same results.”
“Why didn’t you say that?”
“Think about the relationship between you and Radon. Would you have told me if you knew?”
Maryd wanted to consider me as a friend. But considering the fate between Jenny and me, she reluctantly kept it hidden.
She hoped that someday we would reconcile, but it ultimately became an unattainable hope.
“But to me, he’s still a damn bastard, no matter what!”
“Jenny!”
“But… he’s better off than me. At least this time.”
Restraining those three creatures not only saved the student’s life but also provided an opportunity for their disposal.
I had accomplished what Jenny herself couldn’t.
To her, it was a higher achievement than her own… Jenny thought so and shed tears.
“I’m pathetic too, all because of a guy like this.”
“It’s okay. That’s your identity.”
I handed Jenny a handkerchief.
Just as she needed to cover her tears…
“Huh…?”
Jenny’s expression froze at the familiar voice.
The voice of someone who shouldn’t be alive.
It was me.
“Uh, uh, uh, uh?”
Jenny was dumbfounded as her tears stopped abruptly.
Not only Trisha, who was sobbing, but also the other students, were all terrified to the point of hysteria.
“Eek!”
“Gah!”
“How… How is this possible? You weren’t dead?”
They must have thought they were seeing a ghost. As Crona Delluware and I made eye contact, she fainted in shock.
I get it. Because a dead person had returned. But…
“I’ve never died.”
“What?”
“I’ve never died.”
The excessive shock made Jenny’s neck ache. She seemed at a loss for words, even if she wanted to grab her neck and collapse.
“Then… then what about that… that corpse? It was obviously yours!”
“Oh, that?”
The charred corpse, electrocuted black, suddenly transformed into a straw doll.
Those who saw it up close were hit with a second wave of shock.
– Skill Swap Level 1
That corpse was actually a lump of magical energy created by my skill. In reality, I nearly died, but I managed to activate “Skill Swap” in the nick of time to escape.
No one, including the enemy, realized this fact. I was transferring everything to a decoy and recovering.
“It was a fake?”
“Yeah, exactly. Did you really think I’d end up like that?”
“….”
Honestly, it hurt like hell.
My head was already a bombshell from the electric shock, and my palm holding the fishing rod had turned red from the friction.
Even now, my arms and legs were trembling slightly, as if I would pass out any moment.
“Wow! Radon!!~ We thought you were dead!”
“Why would I be dead?”
Maryd leaped forward and hugged me. She was as cheerful as ever.
But everyone else except her seemed to sense something odd.
“So… we were deceived?”
“We didn’t need to cry and mourn like that?”
When Jenny and Trisha showed ominous intent, I replied without hesitation.
“I didn’t expect the atmosphere to escalate like this either. But is that my fault? Blame it on the wolves.”
“You damn swindler!!”
“Oh, come on!”
As they lunged at me with intent to tear me apart, I skillfully evaded. Especially Jenny, who had a more beastly demeanor than the Lycansroff.
“Turn back our emotions, you son of a swindler!!”
“Am I crazy? Do you want me to die again?”
[Experience points for the “Con Artist” profession are increased.]
[Experience points have exceeded a certain amount! Gain 10 stat points.]
[Various skill levels are increasing due to the imposition effect.]
– Insight Level 6, Action Deciphering Level 6, Acting Level 6, Deceptive Strike Level 2, Skill Swap Level 2
[+100000 credits]
[Additional skill activated!]
– Illusion Summoning Level 1
Through the system, I could confirm how much shock they had experienced.
‘But why am I the one getting their wrath…’
But escaping was only temporary. I soon lost consciousness due to the extreme depletion of magical power during the skill swap.
