Chapter: 487
I brought Arthur back to life and headed straight for the graduate school’s side of Soul Academy.
The lighthouse-like building that never went out, day or night, regained its peace only after the variable of the Evil God appeared.
Would the people here wake up and celebrate their rest, or scream about their piled-up work?
“Why am I here? Is there someone I’m supposed to find?”
“No. There’s a place here that fools like the Pitiful Prince wouldn’t know about.”
“…A place I wouldn’t know?”
The place I guided them to was where the traces of a past hero remained, and now it had become a haven for a necromancer.
While Adri stayed here, did she fiddle with all sorts of things? The underground had transformed from a bleak maze to a serene mansion vibe.
Was she really that bored down there? It feels like nothing was left untouched.
As I pondered what kind of necromancy could make this happen and walked inside, Adri appeared in front of me with a pouty face.
“Hag. You managed to stay awake? I thought you’d be passed out on the floor.”
– You may think otherwise, but I’m quite a strong necromancer, you know? This sloppy trick won’t fool me! Hic!?
While we were chatting, Frey suddenly swung her sword from behind. Noticing the attack, Adri hurriedly stepped back, and Frey clicked her tongue.
– Wh-What are you doing!?
“An opponent. Right?”
– Opponent, what? If I were your enemy, would I just let you be?
“If you’re not an enemy, then you’re a collaborator of Lucy Allen?”
– I don’t want to admit it, but it’s kind of similar.
Arthur and Frey glanced at me, nodding at the same time.
I felt like I could relate to that. Thinking they wouldn’t easily believe me, I was getting ready to persuade them, but then I felt a bit deflated and shrugged.
“We don’t have much time to waste on idle chatter, okay? Follow me. Shoddy ones.”
Even though the scenery underground had changed, the path hadn’t, so I naturally found my way. Then I spotted a few skeletons lying sprawled in the hallway and tilted my head.
“What’s with this trash?”
– That was left behind by someone who used to stay here. Don’t you know?
Oh, these are the skeletons that used to make up the underground dungeon. I thought they’d be reduced to dust from the Evil God’s energy, but I guess not all of them are.
But did they always look like this? They seem quite different from what I remember.
– They’re abandoned objects, so I used them as I pleased. Is there a problem?
Got it. Adri used these to change the underground scenery. Well, if Adri is a capable necromancer, then this is nothing.
Hmm.
Umm.
“Hey, Lonely Old Hag.”
– What is it?
“I’m just asking out of curiosity—can even useless you do something like this?”
When I told Adri what I had just thought of, she nodded as if it was obvious.
– I can do it.
“How long will it take?”
– It’ll be done quickly! The foundation is already kind of set.
Hearing Adri’s positive response, I raised an eyebrow and pulled out a piece of paper from my inventory to sketch a draft on the spot.
Recently, my artistic skills have advanced remarkably with my aesthetic sense, and my brain could easily translate my thoughts onto paper.
– Hmm. I get a rough idea of what you’re thinking. I’ll be getting ready. You don’t even need me to follow you, right?
“Then what good would having a useless hag around do other than smell bad?”
– …Ah. I really want to smack you from behind.
After grumbling, Adri left, and I wandered through the maze for a while.
Eventually, I arrived at the place where the fake hero used to stay.
“What’s this place?”
“It’s where the perverted skeleton knight, who wanted to become a princess, used to hang out.”
“…What kind of nonsense is that?”
The words translated into Mesugaki got Arthur blinking in surprise. Seeing him react, I thought of persuading him but then felt it would only lead to a jumbled mess. I chuckled to myself, thinking only insulting remarks about the skeleton would come out.
Arriving at the wall, I took out the scroll I received from Karia earlier.
“Wait a minute. Lucy Allen. That scroll—could it be something containing the breath of a dragon?”
“Oh. The Pitiful Prince knows about this? How interesting. I thought the Pitiful Prince only knew how to grumble.”
Just as Arthur said, this is a scroll containing the breath of a dragon.
It even has the cool name Dragon’s Breath. But among gamers, no one calls it that.
Why, you ask? Because the phenomenon that occurs when this scroll is activated is miles away from a dragon’s breath.
Erasing everything in front of me physically—what kind of dragon’s breath is that?
They should’ve labeled it “Destruction Magic” instead.
“I heard it’s definitely not something to be used indoors!?!”
“Are you scared? Don’t worry. As long as you don’t die, I can save you. Hehe. You might scream like a girl, though.”
“What the hell kind of terrifying thing are you saying!”
Ignoring Arthur’s yell, I installed the scroll and took out the next item.
This one wasn’t anything grand compared to the Dragon’s Breath.
It was something I used when I first faced Nakrad last year. The scroll that saved my life. It perfectly nullifies magic by altering the surrounding environment.
“Lucy Allen. Could you at least pretend to listen? Just a bit about what you’re thinking.”
“Pitiful Prince, if I keep doing this, and make a mistake, we might actually fall apart, you know? Like me, a cute girl, might also be in danger! That sounds a bit much.”
“Sorry. I’ll stay quiet. Keep going.”
After Arthur shut his mouth, I continued my work, finishing what I needed to create. Then I stood up and stretched.
“Is it done?”
“Roughly.”
“Then explain what the hell you’re planning.”
“Pitiful Prince, have you ever thought about this? Why on earth would this shoddy academy be able to create such a massive dungeon?”
The 100-floor dungeon in Soul Academy is exclusive to Soul Academy.
Other academies can create artificial dungeons, but that’s only for the sake of our school exams, which are of significantly lower quality than what we use.
Because of this, Soul Academy has a clear advantage over other academies, making it a place sought after by many dungeon studies scholars.
But isn’t it strange? Why can only Soul Academy create dungeons of 100 floors?
Leaving aside other resources, where does the power to create and maintain a dungeon come from?
“That would be the magic left behind by the Great Wizard Erginius.”
“The magic left behind by that pathetic skeleton? Hahaha. While he’s somewhat impressive for a virgin wizard who can’t even talk to girls, he’s just a human. A virgin who died an embarrassment.”
I can’t deny that Erginius’s magic circles are amazing.
They’re indeed remarkable enough to be called miracles, both before understanding the settings and after.
However, that magic circle is not the source of all power.
It can’t be.
The power emanating from Erginius’s magic circle is merely a byproduct.
Despite the countless miracles manifested from the magic circle, it comes from something with monumental power that still has enough leftovers.
“Those insane people believing in nothing are thinking of using that power. But here’s the key moment. When something truly necessary is about to unfold, if for just a moment that power disappears—what will happen?”
Imagining the scene of them flustered, I grinned as I took out my shield and adorned it with divinity.
When I first learned it from my grandpa, even just following along was tough.
But now it feels as easy as breathing.
The shield of a hero that even blocked a blow from the Evil God stands before us.
“Brace for impact! If you bite your tongue in shock and die, it’ll be super ugly.”
As soon as I finished my preparations and infused the scroll with magic, light seeped into the scroll, and a beast’s howling threatened to burst our eardrums.
The roar of a dragon weighed on the world.
The anger of the dragon converged to one point.
The judgment of the dragon turned the former wall into nothing.
KWAHAAAAANG!
The massive shock that felt like the building would collapse was soon abated as the second scroll activated, disappearing without a trace.
An environment that allows no magic erased the scroll’s magic.
As the shock faded, calm returned to my buzzing ears, and when the haze that obscured my vision dispersed, what was revealed was a passage leading somewhere.
*
“Lucy Allen disappeared while heading towards the academy’s old building. Luca, do you have any idea about this?”
Upon hearing the Apostle of the Void’s message, Luca recalled last year’s events.
Had she entered the place where the skeleton of the former hero Garad had been? It’s unlikely that Lady Allen would go there to hide from the plot of the Evil God. It’s highly probable that there is something there that I don’t know about.
“Let’s send a few people over there.”
While I had intended to let Lady Allen do her thing, it seems hard to do so now.
If the lady were to do something outside of my expectations, it would be uncontrollable.
– KUOOOOO!
Suddenly, a vibration erupted, causing everyone in the room to show signs of panic.
Some fell to the floor.
Some scrambled to stick to the walls.
Some trembled at the distant roar of the beast.
And yet some…
After a while, as the vibrations that seemed to topple the building ceased, Luca withdrew his earlier words.
“…I’ll go myself. Can you send a few people with me?”
The breath of a dragon, huh? What exactly is Lady Allen trying to pull?
Ha ha. Those with truly fucked up talents always surpass the imagination of ordinary folks.
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