As the night that almost ended in a big accident came to a close…
“Thank you for your kindness. I won’t forget it.”
“Please be careful. Count Capeles, you must visit the temple.”
“Got it… See you later, Count Weinstein.”
Looking at the bowing students alongside Capeles, Rudell bade them farewell.
Their departing figures vanished into the forest, and Rudell turned his head with a short sigh.
In his line of sight were his companions, watching him.
Returning to his spot, Rudell sat down on a tree trunk with a grim face.
“So, what did you find out last night?”
“They were holding some kind of ritual.”
“A ritual…?”
“I’m not entirely sure. But the possibilities I can think of right now are…”
Suddenly, the necromancer became unable to see souls, and the strange sensation he felt.
Though it was far too small to be considered a clue, combining those threads led to one conclusion.
“It seems they’re trying to gather the souls of the dead in the forest to do something.”
In the original story, the Church of the Eaters of Death was indeed allied with various evil forces.
Of course, among them, there were dark magicians and fallen necromancers who dealt with souls.
There was no way they would let the souls of the countless monsters that were dying go ignored, even at this very moment.
“Soul-related… How could they do something so horrific…!!”
While listening to Rudell, Eleor trembled as if her teeth were chattering and prayed to the goddess.
“What do they want to do with the souls?”
[I’ve heard that dark magicians can offer souls to demons to gain strong magic power… ]
“I’ve heard tales of shamans in other tribes who use mysterious powers by offering living sacrifices.”
In response to Leje’s question, Silphier and Kurt answered, and Leje wore a serious expression.
Rudell felt similarly.
‘It seems something has changed again…’
According to the original story, the incident that would occur during this final exam was a large-scale raid by the Church of the Eaters of Death.
And it would happen on the last day, not on the second day.
But it seemed that somehow the incident had turned into something more covert and dangerous…
“Shouldn’t we cancel the exam?”
“I think so too. It’s too dangerous as it stands.”
As long as the future situation was uncertain, continuing with the exam would be nothing short of perilous.
If Leje and Rudell said it, Fernand, the one overseeing the exam, wouldn’t ignore it.
“Let’s see… Is there a supervisor nearby…”
Recalling Fernand’s words that there was one supervisor assigned to each team, Rudell looked around to find one.
And that was the moment.
“You don’t need to.”
“!?”
A familiar voice chimed in, causing Rudell and his companions to turn in the direction of the sound.
And there stood…
“Things have already gotten complicated.”
With a weary expression, it was none other than Fernand.
*
“So what you’re saying is…”
“This place and the outside…”
[So, it’s… isolated…?]
The news that Fernand brought was shocking.
It was that this testing ground, the labyrinth forest, had been enveloped in an unidentified barrier and cut off from the outside.
“Is there no way to break the barrier?”
“We’ve already tried, but it’s had no effect at all.”
“Ugh…”
A low groan escaped Rudell’s lips at those words.
Usually, there are two types of barriers that are difficult to break.
Either an overwhelmingly large amount of magic power is poured in to create a barrier that is hard to destroy, or the barrier continuously receives magic power to restore itself instantly even when damaged.
“Are the other students okay?”
“There are a few students we cannot contact yet… But with the supervisors there, nothing should happen.”
“…”
Fernand said that, but in Rudell’s view, that assumption was far too optimistic.
After all, the Church of the Eaters of Death saw anyone who wasn’t them as less than bugs, unworthy of being human.
If students unaware of the situation encountered them, Rudell could easily predict the terrible consequences without witnessing it directly.
“And you came to us because…?”
“I need your help.”
Everyone fell silent, staring at him after Fernand’s statement.
Taking a brief pause, Fernand continued…
“Currently, communications with the outside are completely cut off, and those supervisors who can be contacted are too focused on protecting the students to have any time to understand the situation.”
“So, you want us to figure out what’s going on?”
At Rudell’s question, Fernand silently nodded.
Perhaps it was upsetting for him to have to ask for help from those still in school instead of doing it himself as an adult.
A short sigh escaped his lips.
“I think you are more suited to this task than anyone here, considering you’ve already experienced similar things. So, I feel embarrassed asking, but please.”
“Understood.”
Now that the situation was in motion, the option to bail out didn’t exist.
Nodding at Fernand’s words, Rudell and the others began gathering their things.
*
“Silphier. Can you see anything?”
[Uh, no…!! Not yet…!!]
Rudell’s question drew a response from Silphier through their communication device.
Rudell and Leje.
Kurt and Silphier, along with Eleor.
They divided into two teams to scout the forest.
“I’ll leave that side to you. If you discover anything new, let me know.”
[Alright…!!]
[Be careful, you two!]
With Silphier and Eleor’s replies ringing in his ears, Rudell leaped between the branches of a giant tree, scanning the surroundings.
“There’s no sound at all.”
“Yeah…”
Normally, in a forest, you’d expect sounds of rustling leaves, the wind, or even the chirping of birds.
But now, there was not a single sound in the forest they were traversing.
As if someone had intentionally erased any noise, only a chilling silence hung in the air.
As the two moved through the massive tree trunks…
“Wait.”
“What is it?”
Leje halted as if she’d discovered something.
Rudell questioned her expression, and she signaled for him to be quiet, pointing silently to a direction.
Following her finger…
“I found them…!!”
What came into his view were the members of the Church forming a circular shape, just like yesterday.
They seemed to be conducting some sort of ritual, with something that used to be an Orc wriggling among them.
“Ugh…”
Leje scrunched her face in disgust at the grotesque scene.
But it was only for a moment.
“I’ll need backup.”
“Hold on.”
Watching the scene unfold, Leje drew the sword at her waist, while Rudell grabbed her to stop her from jumping in.
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“Don’t kill all of them. We need to leave one alive.”
What mattered most in this situation was information.
Understanding what they were doing here, and what they were planning, was urgent.
“Just one, right? Got it.”
Nodding at Rudell’s request, Leje glared at them, letting her magic gather as she prepared to dash forward toward the cultists, leaving a faint glimmer in her wake.
“Graah!?”
“Ugh!?”
“An enemy! The heretics… Urgh!?”
The sudden ambush caught the cult members completely off guard, especially considering she was Leje.
With each swing of her sword, drops of red blood splattered, and at the same time, screams echoed.
In less than a minute, the cult members numbered around ten lay dead, gruesome corpses sprawled on the ground…
“I don’t even need to step in at this point…”
Truly legendary, one might say.
Witnessing the scene unfold, Rudell looked on in disbelief, walking over to Leje, who was shaking off the blood from her sword.
“Alright! Just like you said, I left one alive.”
“Good work.”
With a light smile for Leje, Rudell approached the lone male before them.
He was frail, and just by looking, it was clear he wasn’t in his right mind.
“W-whoa!?”
Perhaps in a state of panic, the male let out a scream that sounded like he was about to pass out, making Rudell let out a short sigh.
Then, with a cold expression, he spoke.
“Would you rather die here, or tell me everything you know and save your life?”
