Chapter 153
I can hardly feel my left arm. Maybe it’s because of the paralysis from the lightning spear, but it’s tough to even get a sense of muscle movement.
My right shoulder has a deep gash in the flesh. I did some first aid with healing magic, but through the gap, I can see what looks like a bunch of red, muscular strands or something.
I’ve used up a lot of stamina. In this world, mana is closely related to stamina. If my overall mana level wasn’t high, I would have been exhausted a long time ago.
Still, the mana I can use hasn’t run out yet, so I’m okay.
No matter how much I overuse it, as long as I don’t fire off dozens of large-scale unique spells like Helion’s, there’s no way all the seawater will evaporate.
Having completed hasty first aid with healing magic, I hid in a quiet alley and released my familiar magic. The Wolf Gem I had equipped didn’t manifest and instead returned with the spell.
Originally, Vargan has no familiars that would help in a situation like this. Maybe he doesn’t like the divine attributes, as he doesn’t have even one healing-related creature with him.
‘…If it weren’t for getting ‘Uni’ last time.’
Uni is the most recent addition to my group of familiars. Before heading to Erica’s mansion during summer vacation, I summoned it while clearing a dungeon at the Schugenhartz Estate.
I named it Uni because it resembles a unicorn.
It’s currently the only divine-type familiar I have.
Uni’s characteristic is rapid self-healing.
Its speed and regeneration exceed ordinary recovery magic.
However, the problem is that it can’t heal other beings… but since I have the familiar magic I learned from Helion, I’m an exception.
Having released the Wolf Gem, I selected Uni as the new familiar target and shared the spell.
Its nature is completely different from the Wolf Gem, bringing a fresh sensation.
It’s not just new; I can feel its effects.
My left arm, which had almost no sensation, slowly begins to accept control as though electric currents are flowing out.
The nasty gash on my right shoulder starts to heal rapidly. Other wounds are being restored simultaneously.
‘If only it had a smaller mana cost, I could use it in combat…’
Naturally, I had tried to injure myself to test Uni’s abilities.
In the end, Uni is an excellent familiar that does its job well.
However, the issue is that using it for recovery consumes a tremendous amount of ‘mental strength’.
I’ve already confirmed that it affects other spells.
While it might be easy to recover during breaks after a fight, it’s difficult to use it in battle when I’m already overwhelmed with information to handle at the same time.
…Still, thanks to Uni, I had planned on facing Pertigle Blurans one-on-one.
“Sigh….”
Uni’s healing isn’t gentle, and the pain is considerable.
I closed my eyes tightly and expelled the pain with my breath.
She was thinking.
Well, she fought against Blurans as planned, and the outcome was not surprising.
What is the situation in the Academia?
There are 100 screamers scattered throughout the Academia.
To be precise, 100 familiars, which are twin owls sharing vision, have merged into one.
The amount of information sent by these creatures, who monitor everything like CCTV, is enormous, and it’s impossible to review it all.
She quickly checks only the necessary areas.
First, the Auditorium where Alicia is located.
Archbishop Beris is facing numerous students.
The main members from the Academia are Alicia, Diphelia, Paula, Erica, Alexeria, and Bracchium.
Beris’s Liberation is not fully completed; it’s only halfway done.
Beris, who can only move after compressing her power into the form of a seed, is trying to release the compressed power by absorbing the energy and mana of those in the Auditorium, but she is being greatly hindered by Diphelia, who controls a gigantic Old Tree.
Thus, she has only achieved half of the Liberation so far.
Even so, she’s showing an equal match against the elites.
If it weren’t for sending Erica and the fourth-year members, Beris would have already taken all the lives in the Auditorium and roamed the Academia with her full power.
… Erica’s tired appearance is noticeable.
It’s understandable since she transported three high-capacity individuals long-distance using Warp Magic.
She had warned them not to get involved in the battle if it could be helped, but she didn’t want to hide alone.
Though she felt a bit conflicted, she set aside her personal feelings and looked around.
…….
After confirming everything, it turns out that the Goddess Church stirring things up in the Academia consists of Archbishop Beris and three top-tier Bishops, along with four other Bishops.
One of the top Bishops, “that guy,” hasn’t shown himself, meaning the crisis hasn’t reached maximum levels.
There are no inflection points. The predetermined line does not bend.
Thus, the initial plan remains intact.
Just straight ahead.
The person I need to hunt down now is…
“Francesca.”
That one.
⎯Sssss.
A fusion of Taesan and the Shadow, who has approached at just the right moment, comes into the alley where I am. They had been hidden in the shadow of the Ancient Dragon, waiting for an opportunity to slip away.
Once the healing was sufficiently completed, I released Uni, and then freed the dual fusion of Taesan and the Shadow as well.
I return Taesan but leave the Shadow behind.
For the attire for the decisive battle, it’s suitable to bring the Shadow, which has lived long within my shadows.
*
Ocell Victoria Francesca.
She has two people she misses dearly.
One is her mother.
The person who always embraced her warmly and brought smiles that lifted her spirits.
She read to her often, and the fairy tales her mother read still linger in her memory.
… But.
That mother is no more. She couldn’t withstand the weight of time and was left in the past.
The one she longs for, her father.
The one who instilled knowledge and interest in necromancy.
Her father loved the family, and the shock of her mother’s passing affected him deeply.
Unable to forget her mother, he dedicated his life to the study of spells, overshadowed by her voice.
The affection for her family is the foundation of Francesca inheriting her father Niklas’s spells.
Even if it was selfish and could draw fierce criticism from others.
She did not want to overlook the meaning of the spells her father left behind nor his heartfelt affection.
Yes.
Even if it drives her toward death.
…….
Her long eyelashes lay still like a butterfly.
As if she never wanted to rise again, Francesca keeps her eyes closed.
The car has closed eyes.
No matter how much the surrounding noise strikes at her eardrums.
Even as her mana is being siphoned from the roots.
Her eyelids, soaked in dreams from long ago, show no signs of opening.
Then suddenly, a sound akin to the cry of an ancient dragon, devoid of vocal cords, roared through the air along with the mana.
“……!”
Francesca opened her eyes.
With yellow moonlit irises, she gently moves to assess her current situation.
Her body is restrained, unable to move.
She is submerged in a pile of bones, robbed of the freedom to act.
At present, she is stuck somewhere.
Being a mere appendage to something, constantly drained of mana.
It doesn’t take long for her to grasp the full situation.
“…I’ve failed, haven’t I?”
Currently, Francesca has become the heart of the ancient dragon.
Though the ancient dragon had no flesh or organs, it was vaguely taking shape through mana.
Amidst that, a dense mass of mana, a writhing heap of bones encases Francesca.
It pulsates rapidly, supporting the ancient dragon’s output.
With a frail gaze, she scans her surroundings.
On either side of the ancient dragon are the two skeleton soldiers, her loyal sentinels.
From a casual glance, it’s clear that their armor and presence are distinct compared to other soldiers, yet control has completely slipped away.
The energy they emit is sharper, posing no discomfort in serving a new master.
Thump. Thump.
The ancient dragon seems to be heading toward the center of the Academia.
Instinctively, to reclaim its prime.
Heading toward the spot with the thickest mana in the Academia.
That place holds a gigantic mana stone that supports the floating city of Academia.
The essence that governs its mana.
There was a rumor that one of the earliest creations of the magicians, the ‘regulator,’ lies hidden inside the Grand Clock Tower at the center.
…At least that’s what the rumors said, and judging by the ancient dragon heading in a straight line, it seems to be mostly true.
It must be trying to absorb that and draw out the energy of the massive mana stone as well.
If that were to happen, it would obtain not just its prime, but power far beyond.
“…….”
Francesca, now a mere component due to her failed spell.
The Academia is in an uproar due to her past actions.
Her body, being exploited, remains eerily quiet.
Silent and pitiful.
“…It was all meaningless.”
Her sorrow escaped her lips.
Reinterpreting the unique spell that her father constructed, she recalled the skeletal ‘errors’ she had long chosen to ignore.
“It was all for nothing…”
She desperately wanted to believe that her father Niklas hadn’t become insane, even while covering her eyes.
Even knowing, she halted her thoughts.
Hoping that there was something hidden at the endpoint of that spell.
Praying that her lack of understanding regarding the spell was the problem.
She didn’t cease her research into the faulty golden spell that was heading the wrong way.
“…….”
Even if the world cursed her, she wanted to believe in herself.
But she didn’t want to accept the truth that her mother’s voice, so clearly heard by her father, stemmed from his madness.
“Dad….”
To be precise, Francesca’s unique spell didn’t fail.
In fact, it was an enormous success.
For her father Niklas, enchanted by the ‘voice’ of the Goddess Church, had applied the initial settings perfectly.
The blurred vision of Niklas who planned this was reflected as it was.
However, this was not at all the outcome Francesca had desired.
It seemed that none of the hidden meanings she hoped for existed.
The reality reflected by the current situation is this:
Her father, Ocel Victoria Niklas, was merely a madman who had fallen after losing his wife.
It was a fact.
There was no strength in the body.
The mana circuit that activated recklessly was in a state of overload, surpassing the level of being overheated. At this rate, she would soon meet a certain death.
“……”
However, Francesca offered no resistance.
As if she had no desire to stay in this world, she wished that this massive trace of the past would take everything away from her. Pathetically.
Bound by the act of giving up life.
And then.
⎯…I will execute you, Francesca.
The voice of the most dreaded person was heard.
This was no auditory hallucination. It was clearly the voice of the fierce Clemens.
Francesca lifted her eyes, which were about to close again, and scanned her surroundings. A woman with blood-red hair was riding a wyvern, lance in hand.
Even as the blood flowed down from her head and obscured one eye, she did not close it.
Francesca did not realize it, but as soon as her unique spell was activated, she lost consciousness; at that time, Clemens, who had been at the tomb, seemed to have suffered greatly at the hands of an ancient dragon.
Clemens, unlike her usual demeanor of looking down leisurely on others, was now panting and displaying a fighting spirit.
“For the crime of studying gold magic.”
A strong voice kept Francesca’s eyes locked on her.
Clemens, who seemed to be smiling wickedly, ferociously yet calmly stated Francesca’s crimes.
“Not only did you go beyond simple research, but you recklessly applied it to the Church’s possessions.”
Her voice was solid, resembling that of her father, the top warrior Sylvester.
The current situation was eerily reminiscent of that past moment.
“And, for the crime of attempting to overthrow Academia. You, who have become a subject of immediate execution…”
Will be killed.
Shall be killed.
Will die.
Shall meet death.
…Just like the night when her father lost his life.
Clemens was right.
She had committed an unforgivable sin, and she felt no desire for life. No one would grieve or rage upon her death.
Dying was the right thing to do.
That way, the output of the ancient dragon could also be weakened.
…But.
“Clemens….”
Perhaps she was a target of anger, powerlessness, and sorrow.
It could be that such a reaction comes from having lost everything.
However, clearly.
The hatred towards Clemens that was buried deep within Francesca, along with her inferiority complex and all sorts of tainted emotions, began to bubble up.
And it spilled out of her mouth.
“Clemens……!”
Francesca’s eyes, wide open, definitely captured the woman with red hair.
She knew.
Just like that day, just like this moment.
The glorious Julio family is the apostle of justice and a hero.
The two stains of the Victoria family are nothing but terrible villains.
If possible, meeting death like this would be the cleanest conclusion that everyone desires.
Therefore, this was a selfish desire.
Wasn’t the start of the research on the spell that triggered the current disaster also based on extreme selfishness?
Goooh⎯!
The mana, akin to the poison of the ancient dragon, grew even stronger.
With Francesca passively drained of mana, she turned active and pulled out her roots.
Everything Clemens did was right.
She was wrong, and she deserved to die miserably.
Not even a grave, reducing her corpse to feed crows would be enough.
Villain.
This filthy and disgusting heart cannot be considered that of a hero safeguarding people. Rather, it must certainly be akin to the Goddess Church, absolute evil.
With that horrifyingly ugly voice.
With ugly and nauseating feelings.
Francesca cried out.
“Despicable Julio family’s girl……!”
Thus, Francesca became a true villain.
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