Time passed, and soon the third morning of the Monster Extermination War dawned.
After two days of fierce battles, the first Dimension Gap had been closed. I heard that thanks to Abel’s grand magic and the healing of the priests, not a single person was injured.
“Abel is still amazing.”
Even among the Holy Knights, admiration for Abel’s might was circulating, indicating how proactive he had been.
One of the reasons for this admiration was that those saying it were among the strongest, each one a formidable warrior.
The participants in this Monster Extermination War were indeed strong; otherwise, they would have been wiped out in a single attack, healing or not.
On the flip side, it was also indicative of how dangerous the Dimension Gaps had become to necessitate such elite troops.
“Phew…”
This time, there were a total of four Dimension Gaps.
It was said that the number had significantly decreased from the seven that existed in the past. However, many claimed that the quality of monsters had increased just as much.
Thinking back to that eyeball conglomerate monster that had been exerting widespread mental interference, it certainly made sense.
But what had that voice, telling me not to look at that monster while my mind was breaking down, even been?
“It told me not to look…”
Even when I asked Silphy, she said she hadn’t heard such a voice. It was too disturbing to just brush off as an auditory hallucination.
Because it sounded a lot like my own voice.
While I was deep in thought, Yurph came up to me.
“Are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m fine.”
Unlike before, when she had been prickly with others, her voice was soft with concern for me.
It was hard to adjust to this side of her, especially since she had been sharp even with Kal, who seemed rather close with her. Of course, though it felt strange, it wasn’t a bad thing.
It meant she had gotten close enough to worry about me.
“Id, did you bring potions?”
Was she talking about emergency potions? The escort team usually carries potions just in case they are separated from the priests.
Thinking back, I realized I had completely forgotten to bring them when we set out. A chill ran down my spine, but I tried not to show it.
Just as I was about to say that I hadn’t brought any, Yurph handed me a potion bottle from her pocket.
“You don’t have to worry, Kal. I’ve got it covered.”
“Oh, thank you.”
I expressed my gratitude as I accepted the potion. It felt a bit embarrassing having her take care of me like this.
Silphy, who was floating beside me without materializing, let out a sound of discontent. She sighed and muttered in a small voice.
[At this rate, it’s getting a bit creepy.]
‘She’s just taking care of me. I should be grateful.’
[No, not that.]
Silphy pointed her tiny finger at Kal. He looked a bit flustered, scratching his head as he glanced at Yurph.
However, she was ignoring his gaze entirely and was just looking at me.
[That guy, isn’t he oddly sharp with that man?]
At Silphy’s question, I almost nodded in agreement without realizing. Yurph was certainly unusually dismissive of Kal.
From an outsider’s perspective, it might seem like they were at odds.
“Well, I’m glad. And Yurph, you’ve become much softer; I’m happy for you.”
“…You’re noisy.”
Yurph replied to Kal’s words and then approached me.
Watching that made me feel strangely uneasy. It was a feeling hard to explain, but it felt ominous.
Silphy seemed to share my sentiment, frowning.
“Let’s do our best!”
“Yes. Right.”
I stuffed the potion bottle into my leather pouch at my waist. Then I looked towards the gap ahead.
The gap was slightly larger than the first one. They said it grows larger toward the center.
Would it grow to the size of a mountain eventually? That absurd thought crossed my mind.
But soon I felt a sense of despair that I couldn’t entirely dismiss.
[Don’t dwell on negative thoughts for too long. You’ll get contaminated.]
‘Yeah, got it. I guess I was a bit worn out.’
Arin, the leader of the Black Raven Knights and my spirit magic mentor, always emphasized one fact whenever she taught me spirit magic.
It was something I repeated like a mantra in every lesson. Spirits can be contaminated by the negative thoughts of their contractors.
The longer negative thoughts persist, the greater the contamination. When the level of contamination surpasses a threshold, spirits fall and become bound to this world.
The stronger the spirit, the higher the threshold, but that doesn’t mean they won’t become contaminated. That’s why spirits choose their contractors so carefully.
In my case, it was somewhat unique.
[Mental management is also an important virtue of a Spirit Conduit.]
‘Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.’
I repeatedly inhaled and exhaled, calming my negative emotions. If Silphy was warning me directly, it meant my level of contamination had built up quite significantly.
It seemed that recklessly being tense in the Extermination War had backfired on me.
But I felt a lot better now.
I slapped my cheeks with both hands and quietly stared at the Dimension Gap in the distance.
Krrrrk…
A monster started to squeeze through the gap.
It had a shape similar to that of a praying mantis, but its body was covered in bulbous eyes rolling around.
That grotesque monster began to emerge one after another from the gap.
Unlike the previous wave of monsters, this one seemed to size us up, scanning cautiously.
In the brief moment of psychological warfare, a white magic circle started to spread in the air.
Krruk?
“Looks like we have the time to size them up after all.”
As the front line leader of the extermination team, Abel snapped his fingers, and spears began to rain down from the white magic circle.
The spears pierced through the monsters’ bodies, causing them to shriek in agony.
He reached out his hand dismissively, and the monsters condensed into a single point, soon becoming a small blood pearl.
Perhaps encouraged by that display, our knights immediately took the lead.
“Follow the Duke!”
““For the glory of House Hardenberg!””
““For the Duke’s glory!!””
Their booming voices shook the ground, and it seemed like the Holy Knight Order was inspired too, chanting loudly as they followed behind.
““We dedicate this glory to the Goddess!””
“Finish them off!”
Perhaps overwhelmed by that overwhelming momentum, the monsters were swept away like autumn leaves, unable to put up a fight.
The blades and slashes made of aura and divine power started to sever them in an instant.
“I beseech the Goddess, please let this strength be for the good of the world.”
Muttering something, Yurph blessed the escort team, including me.
Turning my head, I caught a glimpse of her face, faintly smiling. It was still awkward, but at least it was much better than before, when she had been completely expressionless.
[The front entity seems to be one capable of size alteration this time.]
‘There’s quite an array of creatures, isn’t there?’
A monster burrowed through the extermination team’s defenses, suddenly growing larger in front of the escort team. The unusual behavior caused the escort team to panic for a moment.
“Wind, come forth.”
I wasn’t going to just watch that unfold.
In battle, just as psychological warfare is crucial, maintaining momentum is equally important. Once the momentum shifts, the battle immediately tilts toward victory.
[Distance to target, confirmed. You know what to do, right?]
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
Silphy nodded beside me. Fueled by that, I slammed my right foot into the ground, charging forward instead of leaping into the air as I had before.
I rushed forward with my rapier wrapped in wind.
Pooook!
The monster screeched as green blood splattered everywhere.
The escort team, still in shock from the sight, immediately began to follow my lead to deal with the monsters.
I pulled the rapier free from the monster and turned my gaze.
It seemed like there were several monsters attempting to burrow in the same way, and shrieks echoed all around.
Although the escort team was handling it, it was evident they were struggling a bit.
Just as I was about to take a step to join in, I felt a chilling sensation come from behind.
[Contractor! Be careful!]
Before Silphy could finish her warning, the blade attached to the monster’s arm lunged right at my face.
It was in a desperate flail, despite already being injured.
Had I let my guard down because I thought it was done for?
I really hoped I wouldn’t have to use regression.
With a silly thought that it would be nice if the save point was close in time, I squeezed my eyes shut.
KAAANG!
As soon as the metal clang rang out, I cracked my eyes open slightly to see Abel, blocking the monster’s blade with one hand.
He lifted the monster by its blade and tossed it into the air.
Wuuuung…
Dozens of magic circles were generated in the air. Spears erupted from the white magic circle, stabbing the monster downward vertically.
The monster met its death without even a scream. Green blood erupted from it in all directions, and its corpse was reduced to dust and vanished.
As I stood there gaping at the scene, Abel approached me.
“Remember. You must always confirm kills on the battlefield.”
“…Got it.”
I nodded in response, and he sighed, giving me a gentle reprimand in a low voice.
“Don’t let your guard down if you want to grow stronger.”
“Haha.”
I awkwardly laughed it off, and he clicked his tongue, returning to the battlefield. He had said that, but he must have been worried about me, who had almost died.
I certainly was recklessly careless just now.
To regain my composure, I took a sip of cold water.
As I sheathed my rapier and turned my gaze, I caught Yurph looking at me with sparkling eyes.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment before quickly asking me a question.
“Does Id like Duke?”
Puh!
Caught off guard by her straight shooter question, I spluttered out the water I had been holding in my mouth.
Fortunately, because I turned my head quickly in that short moment, Yurph didn’t get wet.
“Oh, no.”
“Um… I see…”
Even as she spoke, her eyes were awkwardly shifting. There was no mistaking it; she didn’t believe my words.
No, given how my face had heated up by this point, it was impossible for her to believe me.
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