Kulikka is sprinting over!
Just the fact of it made the pressure weighing down on my whole body pretty intense.
Feeling a tightness rising deep in my chest, I bit my lip.
Why the heck is he in Nirva?
Ancient magical beasts try their best to hide their appearances. They’ve realized through countless years that there’s nothing good that comes from being known, and that’s a rule set amongst the ancient beasts.
Of course, some beasts don’t follow this, but those who stand out like that are buried deep in the Forest of the Demon Realm, becoming meals for other beasts or bugs.
Yet, here are Kulikka and Sharcarl, two of the highest-ranked ancient beasts, smack dab in the middle of a kingdom city.
Something is seriously wrong here.
I shouted with conviction.
“Run towards the eccentric! We’re getting out of Nirva!”
It was way too dangerous to be here. Even if I was alone, I was in a situation where I could lose my life at any moment, let alone trying to protect students like Rin and Ares.
Rin and Ares dashed out the door as if they’d been waiting for my cue. I felt a strange déjà vu looking at the massive rock that split the mansion in two, but for now, I chased after them.
Sharcarl wouldn’t die from this level of trouble anyway.
In reality, the large rock that had stood still began trembling and cracking, releasing mana and suddenly springing to life.
“How dare you cause a ruckus on my land, Kulikka!”
A roar filled with fury erupted. Feeling an immense mana gathering behind me, I was able to meet my sister, who was galloping towards us. She seemed a bit worn down, as if she had been dealing with servants until now.
“D-Daniel? What on earth is happening inside?”
Sensing like a dragonkin, my sister’s instincts were far superior to those of a human, and she paled as she felt the killing intent and pressure radiating from Kulikka and Sharcarl.
“It’s okay, stay calm, sis. We need to go back right now; Nirva is too dangerous.”
I grabbed my trembling sister’s shoulders and led her out. The grand estate of the Ren family was beginning to crumble under the clash of the two magical beasts.
Once outside, we found Hayun, Sen, and the eccentric, all dumbfounded as they watched the battle between Kulikka and Sharcarl.
“Is that even possible?”
“A monster…”
Hayun and Sen were watching the fight with terrified expressions, but the eccentric seemed a bit different.
“Fascinating.”
They were gazing at the battle of beasts with eyes that sparkled as if witnessing a new world.
“Why do you invade my land, beast king?”
“If you don’t want to be played with by the gods, step aside, Sharcarl. The Earliest Apocalypse is right here!”
The Earliest Apocalypse?
Rin and I exchanged glances at Kulikka’s thunderous shout. Kulikka was looking for Rin. What struck me as odd was…
How does he know Rin is here?
There’s no way to know.
A king who has never seen a girl living hidden away in the Forest of the Demon Realm wouldn’t know she is the Earliest Apocalypse.
For now, it’s too dangerous.
With no weapon on me, I couldn’t challenge Kulikka.
“Eccentric! To the Aios Academy, NOW!”
I hastily gathered everyone, but the eccentric still looked entranced as they watched the beasts.
“Hey! Snap out of it!”
After shaking their shoulder vigorously, the eccentric finally nodded in realization. Sen shot a curious glare at them, but the eccentric hurriedly used a warp spell.
“Where are you going!”
Kulikka, who hadn’t taken his eyes off us during the battle, roared towards us, only delivering a prickling pressure against our skin.
In the blink of an eye, we were standing in the corridor of the Aios Academy.
Haaa.
I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t just me; the other kids seemed the same, their legs giving way and either collapsing or leaning against the wall to hold themselves up.
Meeting two of the strongest of the ancient magical beasts, this reaction was only natural.
The fact that no one had died was sheer luck.
I understood that feeling, but I couldn’t just sit still. Taking a deep breath, I calmly stated.
“We need to go back to Nirva.”
“What?”
“What are you talking about! Are you crazy?”
Rin and Sister Diana immediately expressed their opposition. Given the circumstances, it was a natural reaction, yet I firmly replied.
“We have to go. Something abnormal is happening in Nirva right now.”
At first, everyone hesitated at my words, but soon they seemed resolved to join me, though I naturally declined.
Nirva was a place where I myself had no assurance of survival. Bringing others there would only be a burden.
Especially since Kulikka was directly targeting someone like Rin.
How that massive creature, hidden away, got to Nirva, I had no clue, but for now, hiding out in my hometown was the safest option to take.
Eventually, our party was completely torn apart.
The eccentric said the coordinates they marked at the intersection square of Nirva were no longer usable, then disappeared after taking the money.
Sen decided to go to my hometown with Rin and Sister Diana.
As for Ares, he had a promise with Arni Duratan, so he’d head towards Arni’s home for now but promised to return to my hometown quickly.
And finally, Hayun…
“…”
“You have to wait outside the city, no exceptions.”
“I get it, I’ll just stick to your ear until you get it.”
She was following me towards Nirva. In this incident involving the Ren family, she displayed a stubborn determination that she’d never back down.
This time, instead of warping directly into the city, I planned to borrow a horse to approach while keeping a safe distance, observing the situation slowly.
I thought about leaving Hayun as far behind as I could and entering the city alone.
After leaving the empty academy, we borrowed horses from the stable and started off, all the while making guesses about the events we had just experienced.
The city of Nirva had turned into a gray, desolate ghost town, and the parents of the deceased Hayun welcomed us like phantoms, which I speculated was due to Sharcarl.
Considering the kind of influence something like this would have on a city, there was no one else capable but Sharcarl.
So, the question arose: why did Sharcarl come out from the Forest of the Demon Realm and show up in Nirva? And how did Kulikka know Rin’s whereabouts and come to Nirva?
Haa, I can’t wrap my head around what’s going on.
“…Hey, Daniel.”
“Yeah?”
Hayun cautiously asked, while I buried my head in my hands atop the horse.
“Why was Uncle there like that?”
“Uncle Heaven Len?”
Now that Hayun mentioned it, I thought back. Given the situation, it seemed Sharcarl had effectively killed everyone in Nirva.
Given his personality and nature, he wouldn’t bother leaving weaker beings alive, so he must have slaughtered everyone, soldiers and civilians alike.
But then why did Heaven Len get spared?
As I pondered, a strange déjà vu began to creep in.
Wait a minute, why was Sharcarl using magic with people he killed?
This being who scorned the weak was rather using the weak as ghosts to block our path?
No, that couldn’t be right.
For a mage like Sharcarl, it would be much more effective to just swing a staff rather than spend mana using magic there.
But that city was undoubtedly an effect of Sharcarl’s magical intervention. I could be sure of that.
The question is why?
Ultimately, I could find no answers to the recurring questions.
The reason Sharcarl was in Nirva.
The reason he invaded and took control of Nirva.
Furthermore, the reason Kulikka could come to Nirva.
If Nirva had been closer to the Forest of the Demon Realm, I might have been able to understand having both magical beasts around, but Nirva was in the completely opposite direction, and as time passed, my questions only grew.
In the end, I had no answers, and Hayun and I could do nothing but urge our horses to run.
Thus, it took us several days to arrive at Nirva.
“…What the heck is this?”
“D-Daniel? Am I seeing this right?”
Nirva, which had become a ghost town of gray dust, now lay desolate.
“Oh? Is this your first time in Nirva? Student? Couple?”
“Isn’t that the daughter of the Ren family?”
“Hm? Did the Ren family have a child?”
Voices from around echoed. Amid the mishmash of chatter and the lively sounds typical of a bustling city.
The ghost town that had become Nirva was now, far too peacefully, returning to its original appearance.
