“Vigilate. This is a command.”
“That’s a bit difficult.”
“······.”
The massive figure of the Inquisitor completely blocked the entrance.
Just a moment ago, he looked like a big bear, but now his expression twisted, exuding a murderous intent.
I absolutely can’t go on the offensive.
Whatever happens, I must defend justly.
Sighing, I slowly approached him.
“Then I guess I have to forcibly expel you.”
“Try if you can.”
I placed my right hand on his chest and pushed hard, but he didn’t budge an inch.
If I pull out Vafe like this, I could pierce his heart and kill him.
But I had to hold back.
‘Selection and Concentration. 1 second on Strength.’
“Uh?!”
I used my ability and exerted force.
His dumbfounded expression was clearly visible as he took a step back.
Finally, the moment his huge body came out of the entrance, I forcefully shoved him over and closed the door.
“I’ve had to take emergency eviction measures. If you find it unreasonable, please complain to His Majesty the Emperor. You will feel displeased if you refuse the eviction order and get pushed out with one arm.”
“······.”
He firmly shut his mouth and did not reply at all.
Iris was in danger.
I needed to hurry to Iris.
But as I passed by him, I worried he might attack me from behind.
He’s the kind who messes with the Saintess, so there’s no way he wouldn’t attack a student from the Imperial University.
‘Come. Come at me.’
I passed him and focused all my attention on the tremor of mana behind me.
I had to react instantly the moment his new model sprang up.
But even after a while, he didn’t make any move to attack.
Instead, he stood up, shook his rear, and strolled out of the mansion grounds calmly towards the front gate.
‘Doesn’t he plan to attack me here?’
He must have judged he had no chance in a one-on-one fight.
I can’t miss this opportunity.
I need to find Iris right away.
Taking a carriage would take too long.
I headed straight out of the Imperial University towards the stables.
“Whoa?!”
Just then, I sensed an anomaly and turned around.
Just moments ago, the Inquisitor had been right behind me.
But he had vanished without a trace.
*
“Yes? Miss, are we really turning around?”
“Yes! Let’s hurry back to the Imperial University!”
“Understood!”
*Rumble!*
The carriage slowed down and immediately turned around, starting to run in the opposite direction.
Trie held onto the handle, unable to grasp the situation at all.
“Why? Why are we turning?”
“I have a bad feeling…”
Trie didn’t understand about Future Sight.
So Iris had no choice but to respond cautiously.
Trie still couldn’t accept it and tilted her head, but then she clicked her tongue.
It might not be a bad idea to trust the Saintess’s intuition.
Trie held her longsword and poked her head out of the carriage window.
In a whirlwind of dust, she turned to see a pursuing carriage.
“They’re chasing us! They’re getting closer!”
“Coachman! Can you go any faster?”
“This is our top speed! Keeping this up is already tough! The horses are going to wear out soon!”
After all, it wasn’t a racing carriage, so there was no way it could go fast.
But the Inquisitor’s carriage chased after them like a war machine, rapidly closing the distance.
“Trie, a battle might break out. If you don’t want to get involved, even now-”
“What? A battle? With the Inquisitors? That’s so dangerous! We might die!”
“Oh.”
As she said that, Trie’s mouth twisted into a creepy smile as she trembled with excitement.
Drool rolled down her chin, and she anxiously wiped it away.
It seemed Iris understood Trie’s true nature.
She’s a born warrior.
A true warrior who enjoys fighting, unafraid of death.
It seemed there was no need to convince Trie of the necessity to fight the Inquisitors.
If the Inquisitor strikes first, Trie would swing at him without hesitation.
“Did you not sense anything unusual?”
“Uh… It might be a blow strong enough to destroy the carriage.”
In the future she glimpsed, the carriage had indeed been shattered.
There was no guarantee things would unfold that way, but it at least indicated the enemy possessed both the ability and the will to inflict that level of impact.
“What is it? Are they about to launch magic? Or throw a spear? Or something else…”
Trie, quivering with anticipation, felt the hair on her head stand on end.
Her instincts were signaling her of impending danger.
No spells were being cast yet.
The opposing carriage showed no signs of throwing a spear.
So, what could it possibly be?
Trie instinctively looked up.
The glaring sunlight pierced her eyes.
At that moment, a strangely shaped pigeon flew over Trie’s head, casting a gaze down.
Upon seeing its red eyes, Trie suddenly felt a chill surge through her body.
In that instant, the pigeon vanished without a trace, replaced by a dark figure.
“Huh?”
A large shadow loomed over Trie’s face.
Something had suddenly appeared in the sky.
Though she couldn’t make out the shape due to the backlight, it was rapidly descending toward them.
It took just a moment before she realized it was a burly man wielding a spear.
“Coachman! Jump down now!”
Trie quickly shoved herself into the carriage, hugging Iris tightly.
The time it took to smash through the door and leap out was just 1 second.
*Boom!*
Right after that, there was an enormous explosion, and the carriage was blown to pieces.
Trie rolled across the plains, still holding onto Iris.
After about ten rolls, they finally came to a stop.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I think I’m fine…”
As soon as she confirmed that Iris was safe, Trie drew her sword and stood up.
Now that she had been attacked, there was no reason to hesitate.
She would annihilate them all.
Amid the wreckage of the shattered carriage, a massive spear-wielding man knelt on one knee.
As he stood and revealed himself, Trie’s mouth fell open in astonishment.
The carriage that followed closely behind also came to a halt, and the Inquisitor stepped down.
The two walked slowly, side by side, and began to converse.
‘Two Inquisitors… But where did that guy even come from?’
Trie trembled with excitement yet stood ready.
Surely, an enemy had appeared from nowhere in the sky earlier.
Could it be a kind of teleportation magic?
‘Could it be that teleportation has become a reality…?!’
The dream magic had actually come to life?
While the Papal Palace’s secret research institute was regarded as the pinnacle among magical research institutions, for it to have reached such a level already was concerning.
Trie swallowed hard at the news that the Imperial University had realized magic that they still couldn’t even conceptualize.
Still, they couldn’t use such magic indefinitely.
There must be some significant limitations, like it consuming a tremendous amount of mana or taking too long to set up.
Trie hoped those limitations were many, making it difficult to use in battle, as she prepared herself for combat.
“Iris. You didn’t commit some grave sin, did you?”
“I don’t think so…”
“Good! Then you can rampage to your heart’s content!”
Trie picked up another longsword that had fallen on the ground.
If she was facing two opponents, one sword wouldn’t be enough.
With countless duels against Schlus, she had absorbed and trained in the Twin Sword Technique.
Though it was still uncertain whether she could surpass Schlus’s twin sword skills, she had no other options.
“Stay close behind me.”
Here they come.
The two muscled men began to charge with spears in hand.
*Fwoosh…!*
“What?!”
In that instant, two spears sliced through the air, aimed with deadly precision.
With no space to dodge on either side, the spears flew towards Trie.
Trie immediately crossed her swords to diminish the impact and thrust forward.
*Clang, clang…!*
The two spears flew toward her in rapid succession, skimming across her sword blades and veering off course.
Now, her foes were the two bare-handed men.
As Trie released her crossed swords, those two surged towards her, arms outstretched.
‘Are they trying to use magic?’
No matter how skilled they were in martial arts, it would be difficult to overpower her only with bare hands.
Trie kept her senses alert, watching carefully as the two Inquisitors moved.
As they stepped within range, Trie swung her sword with rapid strikes.
An attack speed only achievable through the Twin Sword Technique.
However, the two men deftly adjusted their distance with seasoned footwork, evading all her rapid strikes while even looking for opportunities to counter-attack.
‘This is it! Movements agile enough to be unmatched by any Elite Knight!’
Trie felt her heart racing.
At first glance, the two seemed to attack from opposite sides wildly, but in truth, they synchronously moved in a way that was chillingly coordinated.
When one stepped back, the other pressed in, ensuring that the onslaught of strikes never flowed in one direction.
Then, one of them turned his gaze towards Iris.
Just as Trie feared they might leap towards Iris, she shifted her body.
“Ugh…!”
Seizing that opening, the two men dove inside her guard.
The burly man twisted his body grotesquely, avoiding the blades raining down upon him.
‘Still okay!’
She allowed the breakthrough, but it wasn’t a dire level of threat.
With such a completely compromised posture, he wouldn’t be able to put real force behind any strikes.
Ultimately, he’d need to regain his balance to deliver a powerful punch, giving Trie time to extend her sword again.
But then…
“Huh?!”
Suddenly, he didn’t ground himself, swiping past Trie instead.
Was he targeting Iris?
No, that wasn’t it.
Despite falling out of balance, he pointed his punch toward Trie’s back.
An attack that originally shouldn’t have done any damage with a posture like that.
“Ugh!”
But a hidden blade suddenly shot out from his wrist, grazing Trie’s nape.
Red blood sprang forth, but it was by no means a fatal wound.
Just as Trie turned around to respond, a sudden wave of nausea swept over her.
‘Is it poison?’
Could it be a paralysis poison?
Trie thought that such a minuscule amount wouldn’t pose a problem…
*Sshhhh…!*
And suddenly, she vanished.
In her place, a pigeon with red eyes appeared and dove into the ground.
It quickly took off and disappeared into the distance.
“Ah…”
Trie vanished.
Completely gone without a trace.
And as she faced the expressionless Inquisitors right before her, Iris let out a sigh of despair.
