Crash!
"Don’t co to —! Leave alone!"
In her luxurious and spacious dormitory room, Imperial Princess Rosanna sat on her bed while tightly grasping her disheveled golden hair, her face and body were showered with beads of sweat.
The frequency of her uncontrollable state was becoming prominent day by day, and the reason—or at least the only presud cause—was her [Incomplete Talent], sothing that was taking effect yet unappraisable.
If there’s one thing, whatever it might be, this caused her to avoid anything related to the Goddess of Light or perhaps any other Orthodox Churches. If the encounter was inevitable, she would either lose herself and begin attacking the source of it, or in an agonizing scenario, she would feel as if sothing was scratching her skull from within.
Her condition was initially manageable, that’s how she normally passed being a freshman to enter the next year in the academy. But since that incident with Bishop Jacob, her condition steadily worsened over ti.
"Ugh—Ah—! H-how did it co to this?! A-Adelle!"
Adelle, her sole yet monstrously powerful royal knight, standing behind the door, who only watched the Imperial Princess writhing in agony, gently opened her mouth to speak, "What is it, Your Highness?"
Adelle was not a cold-blooded knight. She was feeling pity and helpless with the master she had sworn loyalty to. However, due to the unknown nature of Princess Rosanna’s condition, all she could do was watch and stand by her side.
"P-please... H-help sleep..."
Fortunately, a gentle chop on her neck was enough to knock her out. Nonetheless, for the Imperial Princess to live a normal life, the crux of the matter must be resolved.
With that in mind, the Imperial Princess told her about a sin she had committed a few months ago, which at first Adelle could not believe.
If there’s one thing, Adelle thought she had prevented the only possible salvation the Imperial Princess had, and to her surprise, Lugh was still alive.
"Good night, Your Highness. I will bring that man to you."
After gently laying down her body, the entire figure of the royal knight was bathed and swallowed by light in the blink of an eye.
*
In an expansive forest under the moonlight, as the night was getting strong towards dawn, five hundred n on war horses continued to march forward.
"We will be able to reach the Eshu County before the sun rises! There’s also a village nearby where we can take refuge, but keep an eye on the surroundings! The dangers may be from what’s lurking, not within that rundown county!"
"Yes, Captain~!"
After an hour or two of horse-riding, with each soldier donned with armor and other necessary equipnt, all of which were engraved with the crest of the Othenwald Household, the five hundred soldiers reached a lively village.
In front of the crudely barricaded village found up north of Eshu County, the captain of the battalion nad Aslon scread defiantly, "We are here in the na of Othenwald Household! We desire temporary refuge as allies of Count Osmorn, who governs this place!"
"Open the gates!" A voice from behind the village’s gate echoed as two n gave way for the soldiers to co within.
Upon eting Aslon face to face, this man with fiery crimson eyes and crimson hair added, "Forgive us for the delay, esteed visitor. It’s because my father, the village chief is not feeling well. But welco in this faraway abode!"
"It’s all right. Just bring us so food for the night... and so won too. We are on an important mission. We need to have a relaxing hour before departing. Don’t you think it’s basic courtesy? Or perhaps you think Count Osmorn can do shit against our mighty Count?"
"P-Pardon?"
That’s when Aslon unsheathed his blade and pointed it towards this man.
"Who gives a peasant the right to talk back?"
"Seriously, at least pretend you’re here with good intentions." The man in front fearlessly mumbled.
"What?! How dare this man?" Aslon’s veins on his forehead bulged. And when the man in front of him didn’t waver, he also noticed the few people in the surroundings who remained calm despite seeing the unprecedented situation.
Or was it truly unprecedented?
"You—! Have you peasants gone mad? Forget the won! Do not spare anyone!"
"B-But Captain!" One of the soldiers hesitated, seemingly sensing sothing amiss.
"We’ll report that it’s the doing of bandits!"
"I can’t believe that son of a bitch sent the kind of you to clean up Eshu County’s remnants. What an infuriating Count."
"Wh-what?"
Just as Aslon was about to process what the man in front of him said, his vision flipped as it gradually blurred into oblivion—thud!
The Captain of the five hundred n strong was beheaded, causing confusion among the ranks following behind. However, only after a few seconds did they realize what had happened, prompting panic to settle in their hearts.
The second-in-command, Kirion, the one who sensed that sothing didn’t feel right based on the atmosphere of these folks alone, trembled as he gripped the sheath on his weapon.
"Are you in the... Wait, what did Lugh refer to them...? Ah—! Insatiable Unit? Are you from there?"
"Wh-what?"
"You know, the unit that must fulfill a quota or so work, whatever it is, to be able to stay in Count Othenwald’s army? If it’s not t, you’ll be disposed of since you’re all a waste of his resources? Sothing like that? Did I get it right?"
"..."
"You’re the second-in-command, right? So you’re now responsible for the lives of your remaining companions. What would it be?"
If there was one thing that Kirion noticed, it was that these people didn’t rush to attack them. Well, traditionally, if the captain or the head of the group was dead, the remaining soldiers would fall under unconditional surrender.
Loss of morale. Loss of chain of command. Without these two, all they’d await was death—whether they returned to Othenwald County or not.
"W-Will you spare us?" Kirion asked reluctantly as the tension among the soldiers spread.
It was still dark at this point, and the visibility was compromised. And clearly, these people seed outside the ordinary.
The man who welcod them smiled before chuckling.
"Of course..."
"Really–?"
"Not."
Kirion’s vision also flipped upside down as his existence was welcod by death.
"All of you will be our training partners. Well, just for this one ti. Kill them all!"
"..?!"
It was at that mont that dozens of figures erged from the dancing bushes surrounding the village, and from worn-out houses within.
It’s the sa village previously raided by those abandoned from Count Othenwald’s army, where Kaya collected at least five specters and swore to get their revenge.
*
"Ugh–! I can’t believe we have a classmate like him. A battle maniac?"
"He was not like this in the academy, but why now?"
"I guess he liked how Lugh viewed our families... who treated us like trash yet he sohow saw our potential?"
"Whatever. I feel like Lugh’s beco terrifyingly mature. He’s not the bully and pervert we used to know."
"Stop with your mumblings." Morgan, with her cold stare, interjected.
The forr Class Mu, along with those inexperienced in real combat—the second batch of slaves—were given this chance to gain experience with their lives on the line.
Of course, not everyone was specialized in combat. Even then, under Professor Ragnar’s grueling training, albeit brief at this point in ti, they were encouraged to witness the blood of fellow humans.
"I can’t do this. I can’t do this! I’m a nun of the Church of Luminary!" Rune—the one whom Lugh once asked to cast a healing spell to Zion, one of their forr classmates who perished pathetically—mumbled to herself.
"Shut up. I don’t know why you were in Class Mu, but surely it’s not for ordinary reasons." Morgan said as they cramd inside one of the houses.
Damn it. Why do I feel like I’m babysitting these bastards?! Morgan grimaced.
From the rear, the ranks of the 498 n scattered and fought head-on; she also cast a spell she learned from Yuridika.
It’s the combination of her specialty—Water Elent—and the Darkness Attribute.
[Aquatic Crows]
Several bluish-dark crows manifested and began chipping into the eyes of the soldiers from afar. It was as though these were marine creatures from a dark sea.
"Hahaha! Die, you pieces of crap!" Morgan laughed.
She’s scary. Rune thought.
*
"..."
The royal knight, Adelle, landed on Eshu County without warning—or what used to be the land where its heart was founded.
At first, her senses and perception tried to grasp the situation to determine if she had truly reached the correct location. However, during her arrival, nothingness welcod her.
The Eshu County—or its main fortress—was no more, and only an empty land with sprouting plants remained.
"..."
Adelle sensed a dissipating mana or fluctuations through the atmosphere, giving her the assurance that sothing abnormal transpired.
However, she could not quite put her finger on the possibilities she was facing at this mont.
The fortress... disappeared?
Was it a large-scale offensive magic?
Who would want to turn this territory to ashes?
Nurous thoughts surged in her mind as she stood in the middle of the empty land surrounded by an expansive forest.
The silence of the dawn pervaded, and as she closed her eyes without minding the passing of ti, Adelle unsheathed her weapon, resembling that of a sword with a holy cross, and pierced the ground.
Slam! Crack.
She then prayed.
"I beseech You, O’ Benevolent Goddess.
"You are ’The Primordial Light of Dawn of Creation.’
"The Luminous Existence of Cosmos.
"Mother of Omnipotence.
"Nesis of Horror.
"Lend Your sight that pierces through the enduring darkness."
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