Weapon Master of the Count’s Family Chapter 45 : Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Hellscape Island (10)

Benner Island, known as Hellscape Island, was a place where even a hell for monsters had a clear food chain.

At the top of that chain stood a nine-headed snake, the beast Hydra, reigning supre.

“If the Hydra is starting to move, it’s no surprise that monsters are flooding this area.”

Nell reported that high-grade monsters, which typically stayed away, were gathering near Bentram Fortress.

When Head Instructor Everhart heard this, his reaction was surprisingly calm.

Nell, who delivered the report, seed far more anxious.

“What should we do about this?”

“What can we do? The Hydra is a disaster. Even if we all attacked, it’d be futile. We’d need at least the Dean and the entire Academy to have a chance.”

“That’s true, but…”

“And you know, Nell, no matter how fearso the Hydra is, it can’t breach Great Mage Ernst’s barrier.”

The reason we could stay on Hellscape Island was the barrier created by Great Mage Ernst, the Eternal Hourglass.

Even the monstrous Hydra couldn’t break through, allowing us to remain here safely.

“Of course, we must investigate the cause of the phenonon you reported. So, I’ll go myself.”

“You an…”

“I’ll head to the abandoned fortress in the island’s central area to check on the Hydra’s movents.”

And so, Everhart set out alone for the central area.

―Clop, clop.

Riding a horse, I imagined Everhart reaching a cliff blocking the path.

Unlike the southern cliffs, this artificially ford one had stairs carved into it.

The stairs were hewn directly from the cliff’s rock.

‘Who carved this hard stone so perfectly? It’s astounding every ti I see it.’

Everhart had lived a long life, but not as long as the island’s history.

Even historians older and more learned than him didn’t fully understand the island’s past.

Rumors claid its history was recorded deep within the royal library.

Beyond that, all that was known was that Ernst created a magical array to seal sothing.

‘Whatever secrets it holds, they’re tied to the unsettling aura that blankets this island.’

After climbing the stairs, he walked until the abandoned fortress ca into view.

There, in the jungle near the fortress, he spotted one of the Hydra’s heads.

‘It’s there.’

As Everhart saw it, the Hydra noticed him too.

“Saaak!”

All nine heads rose above the treetops.

The Hydra’s body was as massive as a mountain.

Faced with its overwhelming presence, Everhart instinctively reached for his sword hilt.

‘Those eyes are as terrifying as ever. They seem ready to swallow everything.’

The Hydra was said to have caused catastrophic damage to the kingdom long ago.

If Ernst hadn’t teleported it away, the kingdom’s southern regions might have been left lifeless.

Not from that era, Everhart only knew the stories.

So dismissed them as exaggerated, but seeing the Hydra in person would silence any doubters.

“Saaak!”

Spotting a living human, the Hydra moved toward Everhart.

But the barrier stopped it, preventing it from getting close.

―Thud! Thud!

Instead, it slamd against the barrier, venting its fury.

The impact sent a mature Wyvern and a Kaldran dragon soaring into the air.

The Hydra swiftly snatched them.

‘The beast hasn’t left this place. It doesn’t seem to have any intention of moving either. Perhaps the monsters fled here out of fear.’

Contrary to their worries, the Hydra showed no signs of relocating.

As always, it caught its prey and lingered near the abandoned fortress.

‘I should test it one last ti. Will it follow ?’

To be cautious, he deliberately moved to keep the Hydra’s attention, retreating slowly.

Yet, the Hydra behaved as if bound by an invisible line, refusing to cross a certain point.

Relieved, Everhart headed back toward the coast.

‘No need to visit that fortress, I suppose?’

Having co this far, he briefly considered checking out the abandoned fortress in the central area.

He knew Ernst had created the Eternal Hourglass to seal sothing there, but he didn’t know what or the precise extent of the central area.

The fortress was in the central area, but it didn’t seem to be the sealed entity itself.

Still, approaching it stirred an odd sense of unease, a vague discomfort gnawing at him.

It was as if sothing was urging him not to set foot there.

Since he’d confird the Hydra’s status, there was no reason to go further.

He turned back, leaving the fortress behind.

While Everhart departed, the Hydra consud its captured monsters and coiled up again.

Yet, one or two of its heads kept staring at the abandoned fortress.

As if on guard against sothing.

“Saaa.”

Monsters weaker than the Hydra had largely vanished from the area, sensing danger.

They were like rats or insects detecting the signs of a natural disaster.

Humans, on the other hand, often only noticed a disaster when it was right upon them.

This ti was no exception.

***

“There’s no anomaly in the Hydra’s movents. It won’t reach here, so there’s no need to worry.”

Everhart shared his firsthand account of seeing the Hydra.

The instructors, who had been quietly concerned, breathed a sigh of relief.

“That’s a relief.”

“I was worried the cadets would panic if it showed up.”

“Aw, what a sha.”

Amid this, I was the only one who genuinely looked disappointed.

Nell, standing beside , jabbed my side to hush .

“Ahem, so starting tomorrow, capture low-grade monsters and cage them.”

The Head Instructor deed it safe to proceed with the training.

“So dangerous creatures have co near the barrier, but even if you encounter them, I trust the instructors can handle it.”

“Yes, Head Instructor.”

Thus, the ti for hunting arrived,

and the instructors paired up to venture outside the barrier.

“First, focus on capturing Lizards and Kobolds. Those are the priority.”

They aid to catch monsters suitable for the cadets to face.

For , who could slaughter Lizards with ease, this hunt was as simple as sipping cold soup.

“Can’t we catch sothing stronger? Lizards and dogs are a bit weak. At least a Wyvern—”

“And risk killing the cadets? Everything must be done step by step. Not everyone’s like you.”

Nell’s sharp words made reflect on the cadets in training.

Compared to my days training in the Empire, there was no physical difference between and them.

Of course, in terms of talent, there was an uncrossable chasm.

But even compared to my peers with average talent back then, there was a difference.

It was their mindset.

‘They lack what people call grit. ntal conditioning has built so, but… maybe because they have so much, they can afford to fall and get back up?’

Jack was the closest to having nothing to fall back on, but even he was supported by the money I sent ho each month.

So, they had the drive to try, fail, and rise again.

But what about ?

What about the comrades who ran alongside ?

For us, failure ant death.

With only one chance at life, we had to live fiercely.

So, even if we didn’t want to get stronger, the environnt forced us to.

‘If I could instill that mindset in them, they’d grow faster.’

The cadets’ progress was slower than mine, even when I was training leisurely.

Part of it was my past-life experience, but the bigger issue was their mindset.

‘That’s why I wanted to pit them against at least a Wyvern, but the opposition’s too strong.’

I half-hoped for an unexpected event where even the instructors couldn’t intervene.

Whether this was for the cadets’ benefit or to relieve my own boredom, I wasn’t sure.

“Alright, we’ve caught them. Let’s get back and lock them in the dungeon.”

Using Red Rings, we captured three Lizards and returned to the fortress.

We locked them in the dungeon.

“Aaagh! Why are you putting them here!”

Lina, imprisoned in the dungeon, freaked out.

Even with bars between them, being caged with monsters was a nightmare.

“Are you insane!”

Unaware of the Red Rings, she couldn’t fathom how monsters were brought inside the barrier.

“You’re not paying for this, so just deal with it.”

One of the instructors scowled at her.

“What if they try to kill ?”

“They’ve got muzzles, so they can’t bite. No venom either. Plus, the Red Rings keep them under control. You’re worrying over nothing.”

“But…”

Ignoring Lina’s anxiety, the instructor left the dungeon.

―Thud!

As the instructor exited, I quietly voiced my concern.

“Is that okay?”

“You’re too soft. Worried about soone who tried to kill you?”

“That’s not it…”

My concern was sothing else.

‘It feels like she’ll use the monsters to escape. Will she really stay put?’

That night, I decided to keep a close eye on the dungeon.

***

At dawn, when everyone was asleep, an instructor’s shout shook the fortress.

“Ergency! Ergency!”

Everyone in the fortress jumped up and rushed outside.

Nell was the first to reach the shouting instructor.

“What’s wrong?”

“That mage woman escaped.”

“How?”

“Seems she figured out the Red Ring’s release spell, being a mage. Then used Lizard venom to lt the bars and fled. Looks like she didn’t take her stuff, though.”

“She dared escape?”

“We need to form a pursuit team fast. Who knows what she’ll do.”

A mage was dangerous even unard.

So, they aid to chase down the escaped Lina.

“I’ll go.”

“Alright. I’ll tell the Head Instructor. Grab your gear and go after her.”

“Right!”

A midnight pursuit team was ford to follow Lina’s trail.

In the chaos, they later realized soone else was missing.

“Where’s Evan? He’s usually the first to show up…”

anwhile, Lina ran blindly toward the island’s south.

‘If I can get to the ship docked in the south.’

She’d escaped stealthily but not perfectly.

She barely released one Lizard’s Red Ring, using its venom to lt the bars.

‘That Lizard wouldn’t stay still. It even tried to kill .’

She’d closed the cell door, but could a Lizard not open it?

It was only a matter of ti before they knew she’d escaped.

“Haa… haa…”

Running with all her might, she climbed the cliff’s stairs.

Pushing through her ragged breathing, she headed for the faintly visible fortress.

‘There’s a fortress up this cliff.’

Gasping, she froze in shock.

Unnoticed until now, one of the Hydra’s heads was staring at her.

“Ah! You scared !”

She forgot the barrier’s existence for a mont, so startled was she.

Instinctively, she fled into the fortress.

“Insane! A Hydra, it’s real! Phew, my heart almost—”

Clutching her chest, her expression hardened.

The moonlight illuminating the fortress revealed sothing.

“Kasion…”

The moonlight shone on a hole in the fortress’ floor.

Near it was a rotting, maggot-infested corpse—her comrade.

“Damn.”

Approaching the body, Lina took the ring from his hand.

‘I can’t give you a funeral, but I’ll take your keepsake.’

At that mont, sothing pierced her body.

―Stab!

Looking down, I saw a spear tip stained with crimson blood.

A beat later, vomiting blood, she heard my familiar voice from behind.

“As expected, give you a chance, and you run. Why are you so eager to die?”

“You…!”

I had followed her.

“How…?”

“How’d I get here so fast? I was watching. Saw you escape.”

“You knew… ugh!”

As she spat blood, I approached and gripped the spear.

“Of course. Nine out of ten prisoners sche when locked up. I did too.”

In my past life, falsely accused as a traitor, I’d escaped prison.

Having done so, I figured others would too if given the chance.

“What are you saying…”

“Don’t feel too wronged. You’d have died even if escorted.”

Finished speaking, I pulled the spear and pushed her into the hole.

“Farewell.”

I shook the blood off the spear and left the fortress.

Thus, the entire Viper gang was dead,

and so beca nourishnt for sothing.

Deep underground.