小婕子的第一次好紧

Chapter 132

Bastian’s family used the Breath of Gluttony. The reason the Schwein family could maintain their status as central nobles was due to this Devouring (Gluttony) Magic, a peculiar ability that consumes the opponent\'s magic.

"Bastian\'s signature move, magic-break, is here!"

"Does it even work against Poison magic?"

"Go, Bastian!"

While the students of Rehinar Military Academy cheered for Bastian, the students of Antitode school, the main academy of Orchid Kindom, mocked him.

"Hahaha! What is he even doing?"

"He\'s blocking Vadim\'s Poison with his own body. Is he insane?"

"The outcome is obvious, no need to watch."

The Orchid students were confident of victory. However, as time passed, their expressions grew more serious. Vadim, who they thought would win easily, was struggling.

"Vadim, stop fooling around!"

"Finish this already!"

"Don\'t panic like an idiot. It\'s just a bluff."

One Orchid student shouted in frustration, but things didn\'t go as they hoped.

Bastian, who had been enduring the Poison magic, suddenly released it back.

"Take this!"

A magic circle appeared in front of Bastian\'s massive body, and the Poison energy he had endured was expelled in reverse.

Boom!

"Agh."

Vadim was struck by the Poison and was knocked out with a single blow. The Orchid students were left speechless.

Until now, Vadim had been the one constantly attacking. Even though the damage wasn\'t immediately visible, they thought it would accumulate over time. Yet, he fell to a single counterattack.

"Counter-magic?"

"Vadim lost...?"

"How is that even possible?!"

The Orchid students couldn\'t believe their eyes. They had assumed the skill levels were similar, but the gap in abilities was incomprehensible to them.

At that moment, their teacher, Heike, offered an explanation.

"Gluttony\'s mana seems like it\'s absorbing the opponent\'s magic with the body, but in reality, it disassembles the magic piece by piece. It might look crude on the surface, but it\'s a highly advanced magic. Vadim\'s defeat was complete."

Upon Heike\'s declaration, the Orchid students wore devastated expressions. She also admonished them on their attitude.

"Even if this is just a friendly spar, put in your best effort since you’ve started. Underestimating an opponent you don’t understand will only lead to a situation like Vadim’s."

The Orchid students nodded in agreement.

The friendly duel had started as a joke, but it was an event that carried the honor of their Kingdom and school. It couldn\'t be taken lightly.

As Heike scolded her students, she sent a secret voice message to Elmar.

[I’ll keep their attention here, so you have your men contact the outside.]

[Understood.]

Elmar gave a small nod and moved discreetly, unnoticed by anyone.

But someone noticed him, only One Person….

Kane Rehinar.

Heike focused on the friendly duel after confirming that Elmar had disappeared.

‘Are you telling me that those brats I trained lost to that rookie? My, Heike Bergmann’s Students?’

She had quite a strong sense of pride.

Though she hadn\'t personally trained them deeply, on the surface, she was still their teacher. Yet, her student had been defeated by the enemy.

‘I can\'t stand this. I\'ll show them a real taste of defeat.’

Heike shot a glance at someone, and in response, a shadow stepped forward.

It was a female student wearing a short white dress.

“I will win this duel for the honor of our school.”

“Ooh!”

“If it’s the student council president, she’s reliable.”

“Please finish it quickly, Giselle!”

With confidence, Giselle pointed toward the Rehinar Military Academy.

“I would like to challenge Princess Charlotte, the second imperial princess of the Fresia Empire.”

Upon being singled out, Charlotte’s expression hardened.

In her ear, Kane’s secret voice reached her.

[She’s different from the others.]

[I can sense mana comparable to that of a low level Executioner.]

Kane observed Charlotte as she stepped forward.

[She truly lives up to her title as the Moon Princess. I thought she might not recognize her opponent’s mana.]

He adjusted his assessment of Charlotte\'s abilities.

[This duel will be quite interesting. Anna.]

[Did you call?]

[The rat has made a move.]

[I’ll follow him.]

Anna\'s presence vanished completely.

In a crowded place like this, Anna might as well have been a ghost.

---

Meanwhile…

Elmar headed toward the mansion.

After pretending to need a restroom break, he slipped behind the building. In a secluded spot, he pressed his back against the wall.

At the same time, a shadow emerged from the darkness.

“Did you find a gap in the defenses?”

“I apologize. I couldn’t find any openings.”

“Doesn\'t the Guardian Knights only have 200 members, and aren\'t they weaker than you?”

The average level of a Guardian Knight was around Beginner-tier 5th class.

Those Elmar brought with him were High-tier 5th class. All the squad leaders were around the 6th class level.

On top of that, they had all consumed the power of Oblivion.

And yet, they couldn’t find a single gap.

How could that be?

“Is it because of the Blue Flash?”

“That’s my assessment.”

Guardian Knights were similar to any other unit.

Simply strong, at best.

But as soon as Cedric, the commander, joined them, they became an entirely different unit.

His ability to establish a mana field was unmatched.

Establishing a Mana Field

A mana field is essentially a barrier that is deployed when holding a position. To put it simply, it\'s a defensive formation.

“Damn it. Do we really have to sit here, anxiously waiting for this exchange to end?”

They moved freely around the territory, under the guise of being merchants. But every time, watchful eyes followed them.

They could have captured or killed the watchers, but that would have only made things worse. Ever since entering Rehinar, they had been cut off from the outside world.

“If only we could get rid of that red barrier in the sky, we could slip past the Guardian Knight’s watch and get out.”

The red barrier was visible only to those with a keen sense of mana. To ordinary people, it just appeared as a dark sky. Only those with exceptionally strong mana could see the defensive shield hanging over Rehinar.

“Should I try creating a gap?”

“That would be foolish. Find another way.”

“For now, our only option is to keep wandering around the village as merchants and look for an opportunity.”

Elmar’s mind raced as he considered how to resolve the situation. Then, a clever idea struck him.

“Send a few of our people to the gambling dens and taverns, have them cause some trouble.”

“I’ll create chaos here. We have to stick to the original plan.”

As he finished speaking, the shadow vanished without a trace.

Elmar then made his way back to where the students had gathered. From his previous position, Anna emerged silently. She too returned to Kane’s location.

[How did it go?]

[He says he’s sticking to the original plan.]

[So, they intend to use the students. Anna, keep a close watch on them.]

[Understood.]

Kane observed as the second imperial princess continued to struggle in the duel.

Their plan was to use the friendly duel as a pretext to kill a Rehinar Military Academy student, making it seem like an accident.

‘I’ve waited long enough. If I’ve set the stage, they should start acting already.’

He acknowledged his own mistake too. He should have arranged the exchange to happen in the military academy building rather than in a neutral location. If that had been the case, the conflict might have already begun.

Their hesitation was due to fear—specifically, fear of the Guardian Knights. Or rather, fear of Cedric Harca.

Cedric, the commander, was much stronger than they had anticipated, preventing them from acting rashly.

‘Without being able to confirm my father\'s condition with their own eyes, they couldn’t afford to act carelessly.’

Trying to execute their plan in this place was a huge gamble for them. With no way out, they were lashing out in desperation. Like cornered rats willing to bite a cat, that’s how the Executioners appeared.

‘Hurry up and make your move already. I’m bored out of my mind.’

* * *

[You\'re back already? Did you send the kids?]

[We’ve been wasting our time until now.]

[Why?]

[If we proceed with the original plan, this place will turn into a battlefield. Why did we even try to think it through?]

[Ah.]

[It’s all because we were too wary of the Guardian and the Blue Flash.]

[Then let’s proceed with the plan immediately.]

Heike didn\'t hesitate. She intended to throw the area into chaos and then make her escape.

She had no intention of dying here—not after reaching the rank of first seat. Surviving was her top priority.

[Giselle, unleash Oblivion’s rampage and kill that girl.]

At Heike’s command, Giselle’s eyes gleamed. And then, something strange happened.

“Ugh!”

“M-my head suddenly hurts...”

“Argh!”

The Orchid students collapsed, overwhelmed by a wave of energy.

The air grew thick with a sinister aura. As the energy of Oblivion reached its peak—

“Aaaargh!”

The Orchid students suddenly rose and began attacking those around them.

“Die!”

“W-what’s going on? Why are they acting like this?”

“Calm them down, quick!”

The Rehinar Military Academy tried to fend off the rampaging students with their weapons.

“Ugh, why are they so strong?!”

But despite their efforts, the Rehinar side was being pushed back.

At that moment, the Guardian Knights appeared.

“They’ve all gone mad. Guys, subdue them,” ordered Fabi.

Following his command, the Guardian Knights stormed into the chaos, diving into the midst of the battling students.

It was complete mayhem, with everyone entangled in the fray.

In particular, the second imperial princess found herself in grave danger. As Giselle’s magic closed in on her, a large, sturdy figure stepped forward to shield Charlotte.

Thud!

The poison orb was sliced in half.

"Are you alright?"

Charlotte\'s initial look of hope quickly turned into disappointment.

"Yes, I\'m fine."

It was Joseph, the chief instructor, who had come to her aid. She gave a curt response and cast a sharp glance in a particular direction.

Her focus was on Kane. He stood in front of the Executioners, blocking their way with a smile.

"Where are you going while the students are causing such a disturbance?"

"Please help! It feels like the poison has reached my brain."

It was a poor attempt at acting.

Possessing the Poison Mana yet claiming that the poison was affecting her brain was a laughable excuse.

"The idea that the poison has suddenly invaded the brain is rather dubious. It’s clear that they’ve been overtaken by the oblivion aura. What do you think, Executioner?"

"W-What do you mean?"

"It seems you’re pretending not to know, but I wonder if you’ll keep up the act with a blade at your throat."

Swish—

“Gah, when did this happen?”

Heike felt the cool touch of Anna’s dagger against her neck.

“W-Why are you doing this to me?! We need to calm the students down immediately!”

"We’ll handle that ourselves."

Kane’s gaze shifted to Elmar.

And then, he noticed someone who should not have been there.

“Sir Cedric?”

The person meant to be by his father\'s side was here instead.

Elmar was equally taken aback.

Cedric’s eyes seemed to strip him bare, scrutinizing him intensely. The realization that all his secrets might be exposed left Elmar desperate.

“Damn it!”

Elmar kicked off the ground, attempting to escape.

Cedric moved to chase him, but men disguised as merchants from the continent blocked his path.

Cedric’s spear swung without mercy, slicing through and impaling the fake merchants.

Yet, these merchants seemed pleased. They believed that the small amount of time they had bought would allow their master to escape.

However, things didn’t unfold as they hoped.

Elmar didn’t get far before he was forced to stop.

A monstrous figure, unexpected and terrifying, had appeared before him.