บท 146: Spiderweb
Many students poured out onto Alven Street to welcome the weekend, seeking to release the accumulated fatigue and stress without going far from the nearby place. Alven Street was a frequented spot for students of Monas Academy, so it was a place where everyone, regardless of their affiliation with the university or the academy, could meet.
"It feels like it's been a long time," Louis said, looking around.
Due to not taking a break and running non-stop even on weekends, he had taken some time off to come to Alven Street.
"Rest is also a part of growth. You should take a break," Serena advised.
"Serena, you're saying that?" Louis replied.
"Why? Can't I say that?"
"You're the one who hasn't taken a break since entering school. Today you suggested coming to Alven Street together, and just now, your words... Have you changed a bit? What's been going on recently?"
In response to Louis's question, Serena simply smiled. Then she pointed to a café and rushed over.
"Let's go there! I saw it before, and I really wanted to go!"
Watching Serena rush ahead, Louis chuckled.
But he was secretly relieved to see her in a good mood.
'Just a few days ago, she didn't have any free time...,' he thought.
He had been worried about her, so he was initially pleased with this sudden change.
He didn't know what had happened in those few days, but he didn't plan to ask until she spoke about it.
"Hmm, it's delicious," Serena said after taking a bite of her ice cream dessert.
Louis, watching her, ordered a slice of cake and tea to enjoy together.
"Curious?"
"Huh?"
"You were surprised when I suddenly suggested going out, right?"
"I was. We've been training even on weekends."
Hearing Louis's response, Serena stirred her ice cream awkwardly with a spoon.
Then, slowly, she began to explain what had happened not long ago.
"Senior Vivianne came to see me."
"Senior Vivianne?"
"Yeah. Remember the day when you went in first, and I stayed alone to train? After you left, Senior Vivianne came."
At the mention of Vivianne, Louis leaned in, wanting to hear more.
Subsequently, Serena briefly described what had happened that day: going to the training grounds with Vivianne and Ivy waiting for them, the demonstration that Vivianne and Ivy put on, and the unexpected high level of sparring that took place.
Louis was amazed after hearing the whole story.
"So, all of this was set up by Senior Adrias?"
"Yeah, I never expected it."
Given the amount of effort Adrias had to put into mastering both magic and the sword, it was surprising that he still managed to take care of his juniors he encountered by chance.
"He says that rest is also a part of training."
"That's right. We already knew that."
It was a fact they were aware of; they had just been running without rest since entering Rodren Academy.
In retrospect, there was no reason to rush like this, but at some point, they had started running non-stop.
"It all started after we enrolled in Rodren Academy, didn't it?"
At Monas, there was no one ahead of them.
Louis, Serena, and Chris had the lead, and nothing stood in their way.
However, after enrolling in Rodren, the appearance of numerous seniors had made them feel somewhat rushed.
"Instructor Ivy and Senior Vivianne told me. At least once a week, make sure to take a break."
"Right. Let's take Saturdays off from now on. And, if possible, invite Chris as well."
"I'm not sure if he'll listen," Serena laughed.
In that scene, Louis, feeling a rare sense of relaxation after a long time, turned his gaze to look at the surrounding scenery.
Sitting on the café terrace, they could observe the people strolling down Alven Street.
While doing so, a noticeable boy caught his eye.
"Is he looking at me?"
Who is he? Does he know me?
Louis examined the boy more closely.
The boy, who looked somewhat familiar, had something long wrapped in gray fabric on his back and carried four swords at his waist.
"He handles all of those? He's quite unusual."
As they stared at each other for a moment, the boy was the first to speak, changing the atmosphere.
"Are you Louis Artman?"
At the boy's question, Serena turned her head, and Louis confirmed.
"Yeah, I'm Louis Artman."
"Adrias Cromwell sent me."
"...What?"
Upon hearing the name from the boy's mouth, Louis and Serena looked at him blankly.
The boy emphasized it once more.
"Adrias contacted me the day before. My name is Benjamin Anikius."
Benjamin, the boy, stared directly into Louis's eyes.
"I am here to request Louis Artman for a sparring match."
.
.
.
.
I was lying down, feeling dazed at the moment.
I was currently in the guest room, which was located in the building that had hosted the gathering.
Although I had been awake for quite some time, I was slowly reminiscing about the battle that had taken place not too long ago.
'I thought I had temporary amnesia or something.'
Was I too absorbed in it? Right after the battle, my mind was completely blank, and I couldn't remember anything.
It seemed like it might have been the influence of the Selfless Sword. At most, I didn't expect that swordsmanship could affect me to this extent.
[Talent 'Swordsmanship (Expert)' Acquired.]
[Conditions have been met.]
[A potential evolving organism has been detected.]
{T/n: The talent is either expert or prodigy. If it evolves to prodigy I'll leave it as is. If it evolves into genius, I'll change it to prodigy}
I had acquired an unexpected talent. It appeared to be due to my enlightenment, which I believed to be one of my traits, but what was astonishing was that I could evolve it right away.
[Adrias Cromwell's Talent: Swordsmanship (Expert) Evolution Potential 100%]
It was already at 100%. It seemed like it had burst forth all at once, probably due to my previous experiences and the battle with Hagel.
It was certainly unexpected growth, but I felt elated. I had already glimpsed the potential beyond, so this level of talent felt natural.
'The barrier has been touched.'
The barrier. It was the realm of superhumans beyond human limits. For a moment, I had been able to reach it, and now I was trying to remember the feeling.
Thump, thump.
Suddenly, a knocking sound, more like a rough noise, came as someone opened the door.
"Huh?"
The person who entered was surprised to see me awake and approached me. I, too, was momentarily frozen due to encountering an unexpected individual.
'Why is this guy here...?'
It wasn't strange for someone to be here. But, since I didn't see them at first...
'Wait a minute. How long have I been unconscious?'
Until a little while ago, I thought I had been lying down for a few hours. But seeing the person who had now revealed themselves made me think otherwise.
"Have you woken up? Is your body alright?"
She asked, dressed like a maid, and looked concerned. Seeing her behave like a servant of a Lord, I relaxed my stiff body and nodded.
"Could you, perhaps, tell me how long I've been lying here?"
I didn't know why she was playing the role of a maid, but I decided to play along for now. Frankly, I didn't want to act like I knew what was going on.
And, given that I was already attracting a lot of attention from Hegel, I didn't want to draw the interest of another lunatic.
"Please speak freely, guest. You've been asleep for three days."
"Crazy."
I found myself uttering these words without realizing it. But, I couldn't help but swear.
'Three days?'
So if I came here on Wednesday, does that mean it's Saturday now?
Unintentionally, I had missed several classes. Since graduation was determined by your diligence score, I, as someone who needed to graduate, felt a bit uneasy.
"It seems like you had something urgent?"
"Yes."
"By the way, feel free to speak comfortably."
This one should stick to the concept. Why act like a servant while berating me?
Anyway, I didn't want to disrupt her mood, so I nodded.
"By any chance, has the banquet that took place here already ended?"
"Yes."
This was also quite a blow. In the end, I didn't get any information about Anger.
And, of all times, Hegel went on a rampage.
'It's hopeless.'
Of course, I had gained the talent in swordsmanship and had discovered clues about the superhuman barrier, so overall, I was far ahead.
But the fact that I didn't get the information I was looking for was stressing me out.
'I should go back.'
There were some unintended events, but there was no helping it. I needed to return to the academy.
As I got up from my seat, the witch who was still playing the role of a maid tried to support me. But I deliberately stood up on my own. It felt uncomfortable for our bodies to touch in many ways.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah. Thanks for the concern."
I needed to get rid of this witch quickly. Why was she even here in the first place? If I hadn't played the game, I wouldn't have known she was a witch. I would have just thought she was a slightly strange maid.
"Wouldn't it be better to rest a bit more? I'll talk to them for you."
"No, there's something urgent, so I need to leave quickly."
I wasn't sure what she was up to, but I couldn't go along with her child's play.
After all, she was one of the most representative witch characters in the game. Even now, she was far superior to me in skill, so I knew that getting involved with her wouldn't end well.
"Hmm."
She started making a strange noise. I deliberately ignored her and tried to open the door to leave.
But when I noticed an odd substance on the doorknob, I couldn't bring myself to touch it.
'A spiderweb.'
That lunatic...
As I hesitated in front of the door, a voice came from behind me.
"Why are you standing there like that? You said it was urgent, didn't you?"
With her shameless attitude, I let out a sigh and turned around.
"What do you want?"
"What do I want? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
She said that so casually, but when I saw her laughing as if her mouth was about to split open, it gave me a headache.
Why do I only attract these lunatics?
In the end, I let out a sigh and thought about the undead that would be in the void space.
Unlike when Hegel was here, there was no one else in the room except for her.
"Eika Imp, there must be a reason for what you're doing right now."
Eika Imp.
One of the most powerful witches along with Eve Millenium, she had gained a reputation as the most powerful witch in the world. She was a user of ancient magic, inheriting the ancient magic that transcended time, and held great influence as a dark magician with a powerful cabal.
Certainly, during the meeting, she wasn't present, and I couldn't understand why she was here right after the meeting.
"Ahaha!"
Had she recognized my identity?
She suddenly started laughing, and her crazy expression made me realize that the title of "lunatic" given to Luna was more suitable for this woman.
"Are you saying I'm Eika Imp? What on earth are you talking about, sir?"
She stared at me with a face that seemed to say she had discovered an interesting toy.
From her appearance, she might look like someone of my age, but she was a monster over a hundred years old.
If such a monster was going to play with me, I couldn't help but be amazed.
"When you play pranks on the doorknob like that, anyone can figure it out."
"Well, I'm not so sure about that. It felt like you noticed as soon as you saw me."
While she was talking, she took something out of her bosom.
I was tense, but I cautiously checked what she handed to me and accepted it.
"It's from Hegel. A letter and a ring."
A letter I could understand, but a ring?
Wait, a ring?
"A ring?"
"It seems like Hegel quite liked you."
I narrowed my eyes at Eika's words.
When I examined the ring she handed me closely, it was clearly a "Meeting Ring."
'This is a ring that even those from the meeting faction can't possess freely.'
I knew that there were only ten of these rings even within the meeting.
In the game, it was occasionally dropped as a rare item when you killed a named dark magician, but why would Hegel give this to me?
It was indeed a rare item in the game, but I couldn't believe that Hegel would give it to me.
"Now that I have done what I was asked to do, I have a request for you."
Eika smiled at me.
"Adrias Cromwell, will you join my faction?"
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DaoistuDBhcT
DaoistuDBhcT It's been a while guys. Thank you for all the well wishes. As I wrote before, I will be posting 1 chapter a day, 5 days a week. But for today 3 chapters.
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