I’m the Slit-Eyed Character at the Academy, but I’m not the Mastermind

Chapter 275

A glimmering object flew towards us from the sky. Could it be that a missile had been sent in response to my plea?

‘That can’t be right! Get a grip! In this situation, the most logical possibility is...!’

The probability that it was a mana bullet fired by Rezé. This was the most logical and reasonable conclusion.

So, what I needed to do now was.

‘Not get caught up in it.’

Boom!

I jumped sideways, putting some distance between myself and Mabelga. At the same time.

Boom!!

The massive mana bullet exploded, echoing across the battlefield.

Rumble-!

A small mushroom cloud rose, obscuring my vision.

‘...What is this? A nuke?’

I blinked, but the mushroom cloud didn’t disappear.

It seemed our bunny had armed itself with nuclear weapons.

Terrified of the demon, it must have developed a nuke on its own, evolving into a great leader bunny, deciding to destroy the world.

Thus, the world was painted red by Rezé...

‘Get your head straight!’

There was no way anyone could create a nuke in this era, and the possibility of the timid Rezé creating such a thing was even less likely.

Anyway, the fact that this was an unusual attack was undeniable. So.

‘Critical hit?’

Rezé must have landed a critical hit.

Considering Rezé’s unusually high attack power, it wasn’t surprising that a mushroom cloud had formed.

The reason for the critical hit was easy to deduce.

‘My counseling must have worked.’

Managing psychological therapy while also educating a cat and a bunny. Ah, I am indeed amazing.

I should reward Rezé. Perhaps a Zero-style carrot soup filled with cheap carrots would do.

Wind.

Using the wind magic obtained from killing Kroga, I began to clear the dust mushroom cloud.

When the dust cleared, the sight of Mabelga was shocking.

Crack-.

The [Water Shield] was covered in large cracks. The previously clear interior was now barely visible through the massive fractures.

It was clear at a glance. The [Water Shield] was more than half destroyed.

Crack- crack- crack-!

Moreover, it was still continuing to break.

"What... What kind of trick is this?!"

"Kekeke, who knows? Maybe it’s divine judgment?"

"Grrr!"

Mabelga desperately started swimming.

Due to Rezé’s action, the real-time combat feature activated.

His speed was certainly fast. But.

Boom! Boom!

"Keke, where do you think you’re going in such a hurry?"

He couldn’t be faster than me running on water. Of course, the fact that Mabelga was severely injured also played a part.

"You traitor...!"

Traitor? I’ve always been on the human side.

Now, nothing could make me hesitate.

The fight that had lasted 18 years.

To put an end to it, I swung the [Ragnarok Blade].

Of course, I didn’t just swing it.

[Ragnarok Blade] & [Darkness]

And.

The third secret technique of the Lucid family.

Sea Slash.

Mimicking the Lucid family technique I saw Rodelin use, I executed it.

When I thought the sword was pointing at the sky, it was submerged in the water.

When I thought the sword was submerged in the water, it was piercing the sky.

The sky and the water.

The [Ragnarok Blade] formed a beautiful circle as it spun around.

The amazing thing was that not a single drop of water splashed during the process.

Whoosh-!

Black flames burned along the circle.

The moment everyone thought it was a beautiful circle.

Tick-!

A crack appeared in the [Water Shield] full of fractures.

At the same time, Mabelga’s body was split in two, his upper and lower halves separating.

Swoosh-.

The water, which had been split in half, restored its circular shape, but Mabelga’s body didn’t.

Black blood spread through the water's current.

He had met his end. Finally.

‘After 18 years.’

Splash!

Since I hadn’t moved my feet, the effect of [Webbed Feet] disappeared, and I fell into the water with a splash.

My whole body was soaked, but I didn’t feel bad.

In fact, I felt good. So much so that I couldn’t speak.

I didn’t think about quest rewards or achievements at all.

Ending the fight that had lasted for 18 years.

That was the best reward.

Lying in the water, I stretched my fist towards the sky.

It was both an act to reassure the kids and a victory declaration for myself.

"Did we... Did we kill him?"

"We won! My Zero won!"

"Who are you calling your Zero? He’s mine!"

Splash-.

Half the noise was from the water, and half was from Luna and Raymon bickering.

I was enjoying the pleasant noise while lying in the water when.

Click-!

"Huh?"

A noise entirely unfitting for the situation echoed in my ears.

It sounded like something hard was cracking.

‘Is there something in the water that could make that sound?’

As I looked around, my eyes caught something.

Something opaque. The [Water Shield] that had been surrounding Mabelga.

"..."

As I stared at it, I finally understood the source of the noise.

A perfectly straight crack created by the [Sea Slash] without a millimeter of error.

That crack was gradually expanding, making that sound.

‘This feels ominous...’

Click- click- click- click-!

My foreboding proved accurate.

The crack expanded, and soon the [Water Shield] broke, releasing the water inside.

No, it burst out.

"Uwaaah!"

"Kyaaaah!"

And so, we were swept away by the water.

*

The cathedral in Carpathia Castle.

To be precise, it is the place that ‘used to be’ a cathedral. The reason for this description was simple.

It wasn't just that the battle had caused it to be so damaged that it could no longer be called a cathedral.

Goooooooo-.

A huge tree, glowing with a dark light, stood in its place.

A tree that made even animals and insects feel a sense of dread.

However, the tree was not in its normal state either. It was cracked and broken in many places.

Thud-.

A large branch fell with a loud crack.

Lizbeth was left in utter disbelief as she watched.

‘How did it come to this?’

Where exactly did things go wrong?

They had diverted Carpathia and the surrounding forces elsewhere.

They began the erosion using the old woman as a medium, released the prepared demons, and the black mages disguised as others had assassinated knights in various locations.

It was a perfect plan, progressing smoothly.

"I’ll tear you to death."

Caron, the rat of the Empire, who was inexplicably furious.

Sizzle-.

"Then I suppose I'll have to stab you to death."

That was until a boy with a strange way of speaking appeared.

"...You don’t have to mimic my speech habits."

"Haha, what does it matter? We’re both rats."

"...Wearing the same clothes doesn't make you a rat."

Currently, Adonis was wearing a mask and borrowing the clothes of a rat.

Here, not only were there second and third-year students, but also knights, civilians, soldiers, and many others fighting.

If Adonis were to display the power of a nine-star knight in such a place, it would be inevitable for his true identity to be revealed.

To prevent this, he was disguised as an ordinary rat.

"To bring students to their deaths. The Empire must be in quite a hurry."

"A woman's voice... Then you must be Lizbeth."

"As expected of the Empire’s rat. Your information is quite extensive. Well, the Creator of Madness did make a mistake."

Clang!!

In the blink of an eye, while Lizbeth was sneering, Caron closed the distance and swung his dagger, but it was blocked effortlessly.

‘...A barrier?’

There were no signs of magic being cast, but it was a problem that the dagger imbued with the mana of a nine-star knight was blocked so easily.

"Are you alright?"

"No issues. It’s not a counterattack type. There was no sensation. It’s more of a shock absorption technique than a defense."

The demon’s power was certainly troublesome, but retreat was not an option.

Thus, the battle began. Those who aimed to stop the erosion and those who sought to plant the roots.

A fierce exchange ensued between them.

‘As long as I focus on defense, Caron can be held off.’

Lizbeth had confidence that she could prevent even a touch on the tree, and in reality, she did.

The combination of Lizbeth’s magic and the demon’s power was enough to restrain Caron.

But.

Sizzle-!

‘Huh?’

The moment something passed by, a black mage collapsed.

Lizbeth was taken aback.

The number of falling black mages was rapidly increasing.

And it wasn’t just them falling.

"Ugh!"

"Wh-what is this powerful force...!"

Even the demons fell. In one or two hits.

With every move of the mysterious boy, one of her allies would fall.

They were literally being swept away.

"Whew, there are many."

Although his face was hidden by a mask, his youthful voice couldn’t be concealed.

‘For someone so young to have such skill. Who the hell is that?’

Just then, a high-ranking demon, who had been facing the knights, returned. And.

Sizzle-!

...was pierced through the chest and met a gruesome death.

One minute? No, it seemed less than 50 seconds.

Lizbeth had no choice but to acknowledge it.

‘The operation is a failure.’

She didn’t know what he was, but one thing was clear.

She had to escape from here immediately.

As Lizbeth tapped her shoulder, a voice flowed out.

"Mother, you called?"

It was one of the children she raised, an 8th grade demon capable of spatial movement.

"Return to the third hideout... Ugh!"

Suddenly, Lizbeth groaned.

She lifted her robe and checked her leg. There was a round wound on her right thigh.

And blood was continuously flowing from it.

"No, no... Nooooooo!!"

Lizbeth's scream echoed across the battlefield.

The demon she commanded on her right thigh was Mabelga.

Lizbeth had the ability to command one demon per grade. She used this ability to grow a 9th grade child to 1st grade.

One day, she had obtained 9th grade quadruplets.

Perhaps because they were quadruplets, she could bypass the restriction of one demon per grade.

However.

The problem was that Mabelga’s growth was too fast.

Mabelga had grown to a higher grade than his siblings, and eventually, Lizbeth had to make a choice.

‘Mother, why...!’

She had killed the demon above Mabelga with her own hands and given the position to Mabelga.

Lizbeth had nurtured Mabelga so dearly. But now.

"To kill that beloved child...!"

According to the original story, Lizbeth should have chosen to escape from here.

But Mabelga's death paralyzed Lizbeth’s reason, activating a new hidden piece.

"I will make a contract!"

The demon's contract that Lizbeth took out began to burn.

This meant the contract with the demon was established.

The price would be significant, but Lizbeth could not see such things now.

The conditions were met.

A branch fell from the black tree, gradually transforming into the shape of a demon.

"Reverse pentagram...!"

"Hmm, a new high-ranking demon!"

Huge wings grew from the demon’s back, and it soared high into the sky.

The target was, of course, Area 4.

Adonis threw a spear, but Lizbeth blocked it with her entire body.

"Do not interfere!"

And so, the demon disappeared from sight.

"A high-ranking demon..."

"Tsk..."

Reverse pentagram. This meant at least 5th grade or lower.

‘It seems to be at least around 4th grade.’

Whether it was a combat-type demon or not, it was beyond the level that the children could handle.

"Adonis..."

"I know."

If they did not go to support, all the first-year students would die. But they could not go to support.

The top priority now was to stop the erosion.

‘If we fail to stop the erosion, thousands, tens of thousands will die.’

The number of first-year students was only a few hundred.

Even comparing the numbers alone, it was clear which side should be sacrificed.

Even if Princess Victoria was among them, it was the same.

They had to abandon the first-years. That was the conclusion Adonis and Caron had reached.

‘Luna...’

Caron had also struggled as much as Adonis, but the conclusion was the same.

‘I cannot let personal feelings interfere with public matters. Especially if tens of thousands of lives are at stake.’

Of course, it was a painful choice. Blood flowed from his hand gripping the dagger.

"I will keep that woman in check. In the meantime, please remove the tree."

"..."

"Adonis?"

At Caron’s question, Adonis bit his lips.

Focus. The most important thing right now was to stop the erosion.

Hesitating would result in losing both Carpathia and the first-years.

"...But giving a little help should be fine."

If they encountered a demon, most of the children would flee, but some would choose to fight.

Facing a high-ranking demon wasn’t something that could be done with mere courage.

Only those with pride, dedication, sacrifice, and something beyond that could do it.

Hiss-.

Adonis took a large step and assumed a throwing stance.

‘This won’t change much, but...’

If it could provide even a little help, if it could allow even one more person to escape while they fought.

They could close their eyes in peace.

"...About here."

Heeup...!

Taking a deep breath, Adonis threw the spear towards the sky.

Adonis' third original secret technique.

Gáe Bolg.

Kurung-!

Though a weak demon by Adonis’ standards, it was still a 4th grade demon.

This one strike wouldn’t be enough to kill it.

But.

‘It will give those children a small chance.’

Alex, Raymon, Rodelin, Yuridia, Victoria, Luna, Teron, Daike.

And Zero.

He didn’t know how many of them would fight, but if he could save even one, it would be enough.

Having done his best, Adonis shook off his regrets.

"Do you think that will stop the demon?"

Lizbeth's sneer echoed in Adonis’ ears.

"It would be better for both sides to retreat now."

The demon that flew off now would tear apart the children who killed Mabelga.

Having avenged Mabelga, Lizbeth had no more regrets.

‘The erosion is a failure. I need to create an opportunity through provocation and escape.’

Lizbeth was the only one among the Four Heavenly Kings who could handle erosion.

Invading Carpathia was a major plan, but in the long run, it wasn’t a huge problem.

While Lizbeth was looking for a chance to escape, the boy's voice echoed in her ears.

"I’ve felt this for a while, but you’re quite a rude child."

Golden eyes shone from within the mask.

Lizbeth unknowingly took a step back.

"Th-that... It would be better for both of us to stop here."

"Stop here?"

"It would be better for both of us to stop here... wouldn’t it? You don’t even have a spear... don’t you?"

Adonis, who had lost his weapon after throwing the spear, picked up a branch rolling on the ground.

Then the branch began to glow with a golden light.

"It’s fine. This is enough for you."

Lizbeth’s face hardened.

--TL Notes--

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