Chapter 124
It was a scene as if the devil's breath had erased the world.
The mana I poured out endlessly, thinking it was unlimited.
The Smite with an extreme amount of mana, undoubtedly the maximum so far, demonstrated a power that even I found hard to believe.
And the unexpected result affected my body as well.
The voices of the Devils that had been chattering loudly until just now were erased, and only an unclear ringing in my muffled eardrums gave a faint sense of relief that my hearing was still alive.
All the pact seals have been cut off.
A forced severance of pact seals I had never experienced before.
There was no problem with the pacts itself.
If there were, the pact seals themselves would have disappeared or there would have been an issue with the soul binding.
This was simply a physical problem of mine.
No matter how much I directed it outward, the channel was ultimately my body.
Due to the backlash from the simultaneous discharge of excessive mana, all the mana organs in my body had short-circuited.
I’ll have to be careful about this.
I wasn’t sure how long this state would last.
It was hard to gauge since it was the first time I had experienced it.
However, if there was one fortunate thing, it was that I probably wouldn’t need to use mana anymore.
"...Did you eat a Dragon Heart or something?" as if his bewilderment had reached its peak, Baltren asked in a tone of disbelief.
After his half-joking, self-deprecating question, he continued, "Now I understand."
"Understand what?"
"Almost everything. Why Alice took a liking to you, why that guardian designated you as a qualification examination subject, things like that."
I didn't particularly show anything like this to Alice.
I hadn’t even used magic itself in front of Alice to begin with.
If anything, the only noteworthy thing I showed her was the blank grimoire?
I was about to say that, but I closed my parted lips again.
If there was something special about Alice, I'd find out someday, and if not, if it was just Baltren's feeling, I didn't want to take up his time with such conversation anyway.
After all, the time he has left was probably very brief.
"Purge, huh? Explain it well to the Guild Master. Gather evidence if possible. He's an unpredictable person, that one."
"...Don't you feel resentful?"
"If I were to resent someone, it should always be myself. The responsibility for every moment of living as an Explorer is entirely one's own. From the moment I considered the option of colluding with Abyss Worshippers, I was prepared to accept even this kind of ending."
Of course, I hadn't thought at all that it would be this fast, by a completely unexpected newcomer.
A streak of blood trickled down his mouth as he smiled dejectedly.
And following that blood, his half-vanished upper body could be seen.
A fatal wound to the extent that it was more surprising that he was still alive and talking.
It was possible because he was a Druid, said to have vitality akin to trolls.
But even that would end soon enough.
No matter how tenacious the vitality of Druids and how excellent their regenerative abilities, they couldn't be completely free from the scythe of death.
"If you have any words to leave behind, I'll convey them."
"None. If I did, I would have connected to the Conference from the start with my remaining strength. Say what you will. Do as you please."
He treated it as if it were the right of the victor.
As if speaking about the loser was the privilege of the survivor.
"The last thing I want to know is who you are... but I guess it's too much to ask for an answer."
A person who exceeded his expectations.
The final question of an Explorer who wanted to know the unknown was about the one who marked the end of his journey.
Unfortunately, there was no one who could give that answer.
Not even the person himself.
I didn't know myself well yet either, so what answer could I give?
With a face tinged with regret, Baltren left his final words of life, "First, know who you are. And hide your deepest mystery in a place only you can see, where no one else can peek. Ensure not even the Abyss itself can peek at your secret and steal your soul. Do that."
Honestly, I didn't know what Baltren's feelings were when he gave such advice.
Was it hoping that the one who killed him wouldn't go to waste afterward?
Or was it regret, telling me not to make the same wrong choices as him?
Or was it truly the heart of a senior thinking of his junior?
Leaving behind a topic to ponder, Baltren breathed his last.
What was left was the homunculus that was still showing signs of life...
"Qualified, examination subject... examination, proceeding...."
It was almost completely gone.
I aimed for both of them.
I waited for the moment when those two clashed closely.
To eliminate both at once.
"Well, that worked out."
I'd collect Baltren's body on the way back later.
For now, let's go inside first.
"...Entering process for..."
"So you won't let me go easily, huh?"
This is a bit of a variable.
§
Outside the ruins.
In the ruins that could hardly be called ruins anymore, Blobel looked at the Dark Elf standing on top of the collapsed stone tomb.
When did she return?
With two wolves on either side, including the shadow-wrapped wolf that was by her side until just now.
Her purple hair, shimmering with the light emitted by the magic beasts, flutters like the sleeve of a death god.
"Wow..."
Despite such a small body, to be able to exude such pressure.
It was enough to feel admiration.
As Blobel stared blankly at Mea, Lana approached and spoke, "You were lucky."
"...I know."
That Roman's group arrived at the right time, that they had the ability to extract her, that they just now foiled Gephardt's trap, all of it.
"You'll have to explain yourself."
"...I know that too."
Lana held back a sigh that was about to burst out.
Because she seemed to know without being told why she had done such a foolish thing.
And she could empathize with that reason.
Those who had great teachers always struggled to break free from that enormous shadow.
Lana had felt the same way many times.
She had experienced painfully how the weight of the teacher's name and the raised hurdles because of it, and how the unfulfilled desire for recognition could drive one into a corner.
"Try to talk to that person well."
"Who, my teacher?"
"No."
Blobel averted her gaze from Lana's eyes, which were looking at her as if asking if she was really going to keep doing this, and muttered, "I know. Roman, right? That he's your leader."
"If you persuade Roman, you might be able to salvage this situation to some extent."
Maybe they could even make this whole incident as if it never happened.
Even if that was too much, they could at least erase the fact that she tried to collude with Abyss Worshippers.
Of course, there would be gossip, but that was within the range of what could be managed somehow.
"...Alright," Blobel muttered bitterly.
Meanwhile, on Mea's side, who was receiving Blobel's admiration, a conversation was also taking place.
A conversation with a Devil.
It was somewhat similar to the conversation between the two people.
The remains of Gephardt, with only the lower body left as the upper body had completely disappeared, were placed in front of Mea's feet.
The owner of the rough tooth marks left on it spoke to Mea.
[Don't forget, Elf. You are merely being granted a reprieve...]
"I know."
[The moment that one's heart turns. I will collect the price I haven't received from you.]
"Do as you please."
It would have been scary in the past.
The fear of nightmares I didn't want to see gifted forced insomnia.
Now that I had learned the joy of sweet sleep again, it was chilling to think of losing it.
It was scary just to imagine, but those words weren't scary now.
"Because that won't happen."
So shut up and get lost.
[Don't forget that there's a moment when even the eternally shining sun and moon are swallowed by shadows.]
Leaving behind these meaningful words, Eclipto disappeared from Mea's consciousness.
This was how the relationship between Devils and Devil Sorcerers originally was.
It was debtor and creditor.
It was a nerve-wracking battle between one who wanted to eat and one who didn't want to be eaten.
Roman's side, which chatted and gossiped, was extremely abnormal.
"Ah, those two."
Mea's thoughts finally turned to Leaf and Rei.
Although she wasn’t particularly close with them, they were Roman's team members, so she should take care of them.
With that thought, Mea jumped onto Solargarmr's back.
"You there. Finish up. I'll go ahead."
Roughly leaving the cleanup of Gephardt to Lana and Blobel, Mea lightly kicked Solargarmr's side.
And a little while later, Mea easily found Rei and Leaf.
Their battle seemed to have ended too, as Rei and Leaf were resting with tired faces.
She wanted to go after Roman right away, but it seemed some problem had occurred somewhere.
"What's wrong?"
Mea asked, meaning, "Why are you here like this?"
If it’s over, you should quickly go to Roman.
But if the two of them wanted to go, they would have gone.
"Well..."
"Well... Ah! Don't say it!"
"Don't say it. Anyway, it's like this."
"Anyway, it's like this."
Looking at the state of the two, Mea immediately realized what their problem was.
Even if she wasn't born with special intuition, anyone would have known seeing their behavior.
"Did you two use some strange artifact or something?"