54 – Episode 54
# 54
As the knight in armor rushed in, Count Mud immediately sought a countermeasure.
“The Crossbow! Bring me the Crossbow!”
A knight in armor is no different from a monster. It means it’s foolish to engage in close combat.
Swords don’t work, spears don’t work either.
Against a monster that can barely be subdued by smashing it with an axe or hammer, why engage in close combat in the first place?
“U-uh, we don’t have the Crossbow!”
“What?”
Count Mud tried to subdue Verenka with the Crossbow, the cheat weapon recognized in this world.
Whether it’s a knight or anyone else, it was a one-hit for both in front of the Crossbow… or so he thought.
“Oh no!”
Count Mud realized it belatedly.
He had brought a couple of Crossbows, but he had given them all to the external personnel, saying they were in charge of security!
The faces of his subordinates turned pale.
A knight dressed in pitch-black armor was rushing in, his life force pulsating.
Problem. Who should stop that knight?
It’s you who should stop him. Who else would?~
In the harsh reality of having to stop the insane killing machine without the Crossbow, the looters’ morale plummeted.
“I have a Crossbow! Bring it to me!”
“Yes!”
While the Meat Shield (written as looter) bought some time, one of the subordinates ran to fetch the Crossbow.
In the meantime, the Mud Count moved to subdue the Talien Count and the magician.
The enemies were targeting the magician, Inrian.
But before Inrian could be captured, if they could capture the nobleman from this side, the situation would be reversed.
Thankfully, the numbers were in our favor.
On their side, they only had a flimsy acolyte and two mercenaries.
If the Mud Count and his subordinates attacked together, they could capture either the Count or the magician.
“Attack!”
The Mud Count shouted.
However, before the Count could move, the magician Ian immediately reacted.
“[O Darkness!]”
As Ian shouted, an enormous darkness gathered, rendering the torches held by the humans useless.
This place was the underground world.
An obvious domain of darkness.
The darkness summoned by Ian’s call concealed the positions of Ian and his group in the blink of an eye.
“Oh no…!”
Seeing the magician disappear before his eyes, the Mud Count was taken aback.
He wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with wizards, but a wizard who dealt with darkness like Ian was a first for him.
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“What a talent!”
Indeed, insults towards enemies were no different from praise and admiration.
The medieval term ‘talent’ for underdeveloped curses was in line with praise like ‘You have mastered a mysterious talent!’
The Mud Count found Ian’s magic very disturbing.
It meant that Ian was extremely skilled in magic.
“What should I do?”
The Mud Count pondered.
If he were to throw himself into that darkness, there was a slight possibility of capturing Talion Count and the wizard…
But stepping into the darkness unleashed by the wizard felt like an incredibly foolish thing to do, no matter how much he thought about it.
What did the enemy want?
Was that darkness a trap? Or was it deceit?
The Mud Count couldn’t make a judgment.
Deceit and concealment. It was the power that darkness possessed.
But right at that moment.
The wizard Inrian burst out with a thunderous voice, reciting a spell in a resolute tone.
“De – Kara – Luma!”
If it had been like usual, he would have casually said, “Old man, you have good ears,” and moved on.
But what followed was a miraculous phenomenon.
The Mud Count was left speechless.
Beyond Ingrid’s raised hand, high in the air…
A brilliant radiance, like the scorching sun, shot up!
The Mud Count stared at the mesmerized enemies.
“…Ah!”
As Ingrid emitted an intense radiance.
The darkness of the Shadow Sorcerer Ian vanished, losing its place.
The curtain of darkness that Ian had cast disappeared.
Lucy and Ian’s expressions, hidden behind the curtain, were revealed.
Their emotions were filled with astonishment.
#
Ingrid’s choice of light magic was purely coincidental.
In the midst of the urgent battle situation, Ingrid was not a skilled warrior who could calmly make the best judgment.
He was just an old man who enjoyed magic.
However, the problem was that his specialty was photon magic.
Photon magic, which explores the mysteries of light and brightness.
Just as Eredis was skilled in pyromancy and Ian was proficient in shadow magic, Ingrid was skilled in photon magic and enjoyed it.
To the extent that he habitually chose photon magic even in the underground world where there was only a faint light from torches.
When a heavily armed knight rushed at him and Ingrid felt the threat to his life, he unconsciously turned to the mystery of light and appealed to it…
Ingrid was not just an ordinary magician; he was an excellent magician who could even rival the professors of the Magic University.
If he were to engage in a fierce magical battle with Ian, he had enough skill to never lose.
When the great wizard unleashed his specialty magic, it created such a dazzling brilliance that it was hard to believe this place was the underground world.
Inryan had only one objective.
Right now…
Blinding!
By blinding Belenka with a brilliant light, he hoped to buy some time to escape!
However, out of habit and by chance, the light magic he chose was complementary to Ian’s specialty, shadow magic.
Inryan had no idea what kind of magic Ian had casted next to him…
But his darkness was completely dispelled by the light magic that Inryan had unleashed to ensure his own survival.
“What a pain!”
As the darkness scattered in all directions, emitting a scream, Ian understood that things had gone awry.
The culprit was the flickering light emitted by the old man!
As Ian’s darkness vanished, he saw the Mud Count and his subordinates slowly approaching.
Thankfully, they were also unable to escape the blinding light, so their speed was slow.
However, no matter how slowly they moved, their distance was too close.
They would catch up within a few seconds.
“Belenka!”
Ian called out to Belenka, but it was in vain.
Belenka had already lost sight and was staggering. She would regain her senses in a few seconds, but that was the same time the Mud Count would reach her.
“Damn it… What should I do?”
Ian quickly assessed the situation.
Lucy and the other operatives are of no use in close combat. The same goes for Ian.
It is impossible to physically detach the Mud Count from its own power.
It is too late to summon Belenka again.
Binding the enemy’s feet by shaking the ground? No. The earth will not respond. The earth has long lost interest.
Then what is left…
“Defeat Inrian!”
Cancel Inrian’s magic and bring back the darkness.
That was Ian’s chosen solution.
“Belenka!”
When Ian shouted, Belenka reacted.
She still had some sense left.
“Close your eyes!”
Belenka, who was staggering under the brilliance of Inrian’s light, focused her mind on Ian’s voice that followed.
“Close my eyes?”
Even though it was no different from already having them closed.
Belenka closed her eyes as instructed.
She trusted Ian’s words.
Although he was eccentric and strange…
His magic ability was real.
“Focus on the voice of the wind!”
“What are you talking about, Ian! I’m not a magician!”
Listen to the voice of the wind, he said?
Belenka protested inwardly, but Ian continued without hesitation.
“You can do it, Belenka!”
Belenka knew well that Ian was preparing some magic.
But she was taken aback by Ian’s sudden demand.
The wind listens to voices.
She had never thought about it or experienced it even once.
But Belenka believed in Ian.
That eccentric magician must have a way!
Belenka concentrated as much as possible, making an effort to meet Ian’s demand.
…
As she concentrated,
Ian chanted with a thunderous voice.
“Ka – laura – osus!”
A gust of wind spread out in a circle around Belenka.
Within it,
There was the pure laughter of mischievous wind.
…
Ah.
Belenka, who had been solely focused on the wind, felt the flow of the wind summoned by Ian throughout her body.
[Do you feel it?]
[Do you feel it? Human?]
[Do you feel it? Human? Our dancing figure…?]
It was the echo of the wind created by magic.
The wind, spreading from Belenka, lost its strength and dissipated upon colliding with walls and objects.
That information was conveyed fully to Belenka.
Belenka was engulfed in astonishment.
“I can see it…!”
The sequential breaking of the wind’s voice.
Surprisingly, that image allowed Belenka to imagine the visual information of her surroundings in her mind.
As a medieval person, she did not know what to call this phenomenon.
It was not an experience that an ordinary medieval human could have.
However, Ian, who had once lived in the modern world, knew what to call it.
It was called echo location.
[Atmospheric Technique – Echo Location.]
[A technique that perceives the appearance of surrounding objects through the echo of sound. The sharper the sense, the more precise the detection.]
A technique that perceives one’s own and surrounding objects’ positions through the reflection of sound waves.
It was a modern-style medieval magic that Ian had devised by applying modern sonar technology.
Having located Ingrain’s position, Belenka immediately swung her sword.
“What?!”
Inrian was terrified when Belenca closed her eyes and swung her sword.
How could she do it without being able to see?
Rishin! Rishin appeared!
“What kind of skill is this…!”
Inrian quickly dodged, but Belenca swung her sword with chilling accuracy.
“Oof!”
Inrian was hit by the hilt of the sword and tumbled to the ground.
At the same time, the magic of light disappeared.
As soon as Inrian’s light vanished, Ian cast the cloak of darkness again.
And running towards the approaching enemies, he swung his staff with all his might.
The final magic was a magic missile (physical)…!
Bang!
The looter who was hit on the head by the staff fell to the ground.
Since the cloak of darkness had already been cast, the Mud Count had no way to fight against Ian.
“Damn it! Retreat! Retreat!”
The Mud Count led his subordinates and fled. He was skilled at retreating.
Belenca wanted to chase after the enemies, but her vision had not yet recovered, so she couldn’t move.
“Oh dear… I’m going to die…!”
She had to be satisfied with capturing Inrian alive.
After all, the enemy was a rat trapped in poison. Pursuing slowly wouldn’t be too late.
“Inspiration. Give up. If you surrender obediently, I will treat you as a prisoner.”
Ian approached the fallen Inrian on the ground.
It seemed like Belenka had hit him hard, as if something had broken.
They say old bones don’t heal well. I hope he’s okay.
“I-Ian, sir!”
“Is that what you said?”
“Yes! The magic you used at the end! What kind of magic was it?”
…”
No. Is that all he said as soon as he was captured?
Ian was speechless, but Inrian’s eyes twinkled.
I had seen such clear eyes somewhere before.
Dehietri. There was a knight with clear eyes in the Santiago Order.
Judging by the twinkling eyes like Dehietri and Bibil, that human must be an exceptional individual.
“It was wind magic.”
“Wind? No, how can wind magic heal a blind person?”
“I got a hint from the echo in the cave.”
“…Echo? What does an echo have to do with wind magic… Wasn’t that just a joke by the fairies?”
Inrian seemed to be lost in thought, and suddenly shouted, “I got it!”
“I see! I asked the Wind Fairy for help! I asked her to show me the way forward!”
…”
“You! To accomplish such a difficult task! Your skills are incredible! I apologize for mistaking you for an earth mage. You are truly an exceptional air mage!”
Lucy, who was listening nearby, raised an eyebrow.
“Ian, don’t you use shadow magic…? Why didn’t you use it?”
“Shadow magic?!”
Ingrid was startled.
Shadow magic, such a strange and rare form of magic?
“You! Can you use shadow magic too?”
“… Your Grace. Did you not witness the battle properly?”
He’s like an old man with poor eyesight.
Ian grumbled quietly.
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