237 – Claridium (4)
The sword of light magic is not good in this situation. No matter where I fire the sword wave, there will be great damage due to its destructive power.
My mouth is dry as if it’s burning. At this rate, it could hit the temple standing tall one block ahead and destroy a few more buildings.
The altitude of the galleon decreased, and it mercilessly scraped the roofs of the buildings lined up along the street. Thanks to that, the speed decreased a little, but it was not enough yet.
The wreckage of the torn roof falls on a little girl looking blankly at the sky.
The moment I was about to throw my body, Lilith brushes past me and suddenly jumps out. Then, she hugs the child standing blankly under the roof and slams it hard on the ground. Then, a semicircular barrier unfolded, blocking the wreckage.
The situation is flowing too fast to think straight.
Someone shouts from the galleon. The sailor hangs precariously on the hull railing and signals to the people on the ground, waving both arms.
“We’ve lost control!”
That means it’s not a planned terrorist attack by an insider.
The speeding hull bounces once on the roof and staggers. Soon, the sailor was thrown up and fell onto the roof of a building.
“eeek!”
It’s a thrilling moment that happened in an instant.
I imbued Priscilla with magic power and swung it reflexively. As if reading my intention exactly, Priscilla releases a short burst of cold along the trajectory of the sword.
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The lower body of the sailor sliding on the roof is hit by the cold and freezes, fixing it in place.
Yes. Callius’ teaching that the sword and the mind must be connected now truly reaches my heart.
I continued to run after the galleon. Every time the galleon passed over the heads of the citizens, casting a shadow, screams pierced my ears.
Several people hurl potions at the airship’s flight path. The vials shatter, and the vines within rapidly inflate, seemingly in an attempt to seize the airship.
Clank. Thud. Thud. Thud.
The vines latch onto the hull but are torn right off. They are far too weak to impede its overwhelming weight and momentum.
I refocus and swing Priscilla with the same sensation I use when releasing a blade aura. A surge of cold energy blasts out, striking the underside of the sky vessel. Sheets of ice form on the roof and lower hull in an attempt to slow it down, but they immediately shatter.
Urgency seizes me, and I mutter under my breath, “Priscilla, just a bit… just a bit more.”
As if reading my mind, Priscilla draws in more mana.
I grit my teeth against the impending loss of consciousness.
“Just a little bit more. Just a little bit more.”
With a do-or-die resolve, I force even more mana into Priscilla than it’s absorbing. It erupts in a burst of frost as if shivering. I nearly collapse from the sudden loss of mana, my vision swimming.
Regaining my focus, I stare at the airship. My arm holding Priscilla begins to tremble violently, as if caught in an earthquake.
The airship charges toward the towering spire at the heart of the temple.
In the moment before impact:
“Damn it, please take it.”
I swing Priscilla with all my might. A tempest of blue-tinged cold energy from the demon sword surges forward at an incredible velocity toward the spire. The force of my swing knocks me off my feet, and I fall.
BOOM!
The airship collides head-on with the spire and explodes. The bell atop the spire, dislodged by the deafening impact, flies off in an arc.
Simultaneously, a wave of cold engulfs the airship as it pierces through the spire. Everything it touches becomes encased in frost.
The hull, which had been sliding down after destroying the spire, instantly freezes solid, as if coated in hardening wax. The vessel’s rampage finally comes to an end.
“Haah, haah, haah.”
My heart pounds erratically, refusing to calm.
Time seems to stand still as the airship, along with the debris from the impact, freezes in place.
My arms ache and feel drained of energy. I fall to one knee, unable to move for a while.
I scan the townspeople and see that while there are minor injuries, there are no serious casualties.
Guardians rush in, their warning horns blaring, and swiftly evacuate the nearby civilians.
“There’s still debris! Don’t stand near walls! Move to open areas!”
“Reinforce the airship’s lower supports! Hurry and throw the vine potions!”
The Guardians move with the efficiency of those who are used to chaos. My role seems to be over.
I check on my party members’ locations.
Lilith holds an unknown little girl of five or six in her arms, and Hailey leads the others out of a building. Jenia, like me, is using ice magic to create a protective barrier over a rooftop. As expected of capable Academy students, they don’t falter in the face of danger.
The townsfolk, realizing that the deafening noise has ceased, slowly begin to rise. They look up with faces etched with fear.
Then, they see the airship precariously lodged in the spire and gasp in astonishment.
“What happened?”
“It’s frozen?”
“A mage? Was it magic?”
They chatter excitedly, their eyes wide with wonder.
Soon, their gazes shift to me as I stand in the middle of the street, catching my breath. Some look at me with awe, others with curious interest. Their unfamiliar stares make me uncomfortable.
Priscilla hums and vibrates in my hand. I tighten my grip on its hilt, anticipating unwanted attention.
I can sense Priscilla’s emotions. Unease at the presence of enemies and unknown others. Perhaps it has become sensitive due to the attention of strangers.
Several Guardians who had been observing the situation hurry toward me.
They spoke as they offered a quick word of thanks.
“Thanks to your efforts, a major catastrophe has been averted. According to the Raul Law, those who have made significant contributions to the security or disaster response of Claridium can request a reward from the authorities. If you visit the Central Administrative District’s Rosewood Assembly Hall, we will assess your contribution and provide you with an appropriate reward.”
“
Money, huh? It’s a tidy compensation plan befitting a famous metropolis.
“We apologize that we cannot provide you with detailed instructions as we are currently short-staffed for the follow-up.”
“That’s fine.”
“Also, since this was a special disaster situation, there will likely be additional compensation once the report goes to our superiors. Well then.”
The Guardians bowed to me and hurriedly left to deal with the aftermath. I wanted to investigate the cause of the accident right away, but the situation was still chaotic, so I’ll have to wait for the next opportunity. One of my graduated seniors is a Guardian, so I’ll be able to hear about the details of the accident later.
Fortunately, this incident didn’t lead to a major disaster. Imagine if a large-scale demonic bomb had been planted inside the galleon or if it had rammed into the City Hall, the heart of the city. For now, I can’t find any connection to the apocalypse. My instincts may have been overreacting.
“Damn it, Damian!”
Zenia and Hailey approached me, shouting. Maybe because their emotions were running high, they called me by my name instead of ‘rookie.’
Zenia said with a face full of relief.
“When you ran out, I thought you were going to die of a heart attack. How can you be so… fearless?”
“My body just moved on its own.”
“Yeah, you looked cool and did a great job, so take this!”
Zenia playfully hit me a few times with the palm of her hand.
Hailey noticed the crowd’s gaze on us and whispered in my ear.
“They’re going to spread rumors that you kissed Senior Rosalind and that it was the power of the Enchanted Sword and the artifact. Hide the fact that it’s a Demonic Sword as much as possible. Those who need to know will know, but don’t pretend to hide it when everyone’s watching. It’ll look even more suspicious. Just smile and wave.”
Hailey must have noticed that my sword was a Demonic Sword, but she remained calm and handled it without much fuss.
“…Yes.”
I gave the onlookers a slight nod.
Hailey waved to the crowd and nudged me with her elbow.
I waved back, just as she had done. The onlookers chattered among themselves as they watched us. Some even gave us encouraging applause.
“The rookie sure is popular with the ladies.”
“…”
Shortly after, Lilit joined us. She was holding the hand of a little girl, about five or six years old, whom she had rescued.
Zenia looked at her and said,
“…What? Is this your little sister you’ve been hiding?”
“Well, I asked her where her parents were, and um…”
Lilit trailed off. Her face was full of concern.
Zenia frowned for a moment, then smiled brightly at the child.
“Little one, where are your parents?”
“……They’re gone.”
“Where’s your home?”
The little girl shook her head.
“Is there anyone who’s worried about you?”
“…No.”
Zenia rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“Then would you like to come and play with us?”
The child nodded innocently.
“Let’s take the child with us for now and leave it with the guardians later. Come on, the festival is over,” said Zhenya, cradling the baby in her arms.
“But aren’t there any injured people?”
As soon as she said that, some guardians rushed past us carrying a person on a stretcher. A man in a Sky Fleet sailor uniform was lying on the stretcher.
Seeing him, we had to calm down our slightly excited hearts.
Hailey turned her head away. Zhenya also covered the eyes of the baby in her arms.
The man’s face was crushed beyond recognition, as if he had been in an accident.
***
Rosaline, our guide, quickened her pace. We walked up a gentle slope towards the city center. The buildings gradually became denser and the streets narrower. Each building had its own unique signboard. Magic stones illuminated the narrow streets. It felt like we were dwarves walking between the legs of giants, no matter where we went.
We had come with great expectations, but everyone couldn’t hide their complicated expressions after experiencing such an unpleasant situation on the first day.
“I’m so sorry, guys,” said Rosaline. “I got special permission for you guys to be in charge, but something came up, so I think I’ll just have to guide you to your accommodation for now. I’m sorry I can’t go out with you guys to celebrate tonight.”
At a place where the city was divided by a fence that was twice the height of a person, the guards stopped us. They let us pass after Rosaline showed them a token.
After passing that section, the buildings became taller and more luxurious. The central city hall building was also getting closer.
“This central administrative area is relatively safe. You can even walk around here alone at night without any problems,” Rosaline said.
“Senior, is this really okay with the Fine Arts Department’s budget?” asked Hailey.
“It’s a professor’s mansion, but I got special permission from the city hall.”
“…They need the city hall’s permission to secure accommodation? But it’s a professor’s mansion?”
“To be exact, it’s Professor Silveline’s mansion. The city gave it to her three years ago as a reward for a commission, but she only stayed there for exactly two days and six hours and never used it again. It’s an empty house that’s been left unattended for too long, so the city is having a hard time dealing with it. You can probably guess the details of how we got permission, right?”
Zhenya and Hailey glanced at me. Why are they looking at me? I don’t know anything.
Rosaline stopped in front of a large, brick-walled mansion.
“Here we are.”
The mansion had a small garden and a fence. Some of the club members craned their necks to look into the mansion’s windows, but they couldn’t see anything because the inside was dark.
Rosaline unlocked the gate and went inside. Then she beckoned us to follow her. She fumbled in her pocket and unlocked the front door with a large key. Zhenya pushed me in the back and looked up at me with an expectant expression. Then Rosaline opened the mansion’s double doors wide.
The interior was pitch black.
“Ah, I’ll do it.”
Zhenya cast a spell to create a floating ball of light in the air and slowly pushed it forward. The interior gradually lit up. The first thing we saw was ourselves.
A mirror. A huge mirror was standing in the middle of a spacious, empty entrance hall. A faded brass chandelier hung from the ceiling, and behind it was only darkness. Our figures standing in the entrance hall were reflected in the mirror. There was a strange feeling of unease, as if something was watching us.
Zhenya and Hailey each said something.
“Why is the atmosphere like this? It’s like a ghost is going to appear.”
“Well, it’s been empty for years.”
Rosaline looked at the mirror in front of her and cursed violently.
“What the hell is this! I’m going to kill them all.”
Zhenya and Hailey asked, shocked, “Senior, what’s wrong? That’s scary.”
Rosaline didn’t stop there and continued to pour out her words in a fit of anger.
“This damn thing deserves to die!”
“Senior, are you okay?”
“No, that mirror! It wasn’t there when I checked it, but who the hell!”
Unable to contain her anger, she threw the key on the floor and paced around the hallway.
“Why the mirror, senior?”
Rosaline said, fuming.
“Putting a mirror to reflect the hallway, that’s something that should never, ever be done in Claridium, no matter what!”
“…Yes?”
“It’s one of the worst curses for the homeowner and visitors! Who would do something like this!”