Chapter 90: Pendant? (2) (1/2)

As Epherene’s eyes on him widened, Gindalf chuckled and stroked his beard.

Pendant.

She didn’t know what it meant, but all that mattered was the fact that Deculein was carrying her ‘childhood picture’ and even asked for it to be restored since it had become too worn out.

“Hahaha.”

‘I mean, why the hell would he do that?’

No matter how hard she thought about it, she just couldn’t reach a definite answer.

Could it be that Gindalf was lying to her?

“This is fun.”

If so, then it didn’t make any sense.

He acted like a pervert just now, but this old man was a powerful, wise, and well-known etheric wizard.

‘Why would such a famous person lie to me like that? What would he gain from it?’

“…”

Amid her wonderment, Epherene recalled the kindness Deculein had been showing so far.

Saving her from disciplinary punishment, permitting them to open a club, judging and treating them fairly, etc.

She thought it was just part of the guilt he felt due to her father’s death, but…

Her mind quickly plunged into chaos.

“Um, by pendant, do you—”

“Your interview ends here. As a precaution, don’t tell Deculein what I said. I don’t want to be hated again at this age. Just so we’re clear, this is a warning, not a request, okay?”

Gindalf smiled.

Staring at him, she swallowed hard.

“… If you could tell me just one more thing.”

“Ten thousand Elnes.”

“What?”

“That’s how much it’d cost you. Deculein was willing to pay fifty thousand Elnes.”

“50,000 Elnes… Is it possible for me to pay 100 Elnes? I’m still a student—”

*****

Slam—!

The door to the interview room closed shut in front of her.

After being kicked out in the middle of a bargain, Epherene found Carixel walking, who seemed to have just finished Deculein’s interview.

She stared blankly at him for a moment before running to him quickly.

“Mr. Carixel! Mr. Carixel!”

“Oh, yes. Why?”

“Did you do well in your interview? What was it like?”

“Ahaha… That’s… I don’t know.”

“…?”

When she tilted her head in confusion, he gave a more concrete answer while scratching his temple.

“I gave up.”

“… Huh?”

“Passing the first exam alone already promotes us to Solda… I don’t really need more than that.”

“Oh… That’s true. I guess you want to see your children as soon as you can, huh?”

Epherene thought his original purpose was only to reach the Solda rank from the very beginning anyway.

Carixel nodded.

“… Hahaha. You’re right. I always miss them.”

“Well, let’s at least meet again when we return to the continent later. I know of an amazingly delicious restaurant. Do you know what Roahawks are?”

It was a shame since she planned on seeing the test through the end with them, but she at least made a good friend thanks to this event.

“Roahawks… Okay. That sounds good.”

“You’ll like it!”

Epherene walked down the hallway with him to see him off.

In the hall, both the wizards that passed the interview, like Reylie and Dozmura, and those who didn’t were seated, their expressions clearly differentiating them apart.

There was also a towering tent in its corner, which she thought probably belonged to Sylvia. Feeling her fatigue caused by the trials she had to face, she grew envious of her three primary colors.

“Epherene.”

“Yes?”

She directed her gaze at him once more. Clutching the exit’s doorknob, he smiled broadly at her.

“Stay healthy. It was short-lived, but it was fun meeting one of the pillars of the future.”

“Pillar of the future…?”

Rumble—!

An earthquake occurred.

Epherene looked up at the ceiling in surprise.

Boom—! Boom—!

Subsequent vibrations followed, causing the tremors to surge. The adventurers remained calm, having accustomed themselves to unexpected situations, but the wizards grew quite agitated.

Supervisor Mimic reassured them.

“At ease, everyone. Everything’s alright.”

Just then, Deculein came out of his interview room, the examinees’ stares immediately falling on him. With only two people to test, he had plenty of free time left.

Sylvia, having already dismantled her tent, looked at him as he headed for the exit.

The same went for Epherene, who was looking for a certain pendant on his body. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find it or any other visible accessory, but that was within her expectations. Considering his personality, he wouldn’t openly display it.

Deculein stopped in front of her, who then looked up at him and swallowed hard.

“Step aside.” He ordered.

“… Oh. Okay.”

As she and Carixel moved out of his way immediately, Mimic spoke to him.

“Please figure out what’s going on. I’ll follow you later.”

He left without even replying, while Epherene could only stare intently at his back as he rushed to the scene.

“I… I still haven’t been interviewed.” Mayho said, her voice filled with sadness and anxiety, then pouted.

She seemed to have been looking forward to meeting him.

“Oh, wait a minute. It’ll be over soon. Everyone, please wait inside!”

Supervisor Mimic went back to the hall, and Epherene shifted her gaze to the open exit.

“Whew….”

Taking a deep breath, she sneaked out the door and walked up the stairs to chase after Deculein, who had just left.

*****

… I, the security officer of the Solda test, was flying.

It wasn’t a metaphor. I was literally soaring through the skies. Climbing on a platform attached to six pieces of wood steel, I traveled through the air.

This new technique was much faster than [Iron Man]’s running speed.

“Are they the ones from yesterday?”

—I don’t know. I can’t see anything even with this magic glass.

Louina communicated with me through the crystal ball.

—Damn it… It’s too dark.

The ones I chased yesterday evening disappeared at some point. I couldn’t locate them even with my wood steels’ resonance and vibrations.

—Can you wait a little? I’m going too. I’ll be there as soon as I can.

While she was making unnecessary remarks, I arrived at the scene, dawning upon me a tragic situation so bizarre it made me speechless.

Hanging up, I stood still and looked at the grotesque scenery that formed before my irises.

The flowing fluid found its way to where I stood, touching the heel of my shoes.

… It was thick, red blood.

A foul, iron-scented smell permeated all over the area.

Chopped flesh and torn intestines.

Brain juices gurgled from a severed skull.

“…”

I was stunned.

Hundreds of torn human fragments had been piled on top of each other, forming a mountain of corpses. Moreover, upon checking their state with [Psychokinesis], I found many Named among them.

One of them was Drumman, the acting leader of the Altar. He had been brutally mutilated in a way that depicted his fierce resistance before his fall.

“This is amazing.”

I had no idea who did this.

It took them less than a minute after the ‘earthquake’ hit. How did they slaughter so many people— no, an entire unit, in under 60 seconds?

Some of the victims had been neatly divided, almost as if they measured where to cut, while others looked like they were dismembered at random and without much thought.

I didn’t know if it was magic or an attribute.

All that mattered to me was the thought that they seemed to have cut through space itself.

“… I’ve seen it before.”

Skin cut along with space.

Recalling a scene that remained vivid in my memory, I finally realized it.

This was similar to the mysterious phenomenon that sliced through Veron’s wrist before.

Rustle—

I sensed someone moving behind the bushes.

“… You.”

Turning around to face the intruder, I found Epherene, whose cheeks were inflated like a hamster.

*****

“Oh, um….”

Epherene looked at the mount of corpses behind Deculein, whose cold yet intense gaze had landed on her.

“Don’t move.”

Before she could take a hesitant step closer, he had already stopped her.

The moonlight streamed down his sharp jawline and nose, a deep yet elegant shadow dividing his face and making him look like a masked ghost.

“You’ll get stained with blood.”

“… What?”

He was more than fearsome enough standing in front of the corpses, but his cold voice today, for some reason…

It felt a little different.

She stared blankly at him.

“Debutante Epherene! What are you doing here?! Go back now!”

Louina finally arrived on a horse, albeit a bit late. Epherene staggered back but didn’t take her eyes off Deculein.

Wheeeeng!

Almost at the same time, the knights dispatched to handle this emergency appeared in the sky of Training Island, each riding a light plane.

They came intending to protect the area from intruders, but…

“What is this?!”

When they arrived, they found nothing but hundreds of human fragments scattered across the road.

All that was left for them to do was dispose of the bodies.

Deculein shrugged.

“Let me be clear. I didn’t do this.”

“What? Oh, okay…”

They nodded, but no one seemed to believe it.

He scanned their faces, but he didn’t find Julie, who said she was coming, among their ranks.

“Julie will be a little late. She got lost on the way.”

“… I see.”

He nodded. She had a bad sense of direction, after all, which served as her penalty trait.

*****

Amid a wasteland scorched by the blazing sun.

Yeriel, the Yukline Family’s vice-leader, and Deculein’s sister, arrived at the [Rohalak Concentration Camp] with people from the Imperial Palace.

“Gosh…”

Its vast expanse made her feel admiration for it.

“He built it pretty big.”