< Apiography 16. Father and the past >
#A16
“Well, we really don’t know anything! “Please save me!”
The grim-looking middle-aged man bowed his head. He, who was the leader of the Black Scorpion bandits just an hour ago, suddenly became a beggar who lost everything. Behind him, hundreds of devastated gang members were trembling in the same posture.
“Woah, we’re all going to die…Why is that guy here…?”
“Boss…! Hehehe!”
The sky was covered with thick clouds. A quiet place on the outskirts of the island. At first glance, the moonlight was shining on the ruined fortress.
The devastation that seemed like an earthquake was all created by one person. Ronan, who had turned his sword around, asked nervously.
“Aren’t you blowing straight? They say you are the biggest group of thieves around here. “You’re going to have to spit something out.”
“Well, that’s true, but…! We also have something called Sangdo. Collecting money was done only in designated areas and did not go anywhere near the system. “Please believe me!”
“I fell asleep after playing the harp like this. “I’m proud of you, you bastard.”
Perfect! Ronan hit the leader on the head with the back of his sword. Perhaps because she had a polished bald head, a clear sound rang out as if she was tapping on a wooden table.
“Keuheuk…!”
The leader gritted his teeth. He was humiliated beyond words, but all he could do was tremble and hold back tears. The leader shuddered as he remembered what happened a moment ago.
‘Am I dreaming? They cut down the entire fortress.’
It took less than an hour for the Black Scorpion bandits, who boasted a four-year tradition, to collapse. Ronan, who invaded alone, asked if he knew anything about the recent disappearances and began to cut down the fortress and its people. thud! The leader complained, hitting his forehead on the floor.
“I swear to heaven, we don’t know. “Please save me!”
“Please save me!”
The subordinates repeated those words in horrified voices. Now it was slowly reaching its limit. Prison or anywhere would be fine, so I thought I would be satisfied as long as I could escape this monster.
“Fuck, then who on earth is doing something like this?”
Ronan, who was looking at the thieves, cursed. Judging by his facial expression and tone of voice, it didn’t seem like he was lying. If this happens, someone will go missing somewhere again.
‘Damn it, it’s been a month and there’s no progress.’
As always, he was hunting down people who were suspects in disappearance cases. He was running around all day and night, making it difficult for him to fulfill his duties as a husband and father.
Still, I thought these bastards would know something because they were big, but I was just disappointed. Ronan was groaning while thinking about where to go next. A familiar voice rang from above my head.
“Ro, Ronan! “We’re in big trouble!”
“ok?”
Ronan raised his head. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice it coming at all. Asher, dressed in pajamas, was floating in the night sky.
His youthful face was no different from ten years ago, except that he looked a little lighter. Her flaming red hair did not lose its shine even in the dark. The thieves’ eyes widened as they recognized him.
“Oh, great wizard…!”
I could tell it was a ridiculous outfit. Following Lorhon, it was Mage Asher who reached the pinnacle of magic. After being a swordsman who cut down a star, he became an archmage. Ronan asked a question, leaving the despairing bandits behind.
“What’s going on? “My face turned completely white.”
“Ooh, our kids are gone! Ranse and Sechika…!”
“···what?”
Ronan’s face hardened. Asher cried and explained the whole story. Ranse and Sechika suddenly disappeared, a context consistent with the disappearance cases so far. And unidentified blood traces remained at the scene. Ronan, who had heard the whole story, took her mouth off.
“Is it Lansena Sechika’s blood?”
“I-I’m not sure about that. I just discovered it…Sita is flying in from the north right now.”
“Yeah… that’s what happened in the end.”
Ronan muttered. The thieves, who had suddenly noticed the two men, sucked in a breath. My body did not move, as if paralyzed. A deadly force that he had never experienced before was spreading across Ronan’s shoulders.
“Soo, my breath…!”
“help me. Please.”
The life force was so strong that I couldn’t even breathe properly. People began to sob or urinate one after another.
The bandits, who had become more desperate than ever, were pleading for mercy. Ronan’s arm went blurry for a moment, then he returned to normal. Paang! A belated sound was heard.
It was before I even questioned what I had done. Sigh-! The cloud-covered sky split into left and right, and a cluster of stars appeared overhead.
“Huh!”
The thieves were astonished. The cross section of the clouds cut by the sword wind was as clean as it was smooth. Ronan’s previously empty hand was suddenly holding La Mancha.
A sword that slaughtered even flying giants. Ronan turned it around and turned his attention to the leader.
“hey.”
“Yes, yes!”
“I won’t talk too much. “Turn yourself in.”
Ronan growled lowly. Even if I encountered a tiger, I thought it would be better than this. Her leader, who was breathing heavily, threw his head on the floor once again and shouted.
“Of course! I’ll turn myself in right away!”
“go away.”
Ronan declared coldly and left with Asher. The bandits, completely crushed, could not raise their heads even after their figures had completely disappeared. After a while, the bandits stood up and naturally moved towards the nearby security post, even though there was no one watching them.
****
“Ugh…Ugh…”
Lance, who was moaning, opened his eyes. Her mind was fuzzy, as if she was high on drugs. He staggered to his feet and looked around.
“here is…?”
The entire surroundings were covered in darkness. Since there was no sound of wind blowing, it seemed like the interior of some structure. What happened? Lansei muttered while placing his hand on his forehead.
“What…what happened?”
My memories of last night were sparse and disconnected. I think I heard someone’s voice before I lost consciousness, but I couldn’t remember it exactly.
‘So, after leaving the house… and going into the back alley… ah.’
Suddenly, Ranse’s complexion, who had been going back through his memories step by step, turned pale. I couldn’t see anyone who was supposed to be there. He looked around urgently and shouted loudly.
“Sechika!”
A voice echoed in the darkness. But no answer came back. Ran Se put her hand around her mouth and shouted again.
“If you’re alive, answer me! Sechika!”
This time too, there was no answer. Lance’s breathing was becoming heavier as he remembered the worst situation. Sigh! Ran Se’s body, which was looking around, suddenly rose into the air as if riding the wind.
“W-what?!”
Something invisible was grasping him. The pressure pressing down on my body was somehow familiar. Before long, a familiar voice was heard from behind Lance, who had stopped.
“Don’t make a loud noise. you idiot. “What are you going to do if you get caught?”
“you···!”
Lance turned his head and his eyes widened. The three chicas were watching him with her arms crossed. She, like him, was floating in the air.
“Sechika.”
Although the clothes were a little dirty, there seemed to be no injuries. Her tense tension suddenly eased. Ran Se, who had been biting her lip, hugged her tightly.
“La, Lance?”
“You’re alive. I’m glad.”
“Of course. “What do you think of this Sechika-san… will you please let go of this for now?”
Sechika’s face turned red. Lance, who belatedly realized what he had done, quickly released the hug. The two people who had been clearing their throats with their backs to each other faced each other again.
“Hmm… I’m sorry.”
“Oh, no. “If it’s too nice to see you, that can happen.”
“Thank you for understanding. So…where am I?”
“I don’t know. I just woke up too. But I guess… it’s not a normal space.”
Sechika frowned. Gifted with her sensitive mana and her sense of sensitivity, she knew from the moment she opened her eyes that this was a strange place. Lan Se tilted her head.
“You’re saying it’s not a normal space?”
“Everything is twisted. “I once saw something similar in my dad’s book… It’s a subspace artificially created by a being with very powerful magical power.”
“Subspace?”
“okay. A dimension that shouldn’t exist in the first place. “Who on earth made this?”
Sechika muttered. Now my eyes had adapted to the darkness, and I could slowly see my surroundings. As she listened, several strange things caught her eye.
It was a space reminiscent of the cavity of a huge cave. Even when speaking softly, the voice rang out, and there were no walls or ceilings to be seen. Shadows thicker than the darkness were drifting like a haze everywhere as far as the eye could see.
I’ve definitely never seen anything like this. Taking a deep breath, Ranse closed her eyes and focused her mind. Inheriting keen senses from his mother, he was able to feel things that others could not see or hear.
Lanse, who soon opened his eyes, pointed to the center of the darkness and spoke.
“I hear something from over there.”
“really? “I can’t hear anything.”
“no. Are you sure. The sound of water… no, is it the sound of footsteps?”
“Hmm, we’ll find out for sure when we get there. “You don’t get motion sick anymore, do you?”
In response to Sechika’s question, Ranse raised his thumb. Sechika smiled and chanted a spell.
Seaaaa… The wind that emerged from her fingertips gently wrapped around the legs and feet of the two people. It was a Haste spell that increased movement speed.
An attribute that was purely her own, not inherited from Asher. Ran Se was amazed as she felt that her body had become noticeably lighter.
“My skill level has increased.”
“It’s basic. “You heard the sound, so take the lead.”
Lance did just that. Because Sechika was able to cast telekinesis and wind magic at the same time, the two glided through the air toward their destination.
A darkness of unknown depth was passing by them. We had been traveling like that for about ten minutes. Lance, who discovered something, shouted loudly.
[stop!]
“Ugh…!”
Sechika, who was following, suddenly stopped. Lan Se wiped his face once and stretched out his index finger to point to the floor.
[Look over there.]
“······!”
Sechika lowered her head and covered her mouth with both hands. Dozens, maybe hundreds, of people were lying in a row. There was no distinction between men and women of all ages, but there were an unusually large number of children, and all of them had blank eyes. Barely able to control her emotions, she opened her mouth.
“Si, these are the people who went missing… It’s clear.”
“…is he dead?”
“Well, I don’t think so. Anyway, mana is being drained from my body…”
Sechika stuttered and trailed off. She could see mana draining from people’s bodies in real time.
The flow of mana was all concentrated in one place. I was in the process of slowly moving my gaze along the flow. As Sechika reached a certain point, a harsh scream came out of her mouth.
“Aaaah!”
“What, why are you like this…hehe!”
Lanse’s eyes, looking at the same place, got so big that they seemed to pop out. Far away in the darkness, a white snake bigger than any dragon was sleeping with its coils coiled.
“···What is that?”
I couldn’t believe it even when I saw it with my own eyes. Scars from frostbite covered about half of its slippery body. Lance was about to say something more. Someone’s voice rang right behind me.
【It would be better not to disturb the heart. Unless you want to get eaten right now.】
“What…!”
【After all, he was the leader of the Pandemonium Battle.】
Lance turned around reflexively. One of his men suddenly appeared and was looking down at the two of them with his back turned.
He was a fairly handsome young man, but he had ugly marks reminiscent of stuffed toys all over his face and limbs exposed outside his sleeves.
“La, Lance…”
“Who are you?”
Lance, standing in front of Sechika, growled with his hand on the hilt of his sword. The sparkling air current seen in the alley was floating around the young man. The mouth of the silent young man slowly opened.
【My name is Darman. He is the remnant of the great Beulah Clazier, and the man who was once killed by your father.】
