Episode 170. Apostle of Justice (1)
“Perception Disruption Magic Tool?”
“It’s a magical tool that erases people’s perception of you. You can almost see yourself as becoming invisible.”
Bayman was explaining while projecting a three-dimensional screen contained in a crystal ball of salt water. It contained designs for various magical tools.
Replain, who was listening to the explanation, asked.
“Are you completely hiding your appearance?”
“Yes, there are various forms. It can be worn easily as a badge on the chest, a hat, a necklace, earrings, etc., so it is suitable for acting covertly.”
“What a great thing. If I just wear this and make a surprise attack, wouldn’t I be able to assassinate anyone?”
“That’s impossible. If you use magic power while wearing something like this, the magical tool will be destroyed on its own.”
Moreover, it is useless against strong people, because they can sense presence or magic and immediately detect it.
If it were possible to assassinate such big shots like this, the people above wouldn’t even exist.
“That’s why they didn’t even think about attacking us and chose to run away.”
“Well, it makes sense since Mr. Tariel is here.”
Before they entered this realm, there were knights who watched their expedition.
Since they were knights dispatched from the imperial court, they could not be sent back as a nuisance.
But then it suddenly disappeared, raising questions.
“But Bayman. Are you by any chance wearing that magical tool?”
“What do you mean?”
Bayman furrowed his eyebrows at the tone of voice that seemed to be doubting him. Then Refrain spoke with an uncharacteristic friendliness.
“No, I just couldn’t tell where you were. Should I just say you had no presence?”
“….”
“Hahaha! Just kidding. You’re so trustworthy.”
Even though it was a joke, Bayman couldn’t help but be serious. He already felt left out, and hearing something like that made him feel hot.
I wanted to curse at him, but I was on the verge of being overwhelmed by the dazzling appearance of the refrain. In fact, it is indeed a ‘dazzling’ appearance.
“But what on earth was the purpose of those articles? They seemed more like spies than knights.”
“You can find out from now on.”
To be honest, they didn’t help at all. Even when I encountered the ghosts, I couldn’t see where they were or what they were doing.
Was he literally just watching and observing? At the very least, if he were a knight protecting the people of the empire, it would be less of a pang in his conscience to step forward and help them even a little.
But do they not have any feelings of prickliness? Even now, they have disappeared like the wind.
The day after spending a night in the Spirit King’s domain.
Everyone who was staying in the town now gathered in the square.
The sight of a large number of prisoners, several knights, and a high-level mercenary unit gathered together gave the impression of a garrison rather than a village.
Tariel, who was commanding from the center, spoke.
“We were so careless.”
They forgot about the existence of the knights who were watching them, and only later remembered it.
At the moment when he understood the prisoners’ purpose, they suddenly disappeared. At that moment, Tariel could intuition where they were headed.
“I was aware of them when I first came here, but then I suddenly forgot about them. It wasn’t until last night that my subordinate remembered.”
“The fact that they’ve disappeared… means that the royal family has caught wind of our plan!”
The Totem Prince who ruled this garrison spoke with a snarl. In fact, it was Tariel and his party who had lured the knights.
“This is all my fault. I’m so sorry.”
Even though there were so many people, I didn’t notice at all. That was strange because it was the same for the prisoners.
Heidern also did not simply blame Tariel, but observed that part.
“If it really is a perception-disrupting magic tool, it won’t end with just turning you into an ordinary invisible human. It would have to be to the point where your very existence disappears.”
“Not only the appearance and the sound, but even the presence itself disappears?”
“You go beyond being invisible and become like a ghost. You literally lose your awareness.”
Tariel was left speechless at the words that even if his appearance was hidden, his existence would be erased.
Because it was so in my head that I couldn’t even recall it.
“Of course, once you’re in that ghost state, you won’t be able to touch anything. The time limit isn’t that long either. And the reason it’s possible is probably because of this area.”
Unlike the night sky that was beautifully shining, as soon as daylight came, an eerie fog covered the sky.
Heidern pointed to this strange landscape and said:
“This is a place where the line between life and death is ambiguous. It is a place where it is easy to lose awareness, so the effects of such magical tools will be more effective.”
Of course, as powerful as it is, Heidern added that the effect can only be used once.
However, if they had attacked from behind, it would have been possible to detect their hostility, but their goal was not a surprise attack, but rather escape.
Because an opponent who turns his back without showing hostility cannot be seen as threatening.
The fact that they were insignificant beings and thus not noticed can be seen as having played a role in amplifying the effect.
“A place where life and death are ambiguous. How did Shaikhar, once called the spirit king who governed life, change like this?”
“I think you’re looking for someone dead.”
Prince Totema spoke with deep emotion. He had known this realm since long ago when he made it his garrison.
This is because the spirit king’s feelings seeped into my whole body from the moment I first entered.
“Shaikhar still can’t let go of his obsession with his daughter who died 30 years ago. He twisted the boundary between life and death to find at least some trace of her.”
Even though she wasn’t my biological daughter, she was the first child I was drawn to.
He looked so sad that he couldn’t easily accept reality.
Even if it means giving up the work of the spirits that govern life.
“He’s probably still on the edge of death, looking for his daughter. Of course, he’ll be back tomorrow for a short break.”
Tomorrow is the full moon day.
The reason why he covets the magical power of humans only on that day is because he needs the strength to maintain this boundary of death.
She was a mother who neglected all her duties as a spirit, and the spirit king of life became corrupted into the spirit king of death.
In fact, the work was all for humans. She would have no intention of doing that work since she has developed antipathy towards humans.
Until he finds his daughter.
`But even if you search the afterlife, you’ll never find it. You’ve already been reincarnated.`
I thought to myself that I was sorry for Shaikhra, because her daughter’s soul no longer exists in the afterlife.
In the first place, that daughter is a soul that cannot go to the afterlife. This is because she is a being that will completely disappear from this world after five deaths.
“Anyway, someone related to the royal family will arrive here soon. If you don’t quickly extract our magic power, you too may be put in danger!”
“That’s right! It’s as if the other side has figured out that you’ve been cooperating with us. You might end up being targeted by the Empire.”
Prince Heidern and Prince Totema were trembling, saying that this was not an ordinary situation.
We’ve discovered all of their secret experiments. They can’t just suck their thumb and sit still.
“Besides, your mission includes students. There’s no guarantee that the Imperial Family won’t mess with those guys.”
This was something Heidern was even more sensitive to, because he didn’t know what they would do to keep their mouths shut.
Even Tariel groaned and was troubled when he heard those words.
It’s not that there is no way.
You can drag him out right now without even having time to devote your magic power to the Spirit King.
Because then we can prove that we did not cooperate with the prisoners.
“Hey buddy. Just a minute…”
“uh?”
While everyone was carrying serious concerns, Mary grabbed my collar.
When I looked at her as if asking why, she spoke with a trembling expression.
“Something… sounds strange.”
“sound?”
“I think someone is calling us. They keep screaming.”
Who the hell is yelling?
No matter how hard you strain your ears, all you can hear is the whispering of people in this square, the occasional swaying of trees, and the crawling of spirits.
“I can’t hear anything?”
The situation was so normal that it made you wonder if Mary’s fluster was a lie.
But that was then.
“…!!”
The skill of suddenly detecting a crisis automatically rings an alarm for me.
The movements that followed seemed to be controlled by instinct rather than by my will.
I suddenly summoned Muto and placed him in front of me as if he were a shield.
“huh?!”
As soon as Muto appeared, he made a face as if he was wondering what was going on, but then his expression became serious.
And I quickly learned why I had been summoned.
Something was shot towards us at a speed exceeding the speed of sound, and Muto caught it precisely with his tail.
“Toilet. If I had been even a little bit later, not only you, but also all the guys in uniform here would have had tunnels between their eyebrows.”
What Muto grabbed was a large, sharp object.
At first glance, it looks like a long toothpick, but the principle used is similar to that of an arrow.
It was at that moment that I was wondering who on earth had blown this up.
“Eww!”
I turned my head at the scream I heard from the side.
There, the same arrows were stuck in the heads and hearts of the knights who had been collaborating with the prisoners, and the engine drivers were seen screaming and the prisoners were seen sweating profusely as they watched.
“Ugh!”
“Captain!”
Even the arrow had pierced Tariel’s shoulder.
However, it seemed to have ended at that level because he barely managed to react and turned his body to avoid the vital spot.
If Mary hadn’t reflexively brought it to my attention, I wouldn’t have known either.
“What’s that flying in all of a sudden?”
“Watch out! Something doesn’t feel right!”
“….”
Trisha, Refrain, and Bayman each sense the threat and take up defensive positions.
Suddenly an arrow flew and killed the knights who were cooperating.
At the same time, it was clear that someone had intentionally shot him, as he was trying to harm us as well.
“You’re actually quite capable. A mere academy student can see through my arrows.”
A man wearing elaborate armor all over his body emerged from the forest. He had tall blond hair, a large sword slung across his back, and a bracelet-shaped bow attached to his left arm.
And on his waist he was wearing a sword locked in a white scabbard, and his face had a bright and passionate expression.
`Where have I seen that white knife before? And who on earth is it?`
I looked at his information with my eyes closed.
Since I’m only looking into the opponent’s stats, I don’t know their affiliation or occupation.
But just by looking at that, I could get a rough idea of who it was.
——————–
Race: Human
Occupation: Swordmaster
Auror Class: 7 stars
Horsepower: 175/175
Tendency: Extreme Justice/Extreme Arrogance
Feelings towards user: None
[Other]
-All abilities increase dramatically due to magic treatment.
——————–
Magical magic. I know very well which side the people who dare to do that belong to.
However, judging from the attire that seemed to be that of a knight directly belonging to the imperial family, he somehow gave off a different feeling.
And then several knights, who appeared to be his cavalry, jumped out from the side.
“Listen! You wicked people! I am the Second Commander of the Divine Knights, the protector of justice in the Empire, Lutis Saint Lee! You have committed an act that should never have been committed. Therefore, I, Lutis, have come to condemn you personally!”
The guys arrived earlier than expected, and the fact that they were the same Knight Commander as Jason made my neck tingle.
The fact that he openly attacked us means that he has already been branded a traitor.
“I personally dealt with those guys who betrayed the Knights Templar. But I will give you a chance to avoid that. If you hand over those prisoners now.”
The expression on Ruthie’s face, trying to show mercy, was bright and spirited. It felt like a passionate and altruistic boy’s manga protagonist.
But, considering the nature of Ruthie that we just saw, this part makes me frown.
“There’s one thing I’d like to ask.”
“What is it?”
Tariel asked Rutilus as he approached us.
I had to endure the pain in my shoulder while speaking.
“This is definitely our fault. We were manipulated by the prisoners, so you took it upon yourself to take action. That’s why I won’t say anything about killing them or stabbing my shoulder. However…!”
At that moment, Tariel pointed at us and shouted.
“Why did you attack these guys too? Even if they participated in this incident, they are still freshmen. What would have happened if they had no choice but to play along under the threats of bad adults like us?”
That was exactly the question I wanted to ask.
It was even more absurd that he shouted that he would let them off if they surrendered at a point when he was attacking with the intent to kill them.
And what’s even more ridiculous is…
“At that time, there was nothing we could do.”
“what?”
“If they really died, it would mean that they died under the pressure of corrupt adults like you. Aren’t you the ones who treat those guys like child soldiers the evil ones!”
Ruthie declared with a face still brimming with passion.
At that sight, not only our cadets, but also all the mercenaries and prisoners were astonished.
He talks about justice, but in reality, he is a man who believes that his self-righteous thoughts are the ‘truth’.
『Wow… That’s not normal?』
Even Muto, who was a lump of curses, was bewildered.
To summarize, it is like this.
A hypocrite who shouts justice with a kind face. He’s the type of person I hate the most.
“I don’t know who those guys are, but I’d rather let them be at ease than be controlled by guys like you! Hahaha! Who do you think I am?”
While Ruthie was laughing, with no doubts about her own judgment, Tariel spoke to us urgently.
“Kids, hurry up and take off your name tags!”
“Why?”
“From what I’ve heard, they still don’t seem to know about you. They may have heard about the cooperation of the Alighieri students, but they haven’t heard the list of names.”
We ignored those words and tore off our school uniform name tags.
Soon, Refrain quickly burned it with fire magic.
Meanwhile, Ruthie was speaking while pulling out the sword from her waist.
“You can’t leave here in the first place. Because I rule this space!”
The sword, drawn from its scabbard and raised into the sky, glows red.
I was amazed by the beautiful colors that were embedded in that sword.
`Holy Sword Rosaria?!`
Lutis is holding a sword that was once used by a saint. Spirits begin to gather around him.
Since it was a sword used by the daughter of the Spirit King, there is a setting that the moment you hold it, you can control the spirits as you wish.
This is an essential item as it is a realm.
And that black one will probably be kept by the original Doomsday executives. So then…
“I will condemn you with the fragments of the previous saint!”
“Why are you talking about a saint when you’re Doomsday’s lackey?”
“Doomsday? What is that!”
“what?”
A look of utter ignorance.
I was surprised.
You really don’t know?
Are you just blindly believing whatever the Empire tells you to do without knowing anything?
“You’re the most stupid person ever. But we’re the ones in danger right now.”
Muto sympathizes with me while also warning me. I am amazed that I have a good heart with this guy, but I am also very nervous.
Because the shadow of the distracted spirit behind him was reflected in the fog.
-Support support support!
An earthquake occurs and the ground splits apart.
The village and forest began to be destroyed simply by the descent of the Supreme Spirit.
“Come on, come on! Justice will prevail!”
Even more ridiculous was Ruthie’s useless enthusiasm.
Surviving as an Academy Fraudster
