Chapter 23 – Return and Celebration
#1
Typically, when ordinary humans encounter a creature larger than themselves, fear is the natural reaction.
However, Lawrence and Leila couldn’t help but laugh when they saw the giant troll.
Perhaps it was the result of everything they had been through, but instead of fear, they felt a rush of excitement, thrill, and catharsis.
“Come at me, you hairy brute!”
“We need to keep that heart intact. It’s for the young lady’s treatment.”
“Is that so? Got it!”
Roaaaar!
The troll’s eyes glowed a mixture of green and red.
It was both undead and in a berserk state.
While normal trolls are slow but powerful, a berserk troll is different.
Now that it was undead, it didn’t tire, and on top of that, it was fast, resulting in several close calls.
Whiz!
A spiked club swung by the troll grazed Leila’s forearm, leaving a faint scratch.
But as they say, the sight of blood can drive one into even greater excitement.
“My blood is precious, you know.”
With both hands on her sword, she firmly planted her feet.
Boom!
Since all power originates from the lower body, Leila channeled her strength into her legs, stabilizing herself with aura as a massive force emanated from her stance.
With a sharp swing and a spray of blood, she struck cleanly.
The chilling aura froze the troll’s veins and necrotized its skin, preventing regeneration.
It was an impressive display of skill and terrifying aura power.
‘Is this really the ability of someone who’s just recently awakened her talent?’
Leila was indeed a monster.
A monster that would eventually become the mighty protector of the North.
Anyone who mistook her for a delicate figure would end up like the severed troll limbs lying around.
Lawrence smirked, activating an artifact.
‘It’s fine. I can always make another one.’
He was planning to create an even better artifact later, so there was no reason to hold back.
[Holy Arrow]
[Multi-Shot]
With his Dragon Body’s level increased, he could now manifest three arrows at once.
The holy arrows pierced the troll’s legs instantly.
Roaaaar!
The troll let out a scream of pain, and Lawrence continued his relentless assault as it tried to regenerate.
Crackle!
Lawrence swiftly pulled another artifact from his inventory and switched them out in an instant, preparing to assist Leila in severing the troll more effectively.
[Holy Chains]
[Multi-Shot]
Rattle!
The holy chains wrapped around the massive troll, binding it tightly.
With a loud, ominous sound, the chains stretched taut, looking as if they would snap under the troll’s immense strength.
But there was no need to worry.
Leila, with a fierce glint in her eye, was already swinging her sword horizontally.
“Hup—!”
[Gaudi Swordsmanship]
[Wolf Hunt]
A technique designed with the intent to split a wolf from its jaws down to its spine, cutting it cleanly in half, tail and all.
If she didn’t cut the charging wolf in one blow, she would be nothing more than food for the other wolves.
This was a swordsmanship forged to survive in the North.
The move was precise, unwavering, and flawless.
A flash of blue passed, and the icy chill claimed the troll’s two legs.
With a masterful strike, Leila severed all the troll’s limbs.
But then, she suddenly stopped.
“Urgh!?”
“Oh no!”
“I was waiting for this moment—!”
Out of nowhere, a black wizard appeared.
It was a crisis, timed perfectly.
“Damn it, at a time like this!?”
Overwhelmed with pain, Leila dropped to her knees.
The pain wasn’t the problem; her whole body refused to move.
Her breathing became ragged, and all strength drained from her limbs, leaving her in a completely vulnerable state.
At the same time, the black wizard began chanting.
“Oh, mana of the darkness that rules the night—”
“Seriously, these guys—”
Why don’t they ever learn?
Don’t they realize that chanting gives them away?
Shouldn’t they have at least prepared something else?
Lawrence immediately uttered his command.
[Holy Bomb]
Crackle! Crackle!
A white orb of holy power, despite its divine nature, emitted a strange, ominous sound as it formed in his hand.
And that wasn’t all.
[Haste]
[Strength]
[Artifact Capacity—]
Using the remaining Haste and Strength buffs, Lawrence dashed toward the chanting black wizard.
A disaster for any mage would be an opponent charging straight at them with raw power.
As Lawrence rapidly approached, the black wizard’s chanting faltered, revealing his panic.
A disturbed mind could never cast magic properly.
With the holy bomb in hand, Lawrence slammed it into the wizard’s head.
Boom!
The cave echoed with a deafening sound, and the black wizard vanished without a trace.
As the noise subsided, the only sound left was the faint whimpering of the dying troll.
Turning around, Lawrence checked on Leila’s condition.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah… thanks to you.”
“We should head back quickly for treatment.”
“Haha, I… I wonder if I’ll really survive?”
Leila sat down with a thud, shaking her arms and legs vigorously.
Lawrence nodded in response.
The Authority wouldn’t fail, so her chronic illness, as if cursed, would be gone.
‘I’ll make sure of it.’
Leila smiled brightly.
It was a pure and beautiful smile, so unlike the frenzied warrior wielding her sword.
“That’s a relief, then.”
“Hey—! Lawrence! Lady Leila!”
They heard Loria’s voice from the entrance.
Seeing her rushing over, it seemed like things outside had been mostly taken care of.
Lawrence waved at his sister as she hurriedly approached.
“Sis—! Give me a hand!”
They had to haul out a fresh troll, after all!
#2
“Thank you all for your hard work.”
“Anyone injured, please come this way~.”
“What exactly are you, young master? Why can you use healing magic too?”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m a descendant of a prestigious magic family, after all.”
Not wanting to go into a long explanation about Authority, Lawrence simply replied like that.
Before returning, Lawrence gathered all the spoils into his Inventory and generously used healing artifacts on the wounded.
It seemed worthwhile to have prepared plenty for situations like these.
‘I hope I can find even better relics in the future. And…’
He had acquired quite a few things this time.
Especially a lot of extracts related to dark magic and necromancy.
He believed he would be able to make use of these someday.
Particularly, their utility would increase once he returned to his family.
‘I’ll have to use them to uncover the mastermind behind all this.’
After tending to the last patient, Lawrence stood up.
Though he received many thanks from all around, he responded automatically, lost in his thoughts.
As he twisted his stiff body, his surroundings finally came into focus.
He noticed the eyes filled with admiration.
He saw those who genuinely expressed gratitude towards him.
Yes, he had felt emotions like this once before.
Now, it was a faded memory from long ago.
‘There were times like that. Back on Earth, my subscribers always used to lift me up.’
<Wow! Author, you’re amazing!>
<How can you make things so precisely!?>
<Awesome, please keep making more! I’m a real fan!>
In contrast to his miserable past life, he too had once reached the peak of his craft.
He realized that the feeling back then was similar to how he felt now.
It was a sense of achievement and pride that he had forgotten due to the twists of time.
“Let’s head back.”
“Everyone, pack up! Anyone who can’t keep track of their weapons will see it come out of their pay!”
“Yes, sir—!”
Contrary to the tense moments before, the bustling atmosphere was rather impressive.
Freya, Loria, and even the Phoenix Mage Corps wore proud smiles.
They had won honourably, and the subjugation battle had concluded magnificently.
“Good job, little brother.”
“You too, sis.”
Loria smiled brightly, patting Lawrence on the back.
“Can’t reach your shoulder, huh?”
“Hey! That’s not true, okay!?”
She was still the sister who was easy to tease.
As Lawrence moved forward, various thoughts filled his mind.
‘How did the black wizards know every move we made, and… I need to find out what kind of deal Freya and Medeia struck, and why they would want to kill Loria, a direct descendant.’
Loria was indeed a direct bloodline and would play a significant role in the Montemer family’s future.
She wasn’t from the side branches or Edward’s siblings; so why…?
Or was there some story that he hadn’t known in his previous life?
His curiosity only grew.
‘First, I need to uncover Loria’s secret, then get in touch with my relatives, and… third, deal with the matters at the Magic Tower.’
Taking care of what was right in front of him would naturally lead him to Medeia’s schemes.
It was as if the dragon’s instinct was telling him so.
Lawrence muttered to himself as he looked at the blue aura shooting straight up in the distance.
“Looks like the Grand Duke succeeded too.”
With the victory flares signaling their triumph, tonight he would be able to rest fully at ease.
His body was exhausted, but his heart felt light.
His steps, too, began to grow lighter.
#3
Boom—!
The massive body of a monster, and a barely breathing troll, came tumbling out of the air.
The Grand Duke, Freya, Loria…
Everyone watching that scene had their mouths agape.
The spatial magic Lawrence wielded was of an unimaginable scale that an ordinary mage could never hope to handle.
Typically, spatial magic was limited to storing weapons, books, or potions at best.
But Lawrence’s Authority allowed him to command a space of a vast and overwhelming size.
“You can handle the disassembly, right?”
“What is… this…?”
“Young Lord Lawrence, just… who exactly…?”
Seeing Freya trembling, Lawrence grinned.
Now, how would they value his worth?
“I told you, didn’t I? If you stay in my good graces, I’ll let you study my methods.”
“R-really!?”
“Of course.”
Lawrence smiled faintly.
Freya, after all, was not only a battle mage under the Montemer family but also a high-ranking researcher at the Magic Tower.
In the future, young mages from Montemer would receive their training at the Magic Tower.
At that time, having these connections would be incredibly helpful.
While others were busy learning and training in magic, Lawrence would continue crafting artifacts and honing his Dragon Body.
There would likely be more extracts and mediums available too.
He might even get access to resources he hadn’t encountered before his regression.
‘I should also look into information about the Guardian.’
He might be able to uncover other legacies left by the dragons.
Just as he was musing about this, something appeared abruptly in front of him.
It was the heart of the troll the Grand Duke had just pulled out.
“Here, the troll’s heart. Fresh as can be.”
“Oh.”
“Should I have washed it first?”
The Grand Duke held out the still-dripping heart, looking like a psychopath.
But what did it matter?
Both he and Lawrence were, in some ways, far from normal.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll start working on it right away.”
“No rest?”
“I do this because I enjoy it.”
Lawrence wasn’t the type to resist something entertaining.
After a hard day’s work, could you really just collapse without indulging in your hobbies?
Enjoying the things you’d put off and your little obsessions was essential, wasn’t it?
With a bright smile, Lawrence held up the troll’s blood-dripping heart.
And he added one more thing.
“Oh, by the way, does troll meat come large and beautifully?”
—
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