Chapter 100
‘They’re going farther than I thought.’
The O’Neill Kingdom’s army, led by Commander Ordin, was traveling much farther and for longer than expected.
When they suddenly decided to depart, I thought the Nameless Organization’s hideout must be nearby. But that wasn’t the case.
From above, I could see both the army and their direction, but there was still nothing suspicious in sight.
“By the way, Greenie, I didn’t know you could fly this high.”
Grrr—
Greenie made a sound, almost like a purr, as if it understood my words, nodding its head.
Though the sound was closer to a rumbling of bones, I could sense Greenie’s pride.
The thought of riding Greenie on missions had crossed my mind before, but I hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.
I was currently riding on Greenie, clad in my Black Shadow Corps uniform, complete with mask and gloves.
From the highest altitude Greenie could manage, I trailed the O’Neill Kingdom’s army in secret.
Looking at it now, this seemed like the better option.
If I were to show myself, I’d have to decide how to do it.
My choice was to appear as Ryu Yeong, the commander of the Black Shadow Corps.
It was easier to escape and negotiate as the Black Shadow Corps commander than as an Academy student.
How the O’Neill Kingdom’s army would react upon seeing me, though, was a different story.
‘I’m especially worried about that guy’s reaction.’
Commander Ordin, who had once chased me down in a fit of rage years ago.
If he were to see me again, I couldn’t predict how he’d respond.
That’s why I was staying far away and tailing them from above on Greenie.
‘What is the Nameless Organization planning?’
As the night wind brushed past me in the sky, various thoughts crossed my mind.
Once again, the fourth main quest had begun without warning.
This time, the objectives were to rescue the kidnapped Elaine and thwart the Nameless Organization’s plans.
Ironically, completing this quest might earn me the title of “Hero of the Kingdom.”
‘Does it even make sense for me to be O’Neill Kingdom’s hero?’
Right now, I was more like their nemesis.
Grrr—
“Hm?”
Lost in thought, I was brought back to reality as Greenie suddenly stopped mid-flight and lifted its head.
Hearing the noise, I instinctively looked down.
It was faint from this height, but I could see it clearly.
Commander Ordin, leading the vanguard, had halted and dismounted from his horse.
The surrounding knights were also beginning to dismount, one by one.
“They must have arrived.”
Grrr—
Greenie responded to my words with another rumble, slowly descending toward the ground.
From here on out, I had to be extremely cautious not to get caught.
“Let’s be careful, okay?”
Greenie shrank the green flames enveloping its body as much as possible.
***
“There it is.”
“Where, exactly?”
At Amilion’s question, Ordin silently stared in one direction.
Amilion followed Ordin’s gaze but saw nothing there.
The only thing visible was a single tree.
‘Huh?’
Amilion glanced away but quickly turned back, sensing something off.
A faint distortion in mana, almost imperceptible unless closely observed.
As “The All-Seeing,” Amilion instantly recognized the anomaly.
“That tree?”
“That’s right. That tree is their hideout.”
“Hm.”
Amilion identified the distorted mana as both a barrier and a warp point.
Touching the tree would likely teleport them somewhere.
“That’s dangerous.”
“…Indeed.”
Ordin nodded solemnly in agreement.
One of the reasons Ordin had delayed his decision until now was this very risk.
They had found where the trail went cold and identified the suspicious magic there.
However, they couldn’t determine where this warp point led.
They had hoped to uncover its destination through careful analysis over time, but all attempts had failed so far.
“Is there a way to figure out where this warp point leads?”
Having grown to trust Professor Amilion during the journey, Ordin asked earnestly.
Amilion furrowed her brow, looking conflicted.
“With proper investigation and analysis, it might be possible… but it would take time. And I can’t do it alone.”
“Hm.”
Ordin nodded, unsurprised.
While he had trusted Amilion enough to ask, he hadn’t expected an immediate answer.
If it had been that easy, Ordin might have felt even more humiliated.
The O’Neill Kingdom’s mages had spent weeks analyzing it to no avail, so a Crescent mage solving it instantly would have been a bitter pill to swallow.
“It seems there’s no choice but to go in.”
“Ah…”
Ordin spoke with a determined voice, as if he had made up his mind.
The knights behind him began stepping forward, their expressions resolute and somber.
“We’ll go in first.”
“No, I’ll go first.”
“Commander…!”
“It’s only natural for the strongest to bear the greatest risk. Is there anyone here stronger than me?”
Commander Ordin addressed his subordinates, his words cutting through the tense atmosphere.
No one dared to respond to his rhetorical question.
They only looked at him with anxious eyes, unable to muster any objections.
“Let’s not waste time. I’ll go in first. If there’s no danger, I’ll contact you through the communication line. If you don’t hear from me…”
Commander Ordin paused, taking a deep breath before continuing.
“Retreat immediately. There’s no need for unnecessary sacrifices.”
“Commander!”
Elizar protested in a voice filled with defiance.
However, Commander Ordin remained resolute.
“Silence. I will not entertain objections.”
Amilion couldn’t help but be impressed by the way Ordin’s single statement silenced everyone.
The commander of the O’Neill Kingdom’s knights truly lived up to his title.
His charisma and authority were overwhelming.
He exuded an aura that could be compared to Royce Sinclair, the head of the Sinclair Family and Elaine’s father.
“Then I’ll procee—”
“Huh?”
“What the—?”
Shiiing—
Just as Commander Ordin turned to proceed, confused exclamations erupted from all sides.
The sound of swords being drawn followed immediately after.
Every knight had their swords drawn, pointing toward the same direction.
The tree with the suspicious warp point.
Before anyone realized it, a figure stood in front of the tree where no one had been before.
Draped in a white robe, the figure’s identity was completely concealed.
“You…”
Shiiing—
Commander Ordin also drew his sword, aiming it at the mysterious figure.
He recognized that outfit all too well.
It was the same figure who had used that horrifying magic to devastate the Silver Eagles.
“Everyone, fall back and maintain your distance!”
“Pawns…”
While Ordin was urgently commanding his subordinates, the White-Robed Man spoke.
His voice, so low it was almost inaudible, commanded everyone’s attention.
“Let’s start cleaning up.”
Fwoooosh—
“Damn it! Mages, prepare yourselves! Everyone else, fall back as far as possible!”
From beneath the White-Robed Man, a black mist began to rise.
Commander Ordin shouted desperately, and the knights moved swiftly in response.
Following his command, the sword-wielding knights retreated while the mages in robes stepped forward.
“Activate defensive spells!”
Wooooong—
Before Ordin even finished speaking, the mages began casting their spells.
With a brilliant flash of light, a shield-like barrier formed in front of Commander Ordin.
Initially, the barrier covered only the front, but it quickly expanded, forming a spherical shape.
Commander Ordin watched the rapidly forming barrier with a look of determination.
He hoped it would be enough to stop the mist.
Fwoooosh—
As the barrier enveloped the knights in a protective sphere, the black mist finally began to move.
It was as if the mist had been waiting for the barrier to be fully formed, as it began spreading just a moment later.
The black mist crept forward, slowly surrounding everything, until it finally made contact with the barrier.
Gulp—
Commander Ordin instinctively swallowed, watching the collision of the two magical forces.
Sizzle—
When the black mist touched the barrier, it emitted a sizzling sound as the two energies clashed.
This much was within Ordin’s expectations.
Magic clashed against magic, the defensive spell countering the offensive spell.
Ordin felt a brief moment of hope that the barrier might hold.
Fwoooosh—
“Ugh!”
But things didn’t go as Ordin had hoped.
The barrier, which he thought would block the mist, failed.
Despite the apparent clash of mana, the black mist began seeping through the barrier as if it wasn’t there.
The barrier hadn’t broken.
The mist simply passed through it, permeating the inside.
“Next!”
Ordin shouted without hesitation.
It was unfortunate, but this scenario had been anticipated.
The O’Neill Kingdom hadn’t remained idle after losing the Silver Eagles.
They had worked tirelessly to find countermeasures against mist-based magic.
In addition to the method Amilion had mentioned—converting the mist to liquid—they had developed several other strategies.
“Mages!”
At Ordin’s command, the mages unleashed their prepared spells.
Brilliant lights of various colors shot toward the black mist.
The mages watched their spells with confident expressions, believing at least one would succeed.
Boom—
A deafening explosion rang out, louder than the initial clash.
Commander Ordin stared ahead with eyes filled with hope.
He prayed the black mist had been completely eradicated.
“This can’t be…”
But his hopes were dashed.
Fwoooosh—
Not only did the black mist remain, but it grew even thicker.
—
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