Chapter 727
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
The room where time rewinds.
That was what the woman’s master called this place.
The entire room was filled with clocks of every kind. Grandfather clocks, desk clocks, hourglasses—different types, standards, and sizes without end.
In truth, every single one of these clocks was an expensive artifact. Artifacts related solely to time.
And into this room, a woman stepped.
Tok—
Tok—
Keyzen’s vice-chancellor, Jane.
Her shoes echoed as she scanned her surroundings, then stopped at one spot.
“......”
Her long lashes lowered.
One clock had cracked and stopped working. Around that broken clock, others were also twisted or broken.
She slightly spread her palm.
Butterflies rose in the air, gathered together, and formed the shape of a scythe. Gripping the scythe, she moved forward again.
Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.
The clocks ticked out different sounds, pointing to different times. Whether it was the jumbled rhythm or the magic leaking from the artifacts, a headache began to press in.
Just as she was about to turn the corner—
Whoosh!
She reacted instantly, swinging her scythe.
But what she felt a moment later was something hugging her leg with a thump.
“Waaaah! Jaaane!”
A familiar whining voice.
Jane sighed and loosened her grip on the scythe. The scythe dissolved back into butterflies that scattered into the air.
“I came because the security alarm went off. How many times must I tell you, Lady Neftis, you need to sign the entry ledger before coming in.”
“But I waaahsn’t! It was urgent, I had no choice!”
Whine, whine, whine.
Clearly, this headache wasn’t caused by the clocks’ ticking hands, but by her superior stepping within a hundred meters and triggering her body’s instinctive rejection reflex.
Jane stretched out her arm, grabbed the scruff of her superior who was clinging to her leg like a cicada, and lifted her up.
Looking closer, she saw black blood flowing down her superior’s forehead. Jane’s brow furrowed.
“Because of that matter, I suppose.”
“Yeah.”
“Seems you’ve made quite the blunder this time.”
Neftis hopped down lightly. Jane knelt, pulled a handkerchief from her chest, and wiped her superior’s forehead.
“People’s lives were at stake, I had no choice!”
“Yes, I’m not blaming you.”
Jane finished wiping her forehead, then folded the handkerchief over and dabbed at Neftis’ lips as well. Neftis squirmed and mumbled in protest, but Jane’s touch was precise and firm.
“May I ask you one thing.”
“Nope!”
“Who went into the past.”
Neftis gave a silly giggle.
“I don’t knooow!”
Jane’s hand, still pressing at her lips, clenched tight.
“Mmmffphh! I really don’t knowoo!”
Finally, Jane stuffed the soiled handkerchief back into her clothes and rose to her feet.
“I dare not presume to advise, but fiddling with these artifacts here won’t solve the problem.”
“Mm. I think so too.”
Scampering forward, Neftis closed her eyes as though in thought.
“We’ll have to send someone of our own.”
* * *
Ssshhhhh—!
In Leshill, the downpour still raged on.
Simon and Anna sat by the fireplace, waiting for Richard to return.
All the while, Anna had sat by the fire, knitting, occasionally glancing worriedly out the window, then moving to the kitchen to fetch something to feed her son, then back to knitting again.
‘So full, so full.’
As a result, Simon had been forced to eat nine meals in a row since coming home. Just as she glanced out the window again and seemed about to head back to the kitchen, Simon panicked and jumped up.
“Mom! I’m full! I really am okay now...!”
Clatter!
The door burst open. The tap-tap of rain shifted into the roaring shaaah! of a storm crashing inside.
Then came the squelch of boots, and a robed man dripping with rain stepped in.
“Father!”
“Darling!”
It was Richard.
Simon quickly helped him to the fire, while Anna stripped the soaked robe from his shoulders. Richard was drenched to the bone, a mess. His hair hung like seaweed, dripping water constantly.
“You’re back, Simon.”
Richard’s voice was hoarse. Simon sat across from him at once.
“Are you alright? What’s going on all of a sudden?”
“I don’t know.”
Richard pushed back his dripping bangs, revealing his sharply lined, weathered face.
“Since coming to Leshill, nothing like this has ever happened. This storm is unprecedented. The valley’s flooding, the mountains are collapsing.”
Anna promptly set down a steaming bowl of tomato soup on his knees. Richard flinched from the heat, but she brushed him off and shoved a spoonful into his mouth.
“Ah, hot food in my body, it feels like life itself.”
Richard said that, then gazed at his wife with heated eyes. Anna gave him a light kiss on the cheek, and Richard returned it.
Once again, the couple’s affections flared up.
Even with their son sitting right there, no one could stop them. Simon gave a strained smile and turned his eyes aside.
“Will you have to go out again tomorrow, dear?”
Anna asked with worry after a bout of kissing.
“I must. The fief’s damage is snowballing.”
Richard’s voice carried his weariness.
“The collapsing mountains are driving monsters into human lands. Some villagers have already been attacked. The lower village is completely flooded, so we evacuated them to a highland shelter, but food is far too short. The roads are a wreck, so merchant supplies can’t get through.”
Anna put her hands on her hips.
“There’s still some food left in storage. I’ll take it to the shelter and cook for the villagers myself!”
“If the lady of the fief would do so, that’s reassuring indeed.”
As their eyes locked again, Simon quickly cut in.
“I’ll help too, Father! If monsters are crossing over, there might be casualties. We need to handle it quickly.”
Richard turned to him.
“Yes, forgive me. A Keyzen student can’t be so free even during break.”
“This too is part of my training!”
Richard nodded.
“Then as soon as dawn breaks, we’ll split up. The rain will sap your body heat, so prepare thoroughly, and don’t fight for too long.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Follentia family clasped hands, their resolve steeled.
* * *
That early dawn, the operation began.
The rain still poured unceasingly. Anna headed for the food storage, while Simon and Richard, cloaked, raced out into the storm.
“Mountain orcs from the southeastern range, driven out of their homes, are approaching the shelter.”
Richard said to Simon.
“They’re exhausted and starving. If they enter our lands, they’ll eat people. You take the south, I’ll cover the north.”
“Yes, Father!”
Richard charged up the mountainside through the sheets of rain, while Simon sprinted along the flooded valley.
Before long, the shapes of monsters appeared, following the swollen stream.
Step!
Simon leapt onto the Darkness, landing in front of them.
-Grrrk!
The orcs bared their fangs the moment they saw him, drooling as they hefted their axes.
Simon brushed back his bangs that kept falling over his eyes, and stared at them steadily.
“Unfortunate as this is, I have a duty to protect our people.”
-Kyaaaahhh!
A group of orcs rushed him. Simon’s gaze lifted slightly higher. More groups of orcs were on the slopes above.
‘End this quickly.’
From subspace, skeletons burst forth, and turquoise light from a magic circle fell upon their bodies.
The swords in their hands gleamed emerald, their cloaks snapping in the wind.
<Simon’s Original – Royal Guard>
“Strike.”
Twenty-three skeletons scattered in emerald flashes.
The battle lasted longer than expected.
Each mountain orc wasn’t especially strong, but covering an entire mountain alone in this raging storm drained him greatly.
After clearing the orcs, he moved on to the next location, because Richard had ordered him to send summons to protect the next destination.
Soon, when he arrived there, this time it was the kobolds attacking the village.
They were using old crossbows, and when their bolts struck the walls, the villagers inside cowered in terror, lying flat on the floor.
‘I’ll go right in.’
Since the duration of the Royal Guard was over, he cast a new black magic.
<Simon’s Original – Dragonian>
It was the first time he used the Dragonian suit since the fight with Ballack.
But this time, since what was needed was defense rather than powerful swordsmanship, he excluded the violent Manus, which sought to cut everything apart, and built the suit accordingly.
“Here I go!”
The kobolds fired their arrows, and the Dragonian suit activated.
Wooong!
Violet scales spread in the air, deflecting the arrows, and Simon rushed forward unharmed.
Thud!
Crack!
As expected of a suit born of Chaos, it was powerful. Each strike smashed skulls, brains bursting apart. With violet flashes trailing like lightning, Simon’s rampage tore through the kobolds, leaving them helplessly collapsing.
“Now! Get out!”
Simon shouted.
The villagers trapped inside the houses seized the chance to escape, but a few kobolds turned their crossbows on them and fired.
Tiiing!
Ting!
Suddenly, violet scales unfolded in the air like a painting, forming a honeycomb barrier that blocked the arrows.
‘Though it’s a summoning function, I never thought I’d use ‘Fulgor’.
Simon grinned, closing in on the kobolds and subduing them. But from behind, yet another group of kobolds approached.
‘Damn, endless...!’
[Well done, Simon.]
At the sudden voice, Simon raised his head. Something azure was falling from the sky.
Kuwaaaaaah!
Rather than an undead, it was like a giant armored titan clad in blue metal. At its gesture, blue flashes poured down, cleanly wiping out the kobolds.
“Simon.”
The giant’s ribcage split open left and right, and Richard emerged, leaping lightly down to the ground.
“A splendid Bone Armor. Did you make it from a drake?”
“Ah, yes! An ancient species.”
Simon also lifted his drake helmet, revealing his face. Richard laughed heartily.
“Already dabbling in dragon magic. You do take after me, greedy boy. Hahaha!”
“Father, this isn’t the time! Over there too!”
A group of kobolds had flanked around, aiming to ambush the villagers.
“Watch this.”
Richard remained standing in place, but the empty Bone Armor, devoid of its master, rushed out on its own, swinging its massive arms to slash kobolds, even throwing in kicks. A proper display of martial combat.
Richard didn’t move, yet the Bone Armor fought on its own.
This was clearly beyond the simple combat ability of a summon. It was using human martial arts. Simon’s eyes lit up at the sight.
“That technique...!”
“Once you can handle the Bone Armor as if it were your own body, with a touch of black magic, this becomes possible.”
The Bone Armor was using the necromancer’s experience, martial combat, even Richard’s black magic.
It was as though he had split into two.
Simon’s eyes sparkled.
“I want to learn that too!”
“Hahaha! Not difficult. Once this chaos is over, I’ll teach you step by step.”
Richard turned back to Simon.
“The fighting is enough. I’ll handle the rest.”
“I can still fight!”
“You have another task. Anna sent word.”
Richard rubbed his weary eyes as he continued.
“Lete seems to have arrived at a nearby city. She’ll likely head straight into Leshill by carriage, but with the territory in this state, I’m worried. You go out to meet her.”
“Ah.”
The weather in the neighboring fiefdoms was normal. This storm was falling only on Leshill. Lete might not know the situation.
“Yes, I’ll go at once!”
* * *
Ssshhhhhh!
The rain still poured relentlessly.
At the fork in the road, the one you must pass to enter Leshill. Simon perched atop a tree, waiting for Lete.
‘Come to think of it, this was where I first met Lete too.’
Efnelle would be on break as well, but with her duties as Saint, he had thought it unlikely she could cross over here. Yet here they were, meeting right at the start of vacation.
Simon stayed still, waiting until she arrived.
Clop clop—
After who knew how long, came the sound of hooves, wheels rolling over the muddy road. Simon rose to his feet.
‘She did say she’d be coming by carriage.’
Fortunately, the carriage looked relatively intact.
Simon leapt lightly down from the tree. Startled, the coachman yanked the reins and brought the horses to a halt.
“Ah, forgive me for startling you. I am Simon Follentia, son of the lord of Leshill.”
Declaring his affiliation, Simon walked toward the carriage.
Just one curtain to pull aside now, and he would see Lete.
‘?’
But suddenly, a strange tension welled up inside him.
Why was he nervous over something like this? Simon cleared his throat, adjusted his clothes, bounced lightly in place.
Then, nodding once in resolution, he went to the back of the carriage.
“Lete, it’s me, Simon. Excuse my intrusion... Huh?”
The moment he pulled back the curtain, Simon’s eyes widened.
Lete wasn’t there.
Inside were only an elderly couple, holding hands, staring at Simon in confusion.
“What’s the matter, sonny?”
“Nothing at all! Pardon me!”
Simon hurriedly let the curtain fall, steadying his pounding heart.
‘She must be coming in another carriage.’
“Hey there, lad. Come here.”
The coachman crooked a finger at him. Simon walked over.
“I’m busy as hell, why’d you stop us? You getting in or not?”
“What? Ah, no. I wasn’t trying to—”
In that instant.
Simon’s eyes widened.
That voice?
“Well, well.”
The coachman raised a finger, pushed back his straw hat. A few strands of hair as white as snow spilled out, revealing delicate features.
And those dazzling golden eyes.
That playful smile.
“If you’re riding, pay the fare.”
Simon’s pupils trembled.
“...Lete!”
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