Chapter 764
Tok, tok.
How long had it been since she last saw the sunlight, how long had it been since she last tasted food.
"......."
Hongpeng was still bound in chains.
Her body had withered, her ribs protruding, her arms and legs thin and powerless, her hair brittle and lifeless, clinging together like wet straw.
She stared blankly up at the ceiling, yet even in such despair, her eyes had not lost their light.
Step, step, step.
Small footsteps approached, she turned her head toward the sound, and saw a young girl coming closer, holding a basket filled with bread and fruit.
"......Ho, Lady Hongpeng."
The village girl looked at her with teary eyes, ready to burst into sobs, but Hongpeng greeted her with a gentle smile.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
The girl sniffled, shook her head, and set the food down in front of Hongpeng.
Food prepared by Myurr.
Of course, Hongpeng had no intention of eating it.
Ssssss—
Sssss—
From the cracks of the ruined temple walls, snakes slithered in, tongues flickering, the girl cried out in fright and clung to Hongpeng.
[To endure for more than a month without food or drink in a human body.]
The sound of a staff striking the ground echoed.
Wrapped entirely in a crimson robe, as if unwilling to reveal even a speck of his form.
The Ancient Undead, Myurr, revealed himself.
[Truly, you are exceptional, Hongpeng.]
"......."
The girl hugged Hongpeng tightly and shouted.
"If you hadn’t taken me and the villagers hostage, Lady Hongpeng would never have lost to a monster like you!"
Heheheheh.
A chilling laugh came from within the shadowed hood.
[The fact that your precious ones are still alive, the weakness of being unable to abandon them, all of it is flaw, and frailty.]
He advanced toward Hongpeng, scattering Darkness around him, the girl squealed and hid behind her.
[A troublesome opponent has appeared on the grasslands.]
"......."
[Was it you who meddled?]
Hongpeng merely closed her eyes, lips sealed tight, refusing to answer.
[I thought Keyzen would only notice your disappearance after the semester began, I had prepared for everything to be finished before then, such a variable is most unwelcome.]
From within his robe, he extended an arm wrought of Darkness.
When his clenched fist opened, a crimson orb appeared.
[You shall face one of my old comrades.]
He seized Hongpeng’s jaw, forcing it up, the girl tried to intervene, but snakes shot out and coiled tightly around her.
"N, no! Lady Hongpeng!"
From within the hood’s devouring shadow, a pair of glowing eyes flashed.
[Let us see again the skill that strangled the Kundar Hydra.]
* * *
Crunch.
Simon, who had climbed a tall tree, rejoined his companions.
When he relayed all he had seen, everyone’s faces stiffened like stone.
"It’s certain something serious is happening in the grasslands."
Simon said.
"And the Professor Hongpeng I know would never have let things reach this point without acting, of course, she wouldn’t have invited us here until the matter was resolved."
"Meaning…"
Dick picked up.
"Right after sending us that letter, something suddenly befell Professor Hongpeng, leaving her neither the chance to settle things, nor the time to write again and stop us from coming to the grasslands."
"That’s how I see it."
Maelyn and Kamibarez exchanged worried looks.
Simon straightened his posture, laced his fingers.
"I’m going to find Professor Hongpeng, I don’t even know if I’m still Student Council President anymore, but if the professor is in danger, I can’t just ignore it."
He looked around at his companions.
"You guys escape the grasslands, contact the people from Keyzen, and request support, maybe if you make it to the sea you can get out of this crisis."
"Simon?"
Maelyn tilted her head, smiling ominously.
"Don’t you think that sounds like utter nonsense?"
"That’s right! We can’t just abandon you and run away!"
Kamibarez flapped her wings, eyes burning with determination.
Clack!
Dick strode across the group and powered up the mana engine.
"If you’re going, then we go together! You think you’re the only student council? Aren’t we all Professor Hongpeng’s students?"
He cranked the engine to full power.
BWAAAAAAANG!
The boat cut through the water like an arrow, Dick raised his arm high.
"Let’s go! To rescue Professor Hongpeng!"
Maelyn and Kamibarez threw their arms up, shouting "Yeeah!" in unison.
Simon gave a small smile.
He had tried to dissuade them, but had known it would fail.
"Fine, fine, I get it."
"For now, let’s just dive into the deep lower grasslands!"
Dick tossed overboard the trusted map of the grasslands.
"They say the terrain is changing, right? If we get near the site itself, we’ll find a clue."
Sniff sniff.
Kamibarez closed her eyes, sniffed the air, then pointed forward.
"I think I found one already! Faint, but I smell an unusual trace of blood!"
"Nice one, Kami! Where?"
"Turn right from here!"
Simon and Dick instantly dashed forward, each grabbed an oar, and shoved hard against the ground, the boat veered sharply in the opposite direction.
Inside, beyond the main river, countless streams branched everywhere.
"Keep going straight ahead!"
But the path forward was blocked, Dick signaled to Simon.
"Simon! Row to the side, let’s squeeze through that rock crevice, when I raise my hand like this, we turn right and......."
"Step aside."
Unable to bear it, Maelyn came forward, rolling up her sleeves, preparing a magic circle.
"And how long were you planning to take?"
<Maelyn’s Original – Ice Track>
KWA-DO-DO-DO-DO-DOOM!
A new technique, successor to her signature movement spell, Ice Road.
An icy course rose ahead, like a racing circuit, Maelyn braced her palms behind the boat and layered three magic circles at the stern.
<Maelyn Remake – Magic Booster>
Sparks of black flame flickered before the circle finished priming.
"Oi! You one-trick enchanter!"
"Yeah yeah, I’ll earn my keep."
Dick placed both hands on the boat, invoking his specialty.
<Dick Remade – Tool Enchant>
The boat darkened, its broken and damaged parts fusing together, its form slightly altered.
"Here we go!"
As soon as Maelyn ignited the magic circle behind them, the boat shot forward onto the ice track at terrifying speed.
"Uwooooah!"
"Kyaaaah!"
They rocketed along the frozen course like a sled, soon ascending into high altitude, Maelyn killed the booster magic, and the boat continued gliding on the icy track, moving forward with nothing but slope and friction.
"Please, Kami!"
"Yes, Simon!"
Kamibarez moved to the very front of the boat, sniffing the air, the hull rattled now and then and she nearly fell overboard, but Simon came up behind her and caught her in his arms.
Kamibarez’s face flushed bright red.
"Which way do we go?"
"Huh? Ah, um......!"
The smell of blood that had been pricking at her nose was suddenly drowned out completely by Simon’s scent, her eyes spun in circles.
"S, so, um......!"
"Hey, Simon! Back off, Kami can’t concentrate like that!"
"?"
At Dick’s words, Simon reluctantly stepped back, Kamibarez regained her composure and sniffed again.
"Ah, there......! To the left! The scent broke off but another one has continued!"
"Got it!"
Maelyn laid the track to the left, their bodies shot down along the ice above the jungle.
* * *
At the same time.
The city of pleasure and revelry, Berino.
While chaos unfolded in the grasslands with Simon’s group, Sasha’s group remaining in the city was caught in an incident of their own, moving in a hurry.
Tatadadak!
The three sprinted quickly through the city’s largest hotel.
Everywhere, people lay unconscious on the floor.
"Hey, are you alright?"
Princess Molly knelt beside a collapsed guard and checked his condition, Sasha asked.
"How’s his body?"
"Looks like he was hit with something like poison gas."
Molly replied as she laid him back down.
"His life isn’t in danger, seems it wasn’t lethal, more like paralysis or a sleeping effect."
"Hmph, so they’re trying to avoid outright killing."
Sasha clicked her tongue, her brown hair whipping, meanwhile Arthur had already rushed far ahead, leaving his companions behind.
"Wait there, thief! In my grandfather’s name I will capture you myself!"
Sasha sighed and pointed in the opposite direction.
"Idiot prince, not that way, this way."
"Ah! Thanks!"
Arthur quickly spun back.
The three of them ran in step together, more guards lay strewn unconscious along their path.
Sasha cast black magic over nearby flowerbeds and trees, their stems stretched and moved, lifting tables and chandeliers to rescue those trapped beneath.
"Impressive."
Arthur muttered, stopping in his tracks.
At the door there were large impact marks, even a necromancer, apparently hired by the hotel, sat slumped bleeding, a huge fist mark denting his abdomen.
"......Guys, doesn’t this seem strange?"
Molly said.
"Normally, a thief doesn’t storm the front doors, beat down all the guards, and break through by force, usually they sneak in through chimneys or windows and snatch things away, that’s why they’re called a thief, isn’t it?"
"Guess that’s not the trend anymore."
Sasha replied coolly, raising a finger, plants from the hotel garden slithered and pulled people out from the rubble.
"More importantly, Miss Last Train Princess, use that necromancy of yours to locate the thief."
"Don’t call me Last Train Princess!"
Molly snapped, then closed her eyes, the frames and tables around them rattled and shifted.
Her eyes snapped open.
"This way."
Molly dashed off, Arthur and Sasha following close, they shot up the stairs to the third floor, and stopped before a lavish room.
"The thief is inside here."
"Not running, just waiting for us? How carefree."
Sasha cracked her knuckles, behind her, plant summons writhed in readiness.
Shrrring!
Arthur too drew his cherished sword.
"Then I’ll open it!"
Bang!
Arthur was the first to kick the door and storm in, Sasha and Molly right behind him.
The most luxurious room in the building, the place where the hotel owner resided.
"?"
There, a woman lounged with her legs up on the table, calmly drinking liquor, she downed a glass with a loud "Kya-ha!" and set it down.
Through the holes of a shabby black coat, bandages wrapped all around her frame, her short shorts, hanging open at the waist, were ripped as if by knife cuts, her spiky gray-brown hair like a hedgehog, her eyes flashing with a wild feral gleam more beast than human.
Behind her, a fat middle-aged man, presumably the hotel owner, lay face down in his underwear.
"Oh, what the hell."
Clink.
Setting the glass down, she opened her mouth, sharp triangular shark teeth flashing.
"So there were still guards left?"
"You, don’t tell me......!"
Recognizing her, Molly gasped in shock.
"P, Professor Belya...... was the thief?"
"Someone you know?"
Sasha asked nonchalantly, Molly hopped on the spot.
"You don’t know? She’s a professor from our school! She teaches second-year Toxicology!"
Belya smirked.
"Hooh, so you’re our students?"
"Y, yes! First-year Molly Dresden! This is Sasha Endrasil, and Arthur Bleman!"
"First-years, huh."
Sasha muttered "Ah, what the hell", and lowered her arms, her plant summons drooped their tendrils and vines.
Molly swallowed hard and spoke.
"A professor, stealing, aren’t you ashamed?"
"Stealing?"
Belya’s expression twisted unpleasantly, then Arthur stomped his right foot with a thud.
"Though we are professor and students! Right now it is vacation, and we meet as thief and mercenary!"
He raised his sword at an angle, Darkness rising.
"Since we meet on a private mission, even if you are a professor, I cannot overlook this!"
Molly flailed her arms in panic.
"Wait! Arthur! At least hear her out......!"
"Uooooooooh!"
Arthur lunged forward, Belya shoved the hotel owner aside with her foot, rising from the sofa with an amused look.
"How admirable, trying to entertain me?"
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