Chapter 795
"Reporting, Chief."
Clack.
The man called Chief pulled out a fresh cigar, bit down on it, and lit it. As the hazy smoke spread, his face, hidden by the shadows of the basement, revealed itself.
A cruel curl at the lips, eyes glimmering with a murderous gleam, his pupils not aligned, each drifting toward a different point. A long scar visible through his cropped hair gave him a chilling air.
Chief Inquisitor Leight.
Head of the notorious Inquisitors, and the priest who had slain more necromancers than anyone else in the world.
Hoooh—
He exhaled smoke, the corners of his mouth twitching into a grin. His subordinate bowed and said.
"Why not let the underlings handle the torture, and take some rest, sir."
"Even after climbing to this position, active duty still suits me better."
He slipped on black gloves, smiling faintly. Between his lips, the jagged stumps of his missing lower teeth were exposed.
"Torture, execution, inquisition, whatever it is, I must do it with my own hands. What’s the report?"
"As I mentioned before, there are troubling signs on the Dark Alliance border."
The man continued in a calm, subdued voice.
"According to the intel of the Saint of Judgement, the necromancers are expected to attack this facility."
Leight, cigar clamped between his teeth, turned his head.
An old four-story building.
Outwardly disguised as a civilian facility, but in truth a secret operations base at the border frontline. Recently, several high-ranking necromancers had been captured in battle, and the inquisitors were busy torturing them for information.
"Necromancers don’t abandon their comrades easily, so movement was to be expected."
"So that’s why she dragged me out to this forsaken place? That wench."
"......."
In the Holy Federation, whether in public or private, only Leight would dare refer to the Saint of Judgement that way.
"Is the defense not adequate?"
Leight muttered as he glanced back. Fifteen layers of holy barrier, priests stationed on every floor, a defense posture seemingly airtight.
Yet the man bowed his head apologetically.
"Even so, ‘the dearest daughter’ said she would feel reassured if you were here, Chief...."
"Bah."
He crushed the cigar between his lips, the cigar squashed flat, its contents spilling out onto the floor.
"If those heretic curs of the Alliance come, I’ll move separately."
"Separately... sir?"
"Sitting back and defending isn’t my style. Where there’s an assault team, there’s always a command nearby. The perfect picture is cutting them down, torturing them, and sealing off their retreat."
From the start, Leight was not the type to heed anyone’s words.
The Saint of Judgement surely knew that as well, and yet still sent him here. The man nodded.
"If the situation arises, I’ll tell them the Chief went to strike at the enemy’s rear."
"That peace whore Israfil, she won’t interfere, will she?"
Blasphemy of the lowest kind.
Hearing such a filthy word, unfiltered, nearly made his mind reel, but the man maintained his composure as he replied.
"The Saint of the Divine Sea is occupied with quelling the southern civil unrest. Even if by chance her attention lingers here, so long as it’s under the pretext of crushing enemies crossing into our territory, there should be no reason for obstruction."
"Perfect."
Leight spat on the floor as he walked away.
"Time to loosen up the body."
* * *
Outdoor training was endless practice.
Students underwent grueling mission simulations, from suppressing priests, to building entry, to reconnaissance using summons.
The thrill of feeling like a true necromancer agent lasted only briefly—after running about all day, the sky itself seemed yellow.
At night, they trained in summon control while adjusting their condition, only to collapse in exhaustion back at the lodgings.
Then, on the morning of the operation.
"Everyone up! Wake up at once!"
Instructors went room to room, rousing the students.
The defense team of Simon, Loraine, and Serne had risen half an hour earlier, already prepared. Serne yawned, wandered off to hide somewhere to slack, while Simon and Loraine went around waking their classmates.
Perhaps from the tension of soon crossing the border into the Holy Federation, the students rose quickly and dressed without much prodding.
Once fully armed, they assembled outside, waiting, and soon Grerion and the instructors appeared.
"Prepare yourselves! The mission begins shortly!"
He pulled a watch from his pocket. From Simon’s fleeting glimpse, the hands pointed in an unusual direction, unlike a normal clock.
The moment the two hands aligned.
Kwoooooooom—!
Booooooom!
A thunderous explosion resounded.
It was the necromancer agents, commencing their attack on the border barrier. Though the blast occurred at quite a distance, the muffled rumble still pressed on their ears.
"We move as well! Everyone, board the chimera!"
Grerion had prepared their transport nearby. A creature with the elongated, many-legged body of a centipede, yet the head of a toad.
But as Grerion called it, ‘boarding’ was hardly the right word.
When the students stood in place, the chimera simply gaped its maw and swallowed them whole, tossing them into its crimson interior. The passage within was spacious enough for all.
"Feels like a ground-dwelling Underworld Whale!"
Eshu muttered as she tapped the chimera’s crimson, living walls.
Soon all the students were inside, followed by Grerion and the instructors.
"We depart!"
No sooner had Grerion issued the mental command than a heavy tremor shook beneath their feet.
Though the chimera’s organs blocked any view of the outside, the constant swaying made it clear they were hurtling ahead at incredible speed.
Simon, Loraine, and Serne stayed near Grerion and the instructors. While the others could do nothing but wait nervously, Simon could infer the unfolding situation from Grerion’s communications.
The developments were swift and urgent.
Bombard the barrier until it ruptured, curse the priests guarding the border into helplessness. The agents soon succeeded in breaching inside without issue.
Grerion’s chimera remained waiting before the barrier for the time being.
Should danger arise, or should the barrier show signs of recovery, the mission would be canceled, Death Knight materials or not.
-Target entered. Commencing strike.
-11 enemy guards neutralized.
-Barrier stabilization in progress. Holy influx successfully blocked!
-The border guards are all moving toward the objective.
Everything was proceeding flawlessly.
And so Grerion made his decision.
"We’re going in!"
The chimera surged forward at blinding speed. Its walls rippled endlessly, like the body of a centipede writhing as it dashed.
The student who had dozed off against the wall was flung out, his head smacking the floor. He clutched his head, leaned his back against the opposite wall, only to be bounced out again and slam his head on the other side.
"We’re passing through the barrier’s fracture! Everyone, be cautious!"
"Eh?"
In that instant, the chimera’s walls, ceiling, and floor pressed inward, the space itself tightening. Their bodies were crushed close, pinned.
All of them, wedged against the chimera’s flesh, let out strangled gasps. They couldn’t so much as twitch a finger.
"It’s too tight! I can’t breathe!"
"Breath! I can’t breathe!"
"Just endure a little longer!"
Grerion’s shout came through.
Amidst it all, Serne suddenly went "Yaaap" and clung to Simon. With the space compressing further, the two were pressed flush together, unable to move apart.
Startled, Simon glared at her, but Serne only curved her eyes into a smile, laughing as if delighted.
Moments later, Grerion called out.
"We’ve crossed the border!"
The crushing space loosened, returning to its original form. The students all sighed in relief, collapsing where they stood.
"Welcome to the Holy Federation!"
Simon turned his head, still in a daze.
Though they had crossed into the Holy Federation, inside the chimera’s body there was nothing to see. It didn’t feel real.
"Professor, we’ll head out first."
"I leave it to you!"
The chimera’s maw opened, light spilling in.
The chief assistant, clad in combat gear, and the other assistants leapt out without hesitation. They would go ahead, ensuring any remaining guards were neutralized.
Soon they disappeared, and the chimera’s mouth closed again.
Left behind were only Grerion, a single assistant instructor, and the students.
Simon, more than ever, stayed at Grerion’s side with a heavy sense of responsibility.
Then came waiting, waiting, waiting.
Nothing but endless waiting. Though the chimera was safe, being confined inside was suffocating. In the darkness, they could only focus on the alternating reports that came through the two communication crystals.
Surprisingly, Simon sometimes caught Aron’s voice. That languid drawl, reporting that the barrier had been destroyed, it was unmistakably Aron.
When news came that the target had been successfully rescued, everyone around burst into cheers. Even the students in the back pressed forward to listen. Though the instructor tried once to send them back, in the end he seemed to let it slide.
-Target secured. Three guards captured.
-All clear.
The instructors reported the area was safe. Grerion grinned broadly.
"We move to the objective!"
They arrived without incident.
The chimera’s maw slowly opened, sunlight pouring in through what had seemed a pitch-black cavern.
Fear, worry, nausea from the journey—students groaned as they opened their eyes.
"Careful, disembark slowly!"
"Watch your step, come down one at a time!"
The assistants guided the students as they filed out of the chimera.
Simon leapt down as well, lifting his gaze.
Just before boarding the chimera, they had been at a border facility, yet now, upon opening his eyes, he found himself within the Holy Federation.
Simon fixed his gaze on the structure before them.
Beyond a towering statue bearing a cross stood a white building. On the surface, it appeared ordinary, yet an ominous aura seeped forth.
‘This is it.’
A museum building of Efnelle.
Here lay the remains of the Paladin.
"I will give the precautions!"
After checking the perimeter once more, Grerion addressed the students.
"Inside, you’ll find horrors beyond anything you’ve imagined. Don’t focus too much, don’t let yourselves get consumed. A sound mind is also a necromancer’s asset!"
Matt Comer tilted his head.
"Isn’t it just a museum?"
Grerion chuckled, shaking his head.
In truth, the expressions of the assistants who had gone in earlier to subdue the guards were pale and frozen. One was even retching, his comrade rubbing his back.
"Move out!"
Grerion led the way, the students following.
To Simon, the entrance of that white museum looked like the gaping maw of a monstrous beast.
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