Chapter 112: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat
Chapter 112
The boundary area where lands where humans can live meets lands where they cannot.
Amidst the chaos caused by the cries of the beasts and the roar of magic spells cast to stop them, a small thud echoed.
It was the sound of a beast's headless body collapsing onto the ground.
The rhythmic sound that echoed every time the boy’s sword swung among the horde of beasts stopped only when there were no beasts left with anything attached to their necks.
“Wow, that’s an incredible skill. Well done, rookie!”
“This is embarrassing. The rookie caught twice as many as I did, it seems.”
“Hahaha, exactly. We should all work harder if we want the rookie to treat us like seniors.”
The boy blushed with embarrassment at the compliments from his fellow squad members. Although the squad members burst into laughter at his innocent demeanor, which didn’t match his incredible skills, Martina, the captain of the 4th squad watching from atop the barricade, couldn’t laugh so easily.
“Captain, don’t you think the frequency of these beast attacks has increased lately?”
Like Kanna, the vice-captain standing next to her, she also felt the same.
Martina carefully counted the number of beasts they had just taken down.
Around 200 to 300.
Not a small number, but under normal circumstances, it was an amount you’d think resulted from beasts coincidentally gathering and charging from nearby.
But recently, even the events where beasts of this scale attacked had happened more than ten times from what she had personally witnessed.
The reason for this occurrence was simple.
Martina cast her gaze beyond the barricade, toward the distant north, and muttered.
“Those damn Fury Beasts, I don’t know why they’re acting up so much lately…”
The northern forest, once known as the Forest of Eternity, was the old homeland of the elves.
Now, that place, where only blackened, charred trees stood densely, was where the Fury Beasts, creatures made entirely of flames, resided.
For a long time, the Fury Beasts had been regarded as relatively docile compared to other beasts, ironically considering their name.
They rarely showed themselves outside the forest or engaged in territorial disputes with other beasts, but recently, smoke rising from various parts of the forest had been frequently spotted, indicating their rampage.
Due to this, the lower-class beasts that resided in the northern forest had been pushed toward the city, leading to frequent incidents like this one.
However, nobody knew why the Fury Beasts were suddenly exhibiting such abnormal behavior.
It was an unprecedented situation, even after reviewing the duty logs of the heroes who had guarded the north for so long.
“Damn, I can't just go and check what’s going on myself…”
As Martina muttered in frustration, Yoon Si-woo, who was just coming up onto the barricade, spoke.
“If you’re curious, should I go and check out what’s going on? I won’t get poisoned by the miasma even if I explore deep into the forest.”
She had also heard of it.
That he possessed a peculiar sword that made him almost immune to the miasma.
Of course, the miasma, which densely covered the land beyond, was the primary reason why people could not roam freely out there...
Martina shook her head vigorously and muttered.
“No way. Do you think I’m not going out there just because of the miasma? I can also withstand a few days outside by enveloping myself with magical energy. But there’s a reason I’m not going into the forest. Do you know the difference between lower-class and mid-class beasts?”
“Yes, I understand that lower-class beasts don’t have any special abilities, whereas mid-class beasts are classified as those with peculiar abilities.”
“Exactly. Beasts that mimic abilities once possessed by witches are called mid-class beasts. That’s why mid-class beasts are given specific names. If attacks don’t work well on them, they’re called Sloth Beasts; if they manipulate flames, they’re called Fury Beasts. Then, do you know the difference between mid-class beasts and high-class beasts?”
Yoon Si-woo hesitated before answering Martina's question.
“...I learned that if they’re strong, they’re called high-class beasts. Isn’t that right?”
Martina chuckled and replied to Yoon Si-woo’s answer.
“Yes, those that can use abilities and are strong are called high-class beasts. You probably wondered what kind of classification that was when you learned it at the academy. But surprisingly, it’s a damn accurate classification. When you see a high-class beast, you can instinctively tell, ‘Ah, this one’s high-class.’”
Martina slowly patted Yoon Si-woo’s head as if praising him.
Then, as she gazed intently at the distant northern forest, she murmured in a low voice.
“Our primary task is to defend this place, but you know we don’t only defend, right? As the population in the city increases, more resources and food are needed, so we also venture out to develop the land outside. About 15 years ago, a directive came from the higher-ups. They thought we could cultivate the land near the forest, as the Fury Beasts were relatively docile. So, we all went to clear the outskirts of the forest. What do you think happened that day?”
Yoon Si-woo’s expression hardened at that question.
Because the barricade that marked the currently cultivated land was still quite far from the forest.
Seeing his expression, which seemed to guess the outcome, Martina muttered with a bitter smile.
“It’s a confidential matter, so it’s probably the first time you’re hearing about it. We failed. Miserably, at that. They’re only docile as long as you don’t piss them off. Fury Beasts may seem calm, but they’re still beasts through and through. A bunch of them that obviously looked high-class emerged, and our squad’s former captain and vice-captain, along with seven other members, died in the line of duty. Kanna over here cried, sniveling with tears and snot, and even pissed her pants.”
“...Captain, do you want to die? Why are you bringing that up in front of the rookie!”
“It’s the truth, after all. Anyway, even though I’ve gotten much stronger than the previous captain, they’re not ones you want to provoke unnecessarily. Especially that one damn bird-beast that killed our squad members—even I would have trouble with it. So, as a rule, consider that area off-limits unless absolutely necessary. Understand?”
Nodding slowly to Martina’s words, Yoon Si-woo was momentarily lost in thought, trying to recall something that was bothering him.
15 years ago, 15 years ago...
Muttering this to himself, Yoon Si-woo suddenly took a small breath.
Then, after hesitating, he asked Martina.
“...Um, exactly when did that happen?”
“It was around this time. June 23rd. Why do you ask?”
Hearing it was June 23rd, Yoon Si-woo paused briefly and then muttered in a small voice.
“...I see.”
“Why are you asking all of a sudden? Is there something wrong?”
Martina asked, tilting her head in curiosity at Yoon Si-woo’s sudden mumbling.
Yoon Si-woo hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and replying.
“It’s nothing. I was just wondering if I could look up the records from that time.”
“Although it won’t be detailed, there might be some records left in the logs at the archives.”
“Is that so? Thank you for telling me.”
“No need to thank me. You were called out because of a support request, right? You’ve worked hard, so go get some rest. Tomorrow, we’re supposed to go out together for your leave.”
As she mentioned, tomorrow was the day he would accompany her as she went to the academy as a special lecturer.
Yoon Si-woo smiled slowly and nodded.
---
The sound of pages rustling echoed through the archives.
The pages, which had been turning rapidly, stopped at a certain section.
The record from June 23rd, 15 years ago.
The document had an outline of the operation, and at the bottom, it noted the failure of the mission. Listed were the names of the members who had died that day.
Among them were two names that he dearly missed.
Looking at that page, Yoon Si-woo murmured in a small voice.
“...So this is how they died. I finally know.”
June 23rd was the anniversary of his parents’ death.
Until now, he only knew that they had died in battle with beasts.
He never knew where or against which beasts they had died.
But now, he knew.
Yoon Si-woo gazed beyond the window, toward the north.
Out there, somewhere, was the beast that killed his parents.
As that thought crossed his mind, a two-syllable word naturally popped into his head.
Along with it, his parents’ faces surfaced in his mind, and with a bitter smile, Yoon Si-woo muttered.
“...If you were alive, you’d probably tell me not even to think about it.”
But now that he knew, it was inevitable that he harbored at least a small bit of that thought.
Of course, he had no intention of focusing solely on that.
Neither would his parents have wished for it, and he himself had too many responsibilities.
“...Don’t worry. I won’t do anything reckless.”
As he softly murmured, he gently traced his parents’ names with his fingers before closing the logbook.
Beyond the window, he could see smoke rising from the distant forest.
Without realizing it, he clenched his fist and muttered quietly.
“...Still, if I get the chance, I definitely will.”
Thanks for the chapter
ReplyDeleteI'm curious how her humunculus body is
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting if it lines up with 15 years ago too
How old
DeleteRevenge
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chapter
ReplyDelete