Chapter 219: Red Forget-me-not (3)

It was a snake.

Splatter!

The snake was cleanly cut in half by the sword I threw.

But surprisingly, the head side was still alive and continued to pounce on Oliver as it was.

‘Damn it!’

I hurriedly kicked the ground.

At the same time, in the slowing time, my head spun quickly in conflict.

Should I use [Dark Sprint] or not?

Distance-wise, if I use [Dark Sprint], I might be able to strike it away before the snake’s head reaches Oliver.

But, in exchange, my identity will be exposed.

Rachel noticing is a given, and Gorian, who surely has sharp eyes, could also figure it out.

And.

Even that someone hiding somewhere who launched that snake at Oliver.

Is Oliver such an important figure that I should risk exposing my identity? If asked, that’s not the case.

But making such profit and loss calculations in a desperate moment where a human life might be in danger wasn’t my style.

So I was about to use [Dark Sprint], but Reina suddenly stepped forward.

And.

A surprising thing happened.

“Haat!”

Paaaa……

The snake’s head was blocked by a dark red hexagram.

Immediately after, a flame that suddenly appeared swallowed everything up in a flash, from the snake’s head to the remaining part, like a demon’s mouth.

‘……Eh?’

Facing a completely unexpected situation, I stood there with a dumbfounded expression.

‘What is that?’

Even in a perplexing situation, my brain continued to analyze rapidly.

If my eyes weren’t wrong, that flame that just burned the snake was [Ignition].

And that opaque hexagram that still hasn’t disappeared is clearly one of the 1st Circle defensive magic spells, [Mana Shield].

Looking at the shape of that hexagram, it was certain.

But.

‘Why is power like that?’

The [Ignition] I know didn’t have that kind of power.

Also.

‘Why is the hexagram color like that?’

To briefly describe the effect of [Mana Shield], it was like this.

‘Summons a blue hexagram in front of the caster that blocks light physical force once.’

Light physical force.

And once.

It can be said to be exactly the average level effect of a 1st Circle magic.

However, that hexagram shield summoned in front of Reina wasn’t blue, and even though it had already blocked physical force once, it wasn’t disappearing.

The dark red hexagram was still radiating its presence in all directions.

I realized belatedly.

Ah. That must be the special power Reina has, which Gaius’s Insight mentioned.

But, what is this strange sense of incongruity felt from deep within my heart?

It’s definitely magic, but it feels like magic not of this world…….

‘Uh? Wait a minute.’

Come to think of it, the energy I feel is somewhat familiar.

And.

‘……Ah.’

I remembered.

Where I felt an energy similar to that.

Demon of Lust, Lilith.

That was definitely her power.

‘But Lilith should have definitely been annihilated by Uriel’s power?’

I’m the one who confirmed her annihilation right before my nose.

“Kyaaa! I-I blocked it! Oops. Not this. Are you okay, Mr. Oliver? Let me see!”

“Uh, yeah. I’m okay.”

“Phew. That’s a relief! Anyway, you saw it, right? My power! From now on, don’t worry and stay behind me! Okay?”

……Seeing that still wildly energetic personality, it definitely doesn’t seem like she’s possessed by Lilith again.

Anyway.

I decided to put off the question about that for now and stared at the point where the snake flew from.

What’s important right now is the existence of the enemy that suddenly appeared.

An attack using a snake.

If my prediction is correct, there was only that guy in the ‘Heroes of Frey’ worldview who used such a unique attack.

‘Viper Agot.’

Among the five sects of the Beltus Cult, he was a Bishop of the Curse Council.

And.

“Keul. Using strange powers, girl.”

The old voice ringing through the clearing added certainty to my guess.

Rustle-

Before long, someone walked out from the darkness of the forest.

All eyes in the venue turned there.

He was an old man with his waist bent like a right angle and pus dripping from his eyes.

He was supporting his frail body with a dried and twisted rotten old wood staff, and his turbid gray eyes were scanning the clearing continuously like a snake.

Then Agot’s eyes reached Reina.

Reina, meeting his gaze, grabbed her arms as if creeped out and shivered.

“Ugh. Dirty.”

At those words, Agot’s face crumpled like a piece of paper.

“What? A girl with absolutely no respect for the elderly.”

“Ah. I’m sorry. I was so surprised that I unknowingly spoke my inner thoughts…….”

Reina apologizes while covering her mouth.

“Heeng. I can’t lie. I’m really sorry. But it’s true. That it’s dirty.”

“…….”

Mm. Can’t watch.

It was a moment where Agot’s appearance, which had pressured the crowd to appear with overflowing force, instantly became ridiculous.

Other people also had absurd expressions at her eccentric personality of saying everything she wanted to say even while not knowing what to do.

“……Unbelievable.”

Killing intent gradually dwelled on Agot’s face.

Then Gorian shouted.

“What is going on? This is different from the initial promise!”

As expected, it seemed there was some deal between the two.

At those words, Agot tilted his head.

“Promise? What promise?”

“Are you pretending not to know, or do you really not know? Didn’t you say you would block the Academy brats from interfering while we catch Oliver?”

“Ah. That?”

Agot smiled fishily.

“It wasn’t a promise made with me, so isn’t it that I don’t really have any business to fulfill?”

“……What?”

“I only received the directive to kill Oliver Hyde. Meaning, I didn’t receive words to help you or take care of the Academy brats separately.”

Gorian ground his teeth.

“……Naimus, these trash-like bastards.”

Gorian realized only then that they were used.

However, there were no options left for him.

Since the plan was executed, the water had already spilled.

If they failed to kill Oliver and us here and gave up the request, it would be them dying anyway.

Since they touched the Academy, especially Karina Zain, they should be considered as good as dead.

He sighed deeply and raised his sword again.

“Phew. Can’t be helped. Then I’ll hand over the target to you. Must. Please make sure to eliminate him. Haat!”

Gorian pounced on Rachel together with Gallard.

“Keul keul keul. Worrying is your fate.”

Agot turned his gaze to Reina again.

“So, what on earth is that magic?”

Reina answered boldly.

“Mana Shield!”

Agot’s face hardened coldly.

“You keep mocking me, child. Do you think blocking my child with a mere Mana Shield is possible?”

“It’s true though…… And it gets blocked, so what can I do?”

“A girl who can’t be reasoned with words. Fine. Then try blocking this again somewhere.”

Agot shook the wooden staff he was holding.

Then, a snake of a much larger size than a moment ago was summoned and flew at her.

Different from just before, a real living viper.

Due to the characteristic of Mana Shield blocking only the front, not all directions, it couldn’t block a living, moving viper.

As expected, the viper, having jumped over the Mana Shield blocking the front with swift movements, thrust its fangs toward Reina and Oliver just like that.

Hiss!

I, having retrieved the sword I threw around then, blocked Reina’s front.

At the same time, I raised the sword.

Rotating the sword half a turn centering on the head, immediately stepping one foot forward with the right foot, simultaneously putting all weight center forward-

Downward strike.

Splatter!

Lion Sword, simple but competing for top rank in destructive power, split the giant snake in half from head to body.

Immediately after.

Pang──!

It explodes left and right with a shockwave.

With a bursting sound, the viper’s innards and blood exploded to both sides.

Those things soon burned the trees and bushes and even punched holes in the ground with a horrifying sizzling sound.

It was enough to make one click their tongue involuntarily at the poison’s power.

“……The whole body is a lump of poison.”

Oliver muttered from behind.

Just in case, I lifted the sword to check.

As expected, the sword was corroding like melting candle wax.

“……Damn it. It’s a new one I bought not long ago.”

Inevitably discarding it, I took out another sword from the subspace.

“Oho. Right. Are you that kid who killed the Bishops?”

Agot asked, looking at me who suddenly intruded then.

“So what?”

“I wanted to see it once. I was curious. Just how great a talent you possess that you killed the Bishops.”

“What. You’re going to die just like them, so what are you curious about?”

Agot’s expression, which was sparkling with curiosity, crumpled sharply.

“……Young things these days have no manners.”

No.

Am I right though?

It’s clear I’m going to win, so what is he curious about?

From my perspective, it’s a consideration.

Viper Agot.

The setting book says that his strength as the Pontiff of the Curse Council belongs to the upper ranks among Bishops.

Yes.

The Agot I know was all through the setting book.

I have never faced him directly.

Because in the original work, the one who kills Viper Agot is not the player character Ivan, but Zairo Zain.

So I didn’t know in detail what techniques he uses and what to be careful of.

But it doesn’t matter.

‘At most, he’d be weaker than Bishop Lutus or Bishop Cristiano.’

Judging by the alias Viper and the attacks just now, he seems to use snakes and poison as his main ability, but I judged he would be weaker than even Bishop Laitna who summoned the Skeleton King.

‘Then it’s my win.’

Still, I can’t let my guard down.

Because the variable possibility and the last strike are exactly the fear poison possesses.

So I called Reina carefully while being wary of him.

“Michelle.”

“…….”

“Hey, Michelle!”

Reina, who was blankly looking at the rock melting bubbling away by the viper’s blood, came to her senses at my call belatedly.

“Eh? Ah, yes!”

“That Mana Shield. Can you keep using it?”

“O-Of course!”

I shook my head.

“Not just Mana Shield. I mean the same dark red Mana Shield you used just now.”

“Of course! I can use it!”

Reina answered confidently.

From that appearance of hers, I could deduce one fact.

‘Ho. It’s not the first time? She already has experience using it several times.’

Since when?

Perhaps right before departing from Icata?

Since her master Luis said he didn’t know, the probability was high.

“Effect? Do you know?”

“From what I see, I think it’s an enhancement!”

I think it’s an enhancement huh.

It was a vague answer, but thinking of the case of Mana Shield, I felt like I knew.

‘If it enhances a 1st Circle Mana Shield to that extent, it’s clearly a considerable power.’

It was a power that could become sufficiently broken depending on how it’s utilized.

“Good. Then can I ask for support?”

I signaled with my eyes looking toward Rachel, who was fighting fiercely with Gorian and Gallard even at this moment.

Whether she understood my signal, Reina’s eyes shone brightly.

“I was intending to do so anyway! Just leave it to me!”

“Keep in mind. Still, protecting Mr. Oliver is your top priority.”

“Yessir!”

With this, Rachel receiving Reina’s support became able to fight more easily.

Since I’ll block Bishop Agot, there is no danger targeting Oliver, and even if there is, there is Reina’s Mana Shield, so we can buy one turn.

‘Preparation is done.’

I looked at Agot again.

He was still standing blankly.

“Is the strategy meeting over?”

“What. You waited for us?”

“Keul keul. No need for thanks. Think of it as consideration from an elder.”

I smirked.

Consideration from an elder my ass.

Like his alias Viper, he jabs well with that snake-like snout.

That’s because continuous tremors are being felt on my mana threads spread out like a spider web.

Because of the numerous vipers crawling toward me hiding under the bushes.

Must have sprinkled them secretly.

Anyway, from backstabbing the Silver Lion Mercenaries to ambush and even now.

I roughly grasp how this old geezer fights.

‘Fights filthily and cowardly.’

It was just like that bastard Dayle.

***

“Achoo!”

Dayle sniffled.

“Why am I like this? Did I catch a cold?”

“A cold in midsummer. Not that, but someone must be cursing you.”

“Eh? Who?”

“Wouldn’t it be Master.”

At Luis’s words, Dayle smirked.

“What are you talking about? How much Boss cherishes and likes me these days.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Aha, I know! Luis you cute bastard. Checking me for no reason, afraid I’ll take the Boss’s right-hand seat? Khuhu.”

“…….”

At Dayle’s appearance poking him with an elbow while laughing as if he knew everything, Luis just shook his head side to side.

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