Chapter : 195

Such strict vigilance from so many Heretic Inquisitors.

Watching that bizarre scene, Beatrice put a little strength into the hand holding her staff.

To be in a position where she just waits outside without even being able to enter, it is truly frustrating.

Swallowing a bitter laugh, Beatrice recalled Evan Lisitoel, who had left saying he had something to prepare.

The one who filled the spot Evan left was, naturally, Artemia.

“What about Lucian?”

“Not yet. He will open his eyes soon, but it depends on him.”

All treatments that could be done externally have been completed. The curse has been dispelled and the treatment is perfect.

The reason Lucian cannot open his eyes right now likely depends on personal issues rather than external environment.

It was that kind of curse. Probably a curse made with Artemia and Beatrice in mind. It was a method typical of Iris.

Unless Lucian opens his eyes, it was natural to stay by his side as a professor, but in this urgent situation where they need even a cat’s paw, it was also not acceptable for a healer of Artemia’s level to stay by the side of someone who could no longer be treated.

That is why the Academy urgently requested.

“His Majesty will stay by his side, so it should be fine.”

To protect Lucian by the side of His Majesty the Emperor, which would be the safest place at this moment.

“Though I wonder if this is right.”

At Beatrice’s murmur, Artemia nodded as if she agreed.

Since the Emperor is also an excellent graduate of the Academy who learned magic under Evan, he will surely protect Lucian even if something happens.

It just weighed on her mind that the guardian happened to be His Majesty the Emperor, whom she must protect as a subject instead.

“As expected, you going back is better.”

“Beatrice, you know how the situation is turning out.”

“I know, I know too!”

There is no place as safe for Lucian as the Emperor’s side.

The Emperor can provide immediate treatment, and the Imperial Palace will be guarded more strictly by knights than ever.

Still, she couldn’t help but be concerned.

“I feel incompetent.”

Even though she hadn’t felt this way since competing with Evan at the Academy.

“Tell me about it.”

To be in a position where they have no choice but to wait for a few students who went inside to come up with a breakthrough method somehow. Those called professors of the Academy are truly incompetent.

Artemia swallowed a bitter smile.

“If we had killed Iris from the beginning, would something have changed?”

Although she had a slightly eccentric side from the beginning, in fact, Iris was an excellent student even at the Academy. She was excellent to the point it was unbelievable she was from the back alleys.

She absorbed and accepted all the teachings of the Academy like a sponge.

On a day when rain fell as if to cover any blood.

On the day rain fell from afternoon until dawn, Iris’s back alley house collapsed.

Luckily, Iris avoided the tragedy, but Iris’s father, Gerhard Viden, who was inside, ended up dying.

Since that day, Iris changed.

Amidst the faint but clear change, Beatrice and Artemia could only silently wait for their friend to overcome the sadness of losing her father.

However, that was not how they should have waited.

“Hey, Bea.”

“What.”

“I’m only thinking about it now, but actually, about Iris’s father.”

“I think I know what you are thinking.”

Actually, Gerhard Viden’s death might not have been an unfortunate accident, but a homicide.

Perhaps the culprit is….

“We should hope that at least that isn’t the case.”

Artemia bit her lips slightly and looked at the dungeon entrance.

How long will this long stalemate last?

At that moment, Beatrice felt a strange vibration from the ground.

“This….”

The dungeon door starts to shake.

Bang bang bang!!

Vibrations rang out several times, and Beatrice, confirming a clear abnormality, stopped.

“1st defense line, fall back more than 30m!”

“Don’t tell me!”

“Haha! These crazy bastards!!”

Beatrice burst into laughter.

To think they thought of smashing the dungeon core!

Despite Beatrice’s instruction, the Heretic Inquisitors did not easily listen to her order.

Because the one who held the command of the Heretic Inquisitors was not Beatrice but Sword of Doctrine Freya.

Freya, who confirmed the abnormality of the dungeon with her own eyes, shouted while reaching out her hand.

“Follow the instructions and fall back! Disobedience to orders is not permitted!!”

It seemed the stalemate would end much faster than expected.

* * *

Gerhard Viden.

Iris’s father. Although the Gerhard Mordin remembered was the worst human being, Iris often told Mordin stories of when her father was ‘normal’.

Gerhard Viden, who loved her mother more than anyone, was actually the third son of a quite famous merchant group leader.

He was such a devoted lover that when his father did not allow his marriage to the woman he loved, he even abandoned his surname and took his wife’s surname.

Gerhard’s tragedy began with his wife’s death.

Her predicted death due to her weak body.

Even though he was prepared, Gerhard collapsed quickly, and he touched alcohol and gambling to forget the sadness of losing his wife.

His mind broke down rapidly. He spent all the money he had saved so far and even used the house as collateral.

When even the house held as collateral was taken, he completely let go of everything.

He flowed into the back alleys and eventually touched things he shouldn’t have, and abused his daughter.

If he hadn’t known kindness from the beginning, he would have just abandoned her.

Iris, full of lingering affection, believed her father would return and couldn’t abandon him.

Unable to abandon him, suffering inwardly until the end, the father was eventually murdered by his daughter who lost her mind.

It was just that, a very common tragedy that could exist anywhere in this vast Empire.

If there was a difference between the protagonists of those countless tragedies and Iris, it was that she had a blessed talent.

“Stupid Mordegar. It seems you didn’t know.”

Mordin couldn’t continue saying anything and only gaped.

After coming out of the back alleys with Iris, Mordin never visited the back alleys even once.

It wasn’t because he was particularly heartless and cold that he didn’t visit.

It was true that he was busy with Golden’s work, but it was because he thought it was merely a past that could no longer hold any meaning.

That is why he didn’t know about the death of her father, Gerhard Viden.

He might have heard of his death in passing someday, but he didn’t care.

Because he considered it not worth caring about.

The owner of the bright red blood that dyed Iris that night was Gerhard Viden.

“You asked to go back, right? There was no way for me to go back from long ago.”

“Ah, aah.”

The woman sneers at the despair-filled lament.

Iris could not turn back from the beginning.

He didn’t know that, he failed to realize.

Iris had already walked down an irreversible one-way path for too long.

Iris lightly swept Mordin’s cheek.

It was a touch that caressed him as if pitiful, but her eyes were empty.

“There is nothing you can save, Mordin.”

Iris whispered poisonous words sweetly.

It intoxicates the mind and scorches the earth.

Is this the end? Iris looked down at Mordin who had completely lost his soul.

Not Mordegar, but Mordin.

A person Iris once held dear. But, a man who no longer holds any value to her now.

“Since you broke the promise first, we won’t be going to hell together.”

With those words as the last, Iris passed by Mordin.

Although she headed toward Lerwon, Mordin couldn’t even think of holding her back.

Even at the sight of Mordin falling into deep despair, no emotional change was felt from Iris.

Right, Mordin is no longer important. Because the most valuable thing in the world to her is Lerwon Viden, who inherited her name.

“My precious son. Let’s go back home, together.”

The moment she reached out toward Lerwon, the ground vibrated.

Even Iris, who could now be called a snake, looked at the starting point of the vibration she couldn’t ignore.

“Don’t tell me?”

The fierce vibration grew uncontrollably larger.

And at the moment Iris let her guard down, a fist with fierce speed flew straight toward Iris’s face.

Hair resembling pink flowers fluttered lightly before Iris’s eyes.

“If you thought I would get hit, that is a miscalculation.”

Iris leisurely took a step back and dodged the attack.

“That was the goal!”

This time it was a kick attack.

While Iris stepped back once again to dodge the attack, Laurel did not miss that gap and took Lerwon, Theo, and even some old man wearing a school uniform.

And Lilia, who arrived with Laurel, also took Pel and Hartain who had already fainted.

Iris didn’t even snort at what happened in the blink of an eye.

They were just taken for a moment; she just has to take them back.

To think they could deal with her while carrying such ‘burdens’, there is a limit even to arrogance.

It was the moment Iris reached out her hand.

Bang!!!!!!!!!!

A sound as if the world was truly turning upside down filled the dungeon distantly, and a massive wave raged.

“So you destroyed the core?”

Iris muttered as if she couldn’t believe it.

Even utilizing all of ‘his’ unique knowledge and using a part of Ouroboros’s power, she couldn’t move the location of the core.

「The core shall be located in the deepest part」

That was the rule of the world set by the great God.

That is why Iris densely plastered dozens of traps on the way to the deepest part where the core was located, but they broke through that?

How on earth did they do it? She thought there would be no one capable of such a thing among the students currently enrolled in the Academy except for the Hero.

“Hahaha!”

Even while the dungeon was being destroyed by the destruction of the core, Iris burst into laughter.

Seeing that appearance, Laurel and Lilia were astonished.

Is that appearance even possible for someone who was caught off guard?

“I should get rid of the trickiest one first.”

It is correct to remove the trickiest variable first.

Iris lightly reached out toward Lilia even in the situation where the dungeon was being destroyed and everything inside was being swept away.

This crazy b*tch! Attacking in this situation? Lilia was appalled and dodged Iris’s invisible attack.

However, that alone was not enough.

“Urk!!!”

Lilia, unable to understand herself suddenly vomiting blood, forcibly held onto her collapsing body and looked at Iris.

Iris smiled wickedly and looked straight at Lilia vomiting blood.

Ah, it’s a shockwave. Dodging the attack wasn’t everything.

“Next, I will blow away your legs. It won’t hurt.”

It was a sweet whisper and content that didn’t match it.

How on earth are they supposed to deal with this monster? The moment Lilia couldn’t even dare to dodge the incoming attack and squeezed her eyes shut, the vibration of the dungeon stopped for an instant.

What is it?

A roar that couldn’t even be compared to before rang out again.

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