Chapter 91

Chapter 91. I Am Coming to Save You (1)

While I controlled the pain that came after dying and returning to life, the group also recovered from their retching and came to their senses.

They looked around with startled eyes.

Trees, undergrowth, and vines. The sealed grounds were a dense forest close to a jungle.

“This is the sealed grounds?”

“It just looks like a dense forest…….”

“But it feels a little hot.”

I heard the exact same words I had heard in the life immediately before this one.

A repetition of conversation that no longer felt strange to me.

While waiting for everyone to come to their senses, I reviewed the plan I had made.

The final goals of my plan were to save Katrine and crush Ride.

Doing both made the schedule tight.

There were parts that seemed unreasonable and parts where time was short, but I had no intention of revising the plan.

After the group members looked around, Professor Niel had them form up.

Meanwhile, just like last time, Professor Niel stuck closely to the princess and gave her various explanations.

Once preparations were roughly complete, Professor Niel ordered me to climb up a tree.

Last time, I had asked what I was supposed to look for, but this time, I simply climbed up the tree without asking back.

The sight from the top of the tree was no different from before.

In the distance, a pillar made of light stretched all the way to the end of the sky.

I came down and spoke just as I had last time.

“I saw the place where the pillar of light rises.”

Then I raised my hand and pointed in a direction.

It was a direction slightly apart from where the pillar of light was rising.

“The headmaster is shooting light from a relic at the gathering point. Since you have confirmed it, let us depart immediately.”

Without checking again, just like last time, we departed immediately.

As before, I stood at the very front. It was not to lead the group, but to block monsters from the front.

However, there was not much difference between blocking monsters at the front and leading the party from the front.

I walked a little faster than before.

From behind, I continued hearing Professor Niel’s voice as she explained things to the princess.

Explanations about the sealed grounds, the air and mana, and demonic energy.

As I listened to the explanation, I shouted toward the rear.

“A monster ahead!”

Just as before, Professor Niel said she found it hard to believe, but this time, I did not try to explain.

Unlike last time, we had not stopped walking, so we would encounter it soon.

Graaaaar!

Even though we had changed direction, the first monsters we encountered were the same as before.

Perhaps this entire area was the territory of those monsters.

Two monsters that resembled black panthers.

Unlike last time, I did not wait.

Thud.

I pushed mana into my feet and ran forward.

Then I swung the greatsword toward the monster.

Slice!

I cut off the monster’s neck and dodged to the side as the monster collapsed.

Meanwhile, just like last time, the other monster was being scorched by the electricity Manuel scattered.

Last time, I had waited to see the other group members’ abilities, but right now, there was no time for that.

I pushed mana fully into the greatsword, then threw it as it was.

Thwack!

The sword embedded itself in the black monster’s back.

Unfortunately, it did not strike a vital point, but it was enough to help Manuel’s ability.

Crackle!

The electricity flowing over the monster’s skin traveled along the sword and began burning the monster’s insides.

Kaaang! Kang!

With a strange scream, the monster collapsed.

Unlike last time, it was as if Manuel had defeated the monster by himself.

“That was needless help!”

Once the monster breathed its last, Manuel looked at me and shook his head.

What a strange personality that guy had.

I could clearly see the corners of his mouth twitching, yet he was saying something pointless.

Last time, he had run out of mana and become nothing but baggage, so I had helped him, but it seemed he thought he had done everything himself.

There was no time, and his little antics were cute, so I decided to let it pass.

I had not been able to observe the group members’ abilities in the first battle, but there were plenty of monsters in the sealed grounds.

Moreover, since our movement speed was faster than before, the frequency with which we encountered monsters became much higher than before.

“Professor Niel!”

“I am holding it back, so hurry!”

“Valea, well done!”

“Princess, step back!”

“I can do it too!”

As the number of battles increased, strangely enough, the coordination among the group members became better than before.

No one rested, and Valea and the princess also took an active part in the battles.

Professor Niel, who had seemed about to say something about my fast pace, also closed her mouth at the group members’ rapid improvement.

While swiftly crossing the sealed grounds, we found one corpse leaning against a tree.

When I pointed to the corpse, everyone approached it in surprise.

“It is a knight, is it not?”

At the princess’s words, everyone nodded.

It was a skeleton wearing armor, and there was also a coat of arms, so there was no way it was not a knight.

“It is an emblem I know…….”

When Manuel tilted his head, I stepped in.

“It is the emblem of House Chaifri. Young Master Ride’s house.”

When a familiar name came up, everyone widened their eyes.

“A knight of House Chaifri?”

Manuel frowned at my words.

“Was he someone who fought during the Great War?”

“House Chaifri did not exist at that time.”

At Valea’s words, Piar shook his head for the first time in a while.

“Even if it is covered in dust and vines, it probably is not that old. At least around fifty years?”

On top of that, I subtly slipped the facts into the group’s conversation.

“Seeing that the dust has been wiped away, it seems another group came here first. The sword seems to be gone as well.”

In any case, the students here were all talented people of the Royal Academy.

With this much said, they could infer who had come here.

“If the sword was taken, then it means someone from the same house took it. Could Young Master Ride have come here first?”

At Valea’s words, the princess’s eyes sparkled.

“If it is Young Master Ride’s group, then it is Aunt’s—no, Professor Katrine’s group.”

The princess was pleased, but Professor Niel looked at me with furrowed brows.

“Do you mean to say our route overlapped with another group’s?”

She glanced at the princess, then gave me another instruction.

“Climb up again and check the destination. There is no way our path would overlap with another group’s.”

In this group, only the princess and I were in the Knight Department.

She could not order the princess, and she could not send a female student or a student from another department to the top of a tree, so in the end, I had no choice but to climb again.

No, to be honest, it was because sending me, an illegitimate son, was easier.

Even Manuel could climb to the top of a tree well enough, and if Valea used her domain, she could do it too.

In any case, at her words, I climbed the tree again.

When I checked the pillar of light, it was slightly off from the path we were taking.

I had run while drawing a large semicircle just in case, but it seemed there had been no need.

I had been slightly worried, but fortunately, we had managed to find the knight’s corpse.

Judging from the traces, we were not far from Katrine’s group, which had come here first.

Up to this point, things had gone according to plan.

After coming down, this time, I told the truth.

Professor Niel glared at me as I pointed the direction, but this time, I had told her correctly, so there was nothing for my conscience to be pricked by.

We began moving again, and not long after, we stopped.

It was because of monsters.

Monster corpses were lying before us.

“Our routes really did overlap. Another group took care of these, correct?”

It was just as Valea said. Since I had deliberately led them this way, of course the routes had to overlap.

“It seems to be Professor Katrine’s group. This is the sword mark Professor Katrine left behind.”

I pointed to the wound left on the corpse.

Everyone knew that Katrine and I were close.

No one said anything against my assertion.

Professor Niel’s expression also brightened.

If our routes had overlapped, that meant we were finding the way properly.

However, I was about to make Professor Niel feel sorry soon.

I left the group behind and examined the surroundings.

I checked the direction in which the grass had fallen and touched the traces on the trees.

At my sudden behavior, everyone in the group looked at me.

“It seems there is a problem.”

“A problem?”

Professor Niel glared at me.

Professor Niel must have felt that something was strange too.

On top of that, since it seemed I had brought another problem, it was understandable that she would glare at me in this situation.

It seemed I had been marked by Professor Niel…….

Still, there was no helping it.

“It is not on our side. Professor Katrine’s group, which departed before us, is strange.”

“Pardon? What does that mean?”

At my words, the princess cried out in surprise.

“Judging from the traces left behind, Professor Katrine’s group changed direction here. They are going in another direction, not toward the pillar of light.”

“What? What is that…….”

“That makes no sense.”

The group was bewildered by my words, but when I showed them the traces, they eventually accepted it.

“I will climb up and check.”

“Would you do that?”

On top of that, even Manuel stepped forward, climbed to the top of a tree, and came back down.

Professor Niel looked pleased at Manuel’s words, but the result did not change.

“What happened?”

“I do not understand.”

“Were they chased by monsters?”

Everyone in the group was startled by the unexpected situation, but the princess was more anxious than startled.

To the princess, Katrine was family as close as the Queen.

Now that she knew Katrine was in danger, there was no way she could avoid worrying.

“Can we not follow them?”

The princess asked Professor Niel, but the professor firmly refused.

“We cannot. We must arrive before nightfall. We have no time to search for another group.”

Indeed, the night in the sealed grounds was frightening. I also agreed completely with Professor Niel’s words.

“A search party will be formed. Leave it to them. I cannot put the other students, no, the princess, in danger.”

At Professor Niel’s firm refusal, the princess looked at the other students.

The students avoided her gaze. Even if another group was in danger, there was no way to help them.

Everyone avoided her eyes like that, but I did not.

Looking into the princess’s earnest eyes, I opened my mouth.

“I will follow them.”

At my words, the princess’s eyes widened.

“I will be the best at chasing Professor Katrine’s group. We have come far, so everyone should be able to reach the gathering point without me now.”

At my words, Professor Niel wore a troubled expression.

As expected, Professor Niel seemed to have some connection to the princess or Katrine after all.

“Th-There is no reason for you to go…….”

Manuel was about to say something, but after seeing the princess, he stopped.

It seemed that in his weighing of his illegitimate younger brother and the princess, the princess had won.

Valea stared intently at me, and Piar, who had learned that Mirisa was in the same group, instead pleaded with me.

Finally, Professor Niel reluctantly gave permission.

It had gone according to plan.

I had worked hard alone so that I could act without becoming stranded.

I changed the route to find the knight’s corpse that Katrine’s group had discovered, and from the knight’s corpse and the wounds on the monster corpses found afterward, I made them realize it was Katrine’s group.

After that, once I revealed that Katrine’s group was going in a different direction, the princess stepped forward just as I had expected.

“I will depart. I will see you later.”

“Please.”

Leaving the princess’s words behind, I began running after the traces of Katrine’s group.