Chapter 92

Chapter 92. I Am Coming to Save You (2)

Whoosh.

When I landed on a tree branch, the branch sank deeply downward.

However, perhaps because of the demonic energy, the trees in the sealed grounds were far sturdier than the trees outside.

The branch bounced back upward, and I used that rebound to leap toward another tree.

A forest close to a jungle ultimately meant that the gaps between the trees were narrow.

Until now, I had only moved along the ground to travel with the other group members, who did not possess physical abilities, but if I was moving alone, there was no need to run on the ground.

Below me, I could see monsters passing by.

In the past, I would have gone around them from far away, but there was no time for that now.

In truth, moving over the trees did not mean I would not encounter monsters at all.

There were monsters in the trees as well. Spider monsters the size of forearms lunged at me, and there were insect monsters that mimicked tree branches.

The monsters on the ground rushed in using bodies larger than humans, but the monsters in the trees hid themselves and launched sudden ambushes.

If I had not possessed the ability to sense mana, it would have been impossible to move over the trees like this.

Because I detected the ambushes with mana in advance, I could cut down the spider monsters dropping from above with my dagger and avoid the monsters mimicking tree branches.

Aside from them, various monsters rushed at me, but I avoided those I needed to avoid, dealt with those I needed to deal with, and advanced quickly.

Fortunately, the sun had not yet set.

After moving over the trees for about an hour like that, I sensed human mana far ahead.

Then I heard Katrine’s voice.

“We only need to go a little farther. Everyone, keep going!”

In the distance, between the trees, I could see Katrine and the students.

I blankly watched Katrine fight.

She was not the pale Katrine whose blood had drained away in massive amounts. Our Knight Department professor was moving, alive and well.

Seeing Katrine alive made it feel as though the pain of death left deep in my chest had been washed away cleanly.

Aside from Katrine, other faces also entered my eyes.

I could see Mirisa, Piar’s cousin, and Bria, who had survived to the end.

The Knight Department student and the Inherited Ability Department student who had supposedly died were also fighting.

And behind them was Ride.

It seemed the battle would end easily even without my help.

I forcibly stopped my body from running out.

Unfortunately, reason defeated instinct. I glared at the hand gripping the tree.

‘Damn it, should I forget the plan and just join them?’

Up to now, things had gone according to plan, but there was no guarantee they would continue to go according to plan.

If I slipped even slightly, I might fail to save Katrine.

However, when I saw Ride dealing with the monsters together with the group, I could not move carelessly.

Many reasons had been added over time, but fundamentally, the driving force that allowed me to repeat death and overcome that pain was revenge against those who killed me.

I had sent off my aunt that way, and in the end, I had killed the mercenaries during the marquess incident too.

That had also been the reason I returned and killed the baron, and when I died this time as well, I had sworn that I would definitely kill Ride.

I absolutely wanted to save Katrine, but I could not leave Ride alone.

‘Damn it!’

I punched the tree, then launched myself again.

Not toward Katrine and the students, but forward while avoiding them.

I did not know the exact location, but I was certain the direction would not change.

I moved ahead faster than Katrine’s group, then climbed to the top of a tree and checked the mana in front of me.

A place where mana and demonic energy gathered. I found the place where monsters were gathered.

Fortunately, I was able to find it easily.

Ahead, there was a place where mana and demonic energy had gathered and were rotating.

It was not merely a place with many monsters, but a place where they had remained for a long time, causing mana and demonic energy to accumulate.

“Is that the monsters’ nest?”

I launched myself toward the place where the mana had gathered.

I reached the monsters’ nest quickly.

I hid my mana and quietly approached from above the trees, then examined the monsters’ nest.

The nest was swarming with six-legged lizard monsters with red tail feathers.

“So the thing Ride is looking for is somewhere there.”

I infused mana into my eyes and searched carefully, but unfortunately, I could not find such an object.

“Did I come early for nothing?”

I had thought that if I could find it first, I might be able to make Katrine’s group turn back midway, but as expected, nothing was easy.

“It looks difficult to deal with them alone……. Do I have to follow the plan after all?”

There were too many monsters. Just looking at their numbers, I could understand why Katrine had been defeated.

In the end, I gave up on finding another method and waited for Katrine’s group to arrive.

Time passed, and around the time the sunset began to settle.

Katrine and the students appeared at the monsters’ nest.

Even from afar, I could see Katrine’s face dyed by the sunset.

Seeing the monsters’ nest, Katrine’s face twisted, and the students lost their souls.

“This makes no sense!”

“What is this?”

Fortunately, however, Katrine quickly came to her senses.

“Everyone, fall back! Form up!”

Thanks to Katrine’s shout, the students came to their senses, but the monsters also saw them.

Kueeeek!

The largest monster sitting at the center let out a roar.

All the monsters looked toward Katrine.

The next moment, the monsters charged at Katrine and the students all at once.

Flinch.

Seeing the monsters move, I nearly rushed out without realizing it.

However, I forced myself to endure. If I moved now, even I would only be swept away by the wave of monsters.

There was no way Katrine would be defeated like this.

In my previous life, I had heard that the students and Katrine had fled for quite some time. This time as well, they should be able to hold out enough.

Just before the monsters rushed in, I saw Katrine step forward.

“I will protect the rear, so all of you run!”

At Katrine’s shout, the students ran behind her.

‘They run well enough at a time like this.’

I had heard they had forced themselves to move, but seeing it with my own eyes, they were running just fine.

Katrine cut down the rushing monsters and knocked them away with her shield as she retreated behind the students.

“Faster!”

“Block the ones coming from the side!”

Katrine’s voice gradually grew distant.

The monsters also left the nest as they followed Katrine and the students.

And then.

In the undergrowth where Katrine, the students, and the monsters had disappeared, I saw a human figure.

Ride was lying flat in the undergrowth.

Still lying flat, he stretched out his hand and made the passing monsters fail to notice his presence.

Seeing that, I could not help but laugh softly.

“That is the perfect ability for stealing.”

Eventually, once all the monsters followed the humans, only the large monster remained in the nest.

“What kind of confidence is that? Staying alone.”

I did not know whether it remained behind because it was the leader, but it was difficult to understand.

Look at that. Thanks to it being left alone, the thief had begun slowly moving.

Ride checked the ring as he approached the inside of the nest little by little.

When he moved, I also gradually approached the nest.

Once Ride drew somewhat closer, the red tail feathers of the lizard monster stood upright like antennae.

The monster’s head moved toward Ride.

Ride’s hand spread open again.

The monster shook its head.

Sweat dripped from Ride’s face.

A moment later, the monster sat down again. Its tail feathers sank back toward the ground.

‘That is impressive. To think it even works on a monster of that level. But I do not know how it works. Does he only hide his own presence, or does he make the surroundings appear wrong?’

Just in case, I decided to wait some distance away.

Ride slowly moved beside the monster.

Ride approached so close that if he moved even slightly wrong, he would touch the monster.

After checking the ring one last time, he carefully examined the ground.

‘Damn it, how long is he going to search?’

He was moving too slowly. I did not know whether Katrine would be all right.

I cursed Ride, who was moving slowly, and myself, who was blankly watching him, wildly in my head.

The moment I could not endure it any longer and was about to move, Ride took out a pouch from the ground.

Seeing the pouch, Ride smiled brightly.

And I also smiled brightly as I charged toward Ride.

Then, I body-slammed him as I was.

Thud!

“Agh!”

Ride screamed and rolled across the ground.

Grrrrrrr.

Perhaps Ride’s ability had disappeared, because the monster shook its head.

“Wh-What is this?”

Ride looked at me with a bewildered expression.

“What else? A Hero of Justice who came to bring down heavenly punishment.”

My life had nothing to do with justice, but justice was relative. Against that villain, I could call myself a Hero of Justice well enough.

“That illegitimate son? Why are you here……. No, the pouch, that is my pouch!”

He had been confused upon seeing me, but when he saw the pouch in my hand, he screamed.

Mm, perhaps calling myself a Hero of Justice was a bit much.

“Then let us leave out the Hero of Justice part. Since I do not have time, I will only bring down heavenly punishment.”

Like Ride before I died, I wanted to explain exactly how things had happened, but right now, I had to finish this as quickly as possible and follow Katrine.

“Damn it!”

Ride spread his hand toward me. At that moment, his figure disappeared.

Even so, I had already seen where he was, and even now, I could see where he was through mana.

I snorted and threw my dagger forward.

Thwack!

“Guaaaagh!”

Blood surged from empty air, and Ride became visible again.

The dagger was deeply embedded in Ride’s side.

Ride kept screaming from the pain.

To think he could not even endure a wound of that level. Did he not feel sorry toward Katrine, who had suffered a wound in the same place?

I walked toward Ride, grabbed the dagger sideways, and pulled it out.

Splurt.

As the dagger was pulled free, the wound opened even wider.

Ride trembled with his mouth wide open.

His startled eyes were looking behind me.

“Oops.”

I hurriedly stepped back.

Crunch!

The monster resembling a lizard opened its mouth and lunged at Ride.

“No!”

Along with his final scream, Ride’s voice was no longer heard.

“It was too short a punishment, but I have no time right now, so let us end it here.”

I drew the greatsword from my back and pushed mana into it.

Then I swung it at the monster that was diligently eating Ride in front of me.

Slice!

Blood surged from the monster’s shoulder.

As expected, it was no ordinary monster.

I had intended to cut its arm off entirely, but I ended up stopping at only carving into the shoulder.

However, this much was enough.

In any case, I had no intention of killing it.

Graaaaar!

The monster let out a painful roar.

Graa! Graa!

I heard the roars of other monsters from far away.

Now then, come back quickly. Your nest and leader are in danger!

Once I heard the monsters returning, everything I had to do here was finished.

I waved at the monster as it spat out what had once been Ride, then turned and began running.