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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Hmm?”
In contrast to the stability of riding the Cheonggeuk Chariot, I had become somewhat accustomed to this carriage that jolted constantly, and had fallen asleep at some point.
Smacking my lips to moisten my dry mouth, I simultaneously pushed away the two heads resting heavily on both my shoulders.
Tana and Elise, who were also asleep, banged their heads against the opposite window with a thud, but didn’t wake up.
I slightly opened the small window in front to communicate with the coachman and breathed in the outside air.
Bertia, who was acting as the coachman, smiled at me.
“You woke up just in time.”
“Ugh, if you’re tired, just say so. I’ll switch with you.”
“It’s fine. We’re almost there, so I’ll finish up.”
I didn’t realize the difference between the Cheonggeuk Chariot and a regular carriage would be this extreme.
The chariot had taken just over half a day to reach the royal palace, but now it had taken a full ten days.
And that was only possible because we were with royalty who had no lack of resources, allowing us to luxuriously change horses at intermediate cities along the way.
Who would have thought I’d miss Prince Oliver’s influence in providing the chariot?
“I can see the academy there.”
“It doesn’t look particularly welcoming.”
By now, it wasn’t welcoming or exciting anymore.
Usually, students only left the academy once or twice for vacations or field trips after enrolling, but how many times had I been out like this?
Still, since there had been quite a few incidents and I had been away for about a month, I wanted to see the faces of the other students at least once.
“Hey, wake up.”
“Mmm?”
“Yawn, have we arrived?”
As I woke up Tana and Elise, we arrived at the academy right on time.
Since I still had a splint on my right hand, Bertia helped unload my luggage.
“I’ll take your luggage to the dormitory, so you should go to the dean first. Sir Daniel, you might have already been expelled if you’re not careful.”
“…Thanks.”
“Let’s go.”
I was already short on attendance days, and now I had missed a month, so I might have been expelled without even knowing it, but it wasn’t a problem.
Since Elise had decided not to hide her identity anymore, we could push a bit using the royal decree.
Honestly, catching a royal assassin should merit an honorary medal rather than just canceling an expulsion.
“But it seems like there aren’t many people around?”
At Tana’s words, I glanced around and indeed, there seemed to be far fewer people.
No, there were none at all.
As we walked through the empty space, it felt like we might have been under some kind of spell, but fortunately, we spotted some guards.
The guards at the entrance of the academy building approached us with surprise and fuss.
“Judging by the uniform, you’re a third-year. Why have you returned?”
“Ah, looking at your arm, you got injured during practice, eh?”
“Excuse me? What do you mean?”
I thought they were suddenly talking nonsense, but the guards seemed to think the same, as they took off their hats to cool down and asked again.
“Aren’t you returning from field training?”
“Field training?”
I responded with an expression of complete incomprehension, but judging by Tana and Elise’s reactions, it seemed I was the only one who couldn’t follow the conversation.
“Ah! You went to prepare for the competition!”
“The timing is a bit earlier than last year, isn’t it?”
I remembered Hayun explaining about the competition.
A regular event held for friendship, exchange, and competition with Pales Academy.
For reference, I had heard that Aios had a magnificent 13-year losing streak, having only recorded defeats so far.
“This year, the dean pushed for it to be held a bit earlier, saying we could definitely win.”
“But if you’re not here because of an injury… Wait, could you be Daniel McLean?”
“Yes, I’m Daniel.”
The guard who suddenly called out my name clapped his hands and opened the academy gates with a bright smile.
“The dean left a message to open the dean’s office door if you arrived. He asked for you to contact him through the communication orb.”
“Hey! Our academy’s ace has finally arrived!”
“…Ace?”
I unconsciously narrowed my eyes and glanced at Tana and Elise on either side.
I checked with thin eyes to see if they knew anything, but the two girls innocently shrugged their shoulders or shook their heads to show their ignorance.
For now, I headed towards the dean’s office on the top floor, led by one of the guards.
He suddenly became friendly with me and started asking about my sports background and what my specialty was.
I answered somewhat awkwardly but managed to make up plausible responses.
“Back in my day, I used to play some ball too!”
Click.
The guard opened the locked door of the dean’s office.
On the work desk that always felt a bit too large for one person was a communication orb.
“Wait, was I supposed to touch it like this?”
Judging by the dean’s mana that could be felt inside the sphere, he had already injected enough mana for it to work.
It seemed the guard hadn’t listened properly when it was explained, as he struggled while sweating profusely.
Eventually, Elise sighed and reached out her hand.
“I’ll handle it, so you can go now.”
“Oh, thank you!”
The guard left quickly, as if he had been waiting for this.
It seemed he had been enjoying the sweet job of guarding an empty academy, and we were an unwelcome additional task.
As Elise placed her hand on it, the orb immediately emitted light and projected a rectangular light.
Although only darkness was visible, the clear voice that could be heard from it indicated that the communication had been successful.
“If you kick it like that over there, how… What?”
The dean’s voice, which I hadn’t heard in a long time resounded.
Judging by the rustling sound, it seemed he was taking the communication orb out of his bag, and soon the surrounding scenery became visible.
Ares could be seen running around on a green lawn in the distance, but the dean’s face quickly filled the screen as he turned around.
“Ugh, that’s too close.”
My voice, clicking my tongue, must have gone through the communication orb, as the dean exclaimed with exaggerated excitement.
“Daniel? Daniel, you’re back!”
The dean welcomed me with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm, like a castaway finding an oasis in the desert or a nun receiving an answer to her prayer to God.
The anxiety was palpable even from this great distance.
“You seem too happy to see me?”
“Of course I’m happy! I was worried about what to do if you didn’t come back! Can you come to Bairn right away? No matter how expensive the travel costs are, we’ll cover them, so hurry and come!”
“To practice for the competition?”
“Huh? Y-You heard?”
Was he planning to hide it?
I wondered if it was even possible to hide in the first place, but in his excitement, he unknowingly continued to trip over his own words.
“That’s right! If you help us, we can finally break our 13-year losing streak! We can push down that blunt nose of the Pales Academy dean!”
“But even if Daniel participates, it’s only two events at most, right?”
Tana mentioned from the side that there was a limit on the number of events one player could participate in.
However, the dean smiled more wickedly than the witches of the Black Forest and pulled out a sheet of paper.
It was the list of participating athletes, which could be considered confidential for the competition.
The important thing was…
“All reserve players?”
From battle soccer to magic basketball, the large-scale battle, and so on.
The name ‘Daniel McLean’ was prominently listed as a reserve player for all events.
“The rules don’t limit reserve players! Since there are many sports with serious injuries, we need a lot of substitute personnel!”
“So you’re planning to make Daniel participate in all events as a reserve player, is that it?”
Tana exclaimed “Hooo” as if it were a brilliant idea, and the dean waited for my reaction with eyes sparkling inappropriately for his age, as if seeking praise.
Swish.
I raised my broken right arm, which was still in a splint.
“I can’t participate, you know.”
Oops, I accidentally raised my middle finger along with it.
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Creeeeak.
The door opened, and light seeped into the previously dark interior.
However, the thick darkness did not easily give up its place, as if engaged in a power struggle.
“I can’t see properly.”
Hatsim Belok, the Dwarven Master holding one of the seven hammers, made no effort to hide his displeasure.
“Sniff, sniff sniff. Her scent is strongly imprinted here. And… the smell of blood is also heavy.”
Jaguia Backplin, the leader of the Secret Claws following King Lizer of the beast-folk, also entered the interior with a disgusted expression.
Following them were Eris, the Guardian of Yggdrasil, and Adriana, the Witch of the Black Forest.
The four had found the last secret laboratory of the Tudogs hidden in the beast-folk’s land, and after a long time, they were able to reach it.
After quite an arduous chase, they had cornered Horan, the last survivor of the Tudogs, to the edge of a cliff.
“It’s a place with no air circulation. It doesn’t seem like there are any secret passages.”
As Eris declared this, Hatsim lifted the axe on his shoulder and chuckled.
“We’ve come to hunt a tiger in its den!”
“……”
“Hey? What’s wrong? This isn’t like you.”
Hatsim felt puzzled by Jaguar’s tightly closed mouth.
They had bickered so often that now they could immediately notice if something was even slightly off with each other.
“Something… feels frightening.”
His black fur stood on end.
As if saying he wanted to sense danger early and run away quickly.
“I can sense a presence.”
“Witch girl, light!”
“Yes!”
At Hatsim’s shout, Adriana created a blue flame in her palm and threw it forward.
The flame beautifully enveloped the walls, driving away the darkness, but…
What was there was Horan, already a corpse, and a massive werewolf or beast-person.
It was too rough, wild, and emanated too fierce an aura to be called a beast-person.
Yet, unlike werewolves who completely lose consciousness and revert to beasts on moonlit nights, the gleam in its eyes held traces of heavy wisdom and the passage of time.
“Ah… Ahhh…”
Adriana, the only one who recognized this being, stumbled backward.
Eris beside her caught her, but she too couldn’t take her eyes off the wolf exuding such an intense presence.
The wolf, with the eyes of a predator, slowly scanned Eris’s group before stopping precisely on Adriana.
“A witch has left the forest and come all the way here.”
Adriana immediately prostrated herself before the wolf who had recognized her and cried out.
“Y-Your Majesty! Why are you here!”
No one could claim the title of master of the Demon Realm Forest.
It was a place where, although individual skill was important, ultimately winners and losers were determined by the surrounding environment and one’s condition at the time.
Even ancient magical beasts confident in their strength did not fight carelessly there.
With the sense of crisis that anyone could be in the position of prey.
In such a place.
The being that all ancient magical beasts were most reluctant to fight, even though the outcome was uncertain until they actually engaged.
A strength that forced all who lived in the forest to call him emperor, even if he did not rule the forest.
And also.
The monster who had prevented the continent’s only sherpa from completely conquering the Demon Realm Forest.
The wolf magical beast, Kurika, bared his teeth and glared at them.
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He is ‘that guy’ from Daniel mouth