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Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Allen realized the lateness of his response, and looked into her eyes as she stared at him.
I dont like being robbed of my possessions. Even worse, a maid Unacceptable.
Thank you Really
Allen gazed blankly at her before turning his attention towards Francisca.
Miss Francisca, do you know where they went?
As he tried to ask her how far they had gone, the soldiers waiting around began shouting.
Were being ambushed!
Sir, its an ambush!
Get into position! Quickly! Lets go!
Allen quickly lifted his head.
Aaaaaaaack!
Aaaaaaaaahhh!
Uuuurrrrrgh!
Chimeras swarmed around them. The monsters charged with their legs suited for moving in the mountains, kicking their feet off the ground.
They appeared suddenly in the hundreds from every directionfrom behind and from the front, the left and the right.
However, Allen wasnt surprised by their sudden appearance.
This far into the forest should be sufficient.
The reason why he had brought so many soldiers was to match the number of the hundreds of chimeras.
"Fall in line! Move the wounded out! Follow the drill!
The soldiers whod been trained in the manor responded quickly. And in an instant, their four-sided defense formation was complete.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Clang!
Die, monster!
Stab, gash.
Allen blocked and counterattacked. As the battle continued on, the number of monsters began to decline.
He watched the scene unfold, waiting.
Until suddenly, Francisca cried out, Sir! There are more coming!
She turned to face the north.
Allen looked around the forest surrounding them.
Even in the middle of the day, the gloomy atmosphere and the well-grown black trees around them combined into one huge mass, creating a darkly shaded space.
Theyre coming!
Fransiscas complexion changed. She quickly equipped a black shield.
Simultaneously, dark figures rose from the shadows, moving to strike her.
Clang!
I cant believe you reacted in time Annoying, as expected.
Her attacker was the chimera who had run away into the mountains after leaving the manor.
The demon-looking, three-meter-tall monster covered in red muscles.
Upon recognition, Linbelle instinctively cried out, You!
Regnor chuckled.
His red eyes curved into crescents. He didnt hide his joy. It was as if he were genuinely happy to see her.
Oho Its Inellias little puppet! Youve saved me the trouble of coming to visit you on my own.
Keep my mothers name out of your mouth!
Allen grabbed her, who was about to spring to attack, and moved away from Regnor.
The soldiers were shaken by the giant chimeras appearance, but began to calm down at Franciscas unrelenting courage.
Linbelle, calm down.
Alright.
Linbelle clung to Allens arm as she stared down the monster in silence.
Regnor smiled brightly at the furious expression of the child who wouldve attacked him if not for Allens interference.
Haha, dont look at me like that Youre making me blush.
Allen glared at him.
Wheres Inellia? Shes not here Which means that she must be at the workshop.
A giant circle began to spin around his heart, producing a piercing roar.
Miss Francisca.
Yes, sir?
Allen then pulled out a thread of mana.
Im sorry, but could you please handle him for me?
He knew that their best chance was for the two of them to join forces and take down the chimera. And mathematically, he knew that a 2-to-1 ratio would provide a better advantage than a 1-to-1.
Helping the soldiers get rid of the chimeras and then heading to the workshop would definitely be the better choice.
But
The thought that he had to go to the workshop right away was plaguing his mind.
The future he had known kept changing.
The formerly incompetent baron now took the appropriate actions. Allen had taken in Inellia as a maid to save her, but then she was kidnapped just as she had been before the regression.
He couldnt let the future be swayed any more.
Maybe, if I wait any longer than this
What he lived through in his past life would be repeated.
Therefore, he had no other choice than to ask Francisca this favor, even though he knew it would be a burden for her.
However, he believed in her, who would someday be called the Bedrock Witch.
If you do me this favor, I will certainly reward you.
Alright.
I proHuh?
I understand, so go on ahead.
Allen looked surprised at her quick consent and turned around.
Hed been concerned about how far shed differed from his understanding of her future self for some time, but hadnt had too much time to think into it.
Thank you.
B-But But Sir Allen Linbelle intervened, briefly worried about how the woman whod helped her would be fighting the monster.
Shes strong. Shell be able to handle it alone.
Shes strong Because Miss Fransisca is strong
She brooded over those words as she clenched her fists so hard that they turned white.
Okay, then. Lets go, sir.
Regnor, watching these conversations as if watching a play, began to move slowly.
Are you all finished with your chit-chat now?
Black smoke slowly began to rise up his body. His body, which could be considered a weapon all on its own, began to gradually expand.
I love this scene. Friendship, loyalty, faith. It really does make me look like a villain. Hahaha. But
Regnor suddenly disappeared.
Who ever said Id let you go?
Allen intuitively weaved mana into a tangible shield.
It broke after only a few seconds of sustaining attacks, but that was enough time for Allen to dodge.
Boom!
The ground shook, sending clumps of dirt flying.
Soldiers quickly affixed themselves into their positions on the battlefield.
The world was filled with monsters and other supernatural beings. They knew full well that even a hundred men could not beat one of them.
Try to dodge
At the very moment that Regnor moved to attack Allen, a massive tentacle came crashing into him.
Thud, thwack, crash!
Regnor slammed through multiple large blackwood trees one after another before falling onto the ground.
Moments after, the tentacle rushed into him once more at a crazy high speed.
Go! Quickly! shouted Francisca from behind, holding Regnor off.
Well then, Ill entrust this to you.
Allen sprinted straight away with Linbelle.
A voice filled with fury and a series of loud explosions echoed behind him.
* * *
* * *
Allen was lost in his memories.
Things hadnt gone this way in his past life.
Through Juliuss capabilities stated within the Quest Window, he was able to anticipate the attack on the city and devised a strategy to prepare for the attack in advance.
Allen tried his best to prevent any opportunity for Julius to intervene in the situation, interrupting any plans he may have had.
Yet the only result was the devastation of the city.
Allen headed for the sorcerer's workshop in an attempt to make up for his mistake with a great victory.
The trail to the workshop was faint. However, the great number of mobilized chimeras made the trail easier to track. As such, only a day had passed before they found the sorcerer's workshop.
The security around the workshop was lax.
Nonetheless, it appeared to be the workshop of a sorcerer who was at a level that was recognized to have created hundreds of stupid and weak chimeras.
Because of that, he was able to break through its defenses and move through the workshop as easily as he couldve if the soldiers had been with him.
After finding it, Allen, unable to withstand the horrors of the giant laboratory, ran away
I heard later that Julius dealt with the chimera sorcerer after he appeared.'
That chimera sorcerer hadnt been all that strong.
That was all, and that was the end.
So then why
Lower your head, Linbelle.
Yes, sir!
Linbelle quickly lowered her head, falling to lay face-down on the ground.
A giant ax passed over her head, creating a violent and forceful breeze.
A chimera, the owner of the ax, let out a bizarre roar before collecting its weapon.
Dozens of chimeras swarmed around them.
With his back pushed against the wall, Allen sent a light shockwave towards the approaching chimeras.
Thud!
The nearby chimeras fell, creating an opening.
Using both hands, Allen entwined and unthreaded his mana into various figures. It wove into intricate shapes around the workshop.
There are so many. Is this really the same place?
Until hed first entered the cave, hed used only his memories to guide him.
However, even more than the traps and the events of the city that he hadnt been able to foresee, the strong chimeras feasting on the citizens forced him to abandon what he recalled from his past life.
Allen swung his hand, motioning a shockwave towards his opponents and exploding it at their heads.
More chimeras cried out from behind him, filling the void hed just created.
Realizing the endless nature of this chain reaction, Allen felt like he needed to find a way to end it all at once.
His mana circle began to rapidly spin around.
Whirrrrrrrrr.
The mana began to gather together, releasing a foghorn-like roar as it once again formed itself into a thread.
Spirits, Sound, Shock, and Space.
Allen combined those four concepts in his mind, transmuting them into reality through the magical systems he understood.
The essence of mana is not to understand the world or its exploitation.
The essence of the understandable world was contorted by the will of man.
Allen thought to himself of a means to reverse this situation. Of some kind of weapon they could use to take down their enemy.
His circle spun at a high speed to extract more mana.
It doesnt need to be that strong.
He only needed enough to neutralize his enemies.
The Space he had learned throughout his life as well as his understanding and imagination of the soul started to combine and materialize.
He materialized a combination of the spatial control and soul skills hed been studying throughout his life.
The thread began to weave itself behind his back. Just as a life-long seamstress would have done themself.
With sophistication. With detail.
The creation was none other than a magical phenomenon.
One by one, each technique was created at Allens will. His mana flashed gray and gathered into the form of a huge drum.
Yeah, this amount of mana was around the limit of a Rank 1 sorcerer, but
It was enough.
Linbelle, cover your ears.
The chimeras, a little bit stronger than the ones that had been headed towards the city, flocked to him with their giant axes.
He closed his eyes.
He could feel Linbelle crouching by his side, her voice shaking with fear.
Allen made sure to keep her away from danger while coordinating his next attack.
The gray drum floating behind his head wiggled around and began to vibrate on its own.
He stayed calm, like a true musician.
Call of the Cradle.
Thump!
The hollow rumble of the drum resounded.
Gray waves spread from it, winding around the chimeras like a snake. Allen continued motioning his hands, as if signaling that it wasnt enough.
Thump! Thump!
Skreeeeeeee!
Uwooooh!
The spreading shockwaves began to cling to the chimeras like a curse. From afar, the waves appeared to meld together into a gray fog.
Thud! Crash!
Suddenly, the monsters began falling to the ground, landing in a running position.
Shortly after, as silence settled around him, Allen waved his hand again.
The gray drum then faded and disappeared, then he opened his eyes.
Phew
Is it all over?
Allen chuckled as he crouched down to see her with her eyes shut and ears covered tight.
Yeah.
He patted her shoulder and watched as the darkness in her wide, round eyes lightened.
Sir, this Its
As she hurriedly approached him, Allen lowered his head.
Take a closer look. It's not dead yet."
Youre so amazing. If I were that strong
She wouldn't have had to watch helplessly as her mother was dragged away.
Allen understood. Hed tried to change the future in order to avoid that situation.
You can become that strong too.
Me?
Yeah. Magic is difficult, but you could pick up swordsmanship.
In his memories, she was the strongest person hed ever known.
Allen smiled at her as she stared at him with a look of surprise.
He was nothing compared to her as he remembered her.
I cant believe shes so surprised by this amount of magic.
The magic he used may have seemed great to her, but it actually displayed only half of his potential.
Magic whose weaknesses are clear as well as inconsistent in influence.
The magic he had used couldve been easily blocked if one covered their ears from the sound.
He had intentionally kept her out of the magics path just in case. It wouldnt have had any effect on her anyway, since shed covered her ears.
The same goes for its effectiveness.
The efficacy of this kind of magic depended on the opponents mental fortitude.
It was highly effective against the chimeras with low intelligence, but against a remarkable warrior, it would be entirely useless.
And
If the chimera sorcerer had watched this battle, Allen couldnt even dream of using the same skill in the next battle.
He didnt think that his next opponent would be stupid enough to be affected by the same thing twice.
Since the moment he stepped into the workshop No, since the moment hed first run into the chimeras, he mustve figured it out himself.
He surely had to know how things would have to be.
He picked up one of the swords left scattered around his surroundings and slashed the neck of a fallen chimera.
Slash.
Its your job to cut their throats and stab their hearts. Can you try it out?
Oh, okay. Ill do my best.
Linbelle managed to raise a sword and embarked on her task of chopping off monster heads.
It was awkward the first few times, but she began carrying out her task more properly after a few tries.
Shes a natural talent.
Its all done.
Hearing her call, Allen came to his senses.
Well
Not long after, they left the area.
And somewhere beyond, about a distance away.
Within the depths of the workshop, an ominous vibration began to reverberate.