Chapter 47 – Small and Pretty Water Droplets Only Around the Eyes (1)
“G…Now!”
“…!”
When Erica’s signal rang, I pulled up the prepared gas mask. At the same time, deep blue mana surged high into the sky, creating a line between us and the academy bastards. Like a scale floating in the sky, the light weighing the two halves exploded violently with a blinding light.
Then, the gas created by Rebecca began to blow out all over the place.
“Aaaaagh!”
“What… What…!”
At that moment, the world was again divided into two groups. Those who were able to cope in advance, and those who could not. We obviously belonged to the former, and the academy bastards were helplessly in the latter. Those who inhaled the gas like fate soon bent their backs and began to violently vomit the sins in their stomachs.
“Uhhhhh…! Kuk…Kuluk…!”
“What is this…Wow!”
Although designed for non-lethal use, the gas exerted its effects unfiltered. In an instant, the numerous gnomes who surrounded us were quickly incapacitated, and those who regained their senses struggled to escape inside the academy. But even that was impossible for them.
“Uweek…You should…Run away…!”
“Don’t come, you assholes! Go…Gas is coming in!”
“Duke… Roselia… Please…!”
“Just go and hit them! And that’s it!”
In a desperate situation, Duke and Rogeria went inside faster than anyone else and locked the door. Thanks to that great leadership, most of the personnel had to be isolated outside. There was only one place they could go.
“Bar…Gas mask…Gas mask!!!”
One of the first to realize that fact rushed towards this side. It was already not in a normal state because of the gas, but the momentum was so great that it reached our eyes in an instant.
Unfortunately, it was Rebecca-san who faced him like that. She stepped forward with her calmness and clasped her grayish fingers in turn. With her clack, her charged fists emitted a thin plume of smoke and then rushed towards the shoulder of the charging victim.
Then, the next moment, his shoulder exploded, and bloody steam flew in all directions.
“Aaaaagh!”
“Oh, dear.”
In an instant, the victim collapsed and let out a desperate scream as blood spurted everywhere. Rebecca let out her long sigh as thick steam blew through her gas mask. It had been a long time since she had used her fists, so it must have been a mistake in controlling her strength.
“I didn’t mean to.”
“He will die.”
“Stop talking nonsense and go find Roselia. I’ll clean it up soon.”
“Still…”
Before she could even ask if she’d be okay on her own, Rebecca smashed another bastard’s back, puffing out steam from her like cigarette smoke. Her flesh and skin were crushed again, and shattered bone powder flew into the air. I turned my gaze toward the academy, trying to avoid the devastating sight.
The white building, shrouded in gray smoke, looked more precarious than ever. Like a mirage in the desert, shaking as if it would disappear at any moment, it felt like a scene in a dream.
Of course, the stage where all of this could have been passed as a fleeting dream has long since passed. The reality quickly realized was soon converted into Erica’s trembling voice.
“Lope. What…Now what?”
“We have to go in. As planned.”
“You’re going in?”
“Yeah. While I’m looking for Roselia, you said you’d save the students inside, didn’t you?”
“That’s true…But I’m a bit scared by myself…”
Even though it was discussed in advance, when the time came for them to part ways, Erica expressed her fear. All the more because now it was impossible for me to take the side. If someone hadn’t tapped his shoulder from behind, he would have rushed in alone.
But surprisingly, it was Saya who sided with Erica at the last moment. She, who had been hiding behind the group with Haru all this time, looked at the two of us and said in a clear voice.
“Lope. Thinking about it again, I think it’s best for you to go with Erica. I talked about it even then, but you know that Erica alone is impossible. I and Saya will go find Roseria. You stick with me there.”
“But… Is it okay? There must be some guys still in the academy.”
“So you should spend a day with me. You know we can do it well enough if we’re together. And since I’m quicker, I’m better at finding people, right?”
“What if you’re with Duke?”
“Honestly, it’s not that scary.”
In Saya’s voice, there was an uncharacteristically arrogance beyond her convictions. However, as Rebecca-san said, worrying about the elf was like an ant caring about the welfare of the bear.
Even so, it was equally unsettling. I somehow tried to find something to refute, but I finally brought out the one thing Rebecca had told me not to.
“…Aim for the eyes. Or you’ll get sick.”
“Yes.”
“The crotch is okay too. It’s an area that’s easy to incapacitate, whether it’s a man or a woman. And don’t overdo it, okay?”
“Okay.”
“What is it? Am I going to buy it then with my sister? Also, is a gas mask such a stuffy thing? I need to know what I put on properly.”
It was a day, as always, that marked the end of the serious conversation. Hearing that playful voice amplified my latent anxiety. I raised my head again to dissuade Saya.
“Saya. As expected, I’ll follow my plan…”
“Then I’ll go, Lope.”
“Wait a minute. Are you really going with the two of us? My doctor…Ugh!”
But she ran forward with all her might before I could stop her. She had been hanging behind her all day, but her elf steps were unstoppable because she was so light in weight. All I could do was stare blankly at Saya’s back, who was quickly moving away.
“Ha…”
“…Lope. So, the two of us are going together?”
“…”
Meanwhile, Erica clung to me without notice. She ended up fulfilling her role as a variable until the last moment. But I couldn’t help what had already happened, so I asked her while looking at her bright face.
“Yes. Are you ready to become student council president again?”
“Mu…Of course! Yes!”
“…Okay. Let’s go.”
It was a motivating comment, but even thinking about it made me sigh. In the meantime, Erica reacted enthusiastically, so I felt embarrassed for some reason. I grabbed Erica’s arm and ran after Saya before her heart broke any further.
“Lope! Go fast!”
“Aagh!!!”
Steam exploded behind him, and the sound of bones and flesh being crushed vibrated everywhere. Amid Rebecca’s shouts, the dust tossed under her feet and the wind howled in her ears. The minute hand of fate ran alongside me, accelerating again towards the final moment. In the time of destruction that came like that, I threw myself into the ugly mouth of the academy.
Clink!
The glass that hit her all over her body burst in all directions like her maiden cistern that had been stagnant for a long time. I received the recoil from the broken window, rolled forward, and then rammed my head into the guy in front of me.
“Ugh!”
“…!”
The sound of grinding teeth pierced his scalp along with a strange moan. Before the hot energy had gone, I raised my sword and hit the guy’s philtrum with the tip of the handle. Then he couldn’t even scream properly and collapsed on the floor.
However, the loud appearance was enough to shake those around. Soon, screams erupted from all over the academy, and my existence was known throughout the academy.
“That… That bastard… That bastard!”
“It’s like a dog, really!”
In an instant, two voices ripped through the air, and before I could figure out who the owner was, I swung my sword in the direction the sound came from. It was truly a blind swordsman, but at the end of that ignorant trajectory, the severed wrists, unfortunately, rose up.
“Aaaaagh!”
“…Oh my gosh.”
“You’re new…Aaaaa!”
Before I could even throw self-help at my own actions, I fired another sword strike, and this time the severed forearm let out a scream. A routine of slaughter that has been ingrained like a habit. Caught up in that terrible sensation, I kicked the door of the classroom where they were standing strong.
“Kyaaaaagh!”
“Ah…!”
Scream. Sigh. And scream. The victims in the classroom trembled in fear again as they saw the assailant appearing in the doorway. However, as their gaze turned toward the severed wrists lying on the floor, strangely, hope appeared in their eyes. Erica’s distorted rumors seemed to have created a bloody hero.
And just in time, Erica ran to my side. She and she shouted in an exaggerated voice at the frightened girls.
“Everyone now! Run away. Come on!”
“Uh…”
“Run away! There are people out there to help. Hurry up!”
It must have been the moment they had hoped for so much, but they couldn’t move their bodies easily. It must be because his heart was broken after being locked up in a cage for a long time. It was somewhat expected, so instead of despairing, I carefully examined their faces.
The face of a girl I passed by during my academy days. A young undergrad coughing badly as if he had inhaled gas. A strong-willed boy who keeps trying to stand up even though his legs are shaking. Among them, Roselia’s face was not there. I expected this too, but it was equally heartbreaking.
“Erika. Can I take you out?”
“I don’t know. I think everyone is still scared. It might take a while…”
“Then we have to gather them all together in one place. We also have to find Roselia anyway.”
“But…”
“There’s no time. Hurry up!”
“Lope!”
I started running down the aisle, grunting wildly like a jockey brandishing a whip. After that, the sound of pitiful footsteps pounded and resounded. Even in the midst of that, a wild shout announcing my appearance shook the entire academy.
“Lope’s in!”
“This crazy… Creepy… COOL!”
“Move!”
Every time I took a step, a new one stood in my way, and I silenced them with a single sword strike. Most of them were poisoned by gas and were in a vulnerable state. Wrist. Ankle. Eye. Ear. As if representing the will of the dragon that never arrived, the bodies of the sinners were hung on the scales of hell.
Whenever the obstacles disappeared, I kicked the classroom door and found Roseria’s face inside. However, there was no appearance of Roselia among the many. It seemed that the proud wolf had not even thought of hiding in sheep’s skin.
Did you go upwards too? There is a possibility that she hid in a place only she knew, but she had no choice but to leave that to Saya. The task that was entrusted to me now was to follow the voices of the fleeing guys and kick them up the stairs.
Thinking about that, the moment I stepped on the first step, I heard huge footsteps from behind. Before anyone knew it, the footsteps of only one Erica had now turned into a march of several people. When I glanced back, Erica was screaming in a shrill voice.
“Everyone get down and go outside! Not through the front door, but to the side! And follow the woman in the prosthetic!”
“The president… The president…”
“No time! Hurry up!”
The heart of the dead academy began to beat with the footsteps of the students in the leadership of the student council president who finally showed up. Rules that had been broken down by despair were re-established for survival, and orderly steps headed out of the building. I ran upstairs before I had time to feel moved by the sight.
Haha…”
“Close the windows! Come on!”
“The other side too soon… Why the fuck is that bastard here!”
“Haa…Huh…”
Aren’t these guys boring? Again, a few guys blocked the way, but there weren’t many of them. It was because there were far more people trying to run away than people trying to fight. Half of them flinched and fell to the floor before I could swing the sword.
Besides, now the classroom doors are starting to open first. At the sound of the academy’s heart beating again, and at the signal of escape that tickled both feet, the dead organs opened the valves and let out blood flow of hope. The sense of life flowing out like that was definitely thicker than blood.
“Everyone… Everyone… Come out… Uh… Uh…”
In the meantime, Erica, who had come running late, managed to shake her hand. It seemed that the situation down there had been somewhat unsettled. Using that as a signal, I smashed the teeth of the remaining ones, and now the voices of the victims were louder.
“Oh my god… Did you really come? Student president?”
“I guess I can go out… I guess I can really go out…”
“Hak…Hah… Sister… Where is sister? Sister!”
“Ed? I…I’m here…Ed!”
“Whoa…”
The chirping of the larks, finally released, made me feel hopeful, but now was not the time to care. Even though everyone was whispering about the future now, I listened more to the low, phlegmatic voices. Amidst their voices raining in all directions, in the voices of those whispering while holding their breath.
“I… Can I go out? There’s still smoke outside?”
“Everyone calm down and listen to me! Follow me and you’ll be safe!”
“Chairman…? Oh my God…”
“Lope. What now? Now…”
“Rogeria you fucking bitch!!!”
“…!”
At that time, a familiar voice burst out from somewhere with a harsh curse. He had only heard it once, but it was clear who the owner of the voice was. At that moment, I shook off Erica’s question and started running toward the direction where the sound came from.
“Rogeria! You bitch…”
“…”
“Where did you go, Rogeria! Holy shit… Hey!!!”
Soon, a large shadow began to appear on the other side of the hallway where I had once hidden. The shadow running towards somewhere looked back to see if it had heard my footsteps.
“What is that? No way…”
“…”
“Uh… Damn it!”
He noticed my presence and tried to run away, but I ran into him at the same speed as I rushed at him. Then he lost his balance and fell to the floor, and I too was thrown backwards by the recoil. Breathless screams crossed in the air and flew towards each other.
“Ouch!”
“…!”
However, I quickly regained my stance and picked up the sword, and he also hurriedly stood up from his seat. And finally we met each other’s eyes.
“Oh… The fuck…”
“…”
The first word of the meeting that finally happened was undoubtedly an abusive language. But I didn’t waver, and I spit out a word while examining his actions.
“…You’re Duke.”
“You… Bastard…”
The hatred he had been harboring boiled like phlegm. I looked straight into his bloodshot eyes and burned my suppressed heart with heat for the first time in a long time.
“Did I miss you that much?”
