Chapter 318: Breakout

“Should be within this area.”

The priest held up the Holy Tome, his gaze sweeping the zone ahead.

Crows skimmed off the branches, taking flight with terrified cries. Sunlight couldn’t pierce the dense canopy, and the forest grew all the more deep and silent.

“But I still haven’t found Muen Campbell’s location.”

Behind the priest, Fular couldn’t help frowning.

Around her, invisible threads of mana had already spread out like a spider’s web. She didn’t even need to detect Muen Campbell himself—if he so much as passed through here and left a trace of aura, she could sense it clearly.

That was the division of labor for their group: use what the Hyena’s employer had provided—together with his keen sense of smell—to determine Muen Campbell’s approximate location.

Then she would pinpoint it with magic.

With this two-pronged approach, even in a vast, shadowed forest like this one, Muen Campbell would have nowhere to run.

But now that the Hyena’s sensing had failed, the priest had taken over the job of setting a general direction. Yet within the area he’d drawn, no matter how Fular probed, she still couldn’t find the target.

Nothing went wrong... right?

“Are you doubting me?”

The priest suddenly looked back.

His tone was calm, a kindly smile on his face, but Fular still dropped her head at once, as if she didn’t dare meet his eyes.

“No.”

“Relax, he’s definitely within this area.”

The priest swept the surroundings again.

In his sight, though the grove was windless, every tree and every vine quivered, shaking their branches and leaves to point the way for him.

This was the gaze of the Lord.

So Muen Campbell definitely hadn’t gone far.

“It’s just that the method he’s using to hide his presence is better than I expected. We’re already this close, and you and the Hyena still can’t confirm his exact position.”

“Then what do we do?”

“No matter.”

The priest simply sat cross-legged, like a leisurely traveler resting on the spot, and said without the slightest concern:

“Since the prey won’t show itself, we’ll just wait. We’re in no hurry anyway. Patience is a necessary quality for a good hunter.”

“...All right.”

Seeing no other option, Fular could only agree helplessly.

Her threads of mana continued to spread, but her ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) gaze flicked to the side.

That detestable Barton had fallen silent ever since what happened earlier. Now he was merely leaning against the trunk of a large tree with his eyes closed, showing no reaction at all to her contemptuous look.

As for the other one—the Hyena, that raving lunatic—he was still swaying his head at this moment, truly like a dog, prostrate on the ground, sometimes flipping up rotting leaves as he kept hunting for Muen Campbell’s tracks.

But that duke’s son was far smarter than they had anticipated. After suffering once before, he had left not the slightest trace again.

“Seriously... every last one of you is useless.”

Fular kept lamenting.

If it weren’t to gather the materials for her advancement, she would never have accepted such a dangerous commission that would offend a duke.

Not only did she have to work alongside a dangerous man like the priest, she also had to endure her companions’ stupidity and incompetence.

Even their employer wasn’t reliable. In the intel they’d sent, this Muen Campbell wasn’t supposed to be this troublesome!

And after this operation, she might really have to flee the Empire. Though she was never particularly attached to this country to begin with.

It’s just...

Her elder sister would be dragged into it.

Her elder sister actually liked this country.

The men here, especially the nobles, were mostly stupid and rich, which suited her tastes very well.

Sigh.

A pity.

Fular glanced aside, and in the leaves by her side she suddenly saw a fluttering pure-white butterfly.

Her sensing threads continued to expand and extend. The constant drain on her mind left her a bit tired.

She stretched out a finger and let the bold butterfly alight on her fingertip.

Looking at those pure white, exquisite wings, seemingly unstained by a speck of filth, Fular felt her fatigue dissipate quite a bit, as if purified. The corners of her lips lifted in a faint smile.

“I really want this to end quickly.”

She murmured softly.

“Elder Sister must still be waiting for me.”

The butterfly fanned its wings, as if gently answering her.

“Don’t worry.”

And then—

A low male voice.

Jarringly abrupt, it sounded right in her ear.

“I’ll grant you that wish.”

What...

Who!

When!

Fular’s pupils shrank. Her hand clenched around her wand on instinct, and the barrier spell circling her flared to full brightness in an instant.

But a pure-white short blade sliced the barrier like tofu—effortlessly—and then, without hindrance... thrust in.

Ting.

A piece of magitech gear on her body shattered. The invisible force it released deflected that fatal edge so it didn’t pierce a vital spot—and it also bought her a moment to react.

Her fingertips twitched, and several pre-prepared spell scrolls spilled from her spatial device and unfurled. Intricate arrays flashed—powerful magic formed and triggered in an instant!

But at that exact instant—

Fular again saw that uniform-graceful pure-white butterfly.

The pure-white blade sank into her lower abdomen. The surge of pain snapped her awake.

Right. In a horrific forest crawling with disgusting alien serpents and insects, how could there be an ordinary butterfly, a gentle creature like this?

So why had she thought this butterfly was normal?

Then what was this butterfly actually...

“Holy Breath.”

This time it was a voice like a nightingale—clear and lovely. The butterfly burst apart, turning into shimmering, immaculate holy light that poured into the spell scrolls.

The mana circuits she had engraved with such care suddenly stalled, as if a substance had been mixed into the pipes that should have carried a steady stream.

Clogged.

Then ruptured.

With the piping ruined, the mana stored within naturally vented in chaotic streams.

The precious scrolls were reduced to waste paper almost instantly.

Fular’s eyes went vacant for a heartbeat. In front of her, the light warped, and the figure of a blond man slowly surfaced.

With one hand he held a girl with an astonishing bust; faint arcs of electricity played over his body. With the other, he drove a pure-white blade into Fular’s abdomen—and then viciously churned it.

“Why...”

“When...”

“How could...”

She coughed up mouthfuls of blood and chunks of flesh, staring blankly at the man before her. A torrent of questions roared in her skull, desperate for answers.

But Muen only gave a contemptuous smile.

“Illumination Spell... isn’t only for illumination, is it?”

Yes—so-called Illumination was nothing more than a simple manipulation of light.

But if you made that application just a bit more complex and extended it a little farther, you’d get something completely different.

Light-bending—call it magical optical camouflage.

This was the fruit of Muen’s recent cramming of basic magic applications and related knowledge, an extension built atop the only spell he could use.

And with the dim light, the complex terrain, and the endless swathes of the same green all around—what place could showcase this result better than a forest?

Combine it with an alchemical field that masked presence, and with Liya’s Holy Light, and you had an almost perfect assassination!

And the target, naturally, was the most fragile member of the enemy party—the one most likely to cause them serious trouble: the mage.

With the priest’s background still unknown, focusing the carry first—cutting the C position—was just common sense.

The only imperfection was...

He hadn’t finished it with one stroke.

Muen pulled out the blade, intending to strike again, when Liya’s anxious voice sounded at his ear:

“Muen!”

“I know.”

Muen’s eyes dimmed.

A pity.

But it was fine.

At the very least, with a wound like that, this mage wouldn’t be able to act again for quite some time.

For what they had to do next, that was enough!

A foul wind rushed his back.

Muen booted Fular away and snapped around, letting go of Liya’s hand. Both short blades flashed free, crossing to block!

Claaang—

Steel shrieked against steel, the sound deafening!

Razor claws smashed into the short blades like a mountain dropping from the sky!

“Ten-Billion! Hahaha—Ten-Billion, you came!”

The Hyena’s eyes were blood-red, his face ecstatic. Both hands had warped into talons; his skin was sheathed in pitch-black scales; and sharp bone spurs burst from his back, making him even more grotesque!

His mouth, full of fangs, gaped open. Fetid drool dribbled from the corners as he fixed Muen with an unblinking stare and kept muttering:

“You showed up—I’m so happy, so happy!”

As he spoke, cords of muscle writhed over him like coiled dragons, and he slammed down!

“Guh—”

In almost an instant, Muen was forced to one knee. His qi and blood churned violently in his body and wouldn’t settle.

“Damn it... I’m not happy at all. What, did you also run out of some mad scientist’s lab, you mutant?”

He’d prepared himself, but the gap in rank was still too great.

And this Hyena was clearly a monster specialized in physical body.

If not for the fact that his body—tempered by Teacher Meladom’s abuse—was still holding up, he probably couldn’t have withstood even this simple clash!

“Muen...”

Liya’s worried voice came from behind.

“I’m fine.”

Muen exhaled long. Abundant Holy Light coursed into his body and eased him a good deal.

“Do you remember the plan I just told you?”

“Mm.”

Liya nodded hard.

“I remember it very well!”

“Good.”

Muen gritted his teeth. A flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes.

“Then let’s begin. Let’s execute our plan!”

The words fell, and in a heartbeat Holy Light surged!

The Hyena hadn’t expected anyone else to interfere in his fight with Muen. A hint of confusion crossed his lunatic, twisted face—then holy radiance splattered across it.

The sanctified light brought a searing pain, and the Hyena let out a howl of agony.

Muen seized the opening, pressed in, slowed time, and swung both blades in clean arcs.

Don’t forget—his strength had never been head-on collisions, but... speed.

Close-quarters killcraft, long missed.

In that brief instant, even Muen himself couldn’t count how many of the Hyena’s attacks he’d slipped past—or how many cuts he’d thrown.

With Elizabeth’s sharpness trait and Liya’s Holy Light buffing him, even with a massive gap in rank, his blades could still slice open the Hyena’s hard scales. The Holy Light clinging to them kept searing the Hyena’s filthy, reeking blood.

Blood sprayed; holy radiance spread.

Though the Hyena’s powerful regeneration healed those wounds at a speed visible to the naked eye, the pain was so intense it drove him utterly berserk almost at once.

He howled and thrashed, as if he’d lost his reason, flailing his claws on pure instinct.

Muen used it, the edges of his blades precisely raking across the Hyena’s eyes and nose and mouth.

“Raaah—Ten-Billion!”

The Hyena’s sight fell to black, and blood filled his sense of smell. But in that last instant, he raked a claw hard across Muen’s chest!

Screee—

Flesh tore. Several ghastly gashes opened on Muen’s chest, deep to the bone.

“Muen!”

Liya rushed close. “I’ll heal you.”

“No.”

Muen suddenly seized Liya’s wrist, stopping her, and said firmly:

“This level of injury is nothing to me. Do as I said—move first!”

He hauled Liya up and, ignoring the Hyena—now arguably at his most vulnerable—turned and sprinted away at top speed.

Yes—Muen’s plan had never been to defeat these people.

It was... to break out.

Because from that brief clash last time, he’d clearly felt that with just himself and Liya, under normal circumstances they could never be these people’s match.

Never mind the difference in rank—these were infamous felons on Imperial wanted posters who’d remained at large to this day, each fearsome in their own way.

Not everyone was some hollow “bag of rank” a protagonist could leapfrog and slaughter at random. The ones behind this wouldn’t send small fry to hunt him down.

Head-to-head was impossible—so he had to rely on tricks.

First, use a sneak attack to cripple the enemy’s most fragile piece—the mage who could track and attack at range and posed the greatest threat to their breakout.

Then, unexpectedly and at the risk of trading blow for blow, push the craziest one—the Hyena—into a frenzy and temporarily rob that lunatic of sight and smell.

Next...

“Ha! Muen Campbell!”

Laughter tinged with anger carried over, and a sense of crisis spiked!

Muen let go of Liya on reflex. His blades crossed before him.

Ting!

It was like an invisible giant steel sword had cleaved down. The force made Muen’s hands tremble as he staggered back again and again—he only stabilized with Liya’s help.

Right—next came this guy.

Barton.

“Liya.”

“Mm.”

Liya pointed a finger. Holy Light bloomed into countless white butterflies that fluttered toward Barton.

Muen choked down the coppery sweetness in his throat and tightened his grip on Elizabeth again, ready to strike the instant Barton showed an opening under Liya’s harassment.

But...

As the white butterflies floated in, the mad grin on Barton’s face—the expression of a man seeing his mortal enemy—suddenly faded. His eyes swept the area, then he looked deeply at Liya. He actually chose not to resist, letting the butterflies envelop him.

What’s going on?

Muen froze. He’d expected Barton to be a major problem. After all, he’d toyed with the man before. Before executing the plan, Muen had rehearsed ways to face a fully deranged Fourth-Rank warrior.

So... a spat with his teammates?

A guess flashed through Muen’s mind.

But he had no time to verify it. Whatever the reason, Barton yielding on his own was good news for them.

Muen grabbed Liya’s hand. “Let’s go!”

They sprinted flat-out again.

This time, no one blocked them.

Which left...

Only that mysterious god-stick.

Out of the corner of his eye, Muen glanced at the figure who had scarcely moved from beginning to end. The faint sense of dread in his heart still hadn’t faded at all.

But since the man wasn’t moving either, Muen could only ignore him for now.

“Liya, can you still feel the direction of the Holy City?”

“I can.”

Liya nodded hard. “We’re getting closer.”

“Good. Push a bit more. I think the reason they’ve pressed so close is probably because we’re already near the edge of the forest.”

Muen said,

“So as long as we ride out this wave, our chances of getting away will go up a lot.”

“Mm.”

Liya answered softly.

The scenery whipped backward on both sides.

Liya had no mind to take it in. She simply let Muen tug her by the wrist as they ran—like lovers eloping in a tale—and quietly watched his intensely focused profile.

“So amazing...” Liya murmured without thinking.

The enemies were all at least an entire major rank higher than him—hands drenched in blood, vicious and depraved.

But the man before her showed not a trace of fear.

When Muen had told her about this breakout plan, about meeting the enemy head-on for a moment, she’d even thought he’d gone mad.

But.

They’d done it.

Or rather, he had done it.

Those terrifying enemies in her eyes had all, for the time being, lost the ability to fight in his hands and could no longer give chase.

In a situation that should be completely despairing, he had still managed to find a sliver of a winning chance.

If it were her... maybe...

No—definitely not.

She couldn’t handle a single one of those people. All she could do was what she was doing now—provide Muen with a certain degree of support.

Only... that much.

But fortunately—

She was lucky. She had Muen...

“Watch out!”

Suddenly, a familiar low shout hit Liya’s ear. The next instant, she felt herself pulled into a warm embrace and rolling hard to the side.

“Ugh... what happened?”

The sudden turn left Liya’s head a bit woozy. She struggled up from Muen’s arms, ignoring the heart-hammering intimacy, and forced her eyes open to look around.

Then her breathing quickened, and her expression turned as stiff as Muen’s beside her.

Because in front of them, the tall, thick trees like giants had come alive—countless branches and vines twisted and knotted, like swarms of giant serpents about to devour anything that tried to pass.

And where Muen had just dodged from, a massive hand slowly lifted out of a sunken pit and turned back into gray-green wood...

A shiver of revulsion ran through Liya. If Muen had been even a little slower, she might have been crushed to pulp together with him—truly inseparable.

“An attack with no warning, no ripple of mana or battle aura, and yet it can lightly stir the power of natural law... This is...”

Muen’s face darkened. He snapped his head around.

“A God-Favored?”

“No, no, no—you give me too much credit. How could someone like me be worthy of the Lord’s unconditional favor?”

A calm voice answered. The priest, in full clerical robe, holding the Holy Tome with pious reverence, was already standing not far behind Muen without anyone knowing when he’d arrived.

“At most, by relying on certain devout prayers, I’ve exchanged for a trivial measure of my Lord’s grace. Not worth mentioning.”

The priest’s expression was kindly, a smile on his lips. But for some reason, just his nearness made Muen’s heart lurch with alarm.

“Devout prayers...”

Muen looked at the trees that had come alive... It didn’t seem like an Evil God’s power.

“Power of faith... a cleric?”

“Something like that.”

The priest nodded earnestly.

“I do, indeed, serve my Lord.”

“‘Something like’...”

That phrasing...

“Muen.”

Liya tugged Muen’s sleeve lightly.

“This grace seems to come from the Forest God in the south.”

“Forest God?”

Never heard of it.

“A deity with a very small following. At present only some ancient tribes still have believers.”

“I see...”

Muen drew a deep breath, steadied his mind, then looked coldly at the priest and sneered:

“So you’re not a God-Favored who wields divine power at the level of laws, you don’t have a mighty church at your back, and you yourself seem to be a mortal who can’t even truss a chicken. You actually dare to come so close to me. Aren’t you afraid I’ll just cut you down?”

“You can try,” the priest said, still smiling.