Chapter 330: Pupil

“About recovered.”

As the magic crystal in his hand was drained into a lump of waste stone, the mana inside Muen finally returned to roughly seven or eight tenths.

He couldn’t help sighing: his mana took only one high-purity magic crystal to almost recover. Compared to someone like Fular, whose powerful mana could practically trigger a small-scale “mana tide,” it was truly a world of difference.

He remembered Teacher Mela once saying that a person’s mana capacity is decided from birth.

What comes after is only the difference in development and refinement.

So although in a mage’s growth knowledge and effort are extremely important factors, in the end you still need enough talent to become one, huh?

Well, whatever—on the “Renren Shuku” APP you can read the latest ad-free updates of “The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix’s Novels Also Desires Happiness,” over a million books all free to read. renrenshuku.com—just type the full spelling of Renren Shuku dot com to access the APP’s official site—looks like bearing the Campbell name, he’ll forever only be a salted fish who can swing knives.

But if he can’t be a mage, being a mage-killer seems pretty good too.

Muen weighed Elizabeth in his hand.

Next time he faces a mage, he has to cut even truer; he can’t let what happened this time happen again.

Reflect.

And take it as a warning.

Those were the words carved into his heart the moment he named these two blades—every character stained with blood.

...

Driving the useless thoughts from his mind, Muen looked at the sky.

Above the hole their earlier battle had blown open, the distant sunset dyed the blue sky in a layer of scarlet; clouds spread like fish scales—so beautiful it made one sigh.

“It’s already this late?”

“I wonder if we can get out before dark.”

Muen rubbed his chin and looked to the side:

“Liya, you... hm?”

His questioning voice paused.

Amid the piled junk, the girl had her head lowered, sneakily peeking at something.

She looked thoroughly absorbed.

That posture—so relaxed from being overly engrossed—was extremely rare on a girl who aspired to become a future Saintess.

“Found something good?”

Muen asked curiously:

“Looking that hard?”

“!”

At Muen’s voice, a jagged line like on an ECG flashed down the girl’s back. She jolted, and shoved whatever she’d just pried open back into her arms.

“N-nothing!”

The sunset cast the girl’s cheeks in rosy red, like a ripe apple, so tender it seemed juice would drip.

“I can’t even take a look?”

“No!”

The girl puffed her cheeks and guarded her chest with all her might, looking very decided.

“Alright...”

Muen scratched at the corner of his mouth.

So he really was disliked just now, huh.

But, same as last time, it wasn’t on purpose.

Tch.

Sure enough, someone like him could never get protagonist treatment.

“W-what did you want to ask just now?”

After confirming Muen hadn’t seen anything, Liya patted her own surging waves and let out an adorable breath of relief, then changed the subject.

“Ah, right.”

Muen lightly thumped his palm:

“I wanted to ask if Liya knows about how long it’ll take us to get out of the forest. I’m guessing we’re not far from the edge, but I can’t be sure. Earlier, you—”

“I saw the forest’s exit,” Liya answered.

“Really?” Muen’s eyes lit up.

“Mm.”

The girl nodded and counted on her fingers:

“If we pick up the pace a little, we can probably get out in about two hours.”

Half an hour earlier had been her maximum speed.

Now that the enemies were all dead, there was no need to run like they were fleeing for their lives.

Slower... was nice too.

“Two hours, huh?”

Muen looked to the distance; although the sunset still spread across the sky, he could still see a small piece of the sun’s disc along the silhouettes of the giant trees.

There should still be a while before the sun truly went down.

“Two hours should be enough for us to get out.”

Muen mused:

“And even if we can’t make it, it’s fine. The forest edge shouldn’t be that dangerous. For that, walking a bit at night is a worthwhile trade.”

“Better than spending another night in a place like this...”

“I don’t think another night would be so bad...”

On the breeze came the girl’s whisper, so soft, so soft.

“Mm?”

Muen couldn’t help frowning.

Maybe because he’d absorbed too much mana in one go, he seemed to be hallucinating.

After all, a delicate beauty who hates snakes and bugs and hates being unable to bathe—how could she say something as dumb as spending another night camping in the forest?

“Let’s go.”

Deciding to ignore a harmless hallucination, Muen smiled at Liya.

“Mm.”

Liya, as was her habit, answered with a light hum, quickened her steps, and casually caught hold of the ragged corner of Muen’s clothes.

See? A girl this timid—how could she possibly agree to the danger of a night in the forest?

“Don’t worry.”

Muen drew Elizabeth as usual to clear the way in front, smiling as he reassured her:

“The enemies are all dead. This forest shouldn’t be dangerous anymore.”

“...I know.”

Crack.

“Then... are you hurt? If so, as a gentleman, I can reluctantly help Liya a little.”

Muen’s peripheral vision slid over a certain place on Liya that still had a very strong presence, and he said solemnly:

“Judging by sight alone, that much weight—I can still handle it.”

“No way.”

The girl saw through Muen’s little scheme at a glance. The afterglow still hadn’t faded from her small face; pouting lips muttered:

“Bad guy, pervert!”

“Tch, damn—how did you even notice my...”

Crack, crack.

Walking ahead, Muen had only gotten halfway through his joke when he suddenly stopped, making the unprepared Liya bump straight into his back.

“Uu... that hurt.”

With tears at the corners of her eyes, Liya rubbed her jade nose and glared at Muen’s back with a snort, then thumped him with a pink fist in petty revenge:

“W-what are you doing?”

So I didn’t agree to your naughty idea—if you asked me nicely...

“Did you hear something?”

“A sound?”

Muen’s suddenly grave tone made Liya pause, then grow serious too.

She cocked her ears and carefully sorted through the ambient noise around them.

“I don’t hear anything. Besides the wind, and—”

“Gaa—”

A sharp crow’s caw cut off the girl’s words.

Both of them turned to look at the flock of crows taking off from a branch not far away.

Those crows had followed the corpse here and had been waiting in silence, just biding their time until Muen and Liya left so they could enjoy the feast delivered to their door.

So Muen hadn’t bothered to bury Fular—those clever crows would dig her back up anyway.

But now, for some reason, the crows couldn’t even care about the feast right under their beaks. They spread their wings and fled in ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) panic toward the distance.

“Something’s wrong.”

Muen’s face sank; he deftly seized the girl’s hand:

“Let’s move!”

Muen pulled Liya and sprinted.

Liya sensibly poured down a stream of Holy Light, and their speed rose another level.

At that pace, never mind thirty minutes—fifteen wouldn’t even pass before the two of them could leave this dangerous forest.

But...

Crack, crack, crack.

As the sound Muen had been seeking grew ever clearer, he finally understood what it was.

It was...

The sound of something breaking.

But the problem was, in this forest of giant trees, vines, and soft humus, what could possibly make such a crisp sound when it shattered?

“Muen.”

Liya’s voice sounded by Muen’s ear, clearly laced with fear:

“Look up!”

“Up?”

Focused on the path ahead, Muen lifted his head.

And then—

His pupils shrank.

Following Liya’s indication, he finally saw the source of that strange sound.

Right over their heads.

On that limpid canopy of sky.

A pitch-black fissure was slowly appearing from top to bottom. Zi and I’m Not a Fish says: Welcome to Tongren Novel Network at tongrenxsw.com to read this book!

Crack.

Crack, crack.

Crack, crack, crack, crack.

In this forest, whether it was the giant trees, the vines, the ground, or the moss-covered rocks, none of them could make that kind of crisp, glass-shattering sound.

So the thing making the sound—

Was space.

Space, gradually breaking.

Different from the petty turbulence caused by that earlier spatial magic, space itself was being torn apart like a fragile bolt of cloth, revealing the deep pitch-black behind it.

That fissure was incomparably vast, as if it split half the sky.

Then, in the abyssal blackness beyond the crack—where it seemed mountain ranges were being sketched—suddenly, a blazing sun rose and looked down on all things.

But Muen quickly realized that did not seem to be a sun.

It was an eye.

An eye that seemed to embody all the majesty in the world... a golden vertical pupil!

“What... is that.”

Muen’s voice trembled.

...

...

“Lord Eller.”

At the mist-wreathed edge of the forest, Adolf—who had just circled the entire forest again—descended from the sky, looked at the stern middle-aged man on horseback, and asked:

“Any sign of the Campbell brat?”

“None.”

Eller gripped the reins tight, veins jumping on the back of his hand from the force, and shook his head:

“The men we sent out still haven’t responded.”

“What about the search perimeter?”

“This forest is too big. Even if the army searched through the night, we wouldn’t reach even one-fifth.”

As Eller reported the information, his eyes grew darker.

“And after all, this is a key border zone. Even if he is the son of that lord, I can only spare half the army to look for him. I ask your forgiveness, Lord Adolf.”

“No, I’ve no standing to blame you. On the contrary, that you’re willing to help me search—I’m already deeply grateful.”

Adolf gave a self-mocking smile.

As one of the dignified elders of the Adventurers’ Guild, a Crowned-tier famous across the continent, he had actually managed to lose his employer while personally executing a commission.

If this got out, he’d lose every shred of his old face.

But no matter what, he had to find that Campbell brat as soon as possible. Otherwise—never mind whether his later years would be ruined—he wouldn’t be able to explain this to that Lion of the Campbells, or even to the whole Empire.

“Should we... take the risk and go into the forest to search?”

Adolf stroked his beard, weighing the feasibility.

Though the forest did indeed forbid Crowned from entering, if he suppressed his aura and moved quickly, it might work.

After all—

“Mm?”

In the distance,

From the dense forest, a cloud of birds surged up, covering the sky like a storm-driven black cloud.

As if sensing something, the always-steady Adolf suddenly fixed his gaze on the forest, face full of shock.

“Lord Adolf!”

Struggling to control the suddenly spooked horse beneath him, Eller asked:

“What’s happening?”

“N-no way!”

Staring into the distance, Adolf didn’t even notice as a few hairs tore free from his beard. His voice trembled:

“How is this possible?”

“It’s been quiet for hundreds of years... Why would it start moving now, of all times?”

“That... Calamity?!!”