Chapter 867

“A monster!”

“What the hell? Where did it suddenly come from?!”

“Everyone, get back!”

The temple where the funeral was held was located in the heart of Sharloin. Those who saw the monsters tearing through alleys without rhyme or reason stared in disbelief and screamed.

Just as a few monsters, letting out sharp and chilling cries, began to charge at the fleeing people, an attack flew in from somewhere, piercing straight through the head of the lead monster.

“----!!”

The monster collapsed without even managing a scream. The others reflexively looked around, but they couldn’t find the weapon that struck or the person who had thrown it.

Then it happened.

“—Now!”

“Haahhhp!”

“Uaaah!”

Voices rang out from seemingly empty space, and people who had been lying in ambush leapt over the walls on either side, launching their attacks. The ambush was so successful that the monsters couldn’t mount a proper response, and before long, they had all been taken down.

Only then did a figure appear from the empty air. A woman holding multiple daggers in her hands glanced at the panting people around her and spoke.

“Is anyone... hurt?”

“N-No... We’re fine. Thank you!”

They were none other than Kyureijina and the Awakeners from the Star of Nagran. Since the illegal fighting ring incident, they had remained in the branch, and their reason for coming out now was obviously to deal with the monsters.

At present, there were almost no members left at the Southern Branch. At most, there were just enough to guard the prisoners and defend the building—some mages, and a few who weren’t even official members yet.

That small group could have handled ordinary threats, but the screams that began to echo through the city were far beyond anyone’s expectations. Upon discovering that monsters were roaming the city center, they held a quick meeting and, without any orders, courageously stepped outside.

To protect the branch until the Cavalry returned—and to save the people of Sharloin from the monsters.

Fortunately, due to the storm and unexpected hail, most Sharloin residents were holed up inside their homes. The monsters didn’t seem inclined to break through doors or climb walls to attack, so fighting them wasn’t overly difficult.

Still, that didn’t mean it was without danger—several Awakeners were injured while dealing with the monsters and had to be carried back to the branch.

However, among Kyureijina and the Star of Nagran Awakeners, none had been hurt. That was entirely thanks to Kyureijina’s exceptional stealth and reconnaissance skills.

The Awakeners from the Star of Nagran followed Kyureijina, checking their wounds with awkward expressions. Normally distant due to guilt over her past, she had come forward today, saying she would defend the branch.

No one said it aloud, but everyone assumed it was because of Loenev, who had been quietly maintaining the power of nullification without leaving the branch.

‘I’d heard she wasn’t really a bad person, but I was always too scared to approach her... And just today, she’s already saved me three times.’

Jack, a young boy among the Star of Nagran Awakeners, scratched his head sheepishly as he watched Kyureijina’s figure.

‘Once we’re done and back at the branch, I’ll definitely thank her properly!’

“Oh dear! This isn’t good. The monsters just keep coming... Are the people who /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ went out all okay? We can’t even tell from here.”

Inside the branch building, Alik anxiously peeked outside through the curtains. Startled by a door suddenly opening behind him, he turned his head.

“Eeek?!”

The one who emerged was Helrem, wearing a thick waterproof robe and holding a slender staff embedded with a magic stone.

“H-Helrem? You scared me! But... what are you wearing?!”

“Can’t you tell?”

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to go outside?!”

“Why not? Is there some law that says old folks have to stay indoors?”

Helrem smiled as she spoke. Alik, honed by years under a grumpy master, instantly recognized that it wasn’t a real smile and dropped flat in deference.

“N-No! Of course not!”

“Then?”

“Right now, monsters are showing up that are strong enough to hurt even Awakeners. If you went out and got injured, that’d be terrible! I-I’m just worried about you...”

“That’s exactly why I’m going.”

“Huh?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Alik looked up, confused by the incomprehensible response. Helrem spoke calmly, gazing at the younger mage with his round cheeks.

“Like you said, everyone’s suddenly in danger because of the monsters. When I saw those kids—barely teens at most—going out to protect us and help others, I realized I couldn’t just stay hidden in here.”

“......”

Alik was at a loss for words, blinking rapidly. Helrem gave him a faint, bitter smile.

“This is what knights and mages were originally supposed to do. Judging by how no one else is showing up, I suppose that tells us something—but someone still has to do it.”

“B-But... there aren’t any proper artifacts or magic stones here. How are you planning to deal with those monsters with magic... You’re a monster research expert, not a combat mage...”

“That’s right. I specialize in monster research. Which is exactly why I think now is the time for me to act. Don’t you get it?”

“What do you mean...”

As Alik muttered in confusion, a memory suddenly flashed through his mind.

His mentor, Tais Yulman, had once said something after hearing Helrem had joined the branch.

‘Thought she died during some research... Tch. Never imagined I’d see her again in a place like this... Well, someone of her caliber wouldn’t go down that easily! I’ve never met a mage besides her who managed to grow old and retire after a career in monster research!’

Alik had always assumed Helrem never used magic and only focused on research. But the danger level of the topics she studied was on an entirely different scale from anything he or his teacher handled.

To study monsters, one had to go to where the monsters were. That meant willingly walking into deathtraps, fearlessly sticking your hands near beasts that might kill you at any moment.

A mage who survived such research and made it to retirement.

A mage who, even now, had not stopped researching.

The weight of that suddenly hit Alik hard, sending a chill down his spine.

Helrem, watching the silent Alik, let out a small laugh.

“You fool. When I was younger, we fought bare-handed if we had to. And if a mage doesn’t have at least one trump spell ready for emergencies, how can they even call themselves a mage?”

She waved the slender staff in her hand. It looked barely sturdier than a twig—but the magic stone embedded at the tip was different. Alik only just realized that this was her hidden trump card.

“There’s probably no mage here who knows more about monsters than I do. Looking from here, those creatures move in groups but lack any sense of camaraderie. Their vision is narrow, only facing forward. That makes them weak to traps. So, what should we do?”

“Dig traps... right?”

“Exactly. So I’m heading out. You stay here and take care of Penpen.”

“W-Wait a second!”

Alik shouted toward Helrem as she casually walked away.

“Helrem! I’ll go too! Please take me with you!”

“What? If it’s guilt that’s driving you, don’t bother. You’d be more helpful feeding Penpen than tagging along and being dead weight.”

“I—I won’t deny I get scared easily! But... I think you’ve forgotten something... I’m an Awakener too!”

For the first time, Helrem blinked slowly.

“Oh... right. I did forget. But will that really help?”

The subtle doubt in her eyes made Alik flare up and shout.

“I haven’t just been sitting around doing nothing, you know! I’ve been training and researching how to combine magic and my Awakening ability to get the most out of minimal power!”

“You’ve been doing that?”

“Well, it wasn’t just my idea... I asked Yuder for some advice on training methods... But even so, I’m not completely useless in situations like this!”

Alik clenched his fists and shouted. He hadn’t had any real combat experience, but his words were true.

Through research with his teacher, he’d increased his power to the point he could now conjure several cups of water. And to use that power effectively in battle—and daily life—he had been training under Yuder’s guidance whenever he could. His dream was to combine tools with Awakener power to use both to their fullest.

“A-Actually, while making control devices, I also made a bunch of other experimental tools. I thought maybe I could use Awakener power to adjust output and create different effects, kind of like magical tools...”

“You’re talking too much. Can’t we just go already?”

“Wh-What I mean is! I’ve got lots of extra tools, and I’m sure at least some of them will be useful!”

Seeing the frightened but fired-up young mage, Helrem finally nodded as if she had no choice.

“Technically, using untested tools in the field is prohibited... but fine. I’ll overlook it this once. Just take care of yourself and don’t get in my way.”

“Absolutely!”

And with that, the two mages packed their things and headed out. Thus began another unexpected storm that would shake the Southern Branch.