Fwooosh!

Fwooooosh!

Koopa continued to flap his massive wings. The four huddled on Koopas back, tightly holding onto his feathers.

S-Stop them

What the hell?!

Stop them! Shoot them! Anything!

What the hell are the magicians doing?!

You idiots Shut up if you dont know whats happening to us!

The transferees, knights, and magicians at the mountain range were all left behind.

With despondent looks, they could only watch as the large bird flew off with their prey.

How does this make any sense

They just flew off

Flap flap flap!

The birds that circled the sky before Koopas arrival followed behind them.

Damn it Follow them!

How are we supposed to follow them when we dont know where theyre headed?

Koopa headed south.

However, as they were flying toward the higher mountains, the thin air made it extremely difficult to breathe.

Krgh P-Princess Riona! Please hold on!

I-Im slipping! The wind is

She wasnt exaggerating in the slightest.

The fierce winds shook everyone, sparking worries that they might be blown off course.

Fwooooosh!

Urgh

I dont think Ill be able to

But then

Fwirl!

Fwirl!

...Huh?

Isnt this

Shadow Hands shot out from Seol, supporting them all.

He held them so tightly that they no longer had to worry about falling off.

- Excuse me, sir? You have to pay a fine if you dont put your seatbelt on.

- Phew~ I almost had to pay

- WTF??? Are those hands???

Only then did they finally realize: that they were in the air, riding on the back of a flying creature.

Seols sturdy Shadow Hand allowed them to lean closer to the bird's back and observe their surroundings.

Haah Haah

Riona began to breathe quickly.

Is it difficult to breathe, Rine?

I-I was just shocked. W-Were flying right now.

We really are flying through the sky.

Fwooooosh!

Fwooosh!

They swiftly flew past the scenery as the steadily rising sun illuminated the landscape.

The sun brushing past the mountains only further highlighted how focused they had been sneaking through the mountain range overnight.

Caaaaaw!

Koopa slowly headed toward an unknown canyon.

Fwooooosh!

And they were greeted by the canyons fierce and chilling winds.

Urgh

Riona clenched her eyes shut as the wind felt like knives cutting her skin.

She tightly held her body, trying to keep the cold from piercing through her.

Fwooooooosh!

Riona, look ahead.

Ahead

You should open your eyes, Your Highness, said Chadorf.

Steadily, she fluttered her eyes open.

......

The sun is rising.

The rising sun removed the shadows from their faces, melting away the fatigue that had built up from the night.

Its warmth was just the right temperature.

...How beautiful.

Hahaha! Precisely, Your Highness! The world is still filled with so many wonders you have yet to see!

Its completely different from what I knew.

It required light to pull back the darkness.

However, that same darkness also taught you the value of light.

Riona had faced an immense amount of difficulty in such a short period of time.

Her brother commanded the world to kill her, leaving her with only her weak body to fend for herself.

She had just two no, three allies.

It was the first time she had even formed blisters, the first time she had ever run with all her might.

She tripped and tumbled. She had even skipped multiple meals.

However, those experiences only made this moment that much more valuable.

Hrgh. Ahhhh

...Riona.

Ill survive no matter what and go back.

......

I Ill survive this no matter what and say it with all my heart That my

Tears continued to run down her face, the sunlight reflecting off them and making them shine like diamonds.

That my life is worth living! That all of these experiences are valuable to me! I will tell everyone.

That is fantastic, Your Highness.

I wont give up anymore! I will think of all of this as a test! A test to see the world with pure and just eyes!

...And I will continue to serve you with all my heart, Your Highness.

Seol and the others continued to fly for a while after that as well.

They had put enough distance between themselves and the pursuers at the Bragrand Mountains to no longer worry about them for the rest of their adventure.

Caw caw

Through Resonance, Seol received Koopas intent.

...I think this is as far as he can take us.

Is Koopa tired?

He says he needs to go quickly. He seemed to have veered way off course to help us.

Fwoosh

Fwoooosh

Koopa slowly flapped his wings as he descended to the ground.

Caw caw

After letting everyone off, Koopa leaned forward.

Instantly understanding what Koopa wanted, Seol began petting him.

Thank you, Koopa. Really

Caw caw!

C-Could I pet him as well? Riona asked, putting her hand forward.

Of course.

Pet pet

Thank you so much, Mr. Koopa, Riona smiled while petting Koopas head. Thank you for transporting us so safely. I would like to see you again.

Caw caw!

Fwoosh!

Woooosh

After a quick goodbye, Koopa once again returned to the clouds with the other birds that were following him.

Theres not much left now, said Seol, looking southward. Well be arriving in Frion soon.

* * *

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

Gulp

Their eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.

The sacrifice died while bleeding from all of their orifices.

Ahhhhhhh!

Pop!

The mans body inflated like a balloon before popping.

And after his sacrifice, the magic circle around them activated.

Hum

The people standing on top of it were all transported elsewhere.

After finishing the spell, Bria grimaced while grabbing her temple.

Urgh I feel a bit dizzy.

Are you alright, Miss Bria?

Yeah, its nothing serious. Im just a bit dizzy after using the teleportation magic circle multiple times.

A side-effect for those with an immense amount of mana. Please rest before you continue.

Sure. How many sacrifices do we have left by the way?

The stout old man began counting the number of gagged sacrifices.

We have roughly twenty sacrifices left. Weve used a bit more than we initially expected, but we can always receive more from the other branches.

The fact that they called them 'sacrifices' instead of 'people' showed how far they had fallen.

After the Immortal disappeared, the Church of Eternal Life degenerated into a group of heinous villains who didn't hesitate to resort to nefarious means.

Good, then lets take a break first.

Step step

With a fur scarf from an unidentified animal wrapped around her neck, she slowly approached the flamboyant chair before sitting down.

Were at a pretty good pace. Well barely be able to make it.

Also According to the branch manager here, Shuro passed by not too long ago.

Shuro? So he was alive!

Yes, he is alive.

I knew it I knew he wouldnt have died like that. So, what else?

After being told that you would be arriving soon, he quickly left after leaving behind a letter.

Huh? Show me.

Flutter

Bria opened the letter Shuro left behind.

- Miss Bria, its Shuro. Im sorry, I lost them. However, Ive left something to track them with during the fight, so I should be able to catch up to them soon.

Hm So Shuro did lose.

- Im sure youre worried about me because I havent contacted you in a while but dont! Ill catch up to them soon and slow them down! Also, Ive written down some of their skills and strategies below. Miss Bria I miss you.

Fwoosh!

Bria burned the letter after reading through it.

Hes a smart kid. He knows exactly what to do.

Kuku Isnt that why you favor him so much, Miss Bria?

Regardless Where are they?

Theyve passed through the line set up at the Bragrand Mountains, a thin man answered.

Already? Theyre that strong? I mean I guess they do have an archmage. Wait Hold on a second?

Bria paused for a second and began rubbing her chin.

Shuro didnt mention an archmage, though?

* * *

Moments before arriving at Frions gate

Seol and the others were forced to pass through these gates to reach the harbor city.

As such, Shuro, after recovering from Karunas attack, was lurking here for them.

I need to slow them down here.

Fuu Fuuu

Shuro had to keep a cool head.

His opponent was strong.

But Is he really a summoner?

The knight he had faced before was incredibly strong with sharp swordsmanship.

Shuro had been one-sidedly defeated by him before.

Though he had recovered significantly, his injuries still stung.

Next time we meet Ill win.

Shuro was a monster who became stronger with time.

After surviving a near-death experience, Shuro had faith that he wouldnt lose so easily this time.

More than faith, he was sure of it.

...Still, I should probably avoid a head-on assault, right?

The summoners gaze was a chain on his heart. It was almost as if they were stating that his defeat was inevitable.

Dont mess with me

Stab

Squirm

Shuro stabbed a scorpion with a dagger, causing it to squirm.

Good boy

Shuro then extracted its poisons and stored them in a small vial.

He then proceeded to stab a snake, extracted venom from its fangs, and deposited it into the same vial.

Afterward, he found a colorful frog and scraped its skin off, adding it to the same vial again.

Fuu lets see.

Lick.

Shuro tasted the frogs poison.

Not ba

Thud

His head drooped low.

And then, after a few seconds

Fwip!

He quickly got up once again.

Woah I died just now.

Shuros regeneration had increased massively after his narrow escape.

But despite that, he had lost consciousness from the poison.

It was just that potent.

Now, lets mix all of these and

Fssssssss

It was a strange reaction.

First, it turned red like blood.

Ill dilute it a bit, and

Fssssssss

Shuro then dipped his dagger into the vial.

And after an hour

All done.

The daggers blade glowed red.

It was a poison that could kill with just a scratch.

Im sure even he wont be able to survive this, right?

Which meant that the princess, the knight, and the noble were also destined for the same fate.

Well, I guess it doesnt matter who I stab.

All Shuro had to do was buy time after attacking them.

In fact, that was his objective from the start.

And still, while the poison had been diluted, it was potent enough to kill most people with just a scratch.

Fwip

Theyre here! Its them.

Shuro had sprayed the summoner with a scent before making his narrow escape. It was a scent that only members of the Church of Eternal Life could recognize.

It doesnt last that long because of it, but its still more than enough time to track them down.

Shuro had wondered if he should have attacked the moment he noticed them, but it was obvious what the result would be if he rushed it. As such, he waited in ambush.

Hes passing through here. I cant believe he already made it here, though! I thought it would take at least a couple more days

Fwooosh

[Shuro used Shrouded Blade.]

[You hide in the shadows to hide your presence.]

[While your senses sharpen in the shadows, your vision is greatly impaired until you leave them.]

Shuro entered his shadow.

He then heard a couple of voices.

Well be in Frion once we pass through here.

Weve almost made it then.

I dont know how much more well have to walk until we make it there, but it shouldnt be too far.

Hahaha! It should be fine once we cross the gate, dont worry

Shuro dug deeper into the shadows.

I am a shadow.

I am nature.

Step.

A heavy step.

This wasnt the summoner.

It was the knight.

Step

An old mans step.

Step.

A light step.

It could be the steps of a child. How could they feel so light and clear?

Was it the princess?

No, this is him.

Those are the summoners footsteps

Then the princess must be next.

Then that means

I should

Grab!

Someone had suddenly grabbed Shuros head.

I didnt expect you to survive.

Urgh

Seol had pulled Shuro out from the shadows.

This summoner How is he so strong

Shuro tried to resist, but he couldnt.

And then

Staaab!

Huh?

Die.

The dagger Shuro had prepared to stab the princess with was now lodged in his own chest instead.

Kyaaaaaa!

Rine, close your eyes! shouted Chadorf.

As he did

Crush!

Seol popped Shuros head.

Splatter

Blood splattered onto Seols crow mask.

After taking a second to wipe off his gloves and mask with a handkerchief, Seol turned back toward the others.

Lets go.