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Chapter 63
Big Fish Hunting (5)
“No…?!”
The golden sword-ki of Theodora shattered into pieces.
From her point of view, it must have been completely incomprehensible.
As a Graduate of the academy, she could never have expected her sword-ki to be shattered by some brat far below her rank.
“Ugh…!”
Shraaak!
A sword-ki formed from a combination of Baltfelt paegum-style swordsmanship and Kalesius’s spear-thunder sword technique sliced through Theodora’s torso.
But it wasn’t a fatal wound.
That was because Theodora’s personal defense device was deployed firmly.
‘As expected, an upper-level Graduate’s personal defense device…!’
I couldn’t stop now.
If Theodora counterattacked, I’d be in danger.
I had to finish this right away.
“Ernas…!”
Without caring that blood was pouring out, Theodora urgently tried to reform her sword-ki.
But I had no reason to let her.
Maintaining my golden sword-ki, I launched a continuous assault.
Bang! Bang! KA-BOOM!
Theodora’s sword-ki failed to form properly and scattered in all directions.
Because I combined the Baltfelt paegum sword technique with the Kalesius spear-thunder sword method, I could smash any half-formed sword-ki Theodora produced.
‘The Baltfelt family’s golden sword-ki’s greatest weakness… is that it takes time to form!’
It was even described that way in the novels.
Besides, I had thoroughly studied the Baltfelt paegum style.
I could interfere so Theodora couldn’t complete her sword-ki.
“What is this…!”
Kra-thoom! Kra-kra-thoom!
My attacks and Theodora’s defenses collided again and again.
If Theodora couldn’t properly form her sword-ki, then, with equal swordsmanship skill, I had the advantage.
With an intermediate-level Graduate’s reservoir of magic, I could press an upper-level Graduate like Theodora.
“Ugh!”
Thunk!
An upward strike completely collapsed Theodora’s defensive stance.
Seeing her face distort, I raised my sword.
‘The signature strike of the Baltfelt paegum — the Grand Smash.’
The move Theodora had earlier unleashed trying to kill me in one blow.
I performed the same motion she had used.
The Baltfelt family’s swordsmanship assaulted the Baltfelt family’s second-in-command.
“…!”
Theodora’s body was protected by her defense device.
But the Grand Smash of Baltfelt paegum possessed power capable of ripping a defense device apart.
The golden sword-ki shattered Theodora’s collarbone and drove deep into her torso.
“Kuh, ack…!”
Shraaak!
As I sheathed the sword and stepped back, blood spurted out.
Theodora, mortally wounded, staggered.
“Er-nas…!”
Still, Theodora hauled her greatsword up again.
Even after taking a mortal wound, she tried to counterattack — truly the fighting spirit of a Baltfelt Graduate.
“I will—!”
Even mortally wounded, a wild animal thrashes until the breath leaves its body.
With lion-like brown hair flying, Theodora tried to attack me.
“For the Baltfelt family…!”
Slash!
My swinging sword ripped through Theodora’s shoulder muscles.
Her arm went limp; she could no longer hold up the sword.
“Ah….”
Unable to bear the greatsword’s weight, Theodora collapsed forward.
She fell onto the lake’s surface; water splashed everywhere.
“Theodora Baltfelt.”
I looked down at her and spoke in a cold voice.
“Your greatest mistake was trying to make the unworthy Gort Baltfelt the pinnacle of the Academy.”
“….”
“To make him the Academy’s pinnacle, you had no choice but to eliminate his competitors.”
Theodora had been willing to use any means to make Gort the Academy’s summit.
That was why she had to ambush me.
“In the end… you had no choice but to lose.”
I had known exactly how Theodora would act.
I also knew how to create the openings I needed.
From the moment she decided to eliminate me, Theodora’s defeat had been sealed.
“….”
She could say nothing more.
The lake turned red as she cooled.
The great figure of the Baltfelts’ famed veteran had fallen by my hand.
“Ernas!”
While walking through the dim underground space, I heard Jolse’s voice.
He was running toward me with Baltfelt swordsmen in tow.
“You’re alive!”
“Professor Jolse, why—”
“I realized belatedly that you had fallen into the depths! So I hurried down!”
Theodora’s subordinates must have worked hard to keep Jolse from piecing things together.
But in the end he must have noticed something and come down to see.
“Why did you enter a restricted area? There should have been markers. Why didn’t you follow instructions?”
“Professor Jolse, there’s something I should tell you first.”
“What is it?”
I lifted my head.
Mohad, Theodora’s aide, looked at me with a flustered expression.
“Everyone, I would like you to take this sword.”
“…!”
When I held out a sword, the other Baltfelt swordsmen looked shocked.
“Th-this is….”
“Theodora’s sword!”
Indeed.
I held Theodora’s greatsword.
“Ernas, how—”
Mohad’s voice trembled.
“How did you get Theodora’s sword…?”
“Theodora was attacked by a monster.”
“…!”
“There was a lake where underground water had pooled in that direction. Theodora was ambushed by a monster there… and lost her life.”
Of course, it was a lie.
But it was a lie that wouldn’t be exposed.
When I left the lake, the scent of blood had attracted monsters.
There were also mid-to-large monsters capable of bone-crushing bites, so the fact that I had mortally wounded Theodora would not be discovered.
“All I managed to salvage was Lady Theodora’s sword. I fled with only this.”
“This is absurd!”
Mohad raised his voice.
“You say Lady Theodora was attacked by monsters? And you brought back her relics? How—!”
For Mohad, it must have been preposterous.
He had come to kill Ernas in the depths, yet Ernas was alive and Theodora was dead.
“Lady Theodora is an upper-level Graduate! And you’re a lower-level Graduate…!”
“Mohad, wait a moment.”
At that point Jolse interrupted Mohad.
“May I confirm one thing?”
“What is it?”
“When I asked earlier, you answered that Lady Theodora had left for a nearby town due to urgent business. So why was Lady Theodora in the deep dungeon? And why near where Ernas fell?”
“…!”
At Jolse’s question, Mohad’s face hardened.
“At that time I went to check strange noises coming from the deeper part of the dungeon. But you dismissed it saying it was probably noise from internal construction, didn’t you?”
“P-Professor Jolse, that was merely my conjecture—”
“Could it be that Lady Theodora knew Ernas had fallen? That she knew and went down to the depths alone?”
“Um….”
Jolse’s accusation was sharp.
He must have already seen through the truth of the incident.
All that remained dangerous was if it became known that I had personally felled Theodora.
‘I must not let it be known at this point that I killed Theodora.’
Theodora was an upper-level Graduate.
Meanwhile, I was known to be a lower-level Graduate.
It would be far too unnatural if I had slain Theodora.
‘Also… if the Lanzstein family’s heir is said to have killed the Baltfelts’ second-in-command, it will cause a huge commotion.’
Even if Theodora had attacked first, that would be a major scandal.
A commotion of that magnitude right now would be undesirable.
“Ernas, when you met Lady Theodora, what kind of attitude did she show toward you?”
“It was so chaotic I don’t remember clearly. However….”
I answered Jolse calmly.
“She didn’t seem particularly friendly toward me. Rather, she seemed hostile.”
“I see.”
“Th-this is nonsense…!”
Mohad raised his voice.
“What do you mean! Do you mean to say Lady Theodora went into the deep dungeon to harm Ernas? That can’t be! Professor Jolse, this is an insult to Lady Theodora—”
“I will investigate what happened thoroughly.”
Cutting Mohad off, Jolse spoke in a cold voice.
“I already instructed Heinrich to search the area where Ernas fell thoroughly.”
“What, what did you say?”
“Because it was suspicious that Ernas had left the practice route and entered a restricted area. If there’s a problem, Heinrich will find it.”
“…!”
This was something I had not expected.
Jolse had given the order trusting Heinrich’s abilities.
Heinrich might uncover evidence that they had forced me to fall here.
“No, so this is….”
“Mohad.”
I addressed the gaping Mohad in a cold voice.
“First, I suggest you retrieve Lady Theodora’s body.”
“…!”
Hearing my cold admonishment, Mohad’s face contorted.
Theodora Baltfelt was dead.
The news reached even Gort, who had not yet passed the second exam.
“What, what did you say? Aunt really died like that?!”
“That’s what I heard.”
The man who told him was a professor who had been on friendly terms with the family for some time.
He had close ties to the Baltfelt family and knew Theodora personally.
“That Lady Theodora, who was in charge of this year’s Grand Dungeon management, died like that… This is serious.”
It indeed was serious in many ways.
That the second-in-command, Theodora, had died was a major blow to the Baltfelt family.
Recently the Baltfelts hadn’t produced many capable Graduates, so someone like Theodora, who had reached the upper-level, was a very valuable asset.
Also, she had been responsible for managing the western Grand Dungeon and had died inside it — that was a problem.
It could be seen as a sign of the Baltfelts’ incompetence.
They might lose the right to manage the western Grand Dungeon to another family.
That would be a great disgrace to the Baltfelts.
“Also, Professor Jolse’s movements are suspicious. He seems to suspect that Lady Theodora set a trap to eliminate Ernas. I don’t know if there’s evidence, though.”
“….”
“Frankly, even I find it a bit suspicious after hearing the story. From Lady Theodora’s standpoint… if she took care of Ernas quietly down there, it would be convenient in many ways.”
That was true.
Gort had already suspected Theodora wanted to eliminate Ernas.
So Gort had realized this might have been Theodora’s plot from the start.
“Theodora really had no luck.”
“….”
“If she had quietly killed Ernas in the depths of the dungeon, everything would’ve been solved. But she was attacked by monsters and lost her life—”
As he listened, Gort felt his lips tremble.
“She wasn’t attacked by monsters.”
“What?”
“She wouldn’t have been killed by monsters.”
When Gort said that, the professor in front of him made a bitter face.
“Gort, you have to accept reality. The body recovered by the Baltfelt swordsmen surely—”
“Ernas! He did something again, I’m sure of it!”
Gort interrupted.
“He killed my aunt! She was done in by him!”
“Gort, does that make any sense? Ernas is a lower-level Graduate — how could he kill an upper-level Graduate like Lady Theodora?”
“I don’t know! He must have plotted some scheme! He lured my aunt into a trap and took her life!”
No doubt about it.
Ernas Lanzstein — that sly bastard — would be capable of such a thing.
“Damn, damn…!”
“G-Gort! The retest is coming up, don’t go on like that!”
Unable to control his emotions, Gort slammed his wooden practice sword into the ground.
Pain shot through his wrist, but he couldn’t calm down.
“Ernas Lanzstein… I will kill you!”
Gort burned with hatred for Ernas.
The problem was that Gort had no way to act.
Most instructors who had supported the Baltfelts were already exposed, and the one who had supported them materially and spiritually, Theodora, was dead.
Who could he turn to now?
Should he call the head of the Baltfelt family in the north — his father — to come to the Academy and help?
To say Ernas’s gap is widening and ask for resolution?
“Damn…!”
He struck the ground violently and at last the wooden sword snapped.
Seeing the broken pieces of the wooden sword rolling on the ground gave him a sense of kinship, and Gort slumped down.
Even while Gort lay on the floor like that, Ernas would be soaring toward the Academy’s pinnacle.
Thinking that made him so furious he felt he might go mad.
