TSN 16

Chapter 16

Bright red flames burst forth, devouring the thick darkness that had settled.

Whoooooosh-!

The uncontrollable fire spread along the oil-soaked floor of the old magic artifact warehouse.

Watching this absurd scene, Chipness muttered in disbelief.

“Im, impossible. Did he really set it on fire……?”

Meanwhile, Pierre standing beyond the raging flames was utterly calm.

A peaceful face as if watching flames in a fireplace.

That sight made Chipness even more horrified.

And at that moment.

‘……If anything happens there, I will hold you, as the senior teaching assistant, strictly responsible.’

Professor Sanculotte’s words flashed through Chipness’s mind.

No matter what the freshmen had done, the responsibility lay with Chipness as the senior teaching assistant.

Especially not just any incident, but the major incident of ‘artifact warehouse arson.’

“Ah…… Ah……”

Chipness’s shoulders began trembling like an aspen leaf.

This wasn’t a scale she could handle alone.

If things went wrong, it was an unprecedented situation that could shake the entire Alma family…… or even destroy it completely.

Crackle-! Roar-!

Soon the flames were greedily devouring the display cases where the old magic artifacts were placed.

Eventually, the wooden display cases began cracking, and old magic artifacts started falling one by one through the gaps.

At the same time, black auras began spreading from several old magic artifacts.

A damp and acrid negative energy.

Chipness covered her mouth due to intense nausea.

“Ugh, blegh-!”

Most of the old magic artifacts’ effects hadn’t been completely assessed yet.

If the seals loosened even slightly due to the fire, dangerous artifacts would go berserk.

Then a second major accident separate from the artifact warehouse fire would occur.

Moreover, the old magic artifacts belonged to the Rune Order.

Each one held tremendous value both historically and monetarily.

Far more than the life of someone like Chipness could compensate for.

Only then did Chipness snap to her senses.

“No, not the artifacts……!”

Chipness hurriedly began running toward the artifact display cases.

Whoosh-!

Acrid smoke and scorching heat mercilessly penetrated her nose and mouth.

She could barely breathe properly, but Chipness rushed desperately forward.

However, the area around the display cases was already engulfed in fierce flames and couldn’t be easily approached.

Just being nearby made it feel like her flesh was sizzling.

But for the desperate Chipness, this was no time to be choosy.

She gritted her teeth and thrust her hand into the inferno.

Hissssss-!

Intense burning pain spread throughout her entire hand.

Chipness reflexively pulled her hand back, then bit down on her molars and reached out again.

“Guh, gughhhh! Gughhhhhhhh!”

Despite screaming, she flailed her hand desperately, but her hand couldn’t even reach the burning artifacts.

The seals burning and emitting toxic fumes only made her nausea worse.

As the flames grew more fierce, Chipness pulled her arm out.

“Ugh, ugh…… ughhh…… It hurts…… It hurts.”

She no longer had the courage to put her hand into the flames.

“This, this isn’t right. It’s not! This can’t be happening!”

Chipness shook her entire body trembling and shook her head violently.

Everything had surely been going well.

Hermione had become tattered and was in perfect condition to be used as a slave.

And Pierre could also be subjugated soon enough.

All that remained was to peacefully manage her grades, get her diploma, receive Professor Sanculotte’s recommendation letter, and get a decent government job.

How much painstaking effort had she poured into that plan.

She had clowned around in front of children from influential families and fawned over professors like a dog for four years.

Of course, in the process she had thoroughly trampled on weaker beings than herself, but what was the big deal about that?

Chipness herself was the only one who could revive the struggling noble Alma family.

But the beautiful blueprint she had drawn was being engulfed in red flames and turning to ash.

Eventually, cold venom began appearing in Chipness’s eyes.

“Graaah-! You bastard!”

The fear and pain that had settled in her heart was now turning into extreme rage.

Soon Chipness pulled out her whip and swung it with all her might.

“I’ll kill you! You crazy bastard!”

At least Pierre, the culprit of this incident, she would tear to shreds.

Without doing that, her anger would never be satisfied.

Chipness’s face was being stained with black malice.

Eventually.

Swoosh-!

With the sound of tearing air, the leather whip fiercely rushed forward.

However.

-Grab!

Pierre too easily caught the flying whip.

His face still showed no emotion whatsoever.

Indifference.

Creak!

The taut whip was pulled tight.

“……Let go of this!”

Chipness pulled the whip with all her strength, but it didn’t budge even slightly.

‘What, what kind of strength……’

Was this really that notorious failing student, Pierre?

Had she confused something?

At that moment.

Tssssssss!

The part of the whip Pierre was gripping began turning black.

……The whip was slowly rotting away.

“Kyaaaah-! My hand, my hand!?”

Chipness let go of the whip due to the burning pain.

An even more intense pain exploded over her burned palm.

Dark blue marks began spreading over the bright red burn marks.

They were traces of decay and tetanus.

“You…… you vermin…… What did you do! You’re now……”

But Chipness couldn’t finish her words.

A suffocating sensation as if someone was strangling her neck.

At the same time, something began appearing in Chipness’s vision.

Lolol Saint Pierre.

Something rising from behind the rookie teaching assistant.

Eventually.

“Generally speaking, a whip……”

A low voice flowed from Pierre’s mouth.

“Is something you use when commanding lowly beings.”

Chipness couldn’t say anything.

Her mouth, tongue, vocal cords, and both lungs weren’t moving.

Tremble tremble tremble tremble-.

Chipness’s body began shaking like an aspen leaf.

Beyond her fading consciousness, Pierre’s laughter echoed like a hallucination.

“I’m quite fond of that tool myself.”

‘……! ……! ……!’

Chipness still couldn’t utter a word.

The only emotion settling in her heart was one thing.

Fear.

‘Who did I swing a whip at?’

‘A new teaching assistant? A failing student?’

‘……Pierre?’

No.

All wrong.

Eventually, Chipness was able to witness it.

The black aura surging like waves.

The vortex of malice writhing as if to swallow everything.

The vast darkness that overwhelmed just by looking at it.

……And the terror peering from beyond the abyss.

Chipness instinctively began backing away.

“……Ugh, ughhh!”

Though flames burned her entire body, she seemed not to care and continued retreating.

But escape always has an end.

……Thud!

The stone wall heated like a furnace blocked her retreat.

Eventually, Pierre began slowly taking steps.

Step- Step-.

Chipness screamed as if wailing and shook her head frantically.

“Don, don’t come! Don’t come closer!”

Pierre’s face flickered beyond the red blazing flames.

Still an expressionless face where no emotion could be read.

But when the dancing flame shadows overlapped that face, it looked like he was wearing a creepily evil smile.

“No, don’t…… don’t……”

Grab-!

Before she knew it, Pierre’s grip had seized Chipness’s head.

The distinct terror of being shoved into a predator’s maw.

At the same time, black flames began shooting up from Chipness’s body.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-!”

At the same time, outside the Research Building was truly a bolt from the blue in the middle of the night.

“Fire! There’s a fire in the artifact warehouse!”

“Quickly bring the professors!”

“Damn. Fire extinguisher! Find a fire extinguisher!”

“Wh, where was the fire extinguisher? We, we should at least bring water……!”

The flames that began shooting up from the artifact warehouse were spreading throughout the entire Research Building in no time.

At that moment.

BOOM-!

With an explosion, dust and black smoke burst out from the storage entrance.

The students in front of the storage hurriedly covered their mouths and eyes and stepped back.

“Ugh, how many explosions is this now? It seems like more than three already.”

“What on earth is happening?”

“The artifact seals must be being destroyed by the fire and going berserk!”

“Everyone be careful! Don’t approach carelessly until the professors arrive!”

The artifact warehouse fire incident.

It was an unprecedented major incident in Lykeion Academy’s history.

Naturally, from the students’ perspective, they could neither do this nor that.

BOOM-!

Once again, a roar burst out from inside the storage.

“Ahhh-!”

Students scattered here and there to avoid flying wood fragments and such.

At that moment.

Wooooom-!

A clear white barrier rose up and completely blocked the debris flying toward the students.

At the same time, a solemn voice resounded thunderously.

“All students, get away from the artifact warehouse!”

A large man appearing with white robes fluttering.

Led by Professor Sanculotte, five professors from Lykeion Academy hurriedly rushed over.

Seeing this, the students finally let out sighs of relief and collapsed.

Eventually.

Whoosh-.

When Sanculotte lightly gestured, the white barrier scattered and disappeared like light crystals.

“The faculty will now enter the scene! Students follow the teaching assistants’ instructions to assist with external fire suppression!”

With those words, Professor Sanculotte and the faculty entered the Research Building.

The Research Building corridor was filled with acrid smoke and murky negative energy.

An environment so terrible that students would have fainted.

However, thanks to Professor Sanculotte’s divine magic, the faculty could rush to the warehouse entrance without concern.

Whoooooosh-!

Red flames bursting relentlessly through the slightly opened entrance gap.

Soon Professor Frost, standing next to Professor Sanculotte, extended his hand.

Shaaaaaaa-!

Blue mana gathered at his fingertips became sharp ice crystals and began covering the flames.

Then.

Crack-! Snap-!

The blazing flames disappeared in an instant.

“Let’s enter!”

The faculty entered the artifact warehouse interior without a moment’s hesitation.

And they scattered in different directions, beginning to search for the cause of the fire.

And a little later, an urgent voice from one professor came from the old magic artifact warehouse side.

“A person! There’s a person inside!”

At that time, behind the old school building.

Thud thud-! Thud thud-!

Having reached a deserted location, Robespierre spilled the items he had in his pocket onto the ground.

Artifacts.

Things he had collected beforehand before setting the fire.

Eventually, Robespierre picked up one of the artifacts that had fallen to the ground.

A fist-sized cubic cube.

Through its transparent interior, darkness could be seen fluttering like a curtain.

[Veil of Germund]

When Robespierre recited the true name, the cube vibrated intensely as if expressing joy.

The Veil of Germund was an artifact said to have been created by the practitioner Germund, who had devoted his entire life to dark magic.

‘Some things are more beautiful when hidden than when revealed.’

As Germund had said, the veil had the ability to encase and isolate a location designated by the caster in a cube when infused with black mana.

It could be called an artifact specialized in defense.

However, at most it could only block attacks from B-grade monsters once or twice.

‘Other than that, the only useful thing would be the “Message of Drought” that changes the user’s voice.’

Most of the items in the artifact storage weren’t particularly impressive.

Since they were mostly collected for student education, it was natural.

The really important items would be carefully stored in the deepest parts of the Order.

But it wasn’t without gain.

Eventually, Robespierre picked up an artifact that had been rolling on the ground.

“……Black Cord, was it? A cute name was attached while I was away.”

Soon Robespierre recited the artifact’s true name in a voice filled with magical power.

[Intestines of the Glutton ‘Erysichthon’]

A shabby object that appeared to be a dried, twisted umbilical cord or black cord on the outside.

Though it looked like a dried, twisted umbilical cord on the surface, the possibilities contained within were endless.

Eventually, Robespierre gripped Erysichthon’s intestines tightly.

He had thought there might be one or two decent items, but this was an unexpected harvest.

Erysichthon’s intestines would be S-grade if ranked.

And.

“……It’s been truly a long time.”

It was one of the artifacts Robespierre had frequently used 666 years ago.