Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 176: The Beginning of Disaster

Jesse hummed a little song as he approached the makeshift tent. He opened the curtain with his hand, and got in carelessly.

This should be a temporary rest place for Horizon, usually provided for weak people who were injured or sick during the march. Horizon took a safe route this time, and no members were injured, so it should be prepared for those students.

Unfortunately, those students were firmly on Tumbleweed’s side, so the tent was empty, except for only a guard and Adrian Cross, who was reading a book. The former knight commander wasn’t tied up or shackled, and only had a restraint array looming at his feet. The Horizon guard next to him seemed nervous as he was completely tense, with veins protruding from the surface of his muscles, like a long wooden nail that had been beaten into the soil.

“I’m back, Adri.” Jesse blew a kiss at Adrian in the chair and made a loud smacking sound.

The former knight commander raised his head. His face was calm and unruffled. “Oh.”

“Those students are all fine. Horizon has confirmed this, so you can rest assured. Alas, the leader of the group only regards you as a sword instructor. Why are you still thinking about your consultant job? Tumbleweed has long had no reputation, so you don’t have to stay here honestly as a hostage to maintain our non-existent reputation.”

“A sincere attitude is still very important.” Adrian closed the book.

“Your student is fighting Godwin Lopez. Don’t you want to see the excitement?”

Adrian thought for a while and stood up from the simple wooden chair. The guard from Horizon trembled all over, and it made his metal armor let out a sound full of dull noises as he raised the sword in his hand. “I’m very sorry, Mr. Cross. Our commander’s order hasn’t come down yet…”

“The students are safe, and our people didn’t run away either. It no longer makes sense for me to stay here.” Adrian Cross sighed softly. “I have more important things to confirm. I hope you can understand… my rudeness.”

The warrior glanced at Jesse from the corner of his eyes, as if estimating the possibility of him rushing up to attack him and save the knight, but the blond young man just held up his arms. His tone was gentle and teasing. “Do you want me to save you, Adri?”

Adrian was unmoved. He placed the closed book upright on the chair, and then moved his feet, accurately crushing the three key circuits of the magic array. The twinkling restraint array suddenly went out and a small explosion raised a low cloud of dust. When the guard was about to launch an attack, the figure vanished, leaving him with a dull pain on the back of his neck.

There were no magic fluctuations as the opponent didn’t activate any form of magic, but…

His vision darkened in an instant.

Adrian carried the fallen guard silently and carefully lowered him to the ground, making sure that the fainted guard wouldn’t be injured by the fall. After doing all this, he dusted the floating soil on his black monk’s uniform and walked quietly to the entrance of the tent.

“You’re really not polite at all.” Jesse whistled. “I thought you would obediently wait for Godwin to let you go.”

“I need to confirm Mr. Ramon’s character at all times. Fighting and tussling are very good channels for observation.”

“Oh… but you didn’t hesitate to attack just now. You still have a little badness in your bones.”

Adrian let out a rare soft snicker, which didn’t have much sarcasm. Helpless emotions accounted for most of it. Jesse circled around his side like a large bee, intentionally or unintentionally, looking unusually highly emotional.

Unfortunately, they only caught up when the battle ended.

The stone platform was basically destroyed, and the Sword of Ruinous Fire was missing. Their captain was running towards the edge of the stone platform very innocently. Godwin took out a page of parchment from his pocket and neatly ignited it with magic. The soft brilliance of a healing spell swept across his entire body. After the hazy brilliance dissipated, the spirit of the leader of Horizon looked a lot better.

Godwin Lopez hesitated for a while, as if struggling to draw his sword again. In the end, the holy sword lay obediently in its scabbard. He didn’t pose in a fighting posture and kept up with Oliver relatively relaxed.

Oliver didn’t look so calm anymore. He fled in a sort of dignified and unobtrusive style… running past Ann and back to Nemo.

“We have to be completely unified. Not a single thing can go wrong,” Oliver whispered after stopping.

Nemo was still holding the gray parrot, who was still immersed in the shock of Jesse’s little story. It looked at Oliver blankly and uttered a few meaningless words in its mouth.

“We must stick to the statement that you’re a demon worshiper. After all, the matter of the Withered Castle is too big that Godwin would not be easily fooled. Now my behavior can still be explained by tension,” Oliver spoke quickly.

“Well… Then use this guy’s getting stronger as an excuse.” Nemo shook the gray parrot that was still trembling in his hand. “Outside, we can add the staff. That should work.”

“It’s getting stronger?” Oliver looked suspiciously at Bagelmaurus who was trying to shrink itself into a ball for a few seconds. “Well, maybe a little bit. I hadn’t noticed it before.”

The gray parrot let out an angry low cry.

“You don’t need to run so fast, Mr. Ramon. I’m not qualified to interfere in your love life.” Godwin approached. His tone was very calm. Oliver, who turned his back to Godwin, laughed dryly. He turned around and tightly grabbed Nemo’s hand that wasn’t holding the parrot.

“How can I put this. You just looked like my dad for a moment. After all, Nemo’s identity is, uh, a bit special, but he’s not the kind of person who would hurt others for fun—”

Nemo remained silently cooperative, standing obediently in place, but his gaze was still a little erratic.

“What are you talking about?” Godwin raised his eyebrows.

Oliver closed his mouth instantly and stared at Godwin’s mouth vigilantly.

“I know he’s a demon worshiper. To be honest, I don’t approve of your choice. Let’s not talk about this first. I was just surprised because… Listening to Mr. Dylan—do you like men, Mr. Ramon?”

He never thought that the other party’s first point of attention was this. Oliver’s gaze became as blank as Nemo’s. “Probably.”

“And you’re serious?” Godwin’s gaze swept across the two clasped hands. There was little doubt in his tone, but it still held a bit of disbelief.

“Yes.” Oliver’s tone instantly became firm, and Nemo nodded quietly.

“The degree of marriage… serious?”

Nemo subconsciously turned his gaze to Oliver. The intense unknown was squeezing his heart, and he stiffened, unable to give a definite answer about the future.

“We haven’t been in love for long.” Oliver scratched his head a little embarrassedly. “I don’t know if we’ll make it to the end, but I’m definitely working in that direction.”

Sure enough, Nemo sighed in his heart. Oliver definitely took into account his identity. And perhaps when they discover the truth—

“I mean… If two people want to live together, their habits must be matched. Nemo may not have had time to discover my shortcomings that could make me unbearable.” Oliver’s hand clenched tighter. “No one can guarantee that there won’t be friction, right? At least now, I can’t find anything I don’t like about him, and I hope he does the same.”

“……”

Even after getting along day and night for so long, even after they had experienced so much, he firmly believed that he had figured out who the other person was. Yet Oliver Ramon would always surprise him, and never, even once, let him down.

The intense unknown didn’t dissipate as a result, but the pain of being squeezed in his heart no longer existed. Nemo let go of the parrot in his hand, pulled over Oliver’s face, and gave him a deep, suffocating kiss.

“Me too.” After the two of them separated breathlessly, he whispered, “Always.”

Godwin’s face turned a little blue. He wasn’t particularly used to seeing people who looked like him kissing another man. The leader of Horizon let out a violent cough, which stiffly interrupted the two men’s sticky stare.

“According to the teachings of the Laddism Church, Zenni will not denounce you, but he will not bless you. Your choice is yours, Mr. Ramon. I have no right to say more,” Godwin said dryly.

Godwin would never catch up just to talk about this. After the sweat-inducing joy, Oliver could feel his heart beating rapidly. Sure enough, the next highlight came.

“According to custom, I should have fought with Mr. Light to find out his details. Based on his resume, I can only be sure that he’s not a superior demon yet. His actions are completely inconsistent with the characteristics of the superior demon.”

Godwin stared sharply at Nemo’s silver eyes.

“Yes, I’m a demon worshiper.” Nemo’s expression stiffened, and there was no momentum left just now. He picked up the gray parrot that was slumped on the ground, raised it to Godwin, and muttered flatly, “This is my demon.”

Bagelmaurus looked at the commander of Horizon before him. Its gaze slipped to the holy sword, and its voice was flat like its owner’s.

“I’m a parrot,” it said.

Nemo, Oliver, and Ann, who was a few steps away, looked at it at the same time.

“No, I’m an intermediate demon.” The gray parrot cringed. “I… I was distracted, sorry.”

Seeing that the other party had no tension, Godwin couldn’t help but feel a bit deflated. The bird-shaped demon in front of him didn’t seem to have any unique characteristics of a strong being, but rather more like a frozen partridge. “I will not attack Mr. Light, but I need your oath, Mr. Ramon.”

Oliver swallowed.

“If you are willing to make an oath, promise that Mr. Light is definitely not a demon warlock and promise that he won’t hurt innocent people, then I can… no longer pursue his specific situation.”

Godwin decided to trust himself and handed over this responsibility. Oliver thought he should be moved, but he couldn’t laugh or cry at this time. His cousin was just about to extend a friendly hand to him, while he was about to take advantage of it.

Strictly speaking, Nemo wasn’t indeed a demon warlock.

But on the other hand, he would indeed make sure Nemo would not hurt innocent people.

“I swear.” Oliver took a deep breath. “I swear by everything I am.”

“Very good, so now we should discuss the distribution of force. We need to leave this place as soon as possible.” Godwin nodded with an impassive face. “According to my experience last time, we’d better divide at least five times to advance and fight in a circular manner. I don’t know how much you know about this space…”

“About Nemo, thank you, Godwin… no, brother*.” Oliver suddenly lowered his head and saluted, interrupting Godwin’s words.

*Older brother [Gege] (哥哥). Note: this is important because they don’t know each other very well yet (despite them being blood related), so Oliver’s saying this is a form of respect to Godwin and also to show him he regards him as his relative.

The other party seemed shocked by this address and looked dazed for a moment.

“Ann, I don’t know how you got in, but I’m guessing we can’t use your route to get out. Otherwise, you would have proposed it a long time ago, wouldn’t you?” Oliver looked at the female warrior, who looked obviously troubled a few steps away.

“Yeah.” Ann glanced at Godwin and simply nodded. “If there are too many people, we will definitely be discovered immediately, and that pathway is easily controlled.”

“When I was fighting with God… brother just now, I scouted a spatial structure here. This is a large cube made of several cubic spaces, and that orb is the center of this space. It may be because the labyrinth has recently been reconstructed, so some parts of the space are particularly weak.” Oliver cleared his throat and gestured with his hand. “I have an idea that I want to give a try.”

“What about this guy?” Ann raised her chin towards Godwin’s direction, causing his eyes to narrow.

“I don’t want to hide it from him,” Oliver sighed lightly. He had just made an oath to Godwin, an oath similar to his promise to Adrian Cross. Perhaps he needed to assure more people about this in the future.

And use strength to prove that this guarantee was by no means false.

Oliver drew out his Rest in Peace that had been hanging around his waist, became silent for more than ten seconds, then waved it in a certain direction…

A gray mist shot out of the sword, and the space in front of everyone made a clicking sound like ice being chewed. Suddenly, a hole crookedly opened up. Ann glanced at the passage lightly, trying to look as normal as possible. Most of the students in the distance had already collapsed on the ground, leaving only Leonard, who was standing upright, as he jumped and applauded.

Unlike the rift in space made by Nemo, Oliver didn’t seem to have the ability to connect two pieces of space together. It was more like he was blasting out a tunnel that ran through various spaces that led directly to the outside world. The brand-new tunnel was suspended in the air, surrounded by a terribly turbulent air flow. Oliver leaned closer, stretched out his hand and pressed against the inner walls of the tunnel.

“We can walk through,” he announced with joy. “It’s ready. Now we can get out of here. Brother, you can bring your team. If you’re not at ease, we can go first.”

Godwin turned pale and looked at his cousin blankly. Oliver Ramon just violently solved the most difficult puzzle on the surface, but the joy seemed closer to successfully stringing a few pieces of meat with an iron skewer.

Glancing at Nemo Light, who was standing aside pretending to see nothing, the commander of Horizon felt a little suffocated, in every sense of the word.

“Now the Great Isamel Labyrinth is still undergoing spatial reorganization. Even if it’s temporary stable, it may be interrupted by the next spatial shift.” Godwin rubbed his temples and decided to start from the most practical perspective.

“Oh, I don’t think you need to worry about this.” Jesse approached from a distance with a bit of a toothy expression on his face. “Its spatial structure will no longer change.”

“How can you be sure—”

Jesse pointed to the huge dragon breath stone orb with a complicated expression. Countless dense, fine cracks started to appear on the snow-white orb…

Then it shattered abruptly; the falling stone chips were like snowflakes. The land under their feet shook slightly, which was the unique shock of something giant landing.

“……I’m sorry,” Oliver murmured. Nemo looked at his lover bitterly.

“It seems,” Oliver grinned weakly and glanced in the direction of the students, “now that bet will empty the prize pool. Elmer, you should invite me to dinner.”

“…” No, that probably wasn’t the point, but Godwin’s mind was spinning like crazy.

“You really did bet on the Wheel of Calamity.” Nemo’s focus, on the other hand, was highly aligned with that of the captain of Tumbleweed.

“Yeah, we definitely can’t go back to get the money anyway, so I invested some money casually and signed Elmer’s name.”

“What did you bet on?”

“Task level, no determined task, free movement. Location, the Clementine Royal Military Academy. The impact… severe.”

“……”

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The author has something to say:

Elmer laughed in the end!!! (X

Godwin: Shit, stop fighting. I feel like my hairline is receding… Where is this monster from!

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Jesse: Ah… my original small bowl of samples! It was just broken by Ramon! TAT

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Kinky Thoughts:

That’s it for this arc. Arc summary:

After escaping the Withered Castle, Nemo confessed to Oliver about his true identity, and the two consummated their relationship. They reconvened with Ann and went into hiding as someone had commissioned Horizon to dig out more information about Tumbleweed.

Finding the perfect hiding spot away from Godwin Lopez’s eyes, they decided to infiltrate the Clementine Royal Military Academy in Alban. Nemo and Oliver disguised themselves as freshmen, while Ann infiltrated as a janitor. This also coincided with their mission to get Oliver’s sentence repealed, so he would no longer be considered a wanted death row prisoner.

Meanwhile, Jesse and Adrian were escorted to Clementine Cathedral to meet with the Pope. Adrian cut a deal with Jesse in order to get him to behave. When they met the Pope, Jesse wanted his permission to enter the Great Isamel’s Labyrinth and have a try at wielding the Sword of Ruinous Fire, the sword that originally belonged to Flint Lopez. The Laddism Church had issued that only one who could wield this sword could be designated as the “Hero” in the prophecy. Anyone who feels guilty or confused would be burned by the sword.

However, this all turns out to be a ruse designed by Jesse in order to cover up Tumbleweed’s strength. He planned to steal the magic gem inlaid in the sword and escape with Tumbleweed so that instead of being targeted as a “great power of unknown motives”, they would be labeled as “thieves with great abilities”.

While at Clementine Academy, Nemo found out that it was Telaranea, disguised as a professor of the academy, who had commissioned Horizon to dig up more information about them on behalf of Vance/Aurorae. During a secret meeting that Nemo spied on, he found out Vance’s identity and that Telaranea planned to recruit him as an assistant. Knowing his disguise would get busted, Ann, Oliver, and Nemo planned to use the Great Isamel’s Labyrinth to escape from the academy and Horizon.

Things went a bit awry as during their escape mission, four students got sucked into a vortex and were dragged deeper into the labyrinth. In order to protect them, Nemo and Oliver followed.

Outside, political strife had started as something had happened to the emperor of Alban. Using Tumbleweed as an excuse and saying that they captured hostages in the Isamel’s Labyrinth, the principal of Clementine Academy locked down the school.

Horizon naturally assisted the academy to help with the “hostage situation”. As Nemo and Oliver led the four students to the center so they could return back safely, they ran into Horizon waiting for them. Oliver and Godwin had a confrontation, with Oliver winning in the end. It was then revealed that the Sword of Ruinous Fire was just a simple sword that Flint Lopez had put a curse on. Anyone who touched the sword would be burned, whether pure or not, as this was the punishment he enacted on himself because he killed an innocent.

Now the team plans to escape from the labyrinth and leave Clementine before the oncoming political turmoil.

Other important things to note:

Ann’s background was (sorta) revealed, Godwin’s, as well as Emanuel’s (his father) and Flint’s past were revealed, Jesse’s identity was (sorta) revealed, Oliver and Nemo have some bathtub play, while Jesse bangs Adrian in a prayer room.

Side characters: The four students who were held “hostage”.

Quentin Leonard started off as a bully but turned out to be a nice guy in the end. He was also a fanboy of Tumbleweed.

Hayden Wilhelm was a nursing major who suffered prejudices because most nursing majors were women due to the sexist patriarchal system of Alban. He had low magic abilities, so he’d rather be a nurse than a healer (despite the fact that he could technically qualify due to his male status).

Marilyn Lawler was also a nurse major only because women weren’t allowed to hold any job position in Alban unless they had permission from their father or husband or were from a noble line, despite the fact that she had strong magic capabilities as a healer. She initially hated Hayden because she thought he joined the nursing major due to ulterior motives and was envious of all males that benefited from the current sexist system.

Oliver Elmer was a logistics major who joined the academy due to having some talent. He came from a poor background and had a brother who supported him financially. While his brother was more talented than he, his brother was born with a birth defect (which was a common consequence for those who were born with great powers), so Elmer was recruited rather than his brother. He eventually became rich due to Oliver Ramon’s bet on the Wheel of Calamity.

That’s it for the summary. Let me know if I missed anything.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 175: Phantom of the Hero

The sword that once defeated countless people completely collapsed, scattering black dust everywhere. Oliver bent down and picked up the gemstone on top of the powder. He clenched it tightly in the palm of his hand, as if trying to calm the burning pain.

Godwin was expressionless. He stared at Oliver intently—his emerald eyes were like dead leaves, hopelessly praying that the other side would take back what he had said, but Oliver just stood there, looking at him with the kind of eyes he disliked the most. There was no hatred, contempt, pity, or arrogance. Oliver Ramon looked calm and even a little sad.

The gray mist gradually dissipated. Sunlight leaked down from the edge of the huge dragon breath stone orb, turning the sky blue again.

“Countless people have challenged this sword.” Godwin resisted the exhaustion and emptiness that swarmed up and stood shakily. “Countless people, countless powerful people. It must have some undiscovered secrets; it can’t just be like this…”

“Even if people all over the world agree, a lie is still a lie. As far as I know, my father personally beheaded at least one innocent man, the father of a young girl, with his own hands. I don’t think he has ever forgotten about it, and I have confirmed that regret. If that curse is correct, it’s impossible for him not to feel pain.”

“My father… My father never doubted the nobility of Flint Lopez. My father firmly believed that he was just eroded by something, and it stuck with him, so he left the world behind. Until then, Flint Lopez was an unblemished hero. There’s no doubt about this.”

There were heroes in this world, at least there had been. Warm, unclouded, sunny heroes. Godwin desperately believed so. They would always have a smile on their faces, and they could still rise from the mud without frustration or hesitation. Those legendary heroes struggled from the ashes, living like a cluster of flames.

Noble and pure.

But he would still be troubled by the pain of an unknown origin deep in his heart. He wasn’t open-minded enough nor firm enough.

He wasn’t good… enough.

Flint Lopez was the legend closest to him. He had read the letters Flint sent to his father and heard his father describe everything Flint had done. The legend of the Tin Soldier had spread all over the continent. Even if that glory was eventually destroyed by reality and tarnished by rumors, he believed, like his father, that Flint Lopez was a perfect hero.

However, if what Oliver Ramon said was true, was Flint holding such a sword in his hand when he wrote those warm and happy letters home? Godwin suddenly wanted to laugh. He tried everything he could to become as good as a person like Flint Lopez once was, and even wanted to surpass him, but now it seemed that his shadow, his signpost, may be a phantom that never existed.

“No flaws? No.” Oliver shook his head decisively. “It’s not what you think. When my father drinks too much, he would yell at the neighbor’s dog, throw his dirty clothes everywhere, start messing with the bookkeeping, and he would always forget to return the books to the library on time. He occasionally gambles with people in taverns, or pretends to be a bard and helps people sing love songs to girls, and even gets splashed by a few pots of foot wash because of this. I’m more inclined to think that he… has always been like this. When it comes to defects, I can list a hundred for you. At least I don’t think any blow can force him to put honey on a bard’s stool.”

“He has made many mistakes, and he laughs embarrassingly when he makes them. He’s willful, scatterbrained, and impatient.” Oliver pursed his lips. “…And cruel enough to let his own son kill him without even bothering to explain anything. This is the Flint Lopez I’m familiar with, the owner of this sword.”

Godwin was in a daze.

The wound caused by the battle was still bleeding, but he was oblivious to it. For the first time, the leader of Horizon forgot to straighten his back. He fell down, crumbling, half kneeling on the ground, scattered with ashes.

“You don’t understand. He must be a hero. If even he’s not…” He inserted the Breaking Dawn into the cracked stone platform and braced his tepid body. His voice was full of bitterness.

“Hey, Godwin.” Oliver squatted down in front of his only remaining blood relatives. His voice was very soft. “Why are you fighting?”

“In order to save the weak and protect humanity. Isn’t this obvious?”

“Do you like it?”

“It’s not a question of whether you like it or not. It’s the right thing to do. This is the obligation of those who have power.”

“Then what do you like?”

“……”

“I have been saved by people, by a lot of people. To be honest, their ‘power’ level is terrible, but they did save me, so I sometimes think, maybe it has nothing to do with strength. They are my heroes, and I won’t ignore this because they suck or are weak. They didn’t choose to stand by because they weren’t strong enough… at that time.”

“So why is it an ‘obligation’? Isn’t it strange to ask for sacrifice and devotion from others and think it’s a matter of fact because they are good or strong? If one has received a favor, then it’s perfectly understandable to return the kindness, but that’s not the case with you.”

“I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong.” Godwin gritted his teeth. “Even if it’s an innate power, there’s a corresponding responsibility. I must save those…”

“I respect your thoughts,” Oliver whispered, “but I personally think… it’s not such a complicated thing.”

Oliver was indeed able to understand his thoughts. He thought the same way a long time ago. Naturally, you would believe in all the information given by the outside world, put yourself into the existing power definition, and think that that was the truth of the world.

But unlike Godwin, who was fighting in the bloody rain when he was barely as tall as a broomstick, he only beat up two little bastards who lifted a little girl’s skirt.

His nose was raised high. He held a branch and rushed home, shouting, “I’m an upright knight.” After being blocked by his father, who was washing cabbage, the young Oliver poked his father in the back with the branch.

“Oh?” After listening to his son brag about his glorious deed, his father just shook the water from his hand and patted him on the head. He wasn’t sure if his father was praising him or simply using him to dry his hands. “Good job.”

“Upright knight!” Oliver insisted.

“Why do you say that?” Flint raised his eyebrows.

“Because I was strong. I protected a weak princess from the mob. This is chivalry. Everyone says so.”

“What are you going to call yourself if some unlucky kid gets his pants pulled down, Ollie?” Flint looked at his son amusingly.

“Oh, well, I have to see.” Oliver didn’t think much about it. “A man should stand up and fight back. If that guy looks strong, I’m not going to just help—”

“Well, if you switch places with this ‘princess’ today, then it’s okay for her to pretend she didn’t see it? Even if she could have helped you, do you think it’s really okay?”

“……Uh.”

“Let me change the question again. If it wasn’t you who passed by today, and a different young man didn’t lend a helping hand to the girl, would you think he was morally corrupt?”

“…Of course!”

“Even if he’s sick and thin and his strength isn’t as good as a girl?”

Oliver didn’t say a word. He was completely confused at that time.

“That’s why I told you to stay away from those bards, brat. Dad’s not saying you did anything wrong. It was a beautiful thing you did, but compared to things like chivalry, I hope you can understand the basics.”

“What basics?”

“Aside from gender, strength, and class,” Flint continued to wash the cabbage in the water basin, “don’t think too much about it. If you just don’t want to see your compatriots in pain, then reach out. Of course, do what you can. Don’t listen to those bastards bragging about princesses and knights, and messy destiny. Hey, where have you been spying? I know you went to eavesdrop again.”

Oliver shrank his neck. “But doesn’t everyone say that? Powerful people always have to, uh, hold up a piece of the world…”

“You listen to what others say? Wait until you understand the meaning of “powerful” before talking about this. Don’t say ‘can fight’ or you’ll wash the rest of the cabbage.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Seeing other people in pain, you want to help, right?”

“Nn.”

“Then remember this feeling. Don’t think about ‘what others think should happen’ or ‘how others define this behavior’. It’s so easy to pay attention to useless drivel. It’s enough to remember this kind of ‘want to help’ feeling.”

“But it has to have a name. I mean, it has to be some kind of spirit…”

“My statement only represents my own understanding.” The father in memory pondered for a few seconds before he showed a smile. “The rules are set by others; your true heart is not. Compared to a knight who adheres to a ‘code of justice’—”

“I prefer you to be a ‘gentle’ man, son.”

But Emanuel Lopez picked up those guidelines and bound his biological son to them.

Those “choices” that were supposed to give kindness and warmth were twisted into obligation. Godwin had been chasing this; chasing a perfect person who couldn’t possibly exist among humans. Someday, long after, Godwin may be remembered as a perfect hero, but no one would know the pain and emptiness in his eyes.

“Yes, I don’t think it’s such a complicated thing,” Oliver repeated, looking firmly into the other person’s eyes. “You did nothing wrong. I just think… although it’s a good thing to demand more from yourself, how can I put it, you may be a bit too demanding. Look at the rumors about my dad compared to the real him. I think it’ll be fine if you relax a little.”

“You could do nothing. It’s not a sin, at least that’s what I think. And you’re willing to stand up and help, which is already amazing. Although I still don’t agree with your style of doing things, let’s take a step back.”

Godwin looked more confused. The sun had sunk below the horizon, and the sun chaser had nowhere to go.

“I don’t want to tell you what’s right. I’m not qualified to preach to you.” Oliver lowered his gaze. “If you want to save everything so much, how about saving yourself first? You look… like you’re in a lot of pain. If you feel that power is a responsibility, then you can hate me before you hate yourself. I’m stronger than you, but I don’t plan to take on those ‘responsibilities’.”

“You…”

“I’m a weak and selfish guy. I won’t think about how the world should be. If I can help with what’s in front of me, I’ll be satisfied.”

Godwin stood up. His face was still filled with doubts and dissatisfaction. Oliver also stood up and patted his armor uncomfortably. He tried to give the other person a hug, but he changed his mind in front of the cold air from Godwin’s body.

“Oh, I have one more thing to add.” Before turning around and walking towards his companion, Oliver suddenly spoke. “You have done a great job, Godwin. Better than anyone I have ever met.”

Godwin sighed and slowly smiled—a bitter, sad but gentle smile.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

Although awkward and reluctant, Oliver was familiar with that smile. He had seen it on his father’s face many times.

Perhaps Godwin was closer to Flint Lopez than he thought.

“I also have one more thing to say.” Godwin put the sword back into its scabbard. “…What the hell is going on between you and Nemo Light?”

Oliver’s emotions disappeared in an instant—

The leader of Tumbleweed raised his feet and ran away.

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The author has something to say:

Brotherhood will not be restored immediately, but it will improve xD

——————

Cousin who he met for the first time: What’s the matter with this man? Not very good.

Current cousin: Ah… Ramon seems to have a good side too.

Cousin who learned the truth a long time later: What’s wrong with this guy! What’s going on—!!!

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Kinky Thoughts:

Aww I hope they become good siblings in the future. Godwin still needs to find out that it was Ollie who gave him that apple tart!

I really like the lessons Oliver’s dad teaches him. He doesn’t have to be a “hero”. He shouldn’t save people and help others because that’s “the rules” or “how other people think it should be”. It should come from himself and his “kindness” and “wants” to save people.

Oliver: It’s enough for me to help that granny get her cat out of a tree. I don’t need or want to save the world. (Plot twist: the cat’s name is Nemo).

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Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 174: The End of the Ruinous Fire

The Sword of Ruinous Fire wasn’t fixed to the ground by any magic array but was inserted into a solid stone brick. The blade of the Ruinous Fire was still sharp. If you ignore the curse that caused severe pain, a slightly strong soldier could pull it out.

The black sword body and the hilt were integrated, and the hilt was inlaid with a dull dark gemstone. Its metal inlay was delicate and beautiful, but it wasn’t fragile, and it didn’t feel awkward to use. The scarlet flame was coiled around the black sword’s body, and from time to time, orange sparks fell from the blade. Oliver could feel the pulsating power inside the sword, which could be considered a good sword that was full of fury.

Except for a certain point…

Oliver placed the blade of the Ruinous Fire in front of him, frowning. “Why?”

“The bone sword around your waist has no power.” Godwin was silent for a long time, clenching the hilt of his sword. “And I will use Breaking Dawn. It’s not fair to you.”

Godwin couldn’t tell how he was feeling at the moment.

He didn’t agree with the meaning attached to this sword by the Pope, and truly didn’t believe from the bottom of his heart that a mere sword could be used as a screening mechanism for the Hero. But why? Why could Oliver Ramon and his father use it freely?

He tried to become the perfect hero in the legends, the one who could pull the suffering people out of the water. For this reason, he could sacrifice and suppress everything. He would put his needs after everyone in the world—Godwin had long been aware of it, and now he could skillfully ignore those grievances and sorrows. Not for reputation, money, or power. Godwin firmly believed that he just wanted to do the “right” thing.

Because he was destined to bear the fate of saving the world.

For this reason, he discarded desire, weakness, and even killed his own father. After practicing hard day after day and risking his life, he started alone with just a sword, and developed Horizon into what it was now.

Why was he not as good as Oliver Ramon, who was still nameless a few months ago and operated an inn in a remote town?

Their fathers were biological brothers, so was there a difference in their blood? Or was he not good enough?

Why?

If, just if… As his father once prayed, Oliver Ramon was the “Last Hero”, what had his life been so far? What should he do with everything he was carrying?

Godwin’s hand clenched the hilt of the sword and trembled a little bit for the first time.

“Block the field,” he said hoarsely. “Don’t let it spill to others—”

As soon as Horizon’s mercenaries were about to retreat, they were stopped by the young man with a face similar to their commander’s.

“No need for you to come. There’s someone on our side who can do it.” Oliver waved the Ruinous Fire a few times and then took a deep breath, as if he was familiarizing himself with the feeling. “Jesse Dylan, block the field.”

“Why me! Can’t you let your little sweetheart do it?” Jesse, who was sneaking towards Horizon’s tent, wailed miserably.

Oliver’s and Nemo’s faces turned blue at the same time, and they invariably showed expressions close to nausea. Godwin looked at Ann in disbelief, whose facial muscles twitched a few times. The four students were expressionless, while the little nobleman even tried to cast a sympathetic look at Godwin.

“Where are you looking, Lopez? I wouldn’t bang one of your family members, not even for a night!” The female warrior rubbed her temples hard and made a hideous scowl.

“I’m having a serious fight with Godwin. A serious fight.” Oliver gritted his teeth and said pointedly to Jesse. “It may require a very strong barrier from the great Mr. Dylan.”

Jesse rolled his eyes. With a wave of his hand, a milky white halo rose around the edge of the stone platform and led straight into the sky. The two people in the field seemed to be separated by a layer of fog, but they could still vaguely see their movements.

“Which one?” Godwin’s face wasn’t good-looking.

“Nemo.” Oliver raised his sword. “Now’s not the time for introductions. Let’s talk about this later.”

“That’s a demon worshiper! You’re crazy.” Godwin gritted his teeth and swung his sword.

“I may be crazier than you think.” Oliver chuckled dryly as he steadily blocked it.

Gray smoke spread out abruptly, and a sense of oppression like a huge wave rushed straight at Horizon. The latter wasn’t alarmed. The Breaking Dawn blade cut through the brilliance. A half-moon shape of orange and red glow was flung out by the blade, dryly slicing through the gray fog. The movements of the two were amazingly fast that no one, except for a few, could see how they attacked and dodged. The sound of swords colliding was unusually loud as two figures slammed into the ground and then into the air.

The bright figure in the cloak belonged to Godwin Lopez, and the dark one was the leader of Tumbleweed. Most people could only distinguish this. Most of the mercenaries in Horizon could only confirm their injuries when the two of them were pushed back by the impact and a burst of dust was drawn from the soles of their boots on the stone platform, so they couldn’t tell which side had the advantage—that was, if they hadn’t been blown away by the storm raised by the battle.

The two leaders looked evenly matched.

Neither side was hit hard. The two of them had a few new cuts on their skin that weren’t too deep or too shallow. Blood slid down their sweat-soaked skin and was then thrown out by the body when it moved again.

But Godwin knew in his heart that the current situation was far from evenly matched.

Oliver Ramon at first used the usual swordsmanship and footwork that was taught to the Knights of Judgment, but after a short battle, his style changed…

Compared with the changes, it was better to say that Ramon was quickly getting used to the rhythm of the battle and was calculating the most suitable move to deal with him. His breath was no longer clumsy and immature during their first encounter. As the blades collided, something dark flowed from Oliver Ramon’s movements. His offensive was completely suppressed and even in the late stage he could only defend more than attack.

It was a hungry wolf-like oppression that only desperation could give birth to, as well as death-defying attacks.

If it weren’t for Ramon’s lack of intent to kill, Godwin would have gladly turned this fight into a true fight to the death. The bloody aura on his opponent’s body made him wary. He had only seen this kind of emotion on the remnants of a battlefield.

And those gray mists.

They just churned around Ramon at first and didn’t swarm to him. Ramon sometimes used them to devour the spells he used, but he never commanded them to take the initiative to attack. Godwin accidently brushed past them, and the armor that touched the mist was instantly corroded.

As their battle escalated, the surge of gray mist became more regular, but they still stayed in place.

The other party was holding back, and the idea gave him the creeps. Except for soldiers who held high positions in the palace or the clergy from the holy church, whom he was unable to fight, Godwin Lopez had few enemies among the free mercenaries. He hadn’t felt this feeling of not being able to see his opponent’s strength for a long time.

No.

Godwin abandoned his defenses, and his offensive became fiercer.

He can’t lose.

The Breaking Dawn hissed, and the entire blade was wrapped in a strong light. Even though there was a layer of translucent light screen, the bright light could make people’s eyes ache.

If he lost, his life would be completely reduced to a tragic joke.

Some emotion was gnawing at his heart, and the pain couldn’t stop. Godwin raised his Breaking Dawn, kicked the gravel slab with his boots, and slashed at the Ruinous Fire in Oliver’s hand with all his strength…

And his opponent looked at him sadly and let out a very light sigh.

At the same time, under the stage.

“Care to explain?” Nemo stared at the battle on the stage as he stretched out his hand and grabbed Jesse’s collar, making sure that the defensive barrier was just right. The blond young man planned to slip towards Horizon again.

“Explain what? Are you and Mr. Ramon planning to keep a low profile? I don’t believe it.” Jesse grunted aggrievedly. “Have you told Mr. Ramon my identity? Oh, that expression just now… In short, you sold me out, so I’ll sell you out. This is called friendship, my dear friend. Now let me go. I’m going to get Adri to come see the fun.”

“…” The corner of Nemo’s mouth twitched, and he finally turned his face to Jesse. Jesse found the right breakthrough. Although, as the leader of the team, Oliver had the right to know Jesse’s identity, when the other party mentioned it so squarely, he really couldn’t get over it.

“What’s going on with this labyrinth?” Nemo decided to change the topic. “Did you do it or did I? At this power level, there could be no one else… I guess it was you.”

Jesse, who tried to slip away again, stopped. “Do you want to know?”

“Considering that we’ll have to escape from here in a few minutes and Ollie can’t look directly at you for the time being, I really want to know.”

“Well, I did it. Just destroy it.” Jesse shrugged. “I don’t care at all. It’s useless anyway.”

“I see.” Nemo hesitated for a moment, but continued to ask. “Would you mind explaining the, uh, special biological situation here? But this is just my personal question. If you don’t want to…”

“Of course I don’t mind! But even if I tell you now, you may not be able to understand.” Jesse seemed to be interested. He turned around and played with the tips of his golden hair.

“Give it a try.”

“Well.” Jesse raised his brows and gave a half-smile. “Then let me tell you a story.”

“Once upon a time, there was a lovely bard who wandered about, hungry and cold. Such a poor man passed by a gate and smelled the aroma of food coming out of the crack in the door. Guess what he would do?”

“Beg for a meal?”

“Do you have to say it so harshly? Alas, as they say, people don’t get something for nothing. Yes, the poor man pried open the door, entered the room, and found the host was enjoying his dinner alone—”

“I think the word ‘break in’ may be more appropriate…”

“A big table full of food like that couldn’t possibly be finished by just one person. What a waste.” Jesse puffed out from his nostrils, ignoring Nemo’s comment. “Finding that he couldn’t beat the master, the weak bard had an idea. He proposed a deal to the host—‘I’ll provide you with what you want. In exchange, you can give me some food. The ones that are farthest from the table are the ones that you like the least’. How smart, right?”

“The lonely and bored host agreed to this deal, but he’s a bit of a purist and doesn’t like to eat the same dish used by others, so he made a request. The lonely bard had to find his own plate and choose the dishes he wanted from the table. The host hopes to carefully examine the samples of the dishes on the plate before deciding whether to give them out.”

Those ice-blue eyes stared at Nemo with a hint of inexplicable banter, and Nemo could feel his body stiffening a little bit as he vaguely guessed something.

“Their transaction went smoothly, and both of them got what they wanted. The bard has his own table and his own food. He just had a small oversight and forgot to wash the plate that was originally used to hold the sample. Until now, the samples are still on the plate and the flavors are all mixed together.”

“Enough.” Nemo’s voice was a little dry. 

“Don’t you ask me what the ‘host’ wanted?”

“Not now.” Nemo took a deep breath. “I’m not… ready yet.”

“A wise decision.” Jesse curled his lips. “Well, you see, you’re barely a human being now. I’ve told other humans the ‘truth’ and guess what happened to them?”

Nemo stared at him steadily.

“They all went crazy.” The beautiful blond young man smiled and shook his head, showing his white teeth as if he had just cracked a funny joke. “Are you satisfied now? I’m going to find my darling Adri! ……Do you think he can hold on in the end?”

Without waiting for Nemo to give an answer, he happily rushed towards Horizon.

“I didn’t hear anything!” Before Nemo made a sound, the gray parrot he was holding in his hand squawked in a tiny voice. “I don’t know anything—”

Nemo reluctantly smiled, rubbed the parrot’s head, and looked at the center of the field again.

Godwin’s right arm, holding the sword, drooped as blood kept dripping on the ground. Oliver had a deep wound on his left forehead, and the left half of his face was stained with blood. Under the sticky blood, he had to close his left eye.

“It’s over,” Oliver sighed again.

“It’s not over yet.” Godwin’s voice was very hoarse with a sense of sadness. “I… It’s not over yet.”

Oliver looked at him sadly. Godwin had no chance of winning, and he knew this very well at that very moment.

Godwin Lopez looked painfully miserable. Oliver could guess the reason, and it was precisely because he could guess the reason that he couldn’t take this battle lightly, but he really didn’t want to give it his best at once. That might be too cruel for Godwin.

Abnormal and icy forces surged in his body, impacting his flesh and blood, bringing pain like being immersed in strong acid. If this battle continued, it would only become pure exhaustion and torture.

On the other hand, he should thank Godwin, Oliver thought to himself. The way his opponent manipulated the holy sword, Breaking Dawn, was worth referring to. He may have some clues of this strange power.

It was time to end it.

Oliver waved the Ruinous Fire.

The gray mist gathered behind him, pounding against each other. A cold light flashed in the gray—several icicles were born from it, pointing directly in Godwin’s direction.

Godwin was no longer able to hold up his shield.

The leader of Horizon stood stubbornly, his back straight. The holy sword still exuded a warm light, but its owner looked as pale and cold as snow.

“The Pope of the Laddism Church, Dawn Quinn, once said this.” Godwin’s tone was equally cold, but it was mixed with a trace of fragility that he had never had before. “A truly brave hero will be recognized by the Ruinous Fire, without guilt and confusion, and will not be burned by the curse. Your father was like that, and Ramon, so are you. You might…”

“If this is what you have been caring about since just now.” Oliver approached Godwin, wiped the blood from his face indiscriminately with his hands, and a bitter smile crept onto his face. “Uh, I think you have probably been deceived.”

“Like holding a red-hot iron, or accidentally pressing your hand on the pan for roasting meat while the oil is still hot.” Oliver looked at the burning Sword of Ruinous Fire blade in his hand. “It hurts, doesn’t it? But I’m used to it, so it’s okay.”

For the first time, Godwin looked at him blankly.

“Did Flint Lopez himself say, ‘Only those who are not confused and guilty can use this sword’?”

“No, he shouldn’t have mentioned it. He only mentioned that this sword carries the power of calamity. This is the curse that Clementine successfully parsed from the sword after he disappeared. It will burn people who are guilty in their hearts, and Flint has been using it, so everyone thought…”

Godwin couldn’t continue.

Just now, Oliver Ramon was also using this sword calmly. An absurd conjecture rushed into his mind.

“That’s right. Dad… I know that Dad at least had one thing he regretted in his heart, and he even used it to educate me. He’s not an incredible person. As for the ‘power of calamity’—”

Oliver lowered his head and raised the sword horizontally.

The Ruinous Fire shattered, turning bit by bit into powder starting from the blade of the sword, like burnt charcoal. The inlaid gem on the hilt of the sword fell on the powder, shining with a dim light.

“I’m afraid the ‘power of calamity’ doesn’t exist either. As far as Dad’s character is concerned, he may just want everyone to stay away from this sword.” Oliver looked at the powder in his hand and breathed tremblingly. “The Ruinous Fire is a good sword, but it’s just an ordinary good sword.”

“A fool attached a curse to it so he could punish himself for the mistake he made. I don’t know what misunderstanding you have about my father. He’s just… an ordinary person full of remorse.”

“That’s it.”

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The author has something to say:

Oliver did not “successfully” pull out the sword hhhhhhhhhhh I wouldn’t go with that route da~ (ψ°▽°)

The Ruinous Fire is actually the predecessor to the Lightpole Staff! However, the degree of material is definitely better than the Lightpole staff√

The deal between Jesse and Nemo happening in a small corner, happy~

——————

Godwin: Ah, it doesn’t hurt Ramon. Ramon is better than me…

Oliver: Actually, I just have better endurance than you, thanks.

Godwin: …Okay, let’s talk about your boyfriend.

Oliver: …

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Kinky Thoughts:

There were many speculations left in the comments in the previous chapter about the sword and who would be able to lift it… and in the end, it turns out Flint (and the author) were trolling everyone.

Is everyone getting all the clues being dropped from Jesse’s story?

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Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 173: One-on-One

Godwin Lopez stared at the Sword of Ruinous Fire in the center of the stone platform while clutching the hilt of the holy sword, Breaking Dawn, in his hand.

Once again, it had rejected him.

When Godwin first stepped into the center of the labyrinth a few years ago, this possibility hadn’t even entered his mind. With a determined momentum, he stretched out his hand and firmly grasped it.

Immediately, the blackening searing pain in front of his eyes instantly ignited in the palm of his right hand.

What he held wasn’t like a sword, but more like a red-hot soldering iron. In the heartbreaking pain, Godwin seemed to be able to hear the sizzling sound of burnt skin, but when he retracted his hand and opened his palm, the skin on his palm was as intact as ever.

[Anyone who feels guilty or confused in their heart would feel as if their palm was being burned like a soldering iron when they picked it up.]

It was the curse on the Sword of Ruinous Fire. It wasn’t that Godwin hadn’t heard about it, but he never thought he would meet the condition and trigger the curse. For so many years, he had never felt confused or regretful in his heart. Perhaps there were some when he was still young, but now those immature feelings had long disappeared.

Everything in the world could be explained by reason, and he had always chosen the most reasonable path. Perhaps there was a lot of helplessness, blood and sorrow on this road, but it was indeed relatively the least harmful, and he thought he had a clear conscience.

But that sword obviously disagreed.

With the Breaking Dawn, Godwin had no obsession with the Sword of Ruinous Fire itself. After all, “only the Hero can use the Sword of Ruinous Fire” was just a weird standard set by Pope Dawn Quinn himself, and it had nothing to do with the prophecy.

Godwin cared about it for only one reason…

That was Flint Lopez’s sword, and he once took this sword to the bottom of the Abyss. The man was able to use the Ruinous Fire freely, while he couldn’t even hold it steady. He wasn’t as good as Flint Lopez, as his father had once said. He thought that he had come this far already, enough to surpass the unrestrained leader of the Tin Soldier Mercenary Regiment.

It wasn’t enough.

Godwin could feel a painful agony spreading from near his heart, flowing with the blood. If there was a bleakest memory in his life; it was the uncle he had never met.

“If my older brother’s child had survived, he would assuredly become the greatest warrior,” his father once said something like this, “But Zenni gave you to me, Godwin. Maybe this world only has a guide like me, because Zenni took the best one first.”

“No, not even close! You have that kind of power, Godwin. What did I teach you? Now you don’t need to take care of anyone. You have all the time in the world, but Flint was familiar with his swordsmanship when he was your age. Listen, you can’t save anyone if you go on like this.”

“Why hesitate? Why are you merciful? If the battle takes place in the city, it will bite off other people’s throats in the next second. You’re lucky this time. Remember, be as quick as you can.”

“You want to conquer the Abyss at this level? Pick up your sword and continue for me. Don’t be distracted. What are you looking out for? I have said countless times that you are different from them. To be a hero is to carry such responsibilities! ……Maybe my teaching is too much of a failure. If it was Flint… If my brother’s child had not died…”

Although his father had long since passed away, the torrent of that voice still pounded in his eardrums from the inside out. The most ironic thing was that Flint Lopez’s son wasn’t really dead.

Oliver Ramon was alive and well.

Godwin shook his wrist, leaving a warm and beautiful arc of light in the air. Yes, not only was Oliver Ramon still alive, but he may also have possessed strange powers that he couldn’t see through. He needed to confirm this matter, not only for the current task but also for some kind of obscure emotion of his own that was pushing him.

Meeting Oliver Ramon for the first time in Caleb Village and confirming the identity of the other party, Godwin initially felt vaguely relaxed and happy, followed by unexplained anger and resentment. The anger didn’t erupt immediately, but slowly and continuously burned his nerves like hot magma under the earth’s crust.

This was the son of the man you chanted to death, father.

At that time, Ramon looked like he had no pursuit, and it seemed that he was destined to have nothing to do with the prophecy. Scattered, short-sighted, without the slightest ambition or ideals. His temperament wasn’t much different from ordinary people who could be seen everywhere, but the talent was commendable, and the heart wasn’t bad, but three out of the four teammates had poor reputation creating an extremely unhealthy environment.

He obviously possessed such power, yet how could Oliver Ramon be content with the status quo and live like this? He never thought about how many people he could save if he used that power to the extreme.

As the leader of Horizon, as a competent older brother, Godwin stretched out his hand and issued a sincere invitation. If Oliver Ramon chose to go on the right path and relied on his talent, he would definitely make a difference. Ramon still had time to choose a life that wasn’t so unbearable.

But in the face of such a well-deserved invitation, Ramon refused him. His cousin didn’t even have the will to step out of the quagmire. Godwin thought that his wasteful cousin, who threw away his talents, wouldn’t appear in his vision.

But Tumbleweed’s actions were the opposite of plain, as it got crazier. As captain of the team, Oliver Ramon was very likely to have acquired dangerous forces that shouldn’t belong in this world during this period of time; enough to disrupt the current order.

As one of the only two remaining descendants of the Lopez family, Godwin believed that he had a responsibility to confirm the true situation of Oliver Ramon.

If the worst happened and Ramon really touched areas that humans shouldn’t touch, with his current status, he may be able to come up with a less bad outcome.

The edge of the stone platform.

Oliver finally walked near the center of the labyrinth. At this distance, he could clearly see Godwin Lopez.

His cousin was standing in front of the sword in the center of the stone platform, directly below the dragon breath stone orb. The leader of Horizon hung his head, as if he was lost in thought. The members of Horizon gathered to one side of the stone platform, in a pile so large, Oliver couldn’t immediately find where the former knight commander who had lost his powers was.

“Don’t look. Horizon isn’t barbaric. Adri should be detained in the tent over there. They won’t hang him upside down to show off.” Jesse didn’t sound worried at all.

Oliver stopped and looked back at the students who were following him.

“Go ahead,” he said softly. “Horizon is over there.”

But except for Leonard, who had agreed to act together in advance, the other three didn’t move. Hayden and Elmer didn’t even turn their faces, but Marilyn hesitated for a while, then gritted her teeth and retracted her outstretched feet.

“I want to stay if this could repay the favor of saving our lives. Even if it’s true that the academy wasn’t involved and it’s a misunderstanding from Horizon, they should see our attitude,” Hayden said. His voice was trembling a bit, but still stood firm.

“Oliver helped me a lot.” Elmer scratched his head. “Leonard is so stubborn. I don’t want to be part of the ‘rescued’ and be hunkered down in a tent watching you guys negotiate… Ugh, it makes me feel useless.”

“What do you mean, ‘stubborn’?” Leonard said disgruntledly.

“To be honest, I don’t know those two well.” Marilyn drooped the corners of her mouth, revealing a bitter face.” But… Alas, fuck this hostage situation thing.”

Leonard blinked. His face, which had been pale and tight, finally showed an expression similar to a smile. “Not going?”

“Not going.”

“Good.” The little nobleman activated a loudspeaker array and opened his mouth to Horizon.

“Marilyn Lawler, Hayden Wilhelm, Oliver Elmer, Quentin Leonard. We are the students who were swept into the depths of the labyrinth. We’re all here, not one missing. It was Tumbleweed who saved us.”

He paused. “Mr. Lopez, I don’t know what information you got, but we have not been subject to any form of coercion or mental control. If you have any questions about this matter, you can send members to come and confirm.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Leonard.” Godwin Lopez turned around with a serious voice. “Clementine’s request to us is to send you back to the academy in this way, and not do anything superfluous, including mental appraisal.”

Leonard tightened his jaw, wrinkled his lips, and temporarily stopped the effect of the voice amplifying spell. “It seems you’re right. There must be people in the academy waiting to make a fuss about this. If this was just an ordinary rescue, this request would obviously be an insult to Horizon.”

Tumbleweed may not know about the hidden intrigues between those in power, but Leonard, who grew up in a noble family, knew this well.

Horizon had a reputation, but this requirement was clearly to prevent them from intervening without authorization, falsifying evidence against Tumbleweed, or challenging the results after obtaining them. It was unreasonable, but effective.

If Godwin had abided by the rules, then he would have accepted all the results given by Clementine afterwards. If Godwin violated the requirements and really did a mental examination on them in advance, this violation would also put them in a position where they couldn’t argue. Even if Horizon found out that they hadn’t been manipulated in any form, the Mercenary Guild would not accept Horizon’s testimony.

If the academy just wanted the students to be safe, it wouldn’t do anything extra. What was irritating was that the relationship between Clementine Academy and the Mercenary Guild had never been good. Although this requirement was excessive, it wasn’t “abnormal”.

“It seems that we have to go with Tumbleweed.” Leonard shook his head.

The students were silent. They were no longer teenagers. In their early twenties, no one would be happy to be used as a pawn at will. If they just wanted to protect themselves, it was the right choice to go with Horizon immediately. However…

No one moved.

“You guys go over there.” Nemo couldn’t watch it anymore. “Tumbleweed will be fine. Godwin… Well, you should know the measures he’ll take. No one knows what’s about to happen now, and you’ll likely be implicated if you get involved. We—”

Leonard glanced at him with stiffness and embarrassment in his eyes. The little nobleman shook his head, and before Nemo could finish speaking, he used the loudspeaker spell again, “Then I’m sorry. We have our consideration. Mr. Lopez, we’re going to stay with Tumbleweed.”

He glanced at Marilyn and continued, “And we have a lady here who is very unwell now. She needs a gentle environment.” Horizon should be able to understand this context.

Marilyn rolled her eyes and flipped Leonard off before she slid to the ground “softly and weakly”, making it look like she was about to faint.

Nemo: “……”

The scene fell into a stalemate for a while.

In order to figure out the strength of Tumbleweed, there were several young people who were fooling around, but no one dared to do anything. Detaining Tumbleweed members was also only to prevent them from directly finding another escape route. No one really dared threaten the safety of the former Chief Justice of the Knight of Judgment. Godwin stood in the center of the stone platform while Oliver stopped at the edge of the platform. The two men looked at each other, both quickly considering the most appropriate way to deal with this.

At that moment, the last member of Tumbleweed returned to the team.

Ann didn’t look right. The female warrior, who had always been full of energy, looked as pale as a lime and there was no smile on her face.

“What are you doing?” She frowned. Her voice was a little hoarse. “What’s the matter with these little guys?”

Seeing Oliver still staring at Godwin, Nemo pulled Ann aside and briefly explained the current situation.

“Oh.” Ann didn’t show any expression similar to surprise. She threw the gray parrot at Nemo and strode to Oliver’s side.

“Captain, I have a request.” The tone of the female warrior was terribly serious. “I hope we can get out of here soon.”

Oliver turned his head and raised his eyebrows. He was just considering the possibility of a protracted battle.

“I heard Nemo say that Clementine locked down the academy. Combined with the information I have, I think I know what this is all about,” she said very simply. “Tumbleweed and Horizon have been used.”

“As long as we are still here, the academy can continue to be in lockdown. The principal is Salter, right? He calculated that Horizon could hold us back. If I guessed correctly, the teleportation array in the center of the maze is no longer usable. Seeing the speed at which Horizon reached the center, they definitely got permission to use the special passage for the royal family to come in—that permission can only be used once, and they are probably counting on using the teleportation array to retreat.”

“Assuming that the teleportation array cannot be used, even if it’s a group as strong as Horizon, it would take at least half a month to retreat from here. Taking into account guarding students and escorting us, this time is likely to extend to more than a month. Then in this month, Clementine has a reason to maintain a complete lockdown… Many things can happen in a month.”

“Completely offending Horizon, just to put the academy on lockdown?”

“They won’t offend. They’ll make an excuse to say that there was a problem with the teleportation array. After all, Lopez isn’t the kind of person who has nothing to do and would be obsessed with petty revenge. As for the lockdown… Do you know how many descendants of the greatest nobles are here? At the Clementine Royal Military Academy, the combat majors are more or less related to the military. If something happens outside, a group of perfect hostages are being held here, and those nobles are really going to get angry, and we’re going to take the fall.”

This Ann wasn’t quite like the Ann they knew.

The female warrior had always been forthright and open-minded. Although Oliver knew that Ann usually thought things through, she could occasionally be impulsive and would make lewd jokes. She was their comrade-in-arms and was always calm and intimate.

The current female warrior was slightly gloomy, with a faint aura of superiority that he couldn’t understand.

“Ann…”

“Godwin Lopez.” The female warrior stepped onto the stone platform. “Let your people try the teleportation array to see if it can be used. As Delia’s fiancé, you should be aware of something.”

Godwin Lopez didn’t move but kept looking their way coldly. He waved his hand casually, and a Horizon member not far away ran towards the teleportation array knowingly.

Within a few minutes, the member ran back with a pale face and reported something in a low voice.

“It seems that it really can’t be used anymore.” Ann smiled wearily, putting a hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “Now you have two choices—one, eliminate us, depleting your own forces and implicating those lovely young people, then break out exhausted. Two, we cooperate and leave here as soon as possible.”

Godwin was silent for a long time.

“No,” he said, staring at Oliver. “You’re right. I do know some bad information, but I also have things that must be confirmed, so I want to choose ‘three’. Oliver Ramon, fight me. One-on-one.”

“If you want to know more about me, I can just tell you directly.” Oliver took a step back. “I don’t think we have to fight like this. Lope… Godwin.”

“Did you destroy the Withered Castle?”

“…Yes, if you must know this.” If they were to escape together, in order to cover up Nemo’s true abilities, it was impossible for him to not take action. Godwin would notice this sooner or later. Oliver took a deep breath, glanced at Nemo soothingly, walked forward alone, and finally stood opposite of Godwin. “Now we can—”

“Then it is even more necessary for me to have a fight with you.” Godwin murmured, raising his eyes.

If that desperate power really belonged to Oliver Ramon…

“Why?” Oliver raised his hands, indicating that he had no intention of holding a sword.

“Prove yourself.” Godwin curled the corners of his mouth. There was something burning quietly in his eyes. “I never cooperate with dangerous people of unknown strength. This is about the battle plan for Horizon after we leave the labyrinth.”

If Ramon was stronger than him, as the commander of Horizon…

“…If it’s for that, okay. To be honest, I don’t want to hurt you.” Seeing the other party’s resolute attitude, Oliver sighed.

“There is no need to fight to the death. According to the Articles of Association, I have to escort you to the Mercenary Guild alive,” Godwin said, coldly raising his Breaking Dawn. “Draw your sword.”

Oliver drew his Rest in Peace from his waist, but before his hand touched the hilt, Godwin spoke again.

“If you can, I hope you can use the one in front of you,” Godwin said in a voice so low it couldn’t be heard by others. “Use your father’s sword.”

Oliver was silent for a long time as he stared at the strange black sword between them. His gaze swept across the fire, leaping on the blade. Finally, he stretched out his hand, slowly grasped the hilt of the sword, and pulled it out of the stone platform.

There was no change on Oliver Ramon’s face as if he didn’t even waver for a single moment.

---

The author has something to say：

Tumbleweed is about to wreak havoc again! There will be dog food too~

Anyway, it’s just a small box made by your own team member, so go wild! (X

Jesse: (Making aggrieved noises)

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 172: Leonard’s Plan

A quarter of an hour later.

Nemo moved his hand away from his eyes. His expression became serious. Oliver was still looking at Jesse stiffly, whose eyebrows kept raising higher and higher.

“It seems that the problem in front of us is not just Horizon. The principal of Clementine has locked down the academy on the grounds of arresting the Black Chapters,” Nemo said dryly. “The school firmly believes that we kidnapped those four students, so we have to get out of here as soon as possible.”

They were only a snake-level Black Chapter. Even if the four students were really held hostage, it wouldn’t cause the entire Clementine Royal Military Academy to go into lockdown as a result. Quentin Leonard was indeed a nobleman, but the power of his family wasn’t so great that they could cover the sky with a single hand, so his status was at most moderate. Hayden was born to a wealthy businessman, and the remaining two were just civilians. There were many students in the college whose identity was much more important than theirs.

Originally, Clementine Academy did tend to prefer closed teaching, but a lockdown was another matter. The picture returned by the little spider shouldn’t be false. Principal Salter was going to cut off all communication with the outside world in the name of “severing the Black Chapter’s contacts from the outside”. If they were really dangerous people at the spider level or above, it would make sense.

The problem was that even if their members were actually more dangerous than any Black Chapters, the snake level was still a snake level. This kind of behavior could only be called putting the cart before the horse, as if to eliminate a mouse by burning down a barn full of grain.

They were definitely using it as an excuse, and now Nemo was very sure of this. The only thing he was not sure about was why Clementine’s principal did this, but now wasn’t a good time to analyze it. No matter what reason Principal Salter ordered this, they had already been recognized as real, dangerous kidnappers.

“Good. I have to talk to Leonard and the others… and uh, let them know what’s going on.” Oliver took his attention away from Jesse and replied without hesitation, without any curiosity.

Quentin Leonard’s mind was a mess.

For a short quarter of an hour, the students failed to come up with any useful conclusions. After a whispered discussion, they only had time to select a negotiator to conduct serious negotiations with the three Black Chapters, trying their best to figure out the current situation.

Leonard, who knew tumbleweed best, naturally took on this responsibility. Unfortunately, although Leonard initiated this discussion himself, his mind seemed to be floating in a certain corner of the sky, and his thinking was covered with clouds.

The young nobleman first noticed Tumbleweed because of the Bluebirds incident in Vincent Town. The old chef of his own house was a real talker, but his baked pies were unique. As a young warrior who exercised too much at every turn, he sometimes sneaked into the kitchen and asked the old man for some extra food.

Leonard learned about this team while stealing some pie.

“Ramon used a broken sword to directly split the air and release an incredible monster! The mage in their team is a demon worshiper. Have I told you that? That gloomy guy directly cursed everyone. A team of five ended a small war. Oh, when Old Rucker told me, he almost dropped the wine glass on the table.” The old chef beamed as he danced with his hands and feet in the hot aroma of the pie.

Knowing the tradition of Clementine Academy well, Leonard did a lot of homework in advance. He didn’t lack money, but he was going to make a fortune on the Wheel of Calamity. He was going to take a shot at the Wheel of Calamity as a way to prove to his family that he had a keen eye. At that time, he only thought Old Rucker, who the chef talked about, had just drunk too much and was talking nonsense.

But he still paid an extra gold coin and attention to the resume of the fledgling Black Chapter team, Tumbleweed, when he was collecting information. After all, it wasn’t often that a demon worshiper would cooperate with ordinary people, and if Old Rucker didn’t outright lie, then the situation of this team might have some research value.

However, the facts shocked him.

The people who provided the information were an old couple from the town of Vincent. According to their description, the facts seemed to be almost the same as Old Rucker’s oral statement. A hero who was born recklessly, didn’t seek fame and fortune, and was hidden in darkness. He could even split space and make the demon worshiper surrender. These things were just hidden under an unnamed team, and Leonard’s interest instantly skyrocketed.

In addition to the mysterious leader and his abyssal mage, the other members of this fledgling team were also very interesting. The well-known lone ranger Ann Savage, the blood-stained “viper” Jesse Dylan, and even Adrian Cross, the former Chief Justice of the Laddism Church.

Leonard faintly felt the excitement of digging up a treasure that had never been discovered. The second time, he took out a whole bag of gold coins. Even regardless of the expenses and time, he went to Caleb Village to investigate himself. According to intelligence, Tumbleweed confronted the world-famous Horizon there once, but the people from Horizon were very tight-lipped, and few knew the details.

After listening to the local innkeeper’s passionate praise, Leonard decided to focus his research entirely on Tumbleweed. He had no resistance to this kind of hero born from darkness. Unfortunately, he completely lost Tumbleweed’s trail after they completed their last mission related to the Abyssal Church.

Leonard had imagined what Oliver Ramon looked like. It should be a tall and burly man with a stoic and restrained face, and perhaps a little taciturn. He probably had a cold side if he could calm down such teammates. In short, Ramon was definitely an absolute powerhouse who transcended worldly vision and scoffed at money and honor.

Instead of…

“Uh, Mr. Leonard,” Oliver coughed dryly. His voice was a little faint. He glanced at the positions of several students and quickly noticed their intentions. “I guess you want to understand the current situation. You… Uh, are you the representative? Excuse me.”

“No, after you… Borne, no, Mr. Ramon,” Leonard said in a dreamlike voice, staring at his peers who were not as tall as himself.

“No, no, please you first.” Oliver looked even more uncomfortable.

“…” Nemo took a few steps forward and pressed his hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “I’ll do it.”

Leonard turned his gaze to Nemo, and his entire body stiffened like a stone statue.

“We’ll send you to the center of the maze. Oliver mentioned that Miss Lawler might also know that there is a one-way teleportation array leading to the outside world.” Nemo tried to make himself sound softer.

“Yes, leading to the Clementine Cathedral.” Marilyn nodded, her voice still a little shrill.

“We will escort you there, but…”

“But?” Hayden said keenly. His face was still a little pale, but he looked much calmer than Leonard.

“Horizon is waiting there. For some reason that we don’t know, Horizon firmly believes that we have kidnapped you.” Nemo explained. “You will leave here with us. If possible, I hope you can help us clarify it.”

Oliver nodded. “That’s it, everyone. Please follow me.”

Except for Leonard, several students clearly observed the expressions of the two of them. After a while, as if confirming that those words were not lies, the students showed varying degrees of relaxed expressions.

“Horizon is chasing you?” Leonard’s face didn’t intend to relax at all.

Oliver, who had just turned around, stopped.

“The relationship between Clementine Academy and the Mercenary Guild is very general, and they wouldn’t allow a mercenary group of Horizon’s rank to come and go at will, unless they have clear evidence that the mission goal is in the academy,” Leonard spoke quickly, staring closely into Oliver’s eyes. His facial muscles twitched a little. “Even if you really did take us as hostages, Principal Salter won’t let them intervene so soon. At present, I can’t think of other possibilities.”

“Yes, Horizon is investigating us,” Oliver readily admitted. “You have also seen our ‘murderous’ mage, right? I don’t want to have too much contact with Horizon.”

“But it’s weird.” Leonard stubbornly didn’t move, his gaze still glued to Oliver’s face. “Anyone who was on the scene could tell that I fell first. You and Mr. Light followed after. This couldn’t be a premeditated hostage-taking situation. Would Horizon be so easily fooled?”

“It may be because the Black Chapter’s reputation isn’t very good, and we are quite used to this situation.” Although Oliver had thought of this, he didn’t put too much importance on it.

“No.” The noble warrior raised his chest with a bit of aristocratic momentum, and his tone became excited. “If you’re really the target of Horizon, Horizon will definitely ask the school for all useful information, not to mention such important details. Captain Lopez is not the kind of person who does things indiscriminately. They won’t miss this.”

Oliver frowned and thought about Principal Salter’s abnormal behavior. He and Nemo exchanged glances. “What do you mean?”

“My father and Godwin are acquaintances, and I know their style of doing things very well. Maybe, uh, just maybe. Anyway, logically speaking… Someone in the college may have deliberately concealed the truth and given him false information, but I can’t think of a reason. Whether it’s a Black Chapter or a mercenary, it obviously has nothing to do with the academy.” Leonard’s voice dropped again.

“Thank you very much for your information.” Oliver stepped back, and he solemnly saluted Leonard.

“Ah, oh.” Leonard’s aristocratic air broke to pieces. “Actually, I have a little suggestion.”

“Please speak.”

“Can you send the three of them back to Horizon? I’ll stay with you.”

“……Why?”

“If we all run to Horizon, they will have no qualms about attacking you. I really don’t want to see that.” Leonard looked away.

Oliver shook his head, amused. “Wouldn’t that mean you have really become a hostage, Mr. Leonard?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Leonard quickly waved his hand. “I believe Elmer and the others will definitely explain things clearly, but in case, erm, in case someone from the academy really intervenes in this matter, their voices will likely be suppressed. Even if everyone explains clearly to Horizon now, as long as the people from the academy get a psychological evaluation and say that everyone was under your influence, your crime will still stand.”

He smiled a little reluctantly. “I’m an aristocrat… Ah, I hope to go out with you so I can contact my family. My family’s statement will at least be a bit more weighted. If you go with Horizon, according to the Articles of Association, in order to ensure that we’re not manipulated by you, Horizon must send us directly back to the academy for inspection.”

“You don’t seem to trust Clementine Academy very much.” Nemo couldn’t help but interject. “Generally speaking, students don’t directly suspect that someone in the academy is doing this kind of thing.”

“My father warned me that now is a sensitive time.” Leonard lowered his gaze. “These things should have nothing to do with you, but believe me, the academy has their own position.”

“I agree with this young man.” Jesse sauntered over slowly, patting Leonard’s sturdy arm casually while staring at Nemo. “There is nothing wrong with being careful.”

After thinking about Jesse’s identity, Oliver sighed like he had a toothache. “Okay. Thank you for thinking of us so much, Mr. Leonard. If there is anything we can do for you—”

“I hope you will remember the Leonard family.” Leonard stretched out a hand. Oliver shook it nervously and found that the other man’s palm was full of sweat. “And, and…”

“And?” Oliver thought that the other man must also have realized that his palms were sweaty as his voice became a little dry.

“…When we get out, can I get your autograph?”

“……”

“Leonard, are you sure you want to do this?” When Oliver stiffly returned to his original position and began to lead the way, Elmer asked Leonard in a low voice. “I’m not doubting Oliver, but if you claim that you went with them on your own accord, the academy is likely to punish you.”

“You don’t understand,” Leonard whispered. “Principal Salter actually allowed Horizon to enter the school quickly, so something must’ve happened. I can only say this much. Don’t put this account on Mr. Ramon. There are people above Horizon, not to mention…”

After that, he took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and his face began to blush slowly. “I can fight alongside Tumbleweed! Screw punishment! This makes me happy!”

At this moment, not far from the center of the labyrinth.

“How strange. I thought this was a ‘labyrinth’.” Bagelmaurus stopped on Ann’s shoulder. The female warrior was carrying a delicate golden lantern that had a blood-red flame burning quietly, flickering from time to time. Three small white magic arrays flew around the flame, like translucent moths, one of which was a bit dim.

They were walking down a long corridor.

The corridor was like a long crystal tube, or it was really a crystal tube that led directly to their destination. Magic patterns flickered slowly on the transparent crystal surface, blocking out the distorted space. Five steps before, the tube was a tropical green forest, while five steps after, it could be the bottom of the sea, a desert, or even smoke-filled ruins. Ann moved forward calmly, looking straight ahead as if she was uninterested in everything that lay beyond.

“This is the Great Isamel Labyrinth.” The female warrior raised her free hand and scratched the parrot’s neck. “It’s just a secret passage. Don’t make a fuss.”

“Secret passage? You just dripped blood into this lamp. It’s not a secret passage, but rather it appeared to your summons.” Bagelmaurus narrowed its eyes, but its mouth didn’t stop. “There is a powerful and ancient spell attached to this lamp. Don’t think I can’t see it.”

“Oh, you’re amazing.” Ann shrugged. “Such a great Lord Bagelmaurus could surely fly yourself. My shoulders are a bit sore.”

The gray parrot, which was dyed in various colors, snorted with dissatisfaction and flew straight up.

“That’s good.” Ann smiled and shook her head. The gray parrot’s attention was always easily distracted, making it very good for her deflection.

The space ahead was a bit dim, like the bottom of a deep sea. Ann raised the light a little bit—

Then she accidently dropped it to the ground.

The blood-red flame was still burning, but even under the red halo, the paleness on the female warrior’s face could still be seen clearly.

“Why did you stop?” The gray parrot stopped by the light and pecked it curiously. As if there was something different, Bagelmaurus tilted its head and quickly found the change.

The white magic array, which was three, had become one.

“Isn’t it just two decorations missing? ……Hey, hey, Savage. What’s wrong with you?”

“That’s not a decoration.” The tone of the female warrior was frighteningly cold. “I know Eldric is an asshole. I knew for a long time. Even if he and Ettram bite each other to death, I don’t care. But he—”

She picked up the golden lantern and squeezed the fragile light pole, causing it to make a creaking sound. Bagelmaurus had never heard the female warrior speak in this tone, so it instinctively took a step back.

“It’s just as well if he really did it to Ettram, but how could he be crazy enough to kill Annabelle,” Ann murmured with a trembling voice. “…How could he?”

Bagelmaurus listened in confusion. It had limited information from the corpses in Roadside Town. The gray parrot had no idea who the names of Eldric and Annabelle belonged to and could make Ann give a deadly look. The female warrior had never mentioned them before.

But it did know who Ettram was, as there was a very famous Ettram in Alban.

Ettram Alastair, the current emperor of Alban.

---

The author has something to say:

No need to remember these long names! They will have abbreviations soon _(:з”∠)_

Tumbleweed rolled itself into a big event~

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 171: Hostage

As the strongest species of intermediate demon, the Midnight Walker weren’t much inferior to humans in terms of intelligence. Seeing that their companion was easily defeated and flew into the distance like a rag in the wind, the demons didn’t hesitate and ran away—without delay, faster than a rabbit with its tail on fire.

Nemo put away the dark shadow. He chose to stand silently against the wind, facing the endless darkness, rather than turning his head to face the suffocating embarrassment. He decided to throw the difficult task of explaining to the sociable Oliver, leaving only an inscrutable back to everyone.

Thanks to Nemo’s abyssal magic, there was not a single beast in the vicinity. As dawn approached, the early morning sky turned slightly cyan, and the original scattered stars became sparse.

Oliver put away his sword skillfully and coughed. Then he took a deep breath, trying to make himself look serious, but when his gaze swept onto the expressionless Leonard’s face, his whole demeanor quickly deflated again. While Oliver had dealt with all kinds of difficult guests when he worked at the inn, he had no experience in this special situation.

At least those guests wouldn’t praise him to the skies before they trouble him.

He was embarrassed enough that his eyelids were twitching. At this moment, he couldn’t stand well. He looked at Nemo, who was looking at the scenery rigidly in the distance. Oliver realized that he couldn’t escape this disaster after all.

“Ask. There is a safe place ahead. We’ll talk as we walk,” he whispered, taking a little shaky step.

He didn’t even have the courage to say, “We’re not suspicious people.” From the perspective of outsiders, they were probably one of the most suspicious people in the world right now. Instead of racking his brain to think of a less explosive opening statement, he decided to delicately throw the problem to the back.

The students followed mechanically, but no one said a word.

Marilyn stared at the back of Nemo’s head, as if trying to ignite the short ponytail behind his head with her gaze. Hayden turned pale again and finally felt like shrinking again. An expression finally began to appear on Leonard’s face. He narrowed his eyes, and his face grew long.

Elmer himself couldn’t tell what his mood was. During this time, Oliver taught him a lot in private, and he could faintly see his strength. Unfortunately, Elmer was limited by his own abilities. Before, Elmer couldn’t estimate the level of the opponent’s strength, but now he was clear.

However, the Midnight Walker retreated too quickly, and Elmer couldn’t dig out the slightest sense of reality from his mind.

“Oliver is not a deserter.” He could only be the first to speak out, trying to break this awkwardness. “During the last training… Uh, he actually threw the snake mongoose at the snake-maned lion. I can tell. He actually helped us, but I don’t know why…”

“Why hide your strength?” Leonard took over the conversation and successfully stabilized his expression without showing too much shock. “Mr. White uses abyssal magic. That means a person who used abyssal magic sneaked into Alban’s largest military academy. He might as well just put a label on his forehead that said, ‘I love abyssal magic, come and catch me’.”

The little nobleman cast his gaze on Oliver, and his facial muscles twitched a few times. He seemed to want to raise his sword to defend, but out of some emotion he didn’t want to do that, so he had to twist into a nondescript posture. “Black Chapter or criminals on the run?”

“Black Chapter.” Oliver only felt that he was about to suffocate in thick embarrassment as he carefully said those words. The center of the maze was right in front of them, and they could already see the abnormal sphere suspended in the air. Oliver accelerated his steps and stood beside Nemo, praying that the thing would distract the students.

“That thing… Oh my god, it’s the ‘Eye of God’.” Marilyn staggered in place, seemingly trying to stabilize her soft leg. For the first time, her voice was a little shrill. “Praise Zenni. We… We’re at the center of the maze. When you said ‘safe zone’ you meant the center of the maze?!”

“Nn.” Oliver nodded stiffly and tried to make a stoic appearance. “There’s a teleportation array leading to the outside over there. We’re indeed Black Chapters, and we entered the academy in order to… Uh, perform a certain task.”

“The academy doesn’t conduct this kind of cooperation with the Mercenary Guild,” Leonard said stiffly. When he heard the words “center of the maze” he shook his entire body involuntarily.

“That’s why we snuck in.” Oliver tried to be sullen.

“So what is your goal? ……We are in the depths of the maze, and it’s impossible for a Black Chapter to do this kind of work out of ‘kindness’. Only a spider-level Black Chapter could guarantee their survival in this kind of place, and of the spider-level… I don’t remember anyone so young. When you entered the school, you must have been tested for any illusion spells. Obviously, you haven’t disguised your face and age in any way. There’s only one possibility, and your mission goal is among us, so you have to risk chasing in.”

“Maybe they are really here to help,” Hayden finally spoke, although the person was still shivering a little. His voice was very calm. “Do you remember when you pushed me in the hallway? If White doesn’t want to attract unnecessary attention, he could leave me alone… You have to come here a little bit, Leonard. Miss Lawler’s healing technique is great, but you are losing blood and need to drink some medicine.”

The first half of his words could be called cautious, but the last sentence immediately became a lot tougher.

“But they repelled the Midnight Walker, and there are still surface creatures that are stronger than the Midnight Walker here. It’s not the same thing to go out on a limb and put your life on the line. Even mercenaries won’t do this kind of tiring work for free. I know there is only one team that will do this,” Leonard snorted and leaned forward, his face flushed with embarrassment.

“If it’s Tumbleweed, it’s normal to do this kind of thing.” Speaking of his favorite Black Chapter team, Leonard’s eyes lit up.

Oliver held his breath.

“…But they can’t be Tumbleweed. Although there’s no image, I have heard my chef describe them—Oliver Ramon is a two-meter-tall burly man, and the mage in their team is a gloomy and fierce murderous guy.” Leonard squeezed the glass vial, shook the muddy dark green liquid in it, then pinched his nose and poured it into his throat in one go.

Hayden looked at the scratches on Leonard’s skin critically and seemed very happy to use this to divert his attention. Regardless of Leonard’s instantly distorted face, he carefully used the liquid to eliminate the poison.

Oliver, who was only 1.81 meters tall and of moderate size, fell into complete silence. Nemo pricked up his ears and finally stopped pretending to watch the scenery…

“Forget the gloomy,” he said in shock. “Murderous? What do you mean murderous?”

“That’s what he said. I also know the other three members—the former Chief Justice of the Knights of Judgment in a monk’s uniform, the terribly beautiful pirate, and the remaining female warrior who has a strange fire spell. It’s a gun with feathers on it. The two of them don’t meet the criteria at all,” Leonard said solemnly. His mouth was hissing with pain from the disinfectant. “And I haven’t heard of anyone on their team being in a relationship. That’s the most rigid and pure team I’ve ever seen.”

‘This is hopeless,’ Oliver thought numbly, looking at the dragon breath stone orb that was getting closer.

He couldn’t think of any way to confess without hurting Leonard’s feelings. Nemo was still immersed in the “murderous” evaluation, looking a little confused.

Suddenly, an unexpected person saved the day.

“Oh, captain.” Jesse crossed lightly from behind the gap in the stone wall, raised his hand, and greeted “Why are you treating your wounds here? Since you’re here, it’s nicer to clean up at the center.”

He raised his eyes and scanned the students behind the two of them with words of concern in his mouth, but those eyes were full of indifference.

The students looked straight at the person who came out of nowhere, making gasping sounds of different volumes. Jesse was obviously a little satisfied with this reaction. He blew a kiss at the fledglings and showed a charming enough smirk.

“Too beautiful.” Hayden wiped Leonard’s wound with a soft cloth stained with liquid medicine and lowered his voice.

“’Jesse the Viper’, Jesse Dylan?” Leonard’s tone was a bit dazed, and it was not a good kind of daze.

“Uh-huh?” Jesse nodded.

“…Tumbleweed?”

“Actually, I don’t like this name very much, but I can’t help it. Who made the head of our household have such earth-shattering taste? Earth-shattering in various meanings.”

“He called you captain.” Leonard turned to Oliver in disbelief.

Oliver looked at him bitterly and said, “Nn” as if confessing. He glanced at Jesse Dylan, and his expression became more complicated.

“Does the medicine you just gave me have a hallucinogenic effect? Its side effects are likely appearing.” Leonard turned to Hayden with a stiff expression.

“No, I heard it too.” Hayden’s movement of treating the wound became a bit rougher.

“We didn’t mean to hide it from you, sorry.” Without a second thought, Oliver poured it all out. “Mr. Leonard, you seem to have a lot of, uh, misunderstandings about us. Anyway, that’s the way it is. If you…”

“Dear captain, if you want to chat, now is not a good time.” Jesse moved his shoulders. “Let’s go to the center and settle these people down first.”

“Captain,” Leonard murmured and repeated, staring into Oliver’s eyes, trying to find any traces of guilt that he might be lying. As a result, he only found a ton of embarrassment.

Oliver took a deep breath, grabbed Jesse and Nemo, and dragged them away from their temporary classmates. “Let’s talk here.”

Nemo finally broke free from the shadow of the “murderous” evaluation. Unlike Oliver, who was still madly embarrassed, he was relatively detached from the situation. He keenly smelled something. “Where’s Mr. Cross? ……Why did you come to pick us up?”

“Oh, about that issue.” Jesse tucked a wisp of brilliant blond hair behind his ears, glanced at the few confused young people not far away, and threw up a mute array. “He’s fine for the time being. He’s waiting for you in the center of the maze.”

Oliver instantly suppressed the embarrassment in his heart, and his voice became serious. “It’s okay for the time being?”

When facing Jesse Dylan, Oliver and Nemo’s sentimental student aura disappeared instantly, and the momentum of the strong was naturally suppressed. Although he couldn’t hear the content of their conversation, Leonard couldn’t help but take a step back. His mind was still blank from shock. Hayden continued to work mechanically, and he was about to disinfect his entire body. Elmer and Marilyn remained silent, but their shoulders collapsed a little, and they wanted to shrink a bit.

“Should we… take this opportunity to talk about the current situation?” A few seconds later, Leonard suggested a little blankly.

Marilyn frowned and nodded slightly. The four young people gathered in a pile, unable to figure out what their mood was. Gratitude, shock, and a trace of fear were all mixed together. Regardless of whether the other party was malicious or not, they couldn’t passively accept everything.

Indeed, they were reserve soldiers, not civilians to be rescued. They should never be confused with the status quo and blindly follow it no matter who the other party was.

“Godwin Lopez is waiting for you. They just arrived not long ago.” Jesse on the other side ignored the two auras and spoke in a calm voice. “Cunning guy. He must’ve used a special passage from the Alban royal family. Mr. Light, you should know the particularity of this place. I can’t use communication magic to contact you two in front of him.”

“He detained Mr. Cross and asked you to come to us.” There was a bit more unhappiness in Oliver’s voice. “Godwin Lopez doesn’t look like someone who would do this kind of thing. I think they should have good reasons.”

“Very simple. Important members of Horizon decided that you specifically detained these little guys as hostages.” Jesse raised his chin at the four students.

“You didn’t clarify it?” Nemo stared at Jesse. Knowing Godwin’s past, he didn’t think that the man who lived like a textbook would do anything too much to the former knight commander. He was more worried about the position of the guy in front of him. Since Jesse Dylan didn’t come for himself, it was even more unlikely that it was for Oliver or Ann. After thinking about it carefully, whether it was the timing of joining or the habit of action, it was Adrian Cross that Jesse cared about.

Now that Nemo probably knew who Jesse was, he wasn’t going to believe in that love at first sight crap.

He was very curious about this guy’s position.

“You have forgotten my abilities. I am a ‘diviner’.” Jesse bent the corner of his mouth. “My darling Adri will be fine. At any rate, we’ve already spent a warm night, so I can’t simply leave him alone.”

Nemo stared at Jesse in disbelief, and Oliver looked like he had been smashed in the face with a hammer.

“That’s it for small talk.” Jesse clapped his hands. “Now the problem is here. We have to escape, captain, or we’ll just treat it as if we really took these little guys as hostages. If the situation goes wrong, I have the confidence to take Adri away.”

“No.” Oliver forcibly recovered from the shock, with a very determined tone.

“Ann is still in the academy. We can’t just leave her like this.” Nemo’s focus was elsewhere.

“Well, this answer isn’t really surprising. As for dear Ann, I have already contacted her—she’s in the labyrinth, and it is estimated that she’ll be able to catch up in a bit,” Jesse said indifferently.

“Even with Bagelmaurus, this is the Great Isamel Labyrinth. If you start from the outermost layer…”

“Believe me, she definitely has a way to handle this. Miss Savage is not the kind of tragic character who wants everyone to leave her behind.”

“Then before she arrives, I will meet Godwin,” Oliver said in a deep voice. “Since we can’t avoid it, it’s time for us to make a clean break.”

Nemo wanted to nod, but a vague shadow suddenly appeared in front of him, and broken voices got into his ears. This situation was a bit familiar. He shook his head abruptly, then tentatively covered one eye.

The image became clear.

After spying on Telaranea and Vance in the archives, he put the little spider back on its web and gave it the ability to completely hide its aura. Besides that, its hunting life would become smoother and nothing else would change.

But it still followed Telaranea and even took the initiative to send back images this time. Did he accidentally make its intelligence too high? With a faint guilty conscience, Nemo began to observe the images that were being shown…

Then he understood the reason why the picture was sent.

“Completely lockdown the academy.” The old principal announced it in front of a group of professors. “A Black Chapter with an unknown purpose has taken a group of students hostage and is now hiding in the Isamel Labyrinth. Horizon has already dealt with the matter, but just in case, we must block their possible paths.”

“At this time?” Mrs. Mandy—Telaranea raised her eyebrows.

“Yes, madam.” A sneer gradually appeared on Salter’s old face. “I’m afraid you won’t be able to go home for the time being. I’m very sorry.”

“…” The beautiful female professor in the picture was silent for a while, covering her lips with her hands. From the angle of the little spider, he could see that what the hand was blocking wasn’t a gasp, but a distorted smile.

“If you must,” she said. “The hostages of the First Academy are in your hands, Salter.”

---

The author has something to say:

Godwin: I borrowed my ID card and went to the VIP channel.

Ann: I myself am the proof! ……Walked the VIP channel.

————

Leonard: Tumbleweed is just and pure! There is no ambiguity among colleagues!

Oliver: ………………………………..

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Poor Leonard. His image of Tumbleweed was crushed. He turned out to be pretty cute, despite being somewhat annoying.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 170: The Strongest Intermediate Demon

Jesse Dylan was humming a song while filing his nails with a small stone file, leisurely as if on vacation. Adrian Cross crossed his arms and looked at the scene in the center of the maze.

In the center of the maze was a wide stone platform with many weapons and books floating on it. The transparent beam of light surrounded them firmly like a display cabinet, with one exception. A dark red sword was pierced in the middle of the stone platform, and the exposed blade seemed to be burning with flames.

The Sword of Ruinous Fire. The sword that Oliver’s father wielded, Flint Lopez, the head of the Tin Soldier Mercenary Regiment.

Adrian stared at it for a while, then calmly turned his gaze away. He has no interest in the Sword of Ruinous Fire or the identity of the “last Hero”. He had never challenged the Great Isamel Labyrinth. Out of some strange emotion, he had a faint awe of this place.

The Great Isamel Labyrinth wasn’t a “maze” at first.

When it was discovered more than a thousand years ago, there were no walls, and it was called the “Cursed Land” at that time. No one could explain what happened in this vast land. It seems that someone had cut different landscapes and climates into pieces, put them together casually, and even rotated them from time to time to twist the space in an ordered fashion. The creatures inside were also very rare, including almost all the creatures that could be detected on the surface. Scholars have even found many ancient life that should have been extinct long ago on the edge of space, as well as… Surface creatures that resembled demons and pure demons that resembled surface creatures.

In order to unlock the secrets of the Cursed Land, countless scholars and adventurers died here.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t solve the mystery here. People went through a lot of hard work to find the center of this weird space, but only found an orb made of pure dragon breath stone. It was as big as the most magnificent palace, snow-white and smooth, without any flaws. The ball just hovered in the air, exuding a faint sense of oppression.

In order to facilitate research, scholars established a research institute on the land adjacent to the Cursed Land. As time passed, the increasingly expanding institute became the Clementine Royal Military Academy. Research was still ongoing, but until now, the researchers had just understood the function of the stone orb—

It was powering the stability and resetting of space.

As for where it came from, who made it, and by what means it hovered there, no one knew, but the unsolvable puzzle didn’t prevent people from using this strange land. After the brave adventurers conquered all the spaces, they marked the boundaries of the space with high walls, and the Cursed Land officially became the Great Isamel Labyrinth, an excellent testing ground.

People always like to classify completely unexplainable, strange phenomena as miracles. If this definition was followed, then the most magnificent miracle on the surface was here.

Adrian looked up at the huge dragon breath stone orb. The huge shadow it cast blocked the gradually setting red sunlight, turning slowly without making the slightest sound.

‘A beautiful miracle,’ he thought.

But the other person completely destroyed the solemn scene. Jesse was finally satisfied with all ten fingernails. He came over unwillingly, stood next to the knight commander, and looked curiously at the other party’s gaze.

“A ball.” The blond young man glanced at the white sphere floating over the maze. “Adri, you… Well, you’re in such a good mood.”

“Surface creatures that look infinitely close to demons, and demons that look like surface creatures. This place is quite similar to you,” Adrian said softly, turning his gaze back. “You’re also very familiar with this place, aren’t you?”

“Uh-huh.” Jesse scratched his chin carelessly.

“How much do you know about this place?”

“Enough, but Adri, you’re not suitable to know the truth yet.” Jesse leaned closer and tried to kiss the other’s cheek, but Adrian slapped him on the mouth and pushed him away smoothly and resolutely.

“Oh,” Adrian responded coldly, without meaning to continue asking.

“Aren’t you even going to ask me?” Jesse’s mouth was still against the palm of the knight’s hand, so his voice sounded muffled.

“How can I be considered ‘suitable’?”

As soon as he finished asking, Adrian felt the lips under his palm tighten. Jesse Dylan was laughing, and then there was a wet numb itch. The other party was licking his palm.

The knight quickly retracted his hand and moved his gaze away.

“First of all, I didn’t take the initiative to mention religion.” Jesse wiped his mouth regretfully, though the smile at the corner of his mouth was obvious. “When you decide to turn your back on your God, then you’ll be considered ‘suitable’.”

After that, Jesse whistled good-naturedly and looked at the knight commander, who was staring firmly elsewhere. Yes, of course he knew the truth about this place.

After all, this was the place that he built at the behest of someone. It was just right now, that guy had forgotten everything, while he was happily playing with his toys here. He even brought a bunch of dumbfounded little ones with him.

Jesse shook his head, retracted his gaze glued to the knight commander, and swept in a certain direction…

On the other side, not far from the center of the maze.

Time was normal in the depths of the maze. The setting sun was sinking behind the trees, the air was gradually growing colder, and the mysterious chewing sound of shadows coming from the bushes became clearer and louder. Elmer had used up all the tent cloths and supported a temporary tent that was spacious and strong enough against the stone wall. The camouflage spell was triggered, so from the perspective from outside the tent, there was nothing on this stone platform.

He didn’t know the surrounding environment yet, so it wasn’t wise to go out hunting rashly. Elmer and Oliver separated a small part of the dry food from the logistics backpack, added enough water, and used the heating method at the bottom of the pot to boil it into a warm, thick porridge. They didn’t even know which area of the labyrinth they were in, and no one knew if there would be any creatures that were easily attracted to open flames. At least they made sure that the dry food and water were clean, and the temperature at this level should be enough, so there was no need to light a campfire.

The porridge had a rough and dull taste, but no one complained. Everyone stayed in their positions peacefully, trying to regain their strength and trying to find some positive emotions from the unknown anxiety.

The sun finally sank completely. As night fell, no one dared to cast a light spell. The six young people shrank in the tent as the wind blew on the tent, causing it to rattle. The weird howls and terrifying footsteps around them gradually increased, and it sounded closer.

“Someone has to keep watch, and we must be prepared to fight or escape at any time.” Leonard was silent for a while, but still couldn’t help but speak.

“We can take turns. Did anyone bring a mechanical timer? One person keeps watch for a while so that everyone can rest.” Marilyn rolled her hair into a tight bun and asked.

“I’ll do it.” Leonard glanced at the back of the young girl’s snow-white neck. Her face was a little red.

“We can take turns.” Marilyn emphasized.

“I agree with Miss Lawler,” Hayden muttered. “It’s better for everyone to take a break.”

“Uh… How about Mr. Leonard and I keep watch for a while longer?” Elmer scratched his head.

“We’re reserve soldiers, not civilians who need protection. Being able to stay alert at night is the most basic requirement. And you two are the main combat power. Your lack of energy is likely to kill the whole team. Don’t worry, I still know a few refreshing techniques.” The beautiful female nurse has no intention of backing down.

“Marilyn, the situation has reached this point, so you don’t have to keep targeting me.” Leonard lowered his head, his voice a little helpless. “Well, maybe I really have upset you, but now is the moment of life and death…”

“Then let me make things clear.” The female nurse simply stood up and walked to the noble warrior.

“No matter how I refuse, you’ll follow. Don’t you know what ‘no’ means? Yes, your face is not bad. Although your personality is a bit rotten, you’re indeed not bad and your brain isn’t stupid. As a noble child, you are indeed excellent—perhaps very good.”

What Marilyn said was praise, but there was no expression on her face.

“I’ll give you back the same thing you just dealt to Oliver Borne, Leonard. Do you think your conditions are good enough, your abilities aren’t bad, and you have an interest in me, or even ‘love’ me, that I should accept it happily? Yes, I’m a civilian woman with no future, and I know this very well, but…”

She took a deep breath, squatted down, and looked up at Leonard, sitting on the ground. “There are countless excellent and lovely men in this world. Is it possible that as long as they express their affection for me, I will love them all? I made it clear that I don’t like you, so ‘no’ is ‘no’. No one is obliged to fall in love with anyone.”

Leonard blushed.

“By the way,” Marilyn didn’t intend to stop there, “I didn’t mean to target you along the way. I’m speaking and refuting from the standpoint of a soldier, not the ‘wayward woman mixed with private emotions’ in your mind. Please don’t continue to misunderstand. Now we are comrades-in-arms, and everything I do is just to make everyone’s survival rate higher, that’s all. Now I repeat it again, I suggest everyone take turns keeping watch.”

She stared into the warrior’s eyes solemnly, then lowered her gaze, and stood up humbly.

Witnessing someone else’s lovelorn scene wasn’t a good experience. Nemo and Oliver shrank to the edge of the tent almost at the same time. Leonard, the tragic actor, didn’t say a word, and the noble warrior stared at the place where the broadsword was inserted into the soil, and began to become lost in a daze.

“I’ll do it.” Seeing that no one wanted to break the dull atmosphere that was beginning to spread, Nemo opened his mouth.

“What do you mean?” Hayden raised his head.

“I am very good at staying up all night, and there will be no fatigue the next day, and it will definitely not affect my actions,” Nemo said. “I promise this is not being brave. And you see, I…uh, I’m not a combat member, am I?”

Hayden and Marilyn quickly exchanged glances. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes,” Nemo responded firmly.

“I have no problem, Mr. White. I hope you’re not playing with everyone’s lives.” Marilyn frowned.

“Nemo’s words should be fine. He is very strong. I can guarantee that.” Hayden breathed a sigh of relief, and secretly glanced at Leonard, who had suffered a loss.

Leonard still didn’t say a word and remained silent until everyone was wrapped in a thin blanket and fell asleep.

Oliver and Nemo stayed outside the tent. There were stars twinkling above their heads. Not long ago, there were indeed a few big guys nearby. While everyone was asleep, Oliver went for a trip and forcibly dragged them a few miles away. The surroundings got a lot quieter now, and only the whispers of vague beasts could be heard.

They were a lot freer now. Demons were rampant here, and as long as Nemo controlled his strength within the capabilities of these demons, even if it exceeded a little bit, it would not appear too conspicuous. Although Oliver’s abilities were weird, in the Great Isamel Labyrinth, where strange things happened frequently, the same saying still applied—as long as it wasn’t excessive, the possibility of exposure would be much less.

After cleaning up his surroundings, Oliver wanted to lean against the rock wall while wrapped in a blanket. As soon as he leaned in the direction of the stone wall, Nemo grabbed him and pressed his head onto his thigh.

“Lie down and sleep.” The silver eyes gleamed in the moonlight. Nemo smiled and inserted his fingers into Oliver’s soft hair. “You also need to rest. I said, I can just stand guard.”

Within three minutes, Oliver fell into a deep sleep. His left wrist rested relaxed on the slate, showing off the demon engraving that he had no intention of removing. Nemo stared at it, and his smile became a bit bitter.

After enough lessons, Nemo was not about to let down his guard just because his strength was enough. This decision of his could be said to have saved the lives of the entire team. A little after 3 in the morning, disaster suddenly struck.

Nemo leaned down and kissed his lover’s slightly opened lips. Oliver woke up immediately. He stood up neatly, and the drowsiness in his eyes dissipated in a second.

“Feel it?” Nemo randomly pointed in a certain direction in the dark.

It was a demon tide.

Unlike those big guys with unusually good brains, the demon tide was composed of only subordinate demons, beasts, and intermediate demons that weren’t very strong. They were by no means smart, and they didn’t have any tactics, but sometimes they gathered together like locusts, gnawing at everything that blocked their way, whether it was dead or alive.

They were a bit like a group of rats. The combat effectiveness of a single individual wasn’t strong but became troublesome when the numbers increased. According to the dangerous rumors of The Great Isamel Labyrinth, it wasn’t uncommon for this kind of thing to appear in the deeper layers. They couldn’t disperse them by driving away the big guys. Even if they really resorted to violence, they didn’t know how long this strange tide of activity would last.

It was the best policy to leave. It wasn’t far from the center of the maze, where it was as calm as the center of a tornado. They might be able to lure this group of young people directly there.

“Nn.” Oliver nodded blankly, obviously quickly understanding the current situation. “But next time you can kiss me harder. I won’t care.”

“Let’s go wake them up.” Nemo shook his head amusedly and took a breath.

“Enemy attack!” he shouted loudly, “It’s a demon tide!”

The students reacted extremely quickly. In less than three seconds, Elmer grabbed his backpack and then carried the thin Hayden and Marilyn on his shoulders. Leonard drew out his broad sword, ran to the front of Elmer, and ran as fast as possible…

“This way! No problem here!” Oliver pointed in the direction of the center of the maze.

Leonard glared at Oliver, but the noble warrior could feel it for himself, and the murderous aura in that direction did fade a lot. He didn’t hesitate anymore and changed his direction decisively.

Nemo and Oliver took the initiative to step back and quietly let out a little breath to lead the demon tide in the other direction. After two hours of rolling around, the numb sound of gnawing on the scalp finally disappeared from the ears of the group.

“I haven’t encountered anything unusual.” Hayden coughed a few times on Elmer’s shoulder. His face turned pale. “Maybe we are still in the shallow part of the maze.”

“I hope so. It would be great if there were signs in this hellhole,” Marilyn on the other shoulder responded across the backpack.

“Run,” Leonard spoke for the first time in a long time. His voice was a little hoarse. “Elmer, you take them and run quickly. Go immediately!”

“What’s the matter?” Marilyn asked immediately. Her and Hayden’s faces were facing Elmer’s wide back, and they couldn’t see a way forward.

“The strongest intermediate demon, Midnight Walker. It smelled us.” Leonard didn’t talk nonsense. He raised his sword high and wide, and a golden arc of light climbed onto the blade. “I’ll delay it. Go!”

The Midnight Walker was good at concealing its breath. It wasn’t big; the tallest was no more than five meters. They sneak in the dark night, harvesting lives with slender and sharp, sickle-shaped claws.

Three claws split off. Leonard held two of them firmly while the third slid down against his shoulder, directly breaking through the metal armor and even cutting a large piece of flesh at his belt. Blood burst from the wound, causing a layer of sweat to appear on the face of the little nobleman.

‘It stopped,’ Leonard thought. In fact, he knew very well in his heart that there weren’t any mages that were good at binding spells with them. They weren’t this thing’s opponent. If he wanted to improve his survival rate…

Suddenly, a beautiful healing spell was applied to his wound.

Marilyn Lawler broke free of Elmer’s arm forcefully and rushed to the rear of the warrior.

“So you can last longer,” she said. “I’ll leave in a while.”

It seemed to be stimulated by the smell of blood. The Midnight Walker stretched out four arms in the air, making a sharp chirping sound with its mouth. The hook claw split like lightning. Leonard’s scalp exploded as he reluctantly raised his sword, ready to defend with a standard defensive formation.

He knew this definitely wouldn’t work, but Leonard’s mind was blank, and he couldn’t think of anything else. The Midnight Walker wouldn’t wait for him to ponder the current situation slowly; he must act. As a glorious soldier, he must protect himself…

Wrong.

Elmer, who had always been honest and obedient, unexpectedly didn’t move this time. The burly young man stood in silence, and he didn’t seem to have any intention of pulling out a hunting knife to support him. Leonard was confused for a moment, causing his defense array to suddenly loosen.

“Fuck—”

The swear of the noble soldier got stuck in his throat before he could finish his curse. Leonard understood why Elmer hadn’t moved. He became aware of something.

Yes, they had no escape.

“This won’t work.” The deserter scratched his head and smiled a little shyly. “It’s too early for them to deal with it.”

In just a few seconds, the Midnight Walker only had time to let out a vague scream before they watched it fly into the trees in the distance and fall disgracefully.

---

The author has something to say:

Yes, Jesse built this place.

Jesse: What did you humans do to my little box…!

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 169: Professional Rescue

“The two of them are more like the kinds of people who can’t take care of themselves, and they care about each other at most. I think the last test has fully proven this.” Leonard raised his broad sword, warding off possible attacks around him, but his mouth didn’t stop. “So, what exactly do you two want to do?”

Nemo scratched his nose and turned his gaze to Oliver.

What they had to do was actually pretty clear. Send these passionate peers to a relatively safe place, or even a safe area in the center of the maze. Until now, Nemo didn’t think they could continue to hide their identities. After they escape, Horizon would definitely find the wonderful hiding place of Tumbleweed. It was only a matter of time before Clementine Academy learned of this.

Anyway, these young people were unable to get in touch with the outside world right now. They have no reason to hide it, and there was no need to tell them in good faith, so they could just let it be.

Oliver’s thoughts were obviously in line with his. Facing Leonard’s questioning, he laughed a little embarrassedly. He untied the big bag on his shoulders and started to dig out his modified light armor.

So Nemo took over the conversation. “We couldn’t watch it, so we came to help.”

This was the hard truth. The second Quentin Leonard fell into the vortex; Nemo discovered the location of the noble warrior. The unlucky nobleman fell in the deepest part of the labyrinth, and there were several powerful auras that were moving in this area. According to Leonard’s strength, let alone waiting for the school’s rescue, he wouldn’t even make it out through the night.

At that time, their team was operating on the outermost layer of the Isamel Labyrinth. The professors and other combatants in the academy were able to arrive quickly, but it was undoubtedly a stupid thing to expose their strength and identity of a Black Chapter back then. Nemo and Oliver originally planned to come to a relatively reasonable place, hiding in the middle-level area of the maze for a while, and then, when the time came, they would rush to the center of the labyrinth and leave the academy.

Clementine Academy would detect their traces, but by that time, they would’ve left the city long ago—assuming that they could eliminate the threat of Horizon along the way in time.

According to Godwin’s Lopez’s cautious style, they would only have such a chance once, so they’d better hold the initiative in their hands, but…

Leonard wasn’t stupid enough to ask for trouble. Although the young nobleman had an unflattering personality, at the end of the day, he didn’t really have bad intentions. What was more, after several hot-blooded young people followed without thinking and took the initiative to throw themselves into this terrible place, under the premise of being able to be rescued easily, they matched their momentum as well. To see these young people die—Nemo didn’t think he could do such a thing.

It was a pity that Leonard obviously took that explanation as a mere bluff. His eyebrows rose in an instant and went straight to his hairline. After more than ten seconds of silence, the noble soldier snorted coldly, and his face had disbelief written all over it. “Wilhelm… Er, Hayden and Elmer came to help, I can still believe it, but you guys?”

Elmer was keenly aware of the contempt in the air. The burly young man hurriedly stepped forward, trying to change the subject. “Now’s not the time to chat, Mr. Leonard. Of course, it’s important to relax, but it’s also necessary to scout the surrounding situation… Miss Lawler, you seem to know the Isamel Labyrinth well? Do you know where we are now?”

After that, Elmer hesitated for a moment, put down the backpack behind him, and drew a long, sharp hunting knife from it. He touched the knife painfully and held it tightly in his hand.

Nemo stopped talking cooperatively.

He knew the answer.

The vortex had already closed behind them. At present, the area where they were located was very close to the center of the maze, and the magic fluctuations in the air were powerful and weird, making people feel uncomfortable, like they couldn’t breathe. According to this depth, it would take at least half a month for the people in the academy to find them.

All means of communication belonging to surface magic wouldn’t work here. The academy could only track the locator on the student’s uniform. It was sewn from the hard skin of a special subordinate demon, which could leave a little trace under the powerful magic fluctuations.

However, there was Bagelmaurus by Ann’s side and Nemo was by Oliver’s. Naturally, they could use the communication line dominated by abyssal magic. As for Jesse Dylan and the knight commander—Nemo didn’t believe that this matter could really cut off Jesse’s communication. That annoying shiny creature couldn’t wait to put a permanent communication array on their heads to ensure that not a word of their chatter would be missed.

If there was a mage student among them with rich knowledge, perhaps they would be able to find a clue, but the Isamel Labyrinth was still too complicated for students of other majors.

“I don’t know.” Marilyn shook her head quietly and admitted bluntly. “My knowledge is limited to paper. I only learned this from reading in the library.”

On the other side, Oliver finally took off the logistics uniform and fastened the last buckle on his black light armor. He grabbed the ukulele that Nemo had given him and slowly drew out the Rest in Peace and pinned it to his waist.

Leonard wasn’t distracted by Elmer. He looked up and down at Oliver’s outfit, and his face was getting darker.

It may be that he felt the hostile gaze from the other party; Oliver scratched his head and prepared to explain, “We’re really just here to help…”

“Even if you’re kind enough to do bad things?” Leonard narrowed his eyes and cut through the tangle of wet creeping vines in front of him. “You have ‘good intentions’, so I should be grateful even if I sacrifice my life for your trouble. Is that what you mean?”

“Actually I—”

“I can see that your sword isn’t made by a serious blacksmith, right? The whole thing is very rough.” The noble warrior pointed out mercilessly. “As for the armor… The materials are pretty good, but they have been reduced to half-useless. The defensive magic pattern is completely broken and the protection covering the key points was roughly broken off, as if a dragon had chewed it out. You’re embarrassed by the desertion last time, I understand very well, Mr. Borne, but this is not a joke.”

At the end of his sarcasm, Leonard turned around beautifully, and his broad sword split another bunch of squirming vines approaching.

“Brainless courage can’t clear your reputation. On the contrary, this kind of foolhardy behavior will only make things worse.”

“…” Oliver’s explanation got stuck in his throat. He thought deeply for a few seconds, then poked Nemo’s waist and lowered his voice. “Did I really change the armor and make it look ugly?”

“It’s okay. I think it’s very handsome.” Nemo comforted in a whisper. “Relax, Ollie—if everyone can still see what it originally was, you’ll be taken away from the street as soon as you get out.”

“Don’t say that.” Seeing Leonard’s tone getting worse and worse, Hayden finally spoke. The short male nurse grabbed a piece of the truncated creeping vine and skillfully squeezed the juice into the glass bottle around his waist. “In fact, in front of the labyrinth, everyone’s power gap may be negligible. One more person is one more way, and Nemo’s level is still very good.” He glanced at Oliver a little coldly.

Oliver swallowed and chose to remain silent. He and Nemo guarded the left side of the team, but unfortunately, the carnivorous plants frequently attacked from the right, tacitly ignoring them. These things weren’t strong, so they had no intention of interfering in the battle of their companions.

This was a real battlefield. When there was no deadly danger that the strength gap wasn’t too wide, having these young people battle was good for them.

Elmer and Leonard became the main combat power. The cold light of the broadsword and hunting knife split the air, and all the ill-intentioned vines were cut into dark green mud. Their efforts paid off. They quickly found a dry stone platform close to a rock wall. There were no weird snakes or colorful hypertrophic poisonous insects entrenched on it, so it looked very suitable for camping.

The six people climbed up the stone platform in silence and retreated into the connection between the stone platform and the stone wall. Elmer put down his hunting knife, rubbed his wide hands, and began to pull out the tent cloth embroidered with a camouflage array from his backpack. Leonard thrust his broad sword into the stone platform, and the blade lightly broke through, as if what was under their feet was not a hard slate but a large piece of hard cheese.

“Get a sword and put on the armor, and you think you’re really a warrior?” Leonard sat cross-legged, moving his shoulders. His gaze was still fixed on Oliver. It seemed that he was extremely dissatisfied with his behavior for not doing much along the way.

Nemo finally couldn’t help sighing. Now the members of this temporary team were emotionally stable, the environment was comfortable, and there was nothing too powerful nearby. Maybe it was time for them to share their thoughts—

“A true swordsman will not cling to armor or weapons,” Leonard said before he could begin. “Since you have studied Tumbleweed, then you should know that they stopped a war in Vincent Town. The leader didn’t wear any armor or even wield a decent weapon. The sword collapsed at the end of the war, but they still won. That’s a real swordsman.”

“How do you know?” Nemo swallowed the explanation with difficulty and asked in shock. He almost choked on his own saliva. “No, that’s not right. What do you mean, ‘You studied tumbleweed’, Ollie?”

“…It’s a long story.” Oliver’s voice drifted a bit. In a sense, Leonard was right. He didn’t wear any armor at that time, and his weapon was a standard silver sword taken from a Knight of Judgment, but the reason wasn’t because it was his style as a swordsman, but just the simple word “poor”.

Oliver was a little speechless and didn’t even dare to look at Leonard.

He felt guilty.

“My chef has always liked to order smoked fish from Vincent Town. When it happened, the grocer who delivered the goods to my house happened to be there,” Leonard sneered. “All that came out was a mess of fake news. That team is the real deal, a group of heroes. They took gossip in stride, no fame, contrary to some people—yes, Mr. White, your lover claims to know a lot about Tumbleweed and is trying to make a small fortune gambling, but if you ask me, with all that disinformation…”

“Have you said enough? Your blabbering is endless.” Marilyn simply cleaned her hands and interrupted the little nobleman impatiently. “Everyone needs a quiet environment to rest, not to listen to your speech. No matter what the motivation is, Oliver Borne is here now. You can’t just stir up a vortex with your tongue and throw him back, can you?”

She glanced in Oliver’s direction casually, and her gaze stayed puzzled for a few seconds. The deserter, who was notorious among freshmen, actually reserved his attitude and blushed a little strangely.

His handsome lover pinched his chin with his fingers, pondered for a moment, and leaned over. He was whispering about something.

“Gambling? Anyway, it’s impossible for us to go back and get the money. Are you…” Nemo said, almost angrily, raising his chin at Elmer.

“Uh-huh.” Oliver nodded very slightly. “Nemo, why don’t we force away the big guys around us first. There’s a lot of food nearby, and this is an ideal camping place… It’s too embarrassing to admit our identities now.”

“No problem, no problem.” Nemo secretly glanced at Leonard, who shut up for an instant. The noble warrior was holding back so hard that it made his neck red. “But we’d better make excuses to go together. I have a question that I care about very much.”

Perceiving the seriousness in Nemo’s tone, Oliver’s expression quickly became serious. “What?”

“There are demons here. This isn’t accidental.” Nemo completely retracted his joking tone.

“But some of them… They look no different from surface creatures.”

Inside Clementine Academy.

Old Salter was in a terrible mood.

Originally, this was an extremely sensitive period, and the freshmen in the academy chose this kind of thing to happen now. It would be easy if it was one or two missing, but six people was really exaggerated. Such a situation was considered unique in school history.

There was also the young man who was originally scheduled to be transferred to become Mrs. Mandy’s assistant. The Viscountess would certainly be unhappy. The only good piece of news—among the six, there was only one nobleman. Even if things got worse, the situation wasn’t unmanageable. At most, the process would be a bit more troublesome.

What a headache.

The old principal had to straighten almost every wrinkle on his face. He coldly unfolded the parchment sealed with gold paint in front of him, and then his face wrinkled even tighter.

“Where did they get the news?” He frowned tightly and cast his gaze at the assistant standing beside him.

“I’m sorry, Lord Salter. After all, it’s—”

“After all, it’s Horizon, I know.” The old man squeezed a cold snort from his nose. “Isn’t Godwin Lopez the fiancé of Her Royal Highness Delia? To come here at this time… Ha.”

“They have the permission of His Royal Highness Eldric and have expressed their willingness to assist us in rescuing the missing students. Godwin Lopez has only one request, he wants permission to view all our freshman information.”

“Hmm.” Salter knocked on his smoke pipe. “Since there is no proper reason for refusal, yes, I agree. Give him the information.”

“That’s fine.” The old man carelessly moved his gaze out of the window. “I’ve always been curious about Lopez’s true position. It’s time to take a closer look at him.”

---

The author has something to say:

Oliver: First time to be praised to my face, but there’s also a strange embarrassment…

However, cousin is coming soon√

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 168: Mutation

Pretending to be killed was much harder than they thought.

Except for individual majors that didn’t need to go on the battlefield, a few mediocre talents would be mixed in. Despite their aristocratic origins, those who could enter the combat major of Clementine Academy were all genuine elites. These young men could also be assistants to generals after graduation, and they would not make a low-level mistake of losing teammates at the beginning of training. The two commanders had a clear division of labor, and the joint army composed of two groups was walking on the flat snow, skillfully avoiding the dangerous narrow roads or the dense mountain walls of the lairs of monsters.

It was estimated that if they wanted to disappear in this situation, they could only pretend to faint and then roll down the gentle slope into the bottom of the valley.

The sun hadn’t set yet, and the sky was clear again, making the reflection of the snow very dazzling. Nemo chatted with Oliver in whispers and wandered at the end of the team with a very improper attitude.

“We may have to wait for the sun to go down.” He poked the skeleton helmet disguised as a decoration on Oliver’s bag melancholically. “There are no powerful auras nearby, and it’s not like we could pretend to be defeated by a snowfield droopy-eared rabbit.”

“You’re right,” Oliver responded in a low voice. “Have you seen a snowfield droopy-eared rabbit? That’s at least an ingredient.”

At present, the team was still advancing steadily, and the glacier where the glacier mammoth was located was still some distance away. Probably taking into account how much energy it took for the people treading on ice and snow, the students entered the maze after lunch. For the time being, it wasn’t time for logistics to start worrying. They didn’t receive the task of finding food or setting up camp, so they were idle.

Oliver had even planned ahead and began to consider possible recipes for dinner for the entire regiment.

“Let me make an analogy.” Nemo quickly interrupted Oliver’s thoughts. “In terms of strength.”

Except for the few combatants who were assigned to prevent unexpected situations, the auxiliary personnel basically followed at the end of the team. They hung at the end like this, so it didn’t look particularly conspicuous.

Nemo bounced a little and saw the light blue top of a large piece of ice floe from behind the snow mountain. They were getting closer to the glaciers…

Maybe they could only slip away in the middle of the night. The glacier mammoth was no bigger than a snake-maned lion, but they were as cautious as a fox caught in a trap. If they guessed correctly, compared to the last combat capability test, the focus of this one was probably teamwork, personnel control, and offensive strategy.

The two groups were specially arranged to work together, most likely as a consideration for safety issues.

There were many naturally formed ice arches and strangely shaped giant ice cubes near the glaciers. They could find an excuse to leave temporarily after nightfall, then hide in those maze-like ice cubes. By the time the team members found that they were gone, the two of them would already be deep in the maze.

The snow under their boots made a dull creaking sound, getting thicker and thicker until it had almost buried half their calves. Nemo had already discovered a lot of spatial folding points. He was so bored that he began to calculate the possible ways forward. It was still far from nightfall, and he was ready to chat with Oliver for the rest of the day.

Everything was very peaceful, and there wasn’t even a beast in their field of vision.

This time, Ollie stopped first. Nemo’s body stopped instinctively, still making calculations in his mind, and he almost stumbled into the thick snow.

“What’s the matter?”

“Something’s wrong.” Oliver grabbed a handful of snow and squeezed it casually. “The aura is too weak.”

“Right?” Nemo raised his eyebrows. “This place is really calm, and the level of those two commanders is really good.” The academy equipped each commander with the most basic topographic map, but the knowledge of specific routes was gone. From the habitats of demons and beasts to snow conditions in a specific climate, everything had to be calculated.

“Although there are some small bugs, the aura is not all…” Halfway through, Nemo broke off.

The aura was indeed too weak to be worth mentioning as they whizzed around under the snow. Although they felt like ordinary snow ants, their number was really large, so he didn’t really mind.

But now those auras were gathering.   

“The aura is very weak, but it’s not normal that there’s only one such thing around.” Oliver frowned. “I also sense hostility.”

Nemo took a deep breath and felt it hard, but he could only feel the snow grains on his face and the chilling cold wind, so he could only provide what he knew. “To be honest, I can only think it could be snow ants from this strength… They don’t attack humans. But…”

“But?”

“Snow ants don’t have such exaggerated gathering behavior.” Those tiny auras gathered in the permafrost below the snow layer and became less tiny. “But if it isn’t snow ants, other than that it’s just—fuck!”

Nemo suddenly raised his voice, but unfortunately, he was blown away by the oncoming cold wind, and a few people looked back at him as a result.

“It’s a corpse-controlled stinger,” he complained with a pale face and pulled Oliver’s thick coat into his hand and strode forward. “Isn’t this thing extinct?”

“But I don’t sense any demonic… energy.”

“They are good at concealment.” Nemo gritted his teeth and hissed. Before those little things were scattered everywhere, he didn’t have any obvious feelings, but now he wouldn’t mistake it. “Didn’t we talk about abyssal magic? As the source, I’ll never mistake this fluctuation. They are converging to me… paying taxes to me.” Nemo used a simpler analogy. “This can’t be hidden. They are corpse-controlled stingers, not snow ants on the surface.”

Oliver’s expression went blank for a few seconds.

“How strong is it?” When he spoke again, he tried his best to remain calm. 

“It’s hard to say.” Nemo shook his head. The snowflakes on the tips of his hair were shaken off. “If there are no remains of powerful creatures nearby, then they do not pose any threat.”

“But this place looks quite old—”

“Ollie, don’t…”

“Well, if it’s a human remains—”

“Ollie!”

A white dragon surfaced from the snow directly in front of the team.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t really a dragon, but a fake product made of “snowflakes” wrapped in debris, which made it look even funny at first glance. Even so, when the dragon that seemed to be piled up in snow opened its mouth, the joke-like idea completely disappeared from the minds of the crowd.

The mouth that was still falling snow residue opened extremely wide, spewing out an ice flame with a trace of dragon breath.

“…Ollie.” In the chaos, Nemo buried his face in his palm. “Remember to hold back.”

“The dragon bones turned out to be there.” Oliver looked at the snow dragon and his face almost became as white as snow. “I… I definitely didn’t summon it.”

“I know. Just asking for a good omen.”

Corpse-controlled stingers were extremely ancient demonic insects shaped like snowflakes. They inhabited the permafrost. If one were to look at their power, they weren’t much stronger than the average beetle, but they had an extremely deadly skill—borrowing the power of a corpse.

They would attach to the bones of other creatures and use the information in the bones to restore the original appearance, physical power, and a very small part of the magical abilities of the creature. They would use this new body to kill their prey, wait for the flesh to cool completely, then slowly devour it. If they were attached to chicken bones, the combat effectiveness would never exceed that of a chicken. Scholars were once troubled by whether this thing was a subordinate demon or an intermediate demon. In the end, considering the probability of coincidence, people reluctantly classified them as a subordinate demon.

But now they possessed a dragon’s bones.

Corpse-controlled stingers weren’t without weakness, either. They could pile up strength, but they couldn’t match the intelligence. Their brains were equivalent to a mussel, and they usually acted instinctively. As long as you dealt with them carefully, they weren’t too difficult of an opponent.

The problem was that this ancient demon insect had long been extinct in theory, and no one could figure out what they were. They were more worried about the ice flame that was hurtling towards them. The commander was a little flustered for a moment, and several soldiers were almost caught in the flames.

“Think of a way to distract them, and then we take advantage of the chaos to retreat.” Ollie quickly made the decision. “I’ll just—”

However, before he could make a move, someone else acted first.

The noble warrior Leonard reacted extremely quickly, and before the others could react to the impact of the snow dragon, he once again took the lead and rushed out. The broad sword in his hand cut solidly into the decaying dragon bones and the corpse-controlled stingers. The snow dragon’s mouth enlarged and roared silently at him, then directly arched its head towards Leonard.

The little nobleman neatly raised his sword to defend and held his balance hard. He stopped beautifully on the edge of the snow slope, lowered his body, and rushed to the snow dragon’s feet again to deal another heavy blow. The bones of the corpse were too old, and the fragile leg made an ear-piercing cracking sound. The snow dragon’s body tilted and was no longer worried about the broken bone. With less magic this time, the snow dragon once again spewed out an ice flame towards Leonard, who rolled on the spot and decisively dodged it.

“Looks like we don’t need to make a move now.” Seeing the soldiers react, they gathered around. Oliver stopped striding out. “The hostility of that thing is weakening. When it drains all the power from the bones, it’ll scatter and flee without incident.”

“Nn.” Nemo stared at the struggling soldiers and agreed with his lover’s view.

Unfortunately, just as he finished speaking in less than two minutes, a sudden change occurred.

The corpse-controlled stingers used up the power of the bones and gave up. The huge bone dragon smashed down from the sky, hitting a warrior who wasn’t mentally prepared. He immediately fell to the ground and rolled down the snowy slopes with the bones.

Below the snow slope was a large unnatural vortex, which was constantly changing shapes. The air there seemed to be like a gelatinous substance being roughly stirred, and the scenery coming from behind it was distorted.

The space folding point caused by the labyrinth reset.

Leonard leaned out of his body without hesitation and grabbed his companion, who was sliding. He climbed the snowy slope, sweating profusely, for fear that the power of spells would cause unnecessary snow to collapse from the snow crust. Just as he pushed his companion to the top of the snow slope, the stone under his feet couldn’t bear it any longer, suddenly loosened, and fell off.

Leonard’s entire body slid down with the collapsed snow shell, and before he could scream, his figure was instantly swallowed by the twisted vortex.

“Stay away from there!” The commander immediately ordered. “He’s an excellent warrior with a clear will, and he’ll be fine! If something really happens, even if you go in…”

Hayden didn’t hesitate.

No one paid attention to the short male nurse. The thin young man decisively crossed the snow slope and took the initiative to plunge into the vortex. Then came Elmer, who was standing next to him. The burly young man was stunned for a moment, scratching his head, with an unexpected look of confusion on his face, but his steps were still firm.

“…All retreat to me!” The commander’s voice broke a bit. “It—It’s probably dangerous over there! You heard the warning from the school; don’t be stupid and be a hero at this time!”

“Soldier, nursing, logistics,” Marilyn Lawler said softly. She stared at the team of healers who obediently retreated, without any expression on her face. “They need a healer.”

“’No survivors shall be abandoned’,” she sighed after a while. “’I must walk in the world with kindness, and anyone who’s injured or sick will be treated’… Since the damage is irreparable, I prefer to increase the survival rate of my companions.”

The beautiful girl let out a sneer, and then slid gracefully into the vortex.

The vortex continued to change and was about to disappear.

“Uh, although this situation is quite awkward.” Oliver packed his backpack, grabbed Nemo’s wrist, and the two rushed to the vortex together. “But it doesn’t look bad for the two of us, right?”

The logistics department’s deserter was uncharacteristically smiling. “Goodbye, everyone!”

The swirling vortex completely disappeared.

Half of Quentin Leonard’s heart felt tragic heroism as he stood up from the hot and humid jungle, while the other half was completely dumbfounded. The noble warrior took off the badge with an insulation spell painted on it from his armor and clenched the broadsword in his hand…

Then Hayden, who came later, smashed into the ground and almost vomited blood.

“You…”

Then came Elmer, causing Hayden, who was hit below, to let out a muffled groan. If Leonard hadn’t been wearing armor, he would probably have broken his ribs by now.

“I’m sorry.” Elmer scratched his head, quickly moved his big body and carried Hayden to the side while Leonard rolled his eyes and was just about to stand up…

When Marilyn fell gracefully and landed beautifully half-kneeling on Leonard’s back. She glanced at the warrior under her feet, frowned, and crushed her heels twice before casting a healing spell.

“…” Leonard couldn’t say anything despite the instantaneous healing of his injuries. He took a deep breath and propped his hands on the ground…

“I’m sorry,” Oliver said dryly, jumping off Leonard’s back. This time, Nemo moved more neatly than him, as his Demon King even calculated the place to land in advance. Although Oliver himself noticed something was wrong below, his movements weren’t as proficient.

“Is there anyone else?” Leonard hissed angrily. “If there is, I’ll just lie here.”

“The vortex has disappeared.” Nemo patted the snowflakes off his body and looked curiously at the jungle around him. “No one will come.”

“So it’s… only you who are here,” Leonard murmured.

He could probably guess why Hayden and Elmer came down first, and he felt grateful for it from the bottom of his heart. It was an unexpected joy that Marilyn would follow.

There seemed to be no shortage of food and water in this environment. The noble warrior was confident in his own strength. Coupled with Elmer’s logistics equipment, if they acted carefully, the possibility of successfully holding on before rescue came was high. However, Leonard couldn’t figure out the purpose of Oliver Borne and the little snowflake White. There was no friendship between them and the grievances weren’t deep enough that the two would come down and sacrifice their lives just to pit him.

Six people stood opposite each other silently, creating an awkward and tense atmosphere.

“Everyone, I have memorized the relevant information,” Marilyn was the first to speak. “There have been more than 500 cases of distress among students in the Great Isamel Labyrinth. We have had more than 500 cases before, and the record for the fastest rescue is two weeks. Overall, the mortality rate is about 30-40%, but we’ve been lucky here. Some have been thrown into the desert or swamp.” She lifted her chin and looked around the room. “I can deal with most of the wounds and toxins if I can make sure there’s enough food.”

“Well, I think we will be fine.” Elmer glanced at Oliver carefully and added in a jarring voice. “First of all, we have to, ahem, scout and find out the situation nearby, and then find a safe place to camp.”

“If you are not in a hurry, it is better to recover your strength first.” Hayden’s shrinking look disappeared again, and he looked extremely calm.

“I also agree to take a break.” The little nobleman narrowed his eyes and turned his face to the remaining two.

“Let’s have a chat first. For example… I’m very curious about the intentions of the two of you.” He raised his voice slightly. “After all, you two don’t look like a couple of busybodies.”

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The author has something to say:

Oliver & Nemo: I’m so moved. It’s the first time I’ve received such an evaluation. I even want to record it for Ann to play in a loop (……

Ann: Hehe.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 167: Preparing for Trouble

After getting out of the closet, Nemo didn’t immediately return to the dorms. He patted off the dirt on Oliver’s clothes and straightened out his dark student robe. Nemo decided to carry out today’s disciplinary violation to the end.

It was late, and the student dorms were completely closed. The interior of the castle where the dorms were located was spacious, and it also had its own library, lounge, and even a full range of shops where almost anything could be bought. From this perspective, there was no need for students to go out at night.

With the closure of the dorms, various security arrays began to operate. If any kid with bad intentions decided to leave the dorms at night, he or she would be discovered immediately.

However, there was one person who wasn’t right in his mind. Nemo tied up the loose corners of his robe and climbed to the highest level of the academy.

The arrangement of the security arrays was reasonable. The closer to the ground, the tighter it was. The higher it was, the sparser it became. Just a little magic would be enough to activate the monitoring array. After all, if humans were to jump from this height with no magic props or spells, they would most likely become paralyzed or die.

Nemo didn’t think he would have trouble even if he broke his neck, but his fear of heights as a human was still engraved in his bones. After climbing to the top of the highest building, where the security arrays were most relaxed, Nemo stretched out his head and looked down. It was better if he didn’t look, as his courage was lost in an instant. Mr. Demon King’s legs were as soft as overcooked noodles, and he almost fell on his ass on the slippery rocky brick surface.

As Alban’s elite institution of higher learning, even the castle used for accommodation was very grand. The white marble statue on the lawn now looked less than a grain of rice. Even if summer had just ended, the temperature at this height was still abnormally low.

‘Damn it,’ Nemo exhaled. Even though he knew he would be fine, he still couldn’t jump down without making a face.

Bagelmaurus looked at Nemo speechlessly and wisely remained silent.

Holding onto the brick wall for a long time, Nemo rubbed the goosebumps on his arms fiercely, planning to do it again. Clementine Academy was interesting, he thought bitterly as he drew a couple of breaths to catch the cold air from the night breeze. They would go to great lengths to prevent students from escaping at night, but had no intention of interfering with students jumping from this building to kill themselves.

So Nemo had to endure the instinctive numbness on his scale and shakily stretch out a leg from the edge of the castle, aiming hard at the empty dark bushes below. He could calculate where he would fall, but it didn’t make him feel much better.

It may be that Bagelmaurus’ gaze was too hot for Nemo to really make too big of a humiliating move. After calming his breathing, he closed his eyes fiercely and plunged to the outside of the castle. Desperately suppressing the urge to yell, Nemo only felt that he fell straight down like a sack of potatoes…

Then he unceremoniously fell into the bushes on the ground, making a puff.

His body was truly stronger. Nemo fell flat into the pile of bushes, but this time he didn’t even need the rapid recovery as he didn’t seem to be injured at all—that was if it wasn’t mentioning his self-esteem.

After the most difficult hurdle, it was much easier to steal information. Telaranea had to play the perfect professor and had to honestly drink tea in the professors’ dorms. No matter how many precautions the demon laid down, it couldn’t hide in front of the essence of abyssal magic. On the other hand, Telaranea’s office was no better than a vault that had zero physical defenses.

What was more, Nemo didn’t need to “steal” the information. He walked to the bookshelf, decisively picked up the thickest book from the column marked “Trent Plague” and then quickly flipped through it.

With Bagelmaurus as a lookout, everything proceeded smoothly. After successfully putting all the information from the document into his mind, Nemo shimmied back up the top of the building and crept to his dorm…

“What have you been doing?”

Even though it was close to three in the morning, his roommate, Hayden Wilhelm, was not as soundly asleep as Nemo had imagined. The thin young man’s eyes carried heavy bags, and there was a trace of disapproval on his face.

Hayden was sitting on the soft sofa near the door, covered with a blanket, as if he was waiting for him. Nemo opened his mouth. His mind was a little blank for a while. If he really went to class for the full day today, he could have excused himself by saying he was discussing issues with an unknown classmate until it got too late. As it looked…

“On a date with Ollie,” Nemo said guiltily.

Bagelmaurus stuck close to the ground and trotted under the bed while Hayden’s attention was focused on Nemo.

“You didn’t come to class all day,” Hayden sighed, scratching his hair a little irritably. “I asked for sick leave for you, but the professor’s impression of you has definitely gotten worse. Nemo, your performance in training last time was good if it wasn’t for…”

The thin young man bit his lip. “If it wasn’t for Oliver Borne coming in the end, you would’ve received a high score.”

“Nn,” Nemo replied. “I didn’t think too much about it at that time, you know. That thing seemed like it wanted to eat him—”

“I know.” Seeing Nemo coming back, Hayden’s tight nerves seemed to relax a little. He blinked laboriously, looking a little drowsy. “I know… Nemo, I just met you a few days ago, so it may be bad from an outsider’s point of view…”

“I think it’s understandable to run away in that situation, but he left you behind.” Although Hayden looked drowsy, his voice was solemn. “Yes, it’s true that I’m not sure what happened to you during the day, but it’s really a bit… Sorry that Borne took you out at a time like this and made you break the rules. I—I know this is a bit abrupt, but you’re a nice guy, Nemo. Maybe you should pay a little attention to these details in the future.”

“Thank you.” Nemo was a little surprised to see that the other party was concerned about this. He hooked the corners of his mouth and patted Hayden on the shoulder. “Thank you for your concern, Hayden. There are indeed many things I can’t explain to you, but believe me, I know this very well.” His voice was firm.

…My Ollie will never leave me behind.

It was just that he didn’t say this out loud.

The next few days were quite uneventful.

Nemo had been anxiously waiting for the order from the principal’s office, intending to be “bedridden” immediately if something went wrong. To avoid attracting unnecessary attention, Oliver and Nemo didn’t even dare to meet outside of activity hours. Even lunch had to be staggered to prevent the beautiful “female professor” from bumping into one of them at the canteen.

While remaining low-key, Oliver would secretly get up in the middle of the night to teach Elmer swordsmanship, and Nemo could clearly hear it. Nemo himself still did his best to act as Hayden’s guard, but since the end of the group’s first operation, the noble warrior, Leonard, had never come to look for trouble.

The grumpy little nobleman just persevered every day with roses as he came to the nursing major and felt the feeling of having them thrown back at his face by Marilyn.

It would be the weekend soon.

“I want to eat veal again,” Oliver sighed extremely reluctantly as his hands sorted out his logistics backpack. The uniform style of the marching backpack was cast with a simple spatial spell, which allowed them to pack more than what they were used to. Only the backpack material was too fragile to withstand such a spell—although they were able to save some space, the spell didn’t make things any lighter.

Oliver himself didn’t mind it very much.

After he put the necessary logistics props into his backpack, he began to stuff the transformed Knight of Silence armor into it. The skeleton helmet and the ukulele were carefully hung on the outside of the backpack, which convinced Elmer that it was some kind of exotic decoration.

“I want to eat chestnut cake.” Nemo leaned aside. His face was also full of sorrow and gloom. In the afternoon, they were about to embark on a fixed group exercise every weekend. That was to say, the two of them would leave this quiet campus life immediately.

Although they did act before Nemo received his appointment notice to be an assistant, both of them were a bit sullen.

“I brought a pot and seasoning this time.” Oliver tried to cheer up his lover. “At least it’ll be better than before. I explored last time and the ingredients in the maze are plentiful. “

It turned out that Oliver had no gift for prophecies.

When they stepped into the Isamel Labyrinth again, Nemo looked at Oliver stiffly, and the latter showed a twitching wry smile…

In front of them was a sheet of white snow.

“Snowy Mountains,” the broadcast sound they were familiar with, sounded again. “The environment is relatively harsh, so two groups will act together to simulate a real marching unit.”

“This maze is being adjusted. Please be sure to obey your commands. Please think of the professor’s orders as military orders, and the maze in front of you as a real battlefield. Please note—if someone acts without authorization this time, they may be swept into the depths of the maze. If you’re in distress as a result, the school will not be liable.”

“This is a military academy. Don’t think that you can fail wantonly on campus without having to pay for your actions. Of course, if that kind of unfortunate situation does occur, the school will do its best to search and rescue. Even if we need to pull your bones out of a monster’s feces, we will confirm where you are.”

“Now please, everyone. There is still only one task requirement. Get the blue moss on the backs of ten glacier mammoths before midnight. Do not harm the mammoths. The maze is about to close, I wish you all the best in your actions.”

They had attracted enough attention during the last operation. Originally, under the premise that magic couldn’t be used, it was already difficult to escape the suspicion of the entire group. At this moment, the difficulty was directly doubled, no, maybe even more than doubled…

Marilyn Lawler’s beautiful face became hideous, and she rolled her eyes in Leonard’s direction. Her group drew the unluckiest ones and had to move with the unlucky group that produced a deserter.

The fact that there was one more familiar face didn’t bode well.

Nemo sighed softly, half knelt, and twisted the snow on the ground with his hands, causing the snow to melt quickly between his fingers. No matter how you looked at it, this was a steep, snow-capped mountain terrain, and there were no traces of it being artificial. The outside world, separated by a wall, was now late summer, heading into early autumn. Even if this was a magical creation, Nemo didn’t think that any normal magic array could withstand this kind of consumption.

He was pretty sure that this maze didn’t rely on abyssal magic to operate. Maybe he should consult with Dylan.

After confirming the environment, Nemo stood up and patted the snow on his knees. He immediately turned his worried gaze to Oliver…

Oliver sighed blankly in confusion and looked at his ten fingers. Then he raised his head slightly and his gaze just collided with Nemo.

“Don’t worry. I’m not cold this time,” reading out the worry in the other party’s eyes, Oliver responded in a low voice. “Although I don’t know why.”

Glacial mammoths lived near glaciers, but all they could see were steep mountain walls. The time was set at midnight, and this was obviously going to be a protracted battle. The combatants got together to quickly get acquainted with each other, and the commanders of the two groups were still discussing who would lead.

The logistics staff also got together and chatted endlessly. They were divided into two piles, except for Oliver and Nemo, who were almost ignored. Only four people were left…

Hayden and Elmer didn’t get together. They looked at their roommates worriedly, and Marilyn was sullen, standing alone on the edge of the crowd, facing the deserted snow-capped mountains. No one knew what she was thinking.

Leonard, as always, tried to keep up, but he didn’t know if the concentration of civilians here was too high. He wandered around the edge of the combatants’ ground, stretching his neck from time to time and looking over.

“I feel a little sorry for Hayden.” Nemo leaned close to Oliver’s ears, and the white air he exhaled was particularly obvious in the cold air. “Oh, we have to move faster.”

“Elmer is also a nice person.” Oliver clenched the image crystal in his pocket. “It’s a pity that we can’t say our goodbyes.”

There was a dull, loud noise, signifying the gates of the maze near them had closed. The lonely, huge stone gate stood on the snow, looking like the ruins of a stone wall from a distance.

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The author has something to say:

Nemo: Faith. Leap of faith—!

Bagelmaurus has gradually become numb (.

The Demon King’s inherent luck: E-, the Hero inherent skill… a mouthful of poisonous milk. When you think about it carefully, Ann is probably caretaker No. 1 of this team, and the knight is probably caretaker No. 2. The others needed to be taken care of.√

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