Chapter 21
No One Is Born a Hero (6)
There are moments when you have to jump in, even knowing it’s a trap.
I grinned as I tightly clasped Rimos Therion’s hand that had been still and pulled him closer.
“Alright. Let’s go.”
You seem to know something too, don’t you, Rimos Therion?
Then I can’t jump in alone. You’re coming with me.
As Therion opened his eyes wide, his lavender eyes glimmered faintly in the dim moonlight.
I grabbed him and together we stepped into the cave with magic.
As soon as we set foot on the ground from the slight error in empty space, a strong magical force that wasn’t felt at all outside the cave made the nape of my neck tingle.
I had an intuition that any sound made in here wouldn’t escape to the outside.
And then.
“Lady Edith…”
Boom!
The ground shook and the ceiling collapsed.
Startled by the thunderous sound of rocks splitting, I momentarily lost grip of Rimos Therion’s hand, and he gently pushed my shoulder. I thought I saw the corners of his mouth curl up into a smile in the darkness.
“You always make things interesting for me.”
‘…Always?’
“Wait…!”
Before I could grab him again, with those words, the cave entrance collapsed.
At the same time, a tingling sensation passed through the hand that had been holding his. A very subtle and sticky magical force crept all over my body.
This unpleasant feeling, what…
I wasn’t the only one affected by the magical force.
“……!!”
As the magic spread, it instantly collapsed the cave. Or more precisely, the mimic disguised as a cave.
The mimic’s painful screams mixed with the thunderous noise.
I was pushed by Rimos Therion’s force and sat down on something soft.
Hurriedly creating a light with magic, I realized I had fallen on sticky mucus with a sweet smell.
The inside of the cave was filled with a mixture of fishy and sweet smells, and nearby were a few corpses with unrecognizable faces.
I frowned as I looked at the corpses illuminated by the flickering light.
“Ugh.”
It’s not that I was particularly surprised by the corpses.
But the cave’s collapse was beyond my expectations.
Rimos Therion, that bastard….
After glancing once at the completely sealed cave entrance, just before turning my head to look for other students who might still be alive in this cave.
“……!”
To make matters worse, a chain collapse began.
Boom!!
The sound that heavily pressed on my heart was heard a few more times in succession.
The ground beneath my feet shook and rock fragments fell from all directions.
The light magic I had created was already extinguished.
Think, Edith Crowell.
Should I cast a barrier? Or try to get outside?
No, it’s too risky to calculate with just a rough estimate when I don’t know the exact distance.
If other students get caught in the magic…
…Is it right to just wait for the collapse to end?
‘Or should I die now and—’
At that moment, someone threw themselves at me and embraced me in the darkness.
Then they skillfully rolled to a corner, avoiding the collapsing rocks.
Bang!!
The loud noise of collapsed rock piles interlocking was heard a few more times.
Finally, the collapse stopped with the sound of rock dust falling in showers.
…Amazingly, I wasn’t hit by any of the falling rock piles even during this massive collapse.
How? I slowly opened my eyes that I had squeezed shut in fear of flying rock fragments.
I was dumbfounded.
…Who saved me?
Please let it be Camilla Guinevere. Please.
I felt like I would be more at ease if it was her who rescued me.
Praying like that, I looked up in the pitch-dark view.
However, ignoring my desperate wish, the voice I heard from above was…
“…Are you alive?”
A damnably familiar voice.
It was Ethan Behemoth.
“…Yes.”
Reality never goes the way you want, huh.
Why are we together again… No. Is this better than Rimos Therion?
Thinking about it, it seems so. Besides, it’s not the first time I’ve been under him, is it?
However, this time he was holding me tightly in an embrace, so I had to pat his shoulder to tell him to move.
“Would you mind getting off me for now?”
“Ah.”
Only then did he get up.
Thanks to him rolling while covering me, I wasn’t hurt at all.
My back ached a bit from rolling on the ground, but.
‘This much is fine.’
It’s better than what I had prepared for. As I got up and dusted myself off, Ethan Behemoth also brushed himself off and asked.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, thanks to you. Thank you. But how did you know I was here?”
“I just saw you.”
Just saw me? How? Then what about the other students?
The inside of the cave must have been quite large, as there was still plenty of space left even after the collapse, causing voices to echo.
There must be some air circulation somewhere, as there was no lack of oxygen.
“The ground is uneven, so be careful. Ah, can you create some light?”
“Yes.”
As I created a round ball of light with magic as he requested, I could see Ethan Behemoth standing in front of the collapsed rocks.
He looked me up and down to check, and seeming satisfied that I looked fine, he turned his head again.
Then he mumbled while looking at the rock wall.
“There’s probably space left on the side blocked by rocks too. Then most of the students should have survived. They’re capable enough to protect themselves.”
Even in this situation, he’s assessing the circumstances.
I was worried about what to do if Ethan Behemoth panicked and I had to lead, but.
‘As expected of a hero, I guess.’
That’s good.
Because you’re a hero.
“So, you’re saying there’s no one you’re worried about.”
“There is.”
“Who?”
“You.”
“Why?”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Is that a silent protest? No. It’s not like I came in here particularly wanting to die.
“……”
Hmm.
…But how am I supposed to control thoughts that arise unconsciously?
I changed the subject.
“I’m asking just in case, but did you ever tell anyone to enter the cave?”
“No. On the contrary, I kept telling them not to come in, but they kept coming in one by one. So I had a hard time protecting them.”
Ethan gestured towards a certain spot.
When I moved the magical light to illuminate it, horrifying magical beasts were strewn all over the floor.
One, two, three, four…. How many did he defeat? Considering those lost in the collapse, the number was substantial.
I turned my gaze from the pile of monster corpses to look at Ethan Behemoth.
“I see, so that’s what happened.”
With this level of strength, Ethan Behemoth might be able to survive despite various variables.
That is, if he had some crucial information.
And as it happens, there’s someone in front of him who can share information no one else knows.
Me.
I took a breath and began to speak.
“You see, the cave was like that.”
“The cave was? …Explain in detail.”
Ethan Behemoth furrowed his brow.
…Will he believe me?
“Yes. Outside, we heard Young Master Behemoth’s voice telling us to come in quickly. So everyone went in.”
“How could such a thing…”
Even if he doesn’t believe, I have to say it. I took another breath and looked at him straight on.
“…In my opinion, this isn’t actually a cave, but a monster. …A mimic. You know about those, right?”
However, not an ordinary monster, but one of the ‘Gigantic’ class.
“…You’re saying this is a mimic?”
Yes, this is a mimic. It’s just extremely large.
And the bizarrely expanded visual information makes it impossible to discern even known information.
Mimics are monsters that can usually disguise themselves as small boxes, able to transform their appearance into objects. But when they become extremely large, they can easily transform into objects other than boxes.
So, for example, into a giant fir tree or… something like a cave.
‘It’ll be common knowledge in about 5 years, but now…’
No one would know.
Who would have imagined that cave formations like this were actually enormous mimics?
Following the incident of the Academy’s annihilation, information poured in about the appearance of very large and powerful monsters here and there, and the Empire gave these giant monsters the name ‘Gigantic’.
Of course, all of this happens only after numerous casualties occur.
This was the reason why the Academy professors and knights were helplessly defeated, and why I was certain that the students of the subjugation training team couldn’t possibly handle it.
‘There’s not enough information.’
If you don’t properly know your enemy, you can’t even exert a quarter of your capacity. Unless you have overwhelming power.
But Ethan Behemoth or Camilla Guinevere from Academy days aren’t that caliber of people yet. Not to mention me, who hasn’t gained any advantages from regression yet.
Moreover, I’m not in a position or character to convincingly convey that information to them.
Even if I tried to step forward and prevent the Academy’s annihilation, only disastrous results would await.
But I said it anyway.
After blurting it out, I quietly looked up at him.
I couldn’t easily predict how he would react.
Ethan Behemoth’s handsome jawline, illuminated by the sphere of light, moved slightly as if in contemplation.
And what he uttered was unexpected.
“I see. Then, Edith, do you also know what we should do?”
🥀
Thank you for reading! ♡
