The Overpowered Cult Leader at the Academy Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Sea Princess (2)

Unlike how smoothly things had been going, the plan collapsed in an instant. The direction indicated by the Holy Scripture wasn’t where the Vice-Commander had been.

It was the domain of the other-race monsters who had gathered to capture the rfolk Princess. After walking for thirty minutes, we’d ended up right at the enemies’ stronghold.

It was swarming with grotesque monsters of such overwhelming appearance that it felt like they wouldn’t even bother with wolffish.

“Ah, we’re screwed.”

A stone slate door stood firmly shut. Despite its heavy appearance, it opened easily with a bit of force. As it did, the strong stench of fishy seawater burst out from within.

Dozens of pairs of red eyes stared back at us. Among them were massive beings over 3 ters tall, and a lanky one holding a bizarre trident.

“I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”

I quickly layered engravings onto my shovel. As my stamina dropped sharply, I felt a strange sense of loss. I pulled out the Lightning Spike of Anaye from the Holy Scripture.

30% stamina. Any lower than that, and I could die instantly from an unexpected attack. This was the absolute minimum.

A massive bolt of lightning surged out from within the Scripture. Just its presence alone affected everything around it.

The aide quickly pulled the princess back in response to my words. The screams caused by residual electricity filled the entire cavern.

The Lightning Spike is difficult to manage, since its damage is proportional to remaining stamina, but the real issue is the long one-hour cooldown.

It’s a deadly technique worthy of being called a one-hit kill. I wanted to save it for only the most crucial monts, since it couldn’t be used recklessly.

But getting complacent could lead to disaster. Especially now, with soone I had to protect—the princess—right behind .

“Giiieeeek?”

It was over ten ters long. It didn’t have anything like sharp blades. But it carried overwhelming destructive power that made up for that.

A scorching heat that burned even the ambient magic in the air. The heat generated not by fire, but by electricity, filled not just my right hand but coursed through my entire body.

Rather than a weapon, this was closer to a natural disaster—a mass of lightning.

At the sight of this enormous natural calamity for the first ti in her life, the princess let out a dumbfounded noise behind .

“Follow-up strike!”

I hurled the Lightning Spike with all my strength.

Anaye’s ultimate technique was originally ant to be launched in the form of a spear. But in my frenzy over its wide range, I released it as a slashing strike instead.

The imnse physical force and heat that erupted swallowed up the stench of fish. There was no way to dodge the lightning that surged like a wave across the wide area.

Though the swing was slow, the electricity in its path rcilessly struck down everything in its way.

Those directly hit were charred black, and those nearby convulsed in the aftermath. A savage strike that tore through not only cells but nerves rained down.

“Get back!”

My eyes were blinded by the flash of light. Before I could even register the unpleasant stench of sothing burning, the aide’s magic flew past .

Rotating blades of wind spun in a wide arc, sweeping toward those who still clung to life.

Refined to the extre, sharp enough to cleave even tal, they quite literally tore the clustered monsters to pieces. A massacre unfolded in just two strikes.

“We’ll retreat!”

The quick-witted aide imdiately suggested retreat. I agreed. I was well aware of those creatures’ exceptional regenerative powers.

I had considered launching the wind blades first, but even outside of water, their movents had been swift.

Most likely, about half would have evaded the attack. With no other choice, I had struck first and followed up well—but a clean finish wasn’t possible.

It was impossible to use fire magic on each of them. There were far too many; by the ti I’d be halfway through, the rest would’ve fully regenerated. That’s why we needed to fall back.

I dropped one of the pouches containing the glass beads I’d divided up earlier onto the floor.

“Geeegh.”

Compared to her size, the princess was surprisingly heavy. Still, I decided to carry her myself. Apologies, but the aide, lacking magic, simply didn’t have the physical strength.

On the surface, I was the one who claid to be a close-range damage dealer, so it made more sense for to do it. We dashed back the way we’d co.

Since it was a maze, getting confused was a risk—but I left that to the aide, who was a mage.

—Kyaaaaaa!

A chilling scream rang out from behind. As soon as I heard the roar of rage, I snapped my fingers.

A massive flash of light burst montarily behind us, already receding into the distance. Unfortunately, lightning didn’t have much physical force, so destroying the entrance entirely was too much to hope for.

Still, considering the 30% health-based damage, the heat from the lightning, and the explosion of shattering glass shards, it wasn’t negligible damage.

We clenched our teeth and ran. Hoping they wouldn’t follow.

***

“So that’s how we ended up like this?”

“Yes. But they still chased after us. Persistent bastards.”

“Haa…”

“There were only two or three at most who could squeeze through this narrow entrance. Student Davide offered to hold them off and is currently taking shifts guarding the entrance.”

“How long has it been?”

“About thirty minutes?”

I caught my breath while listening to the two mbers of the Imperial Knight Order. The princess had crept up at so point and now rested her chin on my thigh.

She let out a weird squeal when residual electricity from the earlier fight shocked her. Even so, she still approached —more cute than pitiful, really.

I felt the Vice-Commander’s gaze.

“Princess. Can you hear ?”

Kneeling on one knee, the Vice-Commander called out to the princess. The princess turned her gaze toward her. The Vice-Commander pulled sothing out from her coat.

It was a bronze badge with a trident symbol etched into it. It was just small enough to fit in one hand. The princess, as if entranced, took it.

“I heard she was supposed to be wary by nature, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

The Vice-Commander glanced at subtly. Even with that unspoken nudge, I had nothing to offer. I hadn’t done anything.

“Perhaps it’s a trait of the Duhein side.”

“Ah, that does make sense.”

“It works out well for us.”

At the aide’s words, the Vice-Commander looked visibly relieved. With the major concerns resolved at once, her expression grew far more relaxed.

I looked at the princess as she fiddled with the bronze badge. With that, I now fully understood the Imperial Knight Order’s objective.

Their mission was to rescue the Princess of Another Race. Naturally, the request had co from that very race. The fact that it was a rescue and not an extermination ant that the Empire had ford so sort of alliance with certain factions among the other-race.

The [Difficult Dungeon] saw a dramatic increase in difficulty starting from Episode 4.

Clearing it completely solo was nearly impossible—the developers’ intent had been for players to actively utilize their bonds with others.

The reason for this difficulty spike was that it was the point in the story where the Empire began to take an active role. In fact, anything involving the Empire essentially had ramifications across the later episodes.

“Can you deal with the princess?”

“The princess?”

“Yes. While I’m concerned about the other mbers of the Imperial Knight Order, simply having the princess with us imposes restrictions on our actions.”

I insisted we take care of the princess first. Her cute appearance and favorable attributes made want to keep her around longer, but this wasn’t the ti for minor gains.

We’d escort the princess quickly, then rally the Imperial Knight Order and clear the temple. We couldn’t just keep sitting around here forever.

“That’s a good suggestion. Is Student Davide alright with that?”

“Fit as ever.”

For once, I stepped forward with enthusiasm. The sea magic here was incredibly alluring.

Just breathing in this environnt made my body feel healthier. I could keenly sense the power surging through my veins.

“Princess. Do you happen to know where you ca from?”

“Gieeek.”

Fortunately, the princess understood us. Still, I didn’t believe it right away and looked skeptically at the aide.

The aide gave a small laugh and explained.

“Transmitting thoughts isn’t that hard. Any magician at Triple-class or higher can do it easily.”

Disgusting little talent monsters. My expression instantly soured.

Normal, Double, Triple, Quadra, Penta. Among the five magic ranks, Triple was around the top 10%. The arrogance of the two mages before was enough to make my stomach churn.

“…Of course, becoming Triple-class is no easy feat.”

Noticing my expression, the aide quickly added that. Only then did I turn my gaze away from him.

“Alright. Let’s head out.”

The goal was simple: go to the place the princess had entered from and summon her guardian.

To prepare for any monsters we might encounter, the Vice-Commander took the front and the aide covered the rear. I was entrusted with carrying the princess, simply because I had the strongest and healthiest body.

Naturally, the princess was very pleased.

“If Student Davide taps the princess on the cheek, she’ll guide the way.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“The princess seems… captivated by sothing about you.”

We decided to walk quietly. A body popular with marine creatures—was that sothing I should be happy about? I wasn’t sure.

The direction the princess pointed in was the sa path we had fled down earlier.

With enough ti, we could track down each one, but we lacked that luxury, and I’d wanted to conserve the glass beads, hence our choice to retreat.

The Vice-Commander didn’t hesitate for a mont. She shattered the wall of ice she had created earlier and imdiately began casting magic.

“So it was this easy all along.”

“…The Vice-Commander is a Quadra-class magician. And ice is a rare attribute.”

A massive hand conjured from mana froze everything it brushed past. Once sothing was completely frozen, regeneration beca aningless.

There was no resistance. The enemies couldn’t even take a single step forward. I turned to the aide and said,

The aide, sweating, scrambled to explain himself. I snickered and looked ahead again.

Frost ford with each step she took, and with a wave of her hand, icicles extended outward. In this way, we reached the second terminal.

The Vice-Commander raised both arms into the air, as if receiving sothing that was falling. In her hands, a pure white orb ford.

“It’s settled.”

Cold air poured from the orb, flowing through the space. A wind filled with biting chill surged forth, and the chamber was instantly covered in silence.

Nothing moved. Even the sll of fish froze and settled to the ground—an overwhelming display of magic. A majestic beauty only ice could show.

With the Vice-Commander’s words, the frost suspended in the air finally succumbed to gravity and fell. Suddenly, we were walking through a snowy field.

“So this is the door, huh.”

The princess shivered from the cold. I pulled her a little tighter into my arms. anwhile, the aide stepped forward and shattered all the frozen bodies into pieces.

In the space that the monsters had been using as a stronghold, there was a glimring body of seawater. Though enclosed in a large stone basin, it was unmistakably the sea.

Despite the pressure and various other factors, it didn’t co pouring out. Instead, it remained still like a tranquil lake, keeping to its place.

“Well then, I’ll be back.”

I splashed the princess with seawater, seeing how delighted she looked at the sight of the ocean. While I was doing that, the aide, now shirtless, suddenly dove into the water.

—Beeeeep.

A strange sound echoed from beneath the water. Not long after, the aide surfaced with a whistle in his mouth.

It seed to be a communication tool used to summon the other-race. I couldn’t speak because the princess had splashed water right in my face as a prank.

“I was hoping to take a short rest… but they arrived quickly.”

Before the Vice-Commander could even finish her sentence, two mbers of the other-race leapt out of the basin. A well-built man and a tall, slender woman.

Their lower halves were covered in sleek whale-like skin, while their upper bodies were quite exposed.

Even more striking were their fluorescent blue hair and the fins in place of ears.

“We ca after receiving the signal.”

At last, the princess noticed the two and began hopping in excitent. I let her go, and she imdiately ran over to the man.

The rman caught the princess and lifted her up in one smooth motion. anwhile, the rmaid began a long discussion with the Vice-Commander.

I sat at the edge of the basin. With that matter settled, it was ti to think about clearing the temple. I began wondering if there was a way to take it a little easier.

“Um, warrior. May I have a word with you?”

“Eh? Ah, yes.”

Suddenly, the rman approached and spoke to rather awkwardly. I stood up and nodded.

Facing him, I realized he was huge. His muscular build looked like it would just bounce my fist right back at if I ever tried to punch him.

The rman hesitated as if embarrassed, then finally managed to speak.

“Are you… perhaps a mber of the Duhein Family?”

“Uh, yeah. How did you know?”

“I’m a fa…fan.”

“…Huh?”

This fish was talking nonsense.