Instructor? What's wrong? (7)
"Revere! Revere! The prophecy that never misses its mark!"
"Erase it! Erase it! The song of falsehood written down!"
"Behold! Behold! The return of the ancient master!"
Duke Pruna opened his eyes to the strange chorus tickling his ears.
A dark cave. Torches flickered, casting an eerie glow.
Looking around, he saw his knights writhing, their hands and feet bound.
'At least no one is dead… yet….'
He tried to move his hands, but they were tied so tightly that he couldn't budge.
The Duke recalled how he had ended up here.
'Ancestor, this isn't how it was supposed to go….'
The Higma Forest, where the anomaly had occurred.
There, they encountered a group of Dark Mages.
Mages, so rare that even one per generation was considered a blessing.
And among them, the most wicked of all—Dark Mages.
He never imagined he would find himself facing a whole group of them.
And their numbers were far from insignificant.
The legend of a single, overwhelmingly powerful Dark Mage was well-known throughout the Empire.
It was only natural, considering that single individual had nearly brought the Empire to its knees.
However, after that, mages appeared with such rarity that the very existence of magic was questioned.
No mage who would use humans as sacrifices had ever emerged.
As time passed, Dark Mages became nothing more than a legend.
If it weren't for his ancestor, the one who had defeated that Dark Mage,
If he hadn't read his ancestor's journal,
Duke Pruna Yohaiden would have dismissed the possibility of encountering Dark Mages altogether.
'…To think we'd be captured like this as soon as we realized they were Dark Mages… We can't expect any proper reinforcements.'
As soon as they encountered them, he had sent his fastest man to Selena's mansion,
ordering his second son to prepare the Empire for what was to come.
But it wouldn't be enough.
The power they had witnessed firsthand was beyond imagination.
'Swords are useless….'
The swords of the White Tiger Knights, tempered by countless battles against monsters.
Despite the sudden appearance of their enemies, the knights fought bravely without panicking.
But their swords wouldn't pierce.
The bizarre resilience of the enemies' bodies prevented their blades from even grazing their skin.
And their strength.
Each one possessed the strength of a giant ogre.
With no need for skill or technique, they effortlessly overpowered his knights, simply grabbing their shoulders or arms and pinning them down.
'These are dangerous foes. At the very least, we need mages and the might of the North.'
The Duke clenched his jaw.
His second son, upon receiving his orders, would surely alert the Empire to the danger and rally the other noble families to eliminate this threat.
The Empire wouldn't take the capture of a Duke, especially one accompanied by the White Tiger Knights, lightly.
But would they believe in the existence of the legendary 'Dark Mages'?
And even if they did, would they perceive the situation as dire enough to seek the aid of mages and the North?
Duke Yohaiden shook his head.
And then, his thoughts turned to his youngest daughter.
Selena Yohaiden.
'Selena must have heard about my capture.'
The situation was so urgent that he couldn't even instruct his son to keep it a secret from her.
The thought of his youngest daughter, her eyes welling up with worry for her incompetent father, tore at his heart.
'He promised to protect Sere.'
That was the whole reason he had left Yohaiden mansion. Zeke Clayman.
He still wasn't sure what kind of person Zeke was.
But he couldn't help but feel a sense of reassurance knowing that someone was there to protect Selena.
All the Duke could do now was pray that Selena would remain hidden from these monsters and live a peaceful life.
The chanting ceased, and the enemies began to… self-harm.
Thump
Thump
Thump
Bodies that couldn't be pierced by even the thick swords of the White Tiger Knights were now spurting blood from small daggers.
Some stabbed their arms, others their stomachs, and some even their chests—a scene of utter madness.
"Kuaaaaagh!"
"Kyaaaaaaagh!"
"Kiiaaaaagh!"
They were all crying.
Sorrowfully, desperately.
Screaming in agony.
The knights and the Duke watched in stunned silence, unable to utter a word.
All they could do was breathe, their breaths growing ragged, as they etched this bizarre spectacle into their minds.
And then.
The one who had stabbed himself in the chest rose unsteadily, letting out an ecstatic sigh.
"Haaaaaaaaaaa…"
Dirty blond hair, pale white skin, and sunken cheeks.
The man's face was already that of a corpse.
"It's a pleasure, a pleasure to meet you all. To meet you all."
He turned his head and met the Duke's gaze. The Duke gasped.
The man's eyes were completely white, as if he had no pupils at all.
"Hehehe. To think, to think we would encounter those with such a rich narrative. Such a rich narrative."
He shrugged, as if in anticipation, and smiled.
"This will, this will hasten His resurrection. Hasten His resurrection."
"Who is this 'He' you speak of!?"
The Duke questioned him, their faces inches apart.
If even one of them managed to survive, they could relay this information.
"Hehehehehe. Are you curious? Are you curious? My master? My master?"
"Yes, I'm curious."
Step.
Step.
The man slowly approached the Duke.
He raised his dagger.
Thump!
The Duke's thigh was pierced in an instant.
"Gah!"
"Your Grace!!!"
"Hehehe. Does it hurt? Does it hurt? He is ancient. He who knows all, plans all, records all, and sings all. He is omniscient and omnipotent."
The corner of the man's mouth curled up as he answered the question,
as if he enjoyed seeing the Duke grimacing in pain.
"I won't answer your questions for free. For every question, a hole. A hole."
"You bastard! Stab me instead of the Duke!!!"
The Knight Commander shouted from beside them.
But the man, as if he hadn't heard a word, kept his eyes fixed on the Duke.
Duke Pruna swallowed hard and continued his questioning.
"…Your goal is the resurrection of this being?"
"Hehehe. That is correct. That is correct."
He readily answered the Duke's question.
Thump!
This time, a searing pain shot through his abdomen.
"Gah!"
"Your Graaaace!!!!!"
Gasp.
Gasp.
"…You said we were those with a rich narrative. What does that mean?"
"Hehehe. I cannot tell you that. Tell you that. I can only see. Only see."
Thump!
His chest.
"Then you plan to attack the Empire…!"
Thump!
The man didn't answer, instead driving the dagger in once more.
"Guh!!!"
The Duke's eyes bulged.
The dagger was lodged in his shoulder.
"Haaaaah. This is so boring. Boring. I thought it would be fun. Be fun."
Thump!
"You're just going to be sacrificed anyway. Sacrificed."
The man muttered and raised his dagger above his head.
Pruna's eyes, filled with despair, followed the tip of the blade.
Soon, he steeled his expression.
It seemed pointless to try and extract any more information from this madman.
'God, please protect Selena.'
For the first time in his life, the Duke prayed.
His end was near.
He knew it would come someday,
but he never imagined it would be like this.
Yohaiden closed his eyes.
'If only I could see my daughter's face one last time.'
Selena's face vividly appeared in his mind.
A little angel with silver hair, holding his hand with her tiny hand.
Tears streamed down his cheeks.
"Daddy!!!!!!"
That adorable face, calling out for him.
"Daddyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!"
Hmm?
'Why do I hear Selena's voice…? Has God granted my last wish?'
The Duke slowly opened his eyes.
There, he saw a young man with black hair… and his daughter, slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes…!?
"Se-Selena…!?"
The black-haired young man released Selena.
"What do you think you're doing here?! I told the Sedan to…!"
"Who cares about that! Dad, your blood! You're hurt!!!?"
Selena bit her lip and met his gaze.
'When did she get so big…?'
A jolt of emotion ran down his spine.
He was touched. He truly was.
His daughter had risked her life for her incompetent father.
But all the Duke could do was wear a look of utter despair.
His youngest daughter seemed ready to rush towards him at any moment.
He roared,
"Stop right there!!!!!!!!"
This place was beyond dangerous.
Especially with these monsters, impervious to even the swords of the White Tiger Knights.
The thought of Selena being here was unbearable.
"Go back this instant!!!!!!!"
"It's okay."
Selena's heart sank as she saw her father covered in wounds.
But fortunately, he seemed to be alive.
And then, she felt a surge of emotions: sadness, worry, and anger.
Selena fixed her gaze on the culprit who had done this to her father, her eyes hardening with resolve.
The man tilted his head to one side, then the other.
"Huh? Why, why, why, why, why, why is he alive? Is he alive? No narrative? No narrative?"
She had steeled herself for a fight, but the man's bizarre behavior filled her with dread.
'Ca-Can I even beat him…?'
She swallowed nervously.
In the end, all she could rely on was Zeke.
Zeke had promised to defeat even the Demon King for her.
'Right, I have Instructor. I just need to believe in Instructor. I can do this.'
Selena collected herself and turned to her dependable Instructor.
"Believe… in you…? Instructor!?"
Her Instructor's eyes were shaking uncontrollably.
"Eh? These guys?"
And then, he uttered the most unexpected words.
Selena had never seen her Instructor so flustered.
Her own eyes widened in disbelief.
'In-Instructor? Is he… the Demon King?'
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