Chapter 34

「How does it feel to have participated in my poor son’s hell?」

Zephyros couldn’t answer Iris’s question.

The Lerwon Zephyros saw was always a brazen human.

A human who had been saved by Iris Viden even after committing a crime. And on top of that, a shameless and insolent person who would smile brightly and turn away from the sins he had committed.

But the truth wasn't that? His head was spinning.

The master of Golden, who had asked the question, had left in a hurry, saying she had urgent business.

“What on earth….”

Zephyros, left alone, felt like he had been cast into the depths of hell.

If that’s true, what a terrible thing have I done?

An indescribable emotion scratched roughly at his throat.

“I have to ask─”

What would change by asking? No, can I even ask in the first place?

If all of Iris’s words are true, he is just a perpetrator who participated in his hell.

My head is a mess.

“Zephi, are you okay?”

At Lucian’s voice calling him, Zephyros snapped to his senses.

A guy who came because he was worried about his friend can’t be losing his mind.

More than anything―

“It feels like we’re being watched, doesn't it?”

He tried to hide it somehow, but it was impossible to deceive the eyes of Zephyros, who controlled the wind.

There was no need to wonder whose orders the crazy bastard who dared to watch the young master of Nevera was under.

This place was Golden’s backyard. It must all be the will of its master.

“The atmosphere seems a little strange too.”

Did something go wrong?

“Cian.”

It was that moment.

A certain voice rang in his head.

Zephyros Nevera, get Lucian out of there now.

It was Theo’s voice.

What is this? Is it someone’s prank?

That woman is crazy.

If it’s that woman, is she talking about Iris Viden?

After those words, Theo’s voice was no longer heard.

Was it a prank by Iris Viden, or was it really an urgent message from Theo?

Anyway, this place was inside Iris’s mouth

.

At least, it would be right to get out.

Tsk, Zephyros, who had clicked his tongue, said to Lucian.

“Let’s go back to the Academy.”

“Okay.”

It wasn’t just Zephyros who had noticed something was wrong. Zephyros and Lucian left the noisy party venue without even the luxury of exchanging another word.

A strange silence hung over them as they walked quickly, as if running down the long corridor. There was no sign of anyone.

As they crossed the corridor where only their footsteps echoed bleakly, the complexions of the two people grew paler.

The string of tension, pulled taut as if it would snap at any moment, was pulled.

“Was the corridor this long?”

Lucian muttered lowly.

It was certainly long when they came to the party venue, but not this long. The invisible space was stretching endlessly.

It’s a trap.

They were already caught. Everything was a planned trap from the beginning.

Zephyros lightly clicked his tongue.

The moment he snapped his fingers, the wind enveloped the two. The sound of the whispering wind tickled their ears. Like the laughter of children.

“Can you cover me with the holy sword?”

“It’s still difficult to control my power, but I’ll try.”

Light gathered in the stigma, and a sword appeared in his hand.

“It’s fine.”

They probably wouldn’t dare to hold the successor to the hero responsible.

“The one who set the trap first was them.”

“If we’re caught, we’ll become hostages, right?”

“Probably with a 100% probability.”

“What on earth did Theo get himself into?”

“I don’t know. For now, I want to hit him once when I meet him.”

I knew it when he was so confident.

As Zephyros clicked his tongue, Lucian deliberately laughed to shake off the tension and asked.

“Won’t you die if you do that?”

“I have to control my strength.”

Zephyros lightly laughed along with Lucian and summoned an even stronger wind.

《Hello!》

《Hello! Child!》

《Do you need our power?》

Zephyros listened to the voice of the wind.

A small whisper enveloped his ears.

“Yes, I desperately need your help.”

As he muttered lowly, the wind whispered as if excited.

《Yay! He needs help!》

《Shall we help!》

《I’ll help!》

《Let’s help!!》

The voices of children rang in his head, but Zephyros focused his mind.

Every place the wind touched came within his senses.

He could feel a point where mana was artificially gathered. It was the core that maintained the maze magic.

But, there’s no way Iris doesn’t know this fact.

She must have already placed people outside.

But, he had no intention of being caught easily.

“You know when I signal, right?”

Lucian nodded his head without a word. The strength in his hand holding the holy sword increased.

“3.”

Sweat beaded on Zephyros’s palm. It was his first real battle.

“2.”

But, it’s fine.

Because he trusted his friend, Lucian.

“1, now!”

Kwaaaaaaang!!!

A huge roar erupted.

In an instant, the mana scattered, and what unfolded before their eyes was─

A huge clearing.

And, masked people surrounding them on all sides.

“Lucian!!”

At Zephyros’s signal, Lucian plunged the holy sword into the ground.

The ground cracked, and a gale-force wind rushed in as if to fill the gap.

As the ground collapsed, the encirclement crumbled.

But, the two were different. The wind supported their feet and they moved forward.

“Good job!”

“It’s nothing!”

It was then.

Kwaang!!

An explosion sounded as if it would tear the world apart.

A deafening roar, a raging fire.

Not even a scream was heard. The heat engulfed their entire bodies. The path of the wind wavered.

“What use are you if you can’t even catch two students?”

Only then did the one who caused the explosion reveal herself.

The woman, positioned at the highest point of the clearing, leisurely swept her hair back.

Damn it, is it the boss’s appearance?

Can we really face her? No, it’s absolutely impossible. The opponent is a monster on par with a professor.

“I don’t want to harm the young master of Nevera and the successor to the hero either, so won’t you be captured quietly?”

“How about you say such nonsense in your dreams?”

“The opinion of the successor to the hero?”

“My opinion is the same as Zephyros’s.”

As if to prove his firm will, the holy sword gave off a noble light.

“You really are a handful.”

Iris lightly snapped her fingers. A flame burst from her fingertip.

Beyond the realm of simple magic, the flame, like a living being, lunged at the two.

Zephyros hurriedly created a wind to block it.

In that moment, a masked person, as if aiming for a gap, swung a dagger at him.

Flash─

Lucian’s sword parried the dagger, and he twisted his wrist and cut the opponent’s chest.

If this goes on as a long-term battle, there’s no possibility of escape. We have to get out quickly.

Zephyros whipped up a wind to block their vision.

However─

Thwack!

With the sound of a finger snapping, the wind stopped.

“Let’s end the games here.”

Iris’s cold voice was clearer than ever.

The wind wavered as if screaming and then completely stopped. Zephyros’s expression hardened.

“Shouldn’t you capture them and bring them here?”

“Yes!!!”

The newly deployed masked people rushed in all at once.

They were completely surrounded.

But, he couldn't let go of a shred of hope. Fortunately, thanks to the hastily formed encirclement, he could see an empty space.

A space just big enough for one person to escape if one person sacrificed themselves.

I’ll break through somehow.

Zephyros gestured to Lucian with his eyes and counted.

Just then, a familiar but low voice brushed past his ear.

“From now on, remember, a place that is too obvious is likely a trap.”

And─

Peeong!!!

An explosion occurred at the place Zephyros was about to jump into.

Zephyros, who had seen that scene clearly, blinked his eyes blankly.

‘…It was a trap.’

A trap to catch the wind. The only person who could neutralize this trap in an instant, at least as far as Zephyros knew, was just one person.

“What brings you here, Evan Lisitoel?”

A quiet declaration echoed from within the remains of the explosion.

“I came to pick up my disciples.”

* * *

As soon as Artemia found Theo bleeding in the infirmary, she immediately called Evan.

Evan, who saw his unconscious son lying in bed and ‘Lerwon Viden’ occupying the bed next to him, picked up his magic staff.

“I have somewhere to be for a moment.”

“You’re not going to kill them all, are you?”

If that was true, it would be a major accident.

An Academy professor and the emperor’s closest aide killing the master of Golden, who is responsible for the empire’s logistics.

Could there be anything more terrible?

As Evan was about to leave in silence, Artemia quickly grabbed him.

“Evan, it’s really a major accident.”

“The thing you’re thinking of won’t happen.”

Because he too had too much to be responsible for.

As Artemia let go of his hand, Evan immediately headed for the mansion where the Golden party was held.

And now here. He had stopped the son of Nevera and the successor to the hero, who were about to jump into an obvious trap.

“What brings you here, Evan Lisitoel?”

“I came to pick up my disciples.”

Hearing those words, Iris blinked a few times and then burst out laughing.

It was a laugh that sounded innocent and pathetic, but it didn't quite suit the ruined surroundings that were blown up everywhere.

“Disciples, you say, are you using such words just because you’ve been an Academy professor for a bit? Wow, it really doesn't suit you.”

The Evan Lisitoel of the Academy days was a perfect person even when he was alone.

Perhaps he was a perfect person because he was alone.

Because she knew the Evan of those days, Iris’s laughter leaked out even more.

“Is your nonsense still the same even after all these years?”

Evan’s gaze turned menacing, and a huge amount of mana began to condense according to Evan’s will, as if it would swallow the space whole.

“This is as far as I’ll listen quietly, Iris Viden.”

The people who were slowly surrounding Evan began to be crushed by the huge mana.

“Kkeueueuk….”

Some even foamed at the mouth and collapsed, but Evan didn’t stop.

He just quietly looked at Iris, who was observing the situation from a distance.

“Stop! I get it. Take them, just take them.”

As long as Evan was here, it was impossible to take the two to Golden.

At the sight of Iris waving her hand, Evan immediately turned around without any lingering attachment and checked on Zephyros and Lucian first. They were covered in dust, but they had no injuries.

Tsk. So only my precious son vomited blood.

He didn't like it.

“Iris Viden.”

“Yes, why?”

“There is a limit to how much I can overlook for the sake of our past.”

At Evan’s words, Iris blinked a few times and then burst out laughing.

“Ahahaha!!”

A past affection, did we even have such a thing? We just attended the Academy during the same period?

Iris, who had finally stopped laughing, gave a bright eye-smile.

Within it, a faint languor and interest were mixed.

Evan, who had glimpsed her essence, let out a faint sigh.

That mysterious attitude, as if she had swallowed dozens of wily snakes, seemed to have gotten worse with the passage of time, not better.

After glaring at Iris for a moment, Evan disappeared with Zephyros and Lucian.

At the sight of him appearing and disappearing in an instant, Iris let out a big sigh.

“If I had caught even one of them, there would have been room for negotiation.”

At least, she might have been able to get Lerwon back.

But now that she had lost them all, should she really give up?

“You incompetent things.”

To not even be able to catch kids who had just entered the Academy.

Iris’s cold gaze turned to her subordinates, who were just starting to come to their senses.

“Mordegar.”

“Yes, my lady.”

A man who had appeared by her side at some point bowed his head.

“You haven’t become so incompetent that I have to punish you myself, have you?”

At the question from Iris, whose expression had disappeared as her smile faded, Mordegar knelt and hit his head on the ground.

Thwack, thwack, thwack! With the sound of his head cracking, blood trickled down Mordegar’s forehead.

“Everything is as the master of Golden wills.”

“Yes, everything is as I will.”

Iris stood up from her seat with a light step.

“Ah, how boring.”

Life is so boring.

The woman reaches her hand towards the sky. What she grasped was empty.

“I don’t want to die yet.”

She wanted to live longer, to see and enjoy many things.

To do that─

“I think I’ll need you, Theo Lisitoel.”

Iris, under the moonlight, smiled brightly.