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Chapter 179: Interlude - Spiderweb
“……”
“……”
Silence descended like a curtain.
It was as if a surprise guest was supposed to appear during a performance amidst much fanfare, only for them to suddenly disappear into thin air.
An incredibly awkward and uncomfortable tension settled between me and Jackal.
“W-Wait… T-This can’t be…?”
Jackal frowned as if he couldn’t comprehend the situation.
According to the records, the Abyssal Tyrant, Behemoth, was so fiercely territorial that it would immediately tear intruders apart the moment its domain was encroached upon.
‘So why isn’t it coming?’
Despite not only stepping into Behemoth’s territory but even stomping heavily on the ground, there was no sign of Behemoth—or any other demonic beast, for that matter.
“Why! Why isn’t it coming!”
Jackal cried out in frustration.
“Ah…”
Watching Jackal’s exasperated state, I let out a small exclamation.
‘So the reason Jackal came to the Abyss was to subjugate Behemoth, huh?’
I had wondered why he would go so far as to use his demonic beast horde as bait to invade the Abyss, but now it made sense.
For someone like Jackal, who could control demonic beasts, Behemoth would have been the ultimate prize.
However, the Behemoth he sought so desperately was...
“Why! Why isn’t it here!”
“Uh, well…”
“Argh… Could it be that this isn’t Behemoth’s territory?!”
“No, this is its territory, but…”
“Shut up! What would you know about it?!”
“……”
The words It’s already dead rose to my throat, but I held them back.
After all, even if I told him, Jackal wouldn’t believe me, nor did I have any obligation to enlighten him.
And to be honest…
‘This is kind of hilarious.’
Watching Jackal desperately search for a Behemoth that had long since died, I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
“Grr…!”
Jackal clenched his teeth and retreated, only to lunge at me with a furious scream.
“Raaahhh!”
Well, it was predictable.
Without his demonic beasts, the “Archbishop of Beasts” was laughably inept in hand-to-hand combat.
Thwack!
“Gah!”
Jackal was sent flying with a light kick.
“You’re trying hard, I’ll give you that. Resorting to hand-to-hand combat now?”
Honestly, it’s a bit pitiful.
“You… you bastard…”
Jackal trembled, biting his lips in anger.
Not only had I reduced his core forces—the Ten-Eyed demonic beasts—to ashes, but I was also completely overpowering him like a child.
No matter how weak he might be in close combat, this wasn’t something a mere student could achieve.
“Who… are you?”
Jackal asked in a trembling voice.
“Didn’t Mephisto tell you? You should already know who I am, shouldn’t you?”
I shrugged and replied.
“Dale Han, a third-year in the Warrior Department of the Hero Academy. Dead last in the overall rankings.”
That’s me.
“Lies!”
Jackal gritted his teeth and roared.
A third-year in the Warrior Department?
Dead last in the rankings?
What nonsense!
“Who are you really, disguising yourself as a student?”
Jackal stared at me suspiciously before his eyes widened, as if something had clicked.
“You… Could you be Khalid Han?!”
“Huh?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his absurd guess.
Falling Blossom Blade, Khalid Han.
A hero ranked fifth, known for the petals scattering with every swing of his blade—a nickname that earned him his title.
Another nickname he had was “Barely Master,” for just managing to scrape into the top five ranks that conferred the title of “Master.”
Regardless, even though he was often regarded as inferior to other Masters, a Master was still a Master.
“Wow, I’m honored. You think I’m Master-level?”
“Don’t play dumb! Grr… Come to think of it, you’re from the Republic, and your surname matches!”
Jackal declared confidently, convinced of his theory.
I shook my head with an exasperated sigh.
“For one, it’s clear you know nothing about the Republic.”
“What?!”
“Do you even realize how many people in the Republic share the same surname? By that logic, even the dog next door would be named Han.”
“……”
Sure, there were rare surnames like “Ryu” that represented prominent families, but most Republic citizens shared common surnames.
And most importantly…
“I’m an orphan.”
“……”
“My name and surname? The orphanage director made them up on the spot.”
Apparently, one of the orphanage’s donors had suggested my name, and the director had gone with it.
Anyway, the theory that I was Khalid Han in disguise was completely off the mark.
“T-Then who are you…?”
“How many times do I have to tell you? Dale Han, a third-year student in the Hero Academy’s Warrior Department.”
“……”
Jackal stared at me in disbelief, his lips pressed tightly together.
His wrinkled face twisted as he finally spoke.
“Stop spewing nonsense! How… how could a mere student… gah!”
I tripped Jackal, cutting off his rambling, and placed the tip of my blade against his chest.
“Question time is over. Now it’s my turn.”
“Grr…”
“The gate leading further into the Abyss—how did you open it?”
A physical pathway connected the first floor of the Abyss, but starting from the second floor, it was impossible to descend without activating the magic circle.
“…Mephisto. That bastard taught me how to open the gate.”
“Mephisto?”
“Ah… Yes! That’s it! Mephisto, that scum! This was all his scheme!”
Jackal’s eyes widened as if he had just realized something.
“Damn it! I should have known…! I had a feeling when that sneaky bastard proposed a deal!”
“…….”
Watching Jackal throw a fit and stomp around, I furrowed my brow.
‘So this guy was just another puppet, huh.’
Even Jackal, a fellow high priest, had been dancing in the palm of Mephisto’s hand.
“Tsk.”
Whoosh!
The blade of my sword ignited with embers.
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“W-wait! Let’s make a deal!”
“A deal?”
“Yes! If you spare me, I’ll give you information about Mephisto!”
“Hmm.”
The offer was tempting, to say the least.
I curled my lips into a crooked grin and spoke.
“Fine. But I’ll change the terms.”
“Change the terms?”
“Yes. If you give me information about Mephisto, I’ll kill you.”
“…What?”
Jackal looked at me as if I had just spewed nonsense.
“What kind of idiotic nonsense is that— Argh! Gah!!!”
Whoosh!
I plunged my flame-wreathed sword into his body, grinning broadly.
“Don’t worry.”
He’d understand soon enough.
“Aaaaaargh! Stop it! Stoooooop!”
As his body burned and embers spread, his agonized screams echoed in the air.
* * *
With a dull squelch, I pulled my sword from Jackal’s charred corpse.
The interrogation—albeit brutal—had yielded some information.
‘Mephisto is colluding with a hero.’
I still didn’t know with whom or for what purpose.
But one thing was certain.
‘There’s a traitor.’
Someone who had betrayed humanity and allied with the demons.
‘Though, to be fair, it’s not like there’s a shortage of heroes who’ve sided with the Demon God.’
Even with my memories from my past life, I couldn’t guess who had joined forces with Mephisto.
“Ugh.”
I was racking my brain over this unsolvable puzzle when—
“…Is it over?”
Professor Elisha staggered toward me.
“You’re awake?”
“Heh. I couldn’t just relax while leaving the work to my student, could I?”
With a faint smile, she pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
Staring down at Jackal’s ashes, her expression grew complicated.
“In Candidate Dale’s past life… you said I died with Jackal, didn’t you?”
“…Yes?”
“Then I suppose it’s thanks to you that I’m alive now.”
After taking just a few puffs, she dropped the cigarette to the ground and stepped closer.
She rested her forehead against my chest.
Her shoulders were trembling ever so slightly.
“Just… a little longer… May I lean on you for a bit longer?”
“As long as you need.”
I gently patted her back, soothing her like a crying child.
“…….”
The trembling of her shoulders gradually subsided.
“Candidate Dale.”
“…Mmph.”
Before I could respond, her lips touched mine.
“Whew.”
After the brief kiss, Professor Elisha stepped back.
“There’s one thing I regret.”
“Regret?”
“I regret not giving you my ‘first.’”
She touched her lips with a bitter smile.
“Before meeting you, I kissed others simply to activate the Blessing of Insight.”
While blood or sweat could also activate the blessing, a kiss was much more effective.
She had never thought much of it before.
The act of kissing had been devoid of any emotion for her.
“I never imagined I’d come to cherish someone so deeply. Or that this person would bring me such happiness. I didn’t think I deserved such things.”
Her life had been one of unending despair.
When flames engulfed her village, her hope had burned to ashes alongside it.
“But… paradoxically, it was your fire that gave me new hope.”
The gray embers that burned within him were unlike the scorching flames of her childhood. His fire was warm and comforting.
“Thank you. And…”
Professor Elisha placed her hand on my left chest.
She felt the gentle warmth of the fire within and whispered softly.
“I love you. More than my own life.”
Her eyes trembled faintly.
“…Professor.”
I had known for some time that she had feelings for me, but hearing it directly made my heart pound uncontrollably.
As I tried to respond, Professor Elisha placed her finger against my lips with a faint smile.
“Heh. There’s no need to answer now. I know your situation is complicated.”
“…….”
“But… well, let me make one promise.”
She leaned close to my ear, her voice dripping with allure.
“I’ll save my other ‘first’ just for you. Always.”
Suddenly, an image of a monstrous beast tightly bound in spiderwebs, unable to move, flashed through my mind.
“Heh. Let’s head back.”
“…….”
It seemed…
The prey trapped in the spider’s web wasn’t the beast alone.
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