30 Years Have Passed Since the Prologue
chapter-33

“Drop your weapons and surrender!”

A carriage on the back. They seem to have no intention of coming out until the situation is resolved.

In front of them, numerous elves, grimly wielding menacing weapons and growling.

Nowhere to escape but the vast sky. Falling would be their demise.

“Ha, what a perfect day to die.” (Eugene)

Eugene uttered a joke with a melancholic face. He raised his shield and sword, then suddenly pushed Yuri forward.

“Huh…?” (Yuri)

“Go, Yuri Frank! A standout student from the Knight Department at Jan’s University!” (Eugene)

“Huh…?” (Yuri)

Yuri took a hesitant step forward with a bewildered expression.

“Um, I’m a frontliner, but am I really alone? Seriously?” (Yuri)

“I’ve never fought in a battle since I came from the 21st century!” (Eugene)

“I was an illustrator!” (Yuri)

“You’re in the Knight Department!” (Eugene)

“But you also picked up a weapon!” (Yuri)

“This is for self-defense!” (Eugene)

As the two argued, the elves surrounding them looked on with perplexed eyes.

“Who are these people?”

“Seems like human nobles are out for a stroll. Handle them appropriately, don’t kill.”

University students are basically nobles. So capturing them might lead to a deal with Krasilov and favorable conditions.

The captain sighed, and the crew raised their weapons with trepidation.

Fortunately, their opponents were young humans who seemed to have neither the will nor the experience to fight.

Behind the two weaponized intruders, a tall man with a flipped hood raised his hand, sighing deeply.

“Idiots. What kind of party would have one front-line fighter and two back-liners? Have you never played a game?” (Oswald)

Oswald waved his hand, weaving a peculiar shape with violet magic.

[Grant Courage]. It was a low-level spell, but he knew from experience that Eugene had no immunity to mental magic.

As if it were expected, Eugene, a being recently transmigrated from the 21st century, couldn’t resist mental magic that required ‘will.’

-Keiiing-

“Eugh.” (Eugene)

Eugene’s head, under the influence of the spell, drooped.

“W-what did you do?” (Eugene)

“I infused a bit of courage. I’ll support, so buy some time up front. Until Ivan arrives.” (Oswald)

“Uh… Um. Um, Eugene?” (Yuri)

Yuri mumbled, bowing his head.

“Are you okay?” (Yuri)

“Yes, I’m fine.” (Eugene)

“… Really?” (Yuri)

“My name is Eugene Nobikov Karamzin.” (Eugene)

With a hand wielding a sword, Eugene drew a small symbol and whispered, lips meeting the blade.

“May the Lord watch over our battle today.” (Eugene)

“Hey, Oswald? Did you cast the wrong spell?” (Yuri)

“Of course not. I used [Grant Valor], but…?” (Oswald)

Ignoring the confused possessed individuals’ conversation, Eugene quietly opened his eyes.

With determined will shining in his azure eyes, he raised his sword high.

“Praise the glory of the Lord. You are the one who brings peace to this land by establishing virtue through justice.” (Eugene)

“Uh… um…” (Yuri)

“Did a conflict arise by combining a priest class with a knight class?” (Oswald)

“That’s…. possible. Please don’t do that to me. I can handle it myself.” (Yuri)

Had he lost consciousness? Yuri trembled in fear.

Assuming the role of a game setting while losing oneself completely to role-playing (RP) could lead to such a state.

If Yuri immersed herself in role-playing at the Erotic Academy game setting, what form would her true self take?

Instead, she’d rather fight with a sword. Fortunately, Yuri excelled in swordsmanship, being a top student in the Knight Department.

“Oh, heretics! Listen to the holy words of our one true God! Worship and praise!” (Eugene)

Eugene shouted and rushed forward, swinging his sword suddenly. Bang! With a loud noise, a bright white light exploded from his blade.

“[Sacred Strike]…!” (Eugene)

“That fool. He should have learned a healing skill instead.”

Yuri and Oswald followed Eugene, complaining as they chased after him.

The three possessed individuals succeeded in causing a commotion on the deck. Everything was going according to Ivan’s plan.

Walking through the dark corridors of the flashing warning lights, Ivan listened attentively.

Whee, whee. Amid the loud wailing sirens, he carefully analyzed each small sound.

The repetitive noise echoing through the narrow indoor space could serve as an indicator for echolocation if the origin of the noise could be distinguished.

Though not as keen as elves, the well-trained agent’s hearing could pinpoint a target through the echoes created when sound waves bounced off objects.

Using this method, Ivan could sense the presence of the two individuals standing before turning the corner in the corridor.

-Thunk!

Almost simultaneously with revealing himself in the corridor, shots were fired. The target, startled, quickly twisted their body, narrowly avoiding the line of fire.

Line of sight detection.

Ivan nodded, pulling out his axe.

“Who’s there!”

The question was wrong. It was an indicator of the trainee elves’ training status.

As per the first principle, questions should be asked after incapacitating the opponent, and questioning the identity of the opponent when they clearly possessed hostility was a foolish query.

So, instead of answering, Ivan threw himself. The inexperienced elf trainee had to pay for the wrong question.

-Whoosh

-Bang!

“Argh!”

The axe spun in the air and struck the elf’s neck, leaving a clean trajectory. The elf was thrust into the wall with a sound, gasping for breath.

At the same time, Ivan raised his gun, aiming at the approaching figure. Without aiming, he fired.

-Bang!

“You!!”

Of course, he dodged. The guy had line-of-sight detection. However, that moment when he turned his body to avoid the line of fire, that brief time was needed.

As the guy turned his body again, Ivan had already swung the axe beneath his chin.

-Bang!

The elf, with his jaw turned, collapsed without even a groan.

Since it was a hit from the back, it was more like hitting him with a short club than an axe, but as long as he didn’t die, that should be enough.

Ivan kicked the elf, whose jaw was dislocated, aside and moved on.

-Wheeeng!

-Wheeeng!

The sirens loudly echoed through the corridor.

Amidst the noisy corridor with flashing red warning lights, Ivan closed his eyes and continued walking, calculating the time difference of ultrasound reflecting in every nook and cranny of the corridor.

Kalion Fleet’s “Wolfstal”-class airship, Captain Onerst of the “Glory of Boyle,” was furrowing his brows in his cabin.

The last report he received clearly stated, “Unidentified students are attempting an assault, currently attempting to incapacitate them.”

It happened precisely at the moment when they were preparing to welcome Prince Alexander’s envoy and prepare for a secret alliance, making the situation somewhat sensitive, but it wasn’t more than that.

Was it a mistake to anchor a ship above the university in the first place?

If they were young, energetic individuals of that age, they could have at least had a drink and attempted infiltration using some support magic.

At that age, it’s ordinary to want to prove courage or boldness.

However, however.

“Why is there no additional report?” (Onerst)

He heard that there were three young students.

Since all students at Jan’s University were nobles or at least from influential families, he ordered them to be captured.

No matter how arrogant an elf might be, it’s not their place to kill students from another country on foreign territory.

“But even if that were the case, they were just students. Even if they were deep in their studies, there were limits, and at their age, as daring as they might be, it still meant ‘student level.’

So, whether they succeeded in capturing them or whether they managed to escape under the deck, now, ten minutes after the attack, there should be some additional report.

“Is no one there? Lookouts! Confirm the situation on the deck and report back!” (Onerst)

He yelled nervously. He couldn’t personally head to the deck.

Prince Alexander’s envoy must have arrived on the deck by now. The captain going to meet them personally would not be favorable in terms of prestige, and in this situation preceding the inter-country alliance, underestimating it would be the end.

“Is no one there? What are you all doing! Turn off that damn siren! Can we survive with this noise!” (Onerst)

Finally, Onerst stood up from his seat.

He crossed the cabin with a stern demeanor, opened the door wide, and yelled.

-Wheeeng!

-Wheeeng!

In the corridor filled with the loud siren, however, there was no sign of any light.

Is it malfunctioning? The thought crossed his mind briefly. However, he soon shook his head.

There’s no way it’s malfunctioning. This is an attack.

“Damn!”

He grumbled while pressing his temples and quickly hid behind the door. He took out the ceremonial sword hung on the wall, took a deep breath, and held it up.

“Is it sent by Elizaveta!”

“….”

“Damn it, answer if you’re there! An attack by students. Ridiculous. They’re even using a dual operation and exploiting students!?” (Onerst)

The situation on the deck is unclear, but at least it seems the situation hasn’t ended yet.

Even if they brought an impressive force, with only three individuals, it would be impossible to eliminate all the crew members within ten minutes.

So, for now, they endure. Prince Alexander may consider military intervention once he understands the situation.

Neither Onerst nor Alexander would want to be exposed to Elizaveta at this point.

Then, a voice echoed.

“The court minister must have clearly said.” (Ivan)

“What…?” (Onerst)

Onerst turned his head at the low voice heard from the end of the corridor.

The distance, probably the end of the corridor in front of the captain’s cabin. At that distance, even if they threw a large-scale destruction spell, it wouldn’t reach the captain’s cabin.

He nodded and intertwined his fingers. Magic burned bright blue and extended from his fingertips.

At that moment.

-Boom—!!

With a noise tearing through the air.

-Kwaaaang!!

‘Something’ that passed through the open door slammed down on the captain’s cabin table.

A spell? Destructive magic? Onerst quickly turned his head. If it was an explosive spell, he needed to prepare a defensive spell.

“…An axe?”

Half of a rope-attached axe was stuck in the captain’s cabin table, somewhat shattered.

Onerst mumbled in disbelief.

“The lumberjack… was real?”

It was a straightforward expression without any mixed metaphors or malice.

Onerst laughed in disbelief.

With a sound, the axe’s attached rope was pulled tight.

-Thunk!

The axe was pulled out along the rope, and with its elasticity, it whirled around, hitting Onerst’s leg.

“Groan!”

Fortunately, it hit his back, not his head. Onerst rolled on the floor with a broken ankle, avoiding the range of the axe.

The axe disappeared into the darkness at the end of the corridor, as if being sucked in. When Onerst struggled to get up, a steady sound of footsteps echoed in the darkness.

A bluish glow flickered between the shadows.

Soon, a shaggy beard.

Muscular arms like snakes, and the axe blade firmly bound to his hand.

Up to the gun pointing at him.

“Let’s negotiate.” (Onerst)

“That wasn’t the order I heard.” (Ivan)

-Boom—!

A spark flew from the end of the gun in the dark corridor.

Author’s Comment: Resonance Positioning: A technique that gauges the direction and distance of an object and oneself by listening to the echoes of ultrasound waves reflected within a specific space. Similar to bat ultrasound, humans can also use this technology to some extent!