The Narrow-Eyed Villain of the Demon Academy
chapter-174

How many were there?

I instinctively tried to count the number of Eater Birds, but soon realized the futility of it and lowered my head.

This was far beyond what I could handle.

Ten…

Yes, maybe I could handle up to a hundred.

But this number…

‘Thousands, maybe even tens of thousands.’

The number of Eater Birds easily filled the entire territory of Gluttony, which was originally a single city.

The black mass of Eater Birds crowded around the entrance.

Subtly-.

I turned my head and looked back.

Just to see if the path to the temple was still open.

But the entrance was already firmly shut.

It had transformed back into the ordinary floor it had been before Miriam opened it for me the first time I visited.

Unfortunately, there was no way to go back.

So, the only way for me to survive here was….

‘…To break through, isn’t it?’

If I recall correctly, the coachman had mentioned that there wouldn’t be any carriages coming this way.

Fortunately, I knew the way to the Bares’ Territory.

Even though I was a pathetic author who couldn’t remember the details of my own work, at least I had memorized the entire route while riding the carriage here.

I was, after all, the top student in Sytan’s final exams for a reason.

Anyway, there was one thing I could try…

‘Maybe the Eater Birds won’t follow me if I leave the territory of Gluttony.’

It occurred to me that if they could leave this place, they would have done so already.

Eater Birds were creatures that made their nests and lived within the territory of Gluttony.

So, if I carefully made my way out of the territory, I might be able to survive.

‘Let’s do this.’

I stared at the Eater Birds looking down at me from the tree.

They were opening their beaks as if hoping I would fall.

If I were to misstep and fall, they would tear me apart.

I had to kill them before that happened.

‘Move.’

I immediately extended an arrow and swapped places with a leaf on the opposite tree.

The Eater Birds blinked in surprise, then turned their heads in unison the moment they sensed my presence.

‘…!’

I couldn’t help but be startled by their reaction.

I had clearly used both the Silence spell and the Stealth skill at the same time.

How could they still sense my presence?

I extended the arrow again to swap places with another tree, and then I realized why.

― Screech! Screech!

The Eater Birds’ eyes were clouded with madness.

They were starving, their senses heightened.

That’s why they were so desperate to get to me, their only ‘prey.’

― Screech! Screech! Screech! Screech!

The Eater Birds flapped their wings toward the tree where I was, their movements filled with frenzy.

Just before they could collide with me, I used Position Exchange to move to another tree.

Looking back, I witnessed a horrifying sight.

Thud-!

The tree I had just been on had been smashed in half.

Six Eater Birds were crushed under the weight of the fallen tree.

And the other Eater Birds began to greedily devour the corpses.

A shiver ran down my spine as I watched.

Don’t look.

Just focus on running away.

I quickly activated Position Exchange again and fled.

One,

Flinch-.

My body froze as I realized there were no more leaves within the arrow’s reach.

The automatically extended arrow pointed to a stone beneath the tree.

I frowned at the sight.

‘This is…’

I could use it to escape if I had to.

But the ground was swarming with Eater Birds.

Perhaps if there were fewer, I could manage, but against a dense pack of Eater Birds, would I even have time to activate Position Exchange again before they reached me?

‘….’

I had no other choice.

If I stayed up in the tree, the Eater Birds would eventually knock me down in their frenzy.

In the end, I had to use Position Exchange to descend to the ground.

The moment I swapped places with the stone.

‘Oh no.’

As expected, the Eater Birds charged at me with crazed shrieks.

― Keeeeeek-!

Dozens, maybe even hundreds of Eater Birds were flapping their wings towards me.

I gulped at the grotesque sight.

Woong-.

I immediately drew the red dagger and the Fang of Darkness from my pocket, unleashing my Killing Intent.

Even though I wasn't skilled in dual wielding, I couldn't handle this situation with just one hand.

My Killing Intent, which finely carved through space, resonated from the tip of my blades, rapidly draining my Mental Strength.

Even with the help of my Trait, it wasn't easy to infuse two daggers with Killing Intent.

But.

Slice-.

Slice-.

Slice-.

Slice-.

It was possible to cut down dozens of Eater Birds at once.

I took advantage of the momentary gap I had created and sprinted forward.

I headed straight ahead.

Eliminating all the Eater Birds here was impossible for me.

If my life truly depended on it, I might have considered taking the risk, but there was no need for such a meaningless gamble.

‘Cut down those who block my path, and outrun those who chase from behind.’

That's what I had to do if I wanted to survive.

It wasn't the time to cling to my pride.

Thud. Thud-.

As I was running, I remembered the Headmaster’s magic.

Wouldn't it be much easier to overcome this crisis if I used the Headmaster’s magic here?

Swoosh-.

...I shook my head.

The Headmaster’s magic should not be used here.

If I could just use Position Exchange and keep running for a day…

I wasn't sure if my Mana would last that long, but I had to try my best.

And obviously, I couldn't use Demon Gods’ Stoke.

Subtly-.

As I quickened my pace, I glanced back.

I had cut down dozens of Eater Birds, but countless more remained.

It was practically impossible to swing a sword infused with Killing Intent hundreds, thousands of times.

Even with my Mana capacity nearing 5,000, the impossible remained impossible.

10,000.

If I had that much, it might be possible, but even if I used all the potions the Headmaster gave me and the Fragment bestowed by the God of Gluttony, I couldn’t surpass 10,000.

All that was here were the corpses of Eater Birds.

So it was a waste to use the Fragment the God of Gluttony gave me, and there was no time to consume the Headmaster’s potion.

As I clicked my tongue in frustration, something caught my eye.

Screech-! Screech-!

Krrrrrrrrrr-!

Hundreds of Eater Birds were blocking the path ahead.

My face stiffened.

I had thought they were only chasing me from behind, but they were closing in from the front as well.

It seemed that all the Eater Birds in the territory of Gluttony, except for those near the temple, had flocked to this location.

They must have heard the commotion of my flashy escape and gathered here.

‘Damn it.’

Clench-.

I clenched the red dagger between my teeth.

And unleashed my Killing Intent.

My teeth chattered, but I managed to endure it and grabbed the Orb of the Flame Emperor that Samuel had given me with my free hand.

The modified version of the Orb of the Flame Emperor.

The fact that I was about to use this pissed me off.

Why didn't he tell me that there were Eater Birds stationed here?

‘If he had told me, I could have come up with a plan…!’

But Samuel wasn’t here to blame.

He was probably busy being showered with affection and cuteness from Miriam.

The thought of Samuel’s grinning face made me even more annoyed.

Dwelling on it further brought back memories of being chased by the knights of the Arsene family, worsening my mood.

Woong-.

I channeled all my frustration into activating the Orb of the Flame Emperor.

As Samuel had said, the Orb of the Flame Emperor had been perfectly modified.

Normally, sparks would fly everywhere, leaving my hand with terrible burns.

But now, it quietly swirled black Mana above my hand.

Even while being chased by Eater Birds, I couldn't help but be amazed by its stability.

‘…I have to admit, he’s skilled.’

No matter how annoying Samuel was, this was a different matter.

When it came to magic, he was second to none.

And finally.

From the Orb of the Flame Emperor, a black rose bloomed.

A black rose blossomed above the heads of the hundreds of Eater Birds blocking my path.

The black rose landed softly on their heads, and

Fwoosh-.

It decapitated all hundreds of them in an instant.

I hurried past the spot, and at that moment.

Slash, slash, slash-.

A spine-chilling sound came from behind me.

The petals of the black rose swirled, cutting down even the Eater Birds that were chasing me.

As I witnessed the scene, a thought crossed my mind.

‘…I just killed at least three hundred Eater Birds.’

But the overwhelming number of these creatures showed no signs of diminishing.

What kind of messed up territory was this?

At this point, I was more curious about how they managed to tame these Eater Birds before the territory of Gluttony fell into ruin.

As I grumbled to myself and extended an arrow…

‘That place.’

My shoulders trembled.

I had been here before.

This was where the coachman had dropped us off and fled, claiming he could go no further.

This must be the boundary between the territory of Gluttony and the outside world.

‘So if I can just get there…’

Would the Eater Birds stop following me?

I swallowed, my throat dry.

For now, let's go there.

‘Move.’

I used Position Exchange to teleport to the spot where the coachman had been.

And at that moment,

“……?!”

My eyes widened in disbelief.

Something I had never anticipated came into view.

Why were ‘they’ in the territory of Gluttony?

Thud-.

Forgetting about the Eater Birds pursuing me, I came to a halt.

No.

How?

Why were they here?

“…Why are you here?”

I finally managed to stammer out the words.

But they didn’t respond.

They simply bowed low to the figure emerging from the carriage.

He glanced down at me with an air of supreme arrogance, his gaze filled with disdain for the world.

Then, he spoke.

“Follow me.”

“…..”

I was speechless, frozen by his cold tone.

Regardless,

Subtly-.

The man turned and took a leisurely step forward.

...An incredibly arrogant and haughty man.

He was here, in the territory of Gluttony.

As I blinked in bewilderment, I realized the sounds of pursuit had ceased. I turned my head.

And at that moment,

“……!”

My legs gave way at the unbelievable sight that unfolded before me.

Tens of thousands of Eater Birds.

The very creatures that had been shrieking and chasing me…

― …….

Lay dead, each impaled by a sword of black Mana.

The overwhelming flock of monsters had been slaughtered in an instant.

It was then that I recalled who the man walking arrogantly before me was.

‘Bares Crete.’

He came looking for me, the escort of his daughter.

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