All-Master Player Of The Academy [EN]: Chapter 162

◈ Chapter 162

81. A Special Nightmare – 2

Every nightmare possessed a distinct form.

After all, it was the embodiment of the core fear.

Eldan, Rakid, even Danju.

The fear before their eyes was clear.

But Crowley was different.

“Ah… Ahh….”

She sat on the floor, blankly staring at the black smoke in front of her.

It didn’t even have a shape, just murky smoke, yet she was completely terrified.

“G, God. No. No. I… I….”

Suddenly, a voice emanated from the black smoke.

“Come.”

It was a low, guttural voice.

Reacting to that voice, the sky began to crack open.

“Myaaaaa!”

Mya Ne, unaffected by nightmares like Ian, bristled all over, extremely wary.

It was that dangerous.

Before the crack in the blackened sky could fully open,

Ian quickly approached Crowley.

“Aaaah!! I was wrong! I was wrong! Aaaah!!”

“Good grief.”

Grabbing her in her panicked state, Ian tossed her back and pointed his sword at the black smoke.

“Are you Rubellin?”

There was no answer.

It was solely focused on creating a rift in the dimension.

And after a moment,

As the dimensional rift formed, dozens of octopus-like tentacles emerged from it.

“To think it wasn’t Gingkoa after tormenting her so much with it.”

Thinking he should memorize more Gingkoa spells, Ian raised his sword to the sky.

The light that made existence itself uncertain emanated from the sword, sweeping over the rift and the tentacles emerging from it.

With just that, the tentacles disappeared, and the rift was erased.

Ian pointed his sword at the black smoke.

“You’re Rubellin, right? How did you summon that? It would be impossible without knowing the method.”

There was no answer.

It was just trying to create a rift in the sky again.

‘If Crowley had been a bit older back then, she might have been able to see it properly….’

Since that wasn’t the case, even the form of the fear wasn’t clear.

Ian clicked his tongue and gripped his sword tightly.

In any case, he couldn’t keep a dangerous being that created rifts in dimensions by his side.

Ian quickly swung his sword at the black smoke.

– Swish!!

The formless black smoke split and scattered.

Only then did Crowley, who had fallen back, come to her senses.

“Uh… Uhh? What happened… What happened?”

“You were just having a nightmare. Um….”

For a moment, while he was paying attention to this, everything had descended into complete chaos.

People were drawing weapons or using magic everywhere.

Among them were those who couldn’t use aura or magic, like the academy students, kneeling before the nightmare.

Looking around at them, Ian took a deep breath.

<72 Arts of Shaolin from the Murim Continent [martial arts world]. Using Lion's Roar.>

“Wake up!!”

Ian’s fierce shout erupted.

The exorcising cry, spreading instantly across the plaza and its surroundings, erased the manifested nightmares.

“W, What’s going on….”

“What… What?!”

People who regained their senses as the nightmare disappeared looked around in confusion.

“Ugh, Ugh?! What’s that again?!”

In the center of the plaza,

Where Kaen had been just a moment ago, there was a giant flower.

The beautiful giant flower, stained with blood, swayed slightly, and the moment it scattered pollen.

“Uaaaak?!”

Another nightmare began to appear.

Eldan couldn’t hide his embarrassment at the sight.

“I, Ian. Don’t tell me that’s….”

“Yes. Count Eldan had that too.”

He had heard it was dangerous, but he never imagined it would be this terrible.

If it weren’t for Ian, this could have happened in the academy and in the Baradis territory.

“…I don’t know what that is, but I can’t just leave it alone.”

The voice of Danju, freed from the nightmare, was as cold as ice.

His own fear that he had defeated a long time ago.

It seemed he was quite displeased to have met the former Sword Flower Troop Leader.

Drawing his sword, he pointed it at the red flower scattering pollen.

And gathering his aura, he unleashed it with all his might.

Numerous bundles of aura flew towards the flower, but the nightmare flower only scattered pollen.

“What?!”

And from within that pollen, a masked man scattered aura.

The former Sword Flower Troop Leader charged at Danju.

Like that, the newly appeared nightmares began to attack those in the plaza again.

As if enjoying the chaos, the nightmare flower scattered pollen again.

“Tch!! Hey!! Are you just going to watch?! Aren’t you going to save the others?!”

“Huh? Uhh….”

Aransea shouted, and the knights of the capital guard were taken aback.

But they couldn’t ignore that shout.

As they began to fight against the nightmares created by the nightmare flower, Crowley asked in a reluctant tone.

“…What on earth is going on?”

“If we don’t cut down that flower, nightmare beings will keep appearing. Ah. Don’t use your strength.”

“Why?”

“Are you going to fight the priests [members of a religious order]?”

Crowley clenched her fist tightly.

To think she had to leave that flower alone, the one that dared to give her that terrible nightmare.

Leaving her trembling with anger, humiliation, and a subtle fear, Ian swung his sword.

– Pow!! Bang!!

Nightmares exploded each time the sword was swung.

Arriving near the flower scattering pollen like that,

Ian raised his sword.

– Swish!!

The moment his sword cut the stem of the flower, the world collapsed.

The nightmare disappeared, and it was time to wake up from the dream.

Looking down at the flower that had gradually begun to wither, Ian picked up the crystal ball on the floor.

He didn’t know who activated it, but the crystal ball was showing the scenery of the Murim Continent.

Among that scenery, the nightmare flower must have been caught and parasitized Kaen.

As Ian put the crystal ball in his arms, the knights and mages of the capital guard approached.

“Please allow us to investigate that.”

“To figure out what on earth happened….”

It was an object that caused chaos in the capital.

Why it was here. And what the relationship between this and Kaen was.

They had to investigate all of that.

Ian smiled at them, who were speaking of their duty as the capital guard.

“I don’t think you guys have time to worry about that right now.”

“That’s right. Because they are the ones who participated in the rebellion. They must prepare to pay the price.”

Aransea pointed his sword, and they were greatly embarrassed.

“R, Rebellion, you say!”

“We were just….”

“It seems like that’s what you’ll say after meeting the nobles of the Noble Council.”

Even Eldan came out and said a word, and the capital guards who had followed Kaen bit their lips tightly.

* * *

As the commotion in the plaza subsided, Ian and his group headed straight to the Noble Council.

In front of the Noble Council, the capital guard and the knights and soldiers who had followed Kaen were waiting.

But even they couldn’t stop Ian’s group.

Opening the firmly closed doors of the Noble Council like that,

“Oh… Oh! Ian!”

One of the nobles who had gathered with anxious expressions stood up abruptly upon seeing Ian.

“Isn’t that Baron Pine?”

“Y, Yes. But what are you doing… Prince Rakid?!”

Pine was startled to see Rakid standing behind Ian.

And he quickly looked at Ian.

Could it be that the rumors that Ian and Rakid were on good terms were true?

“Count Eldan!!”

“We must stop Kaen!! That man has trapped us here….”

“He’s dead.”

“…Yes?”

Watching the nobles of the Noble Council become flustered, Eldan pointed at Ian.

“Ian killed Kaen.”

“…Ah. I, Is that so.”

“As expected of Baron Ian!! A great noble of the Scarlet Kingdom!”

“Hahaha!! Amazing!!”

The nobles of the Noble Council laughed and chattered.

Danju sneered at them as if they were pathetic.

“When were you going to make him your enemy?”

“Past things should just be left as past things!! Baron Ian supports Prince Rakid! The future of the Scarlet Kingdom is bright!!”

The nobles began to chatter as they pleased.

Listening to their shouts, Rakid asked in a heavy tone.

“Where is Commander Keith?”

“Uh… Th, Commander Keith was taken to the capital guard….”

He had to save her first.

Rakid looked at Eldan.

“Let’s go there. Ian. Are you thinking of going too?”

“We’ve come this far, so it’s good to go.”

It was obvious for Aransea, and the rest were Danju and Crowley.

“Ian. Is the reason my subordinates disappeared related to what happened earlier?”

“Did you think it wasn’t? They were caught up in the nightmare that Kaen summoned earlier, and they became nutrients for that flower. And the royal family would be the same.”

“Good. Then I absolutely cannot allow what that bastard wanted to happen.”

Danju also decided to join.

All that was left was Crowley.

She thought with a serious expression and then said to Ian.

“Why did this happen?”

“That’s what I want to ask. You should look into it too. If you really need to, use my name and cooperate with Gust.”

“Hmph. I understand.”

She clenched her fist tightly and left.

Crowley was gone, but there was nothing to worry about.

Like that, Ian and his group headed to the capital guard.

After defeating the last resistance of the capital guard, they were able to enter the underground prison.

In the underground prison, a woman who had been severely tortured in just one day was collapsed.

“…Aunt.”

Perhaps it was to interrogate her quickly, but she had been excessively tortured.

As a result, Keith’s injuries were severe.

Looking at Rakid outside the bars with trembling eyes, she smiled happily.

“Rakid… Did you come…?”

“This… Priest!”

A priest of the Sun God Church who had come with them began to heal her.

But perhaps because the injuries were too great?

It seemed difficult to save her with just healing magic.

“…Aunt. Why. Why like this….”

“Seeing you come here….”

Keith looked at Ian standing next to Rakid.

Towards him, who always seemed indifferent as always, Keith forced a smile.

“Now… Now it’s done…. Because you will be king….”

“Aunt….”

“It’s my last wish….”

Keith said in a breathless tone.

“Become king… Rakid. You must become king and lead everyone in the Scarlet Kingdom….”

“Unlock.”

He unlocked the locked bars with Unlock [a spell].

As Rakid went inside, Aransea swung his sword and cut the chains binding Keith.

“Hold on a little longer. Commander Keith. Other priests will come too.”

Eldan said in a bitter tone, but Keith shook her head.

She knew her body better than anyone else.

Even if the priests came, it would be impossible.

Keith’s testimony was essential for Kaen to seize power.

That’s why he tortured her to the best of his ability, and even for her, who was a master, it was not easy to endure.

It was only best to hold on to her life.

And in this state, even a high-ranking priest would have difficulty healing her.

She gave up everything and said with difficulty.

“Just seeing… You at the end… I’m really… Rakid… Do you know that…? I really liked your mother.”

Despite the healing magic, the flame of life began to fade.

Watching that, Rakid finally shed tears.

“I wanted to tell you about you and your mother… To you… Ah… If I had just a little more time….”

The strength began to leave the hand she was holding.

His aunt, who had tried to protect him since childhood, was dying like this.

Rakid despaired that there was nothing he could do.

While he was despairing, Ian placed his hand on Keith’s head.

His immense internal energy moved, healing the injuries.

Minor injuries remained, but all the serious injuries were healed.

Keith, who had been close to death just a moment ago and had closed her eyes, slowly opened her eyes.

The pain was gone, and vitality surged.

Along with that, an awkward atmosphere settled in.

Keith, Rakid too.

And Eldan, Danju, and the priest who were watching the bitter scene.

In the awkward atmosphere created as the atmosphere to mourn the dying disappeared, Ian said indifferently.

“Talk about that a lot outside.”