All-Master Player Of The Academy [EN]: Chapter 288

144. Side Story – First Meeting – 2

Now that the simple greetings were over, all that remained was to rescue Circe’s mother.

Walking alongside him, Circe cautiously asked,

“By the way, what is a World Collector?”

“It refers to someone who travels through dimensions and acquires worlds. I coined the term.”

“……Excuse me? What do you mean?”

“Before I explain, I need to deal with those guys first.”

It seemed the ones from before were just the advance team.

More torches were moving in the darkness.

Seeing them, Circe clenched her fist tightly.

Feeling the anger emanating from her, Keltud casually tossed his staff to Circe.

“Ah.”

Barely catching the staff, which was much taller than her, Circe looked puzzled.

Keltud calmly said to her,

“That staff is the Telekinesis Staff I created. You can use telekinesis with it.”

“How…… how do I do that?”

“Focus. And direct your anger towards your opponents. Imbue strong mental power with magic and manifest it into reality. You’re a witch, right?”

Circe flinched.

The times she was persecuted just for being a witch flashed through her mind.

With a timid expression, Circe nodded slightly.

“In this world, those with magical power are few. And even fewer can use it properly. Depending on its development, that magic is an alien yet powerful force that can connect to the truth.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You’ll find out eventually. Anyway, it’s a staff that allows you to use telekinesis by using mental power and magic, so give it a try.”

Circe nodded slightly and grabbed the staff with both hands.

Then, with her eyes closed, she prayed.

To be able to avenge those who tormented the witches.

To be able to return the resentment they had suffered until now.

The moment she prayed, the surrounding trees began to shatter.

– Cracking!! Shattering!!

Branches broke, and dry bark burst apart.

Startled by the unimaginable power, Circe quickly raised her head, and Keltud raised his hand.

“You activated telekinesis faster than I thought. This time, focus. Concentrate that power in one place.”

“Y-yes.”

Circe stared blankly at Keltud.

He still had the same unchanging expression.

“What are you doing? The ones you need to resist will be here soon.”

The torches were getting closer.

As he said, they would be here soon.

With this man’s power, who had saved her, killing them all would be nothing.

But.

– Cracking!!

No.

She would catch them with her own hands.

She would tear apart those ungrateful bastards who betrayed her mother with her own hands.

That’s why Circe clenched the staff tightly and focused her mind, and at that moment, a large tree twisted and began to be squeezed.

“Good. That’s enough for now.”

“Haa…… Haa…….”

Her head throbbed.

Was it because of the sudden concentration?

Or was it because she used magic?

As she panted, covered in sweat, the torches approached.

“There they are!!”

“They’re over there!!”

People armed with scythes, pitchforks, and makeshift wooden spears held torches.

They didn’t seem to have any fear.

That would be the case.

To them, Circe was just a small prey for tax exemption.

But now it was different.

– Cracking!!

Gasping for breath, Circe put strength into the hand holding the staff.

At that moment, the neck of the man holding the torch twisted.

“Ugh!!”

But it was weaker than Keltud’s telekinesis from before.

As he screamed, only his neck twisted enough to hurt, the people around him were surprised.

“A, a witch!!”

“The witch is using the power of darkness!!”

“Catch her! Catch her!!”

Circe gritted her teeth at the fact that her telekinesis wasn’t working.

Was her hatred for them still insufficient?

Was her desire to fight weak?

She clenched her teeth and gripped the staff tightly again.

“Dieeeee!!”

And she screamed and raised the staff.

– Cracking!!

This time she succeeded.

The body of the man who was attacked earlier began to contort.

As his bones broke, his muscles twisted, and his body shattered, Circe collapsed to her knees.

“Cough!! Hack! Cough…….”

Keltud, who was standing next to Circe, looked back and forth between the people filled with shock and fear and Circe.

Then he smiled and raised his hand.

“There will be many things to learn in order to fight in the future.”

“Haa…… Haa…….”

“It’s okay. You can learn those things as much as you want. Power isn’t important.”

He squatted down and gently patted Circe’s shoulder.

Then he looked up at the hesitant people.

“The witch has decided to use her power for revenge. So, what are you going to do? Are you just going to be beaten by the witch for revenge? Or are you going to fight?”

“Who, who the hell are you!!”

“Kill him!! The witch has lost her power!! Kill that bastard too!!”

People went crazy because of the death of one person.

Enjoying their rampage, Keltud calmly said,

“Trying to resist me? That’s also excellent.”

He raised his hand in the air.

At that moment, a massive wind began to gather in his hand.

“What, what is that.”

“That…… what the hell is that monster…….”

For a person to control the wind.

No, is he even a person?

The astonished people hesitated, filled with fear.

“What? Aren’t you going to fight? Aren’t you going to resist the powerful force that oppresses you?”

“Ugh…….”

“You yield to those stronger than you, and oppress those weaker than you?”

Keltud, speaking with a voice full of disappointment, shook his head.

“You are things that can’t even become dog poop.”

The wind in his hand disappears.

Just as people were about to feel relieved, Keltud struck the air.

– Clang!!

The empty space shattered.

Everyone swallowed hard at the bizarre phenomenon.

– Cracking. Cracking…….

The shattered space dripped down, creating a black space.

As a jet-black space that seemed to absorb even light was created, something began to pop out from there.

It was a dog.

A dog that seemed endlessly hungry.

People could tell just from the murderous intent and appetite in its eyes.

That is an enemy of God, a demon.

No, something even more than a demon.

A being that transcends their understanding.

As they trembled and sat down.

“……Those…… are mine.”

Circe opened her mouth.

Keltud, who was going to summon a hungry dog to feed them to the dog and make them unable to digest and not even become dog poop, was intrigued.

“It’ll be tough, though?”

“Still…… it’s my fight. Thank you for lending me your strength, but…….”

Holding the staff and staggering, Circe glared at them, filled with fear.

“It’s my fight.”

He smiled at Circe’s words full of resistance.

And he stroked her head.

“Very excellent.”

As his words ended, Circe nodded and shouted.

“Dieeeee!”

And.

Telekinesis was activated according to her shout.

The hunters died as they became prey.

At first, it was so difficult that her whole body was shattered.

But there was no need to destroy people like that.

Whether it’s twisting their necks.

Or just breaking their heads.

If she didn’t like that, destroying their hearts would be enough.

The problem was the control of telekinesis, so Circe quickly learned that control.

After killing the last tenth farmer, Circe felt a headache that felt like her eyeballs were about to burst.

“Haa…… Haa…… Cough! Cough!”

Circe didn’t stop even while sweating all over her body.

As she staggered towards the village, Keltud smiled and followed her.

How long had she walked like that?

The village was visible.

In order to chase the witch who had fled into the forest.

And to execute the witch they had caught this time.

The village, which should have been enjoying a night of rest, was brightly lit like daytime.

“Looks like they’re going to have a campfire. They’re gathered a lot in the center of the village.”

“……Excuse me? Can you see that?”

“At my level, clairvoyance is basic.”

“That’s amazing. And it’s probably not a campfire.”

“I was just joking.”

“That’s not funny.”

“Really? I thought it was witty. Anyway, it seems they’re going to have a witch trial and then burn her at the stake right away. A priest from the Serapias Order is there.”

Serapias Order.

It refers to the Order of Light, the object of hatred and curse for witches.

A terrible religion that has murdered countless witches through religious trials.

A terrible religion that has killed even those who are not witches through religious trials.

Hearing that a priest from there was there, Circe clenched the staff tightly.

“There are quite a few holy knights too.”

“……Is that so?”

“There are a lot of soldiers too. Maybe about two hundred. If you include the ones who went outside, it would be over three hundred.”

Circe clenched the staff tightly.

It was already this hard just to catch ten people earlier.

But she had to fight skilled knights and soldiers.

On top of that, she had to fight the priest who came for the witch trial.

Could she really fight?

But.

“……I can’t give up. I have to save my mom. And…… I have to…… give it back to them…….”

“Very excellent. You only say things I like.”

Keltud knew that Circe’s words were sincere.

It was just a fighting spirit that could come out because she was still young.

It was a resistance that she could bring out because she didn’t know the world.

It was a resistance that she could bring out because she didn’t know compromise.

But that doesn’t mean it’s bad.

He was a rebel.

He was a rebel who resisted oppression and a rebel who rejected rules.

To him, Circe’s appearance was attractive enough.

“Shall I help you?”

“Just lend me your strength. You said that what you wanted was for me to fight, right?”

“That’s right.”

“So please lend me your strength. I’ll fight for the rest of my life. I’ll resist and fight until the day my life ends.”

Circe reached out her hand, and he smiled.

And holding that hand, he struck the air.

– Cracking!!

The space shattered, and the dog from before came out.

The huge dog with an alien appearance slowly walked out and knelt in front of Keltud.

“It’s a copy of a hungry dog wandering through dimensions. It’s ridiculously weak compared to the original… but it’s still more power than you deserve right now.”

“……What am I supposed to do with that?”

“Grasp it. It will become your familiar.”

Circe, who approached the hungry dog, stroked the dog’s head.

The dog’s body, which received that small touch, melted and was sucked into Circe’s shadow.

“I guess this will be enough.”

“……Yes.”

Perhaps it was because she received the dog’s power, but her headache disappeared.

Circe nodded and grabbed the staff.

“Now. It’s time for a declaration of war. Your hatred, your resistance.”

Keltud said, gently grabbing Circe’s shoulder.

“Let it explode.”

“……Yes.”