Sincerely, Vanessa [EN]: Chapter 122

To the Teacher, From Vanessa 122

What covered the ground wasn’t green grass, but swarms of hundreds of black snakes. Some had strange horns and legs, but none were particularly large.

As one of the squad members grinned, saying he’d roast them, something appeared, entwining and breaking the trees—something the priests had painstakingly raised.

“What the hell…!”

One of the squad members groaned in horror. Gideon raised his gaze to meet it.

The Chimera that appeared before them was reminiscent of a dragon at first glance. Gideon recalled the ‘real’ dragon he had seen with Vanessa.

That creature was beautiful even in the shaded parts of the cave. Large wings, a long tail elegantly angled, sharp scales, and muscles rippling across its entire body.

Even while fighting that dragon, he was in awe of nature’s creation. It was such a strong and beautiful creature.

But this creature was grotesque, tainted by human greed. Legs dangling, forcibly attached to the form of a giant snake, strangely implanted horns….

“What a joke.”

At the coldly uttered words, the creature, barely maintaining its snake form, hissed.

Then, out of the blue, seeing something similar to a dragon made Gideon miss Vanessa.

She wouldn’t be in danger in Innis, would she? Surely, there was no danger at all. She would return to Phydom healthy, and then he would make a decision either way. If only he could see her again and ask for forgiveness before making that decision….

“Captain!”

He must have truly lost his mind. To be thinking of her clear blue eyes, framed by thick eyelashes, in front of the gaping maw of a giant snake.

Gideon exhaled a long breath, trying to erase the lingering images.

“Fall back.”

At Gideon’s somber voice, the squad members quickly retreated.

A jet-black blade sharply cut through the air. There was no warning, only a faint streak of light. But the power that appeared was definitely not light.

The shockwave that spread out from him and the squad members destroyed everything within its range. The half-rotten trees of the forest collapsed, and small creatures died instantly.

However, the largest Chimera nimbly pulled back, avoiding serious injury.

“Some monsters have hides that are resistant to magic. It seems to be the case here. We should trap it with a barrier first, then….”

As someone interjected, Gideon replied indifferently.

“Maybe.”

“Y-yes— Ack!”

Gideon grabbed the back of the squad member’s neck, pulling him back to avoid the tail that swung around. And, seizing the opportunity, he swept the ground, forcefully embedding his sword into the tail as it tried to return. He felt the sword, imbued with power, pierce through the monster’s muscles and bones, and into the ground.

Kieeehk-.

The monster’s grotesque scream echoed through the valley and up. The strange legs attached to the snake’s body flailed wildly. It seemed to be trying to tear off its tail impaled on the sword and escape, but Gideon gave it no chance.

In an instant, sparks flew from the thickly laid clouds.

Just once.

“Kyaak!”

Lightning struck. The atmosphere flashed and screamed at the same time, and the powerful force melted the monster’s shell. The smell of burning filled the air as the monster writhed in pain.

As part of the hard outer skin melted away, the monster seemed to feel pain even in the faint sunlight, with its soft inner flesh exposed.

“…You said magic doesn’t work well?”

“…I thought so too.”

Some of the squad members whispered.

The young priest, who had been watching with his mouth gagged and knees bent, widened his eyes.

How could a human have such power? The power to call down lightning from the sky. And yet, he stood firmly on the ground.

But at the same time, he thought.

I chose well.

In the end, their victory would come….

The monster, as if realizing it couldn’t escape, turned its large head towards Gideon. The pupils, widened in pain, gleamed within the red irises.

“Much better than a real dragon. At least it doesn’t breathe fire.”

Even with the giant monster before him, Gideon seemed utterly nonchalant. The special forces members, while suppressing and striking down other monsters, thought, ‘The Captain is really out of his mind.’

To be so calm while looking at those eyes. What if it has a special ability?

The monster opened its mouth wide, revealing sharp teeth. Black liquid dripped from the particularly large and sharply gleaming fangs, causing the soil to bubble as if burning.

The monster, which had fully contracted its body, lunged at Gideon with its head as if bouncing off. When another squad member pushed away the monster he was fighting to obstruct its path, the giant snake bit that monster instead.

Kieek!

The snake swung its head, throwing the monster away. The flesh of the monster writhing on the ground was melting away from where it had been bitten.

“It’s poison.”

“It’s harmless unless it vaporizes.”

A sharp sound, like the cry of a fairy foretelling death, soared from the giant open throat. Some of the squad members who were fighting other monsters covered their ears in pain.

Taking advantage of the gap, the distorted snake rushed in, flailing its useless legs. But the special forces member behind Gideon instantly erected a barrier to protect him.

The barrier, unfolded in a splendid cross-section, blocked the attack and was shattered miserably at the same time.

But those few seconds were enough for Gideon.

The opposite hand was extended. From the fingertips, the darkness hidden in the shade of the trees stretched out like lightning in several directions.

It wasn’t any special magic. It was a relatively simple attack spell. But the magic power and complex formulas it contained were clearly different. The ferocious magic, entangled haphazardly at various angles and rushing like lightning, had no chance to be avoided.

The black tendrils, carrying immense magical power, savagely pierced the monster and tore apart even the other monsters that were rushing in from behind, making rough sounds.

“Wow.”

Liet, who was panting and striking down another monster, let out a short exclamation.

Green blood gushed from the filthily pierced torso. The snake seemed to stop for a moment and look down at Gideon….

Soon, the giant snake’s head swayed gently like a pendulum. Slowly, sluggishly.

It twisted from side to side and began to tilt to one side. Little by little, so that the changing angle could not be noticed.

But soon, with a heavy thud, it fell to the ground with a dull vibration.

Gideon pulled out the remaining sword that was across his back and walked. His stride was wide, but his steps were silent. The snake lying on the ground seemed to feel the vibration of his approach, sticking out its tongue.

Perhaps it hadn’t been harming humans. If it had, they wouldn’t have failed to notice it even after it had grown this large. They must have dragged out a magical creature that lived quietly in the mountains and experimented on it, even attaching the legs of other monsters.

Gideon briefly mourned inwardly.

The Chimera’s thin eyelids drooped loosely, as if realizing its end. For a quick rest instead of pain, Gideon pierced the monster’s head with his sword. The long blade was completely buried in flesh.

The convulsing snake’s body slowly relaxed, and soon silence came.

Gideon pulled out his sword. Blackish-green blood flowed down the metal.

At that moment, Gideon felt a cold sensation rising from his wrist. Pain spread as if needles were being driven into each blood vessel. For the first time in his life, he almost dropped his sword.

“Captain!”

He lowered his arm again. Fortunately, the hand hidden inside the thick leather glove did not show any signs of the pain-induced convulsions….

“Did the monsters go down below?”

“It’s not certain. But since they are in the form of snakes, we are worried that some might have been missed.”

“There’s no need to worry too much since Andaluce and Naiba are there… I will go down below. Clean up this place with the other soldiers and report the details to His Majesty. You know that you are His Majesty’s direct unit, so you must follow His Majesty’s orders.”

“Yes. We will do as you say.”

Gideon put his sword into its scabbard and clenched and unclenched his hand several times. He seemed to have gotten used to the pain in a short time, and somehow the convulsions seemed to have subsided.

Gideon surrounded the entire forest with a circular barrier.

One of the squad members standing next to him quietly admired. The huge barrier, realized in an instant, looked as solid as a wall and had a subtle blue glow. Even if there were any remaining monsters, they would not be able to escape easily.

But Gideon felt that something was wrong. As if replacing the magic power that had escaped, the pain soared to the tip of his throat.

Now he couldn’t stop his arm from convulsing.

“Captain?”

The squad members were puzzled to see him not moving. But no answer came back.

Then,

the earth

thumped.

Echoed.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Vanessa and Grain staggered as they walked. It was because the whole ground vibrated and echoed.

“What is it?”

Grain, who almost fell, muttered in confusion. Birds were flying away in flocks from the small forest on the distant field.

“Is it an earthquake?”

Vanessa looked around. The city visible in the back was also noisy due to the strong vibration that shook the buildings. It sounded like something had collapsed.

Grain scratched his head, focusing on the sensation in his feet for a moment.

“I don’t know, but it seems to have stopped.”

“It was just for a moment….”

Even as Vanessa said this, she felt a strange throbbing in one corner of her heart. It was definitely a strong vibration that she had never felt even once in her life.

“Let’s go where we were going… Huh?”

Grain narrowed his eyes and looked at the distant plain. And then he tilted his head.

“Are those trees moving over there?”

Vanessa also raised her eyes and looked towards the side where dense trees rose on the distant plain. Even from a distance, the deep forest, the trees were shaking eerily.

It was definitely strange because there wasn’t even a breeze….

Vanessa’s mouth felt parched for some reason, feeling uneasy.

“Could it be those Dotram branches that they saw in Veloz? Moving trees….”

As Grain muttered blankly, Vanessa smiled. However, the smile seemed forced, very stiff.

“In a place where the sun is so bright? It can’t be.”

“Right? Haha.”

She tried to say something hopeful, but she couldn’t help but have a stiff expression. The two people’s steps gradually quickened, and soon they started running like arrows. It was difficult to relieve this anxiety otherwise.

Grain, who was quickly moving his legs, let out a cry mixed with astonishment.

“What is that!”

The cause of that scream was the numerous figures that were popping out from among the trees that stretched their branches high into the sky.