The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen-Chapter 329-330

Early dawn.

The academy party is climbing the snowy mountain. They were breathing out puffs of air as they stepped on the crunching white snow.

"..."

Ruin, following behind them, silently took the luggage and followed.

"Haah... haah..."

Malik silently nodded and glanced at Ruin, who was breathing heavily.

'His eyes have changed.'

The foolish eyes that lacked a clear purpose now showed a gleam. Eyes filled with a passion that suggested he would fully pull his weight.

At Ruin's expression, which now seemed more human, Malik gave a small smile.

'He might have become even more impressive if I pushed him a little harder, but I should hold back.'

It would be a waste to make a good porter cry.

"Ughhh! I just have to do it...!"

It didn't seem like he had gained enlightenment or awakened. It seemed like he had passed an even more difficult stage.

It is most difficult to break the beliefs of a stubborn person. For that guy, who had enjoyed a position and rights that others couldn't, it would have been even harder to swallow his pride. But the look in Ruin's eyes now...

"Hoo... hoo..."

He looked like someone who had climbed those difficult stairs.

He knew he wouldn't be able to produce results quickly due to a major failure, but it was an undeniable fact that his current appearance looked better than when he was stuck in his past actions.

'Impressive.'

The students' faces were filled with determination.

Yuria, despite being a healer, had a purpose not to stop, and her face, which had hit the ground tens of thousands of times, was tense.

-...Nothing will happen, right?

The princess, who had narrowed down the location of the holy sword to the North by synthesizing a lot of information, had the weight of responsibility on her face.

-It has to be there. It must be there.

Hanna's face was calm.

-...

Hanna seemed to have some idea. That this would not be an easy journey.

The huge procession moved its feet.

Slowly, towards the temple where the holy sword sleeps.

The 50 imperial soldiers following behind were shaking off their tension by chatting about the holy sword.

-Hey, is there really a holy sword?

-I don't know, we're going because the princess said there is.

-Ah... this is so damn hard.

-Everyone shut up and follow.

-Yes, sir...

-But, who gets the holy sword?

-Are you stupid? Whoever pulls it out, owns it.

If they find the holy sword, who will be its master? They were overcoming the difficult hike by exchanging such chatter.

There was no tension in their steps. Unaware of what might happen.

"..."

Malik, seeing their lack of tension, clicked his tongue, 'Tsk,' and recalled what Ricardo had said.

-There are more heretics than we thought.

-How many are there? My father is coming too, so I don't think we'll be pushed back that much.

-No. We will be pushed back.

-We'll be pushed back...?

For him to say something like that meant that a force of a level that couldn't be ignored had arrived. Especially since they had never met a being called an Apostle before.

How strong they were.

They were beings who knew nothing about what kind of strange abilities they possessed. The most frightening thing about black magic was their unpredictable individuality.

For now, nothing was caught in his senses, so he could relax a little, but Malik was cautious of the peace that he didn't know when it would end. His father hadn't arrived yet.

-Something happened in the capital. It seems I'll be late because I have to clean up, but I'll try to get there as soon as possible before you guys arrive.

'The summit is in sight now... I'm worried.'

Malik gently raised his head and closed his eyes as he looked at the summit of the snowy mountain in front of him.

'I guess I'll have to buy time for my father to join us.'

Malik, standing at the front, spread his hand towards the party following behind and said.

"Halt for a moment."

The party following behind questioned Malik's sudden hand signal, but they first let out a sigh of relief at the chance to catch their breath. They were exhausted from the hike that had continued since dawn.

"Haah... I'm going to die."

"Cold... and hungry."

"Yuria, are we almost there?"

"N-not yet...!"

Malik, standing and looking at the settlement, asked the troubled Yuria.

"Yuria."

"Y-yes!"

"How long do you think it will take to get there?"

Yuria, pulling out her memory, frowned once and then answered Malik.

"I think it will take about five hours of walking! It's 12 o'clock now...! If we take the fast route, it's three hours, and if we take the easy route, it's about five hours!"

"Five hours... still a long way to go."

Five hours.

It was a tight schedule.

They were prepared to camp if necessary, but it was best to finish within a day.

The longer the journey, the more exhausted the party would become, and if that situation was what they were aiming for, it had to be avoided even more.

Malik let out a deep breath and said.

"We will take our third rest here. Take out the food supplies. I will cook."

The time was now noon.

They needed to conserve their energy.

'My shoulders feel heavy.'

The weight of the word 'responsibility' felt heavy.

"There are a lot of them."

Alone, hiding near the temple where the holy sword slept, I frowned and muttered to myself. There were more people than I thought.

The number of black-robed figures surrounding the temple where the holy sword slept was roughly 100. They all seemed to be skilled individuals.

The heretic camp, surrounding the opaque barrier, was pouring magic at the temple's barrier.

-Kwaaaaaak!

-Kugung...!

-Kugugugugung!

"...They won't be able to break through even if they do that."

The condition to enter the sanctuary is met only after the sun sets. When the aura of the holy sword, which holds the light, weakens, they will gain the freedom to enter.

If they try to enter by force.

-K-kuaaaaak!!!!

They will burn to death from the aura of light, just like that.

A specific time.

A clear condition.

The reason why the location of the holy sword could not be found for hundreds of years was precisely because of the secret hidden in the temple. Unless one was a person with a chosen destiny, it was almost impossible to set foot in the temple of the holy sword.

That's why Yuria, by discovering the location where the holy sword sleeps, fulfilled the condition.

The heretics' method was foolish.

They stumbled upon it by digging around like hitting their head against a wall. The academy party's method was to open a path in the direction the holy sword wanted. That's why the heretics were struggling.

It's amazing that these guys are still crashing into it, even though 20 of their members have already disappeared like lab rats.

'Hmm...'

The heretics had one goal.

To seize the holy sword first and purge those who came later. But the impatience in their faces as things didn't go their way showed that things had gone wrong.

"...The holy sword."

But, could I wield it too?

I could confidently say that my heart was whiter than any color in the world.

'...Or maybe not.'

Realizing that the young lady would laugh her head off if she heard that, I slowly closed my eyes and looked at the setting sun.

"It's about to begin."

-The barrier has disappeared!

As the opaque barrier surrounding the sanctuary disappeared, the appearance of a pure white temple began to be reflected before my eyes.

A white temple, like the color of pure white.

At the same time, I let out a sound of admiration at the question of how people could have not noticed such a huge temple for hundreds of years. It was a perfect reproduction of the description from the novel.

'The scale is insane.'

Now, how will they move? According to Elysia, the grunts were supposed to move to deal with the academy members following as the rearguard.

I looked at the seven people standing with their hands behind their backs behind the group of over 100 heretics.

And.

"What."

I rubbed my eyes at the sight of a figure walking out of the darkness.

"Eight people?"

Why is there one more?

A person wearing a robe was walking out of a space that looked like a gate. From the fact that they weren't tall, they seemed to be a woman, but it was hard to tell because their face wasn't clearly visible.

What was certain was.

-We greet the Apostle of Benevolence.

That things had gone wrong.

The more than one hundred heretics quickly formed a formation and stood in line. And the five archbishops in white robes looked at the apostle and said in a loud voice.

"The way is open!"

The Apostle of Temperance raised his hand.

"The hunt begins."

It's starting.

'It's a variable.'

Things started to flow in a direction I hadn't expected.

On the mountain path after the break.

As the temple came into view, the party began to let out sighs of relief.

"It's the temple!!!"

"Wow, it really existed?!"

"...Your Highness! It's the temple! The temple!"

Chartia let out a sigh of relief.

So did Yuria.

Everyone was letting out sounds of admiration and exclamation. It was surprising that such a beautiful temple existed in the barren North. As they were admiring the sight of the huge temple seen through the sunset.

"Halt...!"

Malik's nerves were on edge as he drew his sword.

"Draw your swords."

"...What?"

Among the bewildered people, the soldiers who sensed a presence began to draw their swords one by one.

At the same time.

-Krrrrack!!!

The sky ripped apart, and a huge mass of mana began to loom over their heads.

"It's an ambush..."

The person who ambushed them was a woman in a robe.

"It's an elf."

An elf skilled in archery and magic.

Elf.

A race about which legends tell of active exchange with humans in ancient times.

Proficient in growing plants.

A race whose innate talent for handling bows and arrows and genius for magic surpassed the scope of humans.

Possessing a beauty that evoked admiration.

A race blessed with longevity, living for over 1000 years, now stood before Malik's eyes.

"An elf...?"

Seeing the woman's ears who had approached without a sound, Malik muttered to himself, soaked in a moment of bewilderment.

"Why is an elf..."

Because elves were no different from sacred beasts.

The only opportunity to see them, who formed a community around the World Tree, was in ancient documents. That's how long they had not shown themselves.

In the world, those who claimed to have seen elves were considered nothing but braggarts, and since not a single person had brought back a clue, they were beings that would only appear in fairy tales.

With a being he had only seen in murals before his eyes, Malik's pupils trembled, unable to hide his bewilderment. The soldiers behind Malik were likewise just murmuring at the pointed ears visible through the robes.

-It's an elf...

-Why is an elf here?

-Is it a messenger protecting the Holy Sword...?

At the moment when everyone here was colored with the emotion of bewilderment. A cool magic power brushed their shoulders and began to gather a chill.

"Ha... βρώμικοι ⲛⲁⲅⲉⲙⲉ. (Filthy humans.)"

At the unfamiliar language they couldn't understand, just as question marks were appearing above everyone's heads.

The elf, wearing a thick robe, opened her lips, letting out a tone tinged with a pale melody.

"Σχίσε και πλήγωσέ. (Tear them to shreds.)"

-Saaaaaaaa...

"Falling Star of the End."

A huge shadow is cast overhead. A lump containing an unimaginably ominous magic power began to block the light of the setting sun and create a huge shadow.

-What the...!

-What the fuck is that!

-Why all of a sudden...!!!

The eyes of those watching the falling nebula began to tremble like baby birds in a nest that have met their predator.

Because the only way to escape from the sky covered by the huge shadow was to run.

-Kugugugugung...!

To block or split that lump was not something a mere human here could do. All they could do was run away.

At the procession of this being, like the authority of a god, Malik said with a trembling voice.

"It's an attack..."

-Director!!!

-Everyone, get a grip!! Don't waver, maintain formation!

-We... we have to run!

Towards the battlefield where a pandemonium was echoing, Malik said.

"Scatter..."

Malik shouted in a louder voice.

"Everyone scatter!!!"

As Malik's loud voice echoed through the formation, only then did those who were running to the blind spots begin to run, gritting their teeth.

The academy students, inexperienced in battle, ran without looking back to preserve their lives. Those experienced on the battlefield slowly widened the distance, thinking about the scale of the impact.

Because if they broke from the formation, they would be playing into their hands.

The reason large-scale magic is most feared is not the annihilation, but the existence of hunting dogs who could be hiding anywhere, so the soldiers barely maintained their wavering formation and began to quickly widen the distance.

-Tatadadak!

Footsteps are heard.

The sound of footsteps jumping out from among those who were hiding their presence was heard countless times in Malik's ears.

'Ten people...?'

-Tatadadadadadadadadadadadat...!

'No... I can't count them.'

Malik, who was chasing the sounds of those moving quickly, came to his senses late and started running. Because at this moment, the greatest power on the battlefield was himself, who had become a pillar.

Quickly rolling his eyes and seeing the figures of those running, Malik thought in his head.

'The number of archbishops that fellow mentioned was a total of five.'

Then... the strong auras are.

Two towards Yuria and Mikhail.

One towards Ruin.

And. Two towards Hanna.

The moment Malik, who had set his priorities in his head, tried to turn his body quickly.

"Μην κινείσαι. (Don't move.)"

At the woman's voice, which sounded pale, his body froze.

"...Elf."

The elf standing on the hill was looking straight at him. With eyes that said she would surely kill him if he left her sight.

As if just telling him to take the rock falling from the sky as it is, the elf's green eyes, expressing anger, were looking only at Malik.

"I have to go to Hanna..."

-Gugugugugugung.

'No matter how strong Hanna is, two archbishops will be tough for her. But...!'

Malik let out a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut.

'She has no intention of letting me go easily.'

Malik said towards the elf.

"Is my opponent you?"

Malik, facing an overwhelming difference in skill, gripped his sword firmly and began to kick off the ground.

"I'm excited."

Malik said, hoping for Hanna's safety.

"If I win, I will send you to a Mandrake farm. I'll work you to the bone, 6 days a week."

Malik's sword was imbued with aura.

The moment Malik's sword was about to touch the elf's neck.

-Kwagagagagagagagak!!!!!

The falling lump began to cover the earth.

Cracks appeared on the ground.

People lost their balance from the huge impact and fell.

And casualties who rolled down the mountain from the aftermath of the impact began to appear one after another.

And among them, the person who faced the biggest problem was.

"Oppa...!"

Hystania Hanna.

The snow on the mountain began to melt from the heat generated by the sphere of hot magic power.

The ground was seething with sizzling flames, and the steam generated by the heat obscured the view.

"...Damn it."

The formation had long been broken.

All that could be seen through the steam were the silhouettes of the fallen and their rough groans.

It's a surprise attack.

An unexpected surprise attack.

Although they had anticipated a surprise attack, the plan they had prepared had lost its meaning long ago in the face of an attack larger than imagined.

-Kuaaaak!!!! My arm...! My arm!

-Get a grip! Pick up your swords, you idiots!

-There's an enemy in front!!!

Hanna clenched her fist, looking at the empty space of her brother who had approached the elf.

Because she was a strong person she couldn't face.

She could tell just by the look in her eyes. It felt like she had seen a distant wall. The woman's spirit, which felt like she was looking at her father who had exuded killing intent towards the butler, was immeasurable.

Hanna squeezed her eyes shut, let out a deep breath, and began to raise her trembling sword.

"I have to go help...!"

-Thud.

"...!"

Hanna stopped her steps she was about to take and stood still. Because she had heard some of the footsteps that had been filling the surroundings stop in front of her.

'...Strong.'

There is a strong person in front of her.

Two of them, at that.

Hanna gathered her aura towards the silhouette visible through the white steam and swung it wide horizontally.

-Slice.

She couldn't see.

There was definitely a black silhouette in front of her, but in the place where the sword had passed, there was only a mark where the smoke had been cut, and no trace of blood or any other sign remained.

"..."

The moment she gritted her teeth and tried to pierce through the steam.

-Saaaaaaaaak!!!!

An alarm bell began to ring in her head like a large bell. As if shouting that she would die if she didn't turn her body now, it began to shout 'Dodge.'

Hanna quickly turned her body. And in the place where her heart had been, a huge spear tip was occupying the space.

"...!"

The moment the flustered Hanna tried to widen the distance. A cool voice was heard in her ear.

"Good instincts."

"..."

"If you had turned just a little later, you could have been at ease."

"Who are you... you."

"You don't need to know. You're going to die anyway. Why try to know and give yourself a headache."

The moment the cool voice finished, the spear tip that was touching Hanna's side began to approach, imbued with magic power.

And in tune with that, a presence that was quickly approaching, piercing through the steam from the opposite side, began to fiercely chase to grab Hanna's head.

There are two of them.

"Really..."

Two strong people similar to the 'Archbishop of Slander' she had seen at the ball. At that time, she was able to overcome it because the butler was there, but the situation was different now.

'It's tough for me alone...!'

Hanna clicked her tongue and gathered her aura.

'If only there was one more person to draw their attention...!'

It had been a long time since she had had such a suffocating battle. It might have been the first time she had had a battle where her head could fall off with the slightest mistake.

As if she herself, facing the elite orc in a fantasy, was standing in this place, a tension that made her lips dry filled her whole body.

-Swaaaaaak!!!

A sense of foreboding was creeping in.

But.

-Jjeojeojeojeojeojeojeok!!!!!!

When she saw countless red thunderbolts whispering hope falling from the sky, a faint smile appeared on Hanna's lips.

"No, I can beat them all."

She wanted to show a cool side.

To that person.

And.

She wanted to lighten his burden.

Yuria and Mikhail stopped their running steps, seeing the man in a white robe blocking their way.

Holding a huge greatsword.

The man, exuding a strong, indelible smell of blood, blocked Mikhail and Yuria's path, stuck the greatsword he was holding into the ground, and let out a low voice.

"It's been a while."

"..."

"Don't you remember."

"Who are you..."

"Hmm... I'd think I have an impression that's not easily forgotten."

Mikhail drew his sword towards the man. Yuria also wrapped her fists in holy power and took a stance.

The man looked at Mikhail and Yuria and let out a hearty laugh.

"You don't have to be so tense."

"..."

"Because I didn't come as an enemy today."

Mikhail said to the tense Yuria.

"Yuria, leave this to me. Go and call for people."

"No. I'll fight too."

The man shook his head and said.

"It's a nice friendship, but it would be better not to go that way."

Sreung... The man pulled out the greatsword he had stuck in the ground and said in a cold voice.

"Because there's an ant swarm."

-Uwaaaaaaaak!!!!

As if on cue with the man's words, the screams of countless people began to be heard in their ears.

The screams of soldiers.

The screams of students.

All sorts of sounds began to churn in harmony.

The man took off his robe and said.

"You guys go help the others."

Black hair.

Fierce eyes.

A very long time ago.

The monster he had faced when he first met the existence called heretics was smiling at him.

In a more peaceful state than back then.

[Balak Lv. 91]

Class: Archbishop of Despair.

"Because I have to betray them."

He was offering a greeting.