Re-Tale of a Hero - Chapter 11. The Attack

–On the first night

Everyone at the academy was tired, and by the time two moons of different sizes rose up into the sky, everything had turned silent, and even the sound of sobbing could no longer be heard.

Lucius’ group had set up camp inside the school, and the only ones awake were the patrols. However, there was a moving shadow that appeared out of nowhere, as if it had emerged from the darkness.

Tenou Academy had an emergency solar-powered generator on the rooftop and a large emergency water tank in its basement. Because of that, people were normally not allowed to enter or exit the rooftop. However, this mysterious individual suddenly appeared out of thin air on the roof.

It was impossible to determine who this mysterious individual was as they were wrapped in a black robe. Moreover, they were wearing a mask of pure white, thoroughly hiding their visage.

The person looked around Lucius’ camp, almost as if they were searching for something. Before long, however, their figure disappeared, having found what they were looking for.

–Inside Lucius’ private room

However small it was, as the acting captain of their unit, Lucius had been given a private room. Normally, each member of their unit would be given one, but as they were in a state of emergency, only the executives were given rooms of their own.

Inside his room, Lucius was preparing a report which was to be given to the acting Duke.

“Hmm, I don’t recall having made any appointments at this hour.”

A person draped in a black robe suddenly appeared before Lucius without uttering a word.

“I don’t know who you are, but since you visited me out of nowhere, I won’t be entertaining you.”

As if to react to those words, the robed individual took out a sword with his left hand and stood in an iai stance.

Though he was surprised, Lucius was able to recover quickly thanks to all the daily training he received.

Those that belonged to the Duke’s army were given magic stones that could open up a separate space where weapons could be stored. Lucius brought out his sword and shield before equipping them in his right hand and left arm, respectively.

Just as he prepared to fight, something shocking happened.

“H-how could this be!?”

He had suddenly been transferred outside, which shocked him so greatly that his eyes were wide open. The robed individual didn’t seem as if they had done anything, and Lucius hadn’t felt transfer magic being used or prepared.

(I’ve been done in! To think someone could transfer another individual so seamlessly. It must be the work of a monstrous high-ranking mage!)

He tried to maintain a poker face as he vigilantly looked around for possible enemy reinforcement.

Transfer magic usually required a tremendous amount of chanting and mana, or at least that was the case for modern magic. Yet what happened just now overturned everything he knew, which came as a great surprise for Lucius.

Since his opponent had snuck up on him and pulled out a sword, Lucius had subconsciously assumed his enemy wasn’t a high-ranking mage.

“You must be a renowned mage. What kind of business do you have with me?”

However, the robed individual remained silent and maintained their iai stance.

(Could this swordsman be a decoy? Is the mage acting separately? Or…)

As he was thinking so, the robed individual suddenly performed an iai slash.

“!”

Though he was deep in his thoughts, he hadn’t been distracted, so he managed to avoid the attack by taking a step back.

(They’re fast! However!)

His thoughts had been interrupted by his opponent’s sudden attack, but he was able to pull himself back together and engaged the enemy at once, enlarging his shield and bashing it against the enemy.

<> was one of the most basic techniques for those that utilized swords and shields. It involved enlarging one’s shield with magic, and as simple as it was, its range of application was wide, from defending wide areas to attacking enemies by swinging the shield.

The shield was swung with such speed that the sound of air being cut could be heard, but his opponent was faster and avoided his attack by moving away from where they originally stood.

(Tsk!)

Lucius stopped in his track, enveloped his sword with mana, and slashed at his enemy. However, this too was avoided.

With his footwork, Lucius was able to continue his attacks, but they were all dodged by the black-robed individual whose movement skill resembled that of a flowing river.

“Are you a coward that only knows how to dodge?”

At first, his provocation appeared to have no effect as the opponent had sheathed their sword and released their stance.

But the moment Lucius stopped moving, the assailant charged forth as if to respond to his earlier words.

Just like last time, the attack started with an iai slash, but it was quickly followed by a downward slash that diagonally traced the trajectory of his previous attack.

Lucius somehow dodged this as well, but his opponent didn’t stop there and slashed up from the bottom right, immediately followed by a horizontal slash from the left. The barrage of attacks gradually picked up speed until…

“Gaha…”

Finally, Lucius could no longer keep up with the speed and was wounded. Fortunately, his opponent didn’t seem to have the intention to kill him as the sword was blunt and was enveloped in mana that dispersed the damage.

Having said that, Lucius was no longer in any condition to fight as he breathed heavily on one knee. In this position, he could see the face of the person in black robe. Yet he was stunned once more when he saw the mask on the person’s face.

“No holes…so you were playing with me…”

Realizing the overwhelming difference in strength between them, he smiled wryly.

It wasn’t clear whether his assailant heard what he said, but their figure slowly faded away until they completely vanished, leaving only a piece of paper behind.

‘In 10 minutes or so, your younger brother and your childhood friend will be here. Stay put until then.’

That was all the paper said.

*****

Ryiru had been on patrol shortly before Lucius’ defeat at the hands of the mysterious assailant.

(I guess we’ll be camping here for some time…)

She was a soldier and had no problem sleeping at a camp.

Hygiene wasn’t an issue either, as their camp was equipped with a bath facility that even regular members could use courtesy of the Duke’s hospitality.

This was the conclusion she had reached after analyzing their situation.

However, that was when she suddenly started to look around. For some reason, the area was devoid of human presence.

(Something’s off. Why am I not picking up any signs of life inside the camp?)

Although her surrounding was brightly lit up by magic stones with light magic engraved on them, Ryiru raised her guard after noticing the abnormality.

“Respond if there’s anyone here!” Ryiru shouted in a commanding manner.

Unfortunately, her shout was met with deafening silence.

She then took out a magic stone used for communication and tried to contact someone.

“This is Ryiru Bernstandt speaking. Respond if you’re hearing this.”

Again, no one responded.

(Not only did someone remove everyone present, but they also jammed communication and set up a barrier that distorts space…)

She noticed she was looking at the same scenery despite having walked for a while, and she reasoned that she must be in some form of a barrier.

Judging it as an enemy attack, she took out her favorite spear that had been stored in a different space and prepared herself.

(So many advanced spells were used, yet I wasn’t able to detect them. I might be dealing with a considerably powerful mage or spellcaster. The enemy’s goal might be to lock me in so that they can capture those that are inside Tenou Academy. If so, I have to get out as soon as I can.)

With that in mind, she headed toward what seemed to be the center of the distorted space.

(Since it’s a technique that distorts space, there should be something at the center serving as the barrier’s core.)

Ryiru looked around and quickly realized that something obviously out of place was placed at the center. It was a street lamp. Moreover, it had the same design as the ones that had been carefully preserved for 300 years in Maxwell, the capital of the McDowell Duchy.

“This…”

No matter how she looked at it, it was a trap. However, nothing seemed off about it. Thinking so, she made up her mind.

“Hmph!”

She hit the street lamp with her spear. The sound of glass being broken was heard, and in the next moment, her surrounding changed. She was now in a grassland with nothing around her immediate vicinity.

After confirming that there was no one around her, she tried to move elsewhere. Yet just like before, she was trapped in another barrier, and she returned to her original location no matter what she tried.

This time around, however, she couldn’t spot anything that could’ve served as the barrier’s core.

Just as she was wondering what was going on, she heard the sound of applause from behind.

Ryiru turned around and came face to face with an individual draped in a black robe.

“Were you toying with me? The barrier deployed was of an advanced type, yet such an obvious core was placed at the center…You wanted me to escape, is that right?” she asked in annoyance.

The enemy remained silent.

“Not even a word, huh? What’s your purpose?”

In response to this question, the robed individual summoned their sword on their left hand and stood in the same stance as they did when they confronted Lucius.

“So you won’t waste your breath answering any question. I see.”

Since her opponent was clearly hostile, Ryiru held her spear and shot forward, delivering a thrust at the robed enemy.

“Hup!”

Immediately after that, she exhaled, drew the tip of her spear back, and thrust it at the enemy once more. She repeated this several times, and due to the boosts provided by her magic armor and <Physical Enchantment>, her speed was truly extraordinary, her arming creating several afterimages.

Tatatatatata!

However, no matter how many times she attacked, none landed on her enemy.

This triggered Ryiru, and a look of frustration appeared on her face.

(I shouldn’t drag this on any longer. My plan was to capture the enemy alive, but if that’s not possible…)

Thinking so, she poured magic into her spear and thrust forth once more.

“Haaaa!”

With a loud shout, she unleashed an attack that split her spear into seven, and they all came crashing down on the enemy. The simultaneous attacks from the seven spears seemed to envelop the assailant’s body, but–

“So you managed to dodge that as well.”

Ryiru turned around while saying so.

The one that got pierced by her attack was but an afterimage of the robed individual.

Recovering her breath, Ryiru once again commenced her attack. But this time, the person in black robe counterattacked with their sword.

It wasn’t quick by any means, and Ryiru was able to dodge the attack without becoming flustered. However, the attacks were all aimed at her openings, which made dodging an arduous task.

(Such proficiency with the sword…It can’t be helped. I haven’t mastered it yet, but…)

There was no telling whether the enemy had allies, so she had to finish things quickly.

Hence, she took some distance and prepared to unleash her clan’s secret technique.

Her opponent did not give chase, as if they couldn’t be bothered.

“Your achievement in martial arts is admirable, and I’m afraid I’m not your match. Having said that, I can’t be defeated here, so I’ll be using my strongest move.”

The enemy didn’t show any reaction despite Ryiru making it clear that she was planning something. In fact, it seemed as if they were anticipating her next move, which irked her a bit.

(That will be your undoing.)

“Here I come! Secret technique, <Flame Arts>!”

Ryiru’s body was engulfed in flames as she rushed forward with her spear out. Her speed was incomparable to before, and a sonic boom was formed even as she accelerated.

Nevertheless, there was only the slightest hint of surprise from the enemy, and her spear once again failed to land a hit.

(I missed even with this?)

Ryiru was shocked as her spear hit nothing but air, dispersing the enemy’s afterimage.

(They’re behind me again!)

Sensing the enemy’s mana from behind her back, Ryiru turned around to give chase, only to be stunned by a huge shield on the enemy’s left hand shooting toward her from the side.

She dodged the blow by backing away, but the enemy followed up with a slash using the sword in their right hand. Ryiru avoided this as well, but a kick came flying her way, forcing her to use the butt of her spear to block the hit.

The pattern of attacks was awfully familiar, and a wave of uneasiness overshadowed her previous irritation. Considering how powerful her opponent was, it would be safe to assume that anyone facing them would not come out unscathed.

“That combo…did you fight against Lucius?”

The enemy didn’t give any reply.

“Is he safe? How about Al?”

The silence riled her up, and she finally let out an angry voice.

“Answer me!”

And with that, she unleashed her fastest attack thus far.

Deciding this was enough, her assailant grabbed the tip of her spear with his right hand, made Ryiru lose her balance, and threw her backward.

Having lost her footing, Ryiru quickly got back on her feet and looked behind her, but she found herself staring at a familiar man.

“Seems you were brought here as well.”

Standing there was Lucius, who had recovered from the attack