Published at 15th of December 2025 8:15 am

Chapter 312

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

The moment I was about to run, Tsheringen's fingers dug between my fingers. She held my hand, shook it, and smiled. Ulrike looked from behind with a puzzled expression, but since we had to run up now that the Vitriol had calmed down, there was no time to sit and steel our resolve for long. Just then, Leo's voice, who had warped to the rear gate and entered a little earlier than us, was heard through the artifact.

[Lukas. It's a Panopticon structure, so think carefully about what to do.]

"Got it."

Narce, Leo, and Heike moved to the rear gate.

235 patients, 15 guards. Since the guards were made to wait outside the building along with the government support Mages acting as support, they are not a consideration for now.

This closed ward building is circular, with a surveillance room in the center and small iron bridges connecting the surveillance room and the wards. The area with the iron bridges is open from the 1st floor to the 7th floor, so the dome glass of the building ceiling could be looked up at.

Since we needed someone who knew the ward situation well, two nurses were waiting on the 1st floor and followed us. Perhaps because only the sturdiest personnel were left due to the berserk situation, the height of the two Old Humans was similar to ours. The Old Humans mumbled while running beside us, seemingly focusing more on the fact that we were Royalty than the fact that we were the Berserker disposal squad.

"Uh, I am Hans Steiner. I never thought I would meet the people I've only heard of like this...."

"Nice to meet you. Please guide us."

Ulrike and I cast Body Veils on them and pulled them along. The other nurse skillfully explained what we needed to know first.

"The Berserker is a person imprisoned on the 6th floor, but they ran out from the 6th floor and went up to the 7th floor. You may have already seen the blueprints, but to explain once more, what you see is the same whether you go up from the rear gate or the main gate. The severity of the imprisoned patients is also the same. Since this Ward B is the only place in this hospital that accommodates lunatics."

Lunatic is a derogatory term, but it is also a formal medical term. It is not much different from the past Western world of the world I lived in. Even while we continued to go up thinking that, the screams of people and the sound of fists hitting iron doors rang through the floors.

Bang Bang Bang-bang-bang-bang

"Look at that. We should be catching and treating that right now.... You know well what lunatics are like. They can't handle their violence like beasts, and it's a place teeming with swindlers trying to rip others off. You must absolutely never believe what people here say. Although, in the first place, words spoken by such retards aren't even worth listening to."

'That's harsh.'

I understood well that he meant to be careful. Although I know well how mental patients of this era are treated, hearing a medical professional say such things about his patients felt quite strange. There was no particular change in Ulrike or Tsheringen's expressions, but given the social atmosphere, I would be the only one to raise an objection here. Since I didn't even feel like agreeing out of politeness, I asked another question instead.

"For what reason did the currently berserk patient go berserk? I didn't hear if there were any emotional changes."

Then, the nurse named Hans, who had been silent all along, interrupted.

"It is a frequent occurrence in psychiatric hospitals. They are not rational and cannot control their emotions. They probably went berserk because they wanted to go outside."

When I just looked back without speaking, he avoided my eyes and answered again.

"...Hmm.... They are the patient who received the most treatment recently.... I wonder if it might be because of that."

"Treatment."

"It's a treatment that rapidly calms the mind and body. The effect is good, but it might have been considered unsatisfactory to the patient themself."

"......."

At this point, I made eye contact with Ulrike. She made an expression that looked somewhat uncomfortable, shrugged her shoulders, and continued running.

I knew what treatment they meant. It's a treatment where they burn with electricity to cause seizures. Instead of sighing, I held back a little and asked.

"What kind of building is the ward right next to this?"

[Aaaaaaah....]

[Shut up! Shut up!]

As we went up the floors, the screams increased. It is clear that the news of the rampage has already reached their ears.

"Although mentally ill patients are hospitalized on both sides as well, the situation is much better than here. They are people with whom communication is possible. However, since it is also a confinement facility, they cannot evacuate. Please take care so it doesn't cross over."

The government here did not issue evacuation permits for severe mental patients. They judged that patients whose condition was severe enough to be confined in solitary cells could bring harm to the patients themselves or the local community if released.

Thud Squeak

The sound of iron sliding into a rusted frame is dismal. The shutter blocking the path entering the 6th floor opened. I felt the Vitriol poking at the Body Veil.

If it proceeded as discussed beforehand, the side that entered through the rear gate would have gone up to the 7th floor a little earlier than us, so the Vitriol concentration in this air right now is the result of Narce going up while purifying.

'But if it's this much, the aggression of the Vitriol must be extraordinary.'

It wouldn't be Grade 3 for nothing. High-risk Berserkers are divided into rational Berserkers and irrational Berserkers, and the final power of both cannot be compared to Grades 4-9. There is a reason why a grade is assigned accordingly: if they have reason, we strategize to deal with Mages, and if they don't, we deal with them as such. It means the amount of Vitriol is large or they are excessively aggressive. In this case, wouldn't it be closer to the latter?

[Lukas. Let's finish within the recommended time.]

Just in time, a request came from Leo as well. The recommended processing time heard beforehand was 15 minutes. This is actually cutting it close too. The people trapped in the solitary cells on the 6th floor know that someone has gone berserk, and it is sufficient for them to be tainted by the Vitriol that keeps flooding down no matter how much we purify, causing them to go berserk.

[Save us! These crazy bastards locked us in here again!]

[Is it enough if only you guys get out?! Huh? Are you the only humans!]

The 6th floor is noisy with sounds made by patients. The nurse pretended not to hear it and said.

"The administration office is open. Since we brought out all dangerous items in the administration office, you may enter, but you must be careful because we cannot be sure if the treatment room door is locked. You are aware that our hospital insists only on humanitarian treatment, right?"

"Yes."

"In unavoidable cases, we also use tools that might appear a bit coercive to non-medical personnel."

Right.... I understood well that it means the treatent room is overflowing with dangerous items.

While we exchanged glances with subtle expressions, the nurse stood in front of the 7th-floor shutter and spoke quietly.

"I heard it's your first time, but you are unlucky to be assigned to a closed ward. Even those who have been to other places first find it difficult; doesn't the government care about even that?"

All our gazes turned to him. Instead of looking into our eyes, he looked into the air with a dry face and said.

"There is something I want to request; if possible, I hope the facility is not destroyed. Of course, since it's your first time, it can't be helped if you don't have the energy to care about the facility. Also... please make sure no sounds are heard."

"...?"

How do we fight without sounds being heard? Asking us to thoroughly maintain sound-proofing magic in this situation? Without even a moment to ask, the nurse slipped out just like that and closed the shutter going down to the 6th floor again.

[It's done. The actual combat power is six. Keep that in mind.]

Leo's guidance, having crossed to the 7th floor, was heard. It means to exclude Narce from combat. From the moment we entered the Panopticon, that was natural. Since the Vitriol flowing on the 6th and 7th floors spreads downward through the empty space in the center, Narce practically has to purify all the Vitriol spreading to every floor of this building.

Elias carefully knelt on one knee behind the shutter going up to the 7th floor and grasped the vibrations.

"This looks a bit close. Location?"

[The main gate side where you guys are. It keeps wandering around silently. Since the floor is covered in Vitriol, it will require more strength in the legs than usual, and everywhere the Vitriol touched has corroded, so the railings are gone. Take note.]

I fell into thought while listening to the conversation. First, wide-area magic cannot be used. My magic might rather break the ceiling here or smash my friends' Body Veils, threatening their safety.

'...It's a situation where we can't evacuate the ward patients.'

Now that we must prevent the use of other floors and protect other patients, the Panopticon structure is disadvantageous for combat. However, there is insufficient control personnel to release the Berserker into the hospital plaza.

First, setting a trap to catch the Berserker without it knowing is....

'That only worked on Grade 8 or 9.'

Pass.

I also considered changing strategies and having Narce pour Divine Power from the start, but that is not an instant cure either. Even if Divine Power is used, the requirement to approach close and destroy the core remains the same, and if that were easily possible, the grade wouldn't be Grade 3.

Elias, who was waiting for Leo's instructions, sighed and frowned at the growling sound coming from inside.

"Don't we have... something like a senior to tell us what to do?"

"No."

"The difficulty is no joke. Especially for Narce, it must be worse."

"Narce? Why."

"Because there are rumors that Divine Power cures incurable diseases. Haven't you heard similar stories? This is, well, a hospital anyway...."

Although he said that, perhaps he was unsure if such rumors circulated even among mental patients, Elias quickly changed the topic.

"Since they transferred us to a unit we've never heard of, don't they even teach us anything?"

That is nothing more or less than a prank to mobilize us at their will whenever they want. Just like Prussia, which loves the military the most in Europe, they are adept at cramming students into their system without a guilty conscience.

And the seniors around the 90th class, who have handled up to Grade 4 in actual combat although being deployed to Grade 1-3 for the first time like us, are currently responding to other reports like us, so there is no time now. Elias knows this well anyway.

At that time, Leo, who was talking to Heike, spoke to us.

[...I'll deploy Heike to reinforce Body Veils. Elias, Lukas. I'll draw attention and lure it to the rear gate side, so....]

"...Hmm? Wait a minute. You?! It's dangerous!"

Elias cast a sound-proofing Spell and shouted. Since close-range attacks were Elias's role, not Leo's, he was even more worried.

Tsheringen's eyes became sharp. She must have been concerned that the vibration that flowed to the floor while shouting would cross over the shutter door. Furthermore, since our team's leader is Leo, it is right to follow his words, and we should rather worry about Ulrike or Heike; it is not the time to worry about Leo's skills. Perhaps the anxiety that he might not return unscathed weakened Elias's heart.

Leo was silent for a moment, then continued his instructions.

[Once I lure it, split in twos to the east and west immediately. I will block the center of the Panopticon with a barrier. The expected maintenance time is 30 seconds. Finish it within 30 seconds....]

Leo inhaled once and continued.

[Let's try.]

At those words, I made eye contact with my friends. Their expressions were complex, perhaps all thinking the same thing. To this uncertain answer, I asked briefly.

"Plan 2."

[None. Just survive.]

Unlike expected, Leo's answer came immediately.

Having come to the scene to save people, he is telling us to consider individual safety as the top priority. Knowing how complicated Leo must have felt to say this, no one could speak hastily.

I tapped Ulrike's shoulder, who was waiting behind, meaning for us to move together. Ulrike covered my ear with her hand to turn off the artifact and whispered quickly.

"Sorry to ask in this situation, but why expect 30 seconds. Aren't we better than that...?"

"If we drive the Berserker to the ward door and surround it, the patient inside will be terrified and go berserk."

In other words, it means to throw it into the barrier, and 30 seconds is the time until the barrier corrodes and collapses. If it were a Berserker of Grade 7 or below that only repeats simple attacks, throwing it on the floor would be good, but in high-risk cases, that is not the best but the second best option. If the area touching the floor widens, the power of the wide-area attack using the floor surface increases.

[Enter!]

Bang!

Elias lifted the shutter door.

At that moment, the eyes of the Berserker rushing toward Leo turned to us.

"...!"

Even Tsheringen, who is always calm, gasped. The Berserker, that is, the victim, was completely a lump of mud. Vitriol was flowing where hair should have been, and the patient uniform, tattered like a monster's clothes in a drawing, hung on the mud. This is all that remained. White teeth were visible where the Vitriol was worn away by friction with the mouth, but even that was quickly covered by new Vitriol. The eyes were also covered in Vitriol, so it was impossible to tell if they still remained or not.

'At this rate, the skin might melt too.'

It's a guess, though. In other words, this was truly a monster that would appear in a dream. Ulrike mumbled in wonder.

"Everything is blocked by Vitriol, so where does i feel senses? It looked back immediately."

"Tell me about it."

So this is why they didn't report it. Because if they let it be known that a person could become like this, they wouldn't be able to handle the aftermath. Perhaps the fear that one could melt and disappear might further accelerate the rampage.

Anyway, where the sensory organs are is an important issue. For now, there is no choice but to think that the Vitriol acts as a sort of skin and prepare accordingly.

Bang!

While the Berserker looked back at us, the Magic Power of Elias and Tsheringen, who had run to the west side and reached Leo's vicinity, struck the Berserker. I, standing in front of the main gate stairs, swung my Wand to the left and pushed the Berserker, who was about to crash into the ward door, into the central barrier.

'Wait, this...!'

I could tell as soon as the Magic Power touched. It must not touch the barrier. Heike's barrier won't be able to handle this Vitriol's main body. Perhaps having observed my expression, Ulrike shot Magic Power in a straight line before it touched the barrier with good timing, pushing the Berserker back, and Leo's Magic Power pressed it from the opposite side.

"Aaaaaaaack!"

A voice annoyed that things didn't go its way rang out. Starting with that, the screams of patients coming from other wards grew louder. Even while four, no, five Magic Powers surrounded and pressed the Berserker, the Berserker only screamed, its momentum not dying. No gap to dig into the Vitriol core is visible. No matter how I think about it, this is not something that can be done with simple Magic Power amount. We don't have the technological prowess of seniors many classes above us.

[Theoretically, we should kill it.]

Tsheringen's voice is heard. Even though she spoke softly as usual, her voice felt only cold. Since Tsheringen is aware that she came to save people anyway, she probably doesn't intend to kill it. Right, perhaps calculation-wise, killing it might be correct.

[I propose this. Surround the fence with barriers from the 1st floor to the top so there is no retreat path, and throw it to the 1st floor. Since Vitriol absorbs shock, we won't be able to fracture it, but we can buy time to crush the core.]

'Just like Tsheringen.'

I admire the rotational power that spins fast as usual even in this tense situation.

And if I were the decision-maker, I would unconditionally reject this plan.

[No. There is no basis to be certain that the possibility of the barrier breaking between the state where aggression becomes strongest simultaneously with the fall and our final hit is low. Let's save the plan of focusing Narce's attention in one place.]

Leo's judgment was also the same as mine. Ulrike, who was surprised by Leo's firm refusal, also accepted immediately after hearing his explanation. There is a problem because it is a plan where an attack must enter once more immediately after inflicting a threat to life.

This might be a successful plan if it were 7 Tsheringens, but there is a risk burden for 7 people who have skill differences and do not share a brain. Unless there is Tsheringen's precision, composure, fast reaction speed, vast Magic Power amount, strong technique like Leo, and thinking ability to respond to variables, the possibility of risk rises sharply.

Actual combat was different from school tests.

In the school's Mimesis, civilians evacuated according to our will, but the patients here cannot escape their respective prisons. If this were the Zugspitze, it would have been easier instead. Since there was no need to consider any civilians there. In the meantime, the Berserker's screams, loud enough to burst eardrums, continued.

"Are the vocal cords not melted yet?"

"Probably."

I answered Ulrike's question briefly and was careful not to increase Magic Power output. The moment the balance of power collapses, the Berserker will bounce in that direction. Right. If Heike, who was repairing and maintaining the barrier, joins the attack, the Berserker will run in the opposite direction using our Magic Power as propulsion. There is no upper floor to press it down, and the Vitriol is more toxic than expected. Now we must find a breakthrough.

[These smart alecks really... This is why kids who are only good at studying are no good. Run simulations at home!]

The moment Elias's voice burst out like a signal flare, Heike collapsed, unable to withstand the toxicity of the Vitriol, and the barrier in the center of the Panopticon crumbled. Although Heike quickly found her balance and the floor made of barriers was restored between the 6th and 7th floors, the sound of glass breaking had already echoed on the 1st floor. At that moment, the Berserker's Vitriol wrapped around the iron door handle on the opposite side.

Bang!!

The Berserker's black lump cut across the field of view. The Berserker, who flew to the other side by pulling the Vitriol, hit the door, caught its balance, and ran toward Elias.

Rumble Bang

Every time the Berserker stepped, the explosion sound caused by Vitriol colliding with each other dulled my hearing. Elias also copied the Berserker's movement, wrapped Magic Power around the door handle on the opposite side, and jumped. I see Ulrike widening her eyes in panic. He jumped to the opposite side of Elias and started rushing toward the front of the Berserker.

'Hmm, that won't do.'

I understand Elias's intent well. And, Tsheringen seems to know well too.

Thud

[Do you know the laws of the heavens.]

As I struck the floor with the Staff tip, Vitriol was pushed away in all directions. Finally, I was able to connect my Magic Power with the floor. The pushed Vitriol clumped together and began to rise upward in a circle.

[Can you set up its dominion over the earth Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water!]

Bang

The sound moves away. The Vitriol coming out of the Berserker's body soared to the ceiling. A spell to briefly snatch another's Magic Power or Divine Power; I never thought I would use the magic I used to raise Gabriele's Divine Power to the sky at the Pentalon again like this... I knew since receiving the report at lunch today, but I didn't want to experience it. The moment I recognized Tsheringen's golden Magic Power, reminiscent of a thunderbolt, striking the side of my vision, the Berserker was crushed to the floor.

Green grass that rushed in from somewhere repeatedly turned brown, and grass piled up on top of it again. The grass covered the Berserker's Vitriol. I stomped my foot and flowed Magic Power into the floor to burn the Vitriol. Even if we chose the second best option, we had to seize victory, and my friends were all skilled at that. The Berserker was already covered in our Magic Power.

'Now 5 minutes.'

5 minutes passed. Perhaps....

Elias stepped loudly on the Berserker's mud lump head and changed his Wand to a Staff. The moment he raised the Staff to strike the Vitriol core, panic spread across my friends' faces.

"...!"

The concentration of Vitriol in the air thickened.

Narce's purification magic was cut off. The Berserker's struggle, noticing the situation in that brief moment, followed.

Bang!

All the Magic Power we sed to press the Berserker to the floor shattered, and the Berserker kicked off the ground. Elias, thrown back by the shock, grabbed the railing of the main gate stairs, caught his balance, and bounced back. Ulrike, who was sticking next to me, tapped her artifact and asked.

"Narce. What happened?!"

Only the sound of running and using magic was heard beyond the artifact. Whatever happened, the purification magic is failing to reduce the Berserker's power. It's back to square one.

[Hey~ guys. Let's not get tense.]

Elias started speaking in a cold voice. He cleared his throat with a cough, chased the Berserker, and continued speaking loudly while running.

[The moment we knocked it down in 5 minutes when the recommendation is 15 minutes, it means our professor seniors also experienced variables of this level. Would they have set it to 15 minutes for nothing? It includes time for shoveling.]

[That's positive.]

Leo's empty voice followed the end of Elias's words. Elias is right. It's not high-risk for nothing. We can only survive this scene if we don't get flustered by variables and think flexibly.

"First, the total amount of Vitriol must have decreased. That side can't keep combusting either."

I said while scanning the 6th-floor administration office where Narce was waiting. There is no sign of presence. Then Narce's notification was heard again.

[A patient escaped.]

"What?!"

[There are three people who tore off the corroded room doors on the 5th floor only and came out. I'll go down, find them, and hand them over to the outside. Hmm, one escapee... is chasing me, so I just need to catch the remaining two. One support, please come down to the 5th floor.]

"I'll go down."

I said, holding the railing that hadn't corroded yet and looking down the building. Narce's voice rings from below. Scanning from the 7th floor, there were no ward rooms on the 6th floor with doors blown off, but instead, the treatment room door was torn off.

"......."

The problem is that the door to that room full of weapons shouldn't be torn off. Someone intruded. I avoided attacks flying from all directions, entered the administration office, and went down to the 6th floor. I held my breath in front of the half-torn door.

Screech Squeak

A presence. As I put Magic Power into my Wand and kicked the door open, I saw an Old Human with a pale face. There was another side door in the treatment room, and he was in the middle of trying to open that door and enter. I see him shrinking his shoulders as if startled by the sound. Seeing that he is holding nothing in his hands, it seems he was trying to find a safe place to avoid the Vitriol rather than coming to find a weapon. I aimed my Wand and beckoned.

"Come out."

"......."

"Hurry. We don't have time."

"Can, can I go out too?"

"Of course you must go out. I will take you to the outside."

Although, if he means if he can be discharged by going out a lot, that wouldn't be allowed. I called a general Mage waiting on the ground, that is, a supporter. At that moment, the patient hurriedly ran toward the door where I stood, turned his head this way and that, and started sniffing the air.

'...What is he doing?'

[I handled one person, but the presence chasing me disappeared. Lukas, can you hear me?]

"There's one person in front of me."

I answered without taking my eyes off the patient.

[...It seems like the person I was looking for. Or should I say, the one looking for me.]

Since I couldn't distinguish whether that was abnormal behavior shown by personality disorder patients severe enough to be locked in a closed ward or if there was an intention, I was quite flustered, so I created a path for him with a barrier and drove him out. The patient who followed closely behind me is now feeling the air as if his hand is a metal detector.

As I fixed my gaze on the patient and turned only the direction of my Wand to blockade the treatment room door, he abruptly stopped all actions and looked at me.

"......."

The words I heard earlier and my deduction merged in my head. Judging the situation didn't take long, and it was the same for the opponent. The moment the patient's hand touched his waist, I raised my elbow and struck the face behind me. At the same time, the patient's right hand gripped my throat.

Bang!

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