Published at 18th of July 2022 8:39 am

Volume 8, Chapter 4 - The Academy City’s Underground Labyrinth, Part 4-7

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 4

Going back in time slightly.

After midnight, Oscar slipped out of the boys’ dormitory, Apollo House, and planned to undergo her special training. Celes was also with her. Ever since the horrific ‘Pluto Incident’ occurred, Oscar had constantly been in deep thought about the issue of Pluto. It probably wouldn’t have been difficult for her to abandon the power of Pluto and return to the life she once had. Celes herself also wanted to seal the power of Pluto away. But Oscar was unable to accept that choice. She said that she wanted to do something that would surprise Uriel. The key to achieving this goal lay in whether or not she was able to freely use Pluto. That was why Oscar’s special training required Celes’ cooperation. Since the Academy grounds were unsuitable to use as a midnight training venue, Oscar advanced towards Fianna Forest. In there, she coincidentally spotted a suspicious group camping within the forest. She would have liked to indiscriminately trample all over the other party, but Oscar had always been a somewhat mischievous person, so she decided to play the long game. After Oscar tailed the platoon for their entire journey, she happened to run into Mirabel and Eunice who had been breathlessly trying to run and escape.

“Seriously, catching moles isn’t within the scope of my work.”

Oscar sneered as she glanced at Klaus. Even though Klaus had been called a mole by her, he was not irritated by Oscar’s provocation. He simply observed Oscar calmly.

“If I remember correctly, you’re Oscar Brailsford, aren’t you? You don’t get along with other students, and live as a loner, right?”

Oscar scornfully smiled.

“Isn’t your information a bit too outdated? I have already formed an alliance with Ash Blake, and I haven’t pretended to be a loner for quite a while now.”

“What did you say…!?”

The instant that he heard Ash’s name, the expression on Klaus’ face suddenly changed. It seemed as though Klaus had some particularly complex feelings towards Ash.

“Say, why are you in a place like this? According to my investigations — the Emperor of Zepharos has lately devoted all of his efforts into the development of science and technology, and he doesn’t actually have any interest in invading other nations, right?”

“To be precise, isn’t that the information that I investigated?”

Oscar couldn’t help but reveal a dry smile when Celes revised her statement to claim credit for it.

“In short, what I really want to ask is whether or not your military movements are truly the intentions of the Emperor. If they aren’t, then are your actions not equivalent to betrayal?”

“Kuh…!”

Perhaps because those words struck a chord, Klaus was momentarily lost for words and couldn’t find a reason to refute it. And then, he seemed to lose the will to maintain his façade any further, and so he turned and looked behind.

“Kriemhild! It’s time for you to act! Unleash your power!”

“Understood, master.”

The girl behind Klaus seemed to have an innocent nature that didn’t fit in with her environment, but she also seemed to give off a vague feeling of sinisterness as she took a breath on the horse’s back. She then began to sing a song in the Imperial language. Upon hearing her clear voice, Oscar widened her eyes and began to think that the melody seemed familiar to her.

“This is…the aria of the < Queen of the Night > from the ‘Tale of Zauberflöte’, isn’t it!?”

Operas were an art form that the Chevron nobility were educated on. Although Oscar immediately recognised the girl’s song, she was unable to understand the reason why she had suddenly began to sing an opera. To begin with, it was suspicious for a young girl like her to accompany a troop of soldiers.

“Be careful, Oscar! That girl is…probably the same type as me!”

Upon hearing Celes’ sudden scream, Oscar shuddered.

Was that girl named Kriemhild also one of the < Pluto Children >? When Celes reminded Oscar of that, she realised that the upper part of the girl’s face had a metal mask over it. The hollowed out holes in it emitted a chilling glow.

“How is it possible that both of her eyes are Pluto…?”

After Oscar muttered that to herself, an eerie atmosphere swirled around in every direction. It was a large number of monsters. On their way into the underground labyrinth, Oscar had also encountered many monsters, but all it took was a glare from Tristan to frighten them all away. However, the present situation was different. The horde of monsters openly expressed their hostility and gradually tightened their encirclement.

“I see, that girl used the power of Pluto through her own voice…!”

Oscar clenched her teeth. Even though she was one of < Pluto’s Children >, she was completely different from Celes.

“Grrrrrrr…”

Tristen let out a low-pitched growl as if to serve as a reminder for Oscar to keep her guard up. Its piercing glare wasn’t just directed at the monsters which encircled them, but also the Necromancia. The Necromancia’s body quickly began to expand over a short period of time.

“““Goooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh!”””

The Necromancia’s roar was formed from the combination of three noises. Heads grew out of its body one after the other, and it eventually became a three-headed dragon. Hole-like eye sockets began to emerge all over the surface of its body where eyeballs rolled around. The rancid odour that it emitted grew ever stronger.

“…Aside from the monsters, I didn’t think that even the Necromancia would be affected. This girl’s power is rather shocking.”

As he watched Oscar mutter that in awe, Klaus smirked as he said

“Don’t think it’ll be over with just this, Oscar Brailsford. You’ll regret bringing Tristan to this place in the afterlife!”

As Klaus spoke, Kriemhild elevated the intensity of her song. Her demonic voice morphed into an invisible arrow that was fired towards Tristan.

“Oooooohhhhh!”

Tristan tossed its head up without warning, and Oscar was almost thrown off from its head.

“This isn’t good, Oscar! Tristan has also been affected by her song!”

Celes’ warning was no mere triviality, and the proof was the fact that Tristan’s originally silver fur gradually turned black. The scene before their eyes was almost like a replay of the Pluto Incident which occurred before.

“This will be your place of burial. Right, let me tell you some good news as a farewell gift.”

After glancing down at his military-use mechanical watch, a sadistic smile emerged on his face.

“Right about now, both Ash Blake and the young dragon Eco should have fallen into our hands.”

“There was another special team aside from you guys!?”

As she barely managed to cling onto Tristan’s head, Oscar began to look anxious. The problem was that the Necromancia and the horde of monsters surrounding them had pinned them down like insects in a web. Moreover, even Tristan was slowly falling under the control of Kriemhild’s song.

—What should I do next? Oscar Brailsford?

Cold sweat continued to perspire from Oscar’s forehead as she silently asked herself for an answer. And then, Celes cried out at Oscar to reproach her.

“Oscar! Why are you panicking? Isn’t now the perfect time to experiment!?”

Oscar turned back to see Celes pull her eyepatch off in order to reveal her magic eye, with a proud smile on her face.

“Geez, with such a capable maid, I should really be ashamed as your master!”

Oscar also smiled suggestively in response.

Part 5

“—I am a descendant of < Pluto’s Children >, Celestina Lafon. Pluto bestowed upon Maestro Tristan, heed my call!”

Upon witnessing Celes make an unexpected move, Klaus was shocked. He was well aware of the information on Celestina Lafon. It was because he had developed the living weapon Kriemhild based on the information on Celestina as a foundation.

“Are you trying to compete with me over control of Tristan? But…”

Klaus had already read the detailed report on the Pluto Incident which broke out during the Five Hundred Years Festival, and he had also completed his own personal analysis. Celestina was born into this world as a natural descendant of < Pluto’s Children > — in other words, she was the original. Because of her overwhelming power, even Oscar who rode atop Tristan’s head was affected and she became a demon. Not too long ago, she was defeated because she was unable to control the demon Oscar…so what was that maid up to now?

“Uoooooooooohhh!”

Oscar’s scream interrupted Klaus’ thoughts. Celes’ magic eye shone brightly. As if to overpower the effect of Kriemhild’s demonic song, a layer of black which was even darker enveloped Tristan’s entire body. In addition, even Oscar’s Ark slowly became a dull shade of silver.

“Gooooh…uoooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh…!”

It was a tremendous and thunderous roar which had been emitted by both Oscar and Tristan. Oscar had finally become a demon, and Tristan had also turned into a black demonic dragon. Klaus stared at the demon and demonic dragon in disbelief.

“You idiot…! Now that child is a demon! Once that’s happened, let alone enemies, he might even attack comrades—”

“Hmph. Please don’t jump to conclusions on your own.”

Oscar’s voice differed in contrast to her frightening appearance, and her rational voice seemed incredulous to Klaus. Taking a closer look, Oscar’s eyes did not seem to convey madness. They were the eyes of an uncompromising noble knight.

“Grrrr…”

Tristan also lifted its front foot off the ground and stamped down to express its genuine approval of Oscar as its rider. Tristan’s hostility was directed only at Klaus.

“Damn you! You aren’t under the control of Kriemhild’s voice…!?”

“Don’t underestimate us…you blind aristocrat!”

Celes retorted to the shocked Klaus. After she yelled that out, she leapt up and climbed onto Tristan’s body so that she could proudly stand by Oscar’s side. Her majestic manner made one wonder who the real master of Tristan really was. As Oscar made a wry smile, she took Celes’ hand. Although Celes immediately cast her eyes down in embarrassment, she didn’t let go of Oscar’s hand.

“This is the result of our special training after our failure at the Five Hundred Years Festival. Have a good look at the new combat style that Celes and I have developed — < Diabolos >!”

Oscar sonorously declared as she began to attack.

“That can’t be…!”

As he sat on the back of his horse, Klaus could do nothing but stare on with a blank expression. Despite becoming a demon, Oscar was still able to maintain her rationality. Celes had done her utmost to control Pluto. Even after becoming a demonic dragon, Tristan was still Oscar’s loyal Pal as it fought against her enemies. The collaboration between those three had become an overwhelming force. Oscar’s magic bow Failnaught fired off arrows which swept across the monsters that encircled them. Tristan then flew towards the Necromancia. Under the influence of Kriemhild’s voice, it had become a three-headed Necromancia with a myriad of eyes, yet it was unable to dodge the impact of Tristan’s charge. The Necromancia’s large body slammed into the rock wall, which caused a deafening sound that echo throughout the cavity. Loose rocks constantly rained down on them from the ceiling.

“Goooooh!”

While the Necromancia cowered in fear, Tristan continued its assault. It chomped on one of the Necromancia’s necks and shred it off with brute force.

“Krrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!”

As the head let out a dying wail, Tristan spat it out from its mouth. On the other hand, Oscar fired off an enormous arrow which pierced through another of the Necromancia’s skulls. Within a short span of time, the Necromancia had been reduced to a single head again. The countless number of eyeballs that covered the surface of its body also gradually disappeared. Even though Kriemhild was unable to personally lay eyes upon this brutal scene, she probably felt it from the atmosphere — Klaus realised that she had stopped singing.

“…Young master. If you are caught up in the battle, you may sustain severe injuries. Even if we must sacrifice the Necromancia, we must continue to advance.”

Gerhard’s tone was surprisingly calm. As the captain of < Fenrir >, he bravely remained level-headed. The turbulent experiences that he had lived through probably far exceeded those of Klaus. In his mind, Klaus derided himself: “It’s no wonder that I’m still a ‘young master’ who hasn’t grown wings yet in the eyes of Gerhard.”

“…You’re right. All units, retreat!”

Clinging to his last chance of survival, Klaus decided to follow Gerhard’s advice. It was because there was nothing more to be gained from fighting against Oscar in this place—. After Klaus looked back at Kriemhild, he gave her an order….

Part 6

After hearing Kriemhild’s clear soprano voice resound with a song again, Oscar began to feel more cautious.

“Our victory has already been decided…what else will you do?”

“Be careful, Oscar!”

Celes shouted loudly to warn her as she pointed to the Necromancia at the same time.

“Oooooooooohhh…!”

The Necromancia roared and blocked Tristan’s way. It positioned itself to act as a fortress wall.

“All units, retreat!”

Klaus took advantage of that to issue an order, and he led the charge on horseback as they escaped from the cavity. The magic soldiers acted as a rear guard. The passage that the troops took was the same route that Mirabel and the others had chosen. In other words, it was a passage which led to the Academy. The strange thing was — even though Kriemhild had already disappeared from view, the echoes of her song still reverberated throughout the cavity.

“I won’t let you escape…!”

Just as Oscar raised her bow, the Necromancia’s body suddenly expanded like a balloon.

“No…!”

Oscar immediately commanded Tristan to jump back, and they landed in front of Mirabel and the others. She then created a shield of defensive magic that was several layers thick. Oscar was able to accomplish such a task in just a brief moment.

—Doooooooooooooooooooon!

The Necromancia self-destructed, causing an enormous explosive force to blast through and shake the entire cavity.

Part 7

“…That was awful.”

If Tristan’s defensive magic had been slower by even a second, everyone in the cavity would have been blown to pieces. That girl was unbelievably ruthless as she commanded the Necromancia to self-destruct — Oscar recalled Kriemhild’s expression in awe. After all of the dust that clouded the cavity dissipated, Oscar instructed Celes to release their demonic transformation before hopping down from Tristan’s head. She then used an Oracle to illuminate their surroundings. The explosion from earlier had caused all of the Bright Dragon Crystals that were embedded on the ceiling and walls to become buried underneath rubble, and the entire cavity had become pitch-black.

“Are you hurt?”

Oscar asked about Mirabel’s condition first.

“Thanks to you, I am not hurt.”

Mirabel replied in a strong voice. Although her appearance was somewhat unkempt now, it had no effect on her elegance or demeanour. Oscar couldn’t help but feel that the name of the < Argento Magus > wasn’t just for show. Although she was rumoured to be rather scholarly on top of being a princess of the Knight Country, she was surprisingly brave. Anya and Eunice also appeared to be okay, and so Oscar felt relieved.

“The problem now is…the pathway leading to the Academy has been completely sealed off by that explosion.”

The words that Mirabel spoke were the truth as a third of the cavity had been closed off by fallen rocks of various sizes. It didn’t seem as though they would be able to catch up with Klaus’ troops.

“This is troublesome. Although I can use Tristan’s magic to blast through the rocks in our way, I’m afraid that the entire cavity could collapse…”

Oscar murmured. At the moment, the only choice they had was to take the pathways that hadn’t been blocked off, but the problem was that only one of those routes remained intact.

“………”

Mirabel’s idea was probably the same as Oscar’s. After confirming the direction of the only passage that remained intact, she took an old map out. Anya, Eunice and Celes all stared at the side of Mirabel’s face with a serious expression. Mirabel simply continued to look at the map in silence. Oscar didn’t feel comfortable standing around in the silent atmosphere, and so she tried to start a conversation in a brisk tone.

“Will we be able to return home safely, Your Highness Mirabel?”

After Mirabel slowly raised her face from the map, she pressed her fingers against her temple as she revealed a woeful expression. Was the situation really that despairing? —Upon seeing the look on Mirabel’s face, even Oscar began to feel uneasy. She had hoped to return to the surface as soon as possible in order to deal with the crisis that might have befallen Ash and Eco. Assuming that Klaus had told them the truth, it meant that another special unit had gone to target Ash and Eco. Fortunately, Eco had Silvia and Cosette by her side, and the other female students such as Rebecca also lived in the girls’ dormitory. Even if they were up against soldiers of the Imperial Army, they weren’t the type to fall so easily. The main problem was that Ash had no means to resist in the hospital. As Oscar’s expression grew sullen, Mirabel finally answered

“…I’m sorry. I must say that it is truly unfortunate…the only path before us leads to a level that is even deeper than here. In other words, we can continue to go deeper underground, but there is no way for us to return to the surface.”

“What’s in the lower level?”

“An extremely ancient underground city.”

After Oscar guardedly asked that, Mirabel gave an answer that shattered everyone’s expectations.

“Obviously, no one lives there anymore. It’s said to have been constructed during the era that the Zono Ton Civilisation flourished, but that’s all ancient history and I’m not too certain about the details.”

“That’s distressing. Leaving aside the underground city, it’s truly vexing that there’s no way for us to return to the surface…”

Oscar scratched her head.

“Indeed, it is vexing. And a real pity…”

“Your Highness Mirabel, why do you keep saying that it’s a pity?”

When Anya asked that perplexedly, for some reason, Mirabel blushed.

“I-It can’t be helped. I really do think it’s quite a pity. It’s just that, if my prediction isn’t wrong…”

“Not wrong?”

Oscar affixed her gaze on Mirabel, with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

“The item which lays dormant in the deepest part of the underground city may be able to send us back to the surface.”

“To be blunt, that item is the holy relic which Princess-sama has been looking for.”

When Eunice elaborated on that point, Mirabel looked even more self-conscious.

“I-I’ll say this first…I didn’t say that it might help us to escape just because I covet that holy relic, okay?”

Since it was rare of Mirabel to look this embarrassed, Oscar couldn’t help but smile.

“No one here doubts Your Highness Mirabel. Since there’s a possibility for us to escape there, we should set off for the underground city.”

When Oscar said that, everyone resolutely nodded to express their agreement.

“Königin der Nacht I ~A.S.B.1365.11~” is closed.

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