HTNSA 114

Chapter 114

Ruban couldn’t even manage a reply to those words.

Just as Kedrick said, an unbelievable number of monsters were baring their killing intent before them, having abandoned their territories with no clear connection between them.

“Th-this is impossible…! How could something like this happen?”

The tense standoff continued, but it was clear it wouldn’t last long. Ruban quickly turned to the group and shouted,

“W-we need to run!”

He called out, turning to look behind him.

“We need to get out before they completely surround us! I’ll put up a shield!”

At that moment—

Grrrr!

The Pendragons and other monsters began to charge at them, having sensed the shift in mana.

Felix and Kedrick swiftly raised their swords, blocking the attacks.

But against the claws of a high-grade monster, Ruban’s thin protective barrier was useless, shattering and forcing him to stagger backward from the backlash.

Felix grit his teeth.

“This… I don’t think we’re going to be able to run.”

“Damn it, then what do we—”

Ruban couldn’t even finish his sentence.

More monsters leapt at him before he could.

Using fire magic in this chaos would be suicide, so Ruban hurriedly threw up another shield.

But like before, the magic shattered instantly. As Ruban braced himself for the oncoming attack—

“Air Liesel!”

A violent current of air swirled, and then an explosive gust erupted forward.

Ruban squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again.

The three or four monsters charging at him were flung into the darkness, disappearing from view.

Even in the desperate situation, Ruban’s mouth fell open in awe.

“Whoa, that’s amazing…!”

Taking advantage of that moment, Eila swiftly chanted another spell.

“Storm Barrier!”

The instant the words left her mouth, an immense flow of mana surged, so strong it made the skin tingle.

Before them appeared a massive, unimaginably thick shield.

Ruban, who until now had only managed to create shields the size of handheld bucklers, widened his eyes.

“What? You made this?”

Eila cut him off coldly instead of answering.

“Run, Ruban-sunbae. Kedrick, Felix, you too, now!”

She added sharply,

“These monsters are only after me right now. They won’t chase if the others run.”

“How could you possibly—?”

Ignoring Ruban’s question, Eila gritted her teeth, focusing her eyes ahead.

‘Looks like Rosia is really going all out this time.’

If it had been anyone else, they would have been wiped out without even leaving a trace in front of monsters like these.

It meant that it no longer mattered if something went wrong or if someone died here.

Doing something this big meant Rosia was risking exposure herself, yet she had made a bold choice.

Eila looked at her teammates worriedly.

She felt both sorry and frustrated that they were in this dangerous situation just because they were on the same team as her.

‘They’re all tired and worn out; they won’t last long. I need to buy them time to escape.’

Eila pulled a mana stone from her pocket and gripped it tightly.

She had prepared plenty of emergency mana stones precisely for moments like this.

“As long as I’m holding up this shield, you’ll all be safe, so run! Quickly!”

But even at her plea, her teammates didn’t move. Eila added, almost begging,

“I can hold out for a while, so it’s fine. Instead, please use this chance to get help!”

At her words, Ruban seemed torn, glancing back.

“You’re sure you can hold them off?”

“Yes. The more people there are, the harder it will be to protect everyone, so go now!”

At Eila’s repeated urging, Ruban finally turned and started running, pulling every last bit of energy from his exhausted body, moving incredibly fast.

“Hold on a bit! I’ll bring reinforcements right away!”

And surprisingly, the monsters didn’t target Ruban as he left. Just as Eila had said, the monsters’ gazes remained locked solely on her.

Kedrick turned to look at his sister, astonished.

“Eila, what… what is going on here?”

“There’s no time to explain. Kedrick-nim, you need to leave too.”

Meanwhile, the monsters had recovered and were slamming into the shield Eila had created.

Their crazed eyes and relentless attacks were truly menacing.

Screeech!

But the shield did not break easily. Sweat beaded on Eila’s forehead.

Seeing this, Kedrick shook his head.

“Eila, drop the shield.”

“What?”

“I’ll fight too. You support me from behind. That will be much more efficient.”

“But…”

Felix, who had been quietly observing their conversation, calmly agreed with Kedrick.

“Do it, Eila. I never intended to leave you here and run in the first place.”

“You…”

Eila looked between Felix and Kedrick, letting out a deep sigh.

She had already known that Felix would never run away. But she hadn’t expected Kedrick to ignore her words and stay as well.

‘Seriously… what is Second Brother thinking?’

Eila bit her lip firmly.

Clang!

Even while she was torn, the monsters’ attacks kept coming.

Forcing herself to suppress her surging emotions, Eila quickly raised her hand.

In truth, she had been preparing a large-scale spell ever since she sensed the monsters approaching.

“In that case, both of you, fall back for now.”

Taking a step forward, Eila spoke in an even, unwavering voice.

“Watch closely now and see why the daughters of Blanche have been praised as great mages for generations.”

Kedrick’s expression froze at her words, his surprise evident.

“Daughter of Blanche…?”

At that moment, his heart gave a heavy thump.

In a space where not even a breeze stirred, something tingled sharply against his skin, in his eyes, and in his ears, as if signaling that something was about to change.

At the same time, his surroundings grew brighter. Kedrick, standing in the growing light, found himself staring at Eila’s shadowed back.

Just as she said, the daughters of the Blanche family had always been hailed as great mages for generations.

But they were rare, born only once in several generations. Eila herself had been considered a miracle, born after many attempts.

Perhaps that was why the renown of Blanche’s daughters had gradually faded from people’s memories, their greatness now known only through records.

Because of that, Kedrick had never understood.

Why their father had been able to discard Eila so coldly, or how he had so quickly accepted Rosia as his daughter after finding her for the first time in over a decade.

Suddenly, a memory surfaced—of Callios, looking at newborn Eila with a trembling voice.

“Kedrick, all the girls born into our family possess extraordinary talent. This child… she is a treasure that will bring glory to our family.”

“How great is this talent supposed to be?”

“You will see for yourself. You will see what it means for talent to be heaven-sent.”

Back then, Callios’s eyes had been filled with affection.

But now, Kedrick understood. Callios’s affection hadn’t been for Eila herself, but for the potential she represented.

Contrary to Callios’s expectations, Eila’s magical talent had been mediocre.

As she grew, she continually disappointed him, and the affection Callios had for his daughter quickly withered.

At some point, Callios stopped even looking at Eila.

On the rare occasions they met, he would only frown and spit out words of disdain.

“Pathetic.”

Kedrick had always felt sorry for his younger sister, who, no matter how hard she tried, could never gain their father’s approval and was constantly subjected to others’ scorn.

Perhaps that was why he had always felt such tenderness and protectiveness toward her. Gerat had likely felt the same way.

That was why, when he heard that Eila had taken first place, Kedrick had been truly happy.

After leaving the family, she had finally regained the magical talent she had so desperately wished for.

But now, hearing Eila’s words, a sense of unease crept in.