Chapter 34: Zeraphe Gnaude
It all happened right after the lead monster finished speaking.
The pale-faced monsters bowed reverently toward the magic circle and one by one threw the humans they were carrying into it.
The unconscious—or possibly dead—examinees were flung helplessly into the air.
Wuuuuuuuuuuuung!
The crimson mana of the magic circle flared violently, wrapping around the sacrifices.
As if to declare them its own, it devoured them greedily.
<Aaaaahhh!>
<Our king is pleased!>
<Still fond of human flesh, as always!>
But… were there even any humans left in this subterranean labyrinth?
The monsters had no eyes. Without sound, they couldn’t locate prey wandering the darkness.
<Still not enough! This is far too little!>
<We need more sacrifices!>
<Isn’t there some way to get more?>
This was a once-in-an-epoch opportunity.
A chance—perhaps their last—to awaken the king who had been sealed away for thousands of years.
<Some way…>
If they missed this chance, would someone interfere again as in the past?
Would they be forced to endure another thousand-year wait?
No! That must not happen.
<There is one way.>
The massive lead monster grinned grotesquely.
<Captain! What way is that?>
<Our king loves human flesh.>
<…Captain?>
<So there’s only one thing we can do.>
It said:
<We, too, were once human, weren’t we?>
<……!>
<You.>
The massive monster grabbed the torso of one of the smaller monsters nearby.
<I heard you earlier… eating one of the sacrifices meant for our king.>
<P-please… spare me…!>
<Then you won’t mind becoming a sacrifice yourself.>
Hwaaaaaaaahk!
Without hesitation, the massive monster hurled its fellow creature into the magic circle.
And then—
FWOOSH!
The circle’s mana flared even more violently than before.
As if it were thrilled. Delighted.
<Aaaaah—! Our king is delighted!>
The red mana danced like a flickering tongue, demanding more sacrifices.
The massive monster felt the same.
<If it pleases His Majesty so much, why wouldn’t I offer more?>
Rising up in a frenzy, the towering beast bellowed,
<Then I shall offer MORE—MOREMOREMOREMORE!>
And with that, the giant monster began to slaughter its fellow monsters—those that had just moments ago been its allies.
“……”
From behind the shadow of a stone pillar, within a carefully hidden barrier, Gale and the others silently watched.
Their eyes trembled with shock.
The barrier—crafted through the combined magic of Sercia and Batan—was built around Batan’s barrier golem and reinforced with layered spells: defensive magic, invisibility magic, and aura-concealment.
Both were highly capable casters.
And no matter what they said, their voices wouldn't reach the monsters.
“……”
Yet, the group remained silent—so tense they didn’t dare even breathe.
That heavy stillness was shattered… by one person’s groan.
“Ugh…”
Duran had regained consciousness.
“...Where am I? What happened to me—ugh!”
“Duran! You're awake?”
“I… I… huff!”
Suddenly, blood vessels burst in his eyes, turning them a vivid red.
As consciousness returned, so did sensation—and that’s when he finally felt the pain of his missing arms.
“Ghhh—!”
Snap!
Just as Duran was about to scream in agony, Melasa swiftly shoved a potion into his mouth.
“Mmgh—!”
“…I’m sorry. The situation doesn’t allow for noise. Please bear with it.”
She whispered as she gently pinned him down.
“Shhh. Drink this—it’ll ease the pain.”
Moments later, the potion took effect. Duran’s body calmed noticeably.
Then, tapping her arm as if to say I’m okay now, he looked at her.
Melasa didn’t release him until she saw the look of calm return to his face.
“Phew! That gave me a scare.”
“Sorry, Duran. I had to force it.”
“It’s alright. Thank you. That was… horrible pain. You're Melasa, right? From the Witch clan?”
Lying down, Duran scanned the group.
“All familiar faces.”
Most of those present were top candidates expected to become Hunters. Duran, also a prominent candidate, recognized them.
“…?”
Then, his gaze landed on Gale and Hake, hesitating slightly at the unfamiliar faces—but he didn’t ask.
Instead, with a faint smile, he said,
“You’re the ones who saved me, right? Thank you. I’m in no shape to offer much now, but… I’ll repay this life-saving debt someday.”
“Don’t mention it. Focus on recovery.”
“Actually, I do want to mention it.”
At that moment, Abito cut in bluntly.
“I had a specific reason for keeping you alive.”
He arched an eyebrow, clearly displeased with Batan’s gentle response.
“A reason? For me?”
“Yeah. I need solid intel. Like who exactly did this to you—”
He waved casually, pointing to Duran’s severed arms.
“Abito!”
Batan rebuked him, appalled at the tactless gesture—but Duran simply shook his head.
“No need to hold back. I bet someone as sharp as you has already guessed… It was Zeraphe Gnaude.”
He gave a bitter smile.
“I’d allied with Calix and Zares. We were looking for a mage—the one who unleashed that massive explosion on day one. We thought it was too dangerous to leave a rival like that alive.”
“……”
“In hindsight, I’m pretty sure that mage was Zeraphe. That spell was powerful enough to make us think the whole labyrinth was collapsing.”
“……”
As he spoke, three members of the group—Gale, Abito, and Timur—all exchanged strange glances.
They turned slowly toward one person.
“Huh? Do I have something on my face?”
The true caster of that explosion—Sercia Edelweiss.
“If there’s nothing wrong, could you all look away, please? This is getting uncomfortable.”
Unfazed, she remained cool as ever. Gale inwardly clicked his tongue, thinking, what a shameless woman.
“Anyway, we split up at a fork in the path while searching for the mage… and that’s when I ran into him. Zeraphe Gnaude, slaughtering other examinees.”
Duran bit his lip so hard it bled.
“I had pride in my skills. I thought I could take down any enemy.”
Gale recalled the chatter back in the arena:
—Duran’s swordsmanship is like a raging storm, sharp and fierce.
As a dual swordsman, Duran was likely a lightning-fast, fluid fighter who handled two blades with deadly precision.
“But I didn’t last ten exchanges. It was an overwhelming defeat.”
“…That’s odd.”
Suddenly, Frau spoke up.
“I entered Rusram Academy the same year as Zeraphe! We were in different departments and never spoke, but I know of his skills.”
Frau, a kangaroo beastkin, had sharp senses for gauging strength.
“Yes, Zeraphe is strong. But not to the extent that he should’ve dominated Duran like that!”
Hearing this, Duran fell silent for a moment.
“…I don’t know. But something was off.”
“What do you mean?”
Abito quickly followed up.
“It’s hard to explain… His mana felt wrong. It was pitch black—so dark it felt like a demon. Maybe I was imagining it since I was being overwhelmed…”
Humans generally weren’t born with ‘dark’ or ‘evil’ mana by nature.
That was the accepted truth—and so most assumed Duran had been hallucinating under pressure.
But there were exceptions.
“…Black mana?”
Gale muttered, suspicion rising.
Because he had seen it himself—not long ago.
A sorcerer recklessly wielding vile, dark mana…
“The Mad Puppeteer, Molga.”
And at that exact moment—
“—That’s enough.”
A voice, at once unfamiliar and yet disturbingly familiar, echoed in their ears.
“…!”
They turned quickly toward the source.
Floating above them, Zeraphe Gnaude had silently appeared, staring directly at them.
“Snooping around in someone else’s secrets, are we?”
He smiled faintly.
“You naughty kids. And naughty kids… must be punished, don’t they?”
Snap!
He flicked his fingers.
And just like that—
“Aaaahh!”
“Ghhk…!”
“Ugh!”
CRACK-CRACK—!
Thick tree roots shot up from the ground, shattering the barrier surrounding the group.
Several members, caught in the center, were struck by the roots and coughed blood.
“Hey! Miss!”
Sercia, the caster of the barrier, collapsed, overwhelmed by the impact.
Gale caught her mid-fall and landed safely with her in his arms.
“Hey! Snap out of it!”
Slap slap!
He slapped her cheeks, and her eyelids fluttered before she opened her eyes.
“…Ah, Mr. Gale. Thank you. I think I blacked out for a moment. What about the others?”
As she steadied herself, Gale scanned the battlefield.
In chaotic fights like this, assessing both allies and enemies was the top priority.
“Looks like everyone’s okay.”
Though some had taken direct hits, they’d recovered quickly and landed safely.
Duran, who couldn’t move, had been carried to the back by Batan’s golem.
“…But what do we do about that?”
Sweat trickled down Gale’s forehead.
“We’re in big trouble.”
In the short time they’d been distracted, the massive monster had sacrificed all its kin into the magic circle—and was now staring down at them.
<Humans?>
Its twisted mouth stretched up toward the heavens.
<Sacrifices! Food for the king! More offerings for our lord!>
As the monster shrieked with joy, Zeraphe Gnaude spoke up.
“Captain. I know you’re excited, but take this first.”
<…Magician? What are you saying?>
“My gift of goodwill.”
Zeraphe raised a hand, and tree roots surged toward the magic circle.
Squirm... squirm...
From within the stems, they spilled dozens of corpses.
“Ones I collected even before coming underground… and some fresh ones, too. A worthy offering, wouldn’t you say?”
<Aaaah—! I hear our king’s joy! He is pleased!>
“Good. I’m glad he enjoys it.”
Zeraphe pressed his palms together.
“Now, let’s begin.”
“The ritual… to summon your king—the one who will fulfill my long-cherished wish.”
He spoke like a man offering a prayer.
But it was twisted, blasphemous… and utterly vile.