Chapter 39: The Cyclops’s Arrival

Uh…

Ah… ha?!

“Thump—thump—thump—!”

A profound tremor continuously resonated beneath Allyrose and her companions’ feet. The startled black-haired girl, caught off guard, initially wondered if they were experiencing an earthquake.

However, the group quickly realized something was amiss.

This sound…

Why did it sound so much like footsteps?

But how could footsteps be so immense?

Unless…

Unless it was…

Moments later, everyone took a deep breath. A vast shadow suddenly rose before them, completely obscuring the daylight. Allyrose quickly looked up, her pupils dilating in shock.

At that very moment, a cyclops, tall as a mountain, slowly advanced towards them. Its colossal foot was capable of crushing everyone present into paste.

Then, it halted, lowering its head to gaze down at Allyrose and her companions.

A sharp intake of breath rippled through the group.

Upon seeing that enormous single eye, everyone present felt their legs turn to jelly, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

For those with megalophobia, the scene before them was the ultimate nightmare. Faced with such an insurmountable disparity in size, even Yuna felt a prickling sensation of dread.

[Calamity-grade Demonic Beast – Cyclops]

Oho~

Allyrose instantly recognized it. This was one of the demonic beasts from their textbooks—its abilities unknown, its habits mysterious, yet it came with a dire warning: upon sighting, one must flee without hesitation. To this day, hardly anyone who had encountered it had ever returned intact. A profound chill snaked down Allyrose’s spine.

‘Good heavens, this must be the ultimate trap Arius had originally intended for me, right?’

‘That man is truly ruthless… If I had actually fallen into this trap… Heh, whether I could even sate this cyclops would be a huge problem…’

‘Wait, could this thing have been summoned by the War Horn I just acquired?!’

‘Oh no—’

‘It seems… I might have dug my own grave a little…’

****

At this moment, Arius, cradling Vivian and filled with urgency, also felt a jolt of dread.

Gazing at the cyclops that had completely blocked their path back, Arius gnashed his teeth in anger. He then shot a furious glare at his adjutant beside him.

‘What in the world is going on? Didn’t they say this Calamity-grade demonic beast always stayed deep within the forest? Why has it suddenly appeared right in front of us?!’

‘This…’

‘No, this won’t do. I have to get Vivian back quickly!’

‘I… I need to find a way to distract this monster!’

‘Right… right!’

Moments later, an agitated Arius shifted his gaze towards Allyrose. Instantly, his frantic impatience vanished.

‘Heh… it seems I’ll still have to proceed with the original plan, won’t I?’

The very next second, while the students were still paralyzed with fear, Arius suddenly stepped forward and shouted to them:

“No, everyone, we don’t have time to deal with this Calamity-grade demonic beast! I propose… that one person distract this cyclops, and the rest of us seize the opportunity to escape!”

“Yes… Yes! Yes!”

Upon hearing this, the students immediately nodded in agreement, one after another, concurring with Arius’s suggestion.

Of course, what they agreed with was the idea of seizing the chance to flee. As for who would distract the cyclops…

Uh…

The esteemed Saintess, on whom everyone placed their hopes?

She was currently curled up in the Second Prince’s arms, bitten and bruised by the demonic lizard pack.

‘Ugh, it seems she truly… isn’t very reliable right now…’

What about Teacher Yuna, their homeroom instructor, who had single-handedly cleared out the demonic lizard pack and possessed explosive combat power?

Her combat prowess was certainly sufficient, but alas, she was utterly exhausted… This…

Or perhaps… Sir Jason, the Hero? Or even Tok, always renowned for his bravery?

A collective sigh of resignation.

The group scrutinized the two men clinging closely behind Arius, and instantly realized… these men were completely unreliable too, seemingly intent only on playing the hero, rescuing Vivian, and making their escape.

So…

Who else was there?

“You brats… just run quickly. As for that demonic beast, I… I’ll handle it…”

After a moment, Yuna quietly reached out, struggling to stand, but ultimately plopped back down onto the ground.

Clearly, fighting hundreds had taken an immense toll on her stamina. Seeing this, Arius sneered, his targeted gaze instantly shifting to Allyrose. He promptly pointed the finger at her, declaring:

“I have a suggestion! Why don’t… we have Miss Allyrose take responsibility for luring away the demonic beast? After all… Miss Allyrose is a super-talented genius with a Holy Light Level of one hundred! Heh, she’s practically the strongest combatant we have available right now! Since that’s the case… with great power comes great responsibility, Miss Allyrose, please, step up?”

“Oh~?”

Hearing this, the black-haired girl chuckled softly, a satisfied expression on her face. ‘As expected… it finally came to this~’

Then, to Arius’s surprise, Allyrose showed no signs of apprehension. Instead, she exuded an air of remarkable confidence.

After a brief moment, she nodded pleasantly, then walked to the very front of the group. She drew her Holy Light Psionic Sword and spoke:

“No problem~! Happy to oblige. However… please don’t think about running away just yet. I’m afraid I might accidentally harm you all. Kindly wait for me to deal with this cyclops within a few minutes before preparing to leave!”

“What?”

Hearing Allyrose’s confident and nonchalant words, Arius let out a disdainful sneer. ‘This girl…’

‘Could she have cheated so much that she’s started believing her own hype?’

‘She’s not even afraid of a Calamity-grade demonic beast. Could it be that she genuinely has no concept of what a Calamity-grade monster is?’

‘This is a Calamity-grade beast, for heaven’s sake!’

In this world, below Calamity-grade demonic beasts, there were still three other tiers: Normal, Elite, and Epic. For ordinary individuals, even an Elite-grade monster was an insurmountable challenge, requiring every ounce of their strength.

When he and Allyrose had first made their wager, he had initially thought an Epic-grade monster would be more than enough to put her through hell.

If the Holy See hadn’t continuously insisted on a Calamity-grade beast, preferably to eliminate Allyrose once and for all, Arius would never have risked coming to the Wunalu Forest himself. Even he felt that arranging a Calamity-grade demonic beast was somewhat excessive.

After all, a single Calamity-grade demonic beast was essentially the undisputed ruler of its entire monster-infested territory!

‘Defeat it?’

‘How could a magic academy student possibly accomplish that? Even the kingdom’s most elite mages would have to fight seriously, perhaps even resorting to a righteous group assault.’

‘Could this Allyrose really believe she’s Holy Light Level one hundred?!’

As this thought crossed his mind, Arius, his heart boiling with indignation, fixed his gaze on the sword-wielding black-haired girl. Moments later, for some inexplicable reason, a flicker of unease suddenly stirred within the golden-haired prince.

‘That sword, it seems… somewhat peculiar, doesn’t it?’