Why is someone who should be at the [Checkpoint] here right now?
And with a mage from the Laness Magic Tower, who should have no connection to any of this?
“Wh-What are you two even doing here…?”
“S-Sorry. I snuck out because I wanted to have a word with you…”
“A word…?”
Now that he thought about it, when Dexter had been reporting about the situation earlier, he’d heard that Javier had been looking for him.
But since the matter at hand had been urgent and nothing more came of it afterward, he’d forgotten all about it.
Of all times, it had to be today…?
Jun’s impression of Javier hadn’t changed much from before.
A ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment.
And yet, here he was in the middle of a deadly battlefield.
If he were to die here…
That would be awful…
Jun had never met Javier’s mother, Vennes, in person, but he remembered how she was portrayed in the game: a truly terrifying woman.
Would she ever forgive him if her son died while Jun stood by doing nothing?
That can’t happen… No, wait. Don’t jump to the worst conclusion yet.
Whatever the case, Javier had just helped him survive a dire situation.
Given his current condition, facing Derman alone would have been far too much.
But how did that guy even follow us all the way here?
Velles was still in a panic, fussing as he stared outside in confusion.
Sensing Jun’s gaze, Javier gave a wry smile and said,
“I asked him to come with me. I wanted to avoid drawing attention.”
“Ah.”
He didn’t know why Javier had sought him out, but he could guess why the man had come to find him in person.
Well, I have been busy lately. Constant meetings with the First Prince, scouting the island with detection spells during the day…
So he must’ve gotten tired of waiting and decided to come see him directly and it just happened to be today of all days.
Still, they couldn’t just stand around chatting like this forever.
“Sir Javier, how long will this barrier hold?”
“It should last quite a while. Judging by the artifact’s mana flow… huh?”
Even as the monstrous Derman continued his relentless assault outside, Javier blinked in surprise after checking the artifact’s remaining mana.
“N-No, it might not last that long after all!”
“Yes… that’s what it looks like.”
From Jun’s perspective, the artifact was impressively crafted.
But Derman’s attacks were just as fierce….and now that he looked closer, the artifact bore traces of previous heavy use.
The Poison Master. Is this the one they used when he went berserk?
Still, this was a problem Jun could fix.
Jun spoke in a low voice.
“Could you let me take a look at the artifact for a moment?”
“O-Of course. Be my guest.”
“Thank you.”
Jun immediately pulled out a mana fluid from his dimensional bracelet and examined the artifact Javier handed him.
Fortunately, thanks to his recent focus on enchantment magic, he could spot exactly where the structure was destabilizing.
“Here… if I connect it here, that should do it.”
He linked the mana fluid to the artifact, allowing mana to circulate through it once more.
The barrier, which had been flickering precariously moments ago, quickly regained its full glow.
“Wh-What is that thing?”
Velles, who had finally come to his senses, looked with wide eyes.
Oh, right. He’s still here.
Jun had practically forgotten about him, given how noisy he’d been the whole time.
This isn’t something that should be public yet…
It was still far from official release. It was something to be handled under strict secrecy.
So Jun decided to bluff.
“It’s something His Highness Dexter gave me. I’m not really sure how it works.”
Well, what else could he do but lie through his teeth?
Velles suspected Jun. After all, Jun’s hands had looked practiced, but given the circumstances, he couldn’t press the matter further.
“That aside… what on earth happened?”
Velles followed up with the question.
Javier, wearing a similar expression, also looked at Jun.
Neither of them knew the full story of the incident.
Dexter really kept things tightly under wraps, didn’t he?
This wasn’t an incident like the Wondoksa affair that involved Javier, so there was no need to mention it to him.
If he had been told, Javier wouldn’t have considered acting alone like this.
“Phew… To get straight to the point, it was the work of the Heavenly Church.”
“Them again?”
“Yes. The appearance of a corrupted monk called the ‘Butcher Monk’ whom my comrades and I once encountered in enemy territory, is proof.”
Time wasn’t exactly abundant, but they did gain a little breathing room.
Because there was a chance these two might not grasp the seriousness of the situation and act rashly, Jun explained in detail what had happened.
“So… that bastard did that to my brother?”
But Javier’s reaction exceeded Jun’s expectations.
Usually Javier pretended not to be afraid but was cowardly; now he was showing intense anger over Aiden’s injury.
Velles too seemed to have composed himself and accepted the situation calmly.
“So can we kill him ourselves now?”
Frankly, Derman at the moment was roughly a raid monster between level 6 and 7.
If our mercenary group were at full condition, it wouldn’t be impossible.
But not right now, was it?
An overheat state couldn’t be fixed with a recovery potion, and the wounds taken earlier hadn’t fully healed yet.
But that didn’t mean there were no options.
Above all, Jun still had a trump card to restore a damaged body, didn’t he?
It was a method he would have used forcefully against the Butcher Monk if Aiden hadn’t arrived in time during that fight.
Mutantization.
If he used that tremendous power, there was indeed a way to break through their defenses.
The problem was that he’d recently heard about the side effects of “Mutantization” from Marshar.
He said overusing it would strain my heart.
In hindsight, it was strange he’d thought there would be no side effects at all.
For a short time, his heart gained durability comparable to that of a dragon heart.
If I’m not careful, my heart might not withstand the load.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
The Sea Serpent must’ve shown up in the city by now. Killing that thing over there is a problem, and killing Derman here is another.
In the game, there was a pattern. If you killed one of the two, the other would absorb its power.
That could lead to an eighth-level raid monster emerging.
That was why, even in the game, players had to whittle both of their HP down to nearly the same level, then finish them off simultaneously using area attacks.
It had been a notoriously difficult raid that players often cursed for its cruelty.
Still, it’s not like there’s no way to overcome this situation.
With that thought, Jun turned to Velles.
“I’ve got a plan.”
“Just say the word.”
Even though Jun’s tone had subtly shifted, Velles didn’t comment and simply listened closely.
“We need to hold that thing’s ankle down for a bit.”
“Against that monster…?”
“Do you have a way?”
“To some extent… but I can’t guarantee it. Time’s one issue, but more than that, I’m short on mana.”
“What about the mana stones you have left?”
“We arrived on the coastal island right after completing the mission, so my remaining supply is limited.”
Most people imagined high-circle magic as something that could be cast instantly with a single magic circle like true magic from a fairy tale, but it wasn’t that convenient.
The higher the circle, the more preparation was required, and normally, other support mages would assist in executing it.
So the fact that Velles said his only issue was insufficient mana spoke volumes about how skilled a mage he was.
“If mana’s all you need, then that’s enough, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then use this.”
From Jun’s dimensional bracelet, another vial of mana fluid appeared.
Velles accepted it and looked at Jun with a peculiar expression. A moment ago, Jun had been so adamant about denying it….yet now he was handing it over without hesitation. No matter how you looked at it, he didn’t seem like someone who didn’t know what he was doing.
Am I really seeing this with my own eyes? Liquid mana?
And that wasn’t all. He could even tell that its stability far surpassed that of ordinary mana stones.
Still, Velles wasn’t so dense that he couldn’t pick up on the fact that Jun didn’t want to dwell on this topic for long. So he quietly nodded.
“If it’s just for a moment, there’s a spell I can use.”
“Good. Then get ready. I’ll give you the signal.”
“Understood.”
“And…”
Jun turned his gaze toward Javier.
Would it be too much to say that Javier was the key figure in this operation?
There is one method I can count on for sure.
It wasn’t even something that would put Javier at risk.
All he had to do was draw out a particular type of mana from him.
The problem was…
He hasn’t awakened that ability yet.
At a glance, Javier might look like a prince without any special powers, but in the game, he proudly held a spot as one of the main villains.
Naturally, that meant he possessed a power befitting that role. But for now, it seemed he had yet to realize it himself.
It’s absurd that I’m the one using that ability before he does… and who knows how he’ll react once he finds out.
Jun shook his head at the thought.
No. If I think about it, the route where Prince Javier falls into corruption is practically erased by now.
The Church’s interference had been cut off at just the right time, and Javier’s mother, Beneth, was already under the watchful eye of the imperial family.
Things weren’t going to spiral that badly anymore.
The real issue is explaining how I even know about the Third Prince’s abilities.
Jun pondered for a moment before quickly reaching a conclusion.
Well, it’s not completely impossible to justify.
It had already been quite some time since he’d crossed paths with Javier, after all.
He’d looked into everything related to him long ago.
“Sir Javier, if you don’t mind, may I draw a portion of your mana for use?”
“… mana?”
The one who reacted wasn’t Javier, but Velles whose attention had been fixed on the mana fluid until that moment.
Has he lost his mind?
After all, drawing mana directly from a person was generally regarded with deep suspicion, even disgust.
Jun knew that perfectly well, but he had no other choice.
“With your mana, Sir Javier, I believe it would greatly help us bring this situation under control.”
“In that case… very well. Take it.”
Perhaps it was because Jun’s expression was so serious, Javier pushed aside his doubts and extended his hand.
Following the method he’d learned from Marshar, Jun carefully began to extract Javier’s mana into a cylinder.
Once all the preparations were complete, and after briefly checking Aiden and Thaerdin’s injuries—
—the creature that Derman had become began to reveal its next move.
Plop, plop-plop…
Ever since the failed assault, dark clouds had been gathering overhead, and now the sky was finally showing its true nature.
Rain poured down in sheets so heavy that visibility dropped to almost nothing.
But to the mages’ eyes, this was no ordinary rain.
“It’s begun…”
Jun was the first to notice.
The rain falling over the entire island was infused with potent water-elemental mana. This was an effect created by Derman and the Sea Serpent working in unison.
In the game, this was a field effect.
Within this domain, Derman and the Sea Serpent’s power would only grow stronger.
Sure enough, the artifact protecting Javier, which had been holding up decently until now, began to creak under the renewed assault.
The attacks had grown noticeably fiercer.
Realizing there was no more time to waste, Jun made his decision without hesitation—
—and activated his mutant transformation.
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