I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy

Chapter 195: Union (6)

“Helloo~.”

A playful voice of a girl was heard.

Golden eyes that seemed to hold starlight. Shoulder-length bobbed hair of golden color. It was Ershil.

“Nice to meet you. I am Ershil Merchen, the eldest daughter and young lady of the Merchen family.”

Lifting the ends of her skirt slightly, Ershil greeted.

The elegant greeting naturally brought to mind a noble.

She acted as if she were meeting me for the first time. Well, it was true that we were meeting under this identity for the first time.

However, there was a slight doubt in her eyes.

…Come to think of it, she was a sharp woman who could guess my other identities even without being told.

I hesitated for a moment.

Others called me Dark Knight or Masked Man, but I had never officially revealed my name.

I just didn’t mention my name since they called me Masked Man.

“Yes, I know. You protect the nights of Seoul, right? I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

Ershil smiled brightly as she spoke.

Protecting the nights of Seoul. It was a cheesy phrase, but it wasn’t wrong, so I let it slide. Ershil moved on to greet others besides me.

“Bonjour. I am Louis Richemont of the Richemont family in France.”

“I’m Roxanne Schneider. The Lion King was a great figure even in the European Union, and we, the people of France, will spare no support for the Lion King’s return.”

I quietly watched the scene.

France.

It’s a complicated country. Although there were gods, their influence was only comparable to the top-tier gods in the Hundred Temple. That’s not weak, but it’s lacking compared to other myths or legends.

However, right next door, there was the entity of the Outer Universe called the Black Sun, who won World War II by sacrificing lives and human offerings.

‘Thus.’

The war broke out.

They abducted residents indiscriminately and turned them into Mine soldiers to save themselves. But the opponent was the Nazi Empire. Even though they turned the whole world against them, the Nazi Empire still survived.

No matter how great France was, if the Nazi Empire decided to unleash its hidden power and conquer France, France wouldn’t have the strength to withstand it. France was said to have survived through diplomacy, but that was not quite right either.

So France reached out to forbidden laws.

For survival.

“Oh, could I get your autograph later?”

“Autograph…?”

Ershil, who had approached unnoticed, spoke to me.

“Yes, a relative of mine is a fan.”

“I see.”

I nodded in agreement.

But Ershil kept staring at me.

“Is there something else?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. You just resemble someone I know.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, the ideal physique and the shape of the bones…”

What did she mean by the shape of the bones?

I felt a chill for some reason.

“Shall we start moving?”

At Ershil’s words, everyone stood up. Some wanted to rest more, but it was a rescue operation.

Moreover, the opponent was the Nazi Empire.

The sooner we acted, the higher the chances of the Lion King’s return. And among the key members of this operation were those who had received some form of grace from the Lion King.

We started moving.

Towards the hell on earth.

The land was dark. The sky was blood-red, and the trees were withered.

It was a land reminiscent of hell. A place no different from hell.

There were no corpses here.

Only things that were once human exist. Soldiers controlled by foreign magic, driven by someone else’s will. And the Mine soldiers who came to kill them. The officers who controlled them.

‘Terrible.’

The people settled here were abducted indiscriminately. They were forcibly transformed into soldiers loyal to the Mine.

The Mine accepted ‘magi’ from beyond.

Magi corrupted living beings. It made them display indiscriminate hostility and murderous intent, no longer considered living beings. They became murder weapons. Weapons that only opposed the living.

Those who were here were transformed this way. Those who left corpses here were ‘researched’ and transformed into stronger Mine soldiers.

A living hell.

As soon as this was known, the world did not stop its attacks on the Nazis.

But it was the early days of dimension fusion.

Monsters came endlessly, and it was an era where food was worth less than human lives. It was difficult for heroes to unite and build a society, and there were villains politicking from both outside and within.

Naturally, survival took precedence. Asia and America were fine, but Europe couldn’t properly stop the Nazi Empire from rampaging. Many countries fell in the process.

Naturally, the Nazi Empire became stronger.

The places that touched its borders turned into hell paths. The Nazis did not stop their offensives.

France stood at a crossroads of choice.

And they made a choice for survival.

Hwaak!

A golden light burst forth. The power felt within it was sacred.

It was the man who tried to give me advice at our first meeting.

Our team was currently divided into three groups.

The first group, the ‘bait,’ moved freely within the Nazi Empire’s territory to draw their attention.

If the ‘bait’ was in danger, the real force, the ‘net,’ would slaughter them.

And while the two teams were active, the ‘eyes’ would search for the Lion King.

Ershil was assigned to my team. She was active in the ‘bait’ team. She casted illusions on Mine soldiers and officers, making them fight among themselves.

“Impressive, you’re not to be underestimated despite your youth.”

“Indeed, the master of illusions, the young lady of the Merchen family. The rumors of being the prodigy of the Merchen family were not false.”

Others praised her. Louis was more explicit.

However, Ershil didn’t respond to it. She was pretending to be struggling just by casting illusions now.

‘As expected…’

I watched the scenes unfold.

Two hours since we entered the territory. We encountered numerous Mine soldiers. But their combat power was almost nonexistent. Most of them were civilians conscripted and transformed into Mine soldiers.

‘They’re stalling for time.’

Instinctively, I realized that they weren’t threatening us but stalling for time.

Not just the enemies, but the two from France were suspicious as well.

Roxanne and Louis.

They were conserving their strength.

“Are you interested in the eldest daughter of the Merchen family?”

“…You’re fluent in Korean.”

Roxanne, who had approached unnoticed, spoke to me. She smiled softly.

“Yes, the person I respect the most is a great and mighty hero. But don’t you like Louis?”

“…”

I remained silent.

“Well, Louis may look like that, but he’s well over fifty…”

I looked at Roxanne.

I thought about France.

France couldn’t survive as it was. Although the Holy Knights’ power was specialized in combating the Mine soldiers created and transformed by the Nazis, their numbers and strength were abnormal.

So they secretly made a pact with the Nazis. They wouldn’t invade the borders. Instead, they would give you strong heroes.

Hitler accepted it with a smile. He planned to reveal this fact someday to crush the European Union in one go.

Many heroes died that way.

Heroes who participated in the war to protect citizens lost their lives in vain. The one who revealed this fact was Sung Han-byul.

French heroes threatened her life, but she didn’t succumb. Thanks to that, Sung Han-byul achieved her 37th death ending, but still.

‘But it’s too strange to say France sent the Lion King away.’

Probably. The Lion King’s disappearance must have been an accident for them too. Because he alone was holding back 30% of the Nazi forces.

If the Lion King went missing at this time, France would suffer the most damage.

“Oh, what are you talking about here?”

“Hoho, just having a chat. Worried that the Lion King might be in trouble.”

“Don’t worry. His spirit is his sanctuary. If he holds out there, he’ll be fine for three days. But Mr. Masked Man, it’s fascinating. You protect the nights of Seoul, but this is the first time you’ve appeared elsewhere.”

Ershil’s eyes curved into crescents.

…It seemed she noticed.

“Perhaps it’s because the Lion King bestowed his grace? Most of the people here have their lives at risk but participated in this operation because they received his grace.”

“Or it could be for fame.”

Ershil looked at me.

“Or like me, someone who desires honor or wealth.”

Ershil maintained a confident demeanor despite her desire for honor and wealth.

I stared at a distant point.

Divine Sight responded. Magic screamed. Magi gathered and caused phenomena.

Once.

I recalled a similar phenomenon I saw with my eyes.

It was when I was in China.

An apostle. The scene was similar to when that death seed was born.

‘It may not be the same, but…’

It was undoubtedly a dangerous presence.

“Seeking honor and wealth. Is it because you’re British?”

“Oh my, I don’t want to hear that from someone from the Schneider family, who fell while seeking honor.”

“You…!”

“Quiet. It’s coming.”

I dismissed Roxanne’s words and looked to one side.

A huge.

A huge something was looking this way. Its size was as large as a mountain. It had the horns of a mountain goat of enormous size. It looked like a bipedal mountain goat.

Its body was entirely muscular, with fierce magical power, and its red eyes gleamed.

“…What is that?”

Roxanne was startled.

It was different from the atmosphere until now. The relaxed gestures and expressions. The strange confidence that even if others were in danger, they could survive.

All of those were gone.

“W-Wait. What is that monster?!”

“You promised something different!”

Roxanne said, and Louis screamed.

I stretched while getting up.

The sensed power was the highest rank. Among them, it was in the upper tier.

‘Can I do it.’

I thought that and smiled. When was it ever easy?

I activated the Conceptual Stat Refinement.

The black flame turned into a golden flame.

-Well met, my nemesis.

A voice echoed. It was fluent German. Talent, Reading (-) naturally interpreted it.

I looked at the air. The whole sky projected a mustached man in uniform. He looked at me with a confident expression.

-Last time, you gave me the disgrace of defeat. So this time, we will teach you the word defeat.

Adolf Hitler.

-We have the Lion King. If you want to save that being, come here.

He declared confidently.

And I was convinced.

‘The Lion King has escaped.’

I checked my armament. If he had come this far, there was no need to fight unnecessarily.

‘I’ll pretend to fight appropriately.’

And cut out the darkness of France.

That’s all there was to it.