Terminally-Ill Genius Dark Knight

Chapter 88

-I’ve prepared the Labyrinth of Dreams and Illusions.

-Think of it as a sort of illusionary prison made of imps. If you’re strong enough, you won’t suffer too much.

-Either way, you’ll stall others from recovering from the trauma as quickly as possible. Your purpose is to stall as long as possible. Understood?

In the past, Marin had definitely said that while explaining the operation.

I had already assumed that this would happen to me. I thought maybe I could be trapped in the illusion.

I mean, I was prepared for it.

But… I don’t know.

The scene in front of me now. What the hell is this?

A beach, the sand glistening in the sunlight.

And there I am, sprawled out.

‘This is… my trauma?’

My brow creases.

My gaze drifts to the horizon at the edge of the ocean.

There is someone there. Someone who appears to be a woman, to be precise.

Of course, I don’t remember a woman like that.

It was strange.

It felt foreign, and every nerve in my body was on edge.

One.

I still couldn’t take my eyes off her. I can’t understand it, and that makes me even more mesmerized.

In that moment, I was sure.

It’s something I’ve lost.

A shard of a memory, shattered like glass.

Also, that I know her.

‘I have to go.’

I have to go to her.

‘I have to go.’

Only the same thought lingers in my mind. I couldn’t think straight.

My head felt like it was in a mess.

Shaaaaaah-.

I hear the sound of waves crashing into each other, creating a gentle ripple.

In a space filled with silence and nothingness.

I began to run relentlessly toward her.

I can’t move forward fast enough thanks to the sand that crunches underfoot. But that doesn’t stop me from running as fast as I can. I run to the limit.

I have to go.

I have to get to her.

She can give me back what I’ve lost.

I’m sure of it, but the distance between me and her doesn’t decrease.

She floats on the water, barefoot. She’s wearing an unusually white dress and a pair of white wings behind her back.

But why?

As I stare at her, I feel a pang in my chest. My breath caught in my throat, and I felt an unexplainable pain in my chest.

Thud.

(Tug.)

“Huh?”

Another tear rolls down my cheek, soaking the sand beneath my feet. When I looked up again, she was gone.

I repeat to myself.

I don’t know her.

But I don’t know if she doesn’t know me.

That made me cry even harder.

Because I had to face the vague fear that I would never see her again.

I was in love with her.

I might not know the shape of it, but I was sure of it.

If the emotion of love were tangible, it would be like this.

The waves are getting rougher and rougher.

I’m afraid I’ll be swept away, but I keep looking at one place like a ghost.

The place where she is gone.

I also see it again.

A woman I don’t recognize, but who is familiar…….

Pure white wings.

And…….

“…X!”

X?

That’s not …….

“…X! Wake up! Come on!”

Just a little bit,

Just a little more…….

“Nox!”

That was it. Someone had suddenly smacked me on the head, and a hot sensation rose from my forehead. I woke up with a headache and, to my surprise, found myself surrounded by Talia and Eleanor.

But there was something even stranger.

They were more surprised than I was.

* * *

“You mean I was dreaming?”

“Yes. That’s right. I knew what was going to happen to you and I really…….”

Talia was practically sobbing. She said I cried.

I knew that, actually. But I thought it was just a dream… Apparently not.

I was crying in real life, too.

But it didn’t make sense.

‘Why? What did I just see… that made me cry?’

My memory is fuzzy, so I’m not sure. I think she might have looked at me and said something. But I don’t really remember anything else.

In hindsight, what I saw must have been a piece of my past, which will probably help me reach the end of this story.

That much was clear.

I thought about it for a moment, but then shook my head to dismiss the thought.

I didn’t have time to think long and hard now anyway.

It was time to get back to the main story.

It’s important to survive somehow.

I honestly don’t know what the Inner Lunatic is trying to convey to me, but if we continue on this path, we will all be killed by the Great Demon Paimon, who will awaken from the Spirit Stone.

That is something that must never happen.

Stall for time as much as possible.

And if there is a change, deal with it immediately.

That was the only thing I had to do.

“You’re being a dick. Forget it. Let’s move.”

I pretended not to be disturbed, and so I began to move.

No one seems to notice, except for Eleanor and Talia, who both seem bothered by my reaction.

But I can’t even begin to explain it.

I am a stranger in this world. Maybe not, but….

At least, that’s how I see myself now.

Therefore, I hide myself thoroughly.

It’s the only way I can survive.

* * *

A night sky with a full moon.

It was Luna’s favorite day of the year, but also her worst nightmare.

In the past, she was abandoned on the day of the full moon and taken by her Master.

Afterward, she proved herself by joining a group called the Lunatics, where she learned to wield a sword and rose to the pinnacle.

All at the tender age of twenty.

Also, so say those who know a true powerhouse.

Luna is the youngest. She may be the weakest of the four sages and three swordsmen now, but she will be invincible on the day of the full moon.

The reason is simple.

She wields a sword called the Moonlight Sword, a sword that catches the light of the moon and uses it to cut through her enemies.

The fuller the moon, the stronger her sword becomes.

Its power is maximized tonight. This short night.

“Duff. Get ready.”

“Okay… there…….”

Duff and Luna are now floating above the Sidious Hall of Eldain Academy. They’re using their flight magic to look down and keep a close eye on their surroundings.

In a little while, they should be heading to the Museum in District 1, one of the Academy’s core institutions.

Rumor has it that Paimon, a ninth-ranked demon once slain, resides there.

It’s where the Great Demon Spirit Stone is kept.

Also, a full moon night like this is a good time for demons to go on the rampage. The last thing anyone needs is a rampage.

No matter how criminal the Lunatics may be, their goal is to overthrow the Imperial Family, reform from the bottom up, and establish a new nation.

The last thing Luna wanted was for there to be indiscriminate slaughter.

“Luna… are you sure you don’t mind… Noah von Trinity…… is the Dean of Elidane… a powerful individual.”

“I know.”

Luna’s eyes don’t move at all. Just a pair of moonlit eyes.

All I can sense from the blond golden eyes is the glorious solitude and the melancholy of the past hours of chewing and swallowing. And a terrible, terrible vengeance against the Imperial Family.

“Let’s get started.”

Luna shuffled downstairs, the moonlight her only companion.

Duff moved after her.

Taas.

With light steps, barely leaving a sound, they moved.

They passed the giant fountain in the center that separated the noble and commoner dormitories, and the main building of the first wing came into view.

And… a museum of the remnants of beings once called heroes, hidden by magic, appeared before them.

“Finally… we’re here……. The…… shelter of the fallen.”

Duff called the museum a resting place for the fallen.

It was called a resting place for heroes, but that was never true.

For it was here that those who had been sacrificed for him, who had become mere dogs of the imperial family, had died and been abandoned with tarnished honor.

They did not believe.

That’s why they want to tear it down and rebuild it.

Turbuck.

(teobeog.)

Luna stepped inside in silence.

The layers of magic protecting the inside from the outside were meaningless to her.

Why had she chosen a full moon in the first place?

Because it was a night when she could push her skills to the limit.

And so the two moved on, slaying arrow traps from the walls, fiends and chimeras from the floor, and demons born from the discarded waste around them.

Eventually.

They reached a massive stone wall.

It was blocked by a giant sheet of ice, and at the end of it, on a small stool dotted with dots, sat an even smaller girl.

“I knew you’d come! I knew you’d be interested in this magic stone! Master of the Lunatic… and the last heir to the Moonlight Sword, now one of the three new swordsmen. Luna.”

“Noah von Trinity… please step aside. The Crystal Stone is an object that will disrupt the world.”

But Luna already knew that she would not move out of the way. The hand on the hilt of her sword was proof.

“I think you already know my answer!”

Noah said playfully.

She released the moonlight, letting it slowly soak into the sword.

Like all the light in the world, the moonlight flickered across the darkness.

Swish!

(seogeog!)

Something has been cut.

But Luna isn’t sure what it is, and she knows it’s nothing like the sensation of cutting through human flesh.

The cavity fills with darkness, and a chill rises from the floor.

Noah’s voice comes from somewhere, his tone changed.

“I meant…”

Boom!

(kwaang!)

Luna deflected a spear of ice from behind her with her sword.

Through the shattered ice, she could see Noah’s face, which had somehow returned to its original form.

Yes, that’s the Frost Witch’s true form.

What she was showing now was her true power, though I’m sure it wasn’t all of it…….

Luna sucked in a breath.

She’s not fazed. But neither is her enemy.

“You know, Luna, I really enjoy fighting strong enemies. Paimon was one of the strongest demons I’ve ever fought.”

“Is that why you’re letting him awaken, so you can fight him again and prove your superiority?”

“What will you do if I say yes, kid?”

“I’ll kill you.”

“You? Me? Ahhhh…! For what?”

“For my sake.”

The conversation continues, with neither party yielding an inch, and the overwhelming power that only the Absolute can create.

Magic binds them together, and they struggle to seize the initiative.

But the equilibrium of power is not easily broken.

It was a battle between absolutes.

At that moment, Duff was already on the move.

Taking advantage of Noah and Luna’s fight, he uses one fire spell after another to open the ice-sealed door. Little by little.

Little by little, it began to melt.

But none of the three knew it.

Something else was already inside the door, and they could already hear the crackling and cracking sounds coming from the spirit stone.

* * *

The second labyrinth in Zone 2 wasn’t too difficult.

It was actually quite fun.

I rejoined Leon, Penelope, and Echidna. Together, we played a game of defense against the incoming demons.

New friends and units, of course. Lana von Sader was also with us.

Timid as she was, she and I fought our way through the problem.

This was the essence of the defense game: a stronghold, and hunting down waves of enemies from it in four successive waves.

Normally, as a Knight class, I wouldn’t have enjoyed this at all, but this time was different. Hadn’t I properly mastered black magic using the tome I had obtained earlier?

Being able to use magic properly was a huge advantage, and I was able to enjoy hunting down demons.

Of course, I didn’t forget to stall for time.

Either by deliberately stepping on the echidna’s feet, or by using spells or techniques that have a large enough action to delay time somewhat.

I managed to stall the time in a variety of ways.

All in all, not a big deal.

Marin was following me, too, and no one noticed her movements. I was happy about that.

“Somehow you made it to the second one.”

Leon said, wiping away a rare sweat.

He had the hardest time in the defense game, though.

The ability to bring the dead back to life would be excellent in large-scale warfare. From that perspective, his ability was bound to help.

On the plus side, Iana was able to replenish Leon’s mana for black magic. It wasn’t a positive for me, as I needed to stall as long as possible, but oh well.

It’s very important for units to work together and build rapport like this, so I’ll take it.

Inner Lunatic is all about coordination, and if your units are in sync, there’s nothing better than that.

“Leon, you look a little tired.”

“Is that… ah… am I…… okay…? Is it because I’m inexperienced…….”

“No, Lana, I’m fine.”

Leon replied with difficulty to Penelope and Iana’s words.

Iana looked in my direction this time.

“Is he… Nox… nim? Is he okay……?”

“He’s fine. Don’t compare me to these wimps.”

“It’s been less than three hours since you showed tears, aren’t you acting too strong?”

Eleanor snapped as usual. But this time, for some reason, Penelope came to her defense.

“I don’t think you should talk to my potential groom like that.”

“Oh. My apologies, princess. I hope you’ll forgive my rudeness.”

“Under the circumstances. I forgive you.”

I was dumbfounded.

No, why are you using my tears to decide whether you forgive or not?

Furthermore.

“Nox, are you sure you’re okay…?”

Talia continues to worry about me with the same grim look from earlier.

I want her to stay like this, the last thing I want is for her to try to kill me. I don’t even want you to tell Rover.

I still want to live.

Echidna is darting around like a meerkat, keeping an eye on the situation.

When she’s satisfied they’re safe, she sighs.

“But what the hell is in store for us in the third labyrinth? I’m beginning to worry. If the second one was this hard…….”

“Well.”

I replied, knowing, but proudly not knowing.

Talia grabbed my arm, obviously uneasy. Penelope tilted her head as if to say she’d look the other way this time.

Hagiya, I dealt with variables whenever they came up. Talia won’t be used to being told I don’t know.

I’m sure the other units aren’t either.

‘Well, I actually know how to handle things this time, too. I’ve already told you that the magic won’t be released unless you clear the three labyrinth quests. …Of course, I’m not going to tell you the strategy this time.’

Well, what can I say?

I have to live and let live.

The third labyrinth quest.

I thought to myself as I continued to descend into the building’s basement.

‘Next, it’s finally my turn to step up to the plate.

I thought to myself, glancing back at my companions.

I can feel a little sadism bubbling up in my gut at the sight of these strangers. Next time, I’m going to be their true education teacher and their leveling assistant.

What does that mean?

‘Labyrinth Flower. It means… I’m going to be their boss monster.’

I did.

I was going to be the boss monster that fights the group directly.

In a way, it seems like a good situation for a villain. With that thought, I smiled a little as I imagined their future.

Assholes.

You’ve been screwing with me all this time, haven’t you?

You’re about to get your comeuppance.

“……Nox? That’s kind of scary…….”

I didn’t listen to Talia at all.

Time to de-stress…!