“Wow, that’s cool.”
That was the first thought that popped into my head when I saw the Green Knight.
From the vibes it was giving off, it seemed like some sort of undead, but let me tell you, it was right up my alley in terms of design.
Screech-ho-whoosh!
And the power it packed was no joke either. I tried swinging my sword casually, not putting too much thought into it, and BAM—I went flying because I got totally overpowered.
“Man, I just want that horse though. Like, is there a way I don’t end up losing?”
This was the final monster for the grade competition, and it was clear that Crescent Academy had really thrown its all into making this one.
“Whoa! Quick direction change!”
Hoooom! Whoom! Whoooom!
The green horse suddenly spun around, and as it did, the knight sitting atop it started spinning his lance like it was about to do some serious damage.
Clop-clop-clop!
In no time at all, with an almost rhythmic sound of hooves clashing against the ground, the Green Knight charged directly toward the students like some kind of nightmare come alive.
Whoosh! Screech!
I braced myself and teleported right in front of the knight. I swung my sword with a lot more force this time, determined not to get blown away again.
Huuuuuuum!
“KYAAAAH!”
Behind me, Emily let out a bl**d-curdling scream.
Startled, I quickly whipped around to check if something else was coming after us, but nope—thankfully, it was just shock from the energy wave caused by my sword meeting the knight’s lance.
“Hey, I wonder if it’d be too hot to sit on this guy?”
I turned my gaze back to the green horse. Sure, it was a skeletal nightmare straight out of a scary story, but to me… it just looked so cool. Super collectible vibes were practically pouring off it.
But then again, if it’s too hot when you’re riding it, that’d be a major bummer.
“I really need that…”
“Ryu… Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just take the kids and hide somewhere. Elaine, you’re the only one I trust to keep them safe, ya know?”
“…Yes!”
With that, the Green Knight—let’s call him Green for convenience—tried to slash at the kids but ended up running straight ahead. Elaine quickly ushered the group to safety.
Elaine, Cynthia, and Emily bolted toward the corner, and sure enough, Elaine headed back into the tunnel we had just escaped from.
Choosing a known escape route? Smart move.
She really is quite the talent.
Whoosh!
And as if on cue, Green came charging at me again.
This time, instead of trying to slice me, the knight went for a stab—convenient for me because dodging’s a lot easier when they try stabbing.
Whoosh!
I teleported into the air just as the knight lunged forward, and I brought my sword down hard onto the knight’s body, loading it up with magical energy for extra punch.
Crack!
“What the heck? Why is it so tough?”
I thought this guy would go flying just like that skeleton knight earlier, but this one was different. There was some kind of protective magic around the knight’s body that absorbed the blow.
“Bluh. This is what they call academy-standard?”
Even putting real power behind my attack, it was still like I just hit a wall.
The competition might’ve been designed for students, but this doesn’t feel like student-level at all.
“Wow, this was a big design fail…”
Meanwhile, as Green backed away after my latest attack, I quickly glanced toward the group Elaine had taken to make sure they were out of harm’s way. Elaine had cleverly taken them deep into the tunnel, far away from Green’s line of sight.
That was one less thing I needed to worry about—thank goodness.
Tap-tap.
“Alrighty, just need to take care of you now.”
Seeming slightly confused that my attacks weren’t penetrating, Green simply glared at me from a distance.
I stared back, mind racing. How could I snag this horse without making it too obvious?
‘I mean, this thing is totally worth collecting. Hmm…’
Okay, so it might not be the prettiest thing to ride around regularly, but who knows? Maybe some day it could come in handy. Plus, the skeletal body? No feeding required.
Tap-tap.
“Huh?”
After standing there quietly for a moment, Green finally started moving again—but this time he wasn’t charging at me wildly. Instead, the horse was walking forward calmly, just like when it had first appeared.
But not really.
Tap-tap.
The green flames surrounding the horse’s legs began crackling more intensely as they ascended higher. And then suddenly…
Tap-tap.
The horse was walking… in the air.
“Holy moly!”
It can fly? No way.
This thing has to be mine.
Alright, Crescent Academy put a lot of effort into it, but what they don’t know won’t hurt them, right?
“Hehehe.”
Seeing the horse strutting its stuff in mid-air actually made me laugh. Come to think of it, this academy has already lost its treasure chest to me. Not like one horse will make much difference.
“Is everyone alright?”
“…Yeah. No injuries.”
“Uh-huh…”
“Phew.”
Elaine sighed softly as she looked at Cynthia and Emily, who both looked utterly exhausted.
While they claimed to be okay, Elaine was pretty sure they weren’t.
And she wasn’t exactly in top form herself.
“So… What exactly is going on?”
“Is this what grade competitions are usually like…?”
“From what I know, no. Definitely not like this. Phew.”
Elaine finally let herself relax a little, leaning back against the wall. It felt like they’d been in this dungeon for a week straight.
“A-ah, do any of you know what that green knight was? Franz, maybe?”
“Ah, nope. Never seen it before. Definitely some kind of undead though…”
“Do you think Ryu will be okay by himself?”
At Cynthia’s question, Elaine and Emily automatically turned their gaze toward the distant tunnel through which they’d fled.
Somewhere in there, Ryu was probably putting up an intense fight against that creepy undead.
But they’d run far enough that no sound of the battle could reach them.
“We’d just be in the way if we were closer.”
“…Yeah.”
Cynthia’s quiet question was quickly met with agreement from Elaine and Emily, and she herself slowly nodded in response.
Elaine gripped her sword’s handle tightly for a moment then let go.
“Right, if we stick around, all we’d do is draw the monster’s attention.”
For both Elaine and Emily, there was no doubt in their mind that Ryu would be fine.
Especially Elaine. She’d already realized it the moment Ryu handled that d*ath Knight earlier.
She herself had been too scared to even face it, but Ryu? He’d treated it like a toy.
And when he’d faced down that d*ath Knight like it was a mere child’s game, Elaine had no doubts about his skill.
‘There’s no way this guy wouldn’t stand up to my father in a sword fight.’
“Anyway, wasn’t that thing just super creepy?”
“Right? There was just something about it… really unsettling.”
The two of them turned their attention back to Emily.
“Do you know anything about undead?”
“Wh-what? Um…”
Caught off guard, Emily looked slightly uncomfortable and bowed her head.
Elaine hurried to dismiss any awkwardness, waving her hands.
“No, no, I’m not questioning you. Just… it’s interesting. I don’t know anything about it myself.”
“Yeah, same. We studied the animals and monsters of the continent and everything, but undead? Never encountered one before.”
“…Hmm, I saw one when I was little…”
“…Huh? You’ve seen an undead?”
“Yeah… it’s… uh. Gah.”
Elaine and Cynthia’s eyes nearly popped out of their heads at Emily’s shocking revelation.
An undead they had thought long disappeared from the continent? And she saw it when she was a kid?
Emily hesitated mid-explanation, suddenly taking in rapid, shallow breaths, so Cynthia quickly stepped in to comfort her.
“Hey, if it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to force it.”
She pulled Emily into a tight hug, patting her back soothingly.
Curious though they were, they didn’t want Emily to panic again like earlier, and judging from her reaction, it had to have been a terrible experience.
Swoosh.
Deciding the two needed a moment, Elaine stood up.
“Elaine? Where you going?”
“Just going to check on the situation inside. It’s been a while, after all.”
“Ah, right.”
BOOM!
Just as Cynthia was about to reply, a loud noise erupted somewhere nearby.
Everyone immediately tensed.
Scritch-screech!
Elaine unsheathed her sword, and Cynthia stepped back, readying her bow just in case.
“Elaine!”
“…What?”
“Are you hurt!”
“Um… Professor?”
“Huuuuu.”
A tall man strode into the room, his golden hair flaring dramatically in the breeze.
The Crescent Academy professor, Cassius St. Claire.
“You! After encountering that d*ath Knight and you were still thinking about moving forward?”
“…Well…”
“You’ve been praised too much! Forgetting your place as a mere student? Even I could tell this was an unusual situation!”
“…”
The group, led by Elaine, all stood in stunned silence at Cassius’ rant.
“I’m sorry…”
As Elaine apologized, the thunderous voice that filled the cave finally subsided somewhat.
“Hmph. At least everyone’s safe. You kids are all alike though. After dealing with undead, you still consider entering deeper into a dungeon where anything could happen?”
“But…”
“Hmm?”
“A-ah, never mind.”
Cynthia started to protest but faltered as soon as Cassius’ piercing golden eyes met hers.
“Fine. Let’s go back… hold on. Weren’t there supposed to be four of you?”
“That’s correct.”
“Hmph. Where’s the last one? Wasn’t it Ryu? The top commoner.”
“Uh…”
Elaine glanced toward Cynthia, who unconsciously looked over at Emily.
Finally, the spotlight settled on Emily, and she opened her mouth to speak.
“U-um, he’s still fighting inside… with an undead.”
“…Huh?”
Cassius exhaled deeply, clearly baffled.
“Unbelievable.”
