Chapter 6: PLEIADES (5)

“Haa…haa…haa….”

How long has it been since I started walking?

At first, it seemed like Jude, who was well ahead of her, was walking side by side with Cordelia at some point, but now he was completely behind and panting.

Eventually, the worried Cordelia turned around and asked.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Haa… haa… No, it's okay. Not good… haa.”

I fell and barely continued talking, but it was at that moment that I felt like vomiting.

At the sight of the sweat-soaked Jude, Cordelia said with a slightly dazed face.

“You're really weak.”

“Haa… Don't talk big… Come on, come on.”

“What?”

“Okay, I'll ask you. Time… in… I have to go… Haaa.”

Jude, who sat on the ground, stretched out his hands like a zombie.

“Haa… quickly.”

“Whoa, really.”

As Jude fluttered his arms again, Cordelia sighed and walked to the front of Jude, turning her back and sitting.

“Here.”

“Haa…”

Jude buried himself on Cordelia's back, almost as if he were falling. The sweaty Jude smelled and didn't feel very good, but Cordelia was more surprised by something else.

“Hey, you have to gain some weight. Why is a man so light?”

“Gueum…julmaek.”

“Just use Muan Sweet Water, Muan Sweet Water.”

T/N: Muan Sweet Water (무안단물) is a Korean meme that originated from a religious group in Muan which claimed that their “sweet water” was miraculous. However, it was not sweet tasting, and upon actual testing, it was found to be just seawater. It became a parody that if you're suffering from troubles, just throw/sprinkle Muan Sweet Water, wish for a miracle, and voila, your troubles will end. A famous parody of it is that throwing Muan Sweet Water to a raccoon will allow it to be able to walk upright like a human.

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Cordelia, who stood up from her sitting position, adjusted her position as she raised Jude. This is because it was difficult for her to lift Jude properly without supporting his buttocks.

“Hey… don't sneakily touch strange places.”

“Aren't you too? Where are you placing your hands?”

Cordelia, who struck down Jude's protest, strode again. She didn't need any guidance because they were on a single track anyway.

After a few dozen minutes.

Cordelia, who looked at the distance, asked Jude behind her back.

“Hey, is that it? I think we're almost there. Don't sleep.”

“Huh? Uh… Yes, there it is. It's almost the same as what you saw in the game.”

At the end of the winding path next to the cliff, there was a cave entrance large enough for several people, and although it was damaged by rain and wind, it was a structure that was easily touched by human hands.

“Let's hurry. Giddy up, giddy up.”

“This is real.”

It was a low growling Cordelia, but for now, she was in a hurry. She wanted to get in quickly once she saw the entrance.

“The Temple of the Sun God…”

“The paladins protected this place two hundred years ago, right?”

“I suppose so.”

Two hundred years ago.

The denomination of the Sun God, who had always been at the forefront in the battle against the demons, suffered a devastating blow from the Great Demon Anguirus, and was virtually destroyed.

Thanks to this, even the temple, which seals the powerful demon of the Red Moon's Leisegang, was now in such a forgotten ruin.

“Now drop me off.”

“Should I go inside more first?”

“It's okay.”

“If so, then.”

Cordelia let down Jude from her back, cast a Light spell, and stepped into the cave first.

At that moment.

“Oh, can you feel it?”

Cordelia looked back and asked, and he nodded with his eyes wide open.

“Oh, I can feel it. You too?”

“Uh, me too.”

The moment they passed through the cave entrance, the air around them changed.

To be precise, it felt like 'sacred power' was filling the cave.

'Oh, this is how it feels.'

In the game, there was one line that said, 'I can feel the divine power of the sun god.', but it was not something that I could only express in words.

“I think my heart is being purified.”

As Cordelia looked around and spoke with sparkling eyes, Jude also nodded.

“I think it's going to be the same as the game. I don't think you have to worry about monsters.”

The divine power of the sun god had the power to drive out monsters belonging to the demons.

As Jude said that, Cordelia agreed, and he took the lead again.

“From here onwards, I know the way, so I'll take the lead.”

“Be careful just in case.”

“Yes, watch your step too.”

The inside of the cave was wider than expected, and sculptures of the sun god were all over the place, leaving Jude and Cordelia in amazement.

“Why do all the divine creatures look scary?”

Cordelia who was ahead, said in a quivering voice. It felt like I was in a haunted house because there were pieces of scary divine creatures in a dark cave.

“Come on, we're almost there.”

Moreover, unlike the sculptures, the Red Moon's Leisegang was a real demon. Even if it was trapped in a seal, the fear would be incomparable to that of a divine creature statue.

“We're here.”

We arrived at a fairly large hemispherical room on the way through the winding outer path.

Is this where the Red Moon's Leisegang was sealed?

Strangely enough, unlike elsewhere, there was subtle glow all over the room, so it was not dark at all.

“The whole room is a facility for sealing.”

Cordelia said, squinting her eyes. As a wizard, she was much than the current Jude at detecting paranormal energy.

However, Jude had knowledge of it in Legend of Heroes 2. After a nod, I looked at the magic circles engraved on the ceiling and the floor.

“Okay, it's the same as what I saw in the game.”

When I came here, I was honestly uneasy.

Install a magic circle and call out the demon.

It was so dangerous and special that it was incomparable to checking the geography or maintaining human relationships.

'Let's be confident. I've already checked several things on the way here, haven't I? Moreover, Cordelia can use magic. So, it's possible. There is magic in this world.'

Jude, who spoke to himself as if he were admonishing himself, looked back at Cordelia after he had hardened his mind.

“Cordelia, the supplies.”

“Just look over there and wait.”

All the supplies were inside her skirt.

When Jude turned around awkwardly, Cordelia separated the skirt itself, and laid out the items she had tied to her thighs and calves on the floor.

“I'm done.”

“Wow, you've been hiding all this in your skirt? It looks like Doraemon's pocket.”

“It was so hard, so thank you. Don't be ignorant of grace like Nobita.”

T/N: To those unfamiliar with it, Doraemon's pocket refers to the magical pocket of the Japanese character Doraemon that can store any item regardless of size. And Nobita is the main character who always gets helped by Doraemon with his items.

The two who exchanged whispers began preparations for drawing the new magic circle.

“The best method is to draw it on the ceiling and carve it in the floor, but that's difficult. So, let's draw a magic circle using a magic drug made by mixing catalysts.”

“Here, the magic drug.”

Cordelia pours a fourth of a red liquid into a spacious paper bowl. At first glance, it looked like blood, but it was a pure magic drug mixed with various medicinal ingredients.

'I'm glad Cordelia's a wizard.'

Otherwise, it would've been difficult to get the ingredients to make the drug.

“Give me a pen.”

“I secretly brought my father's, so don't break it. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Cordelia checked her items and brought out a pen made of griffon feathers.

'We're definitely Jude and Cordelia.'

Yellow Storm did not possess Cordelia's body. Cordelia had remembered her memories as Yellow Storm.

The image of Cordelia worrying about being scolded by her father right away proved it.

“You're not picking it up?”

“You should get it.”

Instead of making fun of Cordelia, Jude received a pen without a hitch.

No matter how fun it was to tease Cordelia, he had to consider the place and that their time was limited.

“Let's get started.”

“Yes, fighting.”

From now on, it was Jude's solo stage.

Cordelia, who shook her fist as she cheered 'fighting', sat down in the corner and watched Jude's actions.

He had to draw a large magic circle that had to use almost the entire floor, so he shouldn't be disturbed.

One hour after.

Jude gestured to Cordelia as he sweated after having finished drawing the magic circle.

“Let's get started. Come this way.”

“Huh? Ah, yes!”

At Jude's call, Cordelia came up with a startled face.

“Why?”

“No, it's just…”

Actually, it wasn't just. Cordelia was admiring Jude – to be exact, to Outboxer009.

'As expected, he's Outboxer009.'

Now that we've come this far, it's only natural, but I never thought he really memorized Bellastin's magic circle.

“Why? Are you respecting me now? This is how I got into first place, isn't it?”

“No, it's not? Because I can do it too? You were playing around too much, so I just stepped back to make a fool of you.”

“Yeah, I'm sure you will.”

Jude grinned, and Cordelia somehow became awkward and pouted her lips.

“Let's start then. I need your help again. I'm afraid I don't have much mana in my blood.”

“Huh, okay. I just drop it over there, right?”

“Yes, I don't need a lot, so don't hurt it too much. Scars will remain.”

“Wow, were you worried about me?”

“Yes.”

In fact, both Jude and Cordelia were extremely nervous.

The Red Moon's Liesegang was a powerful demon that could only be defeated in the mid- to late half of the game.

No matter how many times I have done it in the game, my hands and feet trembled when I'm going to do the same thing in this world.

That's why we spoke more miscellaneous words than usual.

“Let's do it then.”

“Yes, let's do it. I'm sure we can do it.”

Cordelia, who strengthened her heart, stood in the area corresponding to the 'inlet' of the newly drawn magic circle, took out the needle and poked her fingers.

“Activate, Bellastin's magic circle.”

There was a reaction as soon as the low-pronounced Cordelia lost her blood.

The magic circle drawn by Jude glowed red, and the whole air inside the seal began to vibrate.

“Cordelia! Get back!”

Jude shouted, looking at the center of the seal, and Cordelia stepped back and stared at the seal's center too.

The seal was being opened.

In addition to Jude's magic circle, the magic circle on the floor and ceiling of the seal began to shine too. It was a brilliant golden glow reminiscent of the sun.

“Jude! Get back!”

This time, Cordelia exclaimed. This is because the mana density of the seal increased rapidly. The air inside the seal would've been poison to the current Jude, who is worse than villager A.

But Outboxer009 wasn't a rotten water for no reason.

In the first place, Jude, who had been predicting the current situation, quickly took out the mask he had prepared at home and covered his mouth and nose.

It was similar to a simple oxygen respirator used on airplanes, but the Bayer family had a few items like that, as they frequently battled against monsters.

“Here it comes!”

Shouted Jude.

At the same time, the space at the center of the seal began to break. A crack formed in the air, and soon a huge presence emerged with dazzling light.

The Red Moon's Leisegang.

Undead – Among them, the mighty blood demon that invokes vampires!

A red and giant creature with a bat's head and wings spread out a red glow towards Jude and Cordelia.