The black horse snorted.
-Tak. Tak.
The sound of horseshoes echoed.
The headless horseman slowly approached in this direction.
"… … Charlotte?"
She was on the verge of losing consciousness. She thought maybe she was tired.
That was because she was in a slumped position, and there was enough room for suspicion due to the unidentified liquid that soaked the floor.
Not having a sense of smell was really useful. He turned his attention to the rest of the group.
Eden and Frey were in no different situations.
They were as stiff as stone statues. Their bodies did not respond under the overwhelming sense of intimidation emanating from the Dullahan.
It was worth it.
The Dullahan is a fantasy species classified as the highest level among numerous monsters.
To begin with, he was someone difficult to even encounter unless you were in a special space like this. That's why, even more…
'I want it.'
I was so jealous that my saliva was flowing.
It was clear that if I could subjugate a monster the size of a Dullahan, it would be a very powerful force.
'I would have used black magic if no one was watching… But no matter how much you make them not break, isn't a Dullahan too much for freshmen?'
By nature, it is impossible to physically hit a phantom species. You must attack with a weapon imbued with divine power or have an equivalent artifact.
Even if you try to attack your opponent with magic, the magic you hold in your hand is nullified with an anti-spell.
It is an extremely difficult opponent, as it cannot even be damaged with normal attacks.
At that time, Frey opened his mouth with difficulty.
"… Zail. We… run away… go."
The intimidation emanating from the Dullahan was not something that could be overcome by simply holding on.
It was a type of curse that terrified the opponent and rendered them helpless. To put it simply, it was like a debuff.
However, Frey endured it with superhuman mental strength.
As expected, the talent that would become the future Sword Master was unique from the start.
"… I'm sorry, I can't move right now either."
Of course, it was a lie. There was no way a curse like this would work on me, who had the stigmata of Asmodeus.
It was just something I made up to give myself a reason to be here.
'Then I can somehow get a chance!'
No matter how much I thought about it, it was too much of a waste to miss it like this.
They weren't a threat to me anyway, so wasn't it time to lose?
However, when I saw Frey trying to move his body with all his might, I felt a little sorry.
"Tsk…! It can't end like this… Move, move…!"
He applied so much force that the blood vessels on his forehead bulged as if they were about to burst.
It was a pity, but it was better for him to at least faint.
'Eden…?'
He was standing with his eyes closed. I couldn't tell if he had fainted or was pretending to faint.
He seemed like a good person in his actions and words, but for some reason, I couldn't hide my uneasy feeling.
The black horse slowly approached. When I looked closely, I saw that it was a horse made of black smoke.
Although it had a whitish outline, the red eye glow was clearly distinguishable.
I felt it before, but it seemed like the head in the knight's right hand was looking intently at me.
'It seems like he's only looking at me…'
If you looked at it closely, it had a pretty face, but the pupils and torn mouth made it look grotesque.
-Dump.
When I looked to the side, I saw Charlotte passed out with her eyes rolled back and foaming at the mouth.
"… Charlotte. Charlotte?"
No matter how many times I called, there was no movement. In the end, it seemed like she couldn't overcome her fear and had just passed out.
Charlotte never, not even to her older sister Lin Mage, would kneel.
No, I realized once again that although she was a person with great talent, she was still just an idiot with a strong ego.
'When she comes to her senses and realizes that she was so scared that she peed her pants, it's going to be quite a sight.'
Thinking about that made me feel better.
All of Abel Croy's experiences and memories were melted into me, so I clearly remembered the humiliation I experienced in the hero's party at the hands of Lin Mage and her companions.
I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the face of her younger sister, who had the same face as hers, and who was as proud of her bloodline as hers, stained with shame and self-destruction.
-Purring! Purr!
Every time the horse moved its feet, it left an afterimage, like black smoke drifting.
The woman's head held in the knight's right hand was still staring intently at me. A change occurred.
The pupil, whose entire white had been stained black as if ink had been poured into it, gradually began to shrink and soon transformed into the pupil of an ordinary human.
… As expected, it was a beautiful face. Mysterious eyes that seemed to contain the sea or were studded with blue jewels.
―Stubborn, arrogant, and cold gaze.
When I faced it directly, an inexplicable shiver ran through me.
I just kept looking at that devilish gaze that absorbed the viewer, not even able to breathe properly.
The horse made of black smoke stopped in front of me.
The knight riding on top raised her right hand high and met my eyes. Her mouth opened.
"Aspal an mháthair mhór."
A soft, beautiful voice.
It was a truly contradictory tone—divine, brilliant, and noble, as if an angel were singing a hymn.