I Became a Gallery Newbie Beloved by Transcendents-Chapter 44: Escort (8)

I lifted the Veil of Secrets I'd cast to hide the Transcendent Gallery from the constellations and began moving again.

I asked Karmin and Rengel in turn—

Did they know anything about the information guild?

The answer I wanted didn’t come.

But I did quickly find out where the Belfetor General Store was.

It was marked on the map that had belonged to the scout, Beron—

now my map.

Shff.

Even though there was no red dot marking it as a significant location, its position was still recorded. That suggested that, regardless of whether it was still functioning as an info guild hub, the Belfetor store was definitely an old, long-standing establishment.

And I could see a meaningful route leading toward that Belfetor place.

At this point, there was only one thing to do.

I made up my mind.

Head straight for the Belfetor # Nоvеlight # General Store.

Of course, “straight” was only a figure of speech.

We might have to make a serious detour to shake off the pursuit teams sent by the Raphael Count family after we exited the forest.

Clop-clop—

We were approaching the forest’s edge. It was time to decide on our next move.

Karmin, of course, had to come with me to Ventura Academy.

My gaze shifted to Rengel—the mercenary who’d helped us escape.

"What are you planning to do?"

Rengel scratched his brown hair.

"If you keep tagging along, I don’t think your life’s gonna last much longer."

At my added comment, Rengel gave a small chuckle.

"That’s not something I can undo now. I killed knights and soldiers from the Raphael Count family too, same as you."

Fair enough.

And since Beron had reported our numbers, splitting up wouldn’t help—he’d likely still be hunted.

"Then stick with us. From here on out, we’re gonna have to fight tooth and nail."

Rengel didn’t hesitate to answer.

"Yes, understood."

I began tying up Beron, who was still lying on the ground.

"Don’t move."

I bound Beron up like a cocoon, then tossed him onto the horse.

Rengel looked at me and spoke.

"Once we reach the end of the forest, we should ditch the horses. We’ll need to use alleyways as escape routes anyway."

"Yeah, you two go on foot. Make them drop their guard."

As we passed beyond the thick forest, an open plain spread out before us.

I cast my sensory field wide once more.

Two manor houses on either side.

From behind both, enemy squads began pouring out.

Three enemies per group, forming tight lines on either side.

I had no intention of fighting them. The goal was to get through with as little conflict as possible.

And it wasn’t just the enemies in front of us—there were forces bringing up the rear too.

Multiple mages and archers among them.

Trying to fight here would be digging my own grave.

My sensory field confirmed more troops were converging on our location.

Not just a few—around twenty.

Watching their formation, I plotted the most optimal route.

Ahead of me, Beron’s bound body started to squirm atop the horse.

Now that his allies were nearby, he was clearly trying to show his excitement.

"Beron, you dog of a bastard... You betrayed us?!"

"B-betrayed?! I was captured! Captured, I tell you!"

"Shut it, traitor."

Beron raised his right hand and shouted.

"Just shut up and let me live!"

I looked at Beron and said in a low voice,

"I’ll let you live. So keep yourself alive."

"W-what...?"

Beron turned around in a panic.

I raised my short spear and sliced his ankle with the blade.

"Ngghhh!"

Before he could even scream properly, I hoisted him up and threw him far into the distance.

The enemies’ eyes locked onto Beron.

He was bait—meant to scatter their attention.

I spoke quickly, so only Karmin and Rengel could hear.

"Run left. Now."

Mundum Exstinguit—the sword I held—was hurled without a moment’s pause.

A precise throw aimed at the targets.

Swshhhhhk!

Target: disable the Third- and Second-Rank knights.

Slaaaash!

The blade cut through the shoulder of the Second-Rank knight and pierced the throat of the Third-Rank knight.

Mundum Exstinguit’s recall effect, activated.

Kiiiing!

The sword, glowing blue, curved along a path guided by my will.

Shwiiiing!

"ARGHHHH!"

It skimmed the first target’s collarbone.

Buried deep in the second’s abdomen.

Then cleaved the third mercenary’s thin helmet and split his face in two.

I dismounted, eyes fixed on the returning Mundum Exstinguit.

Thunk!

Whooosh!

The sword, after shattering the hands of a First-Rank enemy, traced a blue arc and landed squarely in my grip.

The moment it was back in my hand, I shifted my grip and swung horizontally.

Ting!

I deflected two incoming arrows and rushed forward, catching up to Karmin and Rengel who had moved ahead.

Fwoooosh!

I enlarged the Mirror of Transition—the shield—and ran alongside them.

I blocked the enemy’s arrows and short spears, which had been aimed to kill Rengel and stop Karmin.

Behind the soldiers who had thrown them, more enemies appeared.

Mages.

CRACKBOOM!

A navy-blue lightning bolt, conjured from a clear sky, came crashing toward me.

On either side, blazing red arrows and spears rained down.

I raised the binding scroll in my left hand and hurled it high.

Already infused with mana—it was active as it flew.

The magical attacks homed in on the scroll, almost as if being absorbed.

And then—

FLASH!

A brilliant flash of light burst from the binding scroll, bright enough to blind for a moment.

The electric-blue lightning bolt twisted and warped, unable to penetrate the scroll’s barrier.

The blazing red flames, too, failed to cross the scroll’s protective boundary.

Both the lightning and the fire merely scraped along the circular surface of the barrier conjured by the scroll and vanished into nothing.

[‘The One Engraved with Runes of Infinity’ harbors deep suspicion about the item you used.]

[‘The One Who Bends Mana’ blinks blankly at you.]

Must be constellations who were mages in their past lives.

[‘The Judge with a Thousand Eyes’ begins to doubt your identity.]

So what if you’re suspicious.

Even if someone sees me using an item that clearly belongs to a previous generation’s Tower closer, like the Archmage-sunbae mentioned in passing, they still wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that I’m using something like the Transcendent Gallery.

[‘The Saint Who Follows Light’ watches with curious interest.]

After all, the constellations who failed to escape the Tower and are still bound within it wouldn’t even know the Transcendent Gallery exists.

Regardless, the constellations seemed thoroughly shocked at how effortlessly I neutralized what looked to be Fourth-Rank spells.

I could even hear the panicked shouting of the mages who had cast those spells.

"Does he have some kind of anti-magic artifact?!"

"What are you doing?! We’re going to lose them at this rate!"

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

All I could do was give silent thanks to the Shrine Maiden-sunbae who gave me this binding scroll.

If I even knew what direction she was in, I’d bow in her honor—but I didn’t have that luxury.

The scroll floated gently through the air before drifting back into my palm, as if pulled by a magnet.

"Pick up the pace."

We had successfully entered the city.

Thud!

I stomped down hard.

"Head where the crowd is thickest."

Both of them nodded. I could see them channeling mana to run at full speed and keep up.

I deliberately led Karmin and Rengel toward a more crowded area.

About five pursuers latched onto our trail.

Now was the time.

I channeled mana into the back of the binding scroll.

Ssssssssh!

I activated Veil of Secrets, warping the scenery behind me.

The goal was to keep them from clearly seeing us blend into the crowd.

"They’re gone!"

"Where’d they disappear to?!"

"Even if we lose the others, we must secure the girl!"

"Find them—no matter what!"

Their shouts echoed from behind.

I steered us away from where the pursuers were heading.

It wasn’t hard to figure out—the more I used my sensory field, the clearer things became.

"This way."

The three of us kept walking and running in turns.

Every time I glanced back, Karmin’s face had grown a little paler, but she never asked to stop or rest.

Half a day later.

Their footsteps, heavy with exhaustion, finally came to a stop.

We had arrived.

Karmin’s voice came through.

"The store’s a lot bigger than I expected."

I scanned the surroundings.

Not trusting my eyes alone, I expanded my senses to confirm.

Sure enough, the worn sign read Belfetor General Store.

We entered together, and immediately I felt the stares of two women and two men fix on us.

I checked their faces one by one.

Fortunately, not a single one seemed to have any connection to Karmin Everhart.

A woman with a kind expression behind the counter leaned forward with a smile.

She had long, silvery hair.

[NPC – Belfetor General Store Assistant Manager Asher]

"Are you looking for any particular items?"

"Not looking for items."

I stared directly at Asher and continued.

"I’m looking for someone."

"...Excuse me?"

I decided to immediately use the passphrase Archmage-sunbae had taught me.

"I’ve come to forge a bond under a strange night."

The moment I finished speaking, I felt the atmosphere in the shop shift.

Clack—

A heavy, dark square lock appeared on the door where there hadn’t been one before.

"If a passphrase we haven’t heard in decades suddenly pops up, do you expect us to trust you—or suspect you?"

Asher slowly raised her right hand, and the three others around her drew weapons.

A wave of murderous intent swept through the shop.

Shit.

Was I about to fight again?

I reached for the handle of Mundum Exstinguit.

Click.

A door inside the shop opened with a mechanical sound, and a man with a neatly groomed mustache stepped out.

"The young lady accompanying this man is the Everhart family’s noble daughter."

[NPC – Belfetor General Store Manager Maduke]

"Currently being hunted across the streets of Intenes by hounds of the Raphael Count family."

Maduke continued speaking.

"Let’s hear what the young lady’s gotten herself caught up in. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, totally agree. That’s a great idea."

I could feel the stares from the shopkeepers, Karmin, and Rengel all drilling into me—like I was a weirdo.