Chapter 70: The Whale of Oblivion (1)
Buuoooo…
A deep, echoing cry resounded in all directions. I raised my head toward the source of the noise, a harsh wail that rang like an unpleasant siren.
A massive black whale was gliding leisurely through the sky. Its blood-red eyes stayed fixed on me as it let out another mournful cry. My teeth clenched tightly.
‘That bastard...’
It was exactly the same as before.
Just a moment ago, I wasn’t sure. But when Yuruf shoved me aside and got swallowed in my place, the doubt vanished.
Just like that disaster-class monster from the Hunting Festival, it was targeting me specifically.
I glared at the whale, biting down hard on my lip.
The paralysis had worn off long ago. But with the beast flying that high, I had no clue how to save Yuruf.
Karl stood blankly beside me, too panicked to speak properly, letting out nothing but a stammering, “U-uh, uh...”
Sylphi crossed her arms, silently staring at the whale, and then opened her mouth.
[I’ve heard of it before. The Whale of Oblivion.]
The Whale of Oblivion.
The ruler of the Forest of Forgetting, located in the northern lands of the Holy Kingdom of Numen.
A monstrous being so enormous, it could devour an entire fortress on its own.
Those who inhaled the mist it exhaled would lose their memories.
The “scent of forgetting,” a tool frequently used by assassination groups, was made from the same mist.
[And it’s also one of the biggest reasons why spirits were driven out of this world.]
The Forest of Forgetting had once been teeming with spirits.
They used to communicate often with the elves living in neighboring regions. But with the arrival of the Whale of Oblivion, they had no choice but to flee.
Many spirits escaped to the spirit realm and have held a grudge against the whale ever since.
Sylphi too seemed to have no fond memories of the creature—her teeth were grinding in anger.
“How... how is it here?”
“I thought only monsters from the Otherworld could show up. What’s going on?”
“Ha... damn it. I’ve had a bad feeling ever since before we left.”
“Yuruf unni? N-no way, right?”
Uneasy murmurs spread among the Holy Knights.
Some were gasping for breath in fear, while others glared ahead with clenched jaws and burning anger.
Buuoooo…
The strange cry of the whale sounded again as it opened its massive jaws.
Its red eyes gleamed, and gray mist began pouring out of its mouth.
The mist, which had seemed to scatter briefly around the creature, suddenly surged forward in the blink of an eye—almost upon us.
Even our own knights, not just the Holy Kingdome, were visibly shaken.
“That’s the Forgetting Mist! Don’t breathe it in!”
“Damn it, how are we supposed to block something like that?!”
Morale, which had soared just moments earlier, plummeted with the arrival of this near-calamity.
Losing Yuruf in that surprise attack hadn’t helped either—I couldn’t think straight.
All I could do was grit my teeth and try not to lose my grip on reality.
The battlefield was a mess of confusion. While the sheer experience of the gathered fighters prevented a full-scale panic, disarray was everywhere.
In the midst of it, Abel walked up to me.
He calmly looked into my eyes, then turned his gaze toward the Whale of Oblivion.
“How do you want to handle this?”
“...Huh?”
I echoed dumbly, but Abel didn’t respond.
He simply kept staring at the creature emitting the mist, eyes steady and unshaken.
There was no fear or anger in his expression—just stillness.
He was waiting. Waiting for my answer.
“How do I want to handle this?”
What I wanted was to save Yuruf immediately.
But how?
How do you save someone from something that’s basically a living natural disaster?
Even if I shot wind at it, something that big wouldn’t feel a tickle.
And I couldn’t be sure I could do any real damage in close combat either.
Was there... no way?
Suddenly, I remembered the smile Yuruf gave me before she pushed me away.
And right after that—the massive jaws of the whale that swallowed her whole.
Just as I was about to grind my teeth in frustration, a thought struck me.
No... there is a way.
The most basic tactic when facing a massive monster—if you can’t damage it from the outside, go inside.
It was risky.
But it was the only feasible option I had.
“Abel. I need you to pry that monster’s mouth open.”
“Heh. Your language is getting a little rough.”
Abel chuckled, opening up his subspace.
He reached inside, fumbled around, and pulled out a staff.
It looked like it was made of oakwood, with a bright white gemstone embedded at the top.
Even at a glance, it was clear this staff wasn’t ordinary.
With the staff in hand, Abel began to channel mana, a faint smile on his face.
“So... I do like your attitude.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he raised the hand holding the staff and began to swing it like a conductor’s baton.
A massive magic circle began to form in the sky above the whale.
Buuoooo…
The Whale of Oblivion let out another strange cry. Startled by the magic circle appearing directly above it, it twisted its massive body in midair.
It tried to escape the circle by soaring upward, but the magic circle solidified like a wall, blocking its path.
Boom!
A deafening crash rang out, followed by a pained groan from the creature.
“Going somewhere?”
Abel extended his other hand, took a deep breath, and clenched his fist.
With that, the enormous magic circle hanging above the whale came crashing down.
KUWOOOOAAAH!!
CRASH!
The whale let out a shriek as it plummeted to the ground. It landed terrifyingly close to where I stood, howling in agony as it writhed.
Abel, watching the scene, snapped his fingers.
Snap.
And with that sound, the whale’s mouth was forced wide open.
As if someone had violently pried its jaw open, the creature let out a scream even louder than before.
KUUUEEEEH!!
Though the gray mist clouded our vision, Abel continued snapping his fingers without pause.
White magic circles surrounded the beast, launching relentless attacks.
He was breathing a little harder now, but still looked composed.
“Is that enough?”
I nodded at Abel’s question.
“Yes. That’s more than enough.”
The image of Yuruf’s final smile surfaced in my mind. I gripped my rapier tighter and stepped forward—into the gaping mouth of the Whale of Oblivion.
To strike it from the inside—and to save Yuruf.
Standing nearby, Sylphi asked in a worried voice:
[Are you sure? Even without his help?]
Yeah. This time, I want to try it on my own.
It might be impossible.
From what I’d heard, the Whale of Oblivion was classified as a disaster-class monster. It was hard to believe no one had ever thought of trying what I was about to do.
If it were that easy, the thing wouldn’t have survived for hundreds of years.
Still, even in the worst case, I believed I could at least rescue Yuruf and make it out alive.
Even if I couldn’t bring it down—I didn’t want to run or lean on Abel.
Maybe Sylphi picked up on that, because she smiled and nodded.
[Got it. If that’s what my contractor wants.]
“Let’s go.”
[Mm.]
And with that, Sylphi and I entered the Whale of Oblivion.
****
The Whale of Oblivion.
In the original novel, this was the monster that gave Abel his first real defeat.
Sure, it was partly because he let his guard down—but mostly, it was just that overwhelmingly powerful.
And now, I could feel it too—just how hard it was to restrain this thing.
Even I, who had surpassed the level of the original Abel, was struggling like this.
So how must it feel for the Holy Knights?
Buuoooo…
The whale exhaled another wave of mist.
So... that’s how you’re gonna play it, huh?
Back during the raid, I wasn’t sure what the Emperor’s goal was—but now I understood.
He’d sent this thing after Adele from the very beginning.
My eyes caught sight of a massive red sigil etched into the whale’s back.
Not many people here would even be able to see that.
So the Emperor had been using this monster as his weapon against the Holy Kingdom all along.
That would explain why the Holy Kingdom had suffered so many casualties over the years.
It wasn’t random—it was because this thing was the Emperor’s pawn.
Even when I read the original... I had a feeling.
This was one of the biggest mysteries in The Villainess Turns Back Time Again.
There were hints that the Whale of Oblivion specifically targeted Adele and Abel.
Readers had speculated that the whale was working under the Emperor—and now, it was confirmed.
The worst-case possibility had just become reality.
He can brand monsters too...?
Tch.
Clicking my tongue, I forced the whale’s mouth shut. From within, a shrill scream echoed as the beast began thrashing wildly.
“Do you need assistance?”
I turned to see the Pope—his eyes cold and burning with intensity.
The usual gentle smile was gone, replaced by a look like fire dancing in his pupils.
Right. He was one of the people who cared deeply for Yuruf.
He’d seemed unusually angry before… so this was why.
Despite myself, I let out a faint laugh and addressed him.
“Don’t tell me you were just going to stand back even now?”
“Hah. Listen to that mouth of yours. Of course not.”
He pulled out a staff and struck the ground.
Wuung…
The ground began to tremble slowly as a hum filled the air.
At the same time, an immense holy energy began to gather around him.
“Heh... Still as strong as ever.”
The holy power took the shape of a giant—like a divine colossus.
To think he was this powerful even after losing his stigma, the source of his divine strength…
No wonder the Emperor always hesitated to face the Pope head-on.
“Enough talk. Let’s move.”
At the Pope’s command, the giant took its first step forward.
---The End Of The Chapter---
You can support the translation and read 5 chapters ahead of the release here on Patreon
Comments