Chapter 119
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: An Audience with the Margrave
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The next day.
On the very same grounds where he had claimed victory over Verian, Aint faced his next opponent.
───!
Their swords crossed.
A shockwave erupted. Shattered fragments of aura scattered in every direction.
The dozens of exchanges that occurred in a brief moment were so fast and fierce that most couldn't follow them with the naked eye.
As the dueling ground began to break apart, the spectators retreated from the aftershocks.
“……”
The top first-year student, Valoci Vienderk, quietly regulated his breathing.
His opponent, Aint Armian, glared back, his sword at the ready.
“After seeing you beat Anto, I knew a day like this would come, but I didn’t think it would be today.”
“A day like this?”
“The day you’d fight me as an equal.”
“You’re wrong, Valoci. It’s not about being your equal. It’s about winning. I’m going to beat you.”
It wasn't baseless confidence. Valoci felt it even more keenly than Aint.
‘I never thought I’d be outmatched in the amount of aura within the academy…’
Sure, he had consumed many elixirs through his family since he was young, but did the ruined Armian family have that kind of wealth left?
For the first time since coming to the academy, he felt a sense of crisis.
He hadn’t even felt this way against Rob Kaelin.
‘No, Rob Kaelin is different.’
He was in a league of his own. A genius, brimming with talent.
Given that, and the fact that he’d started wielding a sword three years earlier, it was natural Valoci couldn't win.
So he hadn't paid it much mind. He was confident he would be stronger than the current Rob in three years.
But who would have thought that while he was looking up at the sky, someone would be surging up from below.
Faced with this looming threat, Valoci smiled.
‘If I lose, it’ll be because of thoughts like these. There’s no way I’ll lose.’
“No, not yet. I have a reason I can’t lose.”
“What a coincidence. So do I.”
Valoci moved first.
The Vienderk sword style was elegant.
Like their symbol, the rose, it was incomparably gentle and beautiful.
And just like a rose, it had thorns waiting for those drawn in by its beauty.
A dark blue rose blossomed on the dueling ground. It expanded its domain, surrounding its foe. Then, it engulfed Aint.
Everyone thought it was over.
Until a pure white light seeped through the cracks of the rose.
────!
A brilliant beam of light covered the entire dueling ground.
And when the light faded.
Not a trace of the rose remained.
Aint and Valoci stood still, having swapped positions.
“Who won? Aint? Valoci?”
“What just happened?”
“Didn’t Aint win?”
“For that to be the case, they both look fine.”
The students murmured among themselves.
Unlike them, who had seen nothing due to the light, the combatants knew the clear result.
“Haha… I really lost.”
Valoci dropped his sword. His hand was trembling.
‘The light seeped through the roses of aura.’
And just like that, all the roses vanished. There was no technique to it. It had simply crushed his aura with pure power.
How could he even describe this?
Valoci’s face twisted bizarrely with a complex emotion he himself couldn’t identify.
“I won’t be able to face Jace.”
As Valoci bowed his head in self-deprecation, his conversation with Jace flashed through his mind.
“I forfeit. I’m not particularly interested in winning. And even if I lose here, I’ll still be the top student in the Magic Department.”
“I heard Verian surrendered to Aint, didn't he? It wouldn't be fair if you were the only one exhausted. The final match must be fair.”
He didn't know what Jace was scheming, but there was no particular reason to refuse.
Honestly, he had been confident he could beat Jace, and then beat Aint afterward.
That’s what he had thought.
He had lived a life of constant victory until now.
It wasn't that his life was devoid of defeat.
He had lost to the elders of his family.
He had surrendered to Rob Kaelin.
But those were opponents he was expected to lose to.
And Aint Armian was definitely not one of those opponents.
But he had lost.
To a classmate.
Valoci collapsed to his knees.
“…My sister said she never lost a single time after enrolling in the academy.”
Can I not become like my sister?
Valoci gave a hollow laugh.
“Valoci. Good match.”
Just then, Aint extended a hand.
Valoci stared at it silently. The one who had handed him his first true defeat.
It was true that his animosity slightly outweighed any goodwill.
“Become Aint Armian’s friend.”
But then, he remembered his father’s words from before he entered the academy.
With a bitter smile, he took the hand.
“Wow, I never thought you’d get this strong. In just one year. It’s unprecedented, isn't it?”
“I was lucky.”
“Luck? How lucky do you have to be to become number one at the academy? Share some with me.”
Valoci tossed aside his half-burnt protective artifact.
The top first-year student had been decided.
* * *
The Unified Exam was over.
【Academy Second-Year, Second Semester Unified Exam – Magic Department Rankings】
【1st. Carlo Deneve
2nd. Ludger Schwaben
3rd. Neriah Hoffman
4th….
…10th. Pernyan Fallenberg】
“So, I'm a salmon.”
After advancing to the main tournament, he had lost to Ruina in his second match, but he managed to hold on to 10th place in the subsequent repechage rounds.
He had come full circle, back to his original position.
It wasn't bad. Honestly, as long as he wasn't kicked out of La Vie Douce Dormitory, he didn't really care about his rank.
“Carlo and Prince Ludger have also returned to their original places.”
“Yes. And Neriah took third.”
Aside from first and second place, the rankings below them had shifted quite a bit, but the overall structure remained unchanged.
The students originally in the top ten had simply shuffled positions among themselves.
【Academy Second-Year, Second Semester Unified Exam – Knight Department Rankings】
【1st. Ruina Bercefe
2nd. Harold Volkan
3rd. Alia Torta
4th. Almon Done…】
The Knight Department was the same.
Almon had dropped to fourth place because he faced Ruina right after Pernyan did and was thoroughly defeated.
Perhaps because he'd used all his strength, he couldn't perform as well in the next repechage match.
【Academy First-Year, Second Semester Unified Exam – Knight Department Rankings】
【1st. Aint Armian
2nd. Valoci Vien…】
The first-year rankings had followed the Prophecy Book.
The Unified Exam served as both the midterm and the final, so taking first place here meant being the top student.
This meant Aint Armian had claimed the top spot just one year after enrolling.
“That’s some insane growth.”
“And you, Gongjanim, had a hand in that insane growth.”
“The Heart of a Saint Bird must have played a big part, right?”
“Absolutely.”
The Saint Bird, the symbol of the Armian family and a top-tier phantom beast.
Its heart was superior to any elixir, and it had exceptional synergy with the Armians, who wielded light.
‘I heard the first emperor also consumed the heart of a Saint Bird…’
He hoped Aint would continue to grow like this and recreate the legend of the first emperor, who vanquished all demons.
Knock, knock—
“Are you in?”
Just then, the door creaked open.
“Just come in, Sunbaenim.”
“I found the right place!”
It was Gismond Erdt, who had come at Pernyan’s summons.
“What was your rank in the Unified Exam?”
“Me? 21st. I wanted to get into the top ten and move into La Vie Douce Dormitory, but unfortunately, that didn't happen.”
“21st is still good. It’s remarkable growth, especially compared to before.”
“I put in some effort.”
Gismond chuckled and scratched the back of his head. Then he looked around and let out a sound of admiration.
“Wow, I never would’ve guessed a place like this existed above a seemingly ordinary tea house.”
“It’s a place I frequent. You’ll probably be coming here often too, Sunbaenim.”
“Hey, if you call, I’ll come running, no matter where.”
“You’d better not forget that resolve.”
“…What’s with the ominous foreshadowing?”
Foreshadowing? That’s a pretty good way to put it. Pernyan shrugged and asked.
“Did you pack your things?”
“Yeah, I stuffed everything I might need into the subspace pocket you gave me. But where are we going?”
“What else is there for people who know demons will descend in the future to do with their spare time? We need to train.”
As if he had expected as much, Gismond nodded.
“So, to the Pandrein Continent? Aint and Valoci are heading that way, right? That’s where Flauros is summoned, too.”
“No, we’ll leave that to Aint. We’re going in the opposite direction.”
“The opposite direction?”
“Yes.”
“Is everyone ready?”
Just then, Ruina Bercefe entered through the open door.
“We are going to the North.”
To meet the Count of Bercefe.
And to find clues about the demonic beasts nesting in the North.
“But Pernyan? Why are you in such a hurry to leave? The excitement from the tournament hasn't even…”
“A rather annoying person has latched onto me. To shake them off, I need to get some distance.”
“Annoying person? Ah, I heard the rumors. Professor Harkon from ‘Golem Magitech’ has taken a shine to you… Haha, no, actually, I don’t know anything.”
Gismond shut his mouth under Pernyan’s icy glare.
“Let’s go. Quickly.”
Winter break had begun.
* * *
Flash—
The teleportation circle flared brightly, and the world turned upside down.
When he opened his eyes again, a bitter chill made his skin crawl.
“Agassi!”
Pernyan, Ruina, Gismond, Hyde, and Ruina’s Yumo.
The five of them found themselves facing the mages of Bercefe who surrounded them.
“Welcome back!”
The mages bowed their heads deeply. Ruina gave a calm nod in return.
“Where is my father?”
“He is waiting in his office. He instructed us to guide the others to their quarters first.”
“Do so.”
“Yes, milady!”
Ruina followed the knights elsewhere, while the rest of the group was guided to rooms inside the lord’s castle.
“Please rest well.”
Pernyan entered his assigned room and closed the door. He then sat in a chair and spoke.
“It’s been a while, Gakha.”
“It has been a while, but I can’t say I’m pleased to see you.”
There was already a guest in the room. Or rather, the master of this place.
Brown hair and a massive frame, fine scars covering his face and body, and a natural air of intimidation.
His piercing blue eyes, so like Ruina’s, seemed to see through everything.
He was the master of Bercefe, Margrave Albinus Bercefe.
“Weren’t you supposed to be meeting with Ruina?”
“My reunion with my daughter will come after my conversation with you.”
“I heard you wanted to see me, but I didn’t realize you were this eager.”
“Don’t play with words. I brought you here because there is something I need to discuss with you alone.”
“I’m listening.”
The Margrave stared at Pernyan and slowly began to speak. His opening was rather unexpected.
“I have always considered my life a battlefield. I was born in war and have fought almost every day since. But rather than complain, I considered it our pride.”
The North did not belong to humans alone.
The weak are pushed aside and eliminated. The monsters driven out of the demon realms were pushed and pushed until they reached the domain of humans.
Because to them, humans were the weakest of all.
“A foolish mistake on their part. For the last thousand years, Bercefe has never once fallen.”
Bercefe had endured there for ages. It had made the land human.
But the wave decades ago was different.
“There is no hell that could compare to what we saw. The walls crumbled, and bodies piled up. Cities collapsed, and human territories vanished. Screams and blood flowed from every direction, and I could not protect a single thing.”
I lost my father, my brothers, and my sister. I lost the wealth and lands my family had built, and the people of my domain, who were like family to me.
Everyone said it. Bercefe was finished. Everyone thought it. There was no hope left for Bercefe.
“And yet, I—we—endured. Every beginning has an end. After a long struggle, we drove out the monsters and finally reclaimed our territory.”
But too much had been lost to cry victory.
“Only after restoring the domain to its former state did I feel I could stand proudly before my father’s grave and tell him. That I had done this much. That I had raised our domain once more.”
“……”
“To do that, I needed money. More money. And so, I turned to your family.”
“I’m aware.”
“We lived under the same roof for a thousand years. Even if I didn’t expect goodwill without a price, I trusted you wouldn’t cheat us. But when I asked for money, you told me to sell the very pillars of my house.”
“It was that much money.”
The Fallenberg family was not a charity. At the time, Bercefe was a ruin on the verge of collapse, and they couldn't lend money without any collateral.
“It was that much money. I knew. To fill a broken vessel, you must first fill the floor it rests on. How much water would that require?”
He understood with his head, but not with his heart.
“You should have asked for land, for rights, instead.”
“My grandfather must have thought there was nothing to be gained from the scorched earth of Bercefe.”
“I know. I would have done the same. So, in the end, I sold the pillars.”
And so, the rights to the Golden Bull were passed to the Friedien family.
“But even that wasn’t enough. It gave us breathing room, and we found some stability, but for a true reconstruction, we needed more money.”
“So you came to the Fallenbergs again.”
“Yes. I thought the situation was a little different this time. But then you told me to offer up my heart.”
“Isn’t that the same story as before?”
“It’s different. I don’t blame a merchant for demanding a fair price. But you should not have resorted to trickery against us.”
As the Margrave said, the situation was different between the first and second time he borrowed money.
They could have easily borrowed the money by offering up a limb or two, without having to tear out their heart.
But the one who wanted the heart prevented others from being satisfied with just the limbs.
“And then, you suddenly changed your tune.”
“Because the situation has changed. The Vile Breed, the demons, will make their move.”
“Demons? You Fallenbergs would sell things even to demons. You’d take a loss for the greater good? Don’t make me laugh.”
The Margrave leaned forward. The movement alone was enough to make Pernyan feel breathless.
“Look me in the eye and tell me straight.”
He growled.
“What is your intention?”