Chapter 134
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: Unforeseen Changes
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Not long after the new semester began, someone came to see Pernyan.
“Brother, it’s been a while.”
Black hair contrasted with his snow-white skin, and his blue eyes resembled jewels.
His brawny, rugged frame was an odd match for his princely face.
It was Alkmion Altriark, renowned for having inherited the most talent and blood from the great Royal Knight, Katrina Altriark.
Pernyan had known him since childhood.
“It has been. I didn’t expect you to enter as the top student.”
“After my mother’s harsh training, was there any other possibility?”
“I heard you were put through the wringer on the front lines.”
“Heh heh, it was quite the ordeal. Demonic beasts are certainly different from your average monster, I’ll say.”
Despite his words, his face was filled with delight.
“Have you seen Professor Emond yet?”
“You were the first person I came to see, Brother. He’s doing well.”
“He’s a professor. Be mindful of your titles at the academy. Especially since you’re an Altriark.”
“Of course. I’m only speaking this way because it’s just the two of us.”
Alkmion shrugged.
“Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you.”
“You have something to ask me, Brother? That’s rare.”
“Timon Baertz. You must have crossed swords with him. What was he like?”
“If you mean the second-ranked student who lost to me in the end, he was quite sharp.”
“To the point you almost lost?”
“No, not even close.”
At that, Pernyan tilted his head.
According to the Prophecy Book, the top student was supposed to be Timon Baertz.
It would be one thing if Alkmion had won by a narrow margin, but to hear he wasn't even on the same level was puzzling.
No matter how much Pernyan’s actions had changed the future, there was no reason for Alkmion to have suddenly grown stronger.
‘Then did Timon Baertz get weaker? Why?’
Could his altering of the future have affected a completely unrelated new student?
He couldn't figure it out.
“I see. Enjoy your time at the academy.”
“Yes, Brother. I’ll see you again.”
Alkmion rose from his seat.
“Oh, and Mother asked me to tell you that she was extremely satisfied with your recent gift.”
“It seems some of the calluses on her hands are gone.”
“Yes. She was overjoyed. I don’t understand it, though. For a knight, calluses are a symbol of our trade…”
Having been brutally trained by Katrina Altriark since he was young, Alkmion was somewhat lacking in other areas.
It was simply a matter of experience, something that would gradually improve as he went through academy life.
Alkmion departed.
“If he’s weaker than he was in the Prophecy Book, then there’s no need to worry at all…”
He trusted Aint to handle it on his own.
“In that case, there’s only one thing to do now.”
Prevent Aint from being assassinated.
“What’s the best way to go about it?”
Should he stop it before it even happened? Or should he let Aint face it himself and step in only if things got dangerous?
Pernyan’s thoughts continued to churn.
* * *
La Vie Douce Dormitory.
A dormitory where only the academy’s elite were qualified to enter, and where no one but the resident was permitted in their room.
But there was a guest in the room of none other than the prince.
“Are you saying His Majesty truly gave such an order?”
“Yes, Your Highness, that is correct.”
The middle-aged man affirmed with a bow of his head.
“This plan is absurd!”
Ludger ground his teeth.
“The Vile Breed running rampant and a demon descending at this exact moment is certainly not good for us.”
But to assassinate Aint Armian now, when all eyes were on him?
This was an insane plan. It should never have been conceived, let alone carried out.
“It is His Majesty’s judgment that if we leave him be any longer, the situation will become uncontrollable. Did Your Highness not also say that Aint Armian must be watched closely?”
He had, of course. He also admitted that the situation would spiral out of control if left unchecked.
“But if we kill Aint in a situation like this, who do you think will be suspected? Us! The ones who most despise the rise of the Armians!”
“They cannot blame the Schwabens for an accidental death during an exam. Aint is strong, but he is still just a student. More importantly, we have a contingency for that.”
He agreed on that point, but killing Aint would still do more harm than good.
“Then what about the demon! What is the plan for the demon! If we can’t stop the demons, the continent will fall! Does His Majesty intend to be the last emperor of a ruined continent?”
“The Armians’ power may be the natural enemy of demons, but their absence does not mean we cannot hunt demons.”
And more importantly, Your Highness.
The man spoke in a near whisper.
“We have already obtained the Armian’s secret sword arts.”
“…What?”
Ludger’s eyes widened at the completely unexpected words.
“When they lost the throne, the Armians fell into chaos. Who do you think caused that chaos?”
If the Armians were the ones who had the throne taken, it was the Schwabens who had taken it.
“…Don’t tell me?”
“Yes, your guess is correct. And His Majesty has made his decision.”
The reason they had kept it hidden despite possessing it was to avoid unnecessary suspicion and criticism.
But what if the demons began to move, and the sole hope, Aint Armian, were to die?
Whether they liked it or not, humanity would have no choice but to cling to another hope. Even if that hope was one that had been stolen.
“His Highness the First Prince is already mastering it.”
“…I see.”
Ludger’s eyes sank heavily.
“Your Highness knows nothing of this. I will handle everything myself.”
“And if I refuse?”
“My apologies, but His Majesty’s imperial command takes precedence over Your Highness’s.”
It was an obvious truth, so Ludger could only fall silent.
“Leave.”
“Yes.”
The man vanished from sight like a shadow. He was indeed the finest assassin His Majesty could have chosen to kill a hero.
Ludger threw himself onto his bed.
“…So I knew nothing, while my brother was already mastering the Armian’s secret arts…”
He had known. His brother’s abilities were outstanding, and His Majesty’s trust in him was absolute, so the title of Crown Prince would most likely go to him.
That was why Ludger hadn’t been greedy. Or so he had thought.
And yet.
Now that he had heard what was effectively an announcement of his brother’s appointment as Crown Prince, his heart began to pound.
He was angry, and it was deeply unpleasant.
“…How pathetic.”
What was I even hoping for?
He forced down his anger and closed his eyes.
-*Thump*.
Perhaps that was why he didn't see the figure clinging to the outside of his window.
* * *
“The winner, Timon Baertz!”
The first “War and Practical Sparring Arts” class for the first-year Knight Department began with sparring, just as it had last year.
Timon Baertz, having overwhelmingly crushed the 13th-ranked student, accepted his victory with a calm demeanor.
“Wow, I can’t believe it was this easy to get in. It actually worked?”
And in the stands, Aint, who was hiding among the first-years, muttered to himself.
Even within the same Knight Department, arbitrarily attending another year’s class was a violation of the rules.
The professor wouldn't have allowed another student to enter in the first place.
—I figured as much. That nouveau riche brat isn’t one for empty boasts, at least.
—That aside, what did you see?
Aint closed his eyes for a moment, replaying the duel in his mind.
He focused not on the students’ movements, but on the flow and changes in their aura.
‘I don’t feel anything at all. Is he really a Vile Breed?’
But there was no demonic energy.
—He doesn’t look like a Vile Breed to my eyes, either.
But Pernyan wouldn’t have said such a thing without reason.
Perhaps in the past, but now, that level of trust had been built between Pernyan and Aint.
—You are still incomplete. The demonic energy could be so subtle that your senses can’t pick it up.
Of course, there was the case of Gismond, but Gismond was exceptionally unique.
Even Gardner hadn't known that someone who had so foolishly consumed that many elixirs could exist.
—That Gismond fellow probably would have died if the elixirs he ate didn’t include the root of an Itarium.
The root of an Itarium, which grew by consuming the essence of metal, had the effect of making the body much tougher.
Unlike other elixirs, it was absorbed by the body itself, not the aura hole.
—Oh, right, I almost forgot. Tell that nouveau riche kid something for me.
—I don’t know if there are any more Itarium roots, but if he feeds one to that golem of his, it should be quite a sight.
If the elixir could strengthen a human body, what would it do to a golem whose body was made entirely of metal?
Just as a knight who attains enlightenment breaks through a wall, that golem would also advance to the next level.
Moreover, since its soul was a spirit, it would accept the elixir's energy more readily.
‘I’ll be sure to tell him.’
Aint already felt bad for receiving so much from Pernyan. If he could repay him in this way, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.
—It’s good for us, too. The stronger our allies against the demons become, the better.
—But I wonder if there’s any more of that stuff left. It wasn’t an ordinary Itarium.
True, there was that.
‘Still, if it’s Sunbaenim, he’ll find a way to get more and feed it to him.’
Aint’s gaze returned to the sparring ground.
He had accomplished his primary goal of observing Timon Baertz, but his interest was piqued as the next match was the first-year’s top student.
‘He’s strong. Just as you’d expect from an Altriark.’
—A sturdy physique. He’s trained it very well. In terms of pure physical strength, he’s better than you.
The swordsmanship of the Knight Department’s top first-year, Alkmion Altriark, was a crushing style that pulverized everything with a massive Zweihänder.
His sword was far beyond what any of his classmates could hope to block.
‘I’d like to fight him once.’
—Timon Baertz is the priority.
‘Of course. But I need to confirm things with Timon directly. Is there a good way to do that?’
—How about challenging him to a duel, knocking him out, and then checking?
‘…That’s a bit of a crude method, but it would certainly be effective.’
How should he approach him?
Aint’s gaze fixed on the back of Timon’s head.
* * *
【Demon Invades Bercefe! No Longer…】
【The Armians Who Confront the Demon, Their…】
【A Tall Black Knight on a Giant Horse. Presumed to be the 66th Demon, Kimaris…!】
【Bercefe Repels the Demon Invasion, 10,000…】
【The Heroes Who Slew the Demon…】
“Hoo, my intuition is absolute garbage. Maybe I should just quit?”
Jirad Izuel sighed and threw down the newspaper.
“You seem to have had a rough time.”
“It’s due to my own lack of ability, so what’s there to be rough about?”
Jirad slumped onto the sofa and leaned his head back. The Inquisitor-General, who was handling documents, replied without turning his head.
“Lack of ability?”
“Yes. My abilities are so lacking that I couldn’t get past the blatant refusal of that high-and-mighty young master, and my abilities are so lacking that I couldn’t find out anything even when the academy was openly hiding things.”
“You are not to touch Pernyan Fallenberg. The Fallenbergs are the only ones providing us with even a small amount of support.”
The Inquisitors were shunned by all. If not for the Fallenbergs, their dwindling lineage would have been extinguished long ago.
“Yes, yes. I know. I get it. It’s all my fault for not having the ability to persuade the great young master, isn’t it?”
After Pernyan returned from his family estate, Jirad had tried to meet him, but Pernyan had intentionally avoided him.
He’d even used the Golden Turtle Merchant Guild to do it so openly that there was nothing Jirad could do.
So he’d decided to bide his time and returned, but…
“Who would have thought that young master would cause such a stir in the North? If I’d known, I would have stuck to him like glue.”
“It would have been the same even if you were there. He used a direct magic circle, which you can’t use without the Margrave’s permission.”
“Does any of this make sense?”
Jirad shot up from his seat.
“Vile Breed appearing, demonic beasts running wild, and finally a demon descending, yet we Inquisitors are left out in the cold!”
“It makes sense.”
The Inquisitor-General nodded.
“We may be called the Grand Demon Task Force, but we’ve been so busy just trying to survive that we haven’t made any preparations, have we?”
“Don’t kick a man when he’s down.”
“Will you go to the academy, or to Prasia?”
“You want me to go back to the academy?”
The Inquisitor-General unfolded another newspaper.
“The Vile Breed incident at the academy, the assassination attempt at the Continental Academic Conference, and now the North. Pernyan Fallenberg was at the center of it all. Is that a coincidence? You said it yourself. That Pernyan Fallenberg seems to know something.”
“So you want me to stick as close to him as possible and dig something up. Then what about Prasia?”
In response to Jirad’s question, the Inquisitor-General handed him a document. It detailed the recent events in Prasia.
“…Isn’t this already over?”
“Aint Armian seems to have caught most of them, but there were dozens of Vile Breed hiding in Prasia. Do you think a group of that size would hide and do nothing?”
The Inquisitor-General twirled his pen.
“This is just my intuition, but there’s something there. Something we just haven’t found yet.”
“…My intuition is telling me the same thing, but…”
He’d come up empty too many times recently, so he was hesitant to jump at it.
“If you can find anything at all, it will look good for us. We would have succeeded where Aint Armian failed.”
“Hmm…”
“The more merit we earn, the more support we can secure. Then we can finally start to spread our wings.”
“I’ll go to Prasia!”
Jirad carefully folded the paper and tucked it into his coat.
“I will find it, no matter what. I’m sick of this impoverished life.”
“What about the academy?”
“No matter how I think about it, I doubt that impenetrable fortress will give me any meaningful information. This seems more realistic.”
Jirad left the headquarters once again.