Chapter 5
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: A Demonstration of Worth
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Pernyan went to the library as soon as he woke up.
“Welcome, Master Pernyan. Your student ID has been verified.”
“Where are the books related to demons?”
“Follow the light, and it will guide you.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course.”
The librarian cast a spell on him, and a small stream of light began to guide him.
“Demons, demons, demons, demons….”
There was a simple reason Pernyan had come to the library so early in the morning.
To find more detailed information about demons.
*‘The family library didn't have much of anything.’*
After learning of the demons' existence from the lightning strike, the first thing he'd done was search every corner of his family's library.
But he hadn't found what he was looking for, so he'd been planning to check the academy library as soon as he returned.
“The 72 demons summoned by King Collomo...”
After all, the Armian Imperial Academy library housed a vast collection of books, as per the first emperor's will.
*The Biography of the Great First Emperor*
*The First Emperor and the Royal Knights.*
*King Collomo and the 72 Demons*
*All 72 Demons Are Different*
*Demons are Fra...*
*Dem...*
Pernyan picked out a few books.
First, he opened *The Biography of the Great First Emperor*.
He figured that the biography of a hero who had led the charge against demons might contain at least a few clues on how to deal with them.
*“I cannot stand by while demons plunge the continent into misery.”*
*As the world fell into chaos due to the demons' machinations, the benevolent Lord Chronos Armian rose for the sake of humanity.*
*“Let us all join forces to drive out the demons.”*
*At Lord Chronos Armian's words, the five kingdoms and the religious orders, deeply moved, flocked to him like a swarm of bees.*
*“King Collomo, let us settle this once and for all!”*
*Lord Armian fought King Collomo for a month, day and night, with the fate of the world at stake.*
*Lord Chronos Armian pierced King Collomo's heart.*
*When the lord commanded, ‘Your king is dead. All of you, return,’ the legion of a million demons vanished on the spot.*
“...What is this?”
His sliver of hope was instantly crushed. This wasn't a biography; it was just an absurd novel.
“Those greedy Electors would be moved to join forces over a few mere words?”
Pernyan, putting himself in their shoes, shuddered as if breaking out in hives.
“Free cooperation? Who do they think they're fooling?”
And that wasn't all. The next page was just as ridiculous.
“They just vanished because he told them to return? Not even worth reading. Even the Order's scriptures aren't this ridiculous.”
Scoffing, Pernyan tossed it aside and opened another book without a second glance.
*The First Emperor and the Royal Knights.*
It detailed how the first emperor met the Royal Knights and established the Royal Knight system.
There was also a story about Sir Gardner Alpenparsen, the first Royal Knight and the ego of the Ego Sword.
It claimed Gardner Alpenparsen had his teeth knocked out for being cheeky during his first meeting with the emperor, but who knew if it was true.
*‘It would be faster to ask him directly.’*
Something only Aint could do.
The next book was *King Collomo and the 72 Demons*.
*King Collomo sacrificed all his subjects to summon the demons. A total of 72 demons from hell were summoned...*
*The 72nd demon, Andromalius*
*Appears as a man with a snake coiled around one hand.*
*The 71st demon, Dantalion*
*A demon that changes its form to imitate people and create confusion.*
*The 70th...*
Whether much had been lost over the thousand years or there was simply little information to begin with, the records on the demons were all brief and simple.
*‘Disappointing. Then again, the family library didn't have anything remarkable either.’*
Pernyan closed the last book. For the prestigious library of the Imperial Academy, the contents of the books were all sorely lacking.
*‘Even after a thousand years, how could the records be this poor?’*
The empire was serious about its records, enough to build and maintain numerous libraries. It was incomprehensible that there would be so little, unless someone had intentionally erased it.
His task complete, Pernyan returned the books to their shelves and went back to his dormitory.
The attendant waiting for him greeted him.
“Where have you been so early in the morning?”
“I stopped by the library. What is it?”
“The items you requested have arrived.”
The attendant handed him a small box.
“They're here.”
“Why do you suddenly need these? Don't you already have some?”
“I thought I might run short. Just to be sure.”
“Pardon? To be sure of what?”
“There's something.”
Pernyan took the box and put his outer coat back on.
“Where are you going now?”
“To the training grounds. You, deliver this to Ruina Bercefe.”
“A letter? A love letter?”
“Don't be ridiculous. Tell her I'll be waiting and to come as quickly as possible.”
“Understood.”
The preparations were complete. Now it was time to prove himself, as promised.
Pernyan headed for the training grounds.
***
The academy's training grounds, prepared for the students.
Ruina stood with her sword drawn. Across from her, Pernyan Fallenberg watched her, staff in hand.
“I still don't quite understand, but what is the meaning of this?”
“We are standing opposite each other in a training ground. Do you need any further explanation?”
“...Are you really going to fight me?”
“I told you, didn't I? I'll prove that despite being the second-rank and the tenth, I am not lacking. The most direct and certain method is force.”
Judging by his consistently confident demeanor, Pernyan was clearly serious.
“Do you truly believe you can win?”
“If you beat me, I'll give you some chocolate.”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard you like chocolate. Am I wrong?”
“Did you do a background check on me?”
“I wouldn't go to the trouble of investigating just one person like you.”
Just.
“I merely looked into the personal details of all the top-ranking students.”
“...How outrageous.”
Pernyan shrugged. Ruina's expression twisted. Her grip on her sword's hilt tightened.
“If that is what you truly want, fine. Go ahead and try this 'proof' of yours.”
Even as she said it, Ruina believed there was no chance Pernyan could beat her.
It wasn't that Pernyan Fallenberg was weak.
Ranking tenth in his department at an academy filled with talented individuals, earning a spot in La Vie Douce Dormitory even if it was at the bottom, was clear proof of his excellence.
But there was a definite gap between second and tenth place.
Even though the Knight and Magic Departments rarely clashed during their first year, it wasn't unheard of.
And those few opportunities had been enough to gauge Pernyan's skill. He was exactly at the level of a tenth-ranker. Nothing more, nothing less.
*‘Or did something happen over the winter?’*
Even so, his current actions were completely incomprehensible.
“I'll let you have the first move.”
“Gladly.”
Pernyan chanted an incantation. The mana stone embedded in the tip of his staff drew in the surrounding mana.
*Rumble—*
The earth trembled. Dozens of boulders materialized in the air and descended upon Ruina.
—!
She steadied her breath, gathered aura in her legs, and charged forward.
Her body shot forward like an arrow. The ferocious speed was a weapon in itself. Her blade cut through the boulders as she rushed straight for the caster.
*Slice—*
She cut him. But she hadn't.
The crude illusion vanished. Pernyan was now standing far behind her. But Ruina didn't panic.
She kicked off the air with her aura, changing direction mid-flight. Charging like a rampaging warhorse, she smashed into a rising wall of rock.
—!
Fragments of the shattered wall flew in all directions. What she faced after breaking through was a barrage of hundreds of rock spears, but she dove right in.
Her sword was heavy, but not simple. Powerful, but not foolish.
Sometimes heavy, sometimes gentle, sometimes elegant.
She shattered, deflected, and carved through the spears.
And finally, she reached her destination. But what awaited her was not Pernyan, but a greater spell.
A shadow fell over her. It was a mass of rock torn straight from the training ground floor.
*‘...He tore up the training ground floor?’*
The training ground was treated with all sorts of magic, making it resistant to most impacts. This was an unexpected variable.
Her thoughts were cut short. The rock mass fell. A moment's hesitation had made it too late to dodge.
──!
Even though she blocked it, her body screamed. It felt like a head-on collision with a massive siege weapon. The floor shattered, and her feet sank into the ground.
*‘He was hiding his true strength...!’*
With the first effective hit landed on her, Ruina completely abandoned any thought of underestimating Pernyan.
Biting her lip, she steadied her breath. As her heart pounded harder, her aura hole responded.
A blue aura enveloped her entire body. A massive blade of energy erupted from her sword.
And just as she was about to swing that blade at her foe...
An indiscriminate bombardment rained down.
Massive boulders, just like before.
At the same time, the ground began to shake as if in an earthquake.
*‘This is insane...!’*
Casting such high-level spells consecutively, and simultaneously? Just how much mana does he have?
Ruina blocked, and blocked, and blocked again. The storm of spells was so dense it gave her no room to counterattack. The impacts continued to accumulate, and a trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth.
*‘I'll lose at this rate.’*
She was just a training dummy, taking a one-sided beating. From someone she'd considered beneath her.
Her pride wouldn't allow it. She endured the impacts and pushed forward. For every step she was forced back after cutting through a spell, she took two steps forward.
And when she finally reached her opponent...
“I surrender.”
Pernyan raised both hands. The tip of Ruina's sword stopped right before his nose.
He collapsed to his knees, panting heavily.
“...Are you mocking me?”
She gritted her teeth at his nonchalant expression.
“Mocking you? I've just run out of mana. A mage with no mana can't possibly beat a knight, can they?”
It wasn't a lie or an act. Her keen knight's senses told her it was true.
“Or is a proud knight who reveres chivalry going to take out her anger on a surrendered opponent? Just because you took a few hits?”
“...I would do no such thing.”
Pernyan truly had exhausted his mana, and in his current state, he couldn't beat Ruina.
Realizing he couldn't win by ordinary means, he had gambled everything on that assault. Since she had weathered it, the victory was technically hers.
But even considering that...
She, the second-rank, had almost lost to the tenth-rank—an opponent she had been certain she could defeat.
The sheer amount of mana required to sustain that relentless, brutish assault was on a level she couldn't even begin to fathom.
“So, what kind of chocolate do you want? The whiskey chocolate from my family? The famous World Tree bark chocolate from Friedien? Or maybe the specialty from the Prasia Kingdom, the kraken ink choco—”
“...You.”
And that's when Ruina understood.
“Why?”
She had so many questions she wanted to ask. But after thinking and thinking, the word that came out was a simple, yet most direct question.
“It's only natural.”
And Pernyan's answer...
“A merchant doesn't step forward.”
...also held a great deal of meaning.
***
“...Did you fight an ogre?”
His clothes were slightly torn and his hair was a mess. It was a rare sight for Pernyan, who was always impeccably dressed.
The attendant asked dubiously.
“Where would there be an ogre inside the academy? Maybe up in the northern mountains.”
“Then what happened?”
Instead of answering, Pernyan took some items from his subspace. They were shattered spheres.
“The five mana amplifiers and mana storage devices I gave you less than two hours ago... why are they all shattered? Do you have any idea how much these cost?”
“I was investing in the future.”
“I don't know who you fought, but it seems you took a blow to the head. I'll call for a healing mage.”
“Do I look like the kind of person who goes around getting beat up?”
“Is it the aftereffect of the lightning strike acting up again?”
“I'm fine.”
“Then it was Ruina Bercefe.”
Pernyan gave a small nod.
“This may be overstepping my bounds, but if you don't mind, may I ask one question?”
“What is it?”
“In all my time serving you, Young Master, I have been able to understand the intent behind most of your actions. They all had clear grounds and reasons.”
“But this time, you can't understand it at all?”
“Yes.”
Of course. He had agreed to waive the Bercefe family's interest payments for three years and to sponsor Ruina Bercefe.
In return, all he got was a partnership with Ruina Bercefe.
Compared to the money invested and the Bercefe family's secret swordsmanship, it was by no means a profitable deal. No one from the Fallenberg family would ever make such a foolish transaction.
If not for the Prophecy Book, Pernyan wouldn't have done something so crazy either.
“You're being rude.”
Therefore, Pernyan had no grounds or method to make him understand.
In times like this, the best option was to simply pull rank. That's what power was for.
“You'll understand when the time comes.”
“If you say so, then I understand. I will contact the family and request more magical devices.”
“As many as possible.”
“By the way, have you written the letter for the head of the family?”
“It's here.”
“I'll see that it's sent properly. Ah, and why haven't you been attending to your duties lately?”
“I had things to do. I'll get to them soon, so don't rush me.”
“Yes. I understand.”
The attendant left.
“Hmm.”
Pernyan turned his gaze out the window and leisurely savored his coffee.
He had finally sent the letter. There was no turning back now.
“Dammit. I'm not going to get disowned for this, am I?”
*If my son did this, I'd probably disown him.*
A faint ripple disturbed the calm surface of his coffee.
A few days later, the reply from Duke Fallenberg arrived. It was extremely short and concise.
[You've been possessed by a demon.]
But that only made it all the more impactful.
“...I'm screwed.”
Pernyan had a gut feeling that he was, indeed, screwed.