Chapter 62
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: The Worst Possible Timing
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Chapter 62.
Just a few days before Andromalius was to descend, while Aint was returning to the academy by ship.
The academy was abuzz with preparations for the new semester. Among everyone, Pernyan was the busiest person of all.
“We won’t be short on the prepared supplies, will we?”
“No, sir. The warehouses are fully stocked, and we’ve secured extra just in case.”
“Better to have leftovers than to run short. Even if we can’t sell everything at the academy, we can sell it elsewhere.”
“Yes, sir.”
The start of the semester meant the return of students, and wherever people gathered, there was money to be made.
“The merchants in the city…”
“Professor Dominique’s course materials…”
Moreover, with a city established on the island, their business wasn't limited to just students.
“How are the festival preparations?”
Above all, the second semester was scheduled to feature the academy’s grandest festival, held in celebration of the Empire’s founding anniversary.
And for a long time, the Golden Turtle Merchant Guild had been exclusively responsible for supplying the necessary goods and preparing the facilities.
“Just because we do this every year doesn’t mean we can be careless. With so many distinguished guests attending, there must not be a single problem.”
“Yes, sir.”
“This is the busiest time of the year. Keep in mind that our entire year’s profit depends on how much we earn during this period.”
“Yes, sir!”
From the students, hailed as the future of the Empire, to their parents and the crowds flocking to see the festival.
The academy’s festival was the second grandest of all the founding anniversary celebrations held across the Empire.
The first, of course, was the one held in the capital.
“That concludes today’s meeting.”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
The two-hour meeting came to an end.
“What’s the next item on the schedule?”
“A meeting with the merchant association.”
“And Aint Armian?”
“He has not yet returned to the academy.”
“Then you go to the meeting with the merchant association in my place.”
Pernyan reviewed the meeting notes one last time and rose from his seat.
“…What are you planning to do now?”
“I’m heading out.”
“Besides the tasks you’ve assigned to me, there’s nothing on your schedule that requires you to leave, is there?”
“I’ll tell you when I get back.”
“I’m not a merchant.”
“But you are a member of the guild.”
“I have no experience in commerce.”
“Don’t worry. The staff will handle everything. You just need to go and look important.”
“…What in the world does that mean?”
Hyde let out a hollow laugh, but Pernyan had already left.
“…You seem to keep forgetting, but I’m not a merchant. I’m an attendant and a bodyguard.”
*Sigh.* Hyde let out a deep breath.
* * *
Pernyan stopped by the warehouse and swept up a load of supplies.
“Um… Branch Manager?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to record that I took these out.”
“Yes, I understand…!”
Pernyan soothed the warehouse keeper’s anxiety and left.
In truth, as the vacation drew to a close, he was becoming increasingly agitated.
‘Andromalius.’
The cause, of course, was the demon scheduled to be summoned.
Even knowing from the Prophecy Book that a demon would descend and that Aint would be the one to vanquish it, that knowledge couldn’t completely dispel the fear the demon inspired.
‘It’s still a demon. The first demon to appear on the continent in a thousand years.’
He couldn’t even begin to fathom the extent of the demon’s power.
‘Can Aint really stop it? The future has already changed. Who knows what else will happen?’
Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have been this anxious, but the incident with Barus had hit him hard.
A Vile Breed that Aint was supposed to have defeated on his own had not only gravely injured Barus but had also killed several members of the Ink-Black Spear Mercenary Group.
The outcome—its defeat at Aint’s hands—was the same, but would the result have truly been identical if Pernyan hadn’t sent Barus along?
Today’s excursion was a manifestation of that anxiety.
“You’re going to set traps?”
“That’s right.”
To plant as many traps and snares as possible around the Branch of the World Tree to land at least one blow on Andromalius when he was summoned.
That was the goal.
“But why are you going with Ruina?”
“Ruina also knows about the Vile Breed.”
She was an escort, just in case.
Since the Vile Breed’s primary target was Aint, he thought the chances of the demon being summoned while Aint was away were remarkably low.
Nevertheless, there was always the possibility of ‘what if,’ which was why he was bothering to bring Ruina along.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone about the Branch of the World Tree.”
“Can I trust you, Sunbaenim?”
“Ruina is trustworthy.”
“If you say so, I guess I have no choice. But I’m not sure if Ruina will be okay with it, even if I am.”
“Actually, the other person I was going to introduce you to was Ruina.”
At his words, both women’s faces faltered simultaneously.
“…You were going to introduce me to Aria?”
“I made a promise.”
“Are you perhaps unaware that it was the Friedien family who took the rights to our family’s Golden Bull?”
“The Fallenberg family brokered the deal. It was purchased with a fair payment under mutual agreement. Surely you don’t intend to make an issue of that?”
“Of course not, but…”
Ruina was by no means a saint who forgave all and embraced everything with love.
No matter how fair the price, the value of what was lost was, in truth, priceless.
It was only natural to regret the loss and harbor resentment toward the one who took it.
This was especially true now that she was aware of the change in how the nobility viewed the Bercefe family, who had lost their position as Electors.
“…I don’t particularly dislike the Friedien family. But I have no intention of going out of my way to befriend them.”
“Like the relationship you and I used to have?”
“……”
“There’s no issue between you two. On the contrary, you share the just cause of opposing the Vile Breed. Is there any reason you can’t work together?”
Ruina couldn’t readily answer.
“Wow, Sunbaenim, I’m seeing you in a new light. You’re quite selfish.”
“So?”
“I don’t mind a bad boy. They’re an Elector family, after all.”
From Aria’s perspective, there was no downside.
Though they had done nothing wrong, it was an opportunity to build an amicable relationship with the Bercefe family, who resented them.
“But you said she’s a direct descendant of an Elector family and likely to be the heir, right?”
“A mistake. I just left out one word at the beginning.”
The word ‘former.’
“Ha.”
Aria let out a dry laugh. Ruina struggled to compose herself.
“…Yes, that’s right. I see no need for us to fight each other with a demon on the horizon.”
“You’re more generous than I thought, Ruina Sunbaenim. It’s a pleasure to work with you.”
Ruina extended her hand first. Aria smiled brightly and accepted the handshake.
Having sorted out their relationship, the three of them headed straight for the forest where the Branch of the World Tree was planted.
“…This is the Branch of the World Tree?”
“To be precise, a corrupted branch.”
“It’s truly dreadful to see a part of the Mother Tree in this state. We must let her rest in peace as soon as possible…”
The condition of the Branch of the World Tree looked slightly worse than before. What had been drab was now completely ink-black, and a demonic aura could now be felt when approaching it.
However, the aura didn’t seem to spread beyond a certain range.
“What do you plan to do with this?”
“Set traps.”
“Traps?”
“Simply corrupting the Branch of the World Tree can’t be the Vile Breed’s ultimate goal.”
“That much is obvious.”
Anyone could guess that they intended to use the corrupted Branch of the World Tree for something.
Though no one could have imagined it would be to summon a demon.
“So, they will definitely return here. I plan to set traps in preparation for that.”
“It’s not a bad idea, but I have one question.”
“Go on.”
“I understand the Branch of the World Tree is quite valuable. Why wasn’t it managed properly before it reached this state?”
“…Please don’t dig up my dark past.”
“It’s a long story, but there were circumstances.”
Ruina didn’t press further.
“But if you’re setting up magical traps, is my presence really necessary?”
“As an escort.”
“If the Vile Breed have tainted the World Tree, there’s no telling when they might return.”
“It’s a branch of the Mother Tree, not the Mother Tree itself. Think of it as the difference between a King Slime and a regular slime that split off from it.”
“That’s a pretty big difference. I stand corrected.”
She drew her sword and began to survey her surroundings.
“What should I do?”
“You can stand guard as well.”
“Am I really needed?”
“Would you rather dig?”
“An elf’s eyes are sharp enough to put an eagle’s to shame.”
Aria moved to stand on the opposite side of Ruina.
‘Alright, then…’
The traps themselves were nothing special.
‘First, dig a hole…’
*Rumble, rumble.* He used magic to dig into the earth and drew a magic circle inside. The reason for digging was to hide it from the Vile Breed.
‘This is no time to be cheap.’
He enhanced the magic circle’s performance with reagents and crammed scrolls in between to link them. Then, he placed bottles of holy water inscribed with magic circles inside and buried them together.
Dozens of them. One or two might not do much, but dozens of bottles of holy water linked with magic might just be enough to make even a demon falter.
‘In addition to this…’
Pernyan took out the final scroll.
It was a high-quality scroll, different from the others. It contained high-level magic, making it an expensive item.
If all went according to plan, it would be the finishing blow to a weakened Andromalius, battered by the other traps and holy water.
After a long while, Pernyan finished burying all the traps and tidied up the area once more.
Secrecy was vital for traps, so there couldn’t be any sign of disturbance.
Just as he was thinking this and about to cast another spell.
—!
It began with a faint, a very faint vibration.
So subtle that only Pernyan, an earth mage who had been digging, would have noticed it.
“…What was that?”
*Rumble, rumble, rumble.* The growth of the world’s greatest tree. The blackened Branch of the World Tree was extending its roots deeper, its stem stretching and growing larger.
“…The World Tree is suddenly…?”
“Aria!”
But no one saw it as a positive sign.
Instead of the pure mana one would associate with the World Tree, it was spewing a vile demonic aura.
“The Mother Tree is screaming!”
Aria’s words hammered the point home. Her pupils trembled violently as if an earthquake had struck.
‘…Wait a minute, could it be?’
It couldn’t be. No way.
Pernyan desperately denied the ominous feeling that surged within him.
“Aria, what in the world is happening?!”
“I’d like to ask you the same thing!”
“…What on earth did you touch?”
“I didn’t touch anything!”
No one knew why the Branch of the World Tree, which they thought was half-dead, was suddenly growing, or why the demonic aura was intensifying.
However, they all knew it was by no means a good sign.
Ruina drew her sword, and Aria summoned a spirit.
“We should have put her to rest long ago!”
Aria thrust her staff forward. A swirling wind formed into blades and rushed toward the World Tree.
*Craaack—*
“What is this?!”
“A barrier?”
But a barrier of demonic energy had already formed around the World Tree. Ruina immediately followed up, unleashing a flurry of sword strikes.
—!
This time, it was effective. The shockwave caused the surrounding trees to bend violently, and fragments of the barrier scattered in all directions.
A small crack appeared in its wake.
“That’s it, Ruina! Stop it now!”
Pernyan cheered and began to prepare a spell, but he was too late.
*Crack, crackle—*
The branch, which had stretched high into the sky, pierced through space itself.
“…What is this?”
“What in the world is happening…?”
The fissure gradually widened. When it reached the size of a small hole.
*Crack—*
A pale white hand shot out and forcibly tore the fissure open.
The sky splitting.
A hand suddenly appearing.
Space itself being torn apart.
None of it felt real. But it was reality.
The fissure grew larger, and abruptly, a living being emerged.
“A person?”
“No, there’s no way that’s a person…”
It had a humanoid form, but an otherworldly feel that was anything but human.
“The, the demonic energy…!”
“What is that thing? What’s going on…!”
Chilling pupils, an overwhelming presence, and a surging demonic energy. And the giant snake coiled around its left arm.
The sight was identical to the descriptions in the book.
“Andromalius…”
He could no longer deny reality.
“N-No…!”
Why now, of all times!
When he had come to set traps just in case!
When Aint wasn’t even here!
Pernyan let out a silent scream.