Chapter 68
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Unseen Movements
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Time flowed on, regardless of whether a demon had been summoned and thwarted by students.
The academy administration, while concealing the facts about the demon, began to secretly track down the Vile Breeds.
And so, the Andromalius summoning incident was brought to a close.
*'The riots from those infected with demonic energy never happened.'*
Though its aftershocks still lingered, subtly shaking the entire academy.
Originally, those tainted by the demonic energy should have run rampant, plunging the academy into deeper chaos.
Naturally, the professors and assistants would have been too busy controlling the chaos to respond effectively to the demon, which should have placed a greater burden on Aint.
But this time, nothing of the sort occurred.
*'What's going on?'*
At this rate, there was no point in having consulted with the Saint and the church to treat the contaminated people.
Why else would the Saint have carved out time from his schedule to proselytize?
*'No, perhaps it didn't happen precisely because we took those measures.'*
But even so, Jace hadn't found that many contaminated individuals. The number was laughably small compared to what he had seen in the prophecy.
What's more.
“Lately, I haven't found a single one. Do you think there are no more, Hyeongnim?”
“Since when?”
“About two days before you were injured?”
The people tainted by demonic energy had simply vanished. They hadn't gone missing, so it was more accurate to say the demonic energy contaminating them had disappeared.
This was by no means a result of Jace's actions.
It was also strange to think they'd gotten scared and gone into hiding. If that were the case, they wouldn't have summoned the demon in the first place.
“There's something I'm missing….”
He couldn't quite put his finger on it.
“Something you're missing?”
“It's nothing.”
Pernyan swallowed his words. It seemed he had spoken his thoughts aloud without realizing it.
“So, what did the Chancellor say?”
“For now, he said he wouldn't hold it against me.”
“Surprising.”
It would have been understandable if Aria had remained half-mad from the Vile Breed's attack.
But for him to overlook the fact that she was perfectly fine and could have taken precautions with the World Tree branch, yet didn't….
*'It's not that I don't have a guess….'*
He had a rough idea of the Chancellor's personality. Still, it was best to confirm.
“You're not one to talk, Sunbaenim! That's why I said we should have dealt with it sooner!”
Aria shrieked. She seemed genuinely resentful that the Branch of the World Tree had led to a demon's summoning.
“Hoo, no. Calm down, Aria. You're a cultured elf. Pretty words, nice words.”
She was really putting on a show.
“Just tell me what the Chancellor said.”
“…But why should I tell you that, Sunbaenim?”
Aria, having regained her composure, smiled sweetly.
“I cooperated with you for the safety of the Mother Tree's branch, but there's no need for that anymore, is there?”
“Didn't you say you wanted connections?”
“I said I wanted connections, not that I wanted to be a pushover. Honestly, you're the one who needs something right now, aren't you?”
That was true. The conversation between Aria and the Chancellor, and how the academy would handle the loss of the World Tree branch, would be a significant fork in the road for the future.
“Then never mind.”
But there was no reason to be subservient. He was quite familiar with people like Aria.
They use an innocent-looking face to bewitch people and spread their poison. The kind of person who, if you yield to them once, will try to control you endlessly.
“Never mind?”
“I've already heard everything.”
“I haven't said a word.”
“You said he decided to let it go, didn't you? That means it's one of two things. Either the Friedien family promised something else to smooth it over, or he never intended to make an issue of it in the first place.”
And there was only one reason the latter would be true.
“Summoning a demon is not a simple matter. It's not something that can happen just because one branch of the World Tree was poorly managed.”
“……”
“More importantly, an elf would never be careless with a branch of the World Tree, so it couldn't be your fault. Am I wrong?”
“…No?”
“Fine by me.”
Pernyan, having confirmed everything from her thwarted expression, rose from his seat without hesitation.
“Wait a minute!”
“What is it?”
“Hey, I was just kidding. A joke. We're not so distant that we can't share a little joke, are we?”
“What kind of relationship do we have?”
“The kind where we introduce each other to our connections?”
“Is your measure of friendship based on connections?”
This girl… her obsession with connections knew no bounds.
“I know it's strange. But if you think about it, Sunbaenim, you're the one who made me this way.”
“Me?”
“To be precise, your family and the other Elector families.”
“Don't blame others.”
“I'm just stating the facts.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I'm asking if there's anything you're curious about. I'm ready to answer faithfully.”
By the way, Aria asked cautiously.
“…You haven't forgotten your promise to introduce me to professors and the heirs of other Elector families, have you?”
“A merchant lives and dies by his credibility.”
“You truly are a model merchant. I always believed in you, Sunbaenim.”
“Even if the heir to that Elector family is me?”
“…You swindler!”
“I'm kidding.”
“So was I.”
Aria let out an artificial laugh.
***
After finishing his conversation with Aria, Pernyan immediately began preparing for the next step.
[An ironclad horse gallops.
A knight lowers his posture and extends his lance.
As they passed each other, a powerful shockwave ripped through the air.
Yet, no victor was decided. The knights, having passed each other, turned and charged again.
Three times they charged. When the match remained undecided, the two knights dismounted and drew their swords.
The ensuing duel delighted all the spectators.
“The winner, from the Knight Department’s first year, Aint Armian!”
After more than fifty exchanges, a winner emerged.
“Gillet Pience lost?”
“…Aint Armian won?”
“How is that possible? He’s ranked fifth among the third-year knights!”
“Losing to a first-year! What a disgrace to the third-years!”
“This is fixed! My money! I bet it all on Gillet Pience!”
“…So the Armian family hasn't completely fallen yet.”]
At the time, he had put it aside because the Chancellor's matter was more urgent, but the prophecy wasn't only about the Chancellor's actions.
[- Well done. With this momentum, you will win the jousting tournament.
- Well, even if you don't win right away, you'll still have three more chances until your fourth year, but you never know what the future holds.
The winners of the Jousting Tournament and the Magic Tournament earned the right to enter a vault created by the First Emperor and continuously managed by the academy.
With the right to take a single treasure.
“What’s in there?”
- There are many items. But there is only one you should aim for.
“What is it?”
- A suit of armor. Like me… it feels strange to call this sword ‘me.’ Anyway, it’s armor made from a mixture of Mithril and Adamant, just like this sword.
- It is hidden so that no one can take it.]
The Jousting Tournament and the Magic Tournament. The grandest festival and competition held at the academy. And hidden within them, another of the First Emperor's arrangements.
“How is your body?”
“I'm fine.”
The importance of Aint Armian, the protagonist of the prophecy, was proven once again.
Maintaining their relationship, even through small interactions from time to time, was crucial.
“Still, if you feel anything unusual, come find me anytime. Don't hesitate.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Ah, are you participating in the jousting tournament by any chance?”
“I plan to.”
“I see. Understood.”
Aint, who was about to stand, paused for a moment.
“Ah, by the way, Sunbaenim. That golem.”
“You mean Wooden?”
“Yes. May I ask what that golem, Wooden, is made of? Ah, you don't have to answer if it's an impertinent question.”
“No, it's fine. It's a mix of a large amount of the Adamant and Mithril I bought from you.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
Aint left the secret room.
- I knew it! It had to be an alloy of Mithril and Adamant! Nothing else could explain it!
- To withstand a demon like that, and to be turned into an Ego Golem by inserting a spirit!
Gardner burst into laughter, his prediction confirmed.
“Yes, you were right, Sir Gardner.”
- But it's strange. How did he know that Mithril is a vessel for souls?
- No one should know that.
As far as he knew, the First Emperor was the only one who had ever thought of embedding a soul into Mithril.
“Perhaps he wanted to create an Ego Golem for a long time? And did his own research.”
- True. It would be stranger if, after a thousand years, not a single human had thought of placing a soul in Mithril.
Gardner figured he must have used his money to find the research of such a person.
- Still, to make most of that golem from an Adamant and Mithril alloy. Truly the kind of wasteful spending only those new-money bastards could manage.
In any case, it was a positive thing that such a person was currently an ally, and that he would remain a non-enemy as long as the demons sought to bring ruin to the world.
- In any case, apart from the demon summoning, it seems this will be resolved more quietly than expected.
“I agree. And it was a demon, no less.”
- They must think it's too early to announce it. I can understand that.
But that didn't mean he trusted them completely. Weren't these the same incompetent fools who failed to notice Vile Breeds hiding in their own academy?
- There's a limit to incompetence. To not even know they're festering right under your nose.
- If the late Emperor knew, he would rise from his grave and throw them all to the demons as feed.
- If they like demons so much, they should offer their own bodies first.
“The more I hear, the more curious I become about what kind of person the First Emperor was.”
- He was a hero. Though not a saint.
In fact, it would be more accurate to say he was a little mad.
- It's harder to stay sane when you're fighting demons.
Anyway.
- Whether the academy fools are incompetent or not, the best you can do right now is focus on what you can control.
Building your reputation at the academy.
And cultivating your strength.
Aint arrived at a private training hall reserved for academy students and sat cross-legged in the very center.
-So, what you must do right now is.
He placed the sword on his lap.
- make Andromalius's demonic energy completely your own.
- The summoning of Andromalius means this is only the beginning.
He closed his eyes.
- Winning the jousting tournament is also important. For the armor!
“Yes!”
Black demonic energy and pure white light swirled together, enveloping Aint.
***
Crack—
The bonsai shears snapped the trunk of the bonsai tree.
But the man's hand did not stop.
Crack, crack. With each movement of the shears, another bonsai lost its form.
“The seventh one is dead. He attempted to flee but was overwhelmed and ultimately chose suicide.”
“……”
“The third safe house has been discovered by Grad Xant and the guardians he leads.”
The guardians were an armed group operating directly under the academy's authority.
Some of the professors led them, and a few assistants were also members.
“This was expected.”
It was expected from the moment Andromalius failed and was subjugated—no, from the moment Andromalius was summoned.
But that didn't make it any more pleasant.
He had anticipated and prepared for everything.
He had even planned for what to give up, like a lizard shedding its tail.
“Aint Armian….”
Because the one they had tried to eliminate at all costs, accepting a certain level of sacrifice and exposure, was still alive and well.
“How amusing.”
He had never imagined such an outcome. He had never even considered it a possibility.
“Andromalius. How incompetent can a so-called demon be?”
It was laughable.
A great demon, defeated by a mere five ‘students’.
No matter that most of its true power was sealed due to the rushed summoning.
They had even recovered the demonic energy spread throughout the academy and added it to the summoning circle to ensure there would be no failure.
“Because of this, the entire continent has learned of the demons' stirring. And yet, we have gained nothing.”
Was that all?
“Aint Armian has that cursed sword.”
The First Emperor's sword, which hunts demons and absorbs their power.
Most of its power may have been lost over the long years, but this incident would have allowed it to absorb Andromalius's strength.
Far from killing him, they had ended up making him even stronger.
“As planned, three strongholds and twelve Vile Breeds will soon be handed over. But they will never find anything more.”
“That goes without saying.”
Except for the fact that Andromalius was more incompetent than he'd thought, everything was within the man's grasp.
The Chancellor's summoning of the academy's entire leadership, the secret searches—all of it.
They would never find more than what the man had arranged for them to find.
But that did not make up for the failure.
“Knowing the Chancellor's personality, it's highly likely he'll speak about the Vile Breeds at the upcoming Founding Day celebration.”
But he could not let that happen.
“We will make the first move.”
Divert all attention headed for the academy elsewhere.
“Your Excellency.”
Just then, another shadow emerged.
“Speak.”
“A message has arrived from the north.”
The man's face twisted ever so slightly.
“So soon.”
He took a reluctant step to open the warehouse door. Just as he was about to.
“……”
The man's eyes turned cold.
Ting-a-ling—
The door opened.
“We are closed today for personal reasons.”
A woman with long, dark-blue hair that flowed down to her waist approached, one slow step at a time.
“I placed a sign in front of the door. Did you perhaps not see it?”
“I saw it.”
“Then why?”
“We are both busy people, so let's not draw this out.”
A pale white hand brushed against the display shelf. *Crack*, the books froze over from the cold chill.
“Will you come quietly, or the hard way?”
“…Hmph.”
The man sighed.
“How did you know?”
“What a funny thing to say. The only reason you parasites have been able to fester until now is that we weren't paying attention to you. You filthy Vile Breed who sold his soul to a demon.”
“It seems there's a misunderstanding.”
The man smiled brightly.
“I enjoy a bath every single day. So I'm quite clean. Though I suppose I can't compare to you, Professor Rosalia, with your supposed mysophobia.”
He opened a book that was lying nearby. The sigil carved inside began to react to his mana.
Bzzzzzt—
A blue bolt of lightning shot out in a straight line.
But it was easily blocked by a wall of pure white ice.
“You are mistaken as well.”
*Crack*, the chill spread across the floor, binding the man's feet.
“I don't have mysophobia. I simply cannot stand to look at filth.”
Crunch—
Dozens of ice spears pierced the man's entire body.
“Filthy Vile Breeds like you.”
Not a single frozen drop of blood trickled onto the floor.