Chapter 87
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Turning the Tables
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It was.
“Next.”
A beautiful sight.
“Next.”
It was also a heartwarming scene.
“Next, please come up.”
Every time Ruina's sword danced, the knights of Altriark fell like scarecrows.
The spirit that hadn't faltered even before a demon certainly wouldn't bend before mere knights.
Her swordsmanship, honed in Bercefe and now in full bloom at the academy, was sublime.
Five trainees from Class 1 had already fallen to her blade, and when an Altriark knight, unable to watch any longer, stepped up, he too had just knelt before her sword.
This meant Ruina's skill had already surpassed that of an ordinary student.
Either that, or the Altriark knights were simply subpar.
Of course, they weren't from the Ironblood, Madblood, or Nobleblood Knights, but that didn't mean Altriark's knights were to be underestimated.
Ruina was simply that exceptional.
It was proof that Pernyan's decision to trust the Prophecy Book that had suddenly turned his world upside down and invest in Ruina Bercefe was not wrong in the slightest.
“Hoh.”
“They said she won the jousting tournament. I see it's true...”
The admiration of others reinforced Pernyan's conviction.
“Still, how can two so-called knights lose to an academy student?”
“Pathetic fools. And they call themselves trainees of the Altriark Knight Academy...”
Of course, it wasn't all pure admiration.
Just as Ruina of Bercefe felt a rivalry with Altriark, the reverse was also true.
“This time, I'll...”
“How about we stop there?”
As another knight, unable to bear it, tried to step onto the training ground, Grad, who had been standing with his arms crossed, stopped him.
“She has already fought five trainees and two knights. Wouldn't it be unfair for a Nobleblood Knight to step in?”
The Nobleblood Knights were one of the three great knightly orders Altriark prided itself on.
While they were said to be slightly inferior to the Ironblood and Madblood Knights, it wasn't because their standards were lower.
“Right, Ruina?”
“Yes, that's right.”
In contrast to her previous self who had just shouted "Next," Ruina obediently sheathed her sword.
She sat in the makeshift waiting area and wiped the sweat from her brow.
“Professor Grad holds you in high regard.”
“When did you get here?”
Ruina jumped in surprise at the soft whisper.
“Can't you easily sense my presence?”
“I thought you would just sit next to me, not whisper in my ear.”
She touched her ear, her face slightly flushed.
Pernyan offered her a piece of chocolate. Ruina accepted it naturally and ate it.
“Were you confident you could win?”
“Win against what?”
“Don't play dumb.”
“I've never faced the Nobleblood Knights, so I can't be sure, but.”
“But?”
“If their level is similar to Bercefe's Red Lion Knights, then yes. I could.”
Contrary to his words, Grad hadn't stopped the duel for Ruina's sake.
It was for Altriark's sake.
To prevent the humiliation of having a pillar of their house defeated by Ruina, who, despite being the heir of Bercefe, was still just an academy student.
Even though they were rivals, they weren't enemies, and since she was here as a guest, he had stopped things at an appropriate point.
Meanwhile, a new academy student stepped onto the stage.
“I am Aint Armian, a first-year at the academy. It's a pleasure.”
“Armian?”
“Aint Armian, you say?”
“Come to think of it, didn't they say this is the first time in nearly a hundred years that an Armian has enrolled in the academy?”
The trainees murmured amongst themselves, their expectations piqued by the name Armian.
“I wish to experience the swordsmanship of Armian!”
“I will!”
“...Uh. One at a time, please...”
The duels continued.
* * *
“Your Excellency.”
The chamberlain approached and whispered. The Margrave's brow furrowed slightly.
“The duels between the academy students and the knight academy trainees have concluded.”
“Is that so?”
“They say the academy students won every match.”
“Am I supposed to be surprised?”
“It's less surprising and more expected. Nevertheless, my pride is a bit wounded.”
“I don't think it's anything to be prideful about.”
The woman, Rosalia Vienderk, replied with a deadpan expression.
“Everyone keeps it quiet, but isn't this simply a place for those who couldn't get into the academy?”
“That is true.”
The Margrave nodded.
“Though no one else has the gall to say it to my face.”
“The tea has a lovely aroma.”
A brief silence fell.
“Honestly, I didn't expect them to lose every single match. They say Ruina Bercefe took down not only the trainees but two knights as well.”
“They are all students who rank in the top three. And Ruina Bercefe is this year's jousting tournament champion.”
The difference in skill was bound to be stark, but that didn't mean Altriark's standards were low.
After all, some of Altriark's own knights were academy students.
“But they are first and second-years.”
“Talent transcends age.”
“How is the Duke?”
“Right now, I am here not as Rosalia Vienderk, but as Professor Rosalia, Your Excellency.”
“In that case, we depart in two days.”
“...Depart?”
For the first time, a crack appeared in Professor Rosalia's poker face.
“Pardon me, but weren't we supposed to be assisting in the defense of one of the fortresses?”
“That was the original plan, but the schedule has changed.”
“So suddenly?”
“In two days, at dawn, you will all be going to the Taklakan Desert.”
“I don't understand what you mean.”
“The Ironblood and Madblood Knights, along with five hundred elite soldiers, will accompany you.”
Rosalia's eyes widened.
Two knightly orders and five hundred elites was a force capable of crushing a small kingdom with ease.
“What is our objective?”
“That, I do not know.”
“...Pardon?”
“I'm joking.”
The Margrave laughed heartily. But Professor Rosalia didn't smile in the slightest. It wasn't funny.
“Your Excellency.”
“You resemble your father quite a bit. Then again, that's how you became an academy professor at your age.”
“Your Excellency.”
“If you're curious, don't ask me. Ask the one in your party who caused this change of plans.”
“...Someone in our party?”
It couldn't be Grad, who was the very embodiment of indolence, so it had to be one of the students.
And among the students, there was only one person capable of such a thing.
“Pernyan Fallenberg...”
As if to confirm she was correct, the Margrave shrugged.
* * *
“Explain.”
“I found a lead on the Vile Breed. I reported it to the Margrave, and he granted us permission to participate.”
At the concise explanation, Professor Rosalia didn't ask why he had excluded the professors.
She simply asked the next question calmly.
“And that lead?”
“It's the Vile Breed who summoned the demonic beasts. It plans to summon new ones using life force as a sacrifice. What life force is readily available in the Taklakan Desert?”
“The desert tribes.”
There were Alprosen and the Empire, but they were protected by walls, making them more difficult targets than the desert tribes.
“So you plan to launch a preemptive strike to intercept it.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Not a bad plan.”
Professor Rosalia took a black cigarette from her subspace pocket and placed it in her mouth.
“Are you tired?”
“I wasn't, but a certain student named Pernyan has made me tired.”
*Click.* Rosalia lit the cigarette.
“What do you think, Professor Grad?”
“What can we do?”
Grad shrugged.
“If everything has already been settled with the Margrave, we have no choice but to follow. And while the source of the information is suspicious, if it's correct, it's certainly a good move.”
“I cannot reveal the source, but the information is solid.”
“I'm not exactly doubting it. It's just unclear. You're not foolish enough to lie about something like this.”
In any case, Grad was right.
It might have been different before it reached the Margrave's ears and a decision was made. But as things stood, they, as mere professors, were powerless.
“I suppose we have no choice.”
“Then things are about to get busy. We brought them here thinking it would be a simple defensive battle, but now it looks like we're waging a blitzkrieg in the desert.”
“Alright, everyone assemble!”
Grad shouted.
* * *
*Thud-thud-thud-thud—*
A red steed galloped across the Taklakan, kicking up sand.
Bairan Osmond covered his mouth and nose with his robe against the sandstorm blowing in the distance.
*'This godforsaken desert.'*
After accepting the power of the Great Ones, he had been mostly freed from the heat and cold, but the desert itself was still unbearable.
*'But that's all over now.'*
Nothing else mattered.
Aint Armian. If he could just capture that cursed bloodline who had luckily reverse-summoned Lord Andromalius, this life would be over.
It had to be.
If he eliminated the great enemy, his service would be recognized, he would receive the blessings of the Great Ones, and he too would be reborn as a greater being.
*'Damn it, this is a bit rushed...'*
The creatures he had been gathering for a long time as sacrifices had been mostly used up due to the sudden order for a demonic beast wave.
He had replenished his stock as much as possible by gathering the creatures killed in the wave, but it was still a little insufficient to finish off Aint Armian for good.
*'Even if he was lucky, he's still the one who killed Lord Andromalius.'*
He held onto his dreams and hopes for glory, but he didn't let his guard down.
Hunt him down for certain, with an overwhelming number of demonic beasts.
The problem was how to separate Aint Armian from the Altriark forces, but that was something that could be managed with enough demonic beasts.
“Found it.”
In the distance, through the sandstorm, he could see the yurts of a desert tribe. The homes of nomads who frequently moved with their camels.
“This is the fifth one.”
With the flood of demonic beasts, most of the scattered desert tribes had fled south.
The demonic beasts were summoned in the center of the Taklakan Desert, and most had headed east toward Altriark and west toward Alprosen.
And that was only possible with Bairan's permission.
He had left them alive instead of annihilating them, intending to use them as a steady supply of sacrifices for summoning more beasts.
“Damn it, if I'd known they'd do this, I would've just rounded them all up in one place.”
Who would have thought they'd be spread out so widely across the south. Thanks to that, hunting down just four tribes had taken much longer than expected.
His plan to sacrifice at least ten tribes was now severely off track.
*'A week has already passed. There's no time. I'll have to make do with just five tribes.'*
He felt a bit uneasy, but he couldn't miss this opportunity now that Aint Armian had obediently walked right into the jaws of the demonic beasts.
“Halt!”
“Who goes there!”
Finally, the entrance to the settlement came into view.
Three guards were there, trying to stop him with open hostility.
But Bairan didn't stop.
“I don't have time to deal with you one by one.”
More blood, more life, even if just a little.
He couldn't afford to waste even a second here.
*Pweee—*
Bairan whistled lightly. The demonic beasts responded to the sound laced with demonic energy.
*Fwoooosh—*
The demonic beasts shot out from under the sand like sharks chasing prey.
At the same time, having reached the very entrance, he unleashed his demonic energy.
Bairan had no doubt that these insignificant guards would instantly become corpses, fodder for his demonic beasts.
*'...Wait a minute.'*
That was, until he realized the presence before him was no ordinary desert warrior.
It was in that moment he felt something was wrong.
────!
A cold sword strike deflected Bairan's demonic energy.
“Kuh...?”
The recoil was stronger than expected, staggering his upper body. His opponent didn't miss the opening.
The blade coiled around his entire body like a snake.
*Kagagak—*
In a brief moment, demonic energy and sword strikes clashed five times. He used the impact to leap from his horse and create distance.
“What are you...!”
Bairan's jaw dropped.
Since when? The heat of the desert was gone.
The movements of the demonic beasts, which should have been trampling the desert tribe in an instant, had stopped.
It was a prison of pure white ice, a glacial cage.
“...What is all this?”
When did this happen?
Before he could even process his question, another strange event occurred.
*Thud-thud-thud-thud—*
The desert trembled once more. But it was different from before. The rhythmic sound of hooves.
“...The Ironblood Knights? The Madblood Knights? Why are they here?”
They were the knightly orders that boasted of being Altriark's strongest.
“As for why.”
A stiff voice pierced the bewildered Bairan's ears.
“We're here to do the opposite of what you were trying to do.”
A massive boulder fell upon his head.