Chapter 91
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: The Shattered Bell
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Waaaaaah!
Kill them all!
Demonic beasts! Be careful!
Smoke billowed from all directions.
Arrows and magic flew wildly, while screams and monstrous cries erupted.
What awaited the students returning from the desert was a horde of monsters and demonic beasts relentlessly attacking the fortress walls.
The mindless monsters and demonic beasts numbered well over two hundred.
It was enough to make one's eyes spin, ears go deaf, and nose go numb.
This was a battlefield.
This was war.
It was the future humanity would face with the resurgence of demons.
Kwooooar!
The tail of a scorpion, which had climbed the high fortress wall and bared its killing intent, was blocked by a rock.
Rocks flying from all directions shattered its hard carapace and crushed its head.
Without so much as a scream, it crumbled and fell from the wall.
Pernyan's gaze returned to the battlefield.
Even amidst this chaos, two figures shone brightly.
Aint Armian, the hero of light acknowledged by the Prophecy Book, the natural enemy of demons.
And Ruina Bercefe, destined to be his companion, the true Royal Knight acknowledged by the first Royal Knight.
Pernyan smiled with satisfaction.
Their growth was the future of the world. The more demonic beasts and demons they killed, the more peaceful the world would become.
'And I just have to pick up the breadcrumbs that fall from it.'
These weren't just any crumbs, but ones falling from demons and the Prophecy Book. The Fallenberg family of Pernyan's generation would be able to build a golden castle that no one would dare covet.
Imagining that brilliant future brought a smile to his face.
Good. I hope it continues just like this.
“The number of demonic beasts is low.”
Eikrud. Among the seven fortresses that formed Altriark's defensive wall, it was the one at the very forefront, the first to face monsters.
Naturally, it housed the most troops and saw the most battles.
But the number of monsters and demonic beasts attacking Eikrud had drastically decreased.
There were only about ten demonic beasts in total.
The reason was obvious.
The Vile Breed captured while trying to attack the desert tribes.
With the one who had manipulated the monsters and demonic beasts to create artificial waves now captured, there was no one left to orchestrate them.
'Does this mean the matter with the Bell of Ruin is over too?'
The original goal of that Vile Breed named Bairan was to destroy the Bell of Ruin.
But perhaps it was because of the recent large-scale extermination of Vile Breeds at the academy.
This time, it felt more like they were making a flashy preemptive strike with an army of monsters and demonic beasts before their existence was revealed to the world.
But now that he, the mastermind of the plan, was dead, wouldn't the plan to destroy the Bell of Ruin be completely halted?
'But if things had gone as originally planned, when would the Bell of Ruin have been destroyed?'
At least, not this time. There was no mention of it in the Prophecy Book.
It wasn't just any event; it was the destruction, or near destruction, of the Bell of Ruin. The Prophecy Book wouldn't have failed to mention it.
'This incident will end without a hitch.'
Now that the one who summoned the demonic beasts had been caught, things would soon enter a lull, and the demonic beast uprising that shocked the world would come to an end.
'This is the most uneventful part of the Prophecy Book so far. No, maybe it's even better.'
Not only was the culprit targeting the Bell of Ruin captured, but it also became an opportunity for Aint to win over the desert tribes.
Aside from the anxiety about how much the future would change, everything was perfect, even more than perfect.
- Whimper!
“Be still.”
- Whinnne!
“When do I get to fight? Hmm, sorry about that.”
- ...
It suddenly went quiet, and when I looked, it was gaping with an expression of utter devastation.
…Is it that shocking?
'I'll have to set aside a day during the break to let it fight some monsters.'
That wouldn't be too difficult. If we went somewhere deserted, there'd be no worry of Wooden being exposed.
'By the way, that Ludger fellow... his eyes seemed filled with venom...'
He must have noticed after seeing Aint in action. That Aint had recovered the family's lost secret swordsmanship.
Honestly, you'd have to be an idiot not to notice.
'Is this where it really begins? Ludger, the Schwabens, will start keeping Aint in check.'
In that case, Pernyan had three choices.
One, actively help Aint and confront the Schwabens.
Two, passively help Aint and avoid conflict with the Schwabens as much as possible.
Three, remain a bystander.
At a point where everything in the Prophecy Book was coming true, the third option was as good as nonexistent.
If Aint were to fall, the future of this world would vanish along with him.
'There's no need to take unnecessary risks. Aint will manage on his own. For now, I'll keep a moderate distance and only intervene in truly dangerous situations...'
I didn't see it in the Prophecy Book, but in the original future, Ludger must have noticed that Aint had recovered his secret swordsmanship.
It was just a matter of it happening a little sooner or later.
In the end, the Schwabens' check was a predetermined future. Even without his help, Aint would have overcome it all.
Kwang!
Just then, an orc that was about to attack Pernyan was sent tumbling down the wall as if hit by a carriage.
“Where is your head at!”
Ruina, who had pushed the orc away with a body slam, shouted.
“I was just lost in thought.”
“Is that something to say so brazenly right now?”
“It wasn't particularly dangerous. I always carry defensive artifacts.”
The bracelets and rings Pernyan wore were all artifacts embedded with magic.
Even if the orc's rusty axe had struck Pernyan, it would have been blocked by the artifact's defensive barrier and then pierced by a spear of rock, meeting its end.
“In any case, thank you.”
“…I feel like I'm receiving a royal commendation.”
“It's not quite like that...”
Pernyan closed his eyes as a sudden throbbing pain began in his head.
'The situation here isn't even over, and a new vision is already appearing?'
No, wait. Since the Vile Breed's attack is over, does that mean the events mentioned in the Prophecy Book are finished?
The contents of the Prophecy Book began to unfold.
[─────!
Loud roars echoed from various parts of the once-quiet city of Artk.
Demonic beasts burst through the ground and attacked the people.
“Demonic beasts!”
“Run!”
“How did demonic beasts get in here?”
The toll of an emergency bell resounded throughout Artk. Soldiers scrambled into motion.]
It began with an attack on Artk.
'Are they aiming for the Bell of Ruin?'
Since the captured Vile Breed's original purpose was to destroy the Bell of Ruin, it was entirely predictable.
[It was something no one had expected.
That Artk, the capital of Altriark, would be attacked by demonic beasts.
Chaos spread throughout the city.
Despite having experienced numerous wars, the anxiety and fear of people who had never seen the inside of Artk attacked were beyond imagination.
Flames began to engulf the entire city.
Amidst it all, no one noticed the suspicious movements heading toward the Bell of Ruin.]
It was just as he had expected.
[There were also academy students in Artk when the attack occurred.
It was the day the students dispatched to Altriark had returned to Artk to go back to the academy.
“An attack?”
“An explosion!”
- Demonic beasts, it's demonic beasts!
Gardner was the first to sense the demonic energy coming from all directions.
Under the guidance of their professors, the academy students went into the city to battle the demonic beasts.
And Gardner detected a new source of demonic energy.
- I sense an unusually strong demonic energy. This direction is...
─!
And the moment he heard a roar so loud it hurt his eardrums, Gardner realized their objective.
- It's a diversion!
- The Bell of Ruin! The Bell of Ruin is in danger!
- The demonic beast wave is a decoy; the real target is the Bell of Ruin!]
The Vile Breed's plan to target the Bell of Ruin was nearly perfect.
With most of its forces deployed to stop the demonic beast wave and its people in a state of extreme confusion, Artk was unable to respond effectively.
There was only one thing they hadn't anticipated.
Aint Armian and his sword, Sir Gardner Alpenparsen.
[“I won't let you have your way, you filthy Vile Breed.”
“Aint Armian? How did you get here so fast?”
Aint's sword aimed for the Vile Breed's neck. The Vile Breed retreated from the flash of light, swift as a sunbeam.
“Insolent fool! Fine, this is for the best. I was regretting not being able to kill you, and now you've walked right into hell on your own two feet!”
Demonic energy erupted like an explosion. Despite being weakened by the power of light, the immense energy was more than Aint could handle.
He could barely hold on. Wounds began to multiply on Aint's body.
It was then that a helping hand arrived.
Swish-
A sharp slash instantly severed the mass of demonic energy that had grown like a tentacle.
Someone had intervened between the Vile Breed and Aint.
“And who the hell are you!”
“The chaperone.”
It was Professor Grad, who had followed Aint out of concern when he ran off alone.]
The Prophecy Book's vision continued, but it spoke only of one thing: the Bell of Ruin.
How the Vile Breed tried to destroy the Bell of Ruin.
How it brought the demonic beasts into Artk.
And how it failed.
The magic circles inscribed on the Bell of Ruin were far more durable than the Vile Breed had anticipated.
The Vile Breed could not withstand the combined assault of Professor Grad and Aint.
The variable of a powerhouse like Professor Grad shook the Vile Breed's plan to its very core.
'So it happens right after this. And it gets stopped even if I don't intervene.'
But since we've already captured the Vile Breed, the chances are even lower now.
It seemed there was no need to worry about the Bell of Ruin at all.
When Pernyan opened his eyes, he saw Ruina's face. Her deep blue eyes resembled aquamarines.
“…Are you all right?”
“I'm fine.”
He had reached a point where he could endure the pain without a single change in his expression.
“You're sweating profusely. Don't tell me it's another headache?”
However, he couldn't perfectly control his body's physical reactions.
“It's nothing.”
“How can it be nothing when you're breaking out in a cold sweat like this? Is there something seriously wrong?”
“The family's healing mages have thoroughly examined me. There's nothing wrong, so don't worry. Besides, I'm just sweating because it's hot.”
“Summer ended a while ago. What kind of excuse is that?”
“Look, a monster.”
Swish-
A scorpion was sliced in half by Ruina's sword.
That was the last of them. The battle was over.
And with that, the academy students' dispatch mission came to an end.
“Well done, everyone. You've had quite a rare experience. I can assure you, of all the academy's practical training sessions, yours was the most valuable.”
Of course it was. What other students could say they'd fought a Vile Breed and attended a desert tribe's festival on a dispatch mission?
“Rest for today. Tomorrow, after we pay our respects to His Excellency, we will return to Artk. From there, we will use a teleportation circle to go straight back to the academy. Any questions?”
“None.”
The academy students spent the day in their assigned lodgings and departed for Artk the next morning.
This time, the Madblood Knights personally escorted them, and no particular problems arose.
'There's a lot to do when I get back. Especially regarding that Gismond fellow...'
Aside from being reminded of his wariness toward Gismond Erdt thanks to passing the cliff where the Itarium was buried, the journey was perfectly peaceful.
But that peace.
Was shattered the moment they entered Artk, the capital of Altriark.
* * *
Dong, dong, dong, dong-
The sound of an emergency bell.
“An attack!”
“Demonic beasts!”
Kuaaaack!
Kieeeeek-
The cries of demonic beasts mingled with the screams of people.
Smoke was rising from all over the city.
“…An attack?”
“The capital is under attack?”
All the city gates were closed, and soldiers began controlling the crowds. However, the academy students were able to enter with the Madblood Knights.
Fortunately, by the time they got inside, the situation had mostly been brought under control.
Even with most of its forces at the defensive wall, Altriark was still Altriark.
The corpses of demonic beasts and monsters were strewn everywhere, but considering the surprise attack, the damage wasn't too severe.
Just as he felt a sense of relief.
──────!
“Aaaargh!”
“My ears, my ears...!”
A deafening roar, the likes of which had never been heard before, shook the entire city.
Pernyan clapped his hands over his ears and collapsed. The pain was so intense it felt like his eardrums would burst.
A sharp ringing filled his ears.
He couldn't easily regain his senses.
After a long moment, Pernyan finally managed to collect himself and took the hand offered before him.
“…Are you all right?”
It was Ruina, frowning as she endured the shock.
“…What in the world was that.”
“Something seems to have happened in the city. It sounded like... a bell tolling.”
“A bell?”
Wait, where is the Bell of Ruin?
“Demonic energy, I can feel demonic energy!”
Just then, Aint shouted urgently and took off running.
For some reason, the scene overlapped with a passage from the Prophecy Book.
A thick sense of foreboding pierced Pernyan's mind. Without thinking, he ran after Aint.
And where they finally arrived, the knights and soldiers of Altriark were controlling the crowds.
Most of the expensive houses, built near the Bell of Ruin, had collapsed. The air was filled with a mixture of wails and screams.
“You can't come in here!”
The soldiers' cordon prevented them from getting any closer to the Bell of Ruin.
But it was close enough to see.
As the thick cloud of dust settled, what lay on the site was not the Bell of Ruin that Pernyan knew.
“……”
It was the completely shattered fragments of what was once the Bell of Ruin.
“…Son of a bitch.”
The future had changed.
The Bell of Ruin was destroyed.