Chapter 92
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: An Unthinkable Proposal
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Never before.
It was something he had never once considered.
He had considered changing a bad future foretold by the Prophecy Book into a good one, but he'd never even entertained the possibility of a good future worsening.
But why?
But how?
But for what reason?
*I stopped it. I captured that Vile Breed and handed him over to the Margrave!*
He was in turmoil. His mind went blank.
The wreckage of the shattered bell seemed to foreshadow a grim future.
The Prophecy Book had clearly stated that Aint and Grad would protect it.
*Why in the world did the Bell of Ruin break? Why, why, why, why, why…!*
The future had twisted. Why had it gone wrong?
*What did I do wrong? What was the problem?*
Was it triggered by something I did at the academy? Or was it because of the future I changed after coming to Altriark?
He thought and thought.
In truth, there was only one specific event.
Setting a trap in advance, ruining Bairan's plan, and capturing him.
The problem was that the future he'd expected to improve with the man's capture had instead taken a turn for the worse.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't grasp the cause and effect.
“The Bell of Ruin…?”
“No way…”
The academy students who arrived later were also horrified at the sight of the collapsed Bell of Ruin.
“Why in the world did the Bell of Ruin break!”
“What happened!”
The shouts from all around only intensified the chaos.
“…”
Pernyan couldn't be certain how things had changed to lead to this outcome.
But one thing was certain.
He didn't know what future this butterfly effect would create.
*I have to do something, anything…*
But it would undoubtedly be a bleak one.
* * *
Demonic beasts had attacked Altriark.
The Bell of Ruin was shattered.
The Margrave, who had been at the barrier, rushed back to the capital.
All the capital's gates were closed, and its leaders and administrators were summoned.
With emergency meetings held daily, the atmosphere in the capital grew exceedingly tense.
And amidst this situation, the academy students all returned to the academy.
They had solid alibis, and in a situation like this, their absence would actually help the investigation.
“…What do we do now?”
The practical training was over. The academy students returned to their normal lives, and Aint, too, returned to his dormitory.
But he was not at ease.
【Breaking News! Altriark's Capital, Artk, Attacked! The Empire's Barrier Breached!】
【The Vile Breeds' Movements Grow Bolder. A Symbol of the Empire Destroyed. The Shattered Bell of Ruin…】
The newspapers were filled with stories about Altriark and the Bell of Ruin.
It was only natural. What kind of object was the Bell of Ruin?
Though it had been a mere symbol for a thousand years, its true purpose was to shatter demons and other malevolent beings.
A divine artifact said to have been created through the combined efforts of the first emperor and the Dragon God Cult.
A weapon designed specifically for fighting demons, said to fell most demonic beasts with a single toll, its influence inescapable even for Vile Breeds and demons themselves.
“Does the Bell of Ruin really have the effect the legends claim?”
- It does.
- The Bell of Ruin was the greatest artifact the former emperor created with the Dragon God Cult.
- To be precise, it was an amplifier.
“An amplifier?”
- Only the former emperor could use the Bell of Ruin.
The Bell of Ruin didn't actually possess the power to destroy all evil, as its name suggested.
It was an amplifier that used sound as a medium to magnify mana, magic, and aura.
- It amplifies the Armian family's power of ruin through the bell and spreads it.
- It dealt a huge blow to demonic beasts, Vile Breeds, and even demons?
- Of course. The source of that power was the former emperor.
The first emperor favored the Bell of Ruin in large-scale battles.
After tolling the bell once, the demonic beasts would be incapacitated, allowing him to gain the upper hand in battle.
- Of course, the amount of aura and mana it consumed was immense, so he couldn't use it often.
Nevertheless, this incident revealed just how fatal the Bell of Ruin was to demons.
- The first thing those fiends did after starting to reveal themselves was to divert Altriark's attention and destroy the Bell of Ruin.
- It shows just how deadly the Bell of Ruin was to them.
It was common for an outstanding knight or mage to be a respected hero in their own country but treated as a heinous archdemon who deserved to be torn limb from limb in an enemy nation.
The Vile Breeds' reaction was definitive proof of just how formidable the Bell of Ruin was.
“…Then isn't this a huge problem?”
- It is a huge problem.
- Its absence will be starkly felt in a large-scale war.
Aint's face turned pale.
There was a difference between a vague sense of foreboding and hearing it confirmed by Gardner.
And the bigger problem was that even if he recognized the issue, there was nothing Aint could do.
“We can't just sit back and take this. Isn't there anything we can do?”
- It's frustrating, but for now, the only thing you can do is become stronger yourself.
- The current Armian family lacks the power to take control of the situation.
“…It's a family problem again.”
Aint bit his lip hard.
He had grown up hearing about his family's glorious past. The more he heard, the greater his sense of deprivation became.
What did it matter if they were once emperors, once prosperous?
Now they were Electors in name only, unable to escape the vanity of the past.
Why did the Armians live in seclusion, not even attending the academy?
It was because they didn't want to face reality. They didn't want to see and hear with their own eyes and ears the fallen status of the Armian family.
They were a pathetic family. Aint had come to the academy because he hated it.
The treasure map of the first emperor his father gave him had been a catalyst, but even without it, Aint would have left his family someday.
That was why.
Why he wanted to make his family great again.
Why he didn't tell Gardner to stop saying he would make him emperor.
Why he truly wanted to become emperor.
- Or you could ask the nouveau riche for help.
- He's probably aware of how serious the bell's destruction is.
“But what would we ask for help with?”
They didn't know where the Vile Breeds' base was, nor did they have a way to repair the bell.
- I don't know how to fix the broken Bell of Ruin.
- And of course, I don't know how to make one either. I'm a knight, not a craftsman.
“Then we have no choice but to sit here and….”
Just then.
*Knock, knock.*
Someone knocked on Aint's door.
“Who is it…?”
The maids and servants of La Vie Douce Dormitory always announced themselves when knocking.
For privacy and security, the rules forbade anyone other than maids or servants from visiting another student's room.
Yet, if there was someone who could brazenly break that rule.
- The nouveau riche boy.
“Pernyan Sunbaenim?”
“Yes, it's me.”
Pernyan's voice came from outside the door.
“What is it?”
“Will you make the Bell of Ruin with me?”
Aint, who was walking to open the door, froze mid-step.
“…Excuse me?”
What did he just say?
* * *
Having returned to the academy, Pernyan knew he couldn't just stand by.
An eye for an eye, money for money.
Pernyan, who believed in paying back what he received, a perfectionist who couldn't rest until a problem was solved, could not stand by and watch a situation that had become worse than the Prophecy Book foretold.
Anxiety gripped his heart and mind, robbing him of sleep.
He spent two days with his eyes wide open.
Unable to bear it any longer, he went straight to the temple.
The most exceptional magical organization he knew.
“I also heard that the Bell of Ruin was broken, Hyeongnim. It is truly a regrettable matter.”
“If you've heard, then you must know why I'm here. I was hoping the Dragon God Cult, with its gathering of the greatest mages, might have a way to fix the Bell of Ruin.”
“It's impossible.”
Jace shook his head firmly.
“The Bell of Ruin was an object created jointly by the first emperor and the Dragon God Cult. Strictly speaking, the cult handled most of the crafting, while the emperor supplied the materials and infused it with mana, but regardless.”
He continued.
“The Bell of Ruin was cast as a single piece, engraved with various inscriptions, with complex mechanisms organically intertwined. In short, once broken, it cannot be repaired. It would be better to make a new one.”
Pernyan was dejected. Some high-level artifacts were like that.
“So it's that kind of object. Ha… If it can't be restored, then we have no choice but to give up on the Bell of Ruin… Wait a minute.”
What did Jace just say?
“You said the Dragon God Cult made the Bell of Ruin?”
“Yes. That's correct.”
“Then do you have the blueprints?”
“Of course. There are some missing parts since it's very old, but…”
In that moment, Pernyan felt as if a thick fog was lifting.
Like a ray of light pouring into a pitch-black darkness where he couldn't see an inch ahead.
Pernyan trembled.
“…Then. Then.”
He tried his best to remain calm, but his voice shook.
“Yes.”
“Then, following those blueprints, is it possible to make a new Bell of Ruin?”
“…Hmm. Since they are blueprints, it should be possible… To be honest, His Holiness has already checked the blueprints.”
The destruction of the Bell of Ruin wasn't just Altriark's problem.
In a situation where the Vile Breeds were on the move, the value of the Bell of Ruin was by no means small.
The very fact that the Vile Breeds targeted the Bell of Ruin first proved its great utility, didn't it?
Therefore, the Pope had taken out the blueprints sleeping in the magic warehouse. And he had given up not only on restoration but also on crafting a new one.
Restoration was impossible from the start, and as for crafting…
“The materials are absurd.”
“What are the materials?”
“It requires all three great metals.”
The three great metals referred to Adamant, Mithril, and Orichalcum.
“The Dragon God Cult should have all three of those metals, shouldn't it?”
“We do, of course. But only in minuscule amounts. The Bell of Ruin requires a quantity as large as the bell itself.”
Pernyan's jaw dropped.
“You're saying that huge bell is made purely of those three metals?”
*Crazy, didn't they scrape together every last bit of the three great metals on the continent?*
“According to the blueprints, yes. That's why His Holiness gave up. Gathering that much of the three great metals is next to impossible.”
To be precise, even for an organization as powerful as the Dragon God Cult, it would take at least a hundred years if they started now.
He had no choice but to accept it. Gathering that much of the three legendary metals was impossible, at least in this lifetime…
*Wait a minute.*
At that moment, a hypothesis flashed through Pernyan's mind.
“So, if I could procure all those metals, could you make it?”
“Of course.”
“And the payment?”
“It's unlikely to happen, but if all the materials were procured, would payment even be an issue? His Holiness and I would pay to have the chance to make something like that.”
It's not just any ordinary object, is it? Jace shrugged and continued.
“Well, officially, we'd say we did it for the greater good and received no payment. But can you really get them?”
“No. Even for me, that's impossible.”
“Then why…?”
“I was hoping for a miracle.”
I'll come back later. Pernyan left the temple.
“…Maybe I can get them. Maybe…”
- *Kuuuuung…!*
Just then, Wooden's body trembled. Its red eyes flickered anxiously.
“You're asking me not to dismantle you? What nonsense. No matter how important the bell is, I would never melt you down to extract Mithril and Adamant, so don't worry.”
The Bell of Ruin was for everyone, but Wooden was Pernyan's last resort.
Pernyan would have to be insane to do such a thing. As important as the bell was, the golem was just as important to him.
- *Kkung kkung?*
“You're asking how I'll get them? I'm not sure yet myself.”
Still, there was a glimmer of a possibility.
*The place where I obtained Mithril.*
The same place where Aint obtained Adamant.
The place where the water dragon nested and the spirit herbs grew.
Logically, it made no sense for two ores with completely different compositions and properties, Adamant and Mithril, to be in the same location.
Unless someone had artificially made it so.
*If that's the case, then it was probably…*
The first emperor, most likely.
The thought occurred to him that perhaps the place was a provision made by the first emperor to craft superior weaponry for a future war against demons.
And if that were true, he also thought there might be more of the legendary metals.
That.
“Will you make the Bell of Ruin with me?”
Was the reason Pernyan had come to find Aint.