Chapter 257: Bad News
Chapter 257: Bad News
“After all, Professor, you’re only after my body, aren’t you?!”
“Huh? What?”
“You beast! Succubus! Semen demon!”
“What’s with this all of a sudden, Student Yandel…?”
Iona looked troubled, as if she were dealing with a child throwing a sudden tantrum.
But listen to me, everyone. The Iona from last night was seriously no joke.
Still huddled under the covers, I made a show of sobbing before flopping onto my back and shouting.
“If you want it that bad, then just do it!”
“Aha? Aha? So you’re saying you want to do it a bit more? Since it’s morning, let’s go light—no tools!”
Iona climbed on top of me with a smirk. Despite having enjoyed herself all night, her blood-red eyes were still brimming with lust.
I might be late today.
*
A small stir arose as Iona and I arrived at school together a bit late… but no one dared to say anything out loud.
Even though I was the type to hear things like, “That’s a bit much…” as soon as the second semester started, my skills were undeniable.
And as for Iona, what was there to even say? She was a living legend. Even the other professors didn't dare cross her.
Of course, I should probably refrain from making it so obvious that I was late because of morning sex in the future.
By the way, if this had been the first semester, much worse rumors would have spread, or upperclassmen confident in their skills would have picked a fight. Now, there was none of that.
There were various reasons, but fundamentally, it was because I had built up a reputation.
With the Church of Righteous Light sponsoring me as my backer and the Levantine Empire showing interest, it wasn't easy for anyone to badmouth me.
Especially for the people of the Eurelia Continent, who still valued honor above all else.
“U-um… so, when enchanting, a good magical tool is one made by considering not just the power of the magic, but also the cost and its actual utility in practice.”
The professor of Enchantment Studies was teaching with a timid voice, constantly glancing my way.
Perhaps it was because, while I might not know how to make magical tools, I knew exactly which ones were good for actual combat.
I just couldn't focus on the lecture.
“Tsk.”
“W-what is it, Yandel? Do you have a complaint about the lesson…?”
“No. It’s nothing.”
I politely shook my head at the professor, who seemed sensitive enough to overreact to the slightest thing, and continued my train of thought.
The Levantine Empire… I should probably start making contact soon.
Only then could I expose the current head of the Boiling Silence cult and the primary culprit behind the framing of the Lindelheit family—the big shot promised the position of Apostle once the Evil God eventually descends.
The Imperial Consort, Fiona de Levantine.
Of course, it was impossible right now. Even if she belonged to the Boiling Silence cult, which lacked direct combat power.
Their strength didn't come from direct force, but from the hidden thrones they occupied.
She was someone who had infiltrated the position of Imperial Consort of the Levantine Empire, the strongest nation on the Eurelia Continent.
To suspect the Imperial Consort of the Levantine Empire—a nation that, while not as extreme as the Church of Righteous Light, still maintained a hardline stance against the forces of the Evil God? And without proof?
It would be the perfect setup for a massive backlash. If it was that cunning bitch Fiona, she might even be aiming for exactly that.
She was a villainess of the century who used all her Authority solely to hide her identity, manipulating the Emperor through her beauty and wit alone.
If I charged in recklessly, I might end up having to face the entire Levantine Empire.
If I died, that would be the best-case scenario for her. Even if I survived and fled, it would become difficult for me to operate on a large scale.
Furthermore, whether I succeeded or failed, she could incite conflict between the Church of Righteous Light, which supported me unconditionally, and the Levantine Empire, which would have suffered a great insult.
Infiltrating quietly to cause internal strife, whittling down the opponent's strength before the fight even began.
How very 'Boiling Silence' of her. She wasn't called a candidate for Apostle for nothing.
When I revealed that Frank Miller, who I dueled last time, was a cultist, it would have been great if I could have poked Fiona with the Shining Lion Dagger too….
Unfortunately, at that time, I wasn't at a level where I could say something like, "Let me give the Imperial Consort a poke."
Since they were the type to infiltrate even the Good God's Church by mimicking Holy Power, they had likely prepared a countermeasure against the Shining Lion Dagger's detection ability by now.
I have to catch her, but just thinking about how to do it gives me a headache.
For the record, in H&A, she was never caught until the very end. The key was how to take down Fiona after she awakened as an Apostle following the Evil God's descent with as little damage as possible.
Whether you could save the Emperor, whether you could save the Captain of the Royal Guard (a Sword Master), how many Aura Expert-level knights and High Magicians of the Imperial family you could save, and so on.
Depending on the outcome of the Fiona Raid, the scale of support from the Levantine Empire, who would later become allies, changed.
However, no matter what you did, it was impossible to save everyone.
If you saved the Emperor, the Sword Master died. If you saved the Sword Master, the Emperor died. As for the knights and mages, the number of survivors was determined by how quickly you finished the fight.
One user tried using a hacking tool called a 'Trainer' to max out the protagonist's stats and gave it a shot… but even then, either the Emperor or the Sword Master always died.
Saving the Emperor granted massive amounts of Gold and rare items along with the Levantine Empire's army.
Saving the Captain of the Royal Guard reduced the size of the army and didn't provide much Gold or items… but the Sword Master himself would participate directly in the late game.
For a newbie whose goal was simply to clear the game, saving the Captain was the way to go. For veteran players looking for more, saving the Emperor was the standard strategy.
That was the meta-strategy in H&A.
But now that this was reality, if I could prove she was a cultist and kill her before she awakened…
Wouldn't it be possible to save both? Wouldn't I be able to get double the support?
…I racked my brain over it, but I couldn't find a clear solution.
The cultists were already responding quickly to my movements, and there was no model answer for this situation.
This wasn't a problem I could solve by agonizing over it alone. I’d have to find an opportunity to discuss it with the others.
Regardless, I needed to go to the capital of the Levantine Empire at least once….
Should I ask Helena for this later?
The Levantine Empire and the Church of Righteous Light weren't on bad terms, perhaps because of their shared hatred for the Evil God.
If a Saintess who appeared for the first time in 300 years requested an audience to pay her respects, they wouldn't refuse.
I wonder what Helena is doing right now. Has she left Solaris? It feels like she should be arriving soon… I gave her a communication crystal, so I should try contacting her later.
While I was thinking that, the class had ended before I knew it.
I tilted my head in confusion as I watched the Enchantment professor practically flee the classroom the moment the bell rang.
What was that about?
I sat through the lecture quietly this time….
“Ah.”
I didn't actually listen to the lecture.
*
Lunchtime. I stopped by the laboratory to give Iona some blood and to contact Helena.
I swallowed a bite of a sandwich I had pulled from my inventory—one I’d kept as an emergency ration—and spoke.
“So, about that. Is there anything you can do, Professor Iona?”
“Huh? What? What are you talking about all of a sudden, Student Yandel? Do you want me to feed you the sandwich and say 'ah'?”
Iona tilted her head while her hands fidgeted. When I handed her the sandwich, she held it up to my mouth.
Nom, nom….
I took a bite first and then continued.
“It feels like the professors are too conscious of me lately. Can’t you do something? It’s not that their teaching is lacking or anything. It’s just that I happen to know a slightly better way.”
“Just now! Just now! That was a bit obnoxious!”
“…….”
Actually, I thought so too after saying it.
Iona patted my shoulder and laughed for a long time before finally nodding.
“Alright, alright. I’ll talk to the other professors. I don't know if it'll work, though!”
“It’s enough if they just know I’m not intentionally ignoring them.”
I let out a deep sigh and snatched the last piece of the sandwich from Iona’s hand with my mouth.
For some reason, Iona was staring blankly back and forth between me and her fingers, but I didn't care and licked the remaining sauce off my lips.
I reached for the plate I had set out earlier to have one more.
Fumble, fumble.
“Huh?”
I didn't feel the sandwich. When I turned my head, I saw Carla and Elisha standing in line, having split the remaining sandwich in half.
“…Do you want more?”
“No! We want to feed Master too!”
“Hmph! Surely you weren't planning on leaving me out, were you?”
Is that how it's going to be?
I chuckled and opened my mouth, and Carla popped a piece of the sandwich in with a delighted expression.
While being fed by Carla and Elisha in turns, I pulled out the crystal orb connected to Helena.
The crystal vibrated slightly and glowed as I channeled mana into it. However, no matter how much time passed, she didn't pick up.
Is she busy doing something? Well, it is lunchtime, so that’s possible. I’ll try calling again after sunset.
I put the crystal back, thinking nothing of it.
…I shouldn't have done that.
Three days after I lost contact with Helena.
News arrived that Solaris, the seat of the Church of Righteous Light, had been surrounded by a horde of monsters.