Take That
The last day of the holiday—Sunday.
The cadets of Class A had gathered at a restaurant in Elaim for a post-evaluation celebration. The glasses set before them were filled with ale.
There was nothing wrong with that. In this place, adulthood began at seventeen. At eighteen, they were more than old enough to drink. They had simply held back until now out of concern for the dignity expected of Academy cadets.
But today was a day for letting loose, and so everyone raised their glasses.
"Man, right when everything was about to fall apart—!"
"You should've seen how fast Goren from Class F was—!"
"I honestly thought I was done for right then and there!"
The restaurant thundered with noise. The Class A cadets, pleasantly tipsy, laughed and talked over one another with abandon. After rolling around in the dirt together for so long, they had grown genuinely close. Even the subtle distance between nobles and commoners had vanished completely.
The atmosphere only grew warmer. Conversation topics were endless—Eledor alone could have kept them talking for three days and nights.
Then, midstream—
"But wait."
Someone suddenly voiced a question.
"Where's Leon?"
It was Kiana.
"…Oh. You're right."
"Huh? He still hasn't shown up?"
Everyone blinked. Leon was, without question, the star of both the evaluation and this gathering—and he wasn't here. Eyes naturally turned toward Carotin.
Carotin paused mid-tilt of his glass and spoke.
"I don't know either. I've been looking for him since the day before yesterday, but he's nowhere to be found." He shrugged. "Even if he were around, he probably wouldn't come to something like this. The man hates alcohol."
"……?"
Kiana looked at him as if he'd grown a second head.
"He smokes like a chimney, but he doesn't drink?"
"I don't know the exact reason myself, but even the smell of it makes him wrinkle his nose."
The cadets tilted their heads. It was an oddly unexpected detail—especially for Leon, the delinquent who lit up cigarettes without a second thought even on Academy grounds.
That was when it happened.
—Bang!
The restaurant door flew open with violent force. Clicking heels followed, and in walked a catlike beauty of a girl—Celia.
Carotin waved cheerfully.
"Oh, Celia! What brings you here? Care to join us?"
"Mm……."
Celia didn't answer right away. She swept her gaze across the table. Her brow furrowed a moment later.
"Leon. Where's Leon? He's not here either?"
"……Afraid not."
"Haa……."
Celia let out a deep sigh and turned on her heel. Click, click—without the slightest hesitation, she started walking out, as if there was no point in staying if Leon wasn't there.
As she left the restaurant, a chilling mutter slipped from her lips.
"Where the hell has he been for three days without a word……. And with Aria, of all people……. I'm so pissed I could lose my mind……."
A murderous edge bled into her aura, sharp enough to cut.
"““…….”””
The Class A cadets held their silence until she was completely gone.
Leon, this is all on you.
Carotin quietly offered a silent prayer for his friend's soul.
"It was truly…… incredible."
"The sky just lit up! Things were booming and crashing everywhere!"
"In all my sixty years, I'd never seen anything like it."
"It was big enough to wrap around the whole clock tower."
"I've swung a sword my whole life, but the moment I saw that monster, all I could think about was running."
"I was praying desperately to Lord Artius—and that was when he saved my entire family!"
"The second I heard that voice, my head cleared. Like I had to move right then and there."
"He flew through the air, swinging a blazing blue sword, and the beast just fell back like it was nothing."
"I'm telling you—he moved the sky with a sword!"
"He was the very incarnation of lightning and storm."
"I thought Lord Merteon himself had wrought a miracle."
"That final blow was truly……."
Excerpts from the testimony of Pribil's citizens.
Though more than five hundred had died, over two thousand survivors owed their lives to Leon.
Leon made no attempt to quietly bury what he had done. It wasn't the kind of incident that could be buried anyway.
The moment he returned to Elaim, he went straight to city hall and explained the situation. First, he handed over every last Pribil official who had cooperated with the Gonghyeol Group—everyone except the already-dead Meric. Then he pointed out that Pribil currently had no administrators left, only citizens, and demanded a large contingent be dispatched to clean up the mess.
Pressing them with his status got results quickly.
One might wonder why Elaim was intervening in Pribil's affairs at all. But the region had no proper lord, and Elaim effectively served as a local government. The reason Elaim hadn't already stepped in to help with Pribil's murders was simple: the officials colluding with the Gonghyeol Group had been suppressing the information.
Crowds poured into Pribil—guards, administrators, investigators, technicians, reporters……. The journalists, eyes bloodshot at the scent of a scoop, rode through the night without sleep.
What had actually happened in Pribil was a cascade of shocks—a massive incident by any measure. It was only natural that the name "Leon Crusif" fell from every citizen's lips without exception.
Rumors and the full account of the incident spread across the Empire in an instant. And before a full day had passed, visitors came calling on Leon.
"Young Master, it is good to see you again."
Daniel Heclemin, Second Team Leader of the Imperial Information Department—the same man Leon had met after dealing with the reconnaissance agents last time.
"May the gods' grace be with you. Brother, I hear you have been through a great ordeal."
Rebecca Hilet, heretic inquisitor and investigator of the Church—the same woman who had visited during the Burrow incident.
"You're both back again?"
It was only natural that people he'd already met face-to-face would be the ones sent a second time.
The two organizations had their reasons. The Information Department was responsible for the Empire's security. The Church regarded the Demon Realm and demons as its primary enemies and took the lead in rooting them out. In short: the Information Department had come because of the Gonghyeol Group—that grotesque organization that had been quietly surfacing across the Empire of late. The Church had come to investigate the appearance of demonic beasts, demons, and the fact that a Demon Gate had opened.
Leon told them most of the truth.
"When I learned of the horrific murders taking place in Pribil, my heart burned with the cry of justice. It felt as though Merteon, God of Order, had sent me a revelation. I set out for Pribil at once……."
……Though he did dress it up a little.
Aria had accompanied him for the same reason. He had also called in a favor with Hera, with whom he was already acquainted, and brought the Mukwol Squad along. While investigating in Pribil, they had weathered an assault from the Gonghyeol Group and held the line.
He had done nothing but righteous work. There was nothing he couldn't say. The countless corpses left behind and the many witnesses served as proof.
What he did not mention was the true nature of the magic circle. He had already sworn Hera and the Mukwol Squad members to silence on that subject. If anyone asked where the information had come from, he would have no good answer—he could hardly claim that Aria, currently researching a gift from a devil, had figured it out.
Besides, the mages from the Information Department were already hard at work investigating. The truth would come out soon enough.
When he finished his account—
"Young Master, truly."
Daniel could not hide his admiration.
"The light is here……."
Rebecca's eyes even welled with tears of emotion.
Both of them declared that they now understood the gravity of the Gonghyeol Group and hurried off to report to their superiors at once.
Leon was certain this would be another major turning point—another place where the original story, the future itself, twisted sharply off course.
The Gonghyeol Group's danger and capability were extraordinary. They could control hundreds of people whose minds they had broken. They commanded large demonic beasts whose full nature was still unknown. Their leader was a high-ranking demon who had, however briefly, held his own against a Master. They possessed a high-dimensional magic circle capable of harvesting hundreds of souls in a single stroke—and they had even opened a Demon Gate.
In practical terms, a threat from the Demon Realm was walking openly across Imperial soil.
With things as they stood, both the Information Department and the Church would mobilize. A full-scale purge and extermination of the Gonghyeol Group would follow.
What if Belger's plan in Pribil had succeeded? They would have pinned every past and future atrocity on the convenient accident of a Demon Gate opening. Once a Demon Gate fully opened, the surrounding region was reduced to scorched earth—perfect for destroying evidence.
But Leon had appeared and stopped them. The Gonghyeol Group's true nature had been laid bare for all to see.
Cryptos, you bastard. Take that.
It was obvious now: the Great Devil Cryptos's attempt to meddle with the Empire was going to collapse in spectacular fashion.
The principal figures who had resolved the crisis were each promised fitting commendations and rewards from both the Imperial family and the Church. Leon decided to wait patiently. Once the full truth of the incident came to light, his achievements would only grow larger.
Saving more than half of a city that had nearly been wiped out was no small feat. He had also prevented the Demon Realm's forces from rising and stopped a Demon Gate from opening. When every detail was revealed, the rewards he received would swell accordingly. By the time summer break began and he arrived in the capital, he expected to collect a proper haul.
There had also been a brief conversation with Hera—specifically, on the subject of his relationship with Bergopf.
Leon wasn't particularly worried. Hera wasn't the type to go around blabbing about something like this, or to report it. She also wasn't someone he could control through force or threats. Still, it was clear she now held a critical piece of leverage over him.
As expected, Hera left him with only an inscrutable remark.
"Hmm. Little brother. How about the two of us go on a date next time?"
"……."
Naturally, refusal was not an option available to Leon.
Beyond that, there were a few minor incidents. Celia sulked openly the moment she saw the returned Leon. Aria shot her little mocking smiles from the side. Carotin moped about not having been brought along.
And so, the matter of Pribil seemed, more or less, to settle for the time being.