Chapter 227
Chapter 227
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 227
Chapter Title: The Beast's Frenzy
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The next day, Friday.
The Killentia Forest, located on the outskirts of the imperial capital, Edelpier. In the pre-dawn light, a lone figure moved silently through the woods.
Rustle, rustle…
A black cloak enveloped the figure completely. From within its folds, only a pair of crimson eyes shone eerily.
It was the Apostle of Sacrifice. Vermian Setilpian, who had completed his full contract with Leteia. He had been in hiding, adapting to his newfound power.
Thud.
He stopped walking and fixed his gaze on a beast crouched furtively between the old trees.
“Is that it?”
[Yes, that’s the one.]
At the same time as the voice, a dense thought echoed in his mind, and Vermian narrowed his eyes slightly.
The beast came into view.
More than anything, the appearance of a black lion stood out. But its size was not as large as he had expected. At best, it was closer in size to an ordinary animal than a magical beast.
Still, the lion was larger than most grown men, and a careful examination of its presence revealed it was anything but ordinary.
‘So that is the seed that will become an apostle.’
[Indeed. It is one of the apostles imbued with the providence of the Nine.]
“The providence of the Nine…”
He let out a deep sigh of acknowledgment.
Quite some time had passed since he made his pact with Leteia.
He had been able to completely suppress Beatrice’s incurable illness and restore her health. And despite some commotion, he had also managed to escape the pursuit of the Imperial Palace.
Now, he was lying low, waiting for the interest in him to die down, but he couldn't just remain idle.
“Hoo.”
Another sigh escaped him as he wondered if this was truly the right choice.
I have now completely abandoned human morality and ethics. For Beatrice, I have fully merged with an apostle, a being called an enemy of mankind, and have even become something beyond human.
…But what I am about to do now is different in nature from my previous actions.
[Vermian, what are you hesitating for now? The memories I have shown you are the undeniable truth, and they will become reality.]
The thought pulsed intensely, urging me to act.
I am no longer swayed by Leteia’s thoughts. The control over this power is clearly mine.
And I know that Leteia’s words are not lies.
The Nine Apostles.
A grand plan spanning centuries.
And in the end, the destruction of humanity…
“That’s right…”
Though I nodded, my heart remained cold.
It was an unavoidable fate, an undeniable fact. If I could guarantee Beatrice’s safety at the end of it all… I had to prove my worth to the Nine Apostles, starting now.
Therefore, I must amplify the signs of the great event to come, creating even greater chaos within the Empire.
Slowly, I reached out my hand, bestowing my power upon the beast that had yet to notice me.
—!
A crimson-black thought flowed from my hand, traveled across the ground in an instant, and began to seep into the beast.
Grrrrr…!
The beast thrashed violently from the sudden transfer of power, but I brought it completely under my control.
The authority of Leteia, the Apostle of Sacrifice.
With the power I now wielded, I could amplify a being’s potential and control, manifesting it in a much grander form.
As the black lion’s form took on a deeper shade, merging with the shadows,
Graaaaah…!!
I watched the fully sprouted apostle let out a great roar.
“You will kill as many humans as possible. That will become my strength.”
As I conveyed the thought, I calmed my heart.
Until I give the signal, this apostle will not move, hiding itself in its own darkness. And when the time comes to kill the maximum number of cadets…
It will act.
By doing so, I had to properly carve my mark into the providence of the Nine Apostles.
I had to catch their eye.
The indescribable presence of the Nine Apostles from Leteia’s memories.
‘Humanity cannot stand against them.’
There was no hope left for the Empire. Now that I knew the truth, it was clear that everything would end the moment the Nine Apostles began to move in earnest.
The tragedy of Lua would surely be repeated…
I had to make a choice.
***
Time passed, and at the entrance of the Killentia Forest.
Numerous instructors and a multitude of cadets gathered, creating quite a spectacle. The number of cadets alone exceeded five hundred.
The resumed lectures were proceeding as scheduled, and today’s was an outdoor class.
It was a joint lecture for ‘A-Class’ and ‘C-Class’.
At the forefront, A1-Class instructor Gebel and C1-Class instructor Kalli observed as the cadets began to form pairs.
The right to choose was a privilege of the A-Class cadets, and it proceeded in order of academic rank.
“I would like to nominate Cadet Luna as my partner.”
Yumia, who had the highest rank with Leonhardt still absent from classes, was the first to pick. As she named Luna, the gazes of many cadets turned to Luna in C1-Class.
“…Me?”
Even Luna seemed surprised, accepting the choice awkwardly, and a few other cadets also looked on with surprise. While the joint lecture had several evaluation criteria, the most important was still performance.
It was about how smoothly and efficiently one could hunt the monsters in the Killentia Forest to quickly fulfill the evaluation criteria.
In that sense, with Han Cheon-seong currently regarded as overwhelmingly superior in C1-Class, the decision to overlook him was bound to be conspicuous.
Click. Clack.
As Luna approached Yumia to form the first pair, Yumia glanced over toward the C1-Class cadets.
“…”
When Cheon-seong met her gaze with a faint smile, Yumia let out a small sigh and nodded.
‘I never thought he’d ask for something like this.’
For Yumia, Han Cheon-seong’s words were a request she couldn’t refuse. She had been the one to say she wanted to maintain a good relationship after his kind act of helping her meet Leonhardt.
But now, as she actually fulfilled his request, Yumia felt a strange mix of emotions.
Next up was Glacia.
Click.
As she stood on the platform, the C1-Class cadets’ eyes were instantly drawn to her.
Like Yumia before her, Glacia’s beauty, as she stood on the platform, was also strikingly noticeable compared to the other cadets.
While a few cadets watched her with hopeful anticipation,
Glacia’s gaze was fixed on only one place.
On Han Cheon-seong, who was staring right back at her from among the C1-Class cadets.
Meeting his eyes, she spoke calmly.
“I will nominate Cadet Han Cheon-seong as my partner.”
At her composed voice, Han Cheon-seong, as if it were a matter of course, moved to her side.
Thud. Thud.
His movements drew the attention not only of the C1-Class cadets but of the A1-Class cadets as well.
The fact that Han Cheon-seong and Glacia shared an unusual friendship was so widely known that hardly any cadet was unaware of it.
Therefore, their pairing drew even more attention than the first pair of Yumia and Luna.
“……”
Millia, who was watching them from the crowd, was no exception.
Stepping down from the platform, Glacia, now paired with Han Cheon-seong, appeared perfectly at ease.
In her demeanor—as if it were her natural right, her qualification to be with him—Millia could faintly perceive the difference between herself and Glacia.
Furthermore, their encounter in the cafeteria yesterday and her current association with Han Cheon-seong all felt magnified.
‘What did she receive from Han Cheon-seong, and what on earth did Han Cheon-seong… give her in return?’
The shocking story of their ‘meeting’ she had heard yesterday.
The shock Millia felt at their words—that they had exchanged something of value—had still not faded.
But yesterday, she hadn't dared to ask any further.
She was afraid of knowing the rest of the truth, and Glacia’s calm and confident demeanor felt a little intimidating.
“……”
When Glacia glanced at her, Millia unknowingly clenched her fists.
She was envious of her standing next to Han Cheon-seong, but at the same time, Millia could feel it.
The one she needed to be most wary of right now…
Was Glacia.
***
Thud, click.
The sound of soft footsteps echoed as they ventured deeper into the Killentia Forest.
Nearly an hour had passed since the joint lecture began, and Cheon-seong’s heart had been heavy the entire time.
As he walked calmly, he remained highly alert to his surroundings.
‘Did the incident happen in the afternoon?’
He tried to recall, but the memory was hazy.
He had spent the previous night thinking about the second episode, the Beast’s Frenzy, trying to prepare, but the information from the story didn't come to him clearly.
Looking back, he didn’t think the time of day was ever explicitly stated in the story.
He was sure of the location where the event took place, but it was unclear whether it happened in the morning or the afternoon.
The uncertainty of whether the beast would even be in the place he expected was almost frightening.
“Han Cheon-seong.”
“Yeah, Glacia.”
He replied, his eyes fixed on the particularly dark old trees of the forest. He was wondering if the woods, which felt alien and steeped in darkness, were always like this when,
Grasp.
A hand suddenly grabbed his, and he flinched.
“What is it?”
Puzzled, he turned his gaze to find Glacia staring at him with a peculiar expression.
“Why are you so tense? You can relax a little, you know.”
Her calm and steady voice made him wonder if his nervousness was that obvious. He touched his face for a moment, then nodded.
“Well, it’s just… there’s no harm in being careful.”
He was confident he could handle the beast-type apostle they were about to face, but revealing his foreknowledge would be a bit strange.
He couldn't just say he knew something that even the accompanying instructors were unaware of.
“But it’s you and me, isn’t it?”
Glacia asked, as if she found it strange. He smiled faintly and shook his head.
"Glacia, accidents can happen anytime, anywhere."
The very moment he thought that,
—!
He felt an alien presence.