Chapter 34
Chapter 34
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Northsweden's Necromancer
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The girl's giggling laughter mingled with the wails of evil spirits, heightening the terrifying atmosphere even further.
"Hey, ex-fiancée. This feels like magic—what do you think?"
After sucking in the last puff, Pindenai tossed the cigarette butt to the floor and ground it out beneath her heel as she asked.
Erika, who had just lost her cool amid overflowing emotions, felt her head clear like she'd been doused with cold water, regaining her calm.
"It's a magical barrier, but it's neither the four basic elements nor any advanced school."
Swallowing her bitter feelings, Erika added,
"It seems like some kind of black magic."
"Black magic?"
Gideon, his voice cracking in the bewildering situation, scowled and glared at the girl.
She was still standing at the entrance, swaying her body side to side as if dancing to some rhythm, clearly delighted by whatever amused her.
"Evil spirits are casting spells now?"
The girl nodded with a laugh at Gideon's words, then crept slowly toward Erika.
[But is that all? I put so much effort into this—can't you elaborate a bit more on my hard work?]
"...I have no knowledge of black magic at all."
[Oh? I see.]
The girl grumbled in disappointment, looking genuinely hurt that no one appreciated her efforts.
But even other mages would give the same response.
The Griffin Kingdom had such strict regulations on black magic. Underground traders sometimes sold related books, but only those in the know ever heard about them.
Ordinary mages despised black magic itself so intensely that they didn't even want to approach it.
[This is a very unique spell. A mystical barrier that blurs the boundary between the living and the dead.]
"Blurs the boundary?"
[Yeah. Things are about to get really fun from here.]
Erika urgently called out to grab the girl, but her figure had already vanished.
Suppressing her frustration, Erika could only swipe at the empty air where she'd been.
"Isn't that the least of our problems right now?"
Pindenai shrugged and pointed beyond the railing. Massive bugs were swarming up like a flood, charging straight at the three of them.
[Kraaaaa!]
"Damn it, losing my weapon is biting me hard."
Pindenai had lost her axe in the fight against the warriors in the central entrance on the first floor, leaving her to fight barehanded.
"You worthless scum. Who the hell do you think you're going to kill?"
Gideon bit his lip until it bled and drew his blade of fire.
"So that's what connecting the boundary between life and death means."
Realizing the evil spirits could now be struck directly, Erika manifested her golden magic and began to respond.
* * *
No matter how chaotic the academy had become, the lectures continued.
It was the only direct proof that the academy was still somewhat functioning.
But now even that was starting to be invaded by the evil spirits.
As the sky darkened and all the lights went out, the students in the lecture fell into panic.
The professor desperately tried to calm them, but the recent baby-like cries from the staff dorms made it hard to shake off the growing fear.
"Calm down."
At that moment, a black-haired female student climbed onto her desk and emitted a white light.
The density of her mana was extraordinary. Even in that brief instant, those with keen insight recognized her exceptional magical talent.
Aria Rias, a first-year.
Despite her commoner background, she was the top among top scholars, admitted as the valedictorian to Lovern Academy.
"Let's stay calm. Panicking here will only get us hurt."
Her words were perfectly rational. Several students regained their composure and nodded in agreement.
"She's right."
Among them, Elenoa, the youngest daughter of the Griffin King and a new enrollee, continued calmly.
"Freaking out here just plays into the enemies' hands."
By clearly using the word "enemies," the princess heightened everyone's alertness.
The students fell silent for a moment and began to follow her lead.
"We need to assess the situation first. We'll have to scout outside."
The classroom windows were pitch black, as if painted over with ink, so they needed to step out into the hallway.
"What do you think, Professor?"
Elenoa subtly shifted the responsibility to the lecturing professor.
The professor snapped to attention and became aware of his position.
"Y-Yes, right. I'll go check outside, so wait here a bit."
It wasn't without fear, but he couldn't overcome the trembling students and the princess's pressure, so he headed out.
Only then did the students feel like things were moving, sighing in relief and composing themselves.
Elenoa naturally approached Aria and sat beside her, quietly asking,
"You're pretty calm. You're Aria, the top admit this year, right?"
"Yes, that's me, Your Highness."
"We're classmates. No need for formalities."
"Then..."
"Just call me Elenoa, casually."
"Got it, Elenoa."
Huh?
Was she bold or just clueless? Aria dropped the honorifics immediately. But it was enough to pique Elenoa's interest.
"Any thoughts on the current situation you could share?"
Elenoa tapped the desk as if testing her. Aria furrowed her brow briefly, then calmly shared her thoughts.
"It's probably the work of those ominous evil spirits haunting the academy. Nothing else comes to mind."
"Hmm, I see. But I've never heard of evil spirits casting magic like this."
"Me neither... but."
Aria moved to the window and brushed her hand over the darkness blocking it, murmuring.
"It feels like some kind of black magic. It must've taken a ton of mana. Maybe they extracted it from the missing people."
"You're saying it with such certainty?"
Elenoa propped her chin and asked. Aria gave an awkward smile and scratched the back of her head.
"Sigh. I've been watching how the academy handles the evil spirit rumors. But now I can't just sit back."
Elenoa planned to report this incident to the royals in detail.
She intended to expose every bit of Lovern Academy's incompetence and reality, uprooting the place entirely.
'It doesn't seem directly tied to me being a princess. Tsk, where are my escorts?'
They were probably caught in this barrier too, but as highly competent guards, Elenoa was certain they'd come rescue her soon.
"Can't just sit back?"
Aria asked Elenoa, who was twirling her flowing golden hair in disappointment.
Though it had been a short time, Elenoa liked Aria, so she casually prophesied the academy's future like an oracle.
"At the very least, won't it get shut down? Even a prestigious place like Lovern can't shrug this off."
Elenoa could always transfer to another academy or have royal tutors summoned.
'Hell, do I even need to learn here?'
It wasn't just her royal blood. Elenoa was a genius who could impress even the kingdom's mages.
And the one who had beaten her enrollment scores was Aria.
'She's intriguing.'
Just as Elenoa smiled faintly, thinking they'd meet again even if Lovern fell...
"Don't."
A fierce pressure gripped Elenoa's entire body.
An intense aura she couldn't easily sense even from her father, the supreme commander of the nation, or from absolute powerhouses like the knight commander or grand mages.
"Huh...?"
Elenoa stared blankly at Aria, unable to speak properly.
Aria's black eyes had clouded over, radiating thick killing intent toward her.
"Don't. This academy will regain its true form in the end."
"What..."
Boom!
"Kyaaah!"
"They're in! They're coming!"
"What happened to the professor?!"
"Run for it!"
"Bullshit! Fight back! Where do you think you're running to?!"
Before Elenoa could barely open her mouth, the classroom door shattered, and evil spirits with physical forms poured in.
Amid the chaos of fleeing or fighting students,
Elenoa and Aria stared at each other as if they were the only two there.
Elenoa drew mana calmly from her chest and tensed her body, finally uttering one phrase.
"You think this situation will be resolved?"
At those words, Aria softly turned her gaze back to the window.
"Yeah. It's possible."
It was still shrouded in pitch darkness.
But faint cracks began to form in the darkness, like a shell breaking.
"Because."
The sticky, murky air seemed to escape through the cracks to the outside.
The situation shifted abruptly.
The evil spirits lunging toward the incoming light instinctively turned toward the window.
Some writhed in agony and fled as if facing a natural predator.
Others snarled like they'd met a lifelong foe, spewing curses of death.
The evil spirits' barrier hadn't vanished yet.
Their forces remained, and Lovern was still dancing in their brutal grasp.
However, that small crack.
And through it, one man stepped in, treading on the light seeping through.
His coat hem was slightly singed, perhaps from an accident on the way, with scorch marks here and there.
Yet he maintained a neat appearance as best he could, striding forward without a hint of hesitation.
His calm eyes took in Lovern.
Just that was enough to silence the evil spirits' eerie screams, making the beings who had forgotten fear cower.
The wind changed.
The spring breeze entering through the crack felt like a gentle embrace urging relief.
The sole beacon illuminating Lovern.
Northsweden's Necromancer.
Deus Verdi.
"He's here."
Aria extended her hand softly toward him beyond the window, a tender smile on her lips.
"My hero."