The Siege of Erebos (1)
When autumn ends, winter comes.
Isolde had never been fond of winter.
The word itself always felt like a sharp blade digging into old wounds buried deep in her memories.
Her second winter at Erebos brought with it an instinctive revulsion she couldn’t shake.
This time was no different.
The last of the falling leaves had vanished, and the once-high sky pressed lower with each passing day. Even the twilight over the academy grounds felt unnaturally thick.
“Isolde, congratulations. You held on to the top spot again this exam. You really are something special.”
Even as her advisor, Everett Rootfinger, offered his praise, Isolde stared out the window with a strange feeling in her chest.
“By the way, that advisor from the Tower of Ochre who took an interest in you during the last academic evaluation has requested another meeting. What do you plan to do? Honestly, as your advisor, I don’t think you’ll get a better opportunity than this.”
Winter always gave way to spring. Yet this winter felt as though it would stretch on far longer than usual.
“Isolde?”
When she remained silent, Everett chuckled softly.
“You’re thinking about something else. Was my story boring?”
“No. I was listening. I just… need time to think.”
“I see. How about doing an internship at the Tower of Ochre over the break? It would count as valuable experience. The golem faction in particular is extremely interested in the collaborative work you and Miss Ottilie produced. The Mage Guild is somewhat skeptical, but—”
The dancer doll they had unveiled at the academic presentation had apparently become the hottest topic in the kingdom’s magical circles.
While the golem faction showed great interest, Isolde felt no real pull toward Everett’s suggestion.
“…I won’t be able to leave during the break.”
“No? Are you returning to your family?”
“I don’t know.”
Her family. The village where she had endured such a harsh winter.
Though her household had grown more comfortable since she became a mage and entered Erebos, she still had no desire to see their faces. Especially her mother’s—the woman who had treated her like a tool. The mere thought of her was repulsive.
‘Mother…’
Isolde found herself reflecting on the mother-daughter relationship.
Of course, this time she wasn’t playing the role of daughter.
‘I… became a mother.’
Her thoughts naturally drifted to Void.
The child who looked exactly like she had as a little girl, yet smiled so brightly and expressed her emotions so openly.
Even knowing Void was a spirit, the sight of her made Isolde’s chest ache with a strange tenderness.
Perhaps that was why visiting the chapel to play with Void after classes had become part of her daily routine.
She had planned to head there right after finishing her meeting with Everett.
Was this what maternal love felt like?
If she was Void’s mother… then the father would be…
“Are you perhaps troubled because of that priest?”
“…”
Everett’s question struck right at the heart of the matter, and Isolde pressed her lips tightly together.
Seeing her sealed expression, Everett offered an awkward smile.
“That priest… Well, to be honest… he doesn’t exactly seem like the type with a good track record with women. I’ve heard and seen a few things recently.”
“I know.”
She had felt it clearly during their trip to the Libel region.
Besides herself, several other women held Leo in their hearts. And every one of them was a formidable rival—symbols representing Erebos itself.
“But for me, things are already decided.”
“D-Decided?”
Everett’s eyes widened. He clearly wanted an explanation, but Isolde had no intention of correcting his misunderstanding.
After all, it wasn’t entirely untrue.
“Well… something like that.”
Isolde placed a hand over her chest.
Thump.
The mana link pulsed.
Between Leo and herself existed a precious child.
Because of that, she never once thought she was falling behind those other women.
“So for the priest, the most important person is me.”
“Hmm… I think I’ll… keep my comments to myself on that one…”
Everett merely hummed and fanned himself before turning his gaze toward the view of Erebos outside the window.
The already-shortened sun had set, and darkness crept across the entire campus.
Yes.
Like thick, clinging shadows.
“…”
After staring at the grounds for a while, Everett furrowed his brow.
“By the way, Isolde.”
“Yes?”
“The night feels unusually dark today. The streetlights aren’t even on. Did the caretakers go on strike or something?”
That couldn’t be right.
Erebos was a prestigious academy. There was no way they would leave the night paths unlit during the semester.
“…You’re right. Something’s strange.”
Isolde, who had been lost in thought, also frowned deeply.
All day long her mood had been restless. She had assumed it was simply because winter—the season she disliked—had arrived.
But Isolde was a mage of exceptional talent. She was naturally sensitive to changes in her surroundings.
What if—purely hypothetically—the defensive barrier surrounding Erebos Academy had been damaged? Could that be why she felt this sense of wrongness?
Rumble.
At that exact moment, the Ashen Tower shook.
More precisely, the very ground beneath Erebos began to tremble.
“Isolde! Look at that…!”
Everett shouted, staring out the window.
The clock tower that had stood proudly at the center of Erebos was collapsing, snapped clean in half.
“…This isn’t an earthquake.”
Everett’s expression hardened.
A mere earthquake could never bring down the clock tower that Erebos took such pride in.
This was clearly terrorism.
Or something even worse—a calamity.
Everett made his decision quickly.
“Isolde, stay in the Ashen Tower for now. The protective barrier here should keep you safe no matter what happens.”
“What about you, Professor?”
“I need to check the clock tower. Something’s happening.”
Everett threw on his robe and leapt out the window.
Isolde wasn’t worried about him. Her advisor, Everett Rootfinger, was the chief mage of the Mage Guild—a candidate for Archmage whose name was known across the entire continent.
That was precisely why she couldn’t help worrying about someone else instead.
—Thump.
The thread of mana connected to her heart.
The pulse of the mana link.
Priest Leo was agitated.
“…It’s dangerous.”
Everett’s repeated warnings to stay in the Ashen Tower were already long forgotten.
Isolde vaulted over the windowsill.
*
BOOM!
An earthquake struck.
More accurately, an explosion.
The clock tower had collapsed.
“…This is… the natural course of events, I suppose…”
I frowned as I looked toward the half-destroyed clock tower beyond the chapel woods.
It was a familiar sight.
The opening cutscene that marked the beginning of the fourth arc.
It also meant the Shadows had officially begun their invasion of Erebos.
Before long, this academy would be reduced to rubble.
But…
“…This is way too early.”
Far too soon.
It hadn’t even been three hours since I sent Ottilie back to the dorm after she came to brag about her exam scores.
If my memory was correct, the fourth arc should still have been three days away.
Yet the incident had already erupted.
“…What the hell?”
A clear deviation from the original story.
Every result naturally had a cause.
The difference between this world and the original was, of course, my own existence as an impurity.
The butterfly effect caused by my presence must have advanced the Shadows’ attack in the fourth arc.
“…Let me think.”
There was nothing new about this.
The Full Moon Festival, the Twin Towers incident, even the angel summoning at the cathedral—everything had occurred at different times and with different developments than in the original.
Thanks to that, I could deduce the cause without panicking.
“Elise.”
Elise Aurore de Rua, the Saint candidate. She was currently in the Libel region, receiving instruction from the head priest.
In other words, one of Erebos’s troublesome shields was absent.
From the Shadows’ perspective, now—while Elise was gone—was the perfect opportunity that might never come again.
“Breaking into an empty house, those bastards.”
I clicked my tongue.
Complaining wouldn’t change anything. Right now, it was time to execute the routine I had simulated in my head for the fourth arc.
‘First, evacuate.’
I immediately put my plan into action.
I locked the chapel’s gate tightly, covered the statue of the Virgin Mary in the yard with a dull waterproof tarp to disguise it, and shut all the windows inside the building with sturdy shutters. Finally, I brought Void down from the attic.
“Dad?”
“Void, I need a favor. Open the illusory space for me.”
Void nodded at my words and stretched out her arms.
As expected of a Void spirit, she had awakened a new ability during the break.
A kind of inventory.
I stuffed emergency rations and winter supplies into the illusory space, then hoisted Void onto my back.
‘Normally I would’ve gone to the annex shelter, but…’
The situation had erupted faster than expected, leaving no time to evacuate properly.
It was fine.
I had already prepared a hiding place in the chapel basement, anticipating something like this.
If we hid there and stayed quiet, there shouldn’t be any problems.
This chapel sat at the western edge of the academy, tucked away in a remote forest. The enemies’ target was the main building.
There was no reason for them to come all the way to this old wooden chapel with no strategic value.
That was what I thought.
Until—
BOOM.
A sound like thunder crashing right in the chapel’s front yard echoed through the air.
“…Hah.”
In the dark night, with no lighting in the yard, a massive figure over two meters tall stood imposingly.
“Hmph!”
A training uniform stretched over bulging muscles. A thick beard connected to sideburns. Crimson glowing eyes.
A hulking brute straight out of some fighting game.
Coincidentally, I recognized him.
“…Ah, fuck…”
Yaksha.
One of the four executives of the Shadows, alongside Youngrang, Johyeon, and Baekmyeon.
“Oh… Quite a humble place. Perfect for training.”
Yaksha slowly walked toward the chapel where I stood.
If smashing through a wall with his body could be called “walking in,” that is.
Soon, after entering through the destroyed outer wall, Yaksha turned his red eyes toward me.
“Indeed. So you are Priest Leo.”
Yaksha grinned and brought his two fists together in front of his chest.
Vwoooom—
A menacing fighting spirit swept through the building.
It felt as though my entire body was vibrating.
Yet Yaksha merely raised the corner of his mouth as he looked at me, my body frozen with tension.
“Excellent. A well-contained killing intent. Just as Baekmyeon described. Truly the dignity of a strong one.”
“…What?”
“Haha! What a perfect night to cross fists!”
I didn’t know about anything else.
But one thing was certain—this idiot lump had completely misunderstood me.