162. Upheaval

The Puppet Emperor never came to the academy.

They say he received an imperial command and went north, but who knows.

Well, the reason he didn't come doesn't matter anymore. Things flowed in the direction I wanted, and I built a good relationship with the imperial princess sisters. That's all that matters.

And so, with one week left until the final exams.

I'd been extremely busy during that time.

It was far safer and far less exhausting than the time I'd spent in the Demon World in my Past Life, but it was still enough for me to call myself busy.

When I open my eyes in the morning, Stella has packed me a lunchbox.

After ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eating it, I wash up roughly and attend the academy. During the breaks between every lecture and during lunch, I cram Arisa's remaining theories into my head, and after regular lectures end, I watch over Eurasia's swordsmanship until 10 p.m.

From 10 p.m. until 5 a.m., I enter the dragon's Mana Vein with Leona, who's become free thanks to the Flame Emperor.

When I come back up to my room afterward, the bathtub is filled with water just as I'd asked Eurasia. I throw my body, still caked in blood scabs, into the tub and wash up roughly, then sleep in a bed that for some reason seems to carry Eurasia's scent.

After sleeping three hours like that, I wake, eat Stella's lunchbox, and go back to the academy. During breaks I study theory, after school I watch over Eurasia's swordsmanship, and at night I go to the Mana Vein.

On weekends I don't go to the academy, so I sleep one extra hour, then watch over Eurasia's swordsmanship until evening. After dinner, I don't come out of the Mana Vein until Monday.

Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Fortunately, I didn't collapse or become half-crippled.

This small body was sturdy from the start, and there were the supplements Leona handed me and the Elixirs I made sure to take.

Eurasia's massages, which she seemed to give almost every day, and Stella's magic, which seemed to restore fatigue.

And Pina and Sparkle's soft, fluffy fur helped a great deal.

Of course, even without those, I would have endured.

Every time I woke and looked within my body, I could see that I'd grown stronger than yesterday, so how could I not endure?

Once I reach a certain Realm, training in that Mana Vein won't produce much result, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right now it's so outstanding I could weep tears of gratitude.

So I don't collapse. I didn't even let myself think I hated it, and I pushed myself so hard that my menstrual cycle became irregular from exhaustion.

It was a shame that Purgatory's monthly backlash cost me nearly two days, but I reminded myself that I wouldn't even be here without Purgatory and kept myself from getting so obsessed that I overdid it.

The first place I must reach.

My Past Life, Ronan Luzarak's prime.

It's not a Realm I can reach in a short time. So I wasn't impatient, but I didn't waste time either.

Along with that, I didn't insist on growing alone. Eurasia, Stella, Pina.

I won't be able to bring them all to the Demon World no matter what, and I won't ask them to go along with the stubbornness and obsession I'm bound to from my Past Life. But I thought it would be a waste to let talents like them rot.

Eurasia. Right then, she was the only person I could trust to have my back. More than that, I trusted that if I ran ahead, she'd follow without falling behind.

And, before long, there are signs her Upper Dantian will open.

Genius? It's talent beyond genius.

I have the memories and experience of my Past Life, and even I'm surprised by my own talent, so I'm at this level—but Eurasia is the same as me without any Past Life memories or experience.

Of course, since I'm attached to her as her master, her rapid growth is only natural. But... uh, it's too fast.

Watching Eurasia, I understood why Leona hated the student ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠surpassing the master so much.

Stella. Her growth is fast. She has no particular affinity restrictions among the attributes she handles, and the range of magic in which she shows talent is staggeringly broad. If things continue without incident, I think she'll reach a Realm that even I find respectable around the time she graduates from the academy.

And recently, it was revealed that she's the disciple of the Flame Emperor, one of the Six Pillars. It couldn't be helped, because the Flame Emperor said it herself. "Stella Verheigen is this Flame Emperor's direct disciple."

Naturally, the world went into an uproar.

Along with that, the owners of the magic towers floating in the sky—the Magic Tower Masters—also began showing interest in Stella.

Thanks to that, Stella's been walking around with her shoulders all puffed up lately. Maybe because of that, she's put on a little weight.

Before, she was too skinny and looked bad, but now that she's filled out a bit, she actually looks better.

Of course, I didn't say that. Instead, I teased her.

The reaction I got back was, as always, the best.

Pina. I still didn't know the extent of her own strength, but the spirit realm dwelling within her would be a great help.

Lately, Sparkle's healing has gotten considerably faster.

It's certain that the effects of the Elixirs I fed her before are gradually showing.

And her personality has become more cheerful than before.

These days she's brightened enough to trot after me asking me to tell her stories from 400 years ago.

Now that she's brightened up like that, teasing her has become even more fun.

She's my punching bag after Stella.

And Ophelia, whom I must keep watching, is the same as ever. The suspicious Mana Stone's energy lodged in her chest, her investigating the Holy Kingdom's movements while avoiding the Cartel's eyes, her occasionally crawling up to me and getting cursed out—all of it is the same as ever.

Sparkle says it'll take roughly another year, but I didn't let my guard down.

In my Past Life ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠too, I once trusted a guess simply because it seemed very likely and got spectacularly blindsided. I'm not an idiot, so once was enough.

And as for me.

I'm still staying at Tier 5. There were many opportunities to rise to Tier 6. The path to Tier 6 stretches out before me, and there's no wall. My Upper Dantian is also half-open, ready to receive my mental image.

But I didn't ascend. Because the view before and after opening the Upper Dantian is different.

The moment the Upper Dantian opens and the existence called "me" touches the sky, everything changes. From the five senses I feel ordinarily, to Mana control, to the mental image that will form the Intent filling the Upper Dantian—everything changes.

It means the things that felt special at Tier 5 will be taken for granted the moment I rise to Tier 6.

So, before reaching that Realm, I must perfectly complete everything I can do at Tier 5.

The fundamentals that are the beginning of everything.

Once you climb up a tree, you can't see its roots. So before climbing, you must make the roots firm, drive them deeper, and then climb.

It was an inspection bordering on obsession, and a preparation process that would leave anyone else speechless, but I believed this was the right answer.

"What in the world are you preparing that you're still...?"

"Fundamentals are important in everything."

"Ugh, I'm sick of it... Can't we rest today?"

"That doesn't seem like an attitude a master should show her disciple."

Have her cheeks gotten a little gaunter than before? I'm not sure, but she does look more haggard.

Leona glared at me.

"Your master is struggling this much, and you brush it off and answer curtly—that doesn't seem like an attitude a disciple should show her master either, does it?"

"I do it because I know it's just you being dramatic, Master. If you were really hurting, I'd quietly nod and say yes."

"Aren't you tired? Sleeping three hours a day—is that something a human being should do?"

"Well... it'd be a lie to say I'm not tired at all. I think I've lost a little weight too."

At my words, Leona's drooping ears perked up! Her tail trembled faintly, and life returned to her amber eyes.

"Then today—"

"No."

"Hmph...! I hate this! If I watch over your training, I have to go back to the office and do paperwork! Make schedules! Run errands Sedil tells me to! What is this! I finally got some free time! I want to go out and have fun too!"

"I didn't ask the Flame Emperor for that favor so you could go out and play, Master."

"Hmph... my one and only disciple won't even take her master's side... just spouts boomer nonsense. Ugh, sometimes I miss the Catacombs..."

Leona's ears drooped again. Her tail fluttered weakly, and a bitter sigh escaped her.

Watching Leona like that, I giggled—.

"Still, if we just get through today, you can rest for a while."

Leona's head snapped up.

"Really?!"

"Yes. So tomorrow, let's all eat something good."

The preparations were complete.

I would reach Tier 6 today.

*****

"It's been two months today since the Flame Emperor rampaged through the Catacombs. Thanks to that, my plans were also ruined."

"Your plans aside, is it really all right to let that bitch rampage around in there? What if the Flame Emperor reads our past while she's at it?"

"That would be quite troublesome, but all the more reason we must move carefully. If we make a wrong move now, the Fist Demon will surely catch our scent."

Inside a vast cavern illuminated by splendid stained glass, the Puppet Emperor—a narrow-eyed man wearing a faint smile—leaned back in his chair beneath the warm sunlight.

"If it were only catching our scent, that would be fortunate. If the Fist Demon becomes certain of our plans, there's a high chance she'll break the pact."

"...Fuck."

Across from the Puppet Emperor, the Ghost Spear, who had propped two spears against his chair and put both feet up on the table, ran a hand over the scars on his face.

Scars that looked as though torn flesh had been forcibly stitched back together.

They were wounds inflicted by the Fist Demon 120 years ago. Her fist had only grazed him, but every bit of skin on his face except his forehead had been torn to shreds.

And those scars hadn't disappeared even after rising to Tier 7 and Tier 8 and undergoing two Body Reformations.

"Ahaha, Ghost Spear. Are you still afraid of the Fist Demon? Mm-hmm... well, after getting beaten like a dog like that, you couldn't forget. Those memories still show up in your dreams, don't they, Ghost Spear?"

And a coquettish laugh mocking the Ghost Spear.

The woman clutching a worn-out sword between her cleavage, the Sword Emperor, licked her red lips.

"Shouldn't the one who needs Shedding be you, Ghost Spear, not the Puppet Emperor? I'm getting tired and sick of looking at that hideous mug of yours."

"Why, want me to carve a scar into your face too?"

"Even your threatening lines are clichéd. If I were you, I'd have hit back by bringing up the wound the Fist Demon gave me."

As she spoke, the Sword Emperor pulled down the front of her robe.

Rustle—

The cleft between her breasts, hidden by her voluptuous chest, was revealed. A black scar that hadn't faded in 100 years, utterly unsuited to her pure-white, beautiful body. It was a scar as though the claws of a demon that had crawled up from hell had been driven into her.

"Of course, unlike the Ghost Spear's ugly scars, the scar nestled between my beautiful breasts only makes me look more delicate."

That scar too had not disappeared even after two Body Reformations, and remained engraved upon her chest.

"But... as expected of a spear-whore, you stare too openly. If you stare like that, I'm the one who gets embarrassed for showing it!"

Laughing brightly, the Sword Emperor straightened her robe and hugged her sword again.

"Who could get turned on looking at the cheap tits of a whore like you?"

"You know what? Most of the time, being called cheap sounds like a compliment. And you always call me a whore, but the only things that have ever entered me are other women's fingers and tongues. And even if I were a whore, a cock like your spear shaft wouldn't be more satisfying than other lovely women's fingers."

"Why you fucking bitch—!"

"Ghost Spear. We didn't gather today to fight. Sword Emperor, you stop as well."

"Hmm... well, if the Puppet Emperor came here in person, it must be something that important, right?"

The Sword Emperor, who at some point had a sword in her hand, smiled with her eyes and quietly sheathed it.

Likewise, the Ghost Spear, who had been aiming a formless spear at the Sword Emperor's neck, clicked his tongue and sat down.

"Tch, why are you acting so damn grave? You said there's no way to deal with the Flame Emperor."

"Yes. We cannot touch the Catacombs. In that case, wouldn't it suffice to strike elsewhere? There is a means to shake the Flame Emperor and the Fist Demon without leaving our traces."

"Oh my? Aren't the only people connected to them the direct line of Eustetia? Why, there are even rumors that the reason the Flame Emperor entered the academy this time was because of that direct line."

"The rumor is likely true. It's information that came from the imperial family."

"And she's also the Fist Demon's disciple."

The Ghost Spear scowled.

"Don't tell me you're suggesting we touch that wench?"

"Haha, no matter how insane I may be, I won't directly provoke Eustetia and the Fist Demon. I even went to the academy early this year and had my main body's location pinpointed by the Fist Demon. Honestly, at the time I wanted to test her a little... but now I've cleanly given up on that."

"Oh my... then the Fist Demon has already..."

"Yes. For now it's only my personal speculation, but I believe the Fist Demon has risen to Tier 9."

"Good heavens..."

The Sword Emperor, who had been smiling the whole time, stiffened slightly. She hugged the sword nestled between her breasts even tighter.

"So my choice wasn't wrong after all? Puppet Emperor. You haven't forgotten my answer to your proposal, have you?"

"Of course I remember."

"Ha! Aren't you acting way too different from when you were running your mouth at me, you whore?"

"Ghost Spear. I know the difference between courage and recklessness. I'm not aiming for Shedding like you lot in the first place. I just want to see how you all end. The Puppet Emperor asked me to watch how the story plays out, too."

"That's what I don't understand. Puppet Emperor, why the hell did you bring this whore along?"

"Having many spectators is a very good thing for me, so I specially invited her. So please refrain from looking at her with such a hostile gaze."

"Ha, once I Shed, I'll tear that shitty body of yours to shreds first, Sword Emperor."

"Come at me anytime. Though I don't think you could beat me even if you did Shed, Ghost Spear."

"If I don't want your relationship to get any worse, I'd better get straight to the point."

Light rippled behind the chuckling Puppet Emperor. Then the light tore open, and through the rift walked a man clad entirely in a black robe.

The Dark Venerable.

"This task will require your power, Ghost Spear. More precisely, the power of the Holy Kingdom, with which you have ties."

The Dark Venerable was holding a paper with someone's information written on it.

"Oh my... what a pretty girl."

"Can't we just kill her? If you just tell me where she is, I could kill her by throwing a spear from here."

"This is not a matter to be resolved by simply killing her. The details will be explained by the Puppet Emperor."

The Dark Venerable set the paper down.

First, a photo of a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes was visible. Next, information about the girl was written in bold strokes. A Tier 5 swordswoman. Her hometown was a small rural village on the empire's frontier, Rondinella.

Her name was.

Eurasia Espirot.