Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Demon Sword Forte (25) - Pina's Legend
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"...Hah, reading and writing really are worlds apart, huh."
The library at Sky Academy.
Due to its abysmal usage rate, the space had essentially become the girl's personal domain. The orange-haired girl let out a quiet sigh.
Scattered across her desk were stacks of manuscript paper and pens— the results of the "project" she'd been throwing herself into lately.
The girl quietly walked over to the window and gazed outside.
The library was located on the outskirts of the academy grounds, so normally, looking out from here offered a breathtaking view of the vast sky.
But right now, all that was visible was an expansive grassland stretching out below.
Sure, in literary terms, one could say the sky and the plains were both "blue." But the actual impression left on someone taking it in with their own eyes was something else entirely.
It had been two weeks since the inexplicable mass sleep incident that had rocked Sky Academy.
The chaos that ensued in the academy during that time was nothing short of a complete disaster.
Those who suddenly awoke were horrified by the traces of destruction scattered everywhere and even more shocked to learn they'd been out cold like the dead the whole time it happened.
How could they not be? They might have easily met their ends without even knowing what hit them.
A few quick-thinking professors and staff rushed to the scenes immediately. At the epicenter of the destruction, they found Pina Valestia clutching a broken sword and weeping.
Though flustered, they questioned her about what had happened. But Pina, exhausted from the battle and drained in every way, collapsed before any real conversation could take place.
The people grew even more confused, and inevitably, some cast suspicious glances her way.
That was the situation until the System—no, according to its own explanation, the "Will of the Sage"—made its appearance.
The circumstances described by the Will of the Sage were as follows.
The remnants of the Demon King, sealed away by the Sage in his lifetime, had gradually eroded the System over a long period.
Once the erosion reached its limit, the Demon King hijacked the System's authority to neutralize the entire academy, then attempted to fully resurrect itself using the academy's inhabitants as sacrifices.
However, these schemes had no effect on Pina, the bloodline of the hero who slew the Demon King. Thanks to Pina defeating the Demon King's incarnation, the System regained control.
That said, the erosion's damage couldn't be ignored, so the System itself would soon dissipate.
As for other details—like needing to conserve power, so it would land the island first, and so on.
The reactions from the people were quite the spectacle.
They'd thought the System was something like the AI used in golems, so learning it was actually the Sage's own will was shocking enough. The fact that it had been eroded by the Demon King, and that it would vanish soon? Every revelation was a bombshell.
Some praised Pina as the birth of a new hero who'd saved their lives. Others protested to the academy about the incident. There were those preparing for the fallout of the academy's disappearance, and some bombarding the living history book known as the Sage with questions.
Panic, pandemonium, or hell on earth.
No words could fully capture the mess of it all.
"Even this fake story caused all that. If the truth came out... it would've been a nightmare."
And as for the orange-haired girl, she was one of the few who knew that the tale the System had spun was laced with quite a few lies.
Without warning, a translucent image of a man appeared before the girl.
A rugged, cantankerous face that screamed bad temper at first glance.
The girl responded calmly to the man, whose appearance starkly contrasted the public's image of the "Sage."
"I always put up a barrier while working, so no worries about visual or auditory leaks."
"Better than some old geezer who couldn't control his own power and became a nuisance to posterity, right?"
Eris, the girl, snorted at the Sage's lament.
"If I hadn't evacuated everyone, things would've been even messier. Planning to repay kindness with enmity?"
That's right.
While nearly everyone in the academy was lost in deep slumber, Eris had wandered the halls fully conscious.
Not because she was more skilled than the professors, but simply because she'd ignored quests from enrollment until the incident.
The System's suppression was stronger on those who'd benefited more from it, so Eris, who'd barely touched those benefits, was the exception.
"I just wanted to analyze how those 'rewards' affect the body before accepting them. Blindly using power handed to you by others rarely ends well. This incident proved it."
Unable to argue back, the Sage clicked his tongue in silence.
While others obsessed over quests to rack up points and boost specs, Eris focused solely on dissecting the System. During the incident, she'd pulled off something outrageous: partially hacking the System to scout the academy's status.
Of course, it was a perfect storm—the Sage and Demon King's struggle for control, most of the Demon King's resources tied up with Pina's group, Eris sticking to mere "peeking" instead of seizing control. Still, for someone at 5th tier, it was an astonishing feat.
Recognizing the battle was beyond her league, she focused on indirect aid like evacuating the unconscious. That was commendable too.
Even with Divana and Kylun's abilities, evacuation was a stretch; without Eris, casualties might have been unavoidable.
And casualties would've made cleanup an even bigger nightmare.
This was the second reason the Sage grumbled at Eris but held back. The first, of course, was her friendship with Pina.
Suddenly, the Sage's apparition vanished in an instant.
Her sharp mind piecing it together immediately, Eris slightly loosened her barrier.
And sure enough, the library door burst open as Pina Valestia dashed in.
"E-Eris! Hide! Hide me!"
Eris just shrugged wordlessly at Pina, who flailed about with her black ponytail whipping like a tail.
Moments later, the door opened again, and several people stormed in.
They scanned the library sharply with piercing eyes, yet failed to notice Eris and Pina right nearby.
"Not here! Search elsewhere!"
Once the pursuers left and quiet returned to the library.
"Phew..."
Eris watched pityingly (her eyebrows twitching faintly as her gaze fell on Pina's flattened chest) as Pina slumped over the desk in relief.
Pina—Eris's literal lifesaver, and the academy's—couldn't handle the excessive attention and kept fleeing to Eris for help. It had become a near-daily routine, starting from when Eris had intervened out of pity.
"So, what was it this time? Another exclusive reporter invite?"
"Mm, no. They're planning a new academy to replace Sky Academy and asked if I'd enroll."
"Enroll? Who's gonna teach a genius who hit 6th tier before twenty?"
"N-Not a genius. It was all thanks to Lord Demon Sword... And I got there through shortcuts, so my fundamentals are still way lacking... Honestly, I'd lose to a proper 5th tier, let alone 6th... Everyone's overhyping me..."
Eris shook her head at Pina's meek demeanor, unbecoming of the next hero who'd supposedly soloed the Demon King's incarnation.
In truth, Pina seemed burdened by her newfound fame.
It should've been Lord Demon Sword's glory, but I stole it all, she'd say.
This stemmed from the "truth" the Sage had revealed being far from reality in many ways. Having heard the details from Pina, Eris understood the Sage's judgment.
'Too suspicious.'
According to Pina, this "Lord Demon Sword" had appeared before her enrollment, smashing waves of demons targeting her one after another.
That implied it knew demons were after her and approached accordingly. Yet Pina claimed she had no idea why and hadn't dwelled on it.
The Sage's memories from the erosion period had gaps, and Kylun and Divana—who might know more—had vanished amid the chaos, not even returning to their families. They'd gone completely off-grid.
With Pina herself clueless about the full picture, spilling everything—like why demons targeted her or other incident details—straight-up?
It'd only fuel suspicions and risk pinning blame on Pina herself.
The Sage's silence on her bloodline's oddities or the shady dealings during the Demon King subjugation fit the same logic.
If word got out that the hero legend wasn't the beautiful tale people believed but something sordid, or if the Valestia family weren't the true heirs, Pina—protected by that prestige—would suffer too.
Not to mention how rulers potentially branded descendants of villains might react.
'Lord Demon Sword' had apparently foreseen this and told Pina to keep quiet, but she felt guilty about it.
The Sage, meanwhile, while claiming it was for her sake, seemed uneasy about distorting history again. He only sent Pina stiff, mechanical System messages, never manifesting before her like he did with Eris.
Thus, Eris—guilty of hacking the System and learning too much—was stuck in this awkward middle ground.
'Comedic that even I only know the plot summary level of the story, like a book blurb.'
For instance, she knew Pina had experienced hero-era events via some illusion, but not the specifics—what she'd felt, thought, or said inside.
And truthfully, she had no desire to know more.
Like the memory of a certain librarian she cherished in her heart, people deserved private treasures.
The issue was Pina treasured her memories differently from Eris.
"Um, h-how's the, uh, writing going?"
Pina asked cautiously, stealing glances at the manuscripts.
Eris replied curtly.
"Not at all."
"Eek."
"The idea that reading lots of books makes you good at writing is simplistic. I'm not a writer."
"B-But you're way better at it than me!"
—I want to record my time with Lord Demon Sword in a book.
That was the "request" Pina had made to Eris.
Right now, she was too small and weak to openly share her story with Lord Demon Sword.
But someday, when she grew strong.
When she could face suspicious glares and tangled politics head-on.
Then, she wanted to reveal the real truth—Lord Demon Sword's feats.
And Eris had agreed to help.
First reason: The Sage's deal. Until his dissipation, he'd transcribe all data he'd gathered in life and as the System into Eris's "book."
Second: It started as repaying a debt, but now she genuinely liked Pina.
Third: Truthfully, she wasn't uninterested in writing.
"Hmm."
Eris pondered briefly.
She'd told Pina it wasn't going well, but honestly, the writing itself was progressing smoothly.
It wasn't pure invention—just editing real events.
That said, it wasn't entirely to her taste.
Which made sense, because...
"If I'm writing it, I want a happy ending."
"Huh?"
"You're not leaving 'Lord Demon Sword' like that forever, right?"
Pina's breath hitched at Eris's point.
At Pina's waist.
The sword hilt, impossible to sheathe normally, tied to her belt like a talisman with a strap.
Pina's "Lord Demon Sword," which no longer responded at all.
"You're planning to get it fixed, aren't you? That's why you keep turning down new swords from everyone."
"...Yeah."
Quietly, as always.
But firmly, without hesitation, Pina nodded.
"If we're making it a story, better to write till the happy ending's locked in. Like the hero reuniting with the Demon Sword."
"I'd love that too, but I haven't decided when or where to fix it yet."
"It came mixed in with gifts from Brown Merchant Company, right? Investigating them should turn up something."
The academy's fall disrupted the original great mage transcendence plan somewhat, but inheriting all the Aerial Sage's knowledge more than made up for it.
No—for a theory purist like Eris, it was far more valuable than sloppy spec boosts.
So, helping a bit with reuniting her friend was no issue.
Unlike before, she now knew rest was as vital as effort.
'Her real identity's probably something else, but for now, info on that librarian posing as a company employee might pop up. Even without cheats, I'd reach it through books eventually, but wise mages prep multiple paths.'
Swallowing an excuse unclear whom it was for, Eris spoke.
"What do you say?"
"Yeah, let's do it! Let's try!"
Thrilled at a clear path to her vague goal, Pina beamed.
The Sage silently watched the two girls—the new era's hero and his successor.
In an academy blind spot no eyes could reach.
No reply came to the mutter directed at old comrades.
As the Sage wryly smiled at this natural inevitability and began to fade.
A single blue petal drifted by, followed by a sunbeam piercing the clouds.
Merely coincidence.
Just confirmation bias, unconsciously assigning meaning to a trivial natural phenomenon.
Knowing this, yet feeling inexplicably uplifted, the Sage burst into laughter.
Laughing, laughing, laughing.
Until the wind scattered even his final shadow.