Chapter 10

“As expected, we’re in first place.”

“Yes, I never imagined I could take first place with you.”

Inside the destination was a small refuge wrapped in magic. On one side stood a large tent; on the other, the eliminated students were collapsed on the ground.

When Fernan made eye contact with Carlo, who was staring at him, he gave a slight smile.

“All students who managed to enter, go into the tent and rest.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Any injuries?”

“None.”

There had been, but all were healed with potions.

“…Fernan and Luina?”

“Were they the first to arrive? Then they’re the first?”

“What about Prince Ludger and Almon?”

“Is this real…?”

Leaving behind the astonishment of the eliminated students, the two entered the tent.

Inside, there was nothing particularly impressive. Just a few chairs, snacks, and a professor’s map showing the location of the other students.

It was a courtesy that allowed them to guess the situation of the others through the map.

Not that Fernan particularly cared.

“…I really didn’t think we’d end up in first place.”

“Same here.”

Honestly, he had doubts. The competition was fierce, and Fernan had no desire to be first.

His only goal had been to respect Luina’s intentions as much as possible and build a connection with her.

He had only put in effort because it was obvious that Luina would notice and get upset if he slacked off.

“Still, there’s nothing wrong with it, right?”

“Of course not. It’s the first time I’ve taken first place, so I’m absolutely thrilled.”

That was a relief. Even though he had unintentionally become a thorn in her side, his relationship with Luina had progressed.

“But this is just the first step. I won’t settle for this. From now on, I look forward to working with you.”

“Likewise. I’m counting on you.”

At that moment, the tent’s entrance opened and new figures entered.

“Fernan.”

Pfft. Prince Ludger let out a chuckle.

“Well, you’ve caught my attention. Were you hiding your abilities all this time?”

“I wasn’t really hiding anything.”

“Then how come you’ve never made a rock wall like that before?”

“I never needed to.”

“But now you did?”

“Seems so.”

“I see.”

Ludger’s gaze subtly turned to Luina.

“Now I get it all.”

“…I don’t know what you think you understand, but I’d rather deny it.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”

“That’s not the point…”

Without responding to Fernan, Ludger sat down a little ways off. Almon, who followed him, gave Fernan a glance before sitting beside him.

The students who had followed Ludger began noisily filling the space around him.

“…Don’t tell me that really was your intention?”

“Stop saying nonsense.”

Luina shifted away a bit, her expression wary. Fernan let out an incredulous chuckle at her reaction.

A moment later, Luina narrowed her eyes and changed the subject.

“Ah, that reminds me. I ran into Aint Armian recently.”

“Isn’t he Armian?”

‘Yeah. I was lightly swinging my sword in the outdoor training field at night, and he walked in, probably to train. It was quite a funny situation. It reminded me a lot of the time you said you secretly watched my training…”

That was when—

“…!”

A deafening rumble sounded.

It was a sound only Fernan could hear—a thunderclap that exploded inside his head.

In an instant, his mind went blank. A jolt of electricity shot through his brain, similar to the first time lightning struck him.

“Ugh…!”

A groan escaped his clenched teeth.

At the same time—

It’s clear. The author’s talent is more than enough to become a Royal Knight.

[I wanted to free her from the shackles of the Pellenberg family.]

The prophecies that had been dormant on the edge of his consciousness began sprouting like mushrooms after the rain.

[Senior. No, I am Luina of House Bercheff.]

Aint Armian extended his hand.

[Please, become my knight.]

This was unlike any of the previous prophecies. Its intensity etched itself into Fernan’s senses as if he were truly present in the scene.

Aint, after defeating Luina in a duel, offered his hand. But Luina didn’t take it.

The world turned upside down. The scenery changed.

A sky red like blood, a suffocating miasma of demonic energy. As if the end had come, a colossal evil descended upon Aint Armian.

In that moment, the back of a determined knight firmly blocked its path.

[Senior! What are you—?]

[You are not Armian. You said it once.]

[You asked me to be your knight. And I refused.]

It was pride that made me refuse, but no longer. I came to know you and your cause.

So this is my fate.

“A knight is the sword that strikes their lord’s enemies and the shield that protects them.”

A knight.

“Does not run from their lord.”

A knight.

“Does not die before their lord.”

That’s it.

[My chivalry.]

[Luina charged at the demon Andromalius. The blue sword energy shone brightly.]

The world flipped again.

It was a hospital room. When Luina opened her eyes, Aint was holding her hand, tears streaming down his face.

[Thank God. I’m so glad.]

[This place is…]

[A hospital.]

The flow fractured slightly.

[Senior. Please don’t misunderstand and just listen. Since you said I’m your knight, I’ll ask you directly.]

Aint’s gaze sharpened as he looked at Luina.

[Those bastards are trying to ruin you and the Bercheff family. It’s the Pellenbergs, isn’t it? That filthy rich scum.]

Though it was fragmented and hard to piece together at first, one thing was certain—each vision revolved around Luina.

‘Why now, of all times?’

Was it because Luina mentioned Aint?

[So that’s when they started using Luina to try to ruin me.]

It wasn’t exactly new information—he already knew it. It wasn’t like it revealed a specific time or plan.

Andromalius, huh?

He remembered. It was the name of a demon he’d read about in a library book. Was that thing really going to descend?

‘When?’

No, that wasn’t the most important part either.

[Not Armian… how dare he call someone nouveau riche…!]

“…Are you okay?”

A rough hand shook his shoulder. Only then did Fernan break out of his thoughts and open his eyes.

Luina was looking at him with a worried expression.

“…I’m fine.”

“All of a sudden you screamed. You really scared me. You’re also pale.”

“It’s nothing…”

“It doesn’t look like nothing.”

It was Ludger’s voice.

Only then did Fernan realize he’d finally regained enough composure to look around. And that everyone in the tent was staring at him.

“…It’s nothing, don’t worry about me.”

“For something that’s ‘nothing,’ you sure look like you’re having a rough time.”

“I overexerted myself for the first time in a while. Just a little unstable mana backlash, that’s all.”

“That’s not like you. Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t need to tell the professor or anything?”

“I’m fine. Thanks for the concern.”

Fernan forcefully wiped his face. One by one, the stares focused on him began to disperse.

“…Are you really okay?”

“Yes. Just like I said.”

“But you were holding your head.”

…Unnecessarily sharp.

“No, it was my chest.”

“Still, I think you should tell the professor…”

“I said I’m fine, Luina Bercheff.”

“Then at least take a potion. You’ve got plenty, right?”

“That would be a waste.”

“Money is for spending when it matters, not for wasting without reason.”

“Well, that’s…”

“Silence. Shut it.”

“Seems like your mouth works fine. Understood.”

Luina nodded briefly.

‘What was that just now?’

It was the future. A later part of the prophecy written in the book—something that hadn’t come to mind no matter how much he’d thought about it until now.

‘Was it because Luina mentioned Aint?’

Considering the timing and the fact that all the visions were related to Luina, that seemed very likely.

‘I’ll have to look into this later.’

Maybe every time he encountered someone related to Aint, he’d get more information about the future.

‘But seriously… Andromalius?’

One of the 72 demons was going to descend into this world. And near the Academy, no less?

“This is insane.”

Demons were legendary beings. He had no idea how to deal with something like that.

“No, no need to worry about that yet. Aint’s the one who ends up dealing with it anyway, and that’s something that happens much later. I should focus on what’s more immediate.”

More urgent than a far-off future with Andromalius was the next event just around the corner.

Exactly one month from now, an incident would occur during the Practical Warfare and Dueling course in the first-year knight department.

The second big moment for Aint Armian, after defeating Anto Dnern, tenth in the rankings, in the first class and causing a stir.

In this upcoming class, Aint Armian would face the second-ranked first-year, Verian Kalburdern.

And the result would be a narrow victory.

After defeating Anto Dnern, Aint had already started to make a name for himself. But to bring down the second place just a month later? It was a huge event.

It would be the ultimate proof that his first win wasn’t just luck, and he’d begin to gain real recognition.

‘But the problem didn’t end there.’

Just as there’s darkness where there’s light, every winner comes with a loser.

While Aint gained glory and reputation, Verian would lose a lot. His fame, his honor, even the powerful patron who supported him.

“Second place in the knight department… I trusted you because of your Kalburdern Knight title.”

“…I’m sorry. Next time, definitely—”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. I just had expectations that were too high. For now, take some time to rest—physically and mentally. If another opportunity comes up, we’ll talk again.”

Essentially, it was a dismissal. Verian lowered his head and bit his lip hard.

‘Armian…!’

His anger toward Aint Armian began to boil inside him.

Unlike the previous unexpected chaos, this time Fernan had consciously recalled the prophecies.

This was the moment when Verian lost to Aint in a public duel and was half-abandoned by Ludger.

Of course, Ludger had left some room; he hadn’t cut him off entirely.

But from the perspective of someone who’d been pushed aside, someone who had stood at the top, the feeling would have been very different.

“He must’ve felt like he lost everything.”

Defeated by someone from Armian (his lifelong rival) and cast aside by the mentor he’d trusted… this event would be the turning point that led Verian Kalburdern to fall to the whispers of a demon.

Yes, a demon.

It was the first time a demon appeared, even if only indirectly.

‘The problem is, the prophecy doesn’t say exactly how or where they came into contact.’

It wasn’t clear whether the prophecy was lacking, or if the demon was that meticulous.

Fernan leaned toward the former.

After all, it didn’t make sense that a book of prophecy would just miss something because a demon was “thorough.” That would defeat the whole purpose of prophecy.

“Luina.”

“Yes?”

“Do you think demons exist?”

“…That’s a pretty random question.”

“Just answer it.”

At his insistence, Luina nodded slightly.

“Yes. Didn’t the Empire get built by defeating demons?”

“And what if I told you they still exist in this world today?”

“…Honestly, that’s a little hard to believe.”

“I think so too.”

Yes, that was the typical reaction. The demons the First Emperor had defeated hadn’t shown themselves in over a thousand years.

People are quick to dismiss even a century of silence as myth. A thousand years? For modern humanity, demons were nothing more than old legends or fairy tales—nothing more, nothing less.

Which made the matter all the more critical.

“If I could find evidence of a demon’s presence, it would be much easier to convince others and gain support.”

Illusion and hard evidence were entirely different things, and with proof, he could start changing the entire game.

‘And I could verify the prophecy book once again.’

Even if the other 99 prophecies were correct, if the one about demons was wrong, the book’s credibility would be fundamentally flawed. This was a matter of utmost importance.

“Seriously, why demons all of a sudden? Is your head still hurting…?”

“I told you I’m fine.”

At that moment, the tent flap opened and Grad entered.

“Everyone, outside.”

The practical training was over.