Chapter 138
RtVqpGp“A golem, you say?! There can’t be such a golem in the world!”VsBXFd
GG7wThe leader shouted, denying Wooden’s existence. If not for him, the secret mission would undoubtedly have succeeded.Y9Bt
JQmWnZ“…Even if we’ve failed, you won’t achieve what you’re after either.”hlrbEO
VBU7And with that, it was all over.wwf
7tnThey even captured the assassin who had attacked Aria, but in the end, they failed to take any prisoners.MymfqrE
bZoZWThey extracted the poison from all three, but their suicide method didn’t end there.t8lve8J
qvOU“Ugh…!”YrpW
OE0Aura reflux. A technique in which, through a seal in the aura orb, they forced the flow to reverse, twisting all the body’s meridians.mjg8S
flFcHDThe three assassins coughed up blood and died.eCvMnu
KaC9TLFernan clicked his tongue—disappointed, but not surprised.IIfT
SI2Qff“Senior, don’t you think that was a bit much? And Aint, you too! How could you act like nothing was happening?”CS6BFT7
idNo“They were enemies you could handle alone.”mwDo8G
dX18Nwa“That’s true, but still, haven’t you heard of something called teamwork?”dvaNB
DFa9“If one of those daggers even grazed you, you’d die instantly. They were coated in lethal poison.”yqd1wqg
kTUu“…What?”7UoMRE
crOwlaUAria’s face turned pale.VSNdt
WwtO“Then you should’ve helped me more! I could’ve died right there!”ijn0Dv
0Quf“You were fighting assassins who wanted to kill you. Of course you were going to be on the edge of death. But he was so busy dealing with the spirits that he couldn’t even get close to you.”muMA
XTJxz0XIt wasn’t a lie, but still, it left her frustrated. Aria held back her anger with difficulty.PfK
21QR“So, in the end, we can’t do anything now?”azbgD
Ru6I“At least for the moment.”Vpqdp
0hre“That sounds like something will happen later.”dA2gs
EmYQ“It’s not certain yet. Just consider today as if it didn’t happen.”LZmhth
267Fernan recalled Ludger’s reaction after seeing Wooden.QQ7
61qLudger Schwaben, who still coveted the throne he had pretended to abandon.Gyzu5yy
6x1UjHuman desire had no end, and those who knew how to use that desire were true merchants.bs2rzAd
25J81LBAlthough nothing was concrete for now, Fernan was convinced he could use it eventually. Of course, he had to prepare the groundwork ahead of time.RBodU
xGw63U“Well then, I’m off. Finish your practice well.”TAKMpB
61nE“Where to?”PZZ
8Vm56“I only came as a temporary assistant to check how the training was going.”Rwr
Yx5KFernan vanished.lsejph
y8QWytZ“…We should move to another place, right?”MQEN
Rmn“Yeah, we can’t sleep in the same spot where there were corpses.”3YOHpp
fEsJZU7In addition to the aura reflux, it seemed their bodies held another poison—they disintegrated and were absorbed into the ground like toxic dust.fKPnjH
VEWAwXgIn a way, it saved them the trouble of disposing of the bodies.VWh
BpWWzAfter covering the traces with dirt, Aint and Aria left the site.iyw
SbZS— Something’s off. Schwaben isn’t stupid enough to try to kill you when demons are already on the loose.Zc3iY
u9jPHsGardner’s doubt was reasonable.C6AGBNF
O05XrBIf the demons hadn’t appeared yet, that would be one thing. But the rank 66 demon, Kimaris, had already shown up in Bercheff.F8eSd
cmtWould they really try to kill him in the middle of such panic and while Aint’s image was becoming more heroic, without having any backup plan?rkmjVG
wVR5No matter how afraid they were, Schwaben couldn’t be that dumb.Azv
qDD‘So then, they have a backup plan, right?’iNEHqEt
kuyQ7f— Exactly. But there’s no alternative to Armian’s secret swordsmanship…lnam
jaxgZ0MGardner suddenly fell silent.JmlnCp6
A2AXb— Aint, when did you say Armian lost the secret swordsmanship?1Dmt
9uh40K‘When Schwaben took the throne and expelled them from their territory.’7UF9s
q3ly— And that territory now belongs to Schwaben?Bak
ILMKV03‘Yes, that’s right… ah…!’eUI5aI
QLXAint realized it too late.ByWbFq
qDDb— Those bastards were the ones responsible.UfZy
o8Utsy‘I already suspected it, but now there’s no doubt.’wiBZ7GG
V8qxEKIt was frustrating, but there was nothing to be done for now. They only had suspicions, no clear evidence, and the assassins were already dead.75Vjtz
6iulN8c— For now, it’s best to follow Fernan’s advice. Words without proof have no weight.1HggwRI
b0Uc6R‘Yes.’0x9JxUe
bJ3c— But don’t forget. The day will come when you’ll have to take revenge.7WpiPO
QYYh5F5Aint didn’t intend to forget. He would recover the stolen swordsmanship and take his revenge.R6A
uRsqHe made a vow.3zzhMG5
xVqA0a***pivgCJ
p15XX“…Hah, so full of themselves, weren’t they?”vEFkXM2
JMWzSLudger sneered.YqqF
LLKDMvZThere had been no further reports from the assassins. He already suspected failure, and it was confirmed when the second-year practice ended—Aint Armian returned alive, even placing second.00MP8oP
WPMDmIHe walked back to the dormitory.6qRDYTp
v49Sw6If he was still alive, that meant the assassins were dead.zILGvpg
DbpLudger knew immediately—he would never see them again.HOSkm
Jm2jM‘Did His Majesty underestimate Aint, or did Aint’s growth surpass expectations?’mOg
xnc1fOr maybe… someone else intervened?s7vJ
7fvZ7He recalled a certain individual mixed in among the assistants.lsk
IZlQt‘Was that really just coincidence?’rch
C2a9Honestly, he hadn’t expected failure either.F1Rb92
EeafAint’s progress lately was impressive, yes, but the assassins were the best raised by Schwaben. They even used instantly lethal poison.FLr
PhvThe fact that they failed was the real shock.Euc
nmPn‘Idiots.’oxVKwl
mRWiBut they had failed, and only succeeded in putting Aint on guard.jze1q
ksXAt least, there was one consolation—no one would know for sure who was behind it.avhLR
SsML‘Though he’ll suspect… but he won’t expose it just yet.’tz861
ZFG2C5Regardless, as long as the Schwaben dynasty aimed for the throne, they could never get along with Armian.URlP4
tlSZAnd now, they were clearly exposed as enemies.zcIOrDG
L0qixYxA sigh escaped Ludger.WgLnc
OGIWhat were Aint’s feelings toward Schwaben after this?ows
QdYcSG“…Bah, whatever.”Aw0GF
I69HqEZHis Majesty would know what to do.p8WNBPy
PsVrEven if the Schwaben family was dragged down by this, it wasn’t his problem.VwgTF2q
hVqjThe crown prince wasn’t Ludger—it was his brother.KqvYp1L
UosAt least for now.ngVI
M9LK***9Ly
NyWGDawn came slowly.W80e
XVSWljN“Ugh…!”2X8yd7
gieXmm3Gismond Ert opened his eyes.9aNjK84
8FYw14RHe clutched his head with both hands, overwhelmed by a terrible headache. Cold sweat drenched his clothes, and the bed was a mess.Ohwae
OqL“It hurts… it hurts like hell!”IXUT
cSIHe writhed for a long while, groaning.umU
WpjaA1With the pain came pages from a book he had read in the past, unfolding in his mind.mEAst
LNfhuj[“The Kingdom of Frazia has formally requested cooperation from the Academy, and the headmaster has accepted.”]TlbwY
7QFrMThe students all reacted like it was inevitable.mUz15
ZbE3fgThey had eyes and ears too.0WZ
qE7oMThey knew Frazia was in chaos because of the corrupt and the monsters, and that the kingdom’s real objective was Aint Armian.9fcDU
dU25ew“In a time when war against demons and the corrupt is becoming more evident, it’s been decided that this will be a good experience for you.”]MP5F
z1UTA5“….”8hrY7
tiDh[“Considering the level of danger, only students ranked 10 and above in each faculty will participate, excluding first-years. And it’s not optional, it’s mandatory.”]GcADx
JM6fwThe mission: sixty students from the Academy would be sent to a Frazia devastated by corrupt ones and monsters.unr7y
JxRPZS[“A large group of monsters is marching north from the south.”iGl1SM
Cti“There are more than two thousand! If they follow the expected route, they’ll head straight to Fortress Fairos.”]qkMkDCs
4otAThousands of monsters sent the entire kingdom into a panic.IhRPn
B7AaXOi[“We will participate as well. You’ve come to experience real war. If you run away out of fear or cowardice, you’ll never achieve anything.”]i9X3
BtwThe Academy chose to fight alongside them instead of withdrawing to protect themselves.Jvc6SI
RPVbN[“This is war. We cannot absolutely guarantee your lives. But no matter what, we will never let a student die before a professor.”]68X3
W6VEAnd of course, among those students were Aint Armian and Luina Bercheff.G1K
HPCZgThe memory showed the Academy choosing to stand and fight alongside Frazia.BaO8UZ
HJV[The sky was blood-red.yrK
TmmZzqaIn the distance, monsters could be seen slowly advancing. Aint stood on the fortress walls, silently watching.AtQU
mIbMbY7“Aint.”h9Q
e7XR4LLuina stood beside him.I5im7k
6CWX“Senior, to be honest, I’m scared. But you told me something before, remember? That a knight is the sword that cuts down his lord’s enemies and the shield that protects him.”icS
743ui“…You didn’t have to remember that.”PJOr
8L38I“No, thanks to that, I feel a little more at ease.”Ydmi
QxOn2DBecause she believed her senior was by her side. A smile appeared on Aint’s lips.izs
XIb4i“I’ll only say this to you—I want to rebuild my house.”gdV90
nO2“You…?”d1JOCS
8KYkLM“Someone once told me that the emperor is the knight of the Empire.”WsVXbmr
ThR2VThat’s why I can’t turn my back on the Empire.]uoGh
u2zAint and Luina reaffirmed their resolve.KC87S
BUCAsAnd the war against the monsters was about to begin.7XwE
rW7JC[A human body with the head of a leopard.N6K4RPH
1yiCA3cIt barely measured two meters, but the pressure it radiated made it feel like a two-hundred-meter giant.q4xmL
JQCThe dense corrupt magic and overwhelming presence it exhaled made it feel that way.tZKwSi
7uXWk“…A demon? That’s impossible…”haw
uRpNW“Is that really a demon? Hahaha, we’re dead…”5xuAX
0BB1Hk“We have to run!”fG1l4tk
A24eGhWith the appearance of the demon, the soldiers on the walls fell into panic.]936
jLDt8WIt had appeared.3oHZng
oTKEgaGismond’s hands and feet trembled.lAkry
KXF4“A demon…! The demon has descended! The demon…!”8Nhp0
ZmPwIt was none other than the rank 64 demon, Flauros.rnc
icrvbZb“Will Aint be able to stop it?”tm2
2vEUOFYes, he will. He’ll definitely stop it.mD6Q
iVX3yKEEven though Gismond had forgotten much of what he’d read, he knew for certain that the story didn’t end there.hPc
fD3But the problem was that war always brought casualties and injuries.zsiWWN4
vZeMh9YNo matter how much the professors risked their lives to protect them, there was no such thing as “absolute” in battle.3EOoVzR
gOF“Good thing… I don’t have to go.”mLlba
KRDwnlBThanks to elixirs, the duel in Bercheff, and some real experience, he had improved a lot—but he was still ranked around 20th.mqG0
y5aitQAnd from what he remembered, only the top 10 would be sent.ya86k
iN3I3Luckily, he wasn’t in that group.p3aELh6
hxlp“…I better go see Fernan.”tg9mW2F
AvwC8prHe knew Fernan could also see the future, but even so, you never know.HeabD3
0RzIf he was the only one who had received that vision, it’d be a great chance to earn points with him.knraJ
9sQQAfter a quick shower, he dressed and headed to Ravidus Hall.XSqGJAp
cEP“Do you have any business to attend to?”4yBY7
bFC“I’m here to see Fernan Pellenberg.”gd9e
yWk“I’ll notify him upstairs. Please wait in the reception room.”KJKEOE
AByGuided by the maid, he took a seat in the room.TWRCI
DmZt“Wow, this is amazing.”z7Xn
ChYSXESWhen his rank rose and he moved from the Base Hall to the Bless Hall, he thought it was luxurious.dm0
mlaBut Ravidus Hall was on another level.6d91MfR
nF3KiA1Even without knowing anything about furniture, he could tell everything was top quality.iNJBFcS
tPwAnd there were maids—something that surprised him.iFGn
5bZXlH“Could I ever live here someday?”Ul1
2fcp“Yes, you could.”RCG19b
gz2YX7XAt that moment, the door opened and Fernan walked in.5U4
ip0L“Good morning. I didn’t come too early, did I? It’s just that I had something important…”CKFxR
XnmaxeL“Don’t worry. I usually wake up around this time.”r6w
ZVFJGl0Fernan’s day always began at dawn.zODkW
VZFe“Ah, that’s a relief. Hey, do you really think I could live here too?”Qqub6cr
UkZWe“Yes. I’ll make sure of it.”EtojvIt
vU3Kxc“…Huh? T-Thanks.”onls
EDhHw6The response was so different from what he expected that Gismond was thrown off but nodded immediately.6uuJv
qCXqUZx“Anyway, the reason I came so early is…”HYhB
pikRAez“I can more or less guess. It’s about the Kingdom of Frazia, right?”9CN
4n4Xl“Yes, then you also…”Ub1J
acnlv“Yes.”aHG7kJ
4a0xo3NFernan nodded. He too had received a new vision that very morning.QCiTT
sQu3HkThere was nothing about Flauros in the previous one, so he thought it would be next year. But no—and realizing it, he clenched his teeth in frustration that morning.1Um1kT
VVODUgZ“Then I don’t need to explain it.”BSC5kbs
ckIoml“That’s right. So I’m telling you to prepare too, senior.”dWJPT
XhhC“Prepare…? Prepare for what?”1NNs
S1QuW34“To go to Fortress Fairos.”oKjMD
SgS4n7h“…But I’m not in the top 10.”O7tlY
H3f“Even if you were ranked 100th, if I want to take you, I can.”2uQ8T9A
y2Ut“Huh…?”MKS
yfvUDhUpon hearing that he’d have to go to the place where the demon would descend, Gismond’s face went pale.47eh7U
OVQ“W-Wouldn’t that be unfair?”jwv
eZiBaHO“Normally, fairness is solved with money. Besides, you won’t go with the Academy. I’ll have you enter as an independent mercenary.”7dozL
fQrO3“Is that really necessary…?”vsbi76
YgL“Didn’t you say you wanted to live in Ravidus Hall?”ZFLJ
CLmbYiZFernan smiled calmly.KQWsO
HiQ8JL“But… with my level, isn’t it too dangerous? That’s why the Academy only sends the top 10. Hahaha…”iAE4
LHn“Don’t worry. I’ll handle everything.”bJZDDP
ffsJyfuSo no, your refusal isn’t an option.ldL
q4b“……”SiUeZAG
w3raGismond’s face looked on the verge of tears.NU1sMN
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
0 Comments
There are no comments yet. Be the first!