Chapter 158

Maybe because of the lingering demonic magic rattling his mind, Verian let out a groan at the stabbing pain that pierced through him, as if his head were about to explode.

“You filthy damned corrupt! You think I’m easy?!”

Even so, he clenched his teeth and raised his aura.

An uncontrollable fury boiled inside him.

Why was he the one who had been attacked twice?

Why did he have to face it a third time?

“How dare you try to brainwash me…?”

“I hate your kind!”

The first time he was contaminated by demonic magic, he ended up as Fernan’s servant.

The second time, he was tortured with water by that so-called saint.

And even though it all eventually led him to meet Fernan and Aint, it wasn’t like he could be thankful for it.

Besides, it’s not like the corrupt had done it for his sake.

A gray aura burst out around him.

“Die!”

The blow went straight for the corrupt’s neck.

But just then…

“……!”

An overwhelming pressure filled the space.

Both Verian and the corrupt froze in place.

“Well done, student Verian.”

Creak.

The old shop door opened.

“Thanks to you, we were able to detect demonic magic.”

“…Mr. Rector?”

It was the rector of the Academy.

“What a pain. No matter how much we hunt them down, there are always more hiding. They’ve got more lives than cockroaches.”

He extended his hand.

The corrupt’s body was dragged toward his palm like drawn by a magnet.

“Kh…!”

The corrupt groaned in pain.

“Come on, tell me. How many more like you are inside this Academy?”

“You think I’ll answer you?”

“You will. Or you’ll die.”

“This is a sacrifice for the sake of the Great Ones! I do not fear death!”

Suddenly, the body of the supposed shop owner—the corrupt—began to swell.

“They say corrupts tend to commit suicide through explosion. Looks like Fernan was right.”

But tell me, do you really know who’s standing in front of you?

The rector’s magical energy burst forth violently.

His brutal mana crushed the demonic magic and forcibly interrupted its flow.

The corrupt’s body, which was about to explode, returned to its original form.

“I didn’t give you permission to die.”

The rector smiled.

“…Foolishness.”

The corrupt sneered.

“The Great Ones have granted me that permission. So what if you don’t? What can you do about it?”

“I can stop your suicide, for one…”

But at that moment, the book Verian was holding in his hands began to burn.

“What…?”

Startled by the black flames, Verian threw the book.

But it was too late.

From within the flames, a massive surge of demonic energy burst forth, distorting the rector’s spatial control.

The corrupt’s body began to swell again.

And this time, the process was twice as fast.

─！

The explosion was instant.

The rector didn’t manage to stop the suicide.

He barely managed to contain the blast so it wouldn’t destroy everything around them.

The corrupt’s body left no corpse, only disintegrated into black dust carried away by the wind.

“…He beat us. And the book?”

The rector checked the charred remains of the book but found nothing useful.

“Are you alright?”

“…Yes. Thanks to you.”

Verian was panting, trying to catch his breath.

***

“Stay away.”

His body was trembling.

It wasn’t fear. Verian didn’t get scared by something of that level.

“Don’t come near me!”

It was pure instinct. A reaction etched into memory. And no wonder—it wasn’t exactly a good memory.

“Sorry, but that won’t be possible.”

Jace approached with a gentle smile.

“You yourself said that demonic magic entered your body.”

“But I expelled it with my aura!”

“Are you completely sure about that?”

“I am! Of course I am!”

“Many people make the mistake of thinking that what they believe is always true.”

“It’s not a mistake!”

“Then you have nothing to fear, right? We just need to check.”

Jace brought out a demonic magic detection artifact.

But Verian’s eyes weren’t on him.

They were on Fernan and Aint, watching from the back as they sipped tea, completely indifferent.

“I just have to do this?”

“Aint will personally verify it.”

“Show him the inside of my body…?”

“There are corrupts who can’t be detected by the Church’s artifacts. You know that well.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Then consider it a lesson.”

‘Damn it…’

Verian cursed silently, but there was no escape.

It deeply unsettled him that Aint would be the one to inspect his interior, but he couldn’t deny he felt a bit uneasy himself.

Had he really expelled all the demonic magic?

In the end, he held out his hand.

“Just do it quickly.”

“Don’t say it like you’re doing me a favor.”

Aint’s energy entered his body.

He felt immense disgust at the foreign magic coursing through him, but he clenched his teeth and shut his eyes.

The result didn’t take long.

“There’s not a trace of demonic magic.”

“Are you serious, Aint?”

“Yes. It’s true.”

Hearing that, the saint sighed in disappointment and put away the vial of holy water.

“…What’s that face of yours supposed to mean?”

“My face?”

The saint kept smiling gently.

“But beyond that—Verian, congratulations.”

“Eh? What are you talking about now?”

“You’ve broken through the barrier.”

At those words, Verian frowned.

“I’ve broken… what?”

He looked at himself.

And then, he understood.

Aint’s words were true.

‘When did it happen?’

He could only think of one moment—when he resisted the corrupt’s mental manipulation with all his strength.

His body had been a mess, but through sheer will to not be possessed again, he had unified his aura and consciousness.

‘Was it then…?’

He’d been so wrecked inside that he hadn’t been able to analyze his condition until now.

‘I feel an overwhelming power.’

His understanding of swordsmanship and aura control had become far sharper.

A strong wave of competitiveness surged within him.

“Aint, let’s go.”

He wanted to test it. To see what his new level was.

Maybe, just maybe, now he could fight on equal footing.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

Aint didn’t decline.

“…Damn it.”

Verian added three more defeats to his record.

***

“There’s something strange.”

“I think so too.”

At Aint’s comment, Fernan nodded.

The corrupt were experts at concealing demonic magic—to the point that even the rector had admitted his limits and consulted Aint in the past.

From that perspective, too many things were off in this case.

That they had approached Verian, someone with a direct connection to Aint… That they exposed themselves just when the rector was more alert than ever…

“Do you think they did it on purpose?”

But even if it was intentional, some things didn’t add up.

“If they did it intending to be discovered, what would they gain from it?”

Nothing.

Usually, when you sacrifice something, you expect to gain something else in return.

Give meat to get bone, as the saying goes.

But this time, the corrupt self-destructed without getting any bone in return.

That only made things more confusing.

“What if we think in reverse?”

“Reverse?”

Jace, who had been listening silently, proposed a different possibility.

“It’s not that they wanted to be discovered.

It’s that they tried not to be, but failed.”

And from that perspective, everything made more sense.

Verian Kalburdern was the direct heir of one of the Empire’s most prestigious houses.

And he had direct contact with Aint and Fernan—the two most feared targets by the corrupt.

If they could turn him into one of them, it would be the perfect infiltration.

“Verian was already corrupted once, and they failed. If they could turn him again this time, they would’ve achieved the impossible.”

Fernan had explained to Jace that Verian had once been corrupted.

Maybe that’s why Jace wasn’t so surprised. He had purified him once before, after all.

“Right. If they turned him again, it would be a direct blow to our core.”

“And they failed this time. Since they’d succeeded twice already, maybe they thought it would be easy. That they could do it quietly.”

Verian, who had been listening silently, suddenly exploded.

“I didn’t even become a corrupt that one time!”

“Shut up, you were used twice already.”

“You damn maniac! People should know you torture innocent folks with water!”

“I purified him. It was just a minor discomfort in the process.”

The saint made the sign of the cross and murmured a brief prayer.

“Luina, what do you think?”

“The saint’s theory makes the most sense. If not, why would the corrupt self-destruct? They got nothing out of it.”

“And you, Aint?”

“I think the same. It’s the most probable explanation.”

“I agree.”

“Me too.”

The truth was, they couldn’t think of any other possibility.

And when that happened, the simplest explanation was usually the right one.

“The corrupt might try to approach you after this. Stay alert.”

“We will.”

“Yes.”

“Of course.”

The meeting ended, and one by one, they began leaving the secret room.

As he watched them go, Fernan remained behind with a certain sense of emotion.

Luina, Jace, Aria, Verian, and Aint.

Not long ago, it seemed like all that awaited him was ruin.

And now, he stood shoulder to shoulder with people whose names were already appearing in the prophecy book, fighting against demons.

A year ago, he wouldn’t have imagined it.

‘But it’s still not enough.’

Even though Timon Baertz, that weirdo, had recently joined, it was still too little if Aint wanted to form a real force.

‘We need to gather more.’

Especially those named in the prophecy as the strongest.

‘First, Varus.’

Varus was one of the companions named in the book.

A trustworthy mercenary—straightforward, greedy, but principled.

“Aint, when is Varus coming back?”

“He said he’s returning next semester.”

Not bad, but not ideal either.

‘Varus will become his companion anyway. He saved his life, so that won’t change.’

But Fernan wanted more.

He wanted allies who, even if they weren’t in the book, were worth it.

Like, for example—

‘Someone like Ludger…’

Schwaben and Armian couldn’t coexist.

But only because both wanted the throne.

What if Ludger gave up his interest in the crown?

‘What if the Grand Principality of Schwaben directly supported Armian?’

Schwaben was the most powerful of the seven electors.

If Ludger lent even part of that power to help Aint, the situation would shift drastically.

‘For that, Ludger needs more pressure. Maybe if the first prince asserts himself a bit more at the prince-elector meeting…’

At that moment, Hyde entered the room.

“Young master.”

“What is it?”

“You should see this.”

It was a newspaper.

【Discovery of the century! Rosalia Vienderk develops semi-permanent magic stone — shakes the Continental Research Conference!】

【Duke Yvon Pellenberg declares: ‘Magic stone combinations are worth studying. They will affect many fields.’】

【Rosalia’s magic stone shows surprising efficiency!】

“…She did it!”

Fernan jumped to his feet, pushing the chair back in excitement.

“Yes!”

Rosalia had finally done it.

“Now it’s time to make money!”

At last, his long-term investment was starting to pay off.