Chapter 222
c6OkHope that had been born with the change in the magic circle quickly vanished.CFr7i
0bYo“Kyaaaah!”SNuKy
HthbqAria fell first. A long wound opened on her back, and the spirits were forced to return.8tMcg
n6nAfter Aria fell, everything went downhill. No matter how strong Professor Nania was, she was under hypnosis, so she couldn’t fight with all her strength.7jnX
fVaPTShe couldn’t withstand the prepared attacks and fell as well. A hole opened in her abdomen. Aint struck her on the back of the neck to render her completely unconscious.cHO4WF
nwsp“Aaagh…!”kVY
15oThUWHe placed the bleeding Nania next to Aria and poured potions on them, along with holy water. He also drank one himself.ZCVDiV
u4sb“I’ll have to thank the senior once again. If it weren’t for that supreme-level potion, I would’ve never dared to take such an extreme measure.”7Z0sgYU
qW7MThanks to that potion, he was certain that even with serious injuries, they wouldn’t die.FANDfTP
KUq6fjcThey wouldn’t fully recover with just that, but that would be their own burden.xlKKD
yXZR“Now…”EypeUfk
YNSgNblAint regulated his breathing. While gathering aura, he examined the magic circle.HPWv0V
7xl3R8He didn’t have enough magical knowledge to decipher a circle as complex as a demonic one. He had never been that smart.SEKcse
7aq5pBut as the saying goes, everything returns to its origin.s7W
tTRVMrrEven if magic and swordsmanship were different, the essence of energy was the same.ZqbHJsj
NToWKThe flow of aura when unleashing a slash, the flow of mana when manifesting a magic circle.uGkw
w08f5Different flows, but identical essence.UsbLQ
tyQqQfFAint lowered his sword slowly.ba9PAH
vlOhn──!YM3xq
jgPwDemonic magic and aura collided. A powerful resistance enveloped him.8VdWHdz
eauWlbBut in the end, he managed to cut the flow.qIhvc
6EpqhuwOne down.OX0a5
Sl5S“Nine left.”USq5UX
0eLThe central flows of the circle were ten. Only by breaking all of them could he neutralize it.gRjQITA
aNIrtA— They made it devilishly resilient.zUqKXuA
hnxu— Dantalion, damn bastard!UmLHZ
hwq5mThere was no time. Aint clenched his teeth. Breaking the ten flows would take too long.QOBF
uOalClack—tez61l
cvouFEFinally, the door opened. Aint found himself in a ruined hallway.lxJdPz9
aOxHalf the building had collapsed, and remnants of demonic magic and electric discharges still floated in the air.HBoAqlm
SToj6“Senior Fernan?”iVwa
ZUxBut there were no enemies there.kP0U
1tuvJN5Carlo Deneb was unconscious, Gismond Ert and Verian Kalburdern were gasping in exhaustion, and among the ruins waited Fernan and Luina, with flushed faces.eybY7A
eYMT3“You’re late, Aint Armian. The Academy is already a mess and you just show up now.”4vI
xHGsEzr“That’s…”kkR3NX
C4nT9Rh“How it happened, I’ll ask you later. First, take care of that.”5rN8
vOE83Aint followed his gaze. There was the monster—the golem and Professor Grad fighting against a gigantic demon peacock.Q5vuIS
KgMgSA battle where an ordinary human would die just from getting caught in the shockwave.UlXr
PXDDmu7“Yes!”rXtAu
zAz7bHe had too many questions. How had Fernan arrived so quickly, what had happened.vNJP
JwFHDantalion had said another demon had devoured him.VESiGbv
CAJ9But the urgent matter was the demon before them.YEAE
TuLGIz“Ah, wait a moment.”VX7N
Sxt3XBfWhat kind of hero would show up so poorly?7ek
03oEtL9Fernan whistled.mKWnvJI
71Cn1mPiiiiii—roaaoBI
KDY7UhnA giant bird dove down from the sky. Pure white feathers, two pairs of wings.FcZUAh8
3NdgX“Silver!”Zbu
VFSVFXSAint smiled upon seeing Silver again. The bird greeted him by brushing its beak against him.QrTBp
7GSeZ5v“Get on. With a demon here, Aint Armian riding a Saintbird to face it is the best thing that could happen. It’ll help erase the fear that the Academy was attacked.”5F9
Cxh2EOZBecause the attack on the Academy wouldn’t just remain an “attack.”Ta9Sro
XhkAPA demon had descended in the heart of the Empire, and fear would skyrocket to unimaginable levels.m5dxY
JRD3SThey needed a counterbalance.VZf
8YAAint, riding the Saintbird, would be perfect for it.xzjz0
NzpOVb“Yes! But there’s another demon. Professor Dominique…”vFIWTv5
2TCho“Professor Dominique is a demon?”QpcgE7
F8BH“Yes! Dantalion! The 71st demon, Dantalion!”NHP0k
HlB5“That might…”ASN2
ZV4GMake sense.Ygv
3e9k4tFernan paused.wBzXUg
0h4rCThe demons had been infiltrating the Academy constantly.3DowehC
A3NAyuThe summoning circle drawn with fireworks.0jfypO
0GBtAMlA deception of that scale could only have been done by Dominique from within.7N0Ei9p
VfgJs0‘…And I didn’t suspect a thing.’YjmVIp
GjTcrNow he understood—since the beginning, the traps chasing Aint were scattered throughout the Academy.ejK
zBTNCThat a professor was the culprit fit perfectly.BzRgs
2XpJp7HAlthough, being a demon himself was much harder to believe.KO3UxC
tfK1cAR‘A demon that descended years ago and infiltrated as a professor…?’Wt3nd
4ELA chill ran down his spine.Q7E9SK
GT864bEProfessor Dominique had been in the Academy for over ten years.9lvq6
RlNPWhat had he been plotting all that time? What had he accomplished?R7m
Cn5eyb‘The professors…!’B0Uuh
9OKODespite the invasion, not a single professor had appeared, except Grad.aRm8dfX
2CSStfmThey weren’t cowards who would hide like that, not even in front of demons. Maybe some, but not all.0qB6ro
qbFa“We have to find the professors.”02iZuqm
TaxrDi“What?”etbuG
buX“Aint, you first. Get on Silver and help Wooden and Professor Grad defeat Andrealphus.”laWzkuC
GeVUFFernan had already set his priorities.NAF1J
bbb“I’ll take care of Dantalion.”ffRYj6
Dyd0sd“Understood.”kIRHaG
MljlBmq“Luina, I want your help.”337owsn
VrT“Of course.”m4g
B4gqFernan tossed potions to Verian and Gismond, exhausted after fighting Carlo Deneb.7Zwczh3
ehTiy“Senior, Verian, take care of the monsters overflowing through the Academy.”8sb
TmzAHzR“Yes.”dlUV6
T1khXY“Got it.”7GTEc
JD8j“Let’s go, there’s no time to lose.”pgLiIEg
5qffb0RAint mounted Silver and disappeared. Verian and Gismond scattered.9KF261q
KAwr8“Us too.”OWV
TAQ“Yes. But do you know where they are?”gdxFdC
ckr5K“No. But we’ll know soon.”ruFkV
RmdbGY2At that moment, a cold blast swept through the air.GVw
ZKHqfyIt came from the direction of the Ravidus Hall.R0Xao
jNEO“It’s there.”TbTP
lZMK“Professor Rosalia…?”a65U
poAN“Let’s go.”R1Ar6LG
ZjaWoFernan took Luina’s hand and moved forward.zP7ZcT
5LHes5***Gc8yVDg
APayC……!LJwBK
VIA7YwLIt was cold.ZUTd
pNRZHa…!ZaIt
pTNoUUWIn the darkness, Ludger was alone. He felt a freezing wind.Arm
3cRi6‘Where am I?’xkU8I
EkFevzWhy am I here?jUtZ
aqXV…!4OT11
XIsxMTrembling, he looked around. Absolute darkness. He walked and walked, but there was nothing.F6LR749
4TUHe couldn’t stand still, so he began wandering aimlessly…lFi7d
mMDFJ“Your highness…!”XF5XUd
KP5TLUvSuddenly, he opened his eyes.coTKX
GzJ“You’ve awakened?”LvsRV9Y
3peTuWc“Almon…?”DN1e5nr
S4N7SH“Yes, your highness.”1BEKLeL
YNza“Why am I…?”kax
Q1Jh38Ludger looked around. It was the Academy, but filled with screams and wails. Monsters flooded the place, and battles were constant.9zt
MgCJ9kILudger was behind Almon, who was running through all of it.IK3KWKY
iu9I“Don’t you remember? We were drinking together while watching the fireworks, and suddenly…”Re0
fAVgQk“…I remember.”bnDq3r0
uWBXxThanks to his title as prince, there were always people around him. He usually enjoyed it, but sometimes he just wanted to drink in peace.23zCs
lD3x2V5That’s why he was on the rooftop of a tavern, drinking quietly with Almon.vmlPCZJ
863“A demon descended…!”pRC
WZXpAMThe fireworks in the sky suddenly turned into a demonic summoning circle.9fHzSgO
JTdTThe gigantic demon that emerged by tearing space itself was pure terror.Ktq9Z
lVeqNV“Yes. That’s why you and I went together to stop it.”wXu
WVnf2IHBut the monsters unleashed by the demon covered the entire Academy. When Grad, Luina, and Jace stepped in, they changed their priorities.dsc
XuhqNRather, they didn’t have the confidence to get into that battle.Xlt
lMW9“I thought I had gotten pretty close to Luina, but yeah, no chance.”Mnx
ikMpqsfAlmon smiled bitterly.N90N0
n74Before, he had been first, and Luina second. How had such a gap formed?SCo6H
jjxrfSame with Aint. Winning the jousting tournament had made him euphoric, but that joy faded.4CFzr
jbxcR6Whatever the reason, both focused on eliminating monsters and rescuing people. They gathered students and searched for professors.TPO
0dESince Ludger, the prince, took the lead, students quickly joined in.2oueEW
pAugZdSHe formed pairs and sent them throughout the Academy to exterminate monsters.CRP
TtaThat’s when demonic magic struck him.C4pP
EgMQHe didn’t know if it was aimed at Grad, Luina, or Jace, but the mass of magic that missed its original target fell on Ludger.2YSuMHO
GLKVqxfHe managed to resist it, but the ground collapsed and he fell. That was his last memory.EkjEzE
iUjRx6s“You saved me?”RxIA
8L2“No, your highness. This guy did.”hfaI4Uy
LjNHc“This guy?”yMR7m0
5KGLudger then noticed the dwarf running beside Almon.gC7dYY
gGAOj“Very ugly, no doubt.”hKWmhO
FbwL“…Huh?”y3Ry
kW18rThe dwarf, horrified.eGQJXWj
LNSja“Your highness, how can you say that to his face?”O5xxxM
P7m“Ah, sorry. I was dazed and just said what I was thinking.”tCKu3Bt
oUk“Ah.”o9ZiVBo
QbKBRhThe dwarf, Ahgrot, gripped the handle of his axe.bwcoNm
qYxIV‘If he weren’t a prince…’9hK
3AAOHe would’ve split his forehead right there.Q9y
tzCYUb7“Haha, it’s fine.”snph
7aDGb5With superhuman patience, he smiled. After all, he was his superior—and more importantly, a prince. And Fernan had warned him a thousand times not to cause trouble.UKXofW7
YwZF“Thanks for saving me. I’ll reward you.”NEs
yKyu“If that’s the case, then…”TbIcy
hrdAhgrot felt his anger fade. He had found Ludger by chance.JPgy2ii
jA5HMFL“A demon! A demon has descended!”8g76p0
f1REThe demonic power had shrunk him down. He didn’t think survival was possible in such a confrontation.W7Eeyry
S5IISC3And Fernan wasn’t there either.014V
CZUxoSo he did what he did best.QyQC
wHQmDig tunnels.4DJDTj
RGo“Let’s dig a tunnel and hide! The professors will stop him.”3dR5FK
I6ThpThere were many powerful people in the Academy. A second-year student like him didn’t need to risk his life. So he started digging.Vr3
ZMUN‘Ludger Schwaben?’QtAPoN
PCVThe ground suddenly collapsed, and Ludger fell. Since Fernan had advised him to memorize the names and faces of royalty, he recognized him immediately.vgzsJS
KB8EEAnd now he had accidentally saved him, and was with Almon.n4C
NZkz“Valoshi too?”SC6xDTf
KENIt wasn’t just Ludger, Almon, and Ahgrot. Valoshi Vienderk was brandishing his sword beside them.JF4PsK
gumN“I found him by chance.”9uz
0T3ap“I’m glad to see you’re safe, your highness.”ofYlGY
vTb2bKC“Alright. Where are we going now?”Yt9nOc
lfDFh“To the infirmary. You yourself gave the order that, in case of emergency, everyone should gather there.”Hgsj
CsyLd“Right.”uNehlwY
2gS3tzLudger checked his condition. Thanks to Almon’s potion, the minor wounds had healed, but he still felt weak.mfw
KfoHe had internal damage.Qtoj7
Oju“Let’s go quickly.”3VeX
W0BQAt least get medical attention, and then—QgR9M
TN7Ngn─!I8ZJ
RzNUlpDAt that moment, a white frost exploded in the distance.Dqt
wv4Hj8“Is that the direction of Ravidus Hall?”VeXg
Mwktpn“Professor Rosalia? Has she returned?”yQYb
7xu“My sister…?”clAzU
yStTb“Now that you mention it, the other professors…”ypD2OEz
CY3PQKLudger’s gaze locked onto one point.zqE
zi8FV─!zLFJ16X
Y1ZEKog──!VLHZZ
AYSl7fAThere, in the center, where the demon was fighting Professor Grad, Luina, and Jace.lSBGQ
oFh0Jl“…Almon.”rjJvVE
gfcOrkP“…Yes.”gI0m
P7IYEbw“…”6YQAQ
xxn4W36Not just Ludger. Almon had stopped as well, and Ahgrot was dumbfounded, mouth agape and drooling.H6WdCJ
q0UAIZb“…Has something like that always existed?”3eJGz8
DdVU4MY“How could it?”FFPZ1
iS33“…Wow.”Og9JsXr
JcYVmIt was—REaT3Dn
PeMU0A golem.9xmthIT
80ssPmHOver 10 meters tall.FxEcA
wdlCGigantic.5y5RIZS
WbMAD2Majestic.vIsdX
qtcBeautiful.9bz
HJnFantastic.VnV5e
blDHIl— Grrrroooaar!deFC
papIt was roaring.97Hm
kVv9vH“…That.”kNj6hWr
en8ZIt was the first time he had seen it, but it felt strangely familiar.13Hxv
dK2“Isn’t that the necklace Fernan wore around his neck?”3eApU
Jxp296Z“…Good heavens.”Fnt
VU5Zj“…I’m going to kill him.”aQO5cxu
kIh5OLudger and Almon were stunned.9tdpNfN
Qe3Ko“…And Valoshi? Where is he?”kLGh
SKdThey were so captivated they didn’t notice until too late that one of them had vanished.XlXv2Tr
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