Chapter 226
cRL9groooan—4MN
2zW8gCiWith a groan, the demon split in two fell to the ground.IOjfq
WWf6YDemons, beings from another dimension, could not leave even a corpse in this world.rcI
BR5vAndrealphus’s body disintegrated into dust and vanished in an instant.sOaU1DA
oDI4YYYAint let out a sigh of relief and collapsed. The pain and fatigue that had arrived late forced him to groan.WjCJ2h9
OKgts81He had gone through countless trials and crises, but in the end, he had endured. He had killed a demon.vyzB
uZuiThat was enough. That was plenty.tnCbWiL
PdsX— Wait, Aint! It’s not over yet!9I7
KcoNIq“Ah…!”mZHz2ZH
4HGGardner’s voice jolted him out of his daze.jRYIG
1zNTxdIn the middle of the battle against Andrealphus he had forgotten, but he wasn’t the only demon who had descended upon the Academy.fkNSTLt
nKMqmThe true instigator of it all remained, demon number 71, Dantalion.tLV
CF75Xx“Professor! There’s still another demon left!”mz0Cx
X83wPHa“…Another demon?”mPz7Vp
phyn7FqGrad Xanth, who had faced Andrealphus head-on for so long, lay exhausted after the battle.0dxwXtA
smuiJUpon hearing Aint’s shout, he opened his eyes.g33
v3YeA“Two demons descended upon the Academy?”K1ty
V7O“Yes.”ovjW7
8nQGy“Damn it, I can’t even get a break… I’m seriously going to die at this rate.”fYawWyi
HLpBlGrad groaned as he forced his heavy body to rise.IsZarBB
iVrHe wanted to rest, but if they didn’t stop the other demon, they’d be resting forever. And he had no intention of doing that yet.qOk
0fvBesides, he still hadn’t spent all the money Fernan had given him.fxN
1fGAOR2“Another demon? Where is it?”F84FjN
vyJEven the saint of the Cult of the Dragon God shuddered in surprise.7Apz0
QRur5O“For now, senior Fernan and senior Luina are facing him…”OA7v7Tf
ACr8nAt that moment, a chill swept the air in the distance. A storm of blue aura exploded.nWD
hNWSnzV“There.”euj8bBz
sHpX“Professor Rosalia…? And the other professors? All missing, and the only one who had left for work is the one who returns…”7agG7o
qNmZqBF“Let’s go!”DovXkYF
xPHRnG“There? The Ravidus Hall?”SpK1Ko
792But what they feared wasn’t there.XxWe
UhDWhen they arrived in front of the Ravidus Hall, what they saw was Professor Dominique completely frozen and Luina splitting him in two.azTBP
8i4XA“Professor Dominique?”ImcFSK
69Ob“Professor Dominique was a demon. Number 71, Dantalion.”dX08u
dZg7hl“No way—wait, the festival fireworks turned into a magic circle. And the one in charge of the festival was Dominique. What irony.”jjELX8
EvIuummDominique’s split body disintegrated into dust.G0i3
VfsAnd that dust rose into the sky.N6y
Ei2RRh— Toward the sky?c5Mm
JghrJUz‘Wait—is it possible?’bH8o
iAwUnUnder other circumstances, he might have overlooked it. But they had just seen Andrealphus die, and the comparison was inevitable.wb2sie
A1H5WPerhaps also because he had witnessed the deaths of countless corrupts.MFdcFD
QIKQAndrealphus’s dust had vanished without a trace.I3lku
pVFlBut Dantalion’s dust rose weakly, infused with demonic magic, disappearing into the sky.JnX
IXifvThat difference could only mean one thing.YKaSw
DBaS“Is he dead?”JRv
5eNp2“No. He’s not dead.”XnihS
b8nnO0— It’s an avatar…!1Af24K
0UFVI— Damn Dantalion! He dug tunnels like a rat!EhnP
U9Z2soLThat meant Dantalion was still alive.USTOGkF
l1Zba“He’s not dead?”pHMi
fuG4“An avatar. Unlike Andrealphus, he didn’t fully disintegrate.”VfGl1E
jDR“I can’t sense him, but it makes sense. If he could manipulate everything as Dominique for ten years, of course he had a backup plan.”WUpxG1
CXhGrad was right. Aint leapt into the air, following the rapidly fading trails of magic into the sky.MwS75
7TT— It’s just a remnant of an avatar, it’s not that significant, but at least we can reduce some of the magic that returns to the main body.jBLBw
mKfl6‘Yes, we have to hurt it—even a little. After everything he did to us.’QxAc
cfEP3From above, the scale of the disaster was even clearer.cReCJi
1m5vm9The Academy was destroyed. The devastation was overwhelming.LXRX
x9ZGritting his teeth, he swung his sword. The white aura dissolved the residual magic until it vanished completely.AKFtVG1
E6RcGAs he landed, his eyes met Fernan’s.jtRG6zY
fBltxYS“Senior.”5nQqCZ
MvWZn67“I saw it. Andrealphus?”2okBg
UxUy0jF“He completely disintegrated.”7pC
lsnnmm“At least something good.”TxP
YmvDBut even so, Fernan’s expression didn’t relax.INk
kQ2Thanks to the Dragon Heart he had defeated Flauros, returned riding Silver, and stopped the plan. Quite an achievement, yes.PeO6jDg
RgZBut the outcome remained bitter—more than half of the Academy’s buildings were in ruins.ux0qe
owI8rZThe center of the summoning had been reduced to rubble by Andrealphus’s rampage, and the monster hordes had caused countless casualties.dyFi
o01CO7dHow much time and effort would it take to repair this damage?Pzo7V7R
8hILAt that moment—j7z
ZGqZm“Fernan! Get in here and help me!”44HVD
KwB1kQProfessor Rosalia’s voice, sharp like a scream, echoed from the Ravidus Hall.P8C
0C3Everyone, including Fernan, rushed inside. The voice came from the main hall, a luxurious room reserved for noble guests or imperial dignitaries.reIwb
su565Yw“Good heavens.”6Z2uC
CKJa“What the hell…”dXSa4
UVQyThe floor, the walls, the entire ceiling were covered in complex magic circles.0Xly
2Yc7A cold air ran through the place, and frost blocked the spell flows. It was Rosalia’s doing.y2Lg
PypeBut that wasn’t the important part.cRHec
CfywLWithin those circles lay bodies, as if dead.XLstY
NpijMostly professors, mixed with some assistants.xTZ
kKzAnd among them, several no longer showed any signs of life.oi6su
iRiEr“Dominique, you mad bastard…!”uzEVC7c
J4rzNe“Oh my god.”53dGItH
ZvRvIAjThe worst had happened.GrnLOC
UcJFWFi***gquo
DBSq7lqWas it because even the sky shared the Academy’s grief?4XqhyGD
kRdETcOFrom the dark vault above, a steady rain began to fall.4QSrOM3
PleA black procession stretched along the boulevard, and the laments did not cease.naR5rB
LxcThey were preparing a funeral and a joint mourning ceremony for the victims of this tragedy.yos
pSQFernan, dressed in black mourning clothes, carefully opened the newspaper.0Ng
uI0The news that a demon had descended upon the Academy had shocked the entire continent within hours.0k3rPt
AQbST【Academy in ruins—What happened at the Academy?】Pd82aI
aKjk【The disaster summoned at the Academy—Demon Number 65, Andrealphus.】qSpve
PddyFirst, they were horrified by the descent of Andrealphus.S42fML
KuS【The day that should’ve been the happiest turned into the saddest. The Empire’s greatest festival became its greatest tragedy.】GaQwy4
kelhQ【Parents who lost their children—heart-wrenching cries—crowds gather at the Academy.】cK5
q1hIN【Collapsed Academy—dozens of professors killed by the demon…!】7ECp
l2enThen they were stunned by the level of destruction.aQge
xt2nY5【Corrupts infiltrated the Academy. Were there signs all along?!】pissB
y1T6JR【When the demon descended, where was the rector?】0t9PEp
wQvs6iAnd amid so much grief and despair, people looked for someone to blame.ADSzfy
P6Bnr【Aint Armian appears riding the Saintbird—The legend returns! Slays the demon.】2jX
5LZ1【A giant of steel at the Academy—Not just a common golem?】zx8
E9TFinally, they highlighted a ray of hope among the despair.X8jJkbt
OKfClt“……”FmSt
4RuFernan folded the newspaper. A sigh escaped him on its own.0NZm
BR3PVUnFailure.cJqxMM
70d2No matter how much it was dressed up, the content didn’t change.OjJGHTv
4gj4QlThis had been, without a doubt, a failure. The demons had succeeded in destroying the Academy, cradle of the Empire.rex
9zDaThe historic buildings were now ruins.j8Sp9Wd
RsZfReUStudents had died, and half the professors as well.KCl0VIX
dvXxHow could stopping them like this be called a success?6oaNm
oSVlaThe only salvaging grace was that, at least, there weren’t that many student casualties.d6QOh6
RWDEach of those young ones was a recognized talent across the continent.MrQQ
7I9They had been scared, had trembled, but they joined forces to survive and defeat the monsters.fb5R8r
BsSMost, knowing their place, hadn’t even approached the demon. Thanks to that, student casualties were minimal.oUvoBq
kld3W2“…And the professors?”7x1A
fA2That was the biggest problem.m4Lpk
cdXfgfWThe Academy, combining the Departments of Knights, Magic, and Administration, had 101 professors.yFRn
OBcOCOf those, Dantalion had left untouched the 20 from the Administration Department, as if uninterested.zRWUO
muRP1Z3That left 81. And of those, 21 had died.fSX5G
VgY1An immense loss for the entire continent.U8e
1FDAnd for the Academy, an irreplaceable void.jaCG
3eNiPFilling the absence of 21 professors would never be an easy task.QaNwMZq
TpeTThe Armian Academy didn’t just gather the best students—but also the best teachers.CQR6Cy
SMtWas it Dantalion’s “mercy” that he let them die peacefully in their sleep? Or simply the result of the time he spent infiltrating?IX0T2B
FyC9jGn“Fortunately, with some rest, the others will recover.”7mQ
oUw824uThe professors who died had passed with serene expressions, without pain.6sG0
yvHThose who survived didn’t suffer serious injuries.LBBRox
C07EdSGWas that truly the “affection” Dantalion spoke of? Or a cruel joke?dTSD
x3MVOnly he would know the truth.NGb
fmNhO“How did they fall so easily?”8jDfJjh
OkbRb“Most drank or ate what Dantalion offered them, unsuspectingly.”DiO
pLQFernan let out a bitter laugh.at92z
eIV7vIf no one knew that Professor Dominique was actually Dantalion, anyone would’ve fallen just the same.3RrrDc
Tl3hmkNine years. No less than nine years of getting along with everyone.oHi
bQllDBMaybe little for a demon—but an eternity for a human.8Z22jM
wuIH5“There was no way to avoid it.”dN9CdQ
cVSmNot even the greatest mages could resist drugged tea or poisoned sweets, especially when among trusted company.9k3A1
9Hal“In the end, we danced to Dantalion’s tune from beginning to end.”jzUjjf
0bDsDEmptiness. After so much effort and preparation, to end with such a blow hurt far too much.wzeX9
YUnU“But at least he didn’t achieve his goal.”9vGXCzN
ykIyg“That was pure chance. A result I never planned.”mBWx6m
jnIXsiObtaining the Dragon Heart, discovering it was the power demons feared as their nemesis—it was all coincidence, luck.Jrfq
rrkHad it not been so, the outcome would have been different.56o3
UZ9ezsT“But in the end, it happened. Chance or not, now it’s mine. We killed two demons and ruined their plan.”RX2Av
22sFernan brushed his hair back.PJ1EI
TnC“That line should be mine to cheer you up, young master.”bFJvoQ
GUipCFj“Cheer me up? No need, Hyde. My blood’s boiling, but I’m not defeated.”boP
3xBHxThey had caught two demons with minimal losses.nolB
qtTXN70That was a feat almost no one could claim.RRb7zjU
utHFP“Now’s not the time to grieve, but to plan the reconstruction.”CDuNw
RbvWas the Academy destroyed? Then it would be rebuilt.2or
xbZrThe deaths of students and professors hurt, yes.xc3
NAWBut at least student losses were few.cgm
VQrPVThe problem was the professors.CApK
dvOHFilling the absence of 21 would not happen overnight.OEFSOK
nEY4“And the rebuilding of the buildings?”f5l
3uLKh“Same. This semester is lost.”cxk5D
qfP7qYEven if buildings were raised quickly with magic, rebuilding something the size of the Academy wouldn’t happen in a day.N8i
5uLuFmVIt would take entire months. The rest of the semester, even winter break, would need to be used for it.pUnr99
EapTwt“The Academy must be rebuilt from the ground up. And if so, it wouldn’t be bad to put new wine in a new wineskin.”cBM3Xu
CjOP“A new wineskin? Are you referring to…?”q2zYu
zNl“Yes.”iIbMJy
NxLZOuFernan nodded and approached Rosalia, who was silently smoking in her mourning attire.Ahw2O
4zT79B“Professor.”1r1CV
yYkV“What is it?”WU2c
FeLK“You must prepare yourself.”qQDse4
RiuOYi“Prepare myself?”J7MZBC
li6uexB“Soon, the rector will resign from his post.”SVY
bnKl“I see.”kX2MFh
8MboRosalia wasn’t surprised.frQ2
Mbv“In the end, it had to be this way.”D1RBYE
818Calmly, she flicked the ash from her cigarette.peJ
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