Chapter 29

Demons used to proclaim themselves the rightful lords of magic, and for that reason, the Dragon Cult could never coexist with them.

A religion that denies the very existence of its enemy cannot allow that enemy to exist.

That’s why the cult’s hatred for demons wasn’t much different from that of the inquisitors.

Even so, Fernan never imagined Jace would cast a spell without warning.

“I-I haven’t done anything wrong!”

When the roar subsided and the smoke cleared, Jace still had his hand extended, wreathed in flames, Luina was holding him back with her sword, and Bella was sitting on the floor, trembling and screaming, unable to get up.

“Well done, Luina.”

Fernan sighed and grabbed Jace’s wrist. He hadn’t expected such an extreme reaction either.

“Stop it, Jace.”

“Senior! She’s corrupted! A demon has infiltrated the imperial academy without anyone knowing! I never imagined I’d see something like this! The only good demon is a dead one. I’ll make Bella Hoenne a good demon!”

“I said stop.”

Fernan growled quietly.

“Even if you’re my senior, when it comes to demons…”

“I’m the one who, knowing all that, asked you for the artifact.”

“…That’s true, but…”

“I’m telling you. Bella Hoenne hasn’t met nor made any contract with a demon.”

According to the book of prophecies, Bella was simply a victim. And so far, that book had never lied to Fernan.

“But she had demonic energy.”

“You don’t have to make a contract with a demon to have demonic energy. It could be due to infection, and you know that.”

“Then… are you saying someone at the academy is infecting students?”

Jace’s expression grew tense. Although he said “someone,” they both knew he meant demon worshipers.

“Isn’t that even worse? We should notify the cult and the Empire at once… or are you afraid that if we do, they’ll hide and we won’t find them?”

“Exactly. I’ve tried everything to find whoever is spreading the demonic energy.”

He had analyzed every detail of Bella and Valoshi’s routines and sent Hyde to investigate potential sources of contamination, but found nothing.

“That’s why I came to you.”

“To ask for the Dragon Cult’s help?”

“Because it seems to be the only group not yet infiltrated by demon worshipers.”

Even if the followers were spread across the continent, the Empire, or the academy, the most resistant place would undoubtedly be the Dragon Cult.

After all, their hatred for demons ran deep.

Sure, someone could be hiding even there, but by that logic, there’d be no one left to trust in the world.

“I’m convinced the corrupted have already infiltrated the entire academy.”

It was obvious. Otherwise, the chaos during Andromalius’s appearance couldn’t be explained.

‘Hundreds went mad from the infection.’

He didn’t know exactly when Andromalius’s summoning had occurred. But what he did know was that to infect so many people unnoticed, it couldn’t have been just a few.

“They’re probably aiming to use the infected to destroy the academy from within.”

“But why would they do that?”

“Because the academy is the future of the Empire, and the continent itself. If they destroy it, they destroy that future.”

Jace nodded, finally understanding.

“But… then we have to stop them as soon as possible. Even if they go into hiding, that’s better than letting them threaten the future of the continent.”

It made sense. Even if the followers went deeper underground, it was better than letting them wreak havoc.

But Fernan knew how it would all end. He knew the demons would eventually be summoned on a massive scale, and the entire continent would fall into chaos.

“But if we can uproot them with minimal damage, it’ll be better.”

If they let them escape now, they’d return as an even worse disaster.

Sometimes, you had to sacrifice the sprouts to protect the tree.

“Do you have a plan?”

“Yes, I already have something in mind.”

After hearing everything, Jace nodded.

“Then wouldn’t it be better to ask for support from the cult?”

“I didn’t say not to tell them. Just don’t make it public. Share it only with those you absolutely trust, and keep it secret.”

“Understood.”

Jace let out a sinister chuckle.

“Striking those bastards from the shadows… now that sounds like you, sir. I’m with you.”

“And before that, is there any spell or artifact that can remove demonic energy?”

“Of course. Every mage in the cult learns a spell called Holy Light, which burns demonic energy.”

It was a sacred duty of the cult, which could not coexist with demons.

“Perfect. Purge the demonic energy from that girl’s body.”

“Of course. Miss Bella, could you extend your hand?”

“…You’re not going to kill me, right?”

“Of course not. The cult only punishes demons and the corrupted. Never innocent victims.”

The holy man smiled sweetly. Still in shock from everything, Bella offered her hand without resistance.

“Ah, though… this will be my first time using this spell. Not sure how it’ll go. Is it okay to burn the inside of a living person?”

“…What?”

Bella barely had time to react, but it was too late.

──！

An intense heat and searing pain erupted from within her.

“Kyaaa!!!”

“Hmm. Seems like it hurts a lot.”

“Don’t worry. This room is completely soundproof.”

Not only soundproof. It also absorbed any vibrations or impacts.

“Punishment for evil always comes with pain. That’s how it must be. You can scream all you want, cursing the demon that did this to you.”

“…”

Luina could only watch in silence as her friend collapsed to the floor, convulsing and foaming at the mouth.

***

“Huff… I guess it was tough since it was my first time using that spell on a person. Well, I’ll head out first. I have some investigations to conduct on my own.”

“Alright.”

Once the treatment was over, Jace left first, leaving Bella unconscious, collapsed on the table.

“…Is she okay?”

“Probably.”

Bringing his fingers close to her nose, he noticed she was still breathing. Her face was a bit pale, but she didn’t seem close to death.

“Take her to the Bless Pavilion.”

“I will.”

“Make her face up with red makeup so she looks drunk.”

“Is all this really necessary? If she returns looking drunk in broad daylight, her reputation…”

“No one would ever imagine that monsters like them have infiltrated the academy. It doesn’t hurt to be cautious.”

Oh, she should smell like alcohol too, so splash a little on her face. Fernan went to grab a rather expensive bottle of wine from a shelf in a hidden corner of the room, but stopped.

“Anyway, if it’s just for splashing, no need to use good wine.”

“How much does it cost?”

“Twenty gold coins.”

“A cheap tavern wine would do.”

Fernan called someone to go buy a bottle. Luina got ready to carry Bella.

“Do you have a spare cloak? At least we should cover her face as much as possible.”

“Yes, we have one.”

An employee brought a cloak, and Luina draped it over Bella.

“When did you plan all this?”

“Since I found traces of demons through Verian. I knew they wouldn’t stop after just one attempt.”

“Don’t forget your promise.”

“Promise?”

“You said you’d help me whenever it came to fighting demons.”

Luina’s eyes turned cold.

“I won’t forgive those damned demons who put Bella in danger.”

“I know.”

Shortly after, Luina doused Bella in cheap wine and carried her off.

“…I’ll use Jace’s help and the Cult to purge all demonic energy from the infected humans. As discreetly as possible.”

That way, they could minimize the chaos the corrupted were trying to stir.

“It would be ideal to prevent the demon’s appearance in the first place…”

Maybe when more of the prophetic book was revealed, he’d understand how. For now, he had no idea.

“I need to focus on what’s next.”

The Yacht Club. That’s where the corrupted would begin to move in earnest.

On one of the Golden Turtle Guild’s yachts, operated and lent out for free by Fernan, he would pose as a guild employee and attempt to assassinate Aint.

“To stop the demon in the end, I need Aint’s cooperation.”

But talking to him about demons out of nowhere would be madness. At best, it’d raise suspicions.

“Everything needs preparation.”

The corrupted would try to kill Aint or at least isolate him from the other students. But the opposite would happen.

Aint would survive, and Fernan would become his open sponsor.

“While investigating suspicious individuals infiltrated in the guild, I found one had slipped in as a yacht staffer. But I didn’t know they were one of the degenerates.”

This way, Fernan would witness the degenerates with Aint in the same place.

Although the plan was detailed, that was the gist. Knowing the future made organizing it easy.

Fernan’s eyes grew cold.

***

— Why are you trembling all of a sudden?

‘I don’t know, I just felt a sudden chill.’

Aint shook off the cold and refocused on the lecture.

“So, this cyclops, although it only has one eye…”

The class was “Study of Monsters and Magical Beasts,” a five-credit core course — quite important.

— How are you feeling?

‘Not bad.’

Maybe thanks to the desperate battle with the sea dragon, he’d managed to absorb almost half the residual magic power from the Saint bird’s heart — something not even Gardner had fully managed.

— A blessing disguised as disaster. You gained adamantite and magical power.

‘And a rather reliable sponsor, too.’

— More of a transaction than a sponsor.

— But don’t get too confident. Adamantite is worth a lot, and those rich folks will do anything to devalue it.

Aint was aware. Even though he had approached them, he couldn’t expect too many concessions.

— The best approach would be to make them realize how dangerous the situation is. They’re not fools. If they sense real danger, they’ll open their wallets.

‘Then it’d be best if senior Fernan witnessed the existence of demons directly. But… do they really exist?’

Since acquiring Gardner, or even before, Fernan had never seen a demon or any degenerate followers.

— I wish they didn’t, but they’re already moving in the shadows. The fact that I’ve awakened is proof of that.

Gardner said it with certainty.

— Back to the point, it’s not a bad idea. If they’re demons, even the Pellenbergs will understand the gravity of the situation.

— …Though, not all of them.

‘What do you mean, not all?’

— When people see a ruthless merchant, they say “he’d sell even to a demon.” Well, that phrase originated from the Pellenbergs. They literally sold to demons.

‘…Mother of god.’

Aint was speechless. He knew the Pellenberg merchants were ruthless, but he never imagined they’d made deals with demons.

— Now you understand why I detest them?

‘Yeah… I get it now.’

As they continued their conversation, class ended in the blink of an eye. While Aint was putting away his books, someone approached.

“Aint.”

“Valoshi.”

“Do you have plans after class?”

“No, I was just planning to train a bit.”

“Always so diligent.”

Valoshi smiled kindly.

— This guy is weird. I know he’s a good person, but I don’t understand why he treats you so well.

‘I’ve wondered the same thing, honestly.’

It was clear Valoshi Bienderk was a good guy. But being good wasn’t enough to stop Aint from being suspicious.

He bore the Armian name, while the current emperor bore the Schwaben name. That made his attitude even more questionable.

Wouldn’t the Bienderk heir care about how the imperial family saw him?

‘Then again… the Bienderks are nearly as powerful as the imperial family.’

Still, it could cause friction. So why was he so eager to approach Aint? He had little left to offer beyond the fading prestige of his family.

But he couldn’t just ask him directly, so he kept it in.

“Want to come somewhere with me after class?”

“Where to?”

Valoshi pulled out a small card. An invitation.

“You’re not in any club, right?”

“Not yet.”

Clubs were student associations encouraged by the academy. Usually formed around hobbies or academic interests.

“Yacht Club?”

“Yeah. You can only join if recommended by a current member. But with an invitation, you can bring one guest.”

Valoshi explained that most members were prestigious nobles or heirs of major merchant guilds.

“I received an invitation to this month’s meeting recently, and I’d like you to come with me if possible.”

“With me?”

“Yes.”

— From your perspective, that place is a den of demons. Inviting you there? Is he insane?

Gardner was right. Most high-ranking nobles avoided Aint out of fear of the Schwaben name.

There was even a Schwaben prince in that club.

— Still, it’s not a bad idea to go once.

— One of the late emperor’s secret provisions is out at sea. With luck, you might come across it and find something useful.

— That Schwaben prince will probably treat you like trash, but you’ve got nothing to lose.

‘How many secret provisions did the late emperor leave behind?’

— When it comes to facing demons, there can never be too many.

Aint nodded at Gardner’s words.

“So you’ll come?”

Valoshi misread Aint’s reaction as agreement. But Aint didn’t bother correcting him.

“Yes.”