Chapter 31

“…How did I end up like this?”

Verian Kalburdern, second in the first year of the Knight Department, let out a deep sigh.

He hadn’t even finished the first semester.

His prestigious reputation as heir to the Kalburdern family and second of the year was already a thing of the past.

He had been defeated by the Armian candidate, whom the Kalburdern family needed to surpass to become a lineage of prince-electors.

The prince, whom he considered his strongest backing, had abandoned him. And, to top it off, he was accused of making a pact with a demon he had never seen and fell into Pellenberg’s clutches.

Not only had he fallen at the edge of the cliff just before reaching the mountaintop, but now he was rolling in the mud. Absolute misery.

‘Aint Armian…!’

All the fame that should have been his now belonged to someone else.

‘He’s doing great… damn bastard!’

Yesterday, Verian had seen him. He saw how Valoshi, with whom he had longed to get along, showed Aint Armian an invitation to the Yacht Club.

‘That place was mine! That invitation should have been for me!’

The Yacht Club. A place reserved only for the sons of high nobility who had talent and lineage within the academy.

Verian Kalburdern, considering his lineage and abilities, was someone who should have been there without a doubt. But after his defeat to Aint, everything was ruined.

‘And I can’t just quit halfway…’

It wasn’t just any place: it was the Imperial Academy of Armiarn.
Dropping out mid-semester wasn’t an option—it was equivalent to giving up on life.

“…Alright, that’s all for today’s class.”

As class ended and Verian slowly packed his books, a shadow fell over him.

“What do you want?”

He frowned upon seeing Aint Armian looking down at him.

“Want to have lunch with me?”

“What?”

“You look a bit lonely.”

“And whose fault do you think that is?”

Verian growled.

Since losing to Aint, Prince Ludger had started treating him coldly, and the other students, going with the flow, began to distance themselves.

There wasn’t a direct act, but little by little everyone drifted away. Thus, Verian ended up completely alone.

“…Is it my fault?”

“What if it is?”

“It’s not a crime to train hard for a duel.”

“…Tch.”

Verian couldn’t refute that. And that made him even angrier.

“Did you come to mock me? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

“Well, if it bothers you that much, I’ll admit it was my fault. Let’s have lunch. I’m apologizing.”

“Are you joking now?”

“I’m serious.”

“This is your last warning. Get lost. Unless a demon possesses me, I’ll never have lunch with you.”

Verian abruptly stood up and walked away. Murmurs echoed around him.

“…As if I wanted to be in this situation.”

Aint, left alone, sighed.

‘Do I really have to do this…?’

— You lost to him, yes, but objectively he’s talented.

— The only reason you won was because this genius was by your side. If I hadn’t been there, you wouldn’t have beaten him even in another life.

‘Of course, if it weren’t for you, Sir Gardner, I wouldn’t have regained my family’s swordsmanship. That’s obvious.’

Aint made a resigned face.

No matter how talented one is; without the right technique, you can’t reach the top.

— What matters is that guy has talent… and no friends. Just like you.

‘I’m not exactly friendless…’

— Doesn’t matter why. The result is the same.

And in fact, the reason was also the same.

Aint also suffered isolation because other students avoided him to not offend Ludger Schwaben.

— Anyway, that guy has talent and good lineage. If in the future you manage to build even a moderately close relationship, he could be of great help.

— Also, he was rejected by the Schwaben usurpers. Even more convenient, right?

Gardner wasn’t only concerned with demons, but also the Schwaben. From his perspective, only Armiarn had the legitimate right to the imperial throne, so it made sense.

‘I’ll give it a try. I don’t know if we’ll become friends, but…’

— It’s not about trying, it’s about doing, you lonely fool. If outcasts don’t support each other, who will?

‘Hey…’

Aint muttered softly as he left the classroom, trying to excuse himself.

***

Bella Hoenne, second-year student in the Knight Department, woke from a nightmare.

“…No… No!”

She sat up suddenly. She was in her room, a familiar place.

Sweat soaked her body as if she were caught in a storm, and her clothes were completely drenched.

With a burning thirst, she instinctively reached for water.

“Here.”

“Thanks.”

She took a sip of the cold water someone offered… and jumped.

“What? Luina? Why are you here?”

“Don’t you remember?”

“Remem…?”

Then Bella remembered the horrific pain she had felt, as if her whole body was on fire. No, she really was burning.

“Jace, that bastard…!”

They said he was a saint? What kind of saint does something like that?

Burning a person alive!

“I see you remember. How are you feeling?”

“…Bad. Really bad.”

She tried to circulate her mana, but it didn’t feel right. If the fire had been delicate enough to burn only the demonic energy, that would’ve been ideal, but it had also burned her aura and vital energy.

It was a destructive flame that even slightly weakened her mind. But there was an even bigger problem.

“I feel no strength in my body. I feel weak.”

“Because you no longer have demonic energy.”

“…So it really was demonic energy?”

“We confirmed it, didn’t we?”

“It could have been a trick!”

“And what would the saint from the cult gain by tricking you like that?”

Bella was left without arguments and shut her mouth.

“But I never saw a demon.”

“I know. It was just an accidental infection. The problem is we haven’t been able to trace what infected you.”

At those words, Bella sighed in relief. It was a shame not to know the source of the infection, but the important thing was that she hadn’t been accused of being a demonic aberration.

Even though demons hadn’t appeared in a thousand years and people were less sensitive about it, they were still enemies of humanity.

After all, the Empire itself was founded on their eradication.

The rejection toward them was natural.

“Then, what are we going to do now—? Wait, did I drink alcohol?”

Bella sniffed the air.

The smell wasn’t coming from afar. It was on her clothes, her hair, her body.

“That was me. I had to pretend you were drunk to bring you here.”

“But didn’t we meet at lunchtime?”

“Yes.”

“So I was the girl carried in broad daylight, drunk, on your back?”

“Sorry. At least I covered your face with a cloak.”

“Well… I guess that’s something, right…?”

Although just seeing you carried by Luina, anyone could’ve guessed who you were.

“My life at the academy is over… Wait a second.”

As she sighed, Bella looked toward the window. The light filtering through the closed curtains was a soft orange.

“…How many hours did I sleep?”

“…Sorry.”

“It can’t be, right?”

“I’m sorry.”

Luina looked away, avoiding Bella’s trembling eyes. Bella quickly pulled the curtains open.

The sunset was beautiful.

“…Tell me quickly, Luina.”

Luina carefully held up her fingers.

“…Two hours?”

No, that couldn’t be. It was noon when she fell asleep. How could it be sunset at 2 PM?

Luina shook her head.

“…Twenty hours?”

That didn’t make sense either. If twenty hours had passed, it would be 8 in the morning. There couldn’t be a sunset.

“No… That’s not true, right? I had several classes… Tell me it’s not true!”

Bella’s voice trembled at the intuition of the worst possibility. Luina, with an apologetic expression, shook her head again.

“I’m sorry…”

“Two days? Really two days? I already missed several classes! If I miss more, I’ll fail! You knew that too!”

“I know very well.”

What classes were yesterday? How many attendance marks did she have?

Bella’s mind spun frantically. But unable to find answers, her face turned pale.

“Fernan! Jace! Damn them…!”

“No, Bella.”

At that moment, Luina remembered what Fernan had told her.

— Direct Bella’s anger, Luina. Make sure it’s aimed where it should be.

— Pushing a friend to the abyss? What are you talking about? The strange thing would be to do nothing after what that demon did to her!

— What do you mean it’s not their fault? I’m like this because of those…!

— No, Bella. You mustn’t direct your anger at Fernan or Jace.

Luina grabbed Bella by the shoulders and calmed her. Then, she spoke clearly and firmly.

“They’re not to blame. If anyone is, it’s the demons and the corrupt.”

“Demons? Corrupt?”

“Think carefully. What did this to you, what infected you with demonic energy, was an aberration. Not Fernan, not Jace.”

“…I suppose you’re right.”

“I admit Jace’s method was a bit extreme.”

“A bit? I was unconscious for two days!”

Luina shook her head again.

“That’s not what matters now, Bella.”

“I was on the brink of death!”

“But you didn’t die.”

“…Luina, were you always like this?”

She didn’t answer the question.

“Bella. No matter what, Jace was trying to heal you. Yes, there was pain, but he also cured you.”

“That… is true.”

“So what matters now is setting things right. We need to catch the one responsible.”

Finally, Bella’s anger began to shift toward the true culprit.

“…I’ll make them pay. For my grades!”

“That’s the spirit, Bella. I’ll help you. We can do it together.”

“You?”

“I’ve found traces of another corruption. Want to come catch it with me?”

“Of course! I’m going to kill them all!”

It took Bella a while longer to calm down completely.

“And where is it?”

“According to Fernan, there’s a high chance the corrupt will infiltrate the upcoming Yacht Club event.”

“The Yacht Club? The one I know?”

“The very same.”

“But that place is full of the top students! If something happens there, it’ll be a disaster!”

“That’s why we have to stop them.”

Luina pulled an invitation from her clothes.

“A Yacht Club invitation?”

“Fernan gave it to me.”

“Fernan? But he was the one who didn’t want you to join. Did seeing a demon inspire him to the cause?”

Bella let out a sarcastic giggle.

“Alright, I get it now. Then first we need to buy clothes.”

“That sudden?”

“You don’t have the right clothes for a ball.”

Since entering the academy, Luina had never attended a party. She had only studied and practiced swordsmanship, without enjoying anything.

“So we have to go shopping. Besides, this one’s a masquerade ball. We need masks too.”

“…Fernan didn’t mention anything about that.”

“What do you mean? If you don’t follow the dress code, you don’t get into the club.”

Maybe he simply didn’t mention it, thinking Bella would tell her.

“Anyway, let’s go shopping. I need to vent this fury on something!”

“Wait, I don’t have money…”

“Just come with me. I already picked out a few dresses I think would look perfect on you.”

“When…?”

“Every time I mentioned going to a ball, you ignored it, so I noted them down just in case.”

Bella grabbed Luina by the wrist and dragged her along.