Chapter 36

A sword so radiant it illuminates the entire world.

That’s how the ancient texts described the swordsmanship of the First Emperor.

When Fernan first read that phrase, he thought it was just a metaphor. Something like humanity’s hope dispelling the darkness and despair represented by the demons.

But it wasn’t that.

Today, Fernan understood that the sword truly shone with a blinding intensity.

“…A swordsmanship that purifies even the soul.”

The aura gleamed with light. And it wasn’t just a visual effect. The giant monsters influenced by demons shrank slightly before the immense light-attribute power it contained.

A display that clearly showed why the Armian were considered the natural enemies of demons.

Fernan recalled one of the most intense futures he had seen the first time he received the surge.

When the demons descended and their legions began invading southward, the sky turned black with demonic mana.

“Under a gray sky… that person wielded that to cut down demons…”

It was enough to inspire respect and faith, even if one hadn’t had them before.

That’s why Fernan was sure.

“Demons must definitely be eliminated by him.”

Aint Armian was the best card to face the demons.

⸻

The battle didn’t last long.

Fighting on land, with a power that was their natural antithesis, the Sea Serpents couldn’t wield the same power as before.

They were still colossal beasts, impossible to face for most humans, but the problem was their opponent.

Over their wounded bodies, a massive boulder fell from a golden magic circle drawn in the air.

Boom!

“Haa… haa…!”

The ground trembled with the monsters’ collapse. Exhausted, Aint collapsed on top of them.

“…Impressive.”

— It was a legacy from the previous emperor. It couldn’t be something trivial.

There wasn’t an astronomical increase in mana or aura, nor an overflowing energy.

But Aint’s aura attribute had intensified. His perception and control of the flow were much more fluid.

That alone already created a huge difference.

— By the way, those two turned out to be quite useful.

— Especially Luina Bercheff. Maybe Bella could be on par with you, but against Luina you’d lose a hundred out of a hundred.

Even though Aint had defeated the second place of the first year, the difference between first and second year remained clear.

In fact, even without that difference, Luina Bercheff was simply strong.

— If she continues like this, she might become a Royal Knight.

“We survived…! I can’t believe we won! Are you okay?”

Bella, who had worked hard to support Aint and Luina, sighed in relief.

“Yes, thanks to you… Thank you so much, senior.”

“I thank you too. No wonder they talk so much about the Armian… Does your swordsmanship have a natural affinity against monsters?”

“Aint Armian.”

Another voice made Aint turn his head.

“So it’s true you defeated the second place of the first year. Good job.”

“Thank you, senior! You were amazing too.”

“…Hmm.”

When Aint responded with a slightly more animated tone to Luina’s words, Bella tilted her head, puzzled.

“Good job.”

At that moment, Fernan approached after finishing off the two monsters.

“Aint Armian. Thanks to you, everything was easier. Is that the skill of Armian swordsmanship?”

“Yes.”

“I’d read about it in texts, but seeing it in person is truly impressive. It almost seemed sacred.”

“Thank you.”

“By the way, do you need those corpses?”

“Huh?”

Aint, confused, soon understood the intention behind the question.

“Ah, not particularly…”

“I see. You’re not that greedy.”

Fernan had finished off the monsters intending to claim all the credit.

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing.”

Without waiting for an answer, he headed toward the lifeless corpses.

“…Seriously going to take them? What about my opinion? I helped too, don’t I have the right to claim something?”

“You owe me a favor.”

“…Fine, I accept.”

Bella yielded without protest. After all, she owed her life to him after being saved from demonic corruption.

“But what about Luina? She doesn’t owe you anything and directly killed one.”

“Luina does owe me a favor.”

“…That’s true.”

“And I don’t need them.”

When debts were mentioned, Bella fell silent upon seeing that Luina didn’t seem to care.

“…Alright, Aint Armian. I’ll be direct. Are you willing to collaborate with me?”

“…Excuse me?”

Aint was surprised by the abrupt change of topic.

“It’s simple. I was investigating traces of intruders in the company. I suspected corruption, but wasn’t sure. Today, seeing you, I’m convinced.”

“Convinced of what?”

“That we’re dealing with corruption. And if that’s the case, cooperating with you is best.”

Aint didn’t ask why.

It was obvious. Against demons, there was no more effective card than an Armian. Even more so after today’s battle.

“Not everyone infiltrating the company will be corrupted. But behind them, there will be, and beyond them, the demons.”

It made no sense for there to be corruption without demons involved.

In the great war a thousand years ago, the corrupted always obeyed the demons.

“If they’ve appeared, the demons will show up sooner or later. At least, that’s what I believe.”

It was a sound deduction.

In fact, Gardner had already warned Aint about the demons’ movements. That made it feel even more real.

‘It… kind of excites me.’

He had believed he was alone in this fight. But now he knew someone else was prepared and on guard.

Though he also had doubts.

— Did this guy eat something weird?

“Why are you telling me all this?”

The tone was so sincere it didn’t resemble the usual Fernan Pellenberg at all.

“Does that seem strange to you?”

“Very.”

The Pellenberg usually hid lies within truths or told half-truths for gain.

But this conversation had none of that.

“I won’t deny it. But this time it’s not a normal situation. And neither are you, Aint Armian.”

“…What are you saying?”

— What’s this lunatic babbling about?

“I can give you the support you need. And you have the strength I need.”

It seems like a win-win agreement.

“Isn’t it obvious we should join forces if the enemy is demons?”

“…”

— He didn’t say anything wrong. Which is exactly why it feels more suspicious.

— Never trust everything a rich guy says.

Doubts grew.

Even if they were demons, why was the ambitious Fernan being so kind only to him?

That same Fernan, who sold even to demons.

— But thinking it through, it doesn’t sound too bad.

— After all, he served under the previous Emperor. And he already gave you the Saint bird’s heart as a sponsorship.

— And if he were allied with the demons, he wouldn’t have given you something like that.

‘What if he just wanted to get close to me?’

— Get close by giving you that? The best elixir compatible with your swordsmanship?

A medicine that contained pure light, perfect for Armian swordsmanship. Would a demon do that just to gain your trust?

‘So what do I do?’

— Accept it for now and observe. It’s the best move.

— Too many things are still unclear, but confronting him now doesn’t help you. Collaborating might yield something useful.

“…Yes. If there are more people prepared against the demons, all the better for me.”

In the end, Aint could only nod.

***

“Are you saying there are corrupted individuals in the city? That’s not just anything, you know?”

“That’s right. We’ll collaborate with the Cult of the Dragon God…”

Aint and Gardner, who had decided to work together, realized the situation was more serious than they had thought.

— Were the corrupted infecting with demonic energy inside the academy?

— How? I didn’t detect any trace of demonic energy…!

Aint was the same. Even after becoming more sensitive to demonic energy thanks to the Armian aura method, he hadn’t sensed any anomaly.

— We’ll have to confirm it.

Following Gardner’s instructions, Aint moved discreetly and brought the sword into contact with the three individuals.

A subtle energy quickly examined their bodies and returned to Gardner.

— It’s true. I can’t say about the other two, but in the body of that human called Bella, there are traces of demonic energy.

— Her Mana Heart is a little damaged. Fortunately, it’ll recover soon, but those are typical marks of someone infected by demonic energy.

— What a crude method. They burned everything—demonic energy, mana, even the Mana Heart?

— Even the Mana Heart is damaged. Tch, what kind of idiots use that kind of method?

If Bella had heard that, she probably would’ve yanked out all of Jace’s hair, shouting, “I told you!”

‘Does this mean the demons had already descended and extended their claws earlier? Or is it just the corrupted?’

— We’ll have to investigate, but I doubt the demons have descended yet. Their arrival is always preceded by signs.

While conversing with Gardner, Aint tried to deduce Fernan’s intentions and the state of the demons.

That process made him slow his pace, naturally drifting a bit away from the group.

Fernan, for his part, didn’t lose focus.

‘That suspicious look. He’s probably talking with Gardner.’

He had anticipated a certain level of distrust. After all, the idea of someone trusting another completely was unrealistic.

The human heart wasn’t absolute, and that’s why trust was like a reed, easy to bend.

Even the strongest trust could be broken by a trivial detail.

‘Trust… that lukewarm thing isn’t worth relying on.’

That’s why people built something more concrete—credit, based on contracts and wealth. Something far more reliable.

All Fernan needed was to show Aint the truth—that he was the best ally to defeat the demons.

“What do you plan to do with that corrupted one?”

Luina pointed to the pile of sand floating constantly beside Fernan. Inside, an unconscious corrupted person lay.

“Interrogate him separately.”

“Glad everything worked out. Now I get it.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Luina glanced sideways at Aint, who trailed slightly behind, and explained.

“When we first encountered Verian corrupted, I was surprised by how calm you were. Now I understand why. You already knew about their existence and were pursuing them, right? Did you also discover it that way?”

“…?”

Had Luina also fallen for the lie Fernan fed Aint?

He didn’t mind. So he didn’t deny it.

“Let’s say yes.”

“I knew it.”

“In any case, it’s a relief that everything turned out fine this time. Though I didn’t expect it to get this complicated.”

“You think this turned out fine?”

“Didn’t it?”

Luina tilted her head.

“Rather, it seems like everything went exactly as you planned. It’s not that it went well or badly. It just went how you intended.”

At that innocent compliment, Fernan looked a bit flustered, though he quickly regained his composure.

“No matter how much you flatter me, I’m not giving you anything.”

“I’m just stating the truth. Oh, and the ship was completely destroyed. Isn’t that a problem?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

After all, if the academy opened a “Naval Combat” subject, he’d make much more money. A ship was just an investment.

“The same goes for the student issue.”

“Right, it’s not something Pellenberg can be blamed for.”

“You’re right.”

Bella’s sudden interjection made Luina nod.

The massive appearance of sea monsters since the academy’s founding was unprecedented.

Of course, if someone wanted to use it as an excuse to demand compensation, they could try. But who would dare go against the Pellenberg family?

Moreover, there were no conflicts with the other elector-prince houses either.

“Then how are we getting back? Don’t tell me we’re using another Breath Scroll and walking back to the academy…”

“Shut up, Bella. Who would do something so dumb and inefficient?”

“…Well, good thing, but the way you say it is kinda offensive.”

“Did you record everything properly with the orb?”

“I missed the beginning, but I got the scene where the corrupted used demonic energy.”

Bella handed over the orb with the recording of the battle.

“That’s enough.”

“Are you going to report it to the academy?”

“Leave it to me. Don’t worry.”

Since he didn’t yet know how far the corruption had spread in the academy, he had no intention of disclosing that information immediately.

“What? After everything I did to help you!”

“Thank you, Bella. Thanks to you, we have evidence.”

“…I’m only putting up with this because of Luina.”

“Get your things ready for the return.”

Fernan pulled out a signal flare and lit it.

The red smoke rose high into the sky, and it wasn’t long before the Pellenberg ship arrived at the island.