Chapter 4
u3I8bGAs soon as he woke up in the morning, Fernan headed to the library.DtIWv8
9tG5bo“Welcome, Sir Fernan. Your student credential has been verified.”a7043Yk
bjT“Where are the books related to demons?”CWoW4V
gbblco“Follow the light and it will guide you.”fLyvv
3XBPb“Thank you.”AJ1bi
eoGK“You’re welcome.”Buwq9
gMnWhen the librarian cast a spell, a small thread of light appeared instantly and began to lead him.7BBm
MbcMjN“Demons, demons, demons, demons…”hIvj
hC0Fernan hadn’t come to the library early in the morning for any other reason.qH3BT
db7XHe was there to research demons more thoroughly.GGL
VXnV‘There was nothing useful in the family library.’HXTFcT
4xjw5dAfter being struck by lightning and realizing the existence of demons, the first thing he did was scour his family’s entire library.fqstZn
A3RSBut there wasn’t a single piece of the information he hoped for, and he had been planning to check the academy’s library ever since returning.1K6
1YRYuxK“King Kolomo and the 72 demons…”0iXEmaM
8EjThe Imperial Academy’s library housed an enormous collection of books, all preserved according to the will of the First Emperor.XOTmN9J
EVP1The Chronicle of the Great First Emperor. The First Emperor and the Royal Knights. King Kolomo and the 72 Demons. Each of the 72 Demons is Different. Demons are from Fra… Dem…MfJ5Hwl
xqNRyFernan selected several books.r6z3V
zleAsHe first opened The Chronicle of the Great First Emperor.ep8XF
SRdZlPIHe thought there might be at least some clues in the life story of a hero who had stood on the front lines against the demons.7QhRz
JewcQ“The demons have plunged the continent into ruin. I can’t bear it any longer.”stydK
1B9qNAs the world fell into chaos due to the demon uprising, the benevolent Lord Chronos Armian rose for the sake of humanity.wpyH
8uYzVir“Let us unite our strength to drive out the demons.”t4hm
TpAOqBkAt Armian’s call, the five kingdoms and religious orders, deeply moved, gathered to his side like bees.eHHJI
RCu“Great King Kolomo, come and duel with me!”WxBA5Yt
aZiOArmian staked the fate of the world and fought King Kolomo day and night for an entire month.MP8
uBTChronos Armian pierced King Kolomo’s heart.ou0
tBzTdWhen he commanded, “Your king is dead, so return to where you came from,” the million-strong demon army vanished on the spot.39Eew5
Xsv“…What is this?”B0cAVq
Orr6hjAny glimmer of hope vanished in an instant. This wasn’t a chronicle—it was an absurd and over-the-top novel.hPb1rX
dydCP3L“The greedy Elector Princes were moved by mere words and joined him?”dCyk2
bDxp2Putting himself in that situation made Fernan feel like he was breaking out in hives. Free cooperation? What? Were they looking to exploit the situation?Z3RmV
B39That wasn’t even the worst part. The next section was just as ridiculous.KrH
QOYyThey disappeared just because they were told to go back? Not even worth reading further. Not even the church scriptures are this bad.gyHW8
b4NlrvScoffing, Fernan pushed the book aside and opened the next one without hesitation. The First Emperor and the Royal Knights.IT3N2zw
u2ZlqIt offered a detailed account of how the First Emperor met the Royal Knights and how the Royal Knight system was established.z3r
QW6fFThere was also a story about Gardner Alfenfarsen, the first Royal Knight and the ego of the Ego Sword.psU
iHulSupposedly, Gardner Alfenfarsen broke a tooth during his first meeting with the emperor for acting arrogantly—though who knew if that was true.XExa
HyRwm‘That’s something I can ask him directly.’sRinti
OppSTcEOnly one man couldn’t have done such a thing. The next book was King Kolomo and the 72 Demons.xrP8bMW
HQEh“King Kolomo sacrificed his entire kingdom to summon demons. The number of demons summoned from hell reached 72…”Tj0DPEq
4XSD4dQThe 72nd demon, Andromalius. A man with a snake coiled around his arm.9u9iH
H5j5The 71st demon, Dantalion. A demon that changes appearance to mimic humans and sow confusion.EL9
3JtPQThe 70th demon…dhj
QOqrKsWhether because a thousand years had passed or the records were sparse to begin with, the information on the demons was extremely brief and vague.7guhB1
TBSEJJ‘Disappointing. Well, the family library didn’t have much either.’plW5
fiMXfaFernan closed the last book. Despite being the renowned library of the Imperial Academy, all the books lacked content.b02qdZ
Q0ROn9‘Even after a thousand years, how can things be so incomplete?’fNF2r
vfmlyThe Empire had built and maintained countless libraries, so dedicated was it to preserving records. Unless someone had erased the information intentionally, it made no sense that so little remained.qkUkaL
ElLHaving finished his business, Fernan returned the books to their shelves and headed back to the dormitory.HdgC5z
Na7IHis assistant greeted him upon arrival.zgkWj4t
OmI“Where have you been since morning, Young Master?”sJYD
hHgy0“I stopped by the library for a bit. What is it?”HtNt9
6PbD4j“The item you requested has arrived.”Hot
TNyd3The assistant handed him a small box.AjtAH
fAb“You’re here.”cznh
gc7Eh“Why did you need this so suddenly? Don’t you already have one?”8EKZh
kJT“I thought maybe it wouldn’t be enough. Just to be sure.”4eT5Zl
UdHNQ“Excuse me? Sure of what?”skqw
iQxFLh“There’s something. That’s all.”BcQp
dYXaAJ9Fernan took the box and put back on the coat he had taken off earlier.OGcKu
xEi“Where are you going now?”ROF
lbmPdi“I’m going to the gym. Take this to Luina Bercheff.”yaXDgH
FDdx“A letter? Is this a love letter?”rVXTm1
AIA9“Don’t be ridiculous. Just tell her I’m waiting and that she should come out as soon as possible.”1DScrT
AXZhmP“Understood.”7imuYP5
Nd81Now that everything was ready, it was time to prove his worth—just as he had promised.uasLIiZ
AhYf8DUFernan headed to the training hall.v3k
IgmZ***bRX1c
UjCeeITraining hall of the Academy, prepared for students.m37TmGr
MHcpj8pLuina stood with a sword in hand. Opposite her, Fernan Pellenberg faced her, holding a staff.jnz
0oIZW1“I still don’t quite understand. What exactly does this mean?”ygJZ
kYOz“We’re face to face in the training hall. Do I really need to explain more?”49Qmbi
IRji9cw“…You seriously want to fight me?”05d
l2i“I already told you. Even though I’m only ranked tenth and you’re the runner-up, I’ll prove I lack nothing. And the most direct and undeniable way is through strength.”o9TNstU
iiQuGiven his unwavering confidence, it was clear Fernan was serious.xazB
ncD9t“You really think you can win?”YIYqS
9vXOI“If you beat me, I’ll give you chocolate.”Cn7BG
xcRxC“…What do you mean by that?”NqhQM
dBBsy“I heard you like chocolate. Was I wrong?”fVZO2Z
kuSDXu“Have you been spying on me?”2xdFaEg
c7HyoZ“I wouldn’t bother putting in that much effort just for you.”hPf
vMH1C0Simply put:mejpi
IdhqA4“I looked up the personal records of all the ranked students.”vZM
3eVT“…How insolent.”B2ECHo
JbbFernan shrugged. Luina’s face twisted with disgust. She gripped her sword hilt more tightly.ZWzgYg
UsYbK“If you really want this, fine. Let’s see this so-called ‘proof’ of yours.”2hFM
D8UcDespite her words, Luina didn’t believe Fernan had any chance of defeating her.xSu
UAijNot that Fernan Pellenberg was weak.vyIO
MGT2Ranking tenth in the Academy—home to countless prodigies—and even qualifying for a seat in Ravidus Hall, no matter how low his rank, was undeniable proof of talent.cV6Rc
8FPuuVoBut there was still a clear gap between second and tenth.aKUpgp
YSff9FAlthough first-year sword and magic students rarely clashed, it wasn’t like it never happened.qw2a
t8oAnd those few occasions were enough to judge Fernan’s skills. Exactly what you’d expect from someone in tenth place: nothing more, nothing less.ayO
KqE‘Unless something happened over winter break…?’GU2bd
b4JKjhvStill, she couldn’t understand this behavior.K2m9sf
BG32“I’ll give you the first strike.”18GW0sB
5pJ1R“With pleasure.”30e9lWQ
mNuumrFernan began chanting a spell. The mana crystal embedded in the tip of his staff absorbed the surrounding mana.Dvfes
57vRumble!Y0K00pD
PzLxYThe ground shook. Dozens of stones materialized in the air and came crashing down toward Luina.GwvCUo
ql5BZt“…!”d5EsmlD
fpthdShe calmed her breathing, gathered aura in her legs, and dashed forward.dGs
ShbFHer body shot out like an arrow. Her speed became a weapon itself. The blade cut through the falling rocks as she charged directly at the mage.lUB92Uz
K3USlash!iBP
nqESHShe struck. But no blow landed. The illusion vanished. Fernan was already far behind.WCE
V085gBut Luina was unfazed.pdUks
3msNNQGShe accelerated her aura in mid-air and spun the opposite direction. Like a wild warhorse, she attacked straight into a wall of stone spikes.te9
lXY2—!8uPN
jaZDebris flew in every direction. Behind the shattered wall, she faced hundreds of stone spears, but dove in anyway.qBf87m
0DDWQDHer sword was heavy, but not clumsy. Fierce, but not reckless. Sometimes heavy, sometimes soft, sometimes graceful.iRnc35r
3LDShe pierced, deflected, and slashed through the spears. And finally, she reached her target. But what awaited her wasn’t Fernan.kVK
Qh2It was an even greater spell. A shadow loomed above her. A massive boulder torn straight from the training hall floor.b9Qz
vSY67EP‘…Did he break the floor of the training hall?’4JN
AyVOThe hall had been magically reinforced to withstand even powerful impacts. This was unexpected. The thought didn’t last long. The boulder dropped.TcpHzTf
0DcZZxA moment’s hesitation made it too late to dodge.zC3a
OkRYHGBoom!8Axc4
hSxeThough she blocked it, her body screamed in pain. It felt like slamming into a siege weapon. The floor shattered, her feet sank into the ground.aWR
WHnG‘Was he hiding his strength…?!’BEOG5cW
sUuqfBFor the first time, after taking a clean hit, Luina set aside all underestimation of Fernan.CXHbC
mpJmEfJShe bit her lip and held her breath. As her heart pounded faster, her aura core responded.eKPQF
6R10iA blue aura wrapped her entirely. A massive sword aura surged from her.5k5aNV9
KZBAnd just as she was about to swing her sword—zMMjVje
wrIA barrage fell. Like before, giant boulders.4HAFTG
K7b1PAt the same time, the ground began to tremble as if an earthquake had struck.Rxa
VRRYkK‘This is insane…!’3xW
80pfcCasting high-level spells like this repeatedly—and even simultaneously? How much mana does he have?pnzPt
WOrxLuina blocked again and again. The magical storm was relentless, giving her no room to counterattack. The constant pressure grew, and a trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth.SqZYyzt
lIY“At this rate, I’ll lose.”CRga
XqgrShe was nothing more than a training dummy, taking a one-sided beating. From someone she considered inferior.BpKM
ZhDTScPHer pride couldn’t allow it. Even while withstanding the assault, she pushed forward. When a spell knocked her back, she advanced two steps.LUD1ud
m71VFYAnd finally, when she caught her opponent—f9kvG
UpKSI“I surrender.”WDsr
CkKgmcFernan raised both hands. Luina’s sword stopped just short of his nose.Fik
h6mc2ACHe collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.0KsNTH
r0MQN8“…Are you mocking me right now?”NxqS
TEXagS3At his calm expression, she clenched her teeth.1C6AA
28Mn1“Mocking? I ran out of mana. A mage without mana can’t beat a knight, right?”5FXS
kLG6FIt wasn’t an excuse or an act. Her sharp knightly instincts told her it was true.g6st
dJkv“Or are you saying a proud knight who values chivalry is going to take out their frustration on someone who surrendered? Just because you were being beaten one-sidedly?”IG0tTL
AuV“…I’d never do that.”q35
jNqIndeed, Fernan had run out of mana. In his current state, he couldn’t beat Luina.THBC6AE
mN6Realizing he couldn’t win through conventional means, he gambled everything—and she overcame it. Which meant, in the end, her victory was real.svPaiV
ibnStill, even with that in mind—she, the runner-up, had almost lost to the tenth-place student. Someone she was sure she could beat.ASw
WzBThe sheer volume of mana he poured into those reckless attacks surpassed anything she could’ve imagined.HwURt
c3gLFS“So, what kind of chocolate do you want? My family’s whiskey truffles? The famous World Tree bark chocolate from Freedian? Or perhaps Kraken ink chocolate from the Kingdom of Frazia…?”vI644J
x02LRE“…You.”Gtad
WeTVDwTIt was then that Luina realized.g6b1Ijd
7R6“What?”FxLMdM
DVzShe had a million questions. But after thinking again and again, only one simple, instinctive word came out.xY5h
mXnY“Obviously.”TIfGN
ef2MAnd Fernan’s response:Rrj9gF
LLeqv“A merchant doesn’t step forward.”J2BM5kz
NjlrvOIt was a world of meaning.z9cONu
4p3qv***RE2
wjUG8“…Did you fight an ogre or something?”V31G
0BJnHis clothes were torn and his hair disheveled. It was an unfamiliar sight for Fernan, who was always impeccably dressed.iuk
HgRXHis assistant asked with a grimace.XfwmeBe
X3uRNRe“There are no ogres in the academy. Maybe in the northern mountains.”q65f
3Ih7“So then what happened?”UHLIc8
5vRtqe5Fernan didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled items from a subspace. They were shattered orbs.NZWumCX
Rgd“Those are five mana amplifiers and storage units I gave you less than two hours ago! And they’re all broken? Do you know how expensive those are?”Hd9d
6YZglcD“I made an investment in the future.”PmSH
FXnd“Whoever you fought, looks like they hit you in the head. I’m calling a healing mage.”EPzJwQ
Cnoz“Do I look like someone who gets beaten up out there?”A3qhw
OBF“Is this another side effect from getting struck by lightning?”dAT
PxjMr“I’m perfectly fine.”wWug0
7DQVOR“Then it must’ve been Luina Bercheff.”bkP
zEKEFernan made a slight nod.jrLC
Cer“Maybe it’s presumptuous, but if it’s not too much, may I ask something?”03rm
4FsbN“Go ahead.”8kEQs
wO1AofY“Since I started serving you, I’ve been able to understand your motives in almost everything. Everything always had a clear reason or logic.”jWTP
5D2SG7H“But this time you can’t figure it out?”bVS26D
qfmPv“Exactly.”AYh
ykJKPFIt was natural. He had wiped out the Bercheff family’s debt for three years and decided to support Luina Bercheff.j6PMb
5wJW1The only thing he’d get in return was the chance to be her partner.AmoUNdm
Q9YypgGCompared to the money invested and the Bercheff family’s secret sword technique, it was a terrible deal. No one in House Pellenberg would ever accept something so absurd.2gef
JvQ3YfGIf it hadn’t been for the prophecy, Fernan wouldn’t have either.7t3N1s
E3U8q“That’s rude.”6jwdAa
Ishal8RThat’s why Fernan had no real foundation or explanation to justify it.bbSn7
pt2ANIn times like this, authority was the best tool. After all, that’s what power was for.2MIF
D9J“You’ll understand when the time comes.”3fDh9R8
lo3h1“If you say so, I understand. I’ll contact the family and request more magical tools.”LGFIh
cwvd6j“As many as possible.”14MG7Z
eEL“By the way, have you written the letter to the Duke?”aYbnnqv
uMe“Here it is.”TglqWdg
YgV9WEn“I’ll make sure it’s delivered properly. Oh, and why haven’t you been working lately?”tUb3
OP8“I’ve been busy. I’ll get back to it soon, so stop nagging. Got it.”ttfrtW
8clThe assistant left.yWh
moem“Hmph.”wHY1
lDgFernan turned his gaze toward the window and calmly sipped his coffee. The letter had been sent. There was no turning back now.nBAF
xprSm“Damn it. They’re not going to disown me for this… right?”miuJ
lPDSoKIf he were my son, I’d probably disown him too. Ripples stirred the once-still surface of his coffee.3KsRa
fyNpgi***kVDi
AOGmbaCAnd a few days later, a reply came from the Duke of Pellenberg.bDNNfcL
rsiUht5It was brief and to the point.3w2
vbHM4[You’ve been possessed by a demon.]FIFX
BIW66URWhich only made the impact that much worse.OKrtkXd
Mtdn6“…I’m screwed.”cYHKh1
CqPFernan knew it in his gut—he was completely screwed.AX1NN
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