Chapter 45

More than a month had passed since Fernan had left the academy for the field practice.

“It’s been over a month and we still don’t know when he’s coming back! And finals are just around the corner!”

Luina Bercheff thought her current academic life wasn’t exactly going well.

Objectively speaking, Aaron Frain wasn’t in Professor Rosalia’s lab by chance; he had incredible talent.

Thanks to that, Luina had scored excellent grades in all their joint classes, but not everything showed up as it should.

“They say your grade drops a little just because he’s an assistant. But in that case, wasn’t it a mistake to assign me to an assistant in the first place?”

“Technically… you’re right.”

Aina nodded while munching on cake.

“But still, you have to admit the assistant is really good.”

“Yes, but if Fernan had been here, it would’ve been the same.”

Apparently, others thought the penalty was fair, but in Luina’s eyes, it was completely unjustified.

“Are you saying Fernan is as strong as Assistant Aaron? You really believe that?”

What Aaron had demonstrated in class was a level even above Carlo, the top student in the Magic Department. His performance was clearly outstanding.

“You’re right, Luina. That sounds crazy… or well… it should sound crazy.”

Bella, who had initially agreed with Aina, began to waver.

Because even if it didn’t make sense in theory, the calm way Fernan had faced the corrupted left a sliver of doubt: ‘What if he really could?’

“What the hell, Bella? You’re going crazy like Luina now? Did your brain short-circuit?”

“What did you say?”

“Ah no, sorry!”

Luina watched her two friends bicker as she drifted into her own thoughts.

It was true that, in terms of raw skill, Assistant Aaron was superior. But even so, she felt Fernan could’ve achieved the same results—or even better.

Whether through pure strategy, or thanks to his money and weird artifacts.

“So, when are Fernan and Aria coming back?”

“They said before finals.”

“And is that reliable?”

“Of course. The practice period ends right before the exams.”

Bella answered.

If they arrived after exams, Fernan wouldn’t be able to take them. Since the practice period ended there, they couldn’t give him a separate exam or replace it with something else.

If they did, complaints of favoritism would explode.

“Huh?”

Not far off, the city’s port seemed to be stirring.

“Did something arrive?”

“Looks like a ship just came in.”

Luina used aura to enhance her vision. In the distance, she saw more than ten ships.

All carried sails bearing the emblem of the Golden Turtle.

Fernan Pellenberg had returned.

***

“Thank you.”

Fernan immediately unloaded the goods from the ship and delivered them to the academy.

Of course, everything was in perfect condition.

With that, the expedition was officially concluded.

“The rest of the payment will be sent by my father to the duke.”

“Very well. You did a good job too.”

It had been an expedition full of trouble, but at least it had ended well.

Thank goodness.

“Then I’ll take my leave. I still have to speak with the academy staff. As I said, I’m the representative.”

The Golden Turtle Company had only handled transportation. The main operation was between the Fridian family and the academy.

And there were more than a few details to coordinate.

“Take care then.”

After parting ways with the expedition team, Fernan also split from Aria.

Hyde followed him, carrying the box that held the contaminated fragments of the World Tree branch.

“Where are we going?”

“To purify this tree.”

“And can that be done?”

“If it’s the Cult of the Sacred Dragon, they might have a way.”

To be honest, there was no concrete plan. But it seemed like too much of a waste to simply throw away something as valuable as a World Tree branch.

“Jace Vynes showed me that the cult can purify demonic energy.”

“Wasn’t that by burning it? If we burn the sprout…”

“…Don’t tell me that’s the only method.”

Well, if there wasn’t another way, then there wasn’t. But if there was, great. It wasn’t essential, but it was very useful.

Fernan entered a hidden room inside the tea house run by his company.

“It’s been a while since I came here.”

“You’re late. The agreed time was 32 minutes ago, remember?”

Inside awaited a guest.

Jace Vynes, the Saint of the Cult of the Dragon God.

“The waves were stronger than expected. The ship couldn’t go faster.”

“Still, aren’t you the one who always says time is money?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I’ll pay you more.”

“I know. I was just saying.”

Jace smiled completely calmly.

He says he knows, but he still licks his lips—what a greedy demon. Fernan clicked his tongue.

“But what’s all this about? After such a long trip, you must be exhausted, and yet you wanted to see me right away.”

“We’re both busy, so let’s get straight to the point. I encountered some corrupted beasts along the way.”

“Corrupted beasts? Those bastards don’t even bother to hide anymore, huh?”

Jace showed a flicker of anger.

“And what about the plan we discussed?”

“The items have arrived. His Holiness said we can request help when necessary.”

“Perfect.”

“But are you sure you don’t need direct assistance? His Holiness is quite concerned.”

“Just hearing that already makes me grateful. But even for His Holiness, it would be politically problematic to bring cult troops into the academy.”

Fernan sipped his coffee. From the start, he didn’t expect that much. Nor should he.

Aint Armian was, without a doubt, a hero. But he wasn’t complete yet.

He needed to obtain the relics left by the First Emperor, face his enemies, and accumulate experience. Only then would he become someone truly complete.

The first demon to be summoned was Andromalius. The first “genuine” demon Aint would have to face.

And he had to. Win or lose, the experience would be crucial to his growth.

‘In theory, Aint should win. But if things have strayed far enough from the past that he ends up losing…’

That would be an unacceptable catastrophe. That’s why Fernan was preparing a fallback through the cult.

“The real reason I called you is this.”

At his signal, Hyde, standing in the back, placed a box on the table.

“What is this? It’s got top-tier magical engravings. Is it something rare?”

“Open it.”

Click.

As soon as it was opened, a dense demonic energy spread from within.

“Is this…?”

“A branch of the World Tree, contaminated by demonic energy.”

“…Excuse me?”

“More precisely, it’s a replica. But it’s still part of the original.”

After all, they shared the same root.

“And how did you get it?”

“Does it matter?”

“It was Fridian, wasn’t it? And you want me to purify it?”

“Yes. But not with the same method you used on Bella.”

“True, even if it’s a branch of the World Tree, purification flames are too extreme.”

Jace extended his hand toward the corrupted branch. Zzzzt, the demonic energy tried to corrupt his body, but was immediately repelled.

“It’s very dense. Normal methods won’t work easily.”

“Are you saying there’s no way?”

“It’s not that there isn’t… but…”

Jace shrugged, and Fernan frowned.

“For how greedy we Pellenbergs may be, we’re still nothing compared to you guys. What do you want?”

“Holy water.”

“Holy water?”

“Purification flames are too destructive. They don’t work for the sick or for children. That’s why we found another method, gentler and safer.”

“And that’s the holy water?”

“Yes.”

Unlike the sacred flames, it wasn’t divine power per se. The medium was simply water instead of fire, but the principle was the same—dissolving and breaking down demonic energy.

“It doesn’t burn like flames, but it breaks down the energy gradually and safely. We haven’t confirmed its full effectiveness yet, but if my flames worked, this should too…”

Fernan gently tapped the table with his fingers. Jace wasn’t the type to lie, so it had to be true.

“Can you guarantee it’ll work?”

“I can’t give you an absolute guarantee.”

“And you still want me to pay you?”

“The decision is yours, senior.”

“You’re quite the businessman.”

“I’m a real mage.”

A mage who funds his own research.

“I don’t waste money on nonsense. If there’s not a 100% guarantee, I have no reason to buy it.”

Fernan shook his head.

“Calling it holy water sounds nice, but in the end, it’s not that useful, is it?”

“How is it not?”

“If it’s not against demons, corrupted beasts, or demonic energy, it has no use. It’s a useless trinket.”

No matter how expensive it was to make, if there were no buyers, its price would inevitably drop.

“That was before the corrupted started going wild. You brought proof yourself. Are you going to make excuses now?”

“Excuses? I’m just giving you a chance to prove it’s not useless.”

“A chance?”

Fernan opened his subspace. He pulled out another box, also engraved with magical marks, and placed it on the table.

“What’s this now?”

“Open it.”

An even more repugnant demonic energy filled the room. It seemed alive, with veins writhing as if they pulsed.

Jace’s eyes widened.

“Is that…?”

“The corpse of a corrupted beast. There’s no better way to see if the holy water really works. Or to prove whether the Cult of the Dragon God has been right.”

To some, it was just a pile of monstrous flesh. To others, a coveted research material.

A relic that could prove their research and history were valid.

“…You want to trade this for the holy water?”

And in the eyes of one of them, greed sparkled.

“You’re mistaken.”

“Mistaken?”

“You’ll have to add more. Like artifacts I want, or a lot more holy water.”

“That’s not fair. Even if it’s the first time we’ve seen one, now that one’s appeared, more are bound to show up.”

“This is the corpse of a class-4 beast, a Barca. A monster that eats ogres like nothing.”

The body of a powerful monster was a valuable material and research object.

And even more so for the Cult of the Dragon God, desperate for such specimens. Even during the Great War a thousand years ago, a class-4 corpse was incredibly rare.

“…I know you wouldn’t lie about something like this.”

“Exactly. I don’t lie in business. If you want, you can call Aria Fridian as a witness.”

“…Then… no, still this is… no, but it’s a Barca!”

As if fighting an internal battle, Jace hesitated for a long time before finally nodding.

“…Alright. I accept!”

The corpse of a Barca wasn’t just anything. At a time when demons and beasts were starting to run rampant, having time to study them before they got out of hand was extremely valuable.

“An excellent decision.”

The deal was made.

That same day, the corrupted branch of the World Tree was submerged in holy water.

***

“He really was born to make money…”

‘Who would’ve thought he’d use a Barca’s corpse like that?’

Hyde couldn’t help but admire him.

“Send the rest to the family and tell my father to begin the research. We have to prepare against the beasts too.”

“Yes, young master.”

Even though much of Barca’s body had been destroyed in the explosion, it was still so massive there was plenty of usable material left.

“And Hyde.”

“Yes?”

“Find out where the World Tree branches are planted and how they’re cared for. Everything.”

Hopefully it was just an unfounded suspicion. But so far, the predictions of the book of fate, even if slightly altered, always came true in essence.

Was this current calm the real future? Or had the future changed because they managed to prevent the demonic summoning?

“It’s time to find out.”

Fernan’s eyes turned cold.