Chapter 52
B9etstoIt wasn’t a simple coincidence.ngJD4Q
KirQIt was a hunch.AryGB
xvQx2Aint knew that everything that had happened so far was very different from the future described in the book of prophecies, and that’s why he feared he wouldn’t survive to see it through.BeiRm
myGsHe just wanted to confirm it with his own eyes, until the very end.AV4u1
fhr3i“But it looks like coming here was the right call.”Wp5y
9EanzIuThat hunch gave him the chance to prevent the future from veering into the worst possible outcome.7AS
gwfMJK“Money for your funeral?”R41VyF
UdfAg3Kik-kik, the half-collapsed body of the corrupted straightened completely.QFU0
NbBv“Arrogant bastard. Your corpse will disappear without a trace.”B3GAIxQ
GH3f4KU“Aint, can you stand?”BKuDTi
w2gSK“Yes… yes!”uYVezY
bJ71AcAint stood up with difficulty, but he didn’t seem to be in normal condition.b3xy
rxwCUFernan tossed him a potion.3sta30n
o7XT8“Take it.”cOoKhMe
Og5EsU“Thanks. But, how did you get here…?”QOH3s
ESpCA7A rock emerged from the ground, but it was pierced by a black flash.MUpAS
bCVr3Even so, that brief delay gave Aint the chance to duck and dodge the dark beam.BFAoQL
CJ7He rolled on the ground and grabbed his fallen sword.tQg7
XYSer— Are you okay, Aint?2MqUtP
wxIr“Drink the potion and come with me, Aint Armian!”SQM
ZRPmiXJAint drank the potion in a hurry.0fhbE9
hS4oYHTFernan had already rushed in to fight the corrupted.8Vu6
db0g8“You think someone like you can stop me?!”mtX1
MJwBAl“Your voice is getting more annoying.”oPPy
1OhUugThe dark energy masses collided with a wall of stone.QWe1x
8PWxClang!YYwIGh
q30The claws that followed tore it apart, but through the dust, Fernan slammed his staff into the ground.jHMkvL
90UDozens of rock spikes erupted toward the corrupted.BGN1EYj
euXt“How pathetic…!”bbXlCS
Oa0aHe briefly held his breath and released it. The spikes were repelled by the enemy’s magic, which had grotesquely swelled.InvzKX1
Eyi4Then, a storm of dark spikes launched toward Fernan. The stone wall crumbled like paper.hjq1
v5mThe storm struck another wall but failed to destroy it. Even so, the impact sent Fernan flying backward.wUlbM
IwmGrBJust before he could regain his footing, a black shadow charged again.sawil
YC26BOOM!HoZ8T
or3The claws stopped right before his face. A translucent barrier had protected him.tZa
PWmlt“You’re carrying more trinkets than I thought…”W5U
m6lUsing the power of an artifact, Fernan activated a memorized spell.p8e
TfkvRumble!ZlFQx
pUWXTmqThe ground beneath the corrupted’s feet flipped. His body staggered, suspended in the air.R8MsaJG
KgwUFrom above, two giant stone hands slammed down as if to pray.wNoo
ndl3fpvCrash!qbam
swmtzThe roar shook the underground. A moment of silence, then Fernan threw dozens of glass vials.tQh
j8rXJXWCrack!fMz2T
BE0J7MThe liquids inside seeped into the cracks of the stone hands.xgoXZn
rXc9pZ1In that instant, they completely disintegrated. Amid the crashing sounds, the groan of the corrupted echoed.JcTBGRV
1Q1“Damn you…! What the hell was that…?!”3jiC2Dw
iShWith pungent smoke rising from his body, part of the dark magic surrounding him was dissolving.OarF
FWfE7oWhat was it? Holy water, specially prepared for bastards like you.3JdQcSC
BLq3“No reason I should explain it to you.”LK1v
89bHolding back the urge to mock, Fernan brushed the bracelet on his wrist.YoSqke
9rzEYOsA bolt of lightning struck.STTrRyW
GeHcPK9“Argh, damn you…!”8gwao
lGw3Even so, the corrupted swallowed the pain and managed to control the decomposing energy.6Nhj
UxFRf“You know something? My best magical affinity is actually with fire.”4otNjz
yksJguXThe corrupted didn’t respond. Fernan didn’t expect him to.4Gfi
sii“I mainly studied earth magic, but I never stopped practicing fire. The more cards I have, the better.”w4pM
6Z7Y26Though not as good as money.DWigU
ADQ“And you know what else? Earth magic is the most useful for drawing magic circles. It’s hard to imagine that a simple pile of dirt is a circle.”4NdSbhz
YcVbRRSo what I mean is—EEaTnPF
POf0U3h“You may be pretending to listen just to buy time and recover your magic, but I even accounted for that.”Usctp9
o6cAt that moment, the magic circle drawn in the dirt glowed. It was massive, covering a five-meter radius around the corrupted.qt8
2pFk“Damn—!”WQQlENP
4Xr────！YSi1
xwbzkQ7A giant column of fire devoured him. A roar shook the surroundings, and heat scorched everything around.ZUuD
pq0“What are you doing just standing there, Aint Armian?”dWlzqq
Nd4“…Ah.”TqoA95z
7TAhmLAint blinked, stunned by the scene.a6s
CPI“I was about to take the potion and jump in…”RFmAZRy
UAnN“Did the bottle have a dimensional expansion or something?”NFPnLw
OWU“…No, nothing like that.”Rzkom
RZNld“I’ll leave the finishing blow to you. My spells aren’t strong enough to end that guy.”jfOpCk
GjTAs Fernan said, the corrupted was still standing, despite the flames. His magic had weakened considerably and his body was covered in burns, but he was still alive.UKFX
XUd70Neither his determination nor his bloodlust had vanished. In fact, the latter was even more intense.qv0
4wu“He doesn’t exactly look weak…”3kBef
AAbg“Don’t tell me you can’t finish the job.”Zee
p9D2d7“Of course I can.”r41
9KyohAint stepped forward with a determined look. A white aura radiated around him.vtAMcyk
dULdv4“Exactly. At the very least, you should justify eating the Saint bird’s heart.”sf3hvx
TL1ufAint stomped the ground with force.bn9zD4
hNYEKA6“I’ll kill you…! I’m going to kill you…!”Tsv04PV
cI2ZbThe corrupted roared, squeezing every last drop of his remaining magic.tbhxC
Tu5lq4──！cUQQW5
43VAint and the corrupted clashed. The corrupted was still fast, but after the holy water and the light, he could no longer match Aint.1OUkjr
l85eHis skin was still tough, but not tough enough to block Aint’s sword.bBXcu
cLsa“I’m gonna die this easily…?!”KvoUmBe
ugdPHlkWith that final cry, his head flew.HF95Q
O9i“…Ah, right! I’m not supposed to kill him! We need to know who’s behind this!”PIZB9
NqWBut instead, his limbs were severed. His body sprawled across the ground.1LDf3
Ix68“Argh…! My arm…!”kL9U
NWpVBy forcibly changing the trajectory of the slash, Aint’s arm twisted grotesquely, and he screamed in pain.8fb3
Z23lcI***zkSt
sxRkpE— That guy… is truly talented.HLL4W
4ZxHkWhile adjusting his dislocated arm and pouring the potion Fernan had given him, Aint realized that Gardner Alfenparsen was deeply excited.0E0nH
cXTHxil“He might not cast the most powerful spells, but he knows how to use what he has and make use of the environment. That’s an exceptional talent.”54Ry
Unv— And above all, he doesn’t fear the corrupted… and mocking them is an art!f2pJiM
sSGd‘I feel like he gave more points for that last part… But was there really any mocking?’gACTl
QTN7Z— You don’t see it. He anticipated what the corrupted was thinking, turned it around cleverly, and even explained it with the utmost kindness just to churn his guts. That, kid, is also mockery.SRO6V5
2rzzU— It was all perfect.VLUg
dBaM31‘If you say so, Gardner…’lLby
firAint’s gaze landed on Fernan, who was sitting on a rock to rest.Fte2ABl
k5OJ4iS‘I didn’t expect him to be this good…’h7XcHGP
IiqeIf Aint Graham was the eye of the storm among the first-years, Fernan Pellenberg was unquestionably the same among the second-years.DqeF
sMAQIinUntil the previous year, he had been ranked tenth, but ever since entering the second year, he had climbed terrifyingly fast. Rumor had it he’d been hiding his true strength.5EOl
o60‘Was he really hiding it?’eGWbP26
YUzu— If not, it makes no sense. You have my help, but he doesn’t.YohRIH
VyLJbd‘But why would someone live hiding such power? If it were me, I’d have shown it off from the beginning.’Y0VGVyi
GAs5IfkAs Aint began to see Fernan in a new light, the latter slowly approached the fallen corrupted.AWP
Zz6Yg42“Crawling on the ground like an insect—what a fitting image.”fm0
JFg“You bastard…!”2tcH6QQ
O8ZdIiw“I have a gift for you.”k6ZWF
JOxGahHe shoved a glass bottle into his mouth. The holy water inside began forcing its way down his throat, and the man screamed as if being torn apart.dkL
ADI“Kyaaaagh!”OA6
b6U6“It’s good for your body. Drink up.”UzJ
5EGBThe corrupted’s mouth and throat warped as if burning. Fernan thrust his hand inside him.knMOM
gJghpz“What are you doing?”WhmKe66
6RSm“Just checking if he had tried it before—guess not, huh?”TULNWXK
KHVygeMaybe there was a self-censorship spell or a magical restriction. If demons were involved, that made more sense.8sqUMPW
VDFraNe“If I asked you to reveal where your master is, you wouldn’t, right?”gER
fLIIY“Don’t be ridiculous! I might’ve lost because I was weak, but you’ll never succeed! You’ll all die here with me…!”ru8BBO
eIgoThen—iUfDSxV
6T9ZCrack.Rl3RlKQ
SfYThe corrupted’s chest caved in and Fernan’s hand plunged inside. The man coughed up blood.m9E
n34tFernan poured holy water into the gaping hole in his chest.gXBbR
N0CQM“GUAAAAAAAARGH!”rqHk
uI69TThe scream was far more horrid than before.puGrq6
YH5IHe’d poured holy water directly into the mana heart, where the demonic energy was concentrated. Naturally, the clash triggered such a reaction.MTig
kwX“Thinking of self-destructing? You think I’ll fall for the same trick twice?”2WRkn
7PZtUEven if a corrupted tried to self-destruct, it wasn’t a big deal. They merely caused their demonic energy to go haywire. But if you completely removed that energy, it became impossible.wbXluBw
8iA“I came up with a fun idea. Maybe I can purify you.”CV1A
fIzo7Demons or monsters descending through magic were literally “Demons.” If he used enough holy water, they might be extinguished.8Ukrl4L
joZ0But the corrupted?tGN3
7AwgkfThey were creatures of this middle world. Insects who betrayed humanity by worshipping demons and receiving their power.N1d
4dN9CSince they weren’t original demons, if their demonic energy was eliminated repeatedly, wouldn’t only their original self remain?2TLP
jE0yW“Will you still stay loyal to the demons and stay silent?”GNZkr
SOn03tIt required an enormous amount of holy water, but that didn’t matter.1WQ29
1ekn6p“You can expect the worst. I recently got a huge supply.”j3uAWn
98hBM8Unfortunately, the corrupted had already passed out, foaming at the mouth and eyes rolled back. He didn’t hear a word.VPjG
kzf37V“A brilliant idea. Making him an ally from the start was a masterstroke.”s9VVcJc
K95I“If that holy water can purify the corrupted, it’ll be very useful.”uEkQA
i97jz“Maybe if we combine it with the Armian light power, we’ll get even better results.”LsW
K9aU“Hmm? Aint, why are you so pale?”satriK
D4BO“…It’s just that…”GaWwk
r9rsIHe couldn’t say that Fernan seemed more demonic than the actual demons.OlXV
BOTP5“Stop talking nonsense. You have someone more reliable than anyone, and you think that way.”5mb2MN
Ifnd“You still have a long way to go.”O0A
m46n5GhOf course, Gardner, who could read his mind, noticed instantly.S448RX
zIUxrCAnd that day, Aint felt Gardner more distant than ever.JDh03
Gl2R***cNGqc
sMMRFfScreeech.urvD
vbZPQHnAfter offering blood, the heavy door opened smoothly. Just beyond, a set of descending stairs revealed themselves.O2u1
wIpThey were long. About a hundred meters, give or take.fsCGLWb
m3GG8EFThey led from one underground level to an even deeper one, making it hard to gauge how deep the place truly was.NyL8n
JV299“Hey, are you sure I can enter here?”eY2nBMd
w4gzv83“Yes, don’t worry. You saved my life, after all.”8lr
cxv8OD“Well, if you say so…”fa2k4
gDLyETmAt the end of the stairs was a single door, and a short corridor stretched ahead. On both sides were several murals.0QY
77BYH5“This is…”WjQ
KXzHd“Demons.”ksFaoi
veGq1MC“Demons, huh?”tTtnE9
TiQoKgATen figures were painted on the mural, but they weren’t human. Despite being mere illustrations, they sent chills down the spine and stirred deep revulsion.3Mb97E
a6UgnEAint stopped in front of one with a humanoid form and a snake coiled around its arm.v40Xa
aueMx“This is Demon No. 72, Andromalius. The one next to him is Dantalion, number 71.”e36uM8A
eRrhdYoDantalion had a human form, but multiple heads, and held a book in one hand.pwC
X6h“But why are they looking at each other with such hate?”xDZRCO0
TXe8ZM“They don’t seem to get along.”IWOW
DXRAnd not just them. Every pair of demons portrayed looked at each other with clear hostility.ltGI5
dUTFg7t“The kid’s right. Not all demons get along.”IjRP
N9Inl“Just like humans have many kingdoms and factions, demons also group and compete.”pUc
wnvs“If the former emperor hadn’t taken advantage of that, he might not have defeated Colomo.”qMvZlIU
5iIxpVAfter walking past the corridor, they offered blood again, and another door opened. There, Aint found what he was seeking.PPM
nAHTrZA small artifact, white as snow, shaped like a fragment.gro
2poa“Is this part of the first emperor’s legacy? A fragment?”tCPIany
fmFqq“It’s an accessory. For that sword.”VkeaLi
ErGs“I see. Then I’ll take it.”mvU
9mqTjfAint nodded and stepped forward slowly.qC3Q
gEzW2“There’s a high-level barrier around it. Extend your sword. It will react and dissipate.”2vD
jeU3c83As soon as he extended it, a ripple spread. The invisible barrier faded like mist.BmGe2aT
tobp7RNClick, the fragment fit perfectly into a slot on the hilt.OrriL
mMZThe energy leaking from it made him hold his breath in awe.FeiD
BaRj“All done.”X0suDs0
5GY“But I feel kinda bad… He saved my life, and I’m the one getting this… I want to give him something.”HNx
ngUAs a poor descendant of the former imperial family, he had nothing to offer. Or rather, nothing that could satisfy Fernan.7Zge6
MjJ“No, you do have something that can satisfy me.”tZ7kPv
GRRFernan shook his head firmly.nnUvYV
6wwIhuZ“Huh?”FeLLrT
bWs“Would you really give me anything?”d55P
8N8F“…Yes. As long as it’s not this sword…”830bM
DijHj3“It’s not. It’s that over there.”uT1K
cyCFernan pointed upward. Aint looked up to follow his finger.XMs
mecJ3The ceiling. There was nothing but a few magic lamps embedded here and there.AZvVa
JyY“…Other than the magic lamps, there’s nothing there.”ypxSoCs
bNON“Exactly. That’s what I want.”r0REe
sJZisj“Huh?”CTD1E
RDkXnjY“Give me all the magic lamps installed in this dungeon. That’ll be enough.”Pvuwc
nLbp7pFrom the entrance to here, there were exactly one hundred. This dungeon was a real treasure trove.c7siffQ
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