Chapter 58

While Luina spent several days unable to sleep, tormented for having betrayed her honor.

Inside Fernan’s mind, the future was once again being projected.

[“People are acting strange!”

— It’s demonic magic! They’re infected with demonic magic!

“Are you saying the students made a contract with a demon?”

— No, that’s not it. If that were the case, there’s no way I wouldn’t know.]

When one vision from the book of prophecies ended, another followed. And this time was no exception.

[— It’s Andromalius! Damn lunatics, they’re summoning a demon in the middle of the academy!

“We have to stop them…!”]

The aura of a real demon, not of a corrupt or a demonic beast, was incomparable.

Just by existing, its mere presence unleashed a suffocating pressure and a sticky magic that terrified Aint.

“Haa, haa, haa…”

His heart pounded hard, and his breathing grew ragged.

— Are you alright?

Even so, Aint slapped his cheeks twice and forced himself to regain composure.

“I have to be. I came all the way here to stop that.”

It wasn’t that he was certain he could do it. But the sense of duty pushed him to act.

It wasn’t a matter of justice or of feeling chosen. If he didn’t stop it, everyone would die. The continent would be destroyed. His future would vanish too.

It was pure survival instinct.

There was also an inner conflict worthy of a hero.

[— It’s a branch of the World Tree! They’re using it as the main mana source of the summoning circle!

— Damn fools at the academy. When did they bring it here? No, how could they fail to guard something so important?]

[“Senior! What are you…?”

“Aint Armian. You said something once.”

That you wanted me to be your knight.

And I rejected it.

“It was out of pride. But not anymore. Now I know you. I know your cause.”

That’s why… this is my mission.]

[Luina charged at the demon Andromalius. Her blue sword shone brightly.

“No!”]

Fernan already knew some of those futures.

[“…Senior, senior!”

Watching Luina slowly collapse, Aint cried blood.

Then, the aura thought extinguished began to surge forth.

Driven by Aint’s rage, the aura gushed endlessly, like a spring that never runs dry.

— Aint, it’s dangerous!

It was the power of light sealed in his sword. Though his body couldn’t endure it, that no longer mattered.]

And there was also a new future, one he had never seen before, but that undoubtedly offered hope.

“Now it truly begins.”

Was he really going to face a demon?

Even Fernan couldn’t help feeling tense. And he also had a doubt.

“Yes. Aria Fridian is the one guarding the branch of the World Tree.”

Fernan rose from bed holding his head. He was drenched in sweat, as if he had bathed with his clothes on.

“Then, why was the academy annihilated in an instant, as if they knew nothing?”

Aria Fridian was supposed to become an ally of Aint. So there were only two possibilities.

Either she was a disguised corrupt infiltrating as an ally, or she was attacked by the corrupt and the branch of the World Tree was taken from her.

Considering that Aint had a way to detect the corrupt, the latter was more likely.

That was why, even though Fernan already knew it, he chose not to mention it.

After all, it was something that had to happen. And that would make Aint grow further.

Although he had sent Verian as backup, he never thought that would be enough to completely stop the corrupt.

“Did you wake up, young master?”

Knock knock, Hyde entered after opening the door.

“Are you alright? You’re drenched in sweat…”

“I just had a bad dream.”

“A pretty strong bad dream, it seems…”

“Never mind. What is it?”

“A letter arrived from Luina Bercheff.”

A reply?

Fernan opened the envelope sealed with the Bercheff family emblem.

[I’m sorry. I couldn’t keep my promise to guard the secret. I have no excuse.]

His brow furrowed at such an unpromising start.

[I had no choice but to tell my father everything. What is happening at the academy, about the demonic beasts and the corrupt.]

[I will take responsibility.]

She told him everything? And what if that altered the future and caused an unexpected outcome? And what if because of that Aint didn’t develop as in the prophecy?

A knight who broke a promise made under an oath of honor?

‘No. Calm down.’

Luina was an upright knight. If she broke her oath, she must have had a good reason. Fernan took a deep breath and continued reading.

[Do you remember why our house was in danger? The unprecedented invasion that devastated the fief. I didn’t know, but my father investigated thoroughly.]

[They were demonic creatures.]

…What?

Fernan clenched the letter tightly between his fingers.

[To the north, far beyond the Bercheff fief, traces of nests of demonic creatures were found. My father believes those creatures drove the monsters back. And I agree.]

“…So that’s it?”

From the first day he was struck by lightning and learned of the existence of the book of prophecies, two images had been burned deeply into him.

The fall of Fernan, and the massive advance of demonic creatures from the north.

“And that started just north of Bercheff…?”

Fernan felt ecstatic.

When you know the cause of a problem, you’ve already solved half of it. And the location was also ideal.

If the Bercheff fief, accustomed to fighting monsters, prepared thoroughly—

‘Perhaps they could stop the advance of the demonic creatures more easily than I imagined.’

Knowing this was already a huge breakthrough. Enough to forgive Luina for breaking her promise.

‘Although of course… I can’t let it go completely.’

The reason was understandable, but she herself had said she would pay the price.

What could he demand from her…?

“What did the letter say for your face to frown and then light up?”

“About the corrupt. But it’s not bad news.”

Fernan got up from bed.

“First, I need a bath. Bring me clothes.”

“Yes.”

“And get ready. I’m eager to know what’s happening.”

He had achieved everything he had set out to do upon returning home. Now it was time to return to the academy.

The moment of confrontation was drawing near.

On a large scale, this was merely the beginning.

But even so, it was the first time he would face a demon.

***

If one loses something, they also gain something else.

Varus ended up gravely injured by an unexpected variable, and someone unforeseen learned about the corrupt.

But he also gained valuable information from Luina.

“…I’m sorry.”

And although his trust in Luina cracked a little, at least he gained her guilt and regret.

Just as Fernan was unpacking his things in Ravidus Pavilion after returning to the academy, he received a visitor.

Luina Bercheff immediately bowed and offered an apology.

“Not keeping the promise, regardless of the reason, was my mistake.”

“At least you’re aware of it.”

Truthfully, if Fernan had been in her place, he couldn’t guarantee that he would have kept the secret either. In fact, he himself had told his father first.

But that was one thing, and this another. There was no reason not to take advantage of the weakness someone offered voluntarily.

Much less if that person was a future Royal Knight.

“I won’t blame you for now. But I don’t know what I’ll ask of you later.”

“Whatever it is, if it’s within my reach, I’ll accept it.”

“Good.”

Fernan closed the matter for now and changed the subject.

“And what does the Border Marquis of Bercheff plan to do now?”

“For now, only a few monsters have been detected, so he wants to conduct a more thorough investigation.”

Does he plan to gather all the necessary evidence before revealing everything?

Either way, if a demon is summoned, it can no longer be kept secret. As long as he reveals it after that, it doesn’t matter.

“I see. It’s possible that there will soon be a battle.”

“Are you referring to what you mentioned in the letter?”

“Yes.”

Though in truth it was a lie. It wasn’t about the corrupt, but a demon.

“It’s a creature unlike anything before. It won’t be easy, so you’d better prepare yourself mentally.”

He didn’t bother correcting it. There was only a one-letter difference between “demon” and “corrupt,” but the weight it carried was completely different.

If Luina found out it was a demon, she would surely try to seek outside help rather than resolve it with her own strength.

Either the academy or her family.

And that would be a natural reaction. That was why it had to be hidden until the end.

“Yes.”

Luina nodded, full of determination.

‘Even if I’m a bit worried, surely we’ll be able to stop it.’

Even if it was a demon, the prophecy indicated that Aint could face it without issue. Perhaps because the summoning was improvised.

For the sake of the future, that being had to be defeated by Aint, with his own hands.

‘Although there’s something that doesn’t add up.’

Most likely, the corrupt were moving so stealthily because their preparation wasn’t yet complete. That’s why the demon Andromalius was defeated by Aint, who hadn’t even fully matured.

But why would they do something as risky as summoning an incomplete demon?

‘It must be because Aint’s growth was faster than they expected.’

At least, in the original story, it must have been like that. In fact, several attempts to kill Aint had failed.

‘But that doesn’t change anything.’

Andromalius would be summoned. Aint would kill him.

And thus he would become a hero, grow stronger, and eventually end all the demons.

That was the future.

***

Meanwhile.

Verian stared at the sky with a blank mind.

‘What was it I was going to do…?’

Lately, he often had these moments, where he completely blanked out.

‘Am I getting old? I keep forgetting things…’

He had never heard of anyone having mental lapses at twenty years old.

“Ah.”

He saw the clock on one of the walls. 2:10 p.m. Then he remembered he had summer semester class at 3.

“Right, I was going to class… Or was I already on my way? Still 50 minutes left…”

And at that moment, his gaze drifted forward. He saw Aria, with a similar expression, staring blankly at her liquor cup.

“…What are you doing here?”

“I don’t know. What am I doing here?”

Verian and Aria looked at each other with dumb expressions.

“You both have dead fish eyes.”

“…Huh?”

“Fernan, senior? What are you doing here?”

Both human and elf tilted their heads in confusion.

“What are you idiots doing here when I was the one who called you? Do you have sardine memory?”

Fernan extended his hand and picked up two notes on the table.

[To the tea room.]

Notes he himself had sent them.

“Ah, right, we came to see you…”

“Now that you say it, I also…”

The two looked at each other and frowned.

“…No way.”

And then Fernan understood the gravity of the situation.

***

A few weeks before Fernan and Luina’s return to the academy.

Verian Kalburdern was quietly drinking a glass of liquor.

He was one of the few students who had stayed at the academy during the holidays.

‘There’d be no point in going home if I have nothing to show for redemption.’

After losing a duel he shouldn’t have lost, only exile remained for him.

It was a form of escape, but he had no alternative.

“So you didn’t go back?”

“Yeah.”

Verian took a sip of his beer.

Luckily, there was a good excuse—the summer semester offered by the academy.

He sent a letter saying he’d use the defeat to push himself harder and stayed.

“Sounds like a child’s excuse.”

“…And why did you stay?”

“Who knows.”

The orange-haired elf, Aria, chewed a cracker with cured ham and cheese, resting her chin on her hand. The salty bitterness wasn’t bad.

“Just because?”

Her official reason was her friendship with the new spiritual magic professor. The real reason, to protect the Branch of the Mother Tree.

“By the way, I wanted to get close to Aint, but in the end, the one I talked to most was you.”

It wasn’t entirely coincidence.

Almost no one stayed at the academy during holidays, so interaction among the few who remained was inevitable.

‘The Kalburdern family isn’t bad.’

They weren’t an elector family, but they were one of the great noble houses just behind them. Vast domain, many forces, and reputation.

Being close brought more advantages than disadvantages.

“You too with Aint? What does he have that I don’t?”

“Skill.”

“…I lost, so I’ll acknowledge it.”

Verian accepted with a frown.

“And lineage.”

“Come on, my family is way better than the ruined Armian house.”

“But it’s not an elector house.”

“Damn electors…!”

Yes, the title of elector carried too much weight.

It wasn’t just prestige, but real power. There was an unscalable wall between electors and the rest of the nobles.

Especially Armian, who, though weakened, was still revered by the people. Some even said that was why Schwaben hadn’t changed the empire’s name.

“But it doesn’t seem like you get along badly with Aint, despite all that.”

“That’s…!”

“Anyway, you’re isolated in your faculty, and so is Aint. I just want you two to overcome that difficulty together.”

“It’s important you know I have a recording orb containing your moment of corruption.”

Because the one holding his collar wanted it to happen.

“Aint Armian is already chasing the corrupt. If you stay close to him, sooner or later you’ll run into the one who turned you into one.”

But it wasn’t only because of that.

Vengeance.

Verian wanted to find the one responsible for his corruption and make him pay.

“…You’re mistaken.”

He couldn’t tell her the truth, so he just denied and drank again.

“If you say so.”

“Thanks for your understanding.”

Damn elves, how I hate them.

‘Though maybe I should have gone home, even if just to be scolded…’

Verian swallowed his anxiety along with the beer.

“Ah, by the way, can you come with me to the forest later?”

“To the forest?”

“Yes, you asked me why I stayed, right? Well, it turns out a branch of the Mother Tree is planted here, and I’m protecting it.”

“…What?”

The sudden revelation left him dumbfounded.

“Are you sure you can tell me that?”

“I shouldn’t. But it seems that branch is having problems. I’ll need help.”

“And why me?”

“Fernan said I could trust you.”

“…What?”

Aria smiled and leaned in a little.

“Corruption.”

She whispered softly.

“He said that if I said that, you’d help without asking questions.”

“…Fernan Pellenberg, damn bastard!”

“You have such foul language for talking about a senior. I’m going to tell him everything.”

“Do whatever you want…!”

Wait a second.

“So you also know about the corrupt…?”

“I got tired of fighting monsters. Now I’m an experienced heroine.”

“…What kind of nonsense is that?”

What else?

“It’s my way of telling you that I might need your help.”

Aria shrugged.

“Am I your dog to help whenever you want?”

“And you’re not going to help me?”

“Damn it…”

Verian cursed.

He was so frustrated with his situation that he almost broke down crying.