Chapter 70
IuFO7Early in the morning, Fernan was reviewing reports while drinking coffee.Ji6Wa
AfCh“I thought I knew everything about you, young master, but lately I don’t understand you in the slightest.”tmQj
4VJOne of the reports dealt with the current state of the search for the corrupted within the academy.48f7
FDd‘They were very well hidden…’z7LzzI
e4W8Three bases discovered. Twelve corrupted captured or eliminated.VCLb3c
nAk“A demon, a demon! Nothing else, a demon! Did you not even consider the possibility that a demon could be summoned while you were fighting the corrupted?”ZtoLCm
CgNWhen had they begun to nest inside the academy? Their number far exceeded any expectation.3OMVqP
cLyLqwU‘If that’s only what has been uncovered, I don’t even want to imagine how much more there is.’uFqGG
75X7AeFernan did not believe that those were all the infiltrators within the academy.J0A5c
ymncH4A“If not for Aint Armian and the others, you would have died. No, in fact, you are dead.”9mNo
ozuFrom all he had lived through until now, it was clear that the power and stealth of the corrupted were far greater than had been thought.LCt
UeP5vh“You are not someone who acts out of a sense of justice, so why on earth are you doing this? Please, come to your senses!”iUgj4B1
1sxDWhat they had shown until now was too much for him to think a single incident would be enough to eliminate them.8mr5y
6j0Ob‘The Rising Moon Bookstore? That was where Bella Hoenne was infected with demonic magic.’IrJb
ExX0He remembered not finding anything strange at that time. The ability of the corrupted to hide terrified him.evBid
GBs4“And don’t assign me any more tasks, please. Even if you order it, I won’t do it.”CzG
4D3WvOAnd even more terrifying was the academy, which had managed to find that.r1V53T
g0E‘I suppose an archmage is an archmage.’IOw8ds
wHofjdFNot even searching desperately had they found anything, and yet he did it in one strike.GXq
UgqOf course, it wasn’t only the rector’s merit. There was a big difference between openly mobilizing the whole academy and conducting a secret search.hLenY
6rB“I am your official escort, sir. Do you realize the fright I got when I learned you had fought against a demon without me?”G4RgXLB
jp5yYFinally, Fernan, who had been ignoring him, spoke.3Tn1n
mdUCxc“Are you going to keep going on like this much longer?”bngNWC
qo8z48“This is going to take me months. You have no sense of danger.”rt3c
gLwrVGk“I also know I was in danger. But it was pure bad luck. Come on, who would expect a demon to be summoned inside the academy?”8z2H9Ff
zNmWG“Then why did you leave me behind?”2S8Ugz
n4qwo“From now on, wherever I go, I’ll go with you. Satisfied?”CC7
zcsgTHF“…It seems insufficient, but I accept.”jQd
6D4Hyde nodded with a clearly displeased expression.KQHuLN
ixAFrom Fernan’s point of view, it felt a little unfair to be blamed.kPC0E
j3jIcHe was not like Aint, someone with a great sense of justice. He was a practical man who valued money and his life.scZi
jiX82yDAll this had been a monumental misfortune. If he had known that a demon would appear, of course he would have brought Hyde. Just as he did when transporting the branch of the World Tree.zmfzOu
7NBD“A letter has arrived from the duke.”Wwlz41
4hCw0pr“Give it to me.”azC5
X7oeYOpFernan opened it.EIEBmQ5
2B31C“I received the recording crystal you sent me. It was a real demon. Andromalius, the seventy-second demon. His presence could be felt even through the crystal—chilling. And seeing Aint Armian and Luina Bercheff face him, I am beginning to understand your decisions.”2cmQNyw
jobWhen Fernan had shown him proof of the corrupted, the duke had decided to fight evil alongside him, but that didn’t mean he understood everything.mSdDd
XiqAn1Luina Bercheff.ahk3Mk
NW1jnHe had only turned a blind eye to Fernan’s decisions out of convenience, given the business of the magical crystal mine. He still thought Fernan had been mistaken.uuS
ttJLe51But now that he had seen the recording, he thought differently.Vt9j8Y
PjFC4JWhat he had once believed to be a flimsy excuse now seemed like true talent that justified it.Ulb1
dsXT“Sir Amod said that he surpassed his own self at that age. And in a sense, you have a better eye than I do for recognizing people.”S3S0
l4TxI7After acknowledging his judgment came the words Fernan had longed to read.K7l
QlmI“As for anything related to demons, act first and report later. As long as you have justified reasons, it will not be considered an abuse of authority.”cYx4
0qP585KBut not all was good news.x2o
2Ev1b“Although, it seems there are parts of the recording that are incomplete. According to Lord Duleo, there are no signs of tampering, so you must have recorded it that way from the start. I can imagine what you concealed, so I won’t ask.”uLSv
0VrqwGo“But there is something I cannot ignore, so I will ask you: as soon as the recess began, you returned home and immediately focused on building a golem. As if something were chasing you.”x33
aGCoThe duke had reconstructed the events with precision.MSG
pLD“Fernan Pellenberg, you knew that a demon was going to manifest, didn’t you?”4ami
Pf7Cmh“……”TdQCrA
2MNXX“You used my artisans, my facilities, and didn’t even pay. What a shameless act. I look forward to the next recess. We have much to discuss.”qUEf
i9BycHvFernan swallowed dryly.tHB7cZ
yk6a…How on earth was he going to justify that?wCM
O7fPA chill ran down his spine.qgr
SRPPA5d***ooGL
1ABsdeU“Are you going to participate in the jousting tournament?”lpfqT
nON“Yes.”pt3Dwi
VrHFernan, with two cups of coffee, sat down in front of Luina, who was filling out the form. Despite the looks around them, they quickly dissipated; perhaps because she was already used to it.xq8
UGT9M9o“And? Do you think you can win this time?”WPHMdE
4yJXH“I have the confidence that I won’t lose to anyone.”LAV
hPMyv“Not even against Rob Kaelin?”IaQ
Wza78“Yes.”98ja
EimLuina nodded firmly.G1JlNh
CNjTSRob Kaelin was the top student of the fourth year in the Department of Knights.VsXN3
7KSPIt was unfortunate, but not every year produced talents equally. In fact, the fourth-year generation was particularly weak compared to others.Klz9xy
MeR5Rob Kaelin was the only standout who saved the honor of his class.72yyVa
LGKV3“Last year you reached the round of sixteen, right?”7omu0v
TmcwZ9“I lost against Sir Rob in that round.”NVWR
HBSQGc“Almon fell in the round of thirty-two.”nlXwb
irj“He also ran into Sir Rob.”Uaq3EWk
QIxmqVThat was the misfortune of both. Two monsters above first-year level faced an even greater monster and couldn’t advance further, though they deserved to.hbb0F
pGj“And this time?”jkYaW7
7hzR71I“Of course.”YPq11
qujWV8The Luina of now was very different from the one last year.pTp
csyP8AQFrom the small gains through time and training, to the battle against the corrupted and demons, and even the elixir Fernan had given her—everything had raised her level enormously.7A6nPe
kdTjrso“And you, aren’t you going to participate in the magic tournament?”Elp
TzvMR“There’s no need.”ZpL
MNwPyX4“I really don’t understand you…”sVHS9a
e4gSFLuina’s face tensed slightly.SqE
5FBwf“…This coffee is so bitter.”UN7V
xed“I ordered it bitter on purpose. I brought something that goes well with it.”LxDav
jiOoUMBIt was chocolate. A fine, elegant sweet, smooth and refreshing at the same time.DXIO6uf
r9Zy9f“…What’s this?”v3FBj3
tGoI“Chocolate made with bark from the World Tree. I bought it from Aria. Elves eat it very sweet.”KzG
IQW8And it was true. Although so sweet it numbed the tongue, it melted gently in the mouth. The combination with the bitter coffee was excellent.H4Q6qvu
T8k0eU“This is very valuable… Thank you. But why don’t you participate?”AXDIB
8z1rmRU“Why are you asking?”53g8k7
GtRN7e“Because it’s a pity. You already got first place, isn’t it useless to keep hiding your abilities?”KclsP
dDVG“You’re right, partly.”YRYTac
ZSqwbIf he had hidden them from the beginning, it could be understood, but Fernan was already the center of attention as the top student.fCOy
kOtuJojEven if he paired with Luina in class, his position wasn’t at risk, so participating or not in the tournament wouldn’t change anything.Ft8g3t
frAl7ZHowever.V3J
IHJbs“Luina Bercheff. You’re overlooking something important.”ul7XT
ncG8BK“What?”BUIkUa
atZQ“In the magic tournament, it’s forbidden to use artifacts and scrolls.”sfCy
ObSMSMO“……”c0ssKl
LBxwtDThough Fernan wasn’t weak without them, it was undeniable that much of his performance came from equipment bought with money.r1gCh
lSOwEpI“So don’t worry about me and focus on doing well yourself. I trust you.”MFlibD
ADp“…You trust me?”xdU
HPb0a“Yes. I believe you’re going to win.”2VU4
q7ml4Those words made Luina pause for a moment. Then, regaining her composure, she asked.pn7tmX0
rwGph“…Are you going to bet money on me?”BS6RjxR
CYrFB“If I win thanks to you, of course I’ll give you a share.”zCCg38
54vShe knew it.Wz6q
CbiHcWLuina let out an empty laugh.xCZzD
Ttf“Then I’d like you to deduct part of my family’s debt.”qkElN
cGYd7Even if it wasn’t much, everything helps.s0hFR
sKL“Of course.”sezs4v
m7iYFernan smiled confidently. That was how Luina remembered it.hAODK
wbhJKKAfter that, they only talked about trivial things before parting.gIbc
XIouBut even so—gYW
0b1“Aina, Bella. Let’s go again.”RK9JB
gE6bPerhaps because she felt the weight of those expectations, even knowing it was all for money.eoO97
mBF“Again?”bPQ
96AQSx“You’re going to kill me…!”Wvk00
eyl7Luina felt a surge of motivation for no clear reason.DTPyO
QkfEfNShe wanted to return the favor. Whatever the reason, Fernan had given her much.ylF
Nov7ND“I’m going.”O3S
fiUL“W-wait!”6do
D2dLh9“You’re way too focused!”nsocAt
pTqDCThe hand that held the sword gripped tightly.pgkZ9
SChoo***qDRBu
HX9bOybCentral region of the Empire.kKQnCi2
ZHWTerritory that was once the Kingdom of Armian, ruled by the family of the same name, but now belonged to the Duchy of Schwaben.8LJmO
BEIThere was the headquarters of a fairly famous organization.iE3
lRk9I“…Corrupted?”uMfhIj
8SucxZThe man rubbed his eyes and checked the report again. But what it said hadn’t changed.pww
RNu4dzu“Have corrupted truly appeared?”Z5U
qEY“Yes, that’s correct.”6Dn707
17DPAkThose who sold their souls to demons to gain power. Corrupted, demon worshippers, dogs of hell, traitors of humanity—they were called many things, but nowadays they were simply known as the cursed.Z33Jr8
fgXKCkc“Could this be another forgery? If we get caught again, we’re finished…”czMCS
olPZn“It’s a direct report. Please read it carefully.”dIMzE59
CSyA1“A report? Is it from someone reliable?”CJv2
YIA0ESince the disappearance of the demons, the corrupted had also been eliminated or gone into hiding due to imperial persecution. They were believed extinct for centuries.4ZfRYy
siFg“Yes. It was submitted by Mikale Montella.”ua8bsMX
fNWZeKz“Mikale Montella?”vrq
Z7wMThe man’s eyes widened.9RZ
kqY“The rector of the academy?”y97
v5V7KBH“And an archmage.”IYllYX
M8GHZ“Really?”WuqNso1
PZ1“Completely true.”LaNS
f0o“A man like that wouldn’t send a false report out of boredom.”MNJEiGz
1nD“Definitely not. The corrupted were discovered inside the academy.”RkOok
35oX“Ha…!”RK5m
78fNs8HNow understanding the situation, the man began to read the report thoroughly.rtC3v
hP5BIs“The cursed attacked students inside the academy…?”amZn
DbDB“And not only that. They had infiltrated the entire academy.”IZ5pGn
DJRmP8“Those damned bastards…! They’ve lost all fear. How dare they in the academy…?”2T3biFo
KHiDdThe man exploded with rage. But both his eyes and his smile contradicted him.bg9
p9eBvE7“If there is scum threatening the future of the Empire, we cannot stand idly by, right?”nLu1m
6KjLa“Of course not.”8zlQRi
5Uhql“Can you imagine the fear the students felt? Those worms sold their souls to a demon.”Ba4NP
Nge70Fh“They must all be exterminated.”EDKS
S7hEJi“Exactly. For things like this, experts are needed.”xVp
GgXwCMuLike us.lXPhUy
b4sThe man’s smile widened.4cNxGY
eq23“Find a ship. We’re going to the academy. We must protect our poor, frightened students.”XUL
F2UGThose who prospered when demons existed.H1P
cLD72CThose who even wished they would return.Yec
r11yMeThe Empire called them the Inquisitors.YhLY5Se
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