Chapter 73

Fernan returned to his dormitory and began writing down everything he remembered from the vision.

“I can make a rough guess as to which castle it is.”

There had been plenty of clues—the height of the walls, the people who were with him, even the vast plain directly in front.

“The Knights of the Iron Cross. A wall about twenty meters tall. And a great plain stretching out in front of the castle. It was blackened by demonic energy, but before that it must have been very fertile land.”

The Knights of the Iron Cross belonged to the Kingdom of Frazia. And in Frazia, there were only seven castles with walls higher than twenty meters.

‘From those, I need to find the one with a plain in front.’

If there were multiple candidates, he could send people to sketch them or record their images into spheres to check which one matched.

‘The problem is the date.’

No matter how accurately he identified the place, if the timing was wrong, it would all be ruined.

‘There was no rain or snow.’

Whether due to the miasma or the nature of the prophecy itself, he couldn’t feel the temperature of the surroundings.

But he could deduce some things from the people’s clothing.

‘It’s definitely not summer.’

Summer in Frazia was sweltering, yet no one on the wall seemed to be sweating.

‘Nor winter.’

No one wore heavy clothing.

‘Spring… or maybe autumn.’

No, spring.

If it were autumn, the crops in the plain should have been ripe for harvest, but there was nothing.

‘Don’t tell me it’s next spring…’

That would mean only six months away.

Fernan tried to stifle the growing sense of unease.

‘The Shadow Spear Mercenaries and Varus Dene were present.’

Both seemed to be in full condition.

To see Varus Dene on the battlefield, when he was still convalescing now, implied that a considerable amount of time had already passed.

‘Wouldn’t six months be enough? Wait…’

In the original story, Varus Dene hadn’t been injured. That had changed because of Fernan’s interference.

‘If we remove Varus from the equation…’

Aint also looked different. More mature. His hair a little longer.

But that too could change in six months.

‘Damn it! Why doesn’t it show the outcome? Why cut the vision at the most important moment?’

If at least the prophecy had shown Aint winning, as it had with Andromalius, he wouldn’t be so anxious.

‘No, surely he wins.’

The last image he had seen that stormy day was Aint fighting to the very end against the demons.

Or so it was supposed to be.

But Andromalius’s level had already been far higher than expected. His method and timing of summoning had also varied.

Couldn’t the same happen with this new demon? Could Aint really defeat him?

Since the future had diverged, there were no absolute answers. Only uncertainty.

‘I’ll have to prepare as best as I can and drop some hints to Aint.’

That was the best he could do for now.

‘Because if the Kingdom of Frazia falls, the next will be the Empire.’

And in the continent of Pandrein, under imperial rule, lay—

The Ducal House of Pellenberg.

Even though the distance between Frazia and the duchy was greater than that between many kingdoms, the possibility always remained.

“That absolutely cannot happen…”

No matter what, he couldn’t allow that demon to leave Frazia. It had to be stopped there.

“That cannot happen, sir?”

“Hyde? What are you doing here all of a sudden?”

Fernan cleared his throat while smoothing out his wrinkled clothes.

“You called me. You said you had something to assign me.”

“Ah. That’s right.”

“Are you feeling alright?”

“I’m fine. Contact the Golden Pillar headquarters in the Kingdom of Frazia immediately.”

Golden Pillar was Fernan’s private intelligence network. The same one he had used to persuade his father during the Luina affair.

“Frazia, suddenly?”

“Find a castle with walls over twenty meters high and a plain in front.”

“A castle…?”

The order was so abrupt that Haide tilted his head in confusion.

Fernan couldn’t say he had seen a demonic prophecy, so he improvised.

“Yes. The rector shared some clues about the corrupted. One of them was a drawing of a castle.”

“Understood! I’ll send it right away.”

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hyde disappeared.

Fernan rubbed his face and took a deep breath, trying to calm his pounding heart.

For now, there wasn’t much else he could do. He just had to wait.

So for now—

“It’s time to make money. A war requires plenty of funds.”

It was time to return to his real work.

As he put on clothes to head to the guild, his eyes were filled with a single intention—
to empty the pockets of all the festival’s visitors.

“…Ah, I had class.”

Damn it.

Just when he had reached the guild’s entrance, he was forced to turn back toward the academy.

***

“…Then, with this, I declare the Festival of the Founding Day open.”

Bam bam bam bam!

After seven rounds of “lastly,” the rector finally made his declaration. The orchestra, already prepared, began playing a majestic piece.

Magical fireworks burst into the sky, competing with each other over who shone the brightest.

Waaaaaaah!

“It’s the festival!”

“Ten days without classes!”

Some ran off to find their families, others went with friends, and others dove straight into the bustling streets.

The students scattered like fish in water.

The festival had begun.

The Academy Festival adopted a completely non-interventionist stance: it only provided a general guide and left students to organize their own activities. How to enjoy it was each person’s choice.

“This year the Academy really spent a lot…”

The decorations were more dazzling than ever, the stages and contests were fully scheduled, and every night there were fireworks and magical shows.

For Fernan, all of that was excellent.

All the supplies and preparations went through the Golden Turtle Guild.

Much of the money spent by the Academy ended up in his coffers.

“And you’re not going to participate in anything, sir?”

“I’m here to make money.”

Taking advantage of the high season was more important than competing in any tournament.

“Let’s go to the betting hall.”

Fernan had built a temporary building next to the arenas of the magic tournament and the jousting tournament. He turned it into his betting center.

On the walls hung giant charts with the matchups from the preliminaries. Anyone could bet.

Upon entering, the air was thick with the heat and excitement of the crowd. Even though the venue was spacious, it was packed, which brought a satisfied smile to Fernan’s face.

“Full on the first day…”

Everyone dreams of getting rich overnight, and here it was legal.

Some despised gambling, but even they were swept up by the festival atmosphere and placed small bets.

Fernan made his way to the charts with the names.

“Number of participants: 256 in the jousting, 128 in the magic tournament.”

The Academy limited the slots, so it was always the same. Before, both had 256, but participation in magic was low, so they cut it in half.

“Ah, senior? Did you also come to bet?”

Someone tapped his shoulder. It was Aria Fridian, the elf, with her usual bright smile.

“An elf betting…”

“Elves and betting go hand in hand. Want me to give you a tip? Surely you don’t know the first-years well.”

“There’s no one I don’t know.”

Fernan shook his head as he read the paper Aria was holding.

[Magic Tournament – Round of 128]
Aria Fridian vs. Keldrick Erimis
Bet: Aria Fridian – 10 gold coins

“You’re very confident.”

“I’m the vice-representative of the Magic Department, don’t forget. You should bet on me. It’s the safest way to win.”

“Hm.”

Fernan shrugged. But of course, he already planned to bet on her.

The prophecy book showed him who would reach the round of sixteen. That was 32 people across the two tournaments.

Aint, Luina, Verian, Aria… even Carlo.

Although the future had shifted slightly due to his influence, they were all still included. At least until that stage, there should be no surprises.

Fernan took 32 tickets and bet the maximum of 10 gold coins on each.

“Are these your picks, senior? Can I copy them?”

“If you pay the commission.”

“…Isn’t that a bit abusive?”

“Anyone who wants information must pay.”

“…Seen that way, it makes sense.”

Aria thought for a few seconds, then nodded. Fernan wouldn’t bet randomly.

And if those people won, paying a commission was better than missing the chance.

“Perfect!”

Aria copied the remaining 31 sheets.

After finishing, Fernan left the hall and walked through the streets.

“Hyde, make your bets the same as mine.”

“Me too?”

“You and all the employees. I’ll give them the money. They keep half the profits. I don’t think anyone will say no.”

Who would refuse free money?

“We can’t touch guild funds.”

“I’ll provide the money. Have them sign a contract.”

“Understood.”

Hyde nodded without asking questions.

‘Too bad the limit per round is only 10 coins.’

But there was no helping it. The place existed to liven up the festival, not as a serious casino.

‘We need more staff…’

The Academy branch only had about a hundred employees.

“Call all the freelancers from Golden Pillar. Have them do the same.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And also the students sponsored by Pellenberg.”

“Even them?”

“Money is made when it can be. We must take advantage.”

Guild funds and his personal money were not the same thing.

“Will you return to headquarters then?”

“No. I’m going to take a walk around the festival. I also want to check on my shops.”

He meant the businesses run under Golden Pillar.

Three hours later.

After confirming that his ten shops and inns were packed, Fernan returned to the Guild headquarters smiling.

“Tomorrow I’ll start seeing the important guests.”

Many nobles and powerful guild leaders had come.

Fernan planned to attend the banquets and build connections.

Especially—

“Hyde, get me the list of those who came from the Kingdom of Frazia.”

“Frazia?”

Fernan had in mind the nobles of that kingdom.

‘If I can secure connections with Frazia, I’ll be able to intervene better. Even if it’s just getting some cooperation.’

It was essential to stop the demon.

But the next day—

“Senior! Two of your bets failed! Well, you got thirty right, so it’s not bad, is it? In duels the strongest doesn’t always win.”

“…”

Fernan hadn’t expected that.

Sure, anyone could have a bad day and lose to a weaker opponent.

With others, that would be normal.

But not with the 32 he had chosen.

‘One of the ones who was supposed to reach the round of sixteen got eliminated in preliminaries?’

Something was very wrong.

The future had changed.

And he was about to lose money.

A cold sweat trickled down his forehead.