Chapter 91

Waaaah!

Kill them all!

Monsters, watch out!

Smoke was rising everywhere.

Arrows and magic flew, mixing with screams and howls.

What awaited the students upon returning from the desert were relentless hordes of monsters and demons assaulting the wall.

They easily numbered over two hundred.

Vision spun, ears rang, the sense of smell dulled.

This was the battlefield.

This was war.

The future that humanity now faced with the return of the demons.

Roaar!

A giant scorpion climbed the wall, brandishing its stinger, but an avalanche of rocks crushed it.

Its shell cracked and its head burst open, falling lifeless beyond the walls.

Fernan turned his gaze forward.

Even amidst that chaos, two lights shone brightly.

Aint Armian, the hero of light, natural enemy of demons, as the prophecy said.

And Luina Bercheff, the future Royal Knight recognized by the first Royal Knight.

Fernan smiled in satisfaction.

Their growth was the world’s future.

The more monsters and demons they defeated, the closer peace would be.

‘I’ll just have to collect the crumbs that fall from that.’

Crumbs that came from demons and the prophetic book itself.

With that, Fernan Pellenberg would raise a golden fortress no one would dare challenge.

“The numbers are strange.”

Eyclrad—one of the seven fortresses of the wall, the foremost, always on the front line.

Naturally, it was the most populated and the one that faced the most battles.

But now, the attackers were few.

In total, barely a dozen demons.

The reason was clear.

The Corruptor Bairan, who had been directing the artificial monster waves, had been captured.

Without him, the hordes were disorganized.

‘So the plan to destroy the Pasa Bell was canceled?’

That had been Bairan’s true objective.

But after the purge of Corruptors carried out by the Academy recently, this assault seemed like a desperate attempt to draw attention before the fall.

‘If the Bell was going to be destroyed, the prophecy would have mentioned it.’

So it wouldn’t be now.

With the leader fallen, everything would soon quiet down.

In fact, this had been one of the most “peaceful” events in the prophecy. Aint hadn’t just defeated a Corruptor, but also gained the support of the desert clans.

Perfect. Even better.

— Kyu!

“Easy.”

— Kuoooh!

Fernan looked at Wooden, his little golem, who whined as if he’d lost his homeland.

‘I’ll find him a secluded place during vacation so he can vent on some monsters.’

‘By the way, Ludger… that venomous gaze…’

He had noticed the same thing: that Aint had recovered the secret art of the Armian family.

That could no longer be hidden.

And now it would truly begin Ludger, and the Schwaben family, would keep watch and test him.

Fernan had three paths.

1. Actively support Aint against Schwaben.

2. Help him discreetly, avoiding direct confrontation.

3. Not intervene.

The third wasn’t an option.

If Aint fell, the future of the world would collapse with him.

‘The best would be to keep my distance and only step in for truly dangerous matters. Aint can handle the rest.’

Boom!

An orc nearly knocked Fernan over, but Luina rammed into it and hurled it over the wall like it had been hit by a cart.

“What the hell were you thinking!”

“My mind was elsewhere.”

“And you say that so casually?”

“There was no danger. I’m always carrying defensive artifacts.”

His rings and bracelets overflowed with protective magic. The orc’s rusty axe would never have touched him.

“Thanks, anyway.”

“…That sounds like you’re giving me a medal.”

Fernan was about to reply when a headache pierced him.

Another vision from the prophecy.

[─────!

A crash shook the city of Artc.

Demons surged from underground and attacked the people.

“Monsters!”

“Run!”

“How did they get in?”

The alarm bells rang all over Artc.

Chaos spread through the streets, flames erupted at every corner, and no one noticed the suspicious movement headed for the Pasa Bell.]

That was it.

The real target was the Pasa Bell.

[The surprise was total.

Never in all its history had the capital of Altrierc suffered a monster invasion.

And it happened on the day the Academy students returned from their mission.

“An attack?”]

“It’s an explosion!”

— Demons, demons!

The first to sense the wave of magic was Gardner.

While the students, led by the professors, deployed in the city to combat the beasts, Gardner detected a different presence.

— An unusually strong magic… it’s coming from that direction.

──!

The blast was so loud it hurt his eardrums. In that instant, he understood.

— It’s a decoy!

— The Pasa Bell! The Bell is in danger!

— The monster wave is just a distraction—the true objective is the Bell!

The Corruptors’ plan was nearly perfect.

With most of the army at the wall and the population in panic, Artc was poorly defended.

There was just one thing they didn’t account for.

Aint Armian and his sword, Gardner Alfenparsen.

“You won’t succeed, filthy Corruptor!”

“Aint Armian? Here already?”

Aint’s sword fell like lightning, forcing the Corruptor to retreat.

“Arrogant insect! Fine, better this way. I regretted not finishing you, but you came to hell on your own.”

Magic exploded around. Though weakened by Aint’s light, it was still immense.

He could barely withstand it, and his body accumulated wounds.

Then, another sword pierced the tangle of energy and sliced through the magic tentacles like paper.

“And who are you?”

“The instructor.”

It was Professor Grad, who had followed Aint, concerned for his recklessness.

***

The vision from the prophetic book continued, all centered on the Bell of Pasa—how the Corrupt tried to destroy it, how they opened the way for beasts into the city, and how they failed.

The bell was protected by seals much stronger than expected.

And with Grad as a variable, the plan collapsed from the root.

‘It was directly connected… and resolved without my intervention.’

Fernan understood when he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Luina’s face, with those aquamarine-blue eyes.

“…Are you okay?”

“I am.”

He could now endure the pain without letting it show on his face.

Though the cold sweat gave him away.

“It’s nothing.”

“How can you say that while sweating like this? Are you sure it’s not serious?”

“The healers from my family diagnosed me. There’s no problem. And if I’m sweating, it’s because of the heat.”

“Summer ended weeks ago. What a poor excuse.”

“There! A monster!”

Swish!

Luina sliced a giant scorpion in two.

That was the last creature. The battle had ended.

The students’ mission also came to an end.

“You’ve all worked hard. I’m sure this has been the most valuable experience of your time at the Academy.”

And he was right. What other student could boast of having fought Corrupt, lived among desert clans, and experienced their festival?

“Rest today. Tomorrow, we will report to His Excellency and return to Artc. From there, via transport circle, straight to the Academy. Any questions?”

“None.”

The students slept in their assigned lodgings and departed at dawn, now escorted by the Knights of Luminous Blood. Everything seemed calm.

‘When I return, I’ll have a lot to do… investigating Gissemond, for example…’

The journey passed without incident—until they crossed the gates of Artc.

***

Ding, ding, ding—

The alarm bells rang out.

“Attack!”

“They’re demons!”

Kyaaa! Grahhh!

Monsters’ howls and human screams mixed. Smoke rose from several parts of the capital.

“An attack?”

“The capital, under attack?”

The gates were shut, soldiers tried to control the crowd.

The students entered with the knights, and by then most of it seemed under control: bodies in the streets, but contained damage.

At least, that’s how it seemed—until—

──────!

A sound like never before shook the entire city.

“Aaagh!”

“My ears!”

Fernan fell to his knees, clutching his head. The pain was unbearable, a high-pitched ringing filled his mind.

A firm hand held him up.

“Are you alright?”

It was Luina, enduring the shock with a hardened expression.

“…What the hell was that?”

“Like someone struck a bell…”

“…Bell?”

Fernan froze.

“Magic! I sense magic!”

Aint ran off. The scene matched the prophecy word for word.

A bad feeling stabbed Fernan in the chest, and he followed immediately.

***

When they arrived, the knights were holding back the crowd.

The buildings nearby had collapsed, people were crying and screaming.

But the important part was the center of the plaza.

“….”

There, where the Bell of Pasa was supposed to stand intact, only fragments remained.

“…Damn it.”

The future had changed.

The Bell of Pasa had been destroyed.