Chapter 92

Never.

Not even once had he considered something like this.

That a bad future prophesied by the Book of Prophecies could turn into a good one—he understood that.

But that a good future could end up worsening—that, he had never considered.

Why, really?

In what way?

For what reason?

‘I stopped it! We captured that damned Corrupt and handed him over to the border count!’

He was confused. His mind went completely blank.

The rubble of the destroyed bell seemed to announce a dark future.

In the Book of Prophecies it was written clearly: Aint and Professor Grad would protect it.

‘Why was the Bell of Pasa destroyed? Why, why, why, why, why…!’

The future had twisted. Why had the future twisted?

‘What did I do wrong? Where was the mistake?’

Was it something caused by what he did at the Academy? Or by the changes he brought after arriving in Altrierc?

He thought over and over again.

In truth, there was only one concrete fact.

The trap they had prepared beforehand, foiling Bairan’s plans and managing to capture him.

The problem was that, by capturing him, he thought the future would become more positive—but instead, it had twisted for the worse.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t fully grasp the cause-and-effect relationship.

“The Bell of Pasa…?”

“It can’t be…”

The Academy students who had arrived later also witnessed the shattered remains of the Bell of Pasa and were horrified.

“How the hell could the Bell of Pasa break?”

“What the hell happened?!”

The shouts echoing everywhere only accelerated the chaos.

“…….”

Fernan couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had changed to bring about this result.

But there was only one thing certain.

He didn’t know what kind of future could be born from that butterfly effect, but—

‘I have to do something, anything….’

It was clear it wouldn’t be a good future.

***

The monsters had attacked Altrierc.

The Bell of Pasa had been broken.

The border count, who had gone to the wall, returned immediately to the provincial capital.

All the gates of the main city were closed, and all officials and administrators were summoned.

The atmosphere, with emergency meetings held day after day, was more tense and somber than ever.

And in the middle of that situation, all Academy students were returned to the institution.

They had a clear alibi, and in such a situation, it was best to remove them—which also helped the investigation.

“…What are we going to do now?”

Practice had ended. The students returned to their usual routine, and Aint returned to his dormitory.

But his heart was not at peace.

【Breaking news! The provincial capital of Altrierc, Artc, has been attacked! The imperial wall was breached!】

【The movements of the Corrupt become increasingly visible. They have destroyed the symbol of the Empire. The Bell of Pasa, shattered…】

The newspapers spoke of nothing but Altrierc and the Bell of Pasa.

Naturally so. What was the Bell of Pasa?

Although for a thousand years it had only been a symbol, in essence it was an artifact created to destroy demons and all corrupted creatures.

A relic forged jointly by the First Emperor and the Cult of the Dragon God.

When rung once, most monsters would fall immediately, and its influence even reached the Corrupt and demons. It was a weapon exclusively against high-level demons.

“Did the Bell of Pasa really have such legendary power?”

— Yes.

— The Bell of Pasa was the greatest artifact the First Emperor created alongside the Cult of the Dragon God.

— In fact, it was an amplifier.

“An amplifier?”

— Only the First Emperor could use it. The Bell of Pasa, contrary to what its name might suggest, did not contain within itself the power to annihilate all evil. It was an amplifier that, through the medium of sound, multiplied mana, magic, and aura.

— The power of the Pasa held by House Armian was amplified and spread by the bell.

— That’s why it affected not just monsters and the Corrupt so severely, but also demons.

— Naturally, because the source of that power was the First Emperor himself.

In great battles, the First Emperor used it frequently.

He rang the bell and, instantly, the monsters would be incapacitated, allowing him to dominate the fight.

— Of course, the consumption of aura and mana was so enormous that he couldn’t use it often.

Even so, what this incident demonstrated was just how lethal the Bell of Pasa was to demons.

— The first thing they did, once they revealed their true existence, was divert Altrierc’s attention and destroy the Bell of Pasa.

— That shows how dangerous it was to them.

An outstanding knight or mage might be a hero in their own kingdom, but in enemy territory they were just another greater demon to be torn apart without mercy.

The reaction of the Corrupt was indisputable proof of how extraordinary the bell was.

“…Then, is this really serious?”

— Very serious.

— The difference between having the Bell of Pasa or not will be clearly felt in a large-scale war.

Aint’s face paled.

It was different hearing it from Gardner’s mouth than just suspecting it.

And the worst part was that, even understanding the gravity of the problem, Aint had nothing he could do about it.

“We can’t just sit here. Isn’t there some way to do something?”

— It’s frustrating, but right now the only thing you can do is become stronger.

— Because House Armian currently doesn’t have the power to take the lead.

“…Again, a problem of the family.”

Aint bit his lips hard.

He had grown up since childhood hearing of his lineage’s past glories, which only intensified his frustration.

What good was it to have been emperors, to have shone in the past?

Today, only an empty shell of an electoral prince remained, trapped in old vanities.

Why did House Armian live in isolation, without even sending their descendants to the Academy?

Because they didn’t want to face reality. They didn’t want to see and hear firsthand the decline of their name.

It was a pathetic family. That’s why Aint had decided to enter the Academy.

The treasure map of the First Emperor his father gave him was only the trigger; even without it, he would eventually have left that familial prison.

That’s why.

He wanted to restore greatness to his lineage.

He didn’t dissuade Gardner from speaking of him becoming emperor.

In truth, he himself desired it.

— Or you could ask the rich guy for help.

— I’m sure he also knows how serious it is that the bell has been broken.

“But what would we do by asking him for help?”

They didn’t know where the Corrupt’s base was, nor how to restore the bell.

— I don’t know how to repair the Bell of Pasa either.

— Much less how to create it. I’m not an artisan, I’m a knight.

“Then all we can do is sit and wait….”

That’s when it happened.

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on Aint’s door.

“Who is it…?”

The servants and maids of the Ravidus building usually announced themselves when knocking on a door.

Moreover, according to the rules, no student could enter another’s room, except authorized assistants.

But there was someone who could bypass those rules easily.

— It’s the rich guy.

“Senior Fernan?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Fernan’s voice came from the hallway.

“What’s going on?”

“Do you want to make a new Bell of Pasa with me?”

Aint, about to open the door, froze in place.

“…What?”

What had he just said?

***

Fernan, back at the Academy, thought he couldn’t just sit idly by.

An eye for an eye, money for money.

Fernan, who always believed that if he was harmed, he had to retaliate—Fernan, the perfectionist who couldn’t rest until he solved a problem—couldn’t allow the situation to become worse than what was in the Book of Prophecies.

Anxiety pressed on his heart and head to the point that he couldn’t sleep.

He spent two nights awake. Unable to take it anymore, he immediately headed to the temple.

The most outstanding magic group he knew.

“I also heard that the Bell of Pasa was destroyed, brother. It’s truly unfortunate.”

“If you’ve heard, then you know why I came, right? If the Cult of the Dragon God, where the best mages gather, exists, I thought maybe there’d be a way to repair the Bell of Pasa.”

“It’s impossible.”

Jace shook his head firmly.

“The Bell of Pasa was created by the First Emperor along with the Cult of the Dragon God. To be precise, most of the manufacturing was done by the Cult, and the Emperor was in charge of providing materials and injecting mana, but anyway…”

He continued.

“The Bell of Pasa was forged in one piece from the beginning, with multiple engravings and complex mechanisms interwoven organically. In short—once destroyed, it cannot be repaired. It’s better to create a new one from scratch.”

Fernan felt disheartened. Among high-rank artifacts, some were like that.

“Is it one of those things? Haa… if it can’t be restored, then we’ve no choice but to—wait a moment.”

What had Jace just said?

“The Bell of Pasa was made by the Cult of the Dragon God?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then… are there blueprints?”

“Of course. Though, being so old, there are parts that have been lost…”

At that moment, Fernan felt the thick fog clear. As if, in absolute darkness, a beam of light pierced through.

He shuddered.

“…Then. Then…”

He tried to sound calm, but his voice trembled.

“Yes.”

“If we follow those blueprints, would it be possible to create another Bell of Pasa?”

“…Well. If there are blueprints, it’s technically possible, but I’ll be frank. His Holiness has already reviewed them.”

The destruction of the Bell of Pasa wasn’t just a problem for Altrierc. Amid the agitation caused by the Corrupt, its value was incalculable.

The fact that they attacked it first was the best proof of that.

So the Pope himself had taken out the blueprints resting in the archives of magic. And he gave up not only on repairing it but also on creating it anew.

Repair was impossible from the start, and as for creating it—

“The materials are absurd.”

“What kind of materials?”

“The three great metals: adamantium, mithril, and orichalcum.”

Fernan’s mouth fell open.

“You’re telling me that entire massive bell was made purely from those three metals?”

Did they use up all the mithril, orichalcum, and adamantium on the continent for that?

“That’s what the blueprints indicate. That’s why His Holiness gave up. Gathering that much of all three metals is nearly impossible.”

It was logical. Even an organization the size of the Cult of the Dragon God would easily take a hundred years to gather that much—if they started right now.

It was indisputable—gathering such volumes of legendary metals in one lifetime was impossible.

‘Wait a second.’

Then an idea crossed Fernan’s mind.

“If I managed to gather all those metals, would it be possible to make it?”

“Of course.”

“And the cost?”

“That would be the least of concerns. If someone brought those materials, do you think His Holiness or I would ask for compensation? On the contrary—we’d pay gladly for the chance to try! Wouldn’t it be the greatest artifact of all time?”

Jace shrugged.

“Of course, officially, we’d say we’re doing it for the cause. But can you really get them?”

“No. Not even I. It’s impossible.”

“Then why…?”

“Because maybe a miracle will happen.”

“I’ll come back another time.” Fernan left the temple.

“…Maybe I can get them. Maybe…”

— Kkuuuuuung…!

At that moment, Wooden’s body trembled. His red eyes sparkled with unease.

“What do you mean ‘please don’t disassemble me’? What nonsense. I’d never melt your body down for mithril or adamantium, even if the bell were crucial. Don’t worry.”

The Bell of Pasa was an object for everyone, and Wooden was his last resort.

No way would he sacrifice one for the other.

— Kkung?

“Then how will I get them? I’m not sure yet.”

But there was a slim possibility.

‘That place where I got the mithril.’

The same place where Aint got adamantium.

Where the sea dragon had its nest, where spiritual herbs grew.

Normally, it was impossible for adamantium and mithril to coexist in the same place—they were minerals of opposing natures.

Only one person could’ve prepared such a site.

‘If that’s the case… it was probably the First Emperor.’

Maybe that place was part of the Emperor’s plan to, one day, provide materials for weapons against demons.

And if so, perhaps there were even more legendary metals there.

That’s why—

“Do you want to make the Bell of Pasa with me?”

That was why Fernan had gone looking for Aint.