episode_0135

The assailants couldn’t move easily.

“…”

It was because of an old man who had suddenly blocked their path.

They had just established a perimeter and gained the upper hand against the snake, but their shallow momentum was overturned in an instant.

An immense killing intent enveloped the area.

Rumble!

Mana surged as if terrified.

A heavy pressure bore down on their shoulders.

It felt as if they had become ants about to be crushed.

The old man didn’t do anything special; he merely stood leisurely, but his powerful presence choked the assailants.

Cold sweat trickled down.

In contrast.

“Everyone seems tense.”

The old man’s expression was full of composure.

His aura was so potent that it even erased the lingering dragon’s aura in the vicinity.

As mere insignificant beings, they could only fathom the elder’s immeasurable stature.

“…”

The frozen assailants.

The old man spoke with a profound aura.

“Death is clumsy for everyone, isn’t it?”

Killing intent swirled in his pupils.

Beyond the dim, almost murky light, a death they had never experienced before surged.

A single pronouncement further amplified the immeasurable terror.

“It will be a trivial end, but… I will personally give you a push.”

In short.

It was a death sentence.

“Regrettably.”

The old man extended his hand.

The slowly creeping light aimed at none other than the wriggling insects.

The assailants couldn’t even think of fleeing.

Perhaps they had resigned themselves.

Overwhelming power.

Among the assailants, one by one, reactions of recognition towards the old man emerged.

They murmured with pale faces.

“Could it be, the Lord…?”

“I didn’t expect anyone to recognize me.”

The Lord replied calmly.

One of the terrified cultists shouted at the old snake.

“Fallen Star…! Wh-Why are you helping the academy?”

“Because I’m also someone who received a request, you see.”

The old man’s lips curled slightly.

“Anyway, a star… it’s truly been a long time since I was called that.”

“You’ve been tracking us for the past three years, just how much further do you intend to interfere with that person’s will…!”

“That’s enough impudence.”

Thump!

The intensified killing intent pressed down on the entire area.

The assailant spontaneously shut his mouth.

The fear of prey before a predator. Such despair caused their legs to spontaneously lose strength.

The old man’s gaze, looking down at him, was infinitely cold.

“How dare you raise your voice at the ruler.”

Death surged from his fingertips.

It was the power of a star, or a king.

A flash of light that completely erased the pitch blackness that had settled underground.

Towards the mere insignificant beings, the Lord made a gesture.

What was contained in that light was not mercy, nor hatred, nor even sadness, but the execution of sin, brilliant and heartless.

With his lips, he declared.

“The verdict I shall bestow upon you is…”

Concerning an extremely painful punishment.

“Total annihilation.”

The light finally shot forth.

The next moment.

The assailants’ vision was dyed pure white.

It was an ecstasy that adorned life.

***

The Lord arrived at the temple as reinforcements.

The aftermath was quickly dealt with.

Before the royal guards who arrived later could even step forward, the old man had already swept the battlefield clean with a few gestures.

It seemed he had gotten excited, having intervened directly after a long time.

Around them, only the traces of brilliant starlight and the ashes of burnt corpses fluttered.

I murmured.

‘He’s still alive, huh.’

The old man’s strength was unchanging.

The last time I saw him, I wondered if he felt old and frail, but his performance completely erased even that doubt.

Even after losing his right arm, he seemed to have become sharper rather than regressing.

Truly a tyrant.

It wasn’t that surprising.

Although the gap had widened over time, he was once someone who contended with me as an equal when I went all out.

It would be impossible for anyone of average rank to even stand before the old man.

‘Anyway.’

The situation was resolved without any particular trouble.

It was all a pre-arranged setup.

Since the cultists had put considerable effort into this operation, it was obvious they would send reinforcements if something went wrong with the vanguard unit.

Therefore, I had contacted the Lord so he could help in case of an emergency.

Fortunately, he wasn’t late.

I casually threw out a remark.

“You arrived just in the nick of time on purpose, didn’t you? I was worried you might betray us.”

“A dull joke. It’s not like I would join hands with mere cultists.”

“You never know. Since even businessmen are cooperating with them, there’s no law saying a king wouldn’t do the same.”

“You’ve gained unnecessary worries since I last saw you.”

“Because I have things I need to protect.”

“At the bottom, they call that becoming weak.”

“Ordinary people call that becoming peaceful.”

“Indeed.”

Their conversation was filled with sarcastic remarks.

The old man, who had been faintly smiling, soon shook his head as if he’d lost interest.

“You’re doing this on purpose, even though you know.”

“What do you mean?”

“From the start, I was fated to be at odds with them. I’d rather die than join hands with those guys.”

“Is that… a calling that has continued since your days as a Star?”

“It’s closer to revenge than a calling. I still have a debt I haven’t repaid.”

“I see.”

After continuing their small talk for a while.

As if the surrounding cleanup was finished, a neatly dressed young man approached.

It was none other than the Unnamed One.

“The area has been cleared as you instructed.”

“Good work.”

“It’s highly likely that the faculty will soon notice this space. We should probably leave soon to avoid being caught.”

“Since there was such a fierce clash, they must have detected suspicious signs on their end too.”

“I’ll have the Fire on standby.”

“Please do.”

The Unnamed One withdrew first.

The old man stood up as if to follow.

“I should go now.”

“Good work.”

“Not at all. I merely stepped in because it looked amusing.”

“I’ll contact you again if I need you.”

“You should contact me more often, even if you don’t need anything.”

“What a terrible thing to say.”

He chuckled. “Still as heartless as ever, I see.”

The Lord turned his back without hesitation.

His steps calmly receded.

Soon, their figures vanished, leaving behind only the considerable silence in the air and the temple ruins scattered on the floor.

Scanning over them, the realization that it was finally over returned.

[EP23. The Stirrings of Evil]

-Boiling blood and malice, life crying out for death-

I had completely prevented the catastrophe from the original work.

Zero casualties within the academy.

Feeling the tension release, I gently leaned against a nearby pillar.

The accumulated fatigue washed over me, but I struggled to shake it off.

Because there was still one last thing to take care of.

‘The traitor.’

The individual who provided information for this attack.

I had to retrieve the seed of ruin planted by the cultists.

***

The chaos subsided.

It seemed that the main gate, where the deceptive attack had taken place earlier, had also been cleared up thanks to the professors’ intervention.

The academy was able to conclude the disaster without any significant damage.

As such, it remained a minor incident among the students.

Of course.

“This is absurd!”

The faculty, on the other hand, was thrown into a commotion.

One week had passed since that day.

The dean, along with all the professors and senior teaching assistants, were summoned to an emergency meeting.

Naturally, it was to discuss countermeasures for the past incident.

“This attack appears to be the work of the cultists.”

“Although no casualties occurred… this is a clear provocation aimed at the academy!”

“How on earth did they break through the academy’s defensive line?”

“It’s strange. There isn’t just one or two dubious aspects.”

“We must accurately explain this situation.”

The attack on the main gate was not an issue.

It was merely a shallow distraction, there was a plausible infiltration route, and the risk was insignificant as it was cleared up in just five minutes.

The real problem lay in the passage and temple discovered underground.

It was an incident that almost caused the entire academy to collapse.

‘It makes sense that it’s serious.’

I conveyed a condensed version of what happened underground to the faculty.

There were many parts that would be difficult to convey exactly as they happened.

Excluding details related to the Lord or the calamity… I only spoke of the existence of the hidden passage and the enemies’ attack that came through it.

To the question of how the attack was thwarted, I vaguely explained it as a stroke of luck.

The atmosphere inevitably grew serious.

A danger they hadn’t perceived.

The fact that they had almost exposed their backs chilled them to the bone.

The professors put their heads together, re-examining the problem.

“This is already the second time.”

Something similar happened last time.

The incident where Regia, Emilia, and I were dragged to the [Abandoned Laboratory] during the midterm exam.

At the time, it was concluded as an error caused by teleportation magic.

As a result, Selena, who was the supervisor, received disciplinary action, and it seemed to be fading from everyone’s minds, but this attack made them question it again.

Once might be a coincidence, but twice was clearly suspicious.

The professors’ gazes grew cold.

“Someone clearly pulled strings.”

“They must have a thorough understanding of the academy. They’d also be in a position to easily access information related to exams.”

“Besides, we didn’t even know about the existence of that passage, did we?”

“That means they are well-versed in the academy’s secrets. Either they hold a high position, or they used to.”

“To draw a conclusion, it’s this.”

Undoubtedly.

There is a traitor among the faculty.

A chilling atmosphere flowed.

The dean, who had been leading the meeting, also remained silent this time.

For a moment, his gaze seemed to reach me.

“…”

Perhaps I should call him a prophet.

He seemed to know that I knew the traitor’s identity.

Even as we gazed at each other, no words were exchanged.

The meeting concluded.

While speculations about the traitor ran rampant, without physical evidence, only conflict and distrust would grow.

For now, they could only adjourn the meeting, advising everyone to be cautious.

I too rose from my chair.

Just as I stepped out of the meeting room.

“Yuda.”

A familiar voice was heard.

It was Professor Cadell, who had been sitting across from me until just now.

I sent him a gaze, as if asking the intent of his call.

“There’s something serious I’d like to discuss.”

“A discussion, you say…?”

“Are you pretending not to know? I thought we shared the same goal.”

“…”

The atmosphere grew chillingly quiet.

The young man before me reached out his hand without hesitation.

I couldn’t help but take that hand.

“It will only take a moment.”

“…I suppose I’ll listen.”

Yes.

Because we shared the same goal.