Chapter 28: Doubt

The Academy could only barely regain peace after the Academy Head, having come to her senses with the dawn, belatedly stepped in to resolve the situation.

For those who woke up in the middle of the night to fight monsters, it was a long and arduous night, but for others, it was merely an accident that occurred while they were briefly asleep.

Well, it is quite something for people to sleep through that whole commotion until morning.

I, too, was externally one of the students who slept soundly, oblivious to the world, but I wasn’t suspected or separately investigated.

This was because the truth of the incident was revealed directly by the Holy Maiden, Arie.

The Holy Order is a fairly credible institution even within the Academy, so the statements of their leader, the Holy Maiden, carry significant weight.

Thanks to her stepping forward to resolve the incident, most students were able to avoid troublesome matters.

Even those who hadn’t realized the gravity of the situation began to feel uneasy only after seeing the Holy Maiden herself intervene.

Though the Academy was bustling with shocking news from the morning, some good news also arrived…

It was the announcement that the Academy would temporarily close for a while.

Furthermore, the end date of the temporary closure coincided with the start of the holidays, making it welcome news for students who suddenly had more free time.

Conversely, it must have been very bad news for the professors…

Greatly angered by the professors’ incompetent handling of the situation, the Academy Head summoned all faculty members under the pretext of this incident.

In truth, if the professors had been a bit more proactive, the situation wouldn’t have escalated this much, but unfortunately, they were serious about evading responsibility.

Savina, who had quietly overlooked various incidents and accidents recently, seemed genuinely furious this time.

It will probably be difficult to see the professors’ faces for a while.

Under the guise of collective mental training, they will likely be confined to some remote island and beaten by Savina.

It might seem unreasonable, but it was an action only she, a transcendent being, could take.

And honestly, they brought it upon themselves.

Anyway, given the nature of the incident, a thorough investigation by the Empire will surely take place.

The reason for the sudden closure is that a person dispatched from the Empire will personally come and inspect every corner of the Academy.

The Myers family, who were identified as the culprits, will also be thoroughly investigated soon.

This is the story publicly known…

Now, let me tell you a few things only I know.

First, the father and son of the Myers family survived.

Originally, both Kal and Pascal were fated to lose their lives to Hestia’s holy sword, but they ultimately survived, overcoming miraculous odds.

Kal, who should have died on the spot after defeat, barely clung to life by my hand, and Pascal, who gained enlightenment during his duel with me, endured with tenacious vitality until the Holy Maiden arrived.

However, only Pascal is officially recorded as having survived.

As Kal disappeared leaving only a faint trace, the Academy Head and the Empire will conclude that he attempted to ascend to transcendence through excessive means, and his body ultimately couldn’t withstand it, leading to its complete disintegration.

But the reality is different.

The authority I had cast beforehand helped prevent Kal’s body from disintegrating.

Perception.

[The evil energy within the barrier does not mix with the world.]

Its original purpose was merely an authority cast to prevent evil energy from deeply permeating the students’ bodies.

Though a small help, thanks to the magic and evil energy not mixing, healers could easily remove only the evil energy from the bodies of injured students.

It’s also thanks to this that students aren’t suffering from any significant after-effects.

And its effect worked in an unexpected way not only on the students but also on Kal Myers.

The central evil energy, which should have caused all sorts of convulsions and horribly damaged his body as it was extracted, instead quietly left his body.

However, Kal’s situation was not good enough for him to survive with just this.

There’s no way he could have survived unscathed, having foolishly forced evil energy and the Academy’s magic into his body to become a transcendent being.

In fact, the true nature of the Academy’s special magic is… the magic leaking from the [Destruction] magic circle slowly being drawn in the sky even now.

Absorbing only a tiny amount might bring surprisingly good effects, such as the disappearance of chronic illnesses or curses, but because its attribute itself is too dangerous, it’s natural that the body wouldn’t be able to withstand absorbing large quantities.

Even if I were to belatedly extract the evil energy and the magic of destruction separately from his body, his already ruined flesh and soul cannot escape death.

Kal’s almost sole hope of survival is to adapt to destruction…

Therefore, I sent him to the ‘Tomb,’ where magic most similar to the magic of destruction is spread.

The ‘Tomb’ is the most dangerous continent, where countless transcendent beings have lost their lives.

If he manages to survive there again, overcoming incredibly slim odds… he will truly return as a transcendent being.

Now, it’s up to him.

If Pascal’s desperate feelings for Kal hadn’t reached me, I wouldn’t have even done this much.

From the ‘Blue Star’ I showed him, he gained deeper enlightenment than the Regressor, the Hero, the Holy Maiden, and the Great Pioneer.

The four mentioned earlier are already like monsters… so, excluding them, he can practically be considered the most outstanding.

What Pascal gained was the ability to transform his will into power…

It sounds grand, but it’s an ability possessed by most transcendent beings who can freely wield their will, and it’s quite common, sometimes even held by exceptionally talented mortals.

Therefore, it cannot be considered a particularly special power, but the outcome created by his will can certainly be called special.

Pascal tenaciously survived, and his will was conveyed to me in the form of ‘history.’

[Please, may a miracle happen for my father…]

For a family that had already caused audacious miracles multiple times… it was, in a way, quite a brazen wish, but I gladly complied.

Pascal’s survival thanks to the Holy Maiden was purely his own luck, but the path for Kal to survive was decided under my judgment.

The reason for my choice is simple.

I felt sorry for Kal and Pascal, and I wanted to give them a chance too.

Especially for Kal, there is a hidden story.

A twist that neither the Empire, nor the Myers family, nor even the Regressor knows…

A story Kal never told anyone, a story that would have been forgotten forever if he had lost his life then…

Kal actually cherished his son, Pascal, more than anyone else.

But being dishonest, there was no way he would express this outwardly, and he kept it hidden until just before his death, never saying a kind word to his son.

– Only to prevent the arrow from being aimed at Pascal…

In front of Elisha and Hestia, Kal harshly evaluated Pascal, as if he had unilaterally used him.

Only Kal, at that moment, noticed that Pascal was barely clinging to life, and he had created a way for Pascal to survive, just in case he himself failed.

Until now, it had been a meaningless act because Pascal’s life had extinguished before Arie arrived, but in this regression, he luckily endured after gaining enlightenment, barely making it to receive Arie’s treatment.

It’s a touching story.

A son who wished for his father to live, and a father who wished for his son to live…

If even one of them had harbored a different intention, the opportunity would not have come for either of them.

However, an opportunity is just that—an opportunity.

Seizing that opportunity depends solely on what they do next.

…That is, if Elisha, the only variable, doesn’t cause any impulsive actions, saying she can’t forgive.

****

Upon the news of the Academy’s closure, students staying in the dormitories began packing their belongings.

Normally, many students remain at the Academy during closures or holidays, but since an imperial investigation is imminent, it’s better to vacate the dorms to avoid trouble.

Students with difficult family situations, unfortunately, would have to stay…

“So, is the assistant planning to stay at the Academy as well?”

“It’s not for that reason, but unless something special comes up, I expect to continue staying here, Holy Maiden.”

“Fufu… When it’s just the two of us, you can call me Boss.”

‘Huh, don’t people usually say the opposite?’

‘I had secretly hoped for permission to just call her by her name, so I almost made a dumbfounded expression for a moment…’

‘Suddenly, it occurred to me that Arie might prefer the title ‘Boss’ over ‘Holy Maiden.’

‘No matter what anyone says, she still hasn’t given up on becoming the boss of an evil organization.’

I watched Arie carefully, resolving to call her by her preferred title occasionally, at least when we were alone.

“Understood, Boss.”

“That has a very nice ring to it. Fufu…”

‘Goodness, her taste is certainly unique…’

Anyway, Arie, whom I met again as a student after a long time.

Since there was a clear reason why she might have sought me out, I decided to apologize first.

“Um, I do apologize.”

“Pardon?”

“Huh?”

“?”

“?”

‘What? You didn’t come here to scold me?’

“Regarding the fact that I haven’t been able to give you separate practical lessons recently, due to being very busy…”

“Fufu, that’s fine. Yulia and I were also busy, so it couldn’t be helped.”

Arie replied gently, as if she truly didn’t mind.

It’s a little creepy, but judging by her unfeigned smile, she doesn’t seem to regret missing the practical lessons.

‘No, then why did she come to see me?’

‘If she, who usually doesn’t move without a reason, went out of her way to visit, it means she wants something…’

‘Could she be planning to tell me to engage in organizational activities?’

‘Indeed, it’s hard to understand what goes on in this woman’s mind.’

“Then, Boss, what brings you to me…?”

“Well, just… if I said I missed my assistant today… would that be a difficult thing for me to say, as the Holy Maiden?”

“That would put me in an awkward position.”

“Hmm…”

Arie stared intently at me and began to say something incomprehensible.

“Looking at it this way, it seems similar, and then again, not so similar…”

“Pardon?”

“Fufu, it’s nothing.”

Arie looked at me with a slightly displeased expression.

‘Is something bothering her?’

‘I wondered if I had made a mistake in something I said, and as I was observing her expression then…’

Arie subtly smiled and said to me,

“Oh, by the way, are you hurt anywhere? There were many students who came for treatment after being attacked by monsters.”

“Yes, I’m fine. It’s a bit embarrassing, but I was asleep until morning and didn’t even know such a thing had happened.”

“……You were asleep?”

“I tend to be a very deep sleeper…”

“It must have been very noisy, that’s surprising.”

She seemed not to believe my words, but I was confident.

‘What are you going to do if you don’t believe me? There’s no way to check anyway.’

Seeing my expression, which showed no trace of guilt, Arie tilted her head slightly.

“It doesn’t seem like a lie.”

“How could I lie in front of my Boss?”

“Fufu, well… for now, let’s leave it at that.”

Arie, wearing a meaningful smile…

At this moment, I realized why she had come to see me.

‘Wait, am I… being interrogated…?’