episode_0131

In this life, there was a way. A way to save the academy engulfed in ruin, and the people within it. Because the card called ‘Lie’ existed. Of course, even this wouldn’t be a perfect solution. Nevertheless, it remained the joker that could overcome the disaster.

The plan was simple.

‘I’ll have to bite back.’

If the enemy aimed for this side’s weakness, then this side should aim for the enemy’s weakness. An underground passage impossible to detect even with detection magic. Their task didn’t end there. Ultimately, to awaken [the Evil], a suitable output had to be injected. Because it was about breaking an ancient seal. The cultists would surely supply this output with demonic energy. In the original story, dozens of high-ranking executives were involved in that act of terror. That very moment.

‘A gap.’

At that moment. Even if it was a space outside causality, a unique presence was bound to leak out. Target that fleeting instant. He would sharpen his senses across his entire body, and when that signal was caught, he would immediately pursue it. It felt somewhat inefficient, but on the other hand, it was the most certain method of solution. A problem of distinguishing a single drop of ink in the ocean. Fortunately, I possessed eyes that could even detect such ink.

He’d suppress it with his ability.

“Therefore… I look forward to your cooperation.”

As the academy’s continued existence depended on this matter, he had already asked a few people for help. It was best to be as thorough as possible with preparations. I looked at the girls before my eyes. Charlotte and Irene, who were waiting, nodded. There wasn’t even a trace of hesitation.

“Yes. If it’s Yuda’s request.”

“To think the day would come when I’d be relied upon by you… It’s a little pleasing.”

Perhaps the effort of taming them had paid off. He felt a slight sense of pride. The two were among the academy’s strongest, and they were more than capable of facing this hardship together. As they were veterans in combat against individuals, they would be excellent assets. The fact that they wouldn’t question or oppose the strange things I did also played a part. A relationship built on complete trust.

‘Of course, it’s the same for the other children as well…’

Each of them had weaknesses. Regia was overwhelming in terms of firepower, but she lacked the sustained firepower to follow through. Emilia was close to being a well-rounded individual, but her lack of experience compared to the previous children hindered her. In Elize’s case, her body wasn’t suited for combat from the start. Talents that had not yet fully blossomed.

‘That’s why.’

He couldn’t rashly involve them. Because disaster was never something to be taken lightly. He intended to exclude dangerous probabilities as much as possible. The help he would receive in this situation would be sufficient with just the Fox and the Little Prince. I organized the plan.

-We will be waiting at the Church branch.

-Everything according to your will.

There was also contact from the headquarters offering support, but he rejected it. Because they were to be deployed outside the academy. The cultist attack wasn’t merely an event that would occur only at the academy. If the resurrection of [the Evil] was successfully carried out, evil would move across the continent as if it had been waiting, so forces needed to be evenly distributed. Moving rashly would result in damage.

‘Key locations that were attacked in the original story.’

Church branches, frontier baronies, northern snowfields, etc. He selected some and sent members. He heard that Neria would directly command this side, so he could set aside any particular worries. Furthermore, he actively put forth any cards he held.

“It’s been a long time.”

-{Oh my… To think you would contact me.}

The Monarch. Although he had faltered after his defeat, he was still a formidable figure with profound influence. In terms of organizational scale, there was no force that could rival him. Thanks to this characteristic, he was also a person with diverse uses. The old man replied with interest. A voice was heard from beyond the crystal ball.

-{This is an interesting request again.}

“Cooperate with me.”

-{Of course.}

“You just need to act according to the plan.”

-{A plan, you say… Aren’t you placing too much expectation on an outlaw?}

“If a mere puppet cannot even accomplish such usefulness, then as the master, I’ll have no choice but to dispose of the defective product.”

-{Thank you for the advice.}

The usual exchange of pleasantries. Although there was a slight war of nerves, in the end, he was easily able to secure supporting forces. I conveyed the attack locations along with the plan.

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

-{Heh heh… I wish you good luck as well.}

After that, the signal cut off. He was an untrustworthy individual, but at the same time, there was no denying that he was a capable asset. I ended the communication with a deep breath.

‘……Is this enough?’

The preparations were thorough. He had laid out plans for countless contingencies, the output of ‘Lie’ was maintained at its maximum, and even the unsettling issue of manpower had been cleanly resolved. The Snake sat still, organizing his thoughts.

‘No need to worry… right?’

Just as it always had been. Because all he had to do was move within the board he had designed himself.

***

And then.

On the day the disaster was scheduled.

-To think vacation is already over… I still can’t believe it.

-I know. I’m already starting to miss it.

-Did you hear there’s a pop quiz in two days?

-Already? That’s too fast!

-It’s that crazy bald professor. He should at least go at a reasonable pace.

-Well… he did push us incredibly hard from the first day back.

Everyday life flowed quietly. Outwardly, it was just another ordinary weekend at the academy. Peaceful times spent complaining during a brief break, chatting with friends, and recharging energy to continue their studies… It was also a scene that would soon be shattered. It was a fragile peace maintained by a disaster that had not yet arrived. Its precariousness was like treading on thin ice.

“……”

The Snake quietly watched that scene. The boy had sharpened every sense in his body. This was to detect the disaster without delay. Beside him, the Fox, on high alert, and the Princess, with her usual vacant expression, also stood by. The flowing wind caressed golden hair. And so, the scent of winter permeated the air. Just then.

Boom-!

A loud roar, originating from somewhere, echoed through the academy streets. It was a sound heard from the direction of the main gate. Dust billowed slowly beyond his not-so-distant vision. It seemed as though something had exploded.

-W-What’s going on?!

-Did something explode…?

-It sounds like it came from the main gate! Should we call the faculty?

-Wait… something’s coming out of the hole that was made?

A single explosion. The ripple, dropped into their tranquil daily lives, instantly plunged the surroundings into chaos. Students frozen in surprise, faculty members heading towards the main gate to assess the situation, and even unidentified shadows squeezing through the newly made opening. The atmosphere was rapidly devolving into pandemonium. Even in such a situation, the Snake merely closed his eyes. His sharply honed senses pierced through the surrounding energies.

‘The main gate is a diversion.’

The previous explosion was a shallow trick. An intention to disperse attention as much as possible. Indeed, low-ranking executives and chimeras had appeared, but what he needed to find in this pandemonium were not such small fry. The boy gradually expanded the ‘Lie’ he had scattered around. Enough to evenly cover the entire academy.

-Ding!

[Current output remaining: 91.7%]

Following the consumed output, his senses also sharpened further. Amidst the frantic waves of information. His desired target was. A little deeper. Deeper. And even deeper…

‘Ah.’

The next moment. A chilling sensation swept down the boy’s spine. A strangely twisted chorus of mana. It was the peculiar stench of demonic energy, nothing else. The direction where its remnants led was indeed underground, far below the academy building. He had found the location of the passage.

‘Found it.’

Although hidden by a barrier, even a faint presence couldn’t deceive the Snake’s eyes. The boy wove those traces into a single thread. Then. A line extended into the air. It stretched long in one direction, as if showing the way to the passage. The Snake tied the thread firmly to his fingertip and stood up. His pupils, now glowing white.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll follow.”

The three began to push off the ground. The path pointed out by the black thread. They cut straight across the center of the academy. Perhaps due to the commotion at the main gate, the atmosphere was chaotic. Professors already engaged in battle, teaching assistants announcing student evacuations, and students, though flustered, following instructions. They ran past all those scenes.

“This way!”

They arrived at the annex building. After running, guided by the thread, just before finding the passage connecting to the underground. A shadow blocked their path.

“Student Yuda.”

“Teacher-nim…?”

It was none other than the Drunkard. While helping students evacuate outside, she had seen the boy rush out and followed him. The woman held out her hand, as if asking him to come with her. Her red eyes rarely showed agitation.

“An unidentified attack has occurred at the main gate.”

“I know.”

“The professors have gone to handle it, but as the situation hasn’t been fully assessed yet, you shouldn’t act alone.”

“There is a destination I absolutely must reach.”

“No.”

A resolute voice. Unlike her previous watchful attitude, this time she clearly wouldn’t permit it.

“Because I cannot cooperate with you in a dangerous situation like this.” The woman furrowed her brow as if dealing with a younger sibling. For a moment, a crack appeared in her stern expression. Such a reaction was pleasing in one way, but for the boy, there was no time to delay. The disciple snapped his fingers towards his teacher, who showed no intention of moving aside.

Snap-!

“Ah…”

Her pupils lost focus. Soon, the woman staggered as if drunk, then lost consciousness and collapsed on the spot. He had used some of his ‘output’ to make her fall asleep. The boy gently laid her body, which he had embraced, onto the ground. He soon turned his head again.

“Let’s keep going.”

Their steps moved forward once more. The children ran towards the passage connecting the academy and the underground.

“……”

And.

Where the children had left. Near the woman left there, was a shadow that had been watching everything. A young man, smiling with an ominous aura. He muttered meaningfully.

“I didn’t expect things to turn out this way… How interesting.”

It was none other than.

Professor Cadell.

***

The underground was deeper than expected. The entrance they barely found. Only after breaking through layers of silence and blocking magic, could they enter through the revealed grand gate. He felt as if he understood why the passage couldn’t be found in the original story. It was so intricate that even professors couldn’t detect it; it would be impossible for students to find it. It wasn’t for nothing that it was a legacy left by [the Ancient Star]. They ran through the passage.

Thump thump thump-!

Thousands of layers of barriers shimmered around them, the labyrinthine interior made them lose their sense of direction, and the passage even changed its structure in real-time. A labyrinth that was generally impossible to overcome. It was designed to make one dizzy just by walking. But since they had the guidance of ‘Lie’, they could pass through the passage without any major obstructions.

Snap-.

Only upon reaching the deepest part of the underground did the thread, having completed its guidance, snap. It meant they had arrived. Before them stood a colossal gate. Beyond the panels carved with ominous figures of offerings, demons, and demon gods… a thick stench and the smell of blood seeped out. I gathered the shadow with my fingertips. In his other hand, he held a sword forged from jet-black.

‘The Temple of Evil.’

There was no hesitation. His foot shot out roughly. Immediately after, the barrier surrounding the room shattered, and the enormous gate was completely fragmented into pieces. As he finally set foot into their destination. A voice was heard.

“”Who dares enter?””

A scene littered with blood and corpses. Perhaps they were in the midst of human sacrifice. Piles of blood-soaked lumps. Before the temple, where these lumps were stacked like mountains, dozens of shadows surrounded the altar. Every single one of them was draped in dark red robes. The color symbolizing the cultists.

“”Fearless sacrifices have sought out disaster.””

Their gazes simultaneously pierced. Their voices had such similar tones that they were indistinguishable. Blood tears streamed down their eyes. The mysterious figures moved in identical ways, as if perfectly synchronized. The flowing demonic energy slowly seeped between the offerings and the altar.

“Draw your swords.”

I said, raising the tip of my sword. To the two beside me.

“We must stop them, no matter what.”

“Okay.”

“If that is your wish.”

The girls drew their swords together. The boy and girls pushed off the ground towards the burgeoning darkness. Then.

CRAAASH-!!

Beyond the underground temple, a massive thunderous roar began to echo.

[EP23. The Burgeoning Evil]

-Boiling blood and malice, lives crying out for the Evil-

It was the beginning of a game for the academy’s survival.