“What the hell is that golem?!”
Viscount Lorencios screamed in desperation.
The blood giant was a weapon formed from countless lives, blood, and demonic magic from a book consumed by flames.
And yet, it was being humiliated by a mere golem created by a human.
The giant wasn’t weak. The golem was simply too strong.
That reality plunged him further into despair.
How could a golem made by human hands surpass the demons’ giant?
No matter how much he denied it, reality wouldn’t change. So he shifted his focus—if he couldn’t destroy the golem, he would kill the mage controlling it.
But he couldn’t do that either.
“Why won’t you die?! How can a mere Academy student withstand my magic?!”
Even though he had lost his book, Viscount Lorencios’s power hadn’t vanished.
He was a mage who had awakened long before Daniel, at a level no student could ever match.
So how the hell was Fernan still holding on?
How many potions could he possibly have in that subspace to keep chugging them down nonstop?
“If only I had kept at least one page of the book…!”
He regretted burning it all to reinforce the blood giant.
He finally understood why Daniel had wanted to retreat after learning Fernan was involved.
But it was already too late.
He had used everything he had prepared and even incinerated the entire book.
He had bet everything, and all that remained was to offer his own body.
Grrr—
Starting from his feet, his body began to be absorbed by the giant’s flesh.
“Fernan Pellenberg, at the very least I’ll kill you here. Even if I have to burn my entire body!”
The blood devoured everything it took in, growing stronger with every sacrifice.
“First I’ll crush that golem…!”
Even if it meant its own creator.
“And then I’ll kill you! And those fools who don’t realize the situation they’re in!”
The giant devoured its master and grew rapidly, becoming tougher and reaching fifteen meters in height.
“I’ll kill you all!”
But even before that monster, Fernan’s expression didn’t change.
“Pathetic. Do you know what it means to repeat the same threats over and over?”
That they no longer carry any weight.
“Just like now—with you.”
At that moment.
Crack.
A massive sword, glowing green, pierced through the corrupted being’s body.
“It’s rare that you didn’t choose self-destruction, but…”
His torso and legs were separated in an instant, without fully being absorbed.
“Who said I was going to wait for you to finish?”
Maybe demons and corrupted beings wait for each other. But even if they did, why would Fernan follow their rules?
“Stupid corrupted scum.”
“Dam… damn y—!”
The reddened body of Count Lorencios didn’t even finish cursing before turning into black smoke and vanishing, like all those who used books.
But the blood giant didn’t disappear.
Perhaps because it had devoured part of its master, or maybe that’s just how those magics worked.
“Wooden.”
— Kyuu.
“Finish it now. It won’t regenerate anymore.”
Wooden nodded.
He gripped his sword with both hands, focusing all his energy.
A green aura, more than ten meters tall, pierced the sky.
The giant, sensing danger, roared and lunged forward, swelling its body as if to devour Wooden in one bite.
And in that moment—
────────!
The sword came down.
A perfect, final slash that sealed the outcome.
***
Victory.
They had won.
— Kyuuu.
Wooden closed his eyes with a satisfied smile. He had fought with everything he had, and he was happy.
His body, however, was exhausted, weighed down by fatigue. He didn’t want to think about battles again for a long time.
“Well done, Wooden.”
— Kyuuu, kuuuu, Kyu.
“You’re not going to bug me for three months? I see you’re satisfied.”
Fernan thought that if he hadn’t taken potions like water, he would have died.
He’d drunk so many that his stomach felt like it was about to burst.
As he burped uncomfortably, the first to arrive were Hyde and Luina.
“Good job. Are you alright?”
“What about the prince?”
“Safe. Thanks to you.”
“And you?”
“Same. Most of the monsters got caught in the fight between Wooden and the giant, so it wasn’t too hard.”
“Idiots, just like proper monsters.”
Fernan laughed.
“And you, how are you? You look…”
“Not great.”
The corrupted mage’s magic had clearly overwhelmed him.
If not for the artifacts and potions, he wouldn’t have lasted.
And while potions were useful, they weren’t miracles. If the enemy had focused just a bit more on him, Fernan would’ve fallen.
“You’re pale. I’ll help you walk.”
“It’s not that bad…”
Suddenly, his head spun, and he lost his balance.
Luina caught him immediately.
“See what I mean.”
“Let me carry you.”
“No, I’ve got this.”
“Alright then.”
Hyde stepped back, and Fernan accepted Luina’s support.
“…I’ll have to trouble you a bit.”
“No matter how much.”
As they spoke, the prince and his group approached.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m in one piece.”
“You look very pale.”
“The enemy deserved it…”
The prince bowed his head, and the Black Whale knights, along with the surviving soldiers, knelt.
“I owe you a tremendous debt. Thank you, truly.”
“Thanks to young Fernan Pellenberg!”
Amid the ruins, seeing dozens of knights and soldiers kneeling in perfect formation was an imposing sight.
“There’s no need. I only did what I had to.”
“What you had to do would have been to escape. You could’ve easily done so.”
The prince shook his head.
“You saved not only the heir to the kingdom, but also the squadron, the mages, and the soldiers. I want to reward you.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Not necessary?”
The prince looked at him in surprise.
“I’ll be getting Alprosen’s three-month budget soon anyway, won’t I?”
If he asked for more, he’d end up drawing the people’s hatred. Fernan knew just how far he should go.
“……”
Everyone went silent.
No one dared say it wouldn’t happen. Even if they wanted to avoid it, they couldn’t swear the secret would be kept.
“…About that. Could I compensate you with rights or something else instead of money?”
“Money is cleaner, but I won’t reject other ways to make money. Though, the promise hasn’t been broken yet.”
“It doesn’t matter. Promise or not, I want to give you something as thanks.”
The prince pointed at the ruins around them.
“This isn’t the best place to talk. Let’s rest a little and then discuss it properly, what do you say?”
“I’d have no reason to refuse.”
After all, there was no such thing as a Pellenberg who’d turn down a talk about money and rewards.
***
While Fernan was saving the crown prince of Alprosen and taking down a corrupted one, Aint’s group was meeting with the first prince of Esrin, Ferant Esrin.
“Forgive me for summoning you to a place like this. But I thought it best to keep your visit as secret as possible.”
The location was a secret villa of the first prince, on the outskirts of the capital.
After crossing Lake Baikan by boat and landing at the port, they quickly arrived following the guide sent by the prince himself.
“No problem. If it’s about matters related to the corrupted, you can never be too cautious.”
“Thanks for understanding. To be honest, I didn’t expect you to actually come when I sent the letter.”
Ferant Esrin let out a sigh of relief. Though he was a prince, against demons there was no substitute. And since Aint had come at his request, he wanted to show the utmost respect.
“And they are…?”
“They’re my friends. They’ve fought by my side against the corrupted.”
“An honor, your highness. I’m Aria Fridian.”
“Verian Kalburdern.”
“Fridian and Kalburdern… truly esteemed guests. Welcome. If you’re friends of Aint, then you’re friends of mine as well. Feel at ease.”
After the introductions, Aint resumed the conversation.
“I’d like to hear more details about what you wrote in the letter.”
“I regret to say, but what’s in the letter is all. We haven’t found any trace of demons.”
They had sent people to the third prince’s region, but whether it was a mistake or the traces were too well hidden, they found nothing.
“Could I see the person in question?”
“That is possible. In fact, that’s why I summoned you here. He’s…”
At that moment, a soldier rushed in, alarmed.
“Your Highness, something terrible has happened!”
“What is it?!”
“Valor is dead!”
“What?!”
Valor was the man who claimed to have escaped a demonic summoning ritual.
He was the reason the prince summoned Aint, and the one he was going to have him meet.
The prince and Aint rushed to the room where Valor had been staying.
All they found was his corpse, with his head cleanly severed.
He wasn’t the only one—the knight assigned to guard him (though actually keeping watch) and four soldiers were also dead.
“…How could you let your guard down like this?!”
“I… I’m sorry, your highness. We…”
While the prince and knights argued in panic, Aint bent down and calmly examined the bodies.
“…Your Highness, you’re right.”
He found traces of demonic energy in the corpses.
He didn’t know if it came from the bodies themselves or the killer, but that didn’t matter.
The mere presence of that energy confirmed that the corrupted were involved.
“The corrupted have infiltrated Esrin.”
An aura of killing intent radiated from Aint’s eyes.
***
“Aint Armian is in Esrin…”
“Yes.”
Count Daniel, having returned to Esrin, received the bad news without reacting.
“I see.”
“You don’t seem surprised. Don’t you blame me for this?”
“It is your fault. Aint came because you didn’t do your job right.”
“Th-that…!”
“But I expected it.”
As soon as Fernan appeared in Alprosen, he had sensed Roderick had failed.
That Aint would come to Esrin wasn’t strange under the circumstances.
“…Everything went wrong by a hair. If I had just arrived a day earlier…”
Roderick scratched his head nervously.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It doesn’t?”
“I’ve thought of a good plan.”
“A good plan?”
“We’ve been failing repeatedly since last year. Do you know why?”
“Because of interference…”
“Exactly. And from whom?”
“Aint Armian and Fernan Pellenberg…”
“That’s right.”
Ever since Aint entered the Academy, they had anticipated certain issues.
They had tried to kill him multiple times and failed. Why?
Because an unexpected factor appeared.
“Fernan Pellenberg. His interference ruined everything. If not for him, Aint Armian would be dead already. Kimaris and Decarabia would still be alive.”
In fact, those two demons might have even joined forces and razed Bercheff.
“That guy was always obsessed with security. And that paranoia ended up benefiting Aint. But now…”
“Fernan isn’t…?”
Roderick’s eyes widened in realization.
“Correct. Aint no longer has Fernan Pellenberg by his side. He doesn’t have that overwhelming power. Nor the support of the Academy’s headmaster.”
This wasn’t the Academy.
Fernan Pellenberg wasn’t here.
The Empire couldn’t intervene in a foreign nation.
And furthermore, in Esrin they had entire hordes of demons summoned with the help of the third prince.
“This is our chance, Roderick.”
Perhaps the last.
“You must’ve heard the Armian family is suddenly reinforcing their forces—who knows where they got the money.”
“Yes. Proof that opportunity lies hidden in crisis.”
“Exactly. If we let this chance slip, we’ll be facing a much stronger enemy later. But if we strike now…”
Armian will lose its core again and fall into ruin.
And the demons will eliminate their enemies with their own hands.
“Yes, I admit this is the best opportunity.”
“Let’s capture Aint together. The two of us will be enough.”
“But I find it hard to believe that Fernan Pellenberg, who protected him so much, would let him leave without any safety measures.”
“Fernan is in Alprosen right now, fighting Lorencios.”
“Lorencios? In that case, it’s likely he’ll be killed…”
“If we eliminate both Fernan Pellenberg and Aint Armian, we’ll remove the two biggest obstacles. Alright, I’ll give it my all to cooperate.”
“That’s how it should be.”
The count and the mercenary shook hands.
____
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