—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The cradle of the Empire. Claris Academy.
In response to the continuous incidents involving demons this year, the academic board held a special investigation committee.
-Perhaps… the 7th War is… imminent.
-Wh, what! That’s ominous!
-Ominous? Don’t you all know? War is inevitable, and it only ends when one side is finished. Have you forgotten the reason for this academy’s establishment?
-…
As the discussion to resolve the incident concluded, and idle speculation driven by unfounded anxiety continued,
former Professor McClone, who had retired in the worst possible way, was thinking differently.
‘It must be… that cadet from back then.’
The entrance exam in the Lintz Forest.
The cadets who were present when the patchwork horror was defeated, Edwin Gwynns and Lev Denec.
These two were also involved in this incident.
Of course, it could be a series of unfortunate coincidences, but surviving two demonic attacks had significant meaning.
Before even considering their strength, if their will hadn’t been broken by fear… even negative experiences could become a foundation for growth.
Therefore, McClone had already spoken to Professor Diena.
They must nurture these two.
It was cruel, but McClone had no doubt that they were promising hero candidates.
‘I hope the old man’s intuition isn’t wrong.’
.
.
.
-Did you see the demon in the Lintz Forest?
-Did I see it? The war hero showed up, and it ran away immediately.
-Well, this is our home base, what could an archdemon do…?
-What was it then? Did it just come to declare war?
Bune’s invasion of the academy was a hot topic, to the extent that there were no cadets who didn’t know about it.
The fact that an archdemon had appeared alone, without a single soldier, and occupied the Lint Forest was difficult for everyone to understand, not just the cadets.
-There was definitely a gate there, a demon gate…
-That’s right. We also… risked our lives… to fight there.
As Dylan and Raymond testified, there was an unidentified gate in the sewer, and a legion of corpses poured out from it, but it couldn’t be proven.
By the time the guardians went to check, everything had vanished without a trace.
In the end, ‘someone’ had intervened to make it seem that way, but no one could know this truth.
.
.
.
And the archery department, student council room.
The promising human archer, Violet DiCrescent, was deep in thought, her long, purple hair hanging down.
First, the atmosphere in the academy was chaotic.
In this situation, she had to select archer candidates.
Actually, she had no desire to select anyone.
The reason for selecting hero candidates each year was simple.
Insurance.
Insurance in case the previous group failed in their expedition to defeat the Demon King.
In other words, Violet, who believed she had the ability to defeat the Demon King, didn’t need that insurance.
But…
-Violet, I’m here to deliver an urgent message. Are you very busy right now?
-…
Her mentor, Diena Ashkar, had come to see Violet in person.
In a way, it was a simple request.
To bring a cadet named Lev Denec as a candidate for the archery department.
But, as the saying goes, it’s all about how you say it.
It wasn’t a request to accept him as a candidate, but a request to bring him.
“Sigh.”
She had no intention of accepting candidates,
and now she had to go and persuade a first-year student herself.
Of course, Violet, who was confident that there was no better archer than herself, was reluctant to do so, even if it was her mentor’s request.
“Lev, Denec…”
The archer who bought time during the demon appearance in the Lintz Forest until the war hero arrived.
She heard that he had contributed to defeating the patchwork horror that the archdemon had brought, but there was nothing special about him other than that.
And yet, he held the position of top student under Professor Diena, the same as her.
Violet gently touched her throbbing forehead with her fingers.
What on earth had happened at the academy while she was away?
In the end, she frowned and stood up.
‘…’
Lev Denec, she would at least see what he looked like.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The sanctuary, the holy place of Claris.
It was a garden that was clearly not maintained, but the green plants were harmoniously arranged as if they had been well-trimmed.
And in the center of this place was a small temple-like building with only pillars and no walls.
“…Is this… the right thing to do?”
Aria, a top student at Claris, could rent this place for practice.
And with the help of Shinatis’ power, bringing him… here was the right decision.
There was no better place to suppress the power of demons than a sanctuary,
and his body, heavily saturated with demonic energy, needed to be doused with holy water.
It was quite difficult for a woman to undress him, considering his surprisingly muscular and large body, and wash him with holy water.
However, whenever she tried to go to the Temple of Restoration or call for help, Lev unconsciously grabbed Aria’s arm as if he absolutely couldn’t allow it, so this was the best she could do.
-……
He slept with a troubled expression, as if having a nightmare.
She had reported to the academic board, so if he regained consciousness and was moved to the Temple of Restoration, any suspicion about his whereabouts could be avoided.
Anyway, Aria had saved Lev’s life once again.
Of course, she didn’t know if this was the right decision.
Professor Shinatis had helped her in silence, without saying anything to Aria.
However, Aria could be sure of one thing after this incident.
She no longer… needed to doubt him.
Lev Denec… could use the power of demons.
And the reason his personality changed was only when he used the power of demons and was subsequently consumed by it.
The reason he was being consumed was not from other demons, but because of his own ability.
‘But why… Lady Yeriel…’
The first words that came out of his mouth when his demonization was in full swing.
-Yeriel.
Why?
It was quite different from the context of other humans’ demonization seen in demon-related books.
Usually, general demonization occurs when one desires power, makes a contract with a demon, and accepts black magic power.
Therefore, it is common for them to become intoxicated with this surging power and exhibit destructive behavior.
But calling out a human woman’s name, or playing mischievous pranks, such behavior was definitely out of place.
“…It’s not simply about wanting to become stronger.”
He might not be accepting the power of a demon for his own selfish desires.
From what Aria could tell, judging by his recent actions…
‘He spent a lot of time with Lady Yeriel…’
The reason why he said ‘Yeriel’… if it was related to this…
“…?”
As soon as she finished that thought, Aria’s heart sank.
It wasn’t the first time she had felt this feeling.
If extreme despair were added to this, it would be similar to when she lost her family to Andras.
In short, her heart felt heavy for no reason, as if she had lost something.
Aria shook off that feeling for now.
What she needed to do now was to treat the injured.
“I…”
“?”
Just then, Lev started to mumble in his sleep, mixed with a death rattle.
And when Aria put it together and repeated it.
-I.want.to.go.back.home.
A simple sentence was completed.
“…What does that mean?”
Go back, where?
She was a little surprised.
Perhaps it was the first time she had heard his true feelings.
He never acted weak.
Then, a conclusion flashed through Aria’s mind.
The man named Lev Denec, to go back. And for Yeriel…
He momentarily accepted the power of a demon. Could it be interpreted that way?
“…”
From the beginning of the semester, when she cast surveillance magic on him.
He occasionally showed large fluctuations in magic power.
And, whenever a major incident occurred at the academy, his corruption level worsened.
To save someone… he must have struggled in pain.
He was different from ordinary demons.
But, whatever his intentions were.
Whether it was for personal gain or for the public good.
Accepting the power of demons was an absolute taboo at Claris Academy, no, in the Empire.
Therefore, if it weren’t for Aria, Lev Denec would have already…
-…Ugh.
Just then, Lev opened his mouth once more.
“!”
Aria leaned her ear closer to Lev so as not to miss it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
‘Lev…!’
After recovering in the Temple of Restoration,
and seeing that Edwin had dramatically recovered, Yeriel rushed straight to the sanctuary of Claris, despite the objections of the academy investigators.
What happened to her yesterday was a miracle.
-Dylan? What’s wrong?
-It’s unbelievable. It’s gone.
-What, what is?
-The archdemon’s curse…
The archdemon’s curse, the cause of Yeriel’s deteriorating condition, had been lifted even before the healer arrived.
However, she had to be protected and monitored by the war heroes until she was stabilized, so she couldn’t keep her promise with Lev.
-Lev, are you okay…?
Seeing that the curse had disappeared, he must have done something again.
But Lev’s body was in bad shape.
He should have been in a state where even moving was difficult…
Why wasn’t he taking care of himself?
Last night, Yeriel couldn’t sleep a wink and spent the night worrying.
-Don’t forget our promise.
She just hoped and prayed that the promise could be kept.
After dawn, even after hearing that Lev was recovering in the sanctuary, Yeriel couldn’t relax.
She wouldn’t be able to rest until she saw his condition with her own eyes.
.
.
.
And so in the sanctuary…
“Lev…!”
As if an angel had descended, Yerial, with her pure white hair fluttering, ran towards him, only to be met with,
“!”
Lev, with Aria’s body leaning over him.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Mm, well…please don’t go crazy and transform into a fallen angel after he went through all that effort, okay?
Ah yes, the misunderstanding before the inevitable hostility on whoever hugs him.
He should know that these 2 are his final bosses