Following an unprecedented incident where hundreds of monsters attacked the Academy, numerous changes occurred.
Firstly, the protests from the parents, led by high-ranking nobles, were formidable.
In noble families, children are not only the carriers of noble bl**d but also a means to establish connections with other families through marriage.
Moreover, those who were enrolled in the Academy were individuals with exceptional skills and talents, making them invaluable assets that the high-ranking nobles could not afford to lose.
However, the Academy, which they had thought to be a place of eternal safety, was invaded by monsters.
While there were not many casualties, the news of the extensive damage, including injuries, spread quickly. The nobles’ anger was immense as they had placed their trust in the Academy.
The immediate backlash from parents demanding the return of their children could not be ignored. Even Delmore, known for his reluctance to intervene, had to step in personally to calm the situation.
While the feelings of the parents were understandable, the Academy found itself in a difficult position.
It was an unprecedented situation where a member of the Dark Cult had infiltrated the royal family. There could be more hidden schemes behind this attack orchestrated within the Academy.
The decision to carefully observe the movements of its members was a wise one for the Academy.
Of course, the true reason for this caution was confidential. The upper management of the Academy was not foolish enough to tell angry parents, “Your child might be a minion of the Dark Cult.”
They merely repeated like a parrot that for safety, students could not be released as there might still be remnants of the monsters lingering.
Such rapid changes were seen both inside and outside the Academy.
Even looking back at the long history of the Academy, this incident was hard to find parallels with, and tension grew among the students.
However, crises often bring forth heroes; they recounted their experiences from the recent attack at every encounter, leading to the emergence of several celebrities.
For instance, Delphine Yuridina and Elsi Rainelle. Even before, these two were renowned, but their proper responses as seniors contributed significantly to minimizing casualties.
Their performances clearly proved their reputation as the “Duo Leading the Fourth Year.”
Additionally, the top and second ranking third-year students from the Swordsmanship Department also gained fame by demonstrating calm responses. In this way, the Academy was busy discovering new heroes after the crisis passed.
Among them, the most talked-about figure was Ian Fercurus.
Around the time of the Hunting Festival, he made a remarkable impression that left the Academy in shock. Now, he was once again exhibiting actions that brought him to the lips of many.
Firstly, the long-rumored skill of Ian was finally revealed to the world.
Up until now, Ian had only engaged in public battles twice, aside from training matches. One was when he clashed with Elsi’s group, and the other was during a conflict with the Imperial Princess and her entourage.
While it was undeniable that there were considerable advantages for the ambush during the former, the latter encounter was so unrealistic that few could recount the events in detail due to the speed of the exchanges.
Nevertheless, what he showcased during the monster attack was different.
Most of the Academy students participated in the Hunting Festival. On that day, when the crowd was paralyzed with fear, the sight of him slicing the monsters down like a machine was witnessed countless times.
It was a swift and hesitation-free response. Yet, what caught the attention of the witnesses was Ian’s beast-like combat intuition.
Throwing axes, stabbing vital points with a sword, seamlessly switching weapons, Ian even crushed the faces of the monsters with his bare hands.
It was a moment where one of the countless rumors about him was confirmed to be true.
“Ian Fercurus is about twice as strong in real combat.”
As if to prove that statement, Ian Fercurus dominated the battlefield, slaughtering dozens of monsters.
Another reason his achievements attracted even more attention was due to the attitude displayed by the Academy members towards Ian during the previous two weeks.
He had essentially become the public enemy of the Academy.
This was due to the charge of having dared to insult the Fifth Imperial Princess.
He had committed the irreverent act of suddenly splashing water on the princess. The outcome of provoking one of the most powerful figures on the continent was disastrous. Before long, most of the Academy members turned hostile towards Ian.
The bullying became increasingly blatant.
Not only towards Ian but also towards those around him. Both verbal and physical acts of violence were casually perpetrated during those few days.
Though physical bullying lessened once Ian took active measures, the fact that he remained a public enemy did not change.
Psychological violence was bound to continue steadily.
Yet, Ian took that resentment lightly.
He did not hesitate to rescue even those students who had bullied him. There were even testimonies of him passing Healing potions to those who had tormented him, despite being injured himself.
It was a situation that left those who had mindlessly hated Ian feeling ashamed.
Furthermore, the fact that even the ‘irreverent act’ he committed had its circumstances was gradually being unveiled.
The announcement that the Dark Cult was behind the invasion of monsters attacking the Academy was shocking news, the most shocking since the appearance of mages at the orphanage.
This was also a declaration that the darkness and its minions, long forgotten for thousands of years, had returned.
Of course, the Academy was well aware of the potential repercussions. They adjusted the level of their statements with utmost caution, making it clear that there was no immediate need to reveal the Dark Cult’s existence.
Moreover, the presence of the Dark Cult reflected back on Ian’s perception.
The Academy wanted to emphasize that the mysterious group known as the ‘Dark Cult’ was a force that could be managed. Ian was the individual they relied upon in that process.
He had single-handedly defeated the mage at the orphanage, raided the caves, exterminated the Dark Priest, and rescued the princess.
His remarkable accomplishments evidenced two things.
First, Ian Fercurus’s previous feats were no mere flukes.
Second, the plots of the Dark Cult could be disrupted by a single heroic figure.
In any case, the gazes of those who looked at Ian were filled with admiration.
Alongside this, as it was revealed that the water he had splashed on the princess was ‘holy water,’ perceptions of Ian dramatically flipped.
There had been misunderstandings, but he was indeed a hero.
Moreover, Ian endured the unreasonable violence and treatment silently. His actions, rescuing even those who had tormented him, deserved praise.
The faces of Academy members who had scorned and laughed at Ian turned crimson.
However, a reversal inevitably leads to another reversal.
If Ian’s image rose from being a public enemy to everyone’s hero, then conversely, someone had to endure a greater downfall.
Naturally, that scapegoat would have to be the individual often regarded as Ian’s opposing counterpart.
The Fifth Imperial Princess of the Empire, Shi-en.
Each time she took a step after a long time, she had to keep her head down. The nightmares of her childhood, or perhaps even more hostile feelings, stabbed at her like a blade.
In a state of defeat, glancing around nervously, Shi-en could not find the grace and momentum she once had.
As she desperately tried to divert her gaze, she almost closed her eyes completely, battling the impulse to cover her ears.
“Is that person? The one who tormented that loyal subject due to a misunderstanding…”
“Shh, shh. Be quiet. You didn’t know, did you?”
“Does not knowing erase the pain they endured? A leader must be magnanimous.”
Jeers and scoffs poured out.
As past painful memories resurfaced, the princess struggled to breathe. Gasping, she hurried her steps, but malice clung to her like a shadow.
Wherever she went, all she heard were derogatory comments about her.
Even though physical violence was not inflicted due to her royal status, for a princess capable of reading people’s psychologies, hostility was the most blatant form of violence.
It hurt and it was exhausting.
And inwardly, she also felt a bit unfair.
Didn’t everyone insult her?
Just as I was unaware, didn’t you all unknowingly torment him? I feel so sorry and grateful to him that I could cry every night and wish I could kneel and beg right now.
Why do you all so nonchalantly shift the burden of guilt onto me, making me the scapegoat without even considering asking for forgiveness from that man?
It was detestable and hateful, but the princess’s enemy was everyone in the world.
Every time she opened her eyes, the suffocating hatred washed over her.
The malice held by each passerby was not grand, but when it accumulated into hundreds and thousands, it formed an overwhelming current that was impossible to withstand.
Fleeing, the princess ran desperately. The laughter around her felt like mockery.
Tears began to well up again in Shi-en’s slate-gray eyes.
She wanted to collapse and cry out loud. But for now, she could not afford that.
There were too many matters to handle.
Ian’s sister’s company was already on the brink of bankruptcy. Whether there was a way to stop this was something the princess herself could not ascertain.
She planned to depend on her father, the Emperor, for that matter somehow.
There was much more to do. Gasping, Shi-en opened one of the doors to the Intensive Care Room.
Inside, her former ally was staying.
Lady Lupeisia, Shi-en gradually raised her head with a heavy breath.
And the expression of Lady Lupeisia she faced was, no, her emotions were.
“…Hello, Your Highness.”
So chilling was her greeting that Shi-en awkwardly smiled.
There was no one on her side.
Like in her childhood, nowhere at all.
Shi-en had become everyone’s enemy.
It felt as if tears would overflow at any moment.
