“Please rest assured, the only heretic in this academy is us.”
A woman with ash-gray hair smiled gently.
That was Alba, who had just been pretending to be a man.
The demonic energy emanating from the revealed figure was slightly stronger than expected.
“Are you the High Priest?”
“Oh my, can you discern such things?”
Alba bowed as if thanking for being recognized, then held the robe like a skirt with both hands and lightly curtsied—a formal noble greeting often called a “lady’s bow.”
“I am the High Priest of Pride, Lucero del Alva.”
“Is it true that you’re actually a professor at the academy?”
“Yeees~ I’ve been here quite a while. It’s truly regrettable~ There’s the students’ midterm exams coming up soon, but alas, I’m being driven out like this…”
Alba’s expression pretending to care about the students was detestable. A being that deceives others as easily as breathing—such was the heresy of pride.
“But there’s nothing we can do about it, right? After all, no one else but the disciple known as the ‘Barbarian Massacre’ has arrived. We have no choice but to retreat~”
“Oh, so you’re planning to back off quietly?”
“Yes~ I only intended to briefly meet you~”
Speaking in a gentle voice, Alba wore an innocuous smile. Seeing that harmless smile, I circulated my aura. If they were going to retreat so easily, they wouldn’t have brought me all the way here.
“Still, since we’ve met, wouldn’t it be proper to exchange pleasantries?”
“Isn’t attacking someone unarmed a bit too much?”
“We’re not foolish enough to disrespect the Master~”
“You fools… If you were smart, you wouldn’t have become heretics in the first place!”
As I swung my arm to strike the snake sneaking up from behind, I rummaged through my robes. What I pulled out were three short rods. Quickly assembling them and twisting the end, a sharp blade popped out, completing a spear.
This was a makeshift weapon I personally devised in case I couldn’t equip my main weapon on the battlefield. Though I don’t recall giving it a name, everyone started calling it “Blood Wind” at some point. Every time I drew it, blood would fly like the wind.
“Die!”
Swinging the spear infused with aura, I sent one of the heretics flying far away. Startled by the brutal sight, the others hesitated to charge.
“What’s wrong? Are you stalling for reinforcements?”
“Aren’t you curious why I lured you here?”
“Eh? Not really. So, will you just die quietly or not?”
I concentrated aura in my legs and leaped toward Alba. Best to kill before they do something useless.
“Preparations are already complete. It’s unfortunate that we lack ‘sacrifices,’ but someday, beautiful screams will surely come from your lips~”
Demonic energy clung stickily around the figure. Sensing ominous vibes, I quickly thrust my spear, piercing their heart. Yet the demonic energy only grew stronger.
“I look forward to our next meeting. May you enjoy your time~”
Disturbed by the eerie smile, I swiftly retreated. The demonic energy erupted from the hole in Alba’s chest, completely engulfing them. Suicide? No way. This was a ritual heretics loved to use: sacrificing their own bodies to summon beings from the Demon World.
The demonic energy then extended sticky tentacles toward the surrounding heretics. Pierced like shish kebabs, they melted into demonic energy within moments. Despite witnessing this, they didn’t flee; instead, they knelt and prayed to the growing demonic energy.
“…Disgusting creatures.”
After swallowing all the heretics, the demonic energy swelled and transformed into some kind of beast. Watching the beast covered in sludge-like demonic energy drip, I inwardly sighed in relief. Since it wasn’t in human form, it meant this thing was a demon rather than a devil—one step lower in rank. Moreover, the fact that it was leaking demonic energy indicated it had been summoned rather unstably.
“Seems like you were in quite a rush after all.”
However, even so, it was a being far superior to any ordinary barbarian. Without reaching Master level, dealing with it would be quite troublesome.
– …!!!
Seeing the roaring demon, I smirked. Teaching someone is harder, but killing is easier for me.
“Shall we play a little?”
Surrounded by aura, I pierced what looked like its forelimb.
– …!!
Despite a huge hole appearing, the beast spat demonic energy at me without flinching. I lightly jumped and landed on its back.
“Tch, this is the problem with incompletely summoned ones.”
Because it lacked a defined form, it was weak but immune to physical attacks—like cutting water with a sword. Still, there are ways to deal with it.
Either run around waiting for it to reverse-summon itself,
(Though I can’t use it) obliterate it with wide-area magic,
Or gradually erode it with aura.
Of course, none of these were my style.
“That’s boring, isn’t it?”
Smirking, I gathered the ‘energies.’ Left hand with mana, right hand with aura. Perhaps a technique only I could perform.
[Divine Power: Forced Harmony]
“Primordial Collapse Pillar”
The light beginning from my hands instantly enveloped the surroundings.
– …!!!!
It didn’t take long for the demon to be consumed by the light.
***
“Hehe, seems I arrived a bit late…?”
An old man arriving late awkwardly chuckled while stroking his long beard. I shook my head as if telling him not to worry.
“Well, it’s nothing serious. With busy official duties, delays can happen.”
This mountain-spirit-like old man was none other than Heinz Kambella, the headmaster of Minerva Academy.
“Your words ease this old man’s heart greatly.”
“Could I possibly ask you to handle the aftermath? It feels a bit awkward seeing you like this when I’m in this state. Haha.”
With a nod, Heinz agreed.
“Go rest. The necessary procedures are already done. You can visit the principal’s office whenever you’re free.”
“Then I shall gratefully accept Principal’s consideration.”
Smiling faintly and bowing, I noticed a bespectacled woman approaching.
“I-I’ll guide you to the dormitory.”
Her pale complexion and inability to make eye contact clearly showed she was uneasy around me. Covered in sticky demonic energy, I must look pretty disgusting myself.
“Thank you for your help.”
Trying to smile kindly, the woman trembled and hastily moved away.
‘Sigh~ Guess it’s my fate…’
Sighing internally, I followed the woman.
***
Heinz watched the retreating figure of ‘him’ disappearing into the forest before shifting his gaze.
“Hmm… This will take some time to restore.”
Gazing at the crater resembling a meteorite impact, Heinz let out a sound that was either admiration or a sigh. The crater emitted black smoke, unmistakably a trace of demonic energy.
“Hey, is he really a soldier?”
A man with a sword strapped to his waist crouched in front of the crater. Cain Aldeon, who taught applied swordsmanship at the academy.
“That’s right. Unless the royal palace provided false reports.”
“Even so… It’s hard to believe he made this crater with just a spear.”
Cain recalled the spear covered in demonic energy that Allen was holding. Although its shape was slightly different, it was undoubtedly the standard military spear. Calling it decent weaponry would be a stretch. Creating such a massive crater with that worthless spear meant…
Unless it was someone from the Golden Way Zodiacs, it should be impossible.
While spreading mana and checking the surroundings, Heinz spoke.
“This crater was most likely caused by something summoned. Likely an imperfectly summoned demon.”
“Well, surviving against something leaving such a mark and still being fine means… At least Expert top-tier or Master level, right?”
Cain shook his head as he stood up. Seeing this, Heinz asked with a playful smile:
“Do you think you can beat him?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Why? Isn’t it your hobby to discipline new professors?”
“Discipline? No… It’s just that there are many monsters disguised as students here at Minerva, so be cautious.”
Feeling uncomfortable, Cain shook his head again.
“That guy is a full-fledged monster. Unlike the students here, a complete monster. I’m not stupid enough to fight a monster. I want to live longer.”
“I don’t feel much agreement with calling him a monster. Maybe a crafty one, though.”
Heretics were discovered in his own backyard, the academy. This situation left him open to criticism for incompetence as the principal,
And further raised doubts about whether he himself might be a heretic.
Yet Allen colonel left without saying much. It could be due to exhaustion,
But somehow, Heinz couldn’t shake off the feeling that he had dodged responsibility.
Cain pointed at the land contaminated by demonic energy and said:
“The battle was intense enough to create marks like this. Yet his body didn’t have a single scratch.”
Not even sweat.
Though symptoms vary, demonic energy is extremely toxic to humans. Its infectious nature is so dangerous that even a drop requires cutting off the affected part. However, Allen seemed unaffected.
Cain, who had once briefly experienced the battlefield, well understood what this implied.
“It means he deliberately smeared himself with blood. Being so accustomed to fighting methods involving covering oneself in demonic energy shows how familiar he is with them.”
“Deliberately…”
“Though I never witnessed him fight on the battlefield directly, I’ve heard many rumors. Nightmare of the battlefield, Barbarian Massacre, Indomitable Vanguard, etc., numerous nicknames describe him.”
Among those, the nickname ‘Barbarian Massacre’ gained prominence during the war due to his merciless actions towards barbarians who harmed allied forces, wiping out entire villages.
Recalling the barbarian villages ravaged by Allen’s troops, Cain involuntarily shivered.
“…I’d rather commit suicide than face him as an enemy.”
Concluding his statement, Cain turned to leave for the academy, only to be stopped by Heinz’s mana.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Why… stop me? What can a mere swordsman like me possibly do?”
“Should this old man clean everything up myself? If you don’t want to see me overwork to death, start clearing those tree debris now.”
“Then shouldn’t you call other professors?”
“They’re all teaching classes. You’re the only available manpower left.”
“Do we really need to fix it right now?”
“Tomorrow is the outdoor class.”
“Damn…”
Realizing he picked the wrong person to deal with, Cain summoned his aura.
***
The continent’s premier nation, the illustrious Sirius Empire.
As the old adage goes, where there is light, there is also darkness. In the empire, there existed a place where outcasts, criminals, and destitute gathered, away from public view. People contemptuously referred to it as the ‘cesspool.’
In one space deeply permeated by thick and dark shadows within this cesspool,
Two figures sat across from each other at a large table made entirely of swirling darkness.
In this world, there exists a group of humans who follow the Demon King. They call themselves ‘heretics,’ but the world knows them as ‘blasphemers.’
And these two were among the most infamous <High Priests> of the blasphemers.
“Wow~ Definitely strong, this ‘singularity’~”
A woman with ash-gray hair. The High Priest of Pride, Lucero del Alba. Her characteristic innocent smile prompted another woman with a blank expression to ask:
“Is it alright to use up a decoy like that?”
“It’s a bit wasteful, but since we managed to gauge the singularity’s strength somewhat, this much loss is acceptable~”
“Hmph. If you were going to do it, you should’ve done a complete summoning.”
“Couldn’t help it~ As soon as we received the news, we had to withdraw immediately, so there weren’t many followers available~ If you wanted help, Diabolo should’ve assisted, right~?”
At Alba’s tantrum, Diabolo’s pupils vertically split. Her crimson eyes, resembling a reptile’s, flickered with red flames.
“If I had acted, the vessel’s boundary level would’ve risen. With our wish almost fulfilled, there’s no need to complicate matters unnecessarily.”
“That’s true~”
Standing up, Diabolo looked down at Alba and spoke:
“Restore your decoy for now. I’ll head to the northern region.”
“Yes~ I’ll join soon~”
Alba waved goodbye as Diabolo disappeared into the darkness.
“Ah~ Your beautiful song won’t last much longer~”
The growth of ‘the vessel’ was proceeding smoothly. If things went as planned, the wait wouldn’t be long.
“Our sovereign… please wait just a little longer… There are so many vessels prepared for you~”
Alba recalled the black spear that pierced her heart. The pitch-black hair akin to this place’s darkness. The fatal eyes reflecting the highs and lows of life. How ecstatic would it be if screams erupted from that mouth that once firmly told her to die? And if the king were born from within those cries…
“Really… looking forward to it…”
Anticipating that day, Alba slowly submerged herself into the darkness.
