Chapter 411: Being in the Scheme but Not Knowing the Scheme (4k)
The door cards developed by Professor Kazel had a significant breakthrough compared to the selection cards: the addition of inter-card communication capabilities.
However, this communication function was essentially a replication of the selection card’s mechanism and worked in the same way.
The holder of the door card only needed to inject magic while specifying a name to transmit a message.
Or they could specify a range for mass messaging.
The key difference was that only professors had the authority to communicate via selection cards, whereas all holders of door cards had this ability.
…
Upon discovering that someone had sent a message through the door card, Dark immediately began contemplating their identity.
Those with door cards should be limited to the creator, Professor Kazel, the other winner of the Duel Festival, Joseph Bruno, or possibly Professor Shylph.
If Professor Shylph wanted to convey a message, she could use “the blessing of the Wind Elemental” as a medium.
“So, it might be Professor Kazel or perhaps Joseph Bruno?”
With a puzzled expression, Dark opened the envelope icon on the door card.
However, the name displayed in the message was neither of these individuals, but—Ophelia Brad!
“Bloody Princess?”
Surprised by the Bloody Princess holding a door card, Dark looked at the content of the message.
[191519]
“What does 191519 mean?”
Repeating the digits shown in the message, Dark hesitated.
…
“Did you wake up?”
A fluctuation of magic power came from above, and Professor Shylph’s voice traveled through the “blessing of the Wind Elemental.”
Dark nodded slightly and said, “I suppose so. Professor, how did the ceremony go? I received a message from Ophelia Brad.”
“The ceremony went quite smoothly, Metia has been…” Professor Shylph said, then paused, “Wait, Ophelia sent you a message? Using a door card?”
“It was indeed a door card.” Dark nodded. “How did she get it?”
Professor Shylph fell silent for a moment, then said, “She probably got it from Joseph Bruno. What did she say?”
Dark suddenly understood, “Just a number, 191519. She seems quite idle?”
As Dark spoke casually, the atmosphere inside the pumpkin carriage changed abruptly.
Professor Shylph turned sharply toward Professor Metia, who almost immediately opened her eyes to check, her silver moonlight gaze becoming more intense.
But after the light subsided, Metia shook her head and said, “Everything is proceeding smoothly according to plan.”
Professor Shylph replied, “But this message?”
Metia said, “191519 may not necessarily be SOS.”
Curious, Dark asked, “Why SOS?”
Metia explained, “19, 15, 19 correspond to the 19th, 15th, and 19th letters of the alphabet, which are S, O, S. It’s a simplified code for distress.”
Dark instantly understood, “So that’s it.”
This world’s writing system was very subtle.
The 26 English letters mainly served phonetic purposes, similar to pinyin in modern Chinese, and were rarely mixed with actual text.
Complex English words didn’t exist here.
After thinking for a moment, Dark added, “Should I send a message to ask?”
“No need,” Professor Shylph whispered. “Though there are some complications due to the secret path, I can indeed contact Olivia.”
She closed her eyes, and her pale golden hair fluttered without wind.
Relying on the help of the Wind Elemental, her voice penetrated the barrier of the secret path and briefly communicated with Ophelia Brad.
Opening her eyes, she shook her head at Professor Metia.
Waiting for a moment, seeing no response, Dark asked, “How did it go?”
Professor Shylph’s tone became heavier, “She said she didn’t send any messages to you.”
“Ah.” Professor Metia sighed immediately, “Looks like we’re in trouble.”
…
It was 2:30 AM on April 2nd.
Dark Demon had barely started eating his melon when he suddenly collapsed.
He jumped off his seat, waving at Deoxys and Lion Beast, “We have work to do.”
“Is it really safe?” Professor Shylph’s voice carried a hint of worry.
Dark twisted his hand, and a breeze wrapped around his fingers.
“Some risks must be taken,” Dark lowered his head and whispered, “With the blessing of the Wind Elemental, everything will be fine.”
Yet, he quickened his pace and left the classroom.
…
Atop the Spiral Bell Tower, inside the pumpkin carriage.
Professor Shylph held a wisp of breeze, her expression unusually serious, “Metia, can you ensure the accuracy of the prophecy?”
Professor Metia leaned back lazily in the soft chair, saying with a hint of disdain, “If you insist on asking, to maintain the dignity of the prophet, I can only tell you it’s one hundred percent accurate.”
Professor Shylph’s expression darkened, “I’m not playing word games with you.”
Metia yawned slightly and said, “But I remember telling you long ago. The children won’t be harmed; the hero’s sword will pierce the black mist.”
Then she suddenly became serious, “Now that the black mist has appeared, fate has rolled the dice. As spectators, we remain consistent.”
Professor Shylph took a deep breath, “I understand your point, but I can’t help worrying.”
Metia glanced at her and muttered, “Altair’s heart is much harder than yours.”
Shylph sighed, “That’s why she’s the principal.”
…
The ceremony was halfway through.
An outsider’s sudden involvement could bring unpredictable changes.
Especially given the two professors involved.
Whether it was Sarah Shylph or Metia Barthelemy, stepping out of the pumpkin carriage would instantly elevate the ceremony’s “level.”
From the “beginner village” tier to the “endgame” tier.
Under such circumstances, Dark Demon, who had already intruded at the beginning of the ceremony, could act normally without heavily impacting the ritual.
But he still needed to play his part well.
“Hero’s arch-rival?”
Estimating the meaning of this role, Dark approached the familiar entrance to the secret path.
In that historical segment, the “hero’s rival” was a human who embarked on the journey alongside the hero, sharing the same goal and engaging in a “healthy” competition during the journey. They often reunited with the hero to defeat the Demon King.
Historically, the “hero vs. demon king” scenario usually included such a character.
Using a prophecy once made by Professor Didi: history repeats itself, cycles never cease.
Some rivals grow alongside the hero, while others fall behind.
Similarly, some rivals surpass the hero, even replacing them.
Of course, if that happened, the “hero” would become the “rival,” and the “rival” would become the “hero.”
In this world where the “hero” was yet to be determined and many “hero candidates” existed, this situation was common.
In the previous era, Brett Gold’s “rival,” the Valkyrie, was another member of the Kingdom’s twin swords!
…
“This is it.”
Dark injected magic, and the entrance to the secret path rippled like water.
“According to Professor Shylph, only this entrance’s seal was temporarily opened. Imp Beast!”
“Ready to charge!”
The Imp Beast flapped its wings and rushed into the secret path.
Half a second later, it poked its head out and said, “Safe.”
Dark stepped in.
The familiar space of the secret path greeted him. Nearby torches had ignited flames, and the smooth walls reflected flickering firelight.
He raised his hand, and the “blessing of the Wind Elemental” coiled around his fingers. The magical fluctuations became noticeably smoother.
As Professor Shylph said, the barrier of the secret path interfered with the transmission of magic, causing delays in message delivery.
“What’s next?”
Lion Beast took the lead, stepping forward.
“Following destiny’s guidance.”
Dark took out the Mana Spirit’s magic card from his sleeve, pretending to be important.
The Mana Spirit’s magic card responded, and a scarlet beam of light reappeared.
“Let’s go.”
“Embark on our journey.”
“Mew.”
…
Exiting the initial stretch of the secret path, the entire atmosphere changed dramatically, and the familiarity vanished.
Seeing the once-flat walls transform into steep cliffs, Dark felt surprised but not overly so.
There were two main orchestrators for this ceremony.
Ophelia Brad, as the “actor” and internal director, played a crucial role.
The other orchestrator was Metia Barthelemy, primarily responsible for external direction and adjustments.
Ophelia Brad was the core. If anything went wrong with her part, the entire ceremony would collapse.
Dark had participated in a ceremony led by Professor Didi before.
But that ceremony was fundamentally different from this one.
Because their goals and ritual objects differed.
Conceptually, the ceremony led by Professor Didi was more complex and challenging.
Compared to Ophelia Brad and Metia Barthelemy’s ceremony, this one was merely a “stage play” level.
But stage plays, small but precise.
Although smaller in scale, they were more intricate.
…
Minutes later, Dark watched the swarm of monsters ambush from the side paths and issued an attack command to Lion Beast.
“Beast King Fist!”
The lion-shaped energy wave burst forth amid a roar, instantly pulverizing all the monsters!
“Merely superficial.”
Dark shook his head and moved quickly.
The monsters created within the secret path due to the ritual were far inferior to those in Saint Maryan’s underground city, akin to hastily made paper crafts.
By the time they passed, the fragments of the monsters had returned to starlight and were absorbed by the secret path.
They crossed swiftly.
Half an hour later, Dark had delved deep into the secret path.
Professor Shylph’s messages continued to come through the “blessing of the Wind Elemental,” albeit faintly but still understandable.
The ceremony was proceeding smoothly.
Everything was going according to plan.
It was as if the line of numbers sent by the Bloody Princess through the door card didn’t exist at all.
But amidst this “smoothness,” a sense of mounting “tension” was hidden.
Dark felt a sense of urgency.
Another half an hour passed.
He finally caught up with the “hero’s” progress and arrived at a massive gate.
Looking up at the bronze giant gate, reminiscent of the palace of the dual-headed demonic man in the underground city, Dark took a deep breath.
The giant gate had been pushed open enough for three people to walk abreast.
This indicated that the actors portraying the “hero’s group” had delved deep into the ritual.
Vit and Robert, as core performers, knew nothing about the ceremony itself.
They were like puppets, with only parts of the script known to the “mage” actor—Tom Nixon.
Even Tom Nixon only possessed parts of the script and didn’t know the ultimate purpose of the ceremony, merely following Ophelia Brad’s instructions.
Ryan Hux, the other “old man” actor, acted entirely based on his own will.
The “hero of the spear,” who should have retired, had returned to the stage in his old age. His true identity hadn’t been concealed from the academy.
Only Principal Altair judged him harmless, allowing him to enter.
Professor Shylph, having learned everything from the beginning, guided him into the scheme, letting him play the role he had always played.
“The highest level of acting is when you don’t realize you’re acting.”
“They perform with their own will and abilities.”
“To them, everything is real.”
Dark followed Lion Beast through the gap in the giant gate, entering the heart of the ceremony—the Demon King’s castle!
His vision suddenly widened.
Above was no ceiling but a sky filled with dark clouds.
A chain bridge stretched across the cliff, leading to barren black earth beyond.
The Demon King’s castle appeared in the distance, like a backdrop, and lightning occasionally flashed, threatening to tear the world apart.
From his deck, Dark drew two magic cards and charged onto the bridge.
“In the name of Dark Demon, Mana Summoning—’Wrestler Eagle’!”
The Wrestler Eagle materialized in a flash of light, its sharp gaze piercing the flock of vultures flying from below the cliff, countless arrows piercing their bodies.
