The Academy was attacked by demons.
The fact that the Academy, which was called one of the safest places on the continent, had been attacked by demons was enough to throw the entire continent into chaos.
This was because the barrier of the Dean, which had never been breached no matter what happened until now, had become an unreliable existence.
For this reason, the Emperor declared that all kingdoms should form an alliance, but the positions of the kingdoms were different.
In the distant past, there was a great mistake made by the Empire during the fierce conquest wars that nearly led the entire world to destruction.
Memories remained of kingdoms that suffered near extinction due to the Empire or perished while unable to withstand the Empire’s conquest wars, and of being at the mercy of the Demon King Army that invaded a world in chaos due to such wars.
A responsibility theory emerged among all surrounding kingdoms, insisting that the Empire and the Holy Kingdom must take responsibility.
The Empire argued that since they were able to breach the barrier created by the Great Magician and launch an attack, every race and nation living on the continent must unite immediately, while the alliance of kingdoms clashed with the opinion that the Empire and the Holy Kingdom should take the lead in subduing the Demon King.
Countless citizens, regardless of their nations, lived in constant anxiety, unsure when demons might attack, and some nobles were so worried that they brought their children back from the Academy.
Although no one had died and the incident was resolved safely thanks to the Hero and the Saint, the mere fact of being attacked was already a grave issue.
Now was not the time to worry about anything else; it was a situation where they had to unite, yet the kingdoms were distorting their position by insisting that the Empire must take responsibility.
“Ugh…”
This was why the current Emperor of the Arhen Empire, Carlos Arhen, was going out of his mind.
Due to the mistakes of his ancestors hundreds of years ago, the Empire was still struggling to fend off the threatening monsters swarming the Realm.
It was not for nothing that the Duchy of Pernian in the North had maintained territories around the Realm for hundreds of years.
Though he knew he shouldn’t say such things as the Emperor, he was in a position where he wanted to deliver a serious beating to the wicked people of the kingdoms right away.
Why, of all times, was the Demon King resurrecting at this moment when he was in power…?
Moreover, the kingdoms were too busy looking after their own interests to even think of uniting against the impending doom of the world…
For the Emperor, it was a headache.
Throughout his life, he had never once regretted inheriting the throne and ruling as Emperor, but for the first time, he felt regret.
However, just because it was his ancestors’ mistake didn’t mean he bore no guilt.
In any case, now that he was the Emperor ruling the Empire, it was ultimately his job to ensure the people did not feel anxious.
“Uriel…”
Remembering his youngest daughter who had gone to the Academy to become a knight, the Emperor sighed and held one side of his forehead.
It was only natural to worry about his daughter, given that a demon had appeared in the Academy, but… as an Emperor, he could not show such feelings, and moreover, there were many things his daughter needed to learn at the Academy, so he could not tell her to come back.
And he was not the only one who had sent her there.
‘The Saint…’
The Saint of this era, who had come from the Holy Kingdom, was at the Academy.
Not only that, but he had heard that she had prevented the tragedy that was about to unfold at the Academy. Although he had not seen it himself, the fact that she had saved many people from the Realm meant that the Empire had already been greatly indebted to that Saint.
Thinking humanitarian-wise, he should not use the girl politically.
No matter how unforgivable his actions were as Emperor, he had no choice but to consider humanitarian views and the relationship with the Holy Kingdom.
For the alliance to be formed, the cooperation of the kingdoms was essential.
To do that, the only option was to use the Saint.
He could not afford to repeat his ancestors’ mistakes and must utilize everything he could, even if it meant… doing something cruel to a young girl.
*
What is this…?
What happened…?
I just intended to close my eyes for a moment, but somehow did I lose consciousness as if I fell asleep…?
‘Ah…’
This place…
It feels familiar, somehow.
‘Hospital…?’
I was definitely in a dungeon, presumed to be the boss monster’s room, until just a moment ago, but now it looks like a hospital…
‘Is everything over…?’
Looking around, it seems like things turned out well.
If I hadn’t managed to revert Albert back to what he was, I wouldn’t be here now.
‘Thank goodness it ended well…’
However, the most important thing was still unresolved.
Evan.
What happened to Evan?
“Ugh…”
I tried to rise at the thought of needing to find him, but for some reason, I felt a throbbing pain all over my body, or rather, a pleasurable sensation that made me shudder.
‘Ah, am I still not fully recovered?’
That could very well be the case.
No matter how much I had the power not to die, my body still needed enough Divine Power to function.
In other words, surviving without dying is separate from having enough strength left to recover.
Given that I had repeatedly died to the point of losing consciousness in excessive pleasure, it wouldn’t be surprising if my Divine Power was completely depleted.
From what I experienced in the Realm, once Divine Power runs out, I would spend a while in a nearly dead state until I could recover enough Divine Power to regain consciousness.
‘Wait… how long has it been?’
I need to check how much time has passed.
Thinking that, I forcefully lifted my body.
As I did, a pleasurable scream escaped my mouth, but this was not the time to indulge in such sensual pleasures.
I needed to find out what happened to Evan.
If Evan survived despite the demon’s attack, he should be in the hospital, but for some reason, he was not around.
‘Did he wake up before me…?’
If he woke up before me, he might have been lying for quite a number of days.
To be honest, I had died more times in a short span than I had in days in the Realm, so it might have taken considerable time to recover my depleted Divine Power.
Not knowing the exact time was problematic.
First, I need to find out how many days have passed and check on Evan…
“… Aria?”
But… what is this presence…?
“[… Sister Stella…?]”
Seeing me awake, Stella froze in place.
Her reaction was starting to make me feel slightly scared, but it must be just my imagination, right…?
Despite appearances, she is a Saint, so her recovery of Divine Power wouldn’t be that slow.
Probably…
Fortunately, it hadn’t been long.
Honestly, I had expected about a week, but if it was only three days, then it wasn’t such a critical level.
Three days instead of one was somewhat shocking, but…
‘Maybe it’s because I was too exhausted and fell asleep…’
Anyone would feel tired after experiencing pain so intense that they could have died hundreds of times.
Even for me, I recognized that excessive pleasure felt like torture…
However, from Stella’s perspective, my absence for three days without waking up must have caused her considerable worry, as she had cared for me every day after class, hoping that I would wake up soon.
“[I’m sorry for the worry I caused you, Sister…]”
Dying once or twice only leads to a brief loss of consciousness, but if it accumulates, no matter who I am, I need to rest.
This time, the rest was just a bit longer, but… I should apologize for the troubles I caused.
At my sincere apology, Stella was taken aback and hurriedly responded that it was really alright.
More importantly, I hadn’t asked the most important thing yet.
“[Um… how is Brother Evan…]”
“He’s well. Extremely so.”
“[Ah…]”
What a relief.
At that moment, I must have been driven to strange thoughts due to the pleasure.
If Evan had died, the subjugation of the Demon King would have been completely beyond reach, and it would have virtually meant the end of the world, so that couldn’t happen.
I’m truly relieved…
“[I’m really… glad…]”
I said that sincerely and let out a sigh of relief.
