The wounds left by the dead Leviathan profoundly impacted the Academy.
The Great Demon had led its main body to attack the Academy, and even the students who had become accustomed to various terrorist acts were greatly affected.
Although things had been somewhat managed, there were still students who were mentally traumatized when they unintentionally looked out the window and saw the Leviathan’s massive form hovering in the sky.
Overwhelmed by extreme fear, some were holed up in the dormitory, screaming, and would have seizures at the slightest noise.
The people from the Church began taking action after finding the victims, but with too few hands, it was practically impossible to investigate all the students locked away in the dormitory.
While the students were a problem, the wounds left on the Academy were severe as well.
The robust barrier protecting the Academy was now mostly inoperative, and both of the connections—the bridge and the port linking the land and the islands—were completely destroyed.
With the bridge and port both wrecked, the regular ships that used to deliver supplies twice a day could no longer dock, and the surrounding sea stank with the blood of the Leviathan, rotting carcasses littering the waters. Even the latest ships powered by the Orion Engine found it difficult to approach the Academy.
Consequently, the Academy was mobilizing all its resources to repair the most significant issues: the barrier and the port and bridge.
Although fully restoring the port was unlikely, docking boats was straightforward.
Using earth elemental magic optimized for construction, they could quickly whip up a makeshift port.
However, after constructing the new port, they discovered an even bigger problem: the nearby sea was teeming with monsters and demons.
The blood of the Great Demon and monster Leviathan had horrendous components in it, enough to turn the sea red.
Instead of the scent of rotting Leviathan, the foul stench wafting from the surface was from marine life dying under the influence of the dense magic.
Though the bridge was repaired, the contamination caused by the Leviathan’s blood meant that monsters and demons would pop up at any moment, making it unusable. Ultimately, they were left with only two routes: the sky route and teleportation.
Regardless, the Academy was doing its best to overcome the crisis.
—
Interestingly, today the entire Academy was on break.
Originally, professors would carry on as usual even during such events, but this time, the damage was extraordinary.
All faculty members were mobilized to deal with the unprecedented damage faced by the Academy, leaving no spare manpower.
Having a break the day right after the semester starts would normally be exciting, but few could be truly happy in light of the lingering wounds throughout the Academy.
Except for a few.
“Stop showing off too much joy in front of me because it annoys me!”
“Ah, sorry, did I show it too much?”
At Edgar’s remark, Nivas covered his mouth with his hand to hide his grin.
Considering the situation, the five pillars decided to gather at the private bar to exchange their thoughts, but Edgar was not pleased with Nivas, who kept chuckling.
After the Academy turned into a wreck, everyone was nursing small wounds or were otherwise unfazed, but he happened to gain a direct benefit from the situation.
“Still, it’s a good thing, so please don’t be like that. Our family’s airship is transporting the necessary supplies to the Academy; it’s a good deed, right?”
Nivas’ airships, which he had initially invested in for exchanging with the forest, would be temporarily borrowing them to supply the Academy.
Since the maritime routes were all in chaos, it was impractical to rely on teleportation to transport daily necessary goods to the Academy, so they opted for the sky route instead.
Though they’d only signed a week-long contract, they planned to renew it as long as the situation didn’t improve, which made Nivas barely contain his excitement.
“I’m not too concerned, but you two should be cautious. They might look for reasons to pick a fight.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
Though Edgar wore a sour expression all day without knowing why, Albion remained calm and sober in his warning.
However, the two who hadn’t yet entered the private bar were undoubtedly in a sour mood, and if Nivas continued to smile, sparks would fly.
—
Suddenly, the door burst open, and the two people whom Albion had just mentioned entered.
“Why are you grinning like that? You might want to tone it down a bit?”
“…”
Among the five pillars, the remaining two, Prigia and Russell, looked like they were in a particularly bad mood the moment they walked in.
Shara Prigia was never one to display a cheerful demeanor, but today felt different.
While her voice was familiar, it was laced with an intimidating edge.
“Hey, hey, if you’re too irritated, it’ll just mess up your face. Frowning won’t solve anything, so how about giving this a break?”
Normally, she would joke around, but today she seemed to invite anyone looking for trouble to challenge her, and no one wanted to test those waters.
While Shara would eventually blow off steam only to hurl harsh words, it was unusual for Lucia, who had kept silent, to be standing there looking more intimidating than usual.
She was not tense but rather seemed like a volcano about to erupt, holding back a burst of emotion.
Judging by that, it was clear today was a day for silence.
“Then now that you both have arrived, let’s get started.”
With that, all five pillars had gathered.
They began discussing the events that had transpired at the Academy overnight.
“I don’t know much about the Leviathan attack, but what’s important now is that the Academy is in significant crisis. And if the Academy is in trouble, it means our fellow students are at risk too. If we just sit here and do nothing, we’ll only earn scorn. I plan to contact my family for support in restoring the Academy, is there anyone against that?”
Naturally, there were no dissenting opinions.
The heirs of the five pillars, who formed the backbone of the Empire’s nobility, were treated specially at the Academy.
While maintaining this status relied on family power, the brand’s image was of utmost importance.
It’s beneficial for nobles to manage their reputation by offering support in such circumstances as a way to strengthen unity.
Moreover, when the heirs of the Empire’s nobility took lead in restoring the Academy, international exchange students would also take heed, especially those who claimed to be royalty.
Typically, they strutted around claiming royal heritage, but if they just stood idly by while the Empire’s nobles stepped up, they’d likely become the subject of ridicule for ages.
Even if they didn’t care, Nivas would thoroughly arrange for that opinion to take hold.
The self-styled royals from the Five Kingdoms Alliance were generally weaker than any one of the five pillars’ families, but to maintain their façade of royalty, they had no choice.
They might end up like a fledgling chasing a stork, but that was none of their concern.
“We’ll need to decide how to provide support… I’ll ask the Principal for a list of what’s needed, and we can base our support on that.”
“I’m considering volunteering to patrol with the holy knights from the Church.”
“That sounds good.”
Greatly pleased with Edgar’s willingness to lend a hand, they moved on to the next matter.
“The next agenda is regarding the fake Atlas incident that happened before the assault. Some people claim they were attacked by Atlas. Most were not severely injured, but there are a few serious cases. They were throwing a fit, but this…”
“That’s absurd!!”
Before he could finish, Lucia shouted.
Usually nervous when speaking in front of others, her clear pronunciation in this moment was even more terrifying.
Nivas felt a chill run down his spine, worried that he had crossed a line.
“Who on earth is saying such nonsense? I’ll go there right now…!!”
“C-Calm down, that won’t solve anything…!”
“But…!!”
Seeing that her eyes were wild with anger made Nivas sweat, and then Prigia spoke up.
“I’ll handle it. It’s easy enough to make sure ‘words’ won’t be said. This wasn’t even performed by Lord Atlas…I mean, it’s not Atlas’s responsibility.”
Shara stood up, as if to indicate she had no more interest in the matter, looking up at Lucia.
“Lucia, there may be times when your abilities will be needed. You’ll help, right?”
“…Yeah.”
Although they weren’t on the best terms, what had happened today to make them get along so well?
Nivas trembled witnessing the retreating figures of the two women leaving the private bar.
“Yikes, that’s scary…”
“Yeah, right?”
