novelraw Chapter 123 : Chapter 123
Chapter 123 : Chapter 123
123
“Let’s go!”
The moment the demon appeared, our personnel packed their bags without a single exception and gathered immediately at the academy dormitory entrance.
Professor Jerome, who had become somewhat obsessed with me since the incident that day, ran out quickly.
“Teacher Cassian! What is the meaning of this all of a sudden? Didn't we say we would continue the exchange conference while talking together?”
Although he was arrogant and haughty.
But that was less Professor Jerome's fault and more due to the environment of living too narrowly within the space called the Imperial Academy.
His sword was certainly beautiful, and he had his own stubbornness.
If he refined that stubbornness and corrected his swordsmanship, he would surely be able to awaken Aura within one or two weeks.
Perhaps he was obsessed because he knew that himself.
“You felt it too, didn't you, Professor?”
“……The demon!”
“For our Akarind Academy, the appearance of a demon takes precedence over everything else.”
“It is just an academy! It is not an army!”
I glanced at the students.
Whether they had spent their time faithfully over the past week, their hands, backs, and waists were full of luggage.
From clothes bought while they were in the Empire to weapons, accessories, souvenirs, and so on, it was packed.
They shouldered all that luggage at once and finished preparing like mercenaries or soldiers leaving for a long journey.
Come to think of it, they really are like an army.
“Because a demon doesn't go easy on someone just because they are an academy student.”
“Ha, really.”
Perhaps because they felt the commotion, a few Imperial Academy students peeked their faces out from afar.
Had the friendship between the students become quite thick in a week?
Some of the students came over, held hands with our academy students, and even shed tears.
There were even some among the older students who gave off an affectionate atmosphere.
Among them, I approached Pan and looked at Ailen, who had a regretful expression.
“Are you really going to a dangerous place?”
“Yeah.”
“Is everyone in your academy like that? There are many kids who haven't awakened Aura yet. But…….”
“Right. So you should think about it carefully too.”
Pan looked at Ailen with an expression that said he knew everything.
“If you come to our academy, you won't have time to care about things like parents, friends, or social reputation. Because there are many more urgent matters.”
The students who had shared their farewells to some extent all gathered.
Mercenaries including Hati, and instructors like Freutche and Jacy also gathered and packed their gear.
It made no difference whether they had actually seen a demon or not.
Because there was no one among the Akarind students who didn't know the danger of a demon now.
“It's carriages!”
Numerous carriages arrived in time for our departure.
“Who sent the carriages……?”
Isadora stared at the carriages as if she couldn't understand.
When we came here, numerous carriages were provided with the help of the Imperial Academy and the Lionheart Knights.
However, now we were trying to move due to a sudden situation.
It was a situation where hundreds of students might have to run and leave the academy right away.
If the person I met last night hadn't been Abrahal, that is.
“Goldline.”
“That guy Avril?”
“No. I formed a strategic partnership with Abrahal.”
It was at the drinking party last night that I felt the demon.
Seeing me jump up from my seat and raise my guard, Abrahal brought out the carriages as if he had intuited today's situation.
No, it wasn't just carriages.
“Long time no see.”
“UGH, old man. You aren't dead?”
“I am hale and hearty for someone who came back ten years. Have you become stronger?”
“I'm not going to fight! Huh? I said I'm not fighting!”
When we came here, the Lionheart Knights escorted us.
While we returned to the academy, it was The Spear God.
He was scheduled to escort us.
“Why did you come?”
“Isn't it that we are moving because we know where the demon is?”
“Teacher! Did you tell him?”
I shook my head.
That was Abrahal's deduction and The Spear God's intuition.
That was why The Spear God volunteered for this escort for the sake of battle.
When I asked if it wouldn't be dangerous for The Spear God to be missing from the fight with Avril for a while, he said:
‘Avril will be busy fighting his older sisters and brothers, not me right now. And I am not a fool who acts rashly trusting only in The Spear God.’
It seemed they had secured not only The Spear God but also quite a few Aura users comparable to him.
I gave him a few materials I had brought for this exchange conference.
The Revised Basic Swordsmanship.
And a draft of the Intermediate Swordsmanship, of which only a provisional copy existed.
In the case of the Intermediate Swordsmanship, it was a bit much to call it a textbook; to be precise, it was a compilation of the lectures given to the students in the form of lecture notes.
Just as Avril evaluated and valued my previous textbook, Abrahal would likely evaluate and set a price for this textbook as well.
While I was lost in thought, the students found their respective carriages and finished preparing to depart.
It was a massive convoy of no less than 120 carriages.
“Let’s go.”
I also got into a carriage, and soon the carriages departed immediately.
Inside the rattling carriage, I closed my eyes and sank into thought.
This academic exchange conference with the Imperial Academy was quite valuable.
First.
I was able to see my Master.
Although I couldn't go to the Imperial Library myself, I gained quite a few ideas about the Mana Road through my Master.
Above all, finding the path that the Mana Road and Sword Aura should take was the most rewarding.
‘To think Ulf frequented the library while I was unconscious.’
Originally, if the professor is busy and the situation doesn't allow it, the graduate student investigates data and runs research like that.
Ulf said she got a pretty interesting idea before the clone disappeared.
Perhaps later when I return to the academy, a different perspective on Sword Aura might emerge.
Second, I started receiving investment from Abrahal.
Avril certainly made a large investment in the Akarind Territory.
But now that he had stopped investing, the Akarind Territory was only developing out of inertia and was accumulating a deficit.
Sooner or later, there was a high possibility that public order would turn into a mess or it would go financially bankrupt.
Then, that drunkard Lord's belly would get even bigger and the smell of alcohol would get stronger.
‘If I coordinate investments from both sides rather than a monopoly investment from one place, development in a more constructive direction becomes possible.’
If such investment was maintained, the Akarind Territory might grow into the most outstanding city among the nearby small cities.
‘It is a pity to leave without seeing the Chairman.’
One of the leading figures who led this exchange conference was the Chairman.
And the Chairman would probably be greatly satisfied with the current results.
Because the title of an educational institution greater than the Empire's Imperial Academy suited the current Akarind Academy.
The students received a great shock, and this rumor would secretly spread in all directions.
The Imperial Grandson suffered disgrace, and the Chief Knight of the Lionheart Knights was beaten to a pulp and fainted.
Such rumors wouldn't spread openly, but they wouldn't be completely hidden either.
‘Rozalin said she was bedridden for a few days too.’
After arriving here, Rozalin said she was busy recruiting talent and gathering elixirs spread throughout the Empire.
In fact, now that we are going down from the Empire, the Firestorm Mercenary Guild has increased its personnel by about 1.25 times compared to when they came up.
Most of them were quite young mercenaries, and she seemed to have valued their potential highly.
She swept up a carriage worth of books, weapons, jewels, and elixirs.
But the biggest change was Rozalin herself.
Sword Adept.
She had reached that stage, surpassing Sword Runner.
‘There are many dungeon lairs prepared for training near the Empire!’
‘For training? Such things exist? It is my first time hearing that.’
‘Because they are secret dungeons only known to the general-rank officers of the Imperial Military! And I was the captain of those generals!’
‘If there is such a place, couldn't we have taken the students and used it?’
‘We use it after I become the strongest first!’
While I was unconscious, key figures like Pan, Hati, Bridget, Eleveth, Jacy, and Freutche took turns running through the training dungeon.
I wish I could have entered too.
Anyway, thanks to that, it was no exaggeration to say that the martial power of the Akarind Academy students had increased almost tenfold compared to before coming here.
However.
‘I feel anxious.’
I tried to calm my ominously pounding heart.
The moment the demon appeared, I felt a will that seemed like it would squeeze my heart and burn away the surrounding mana.
I knew it instinctively.
This time, the demon was one that appeared targeting magic and mana.
‘The first was ranged weapons. Is the second mana?’
Above all, there was a high possibility that the demon was related to Berlis.
Because the common testimony of the regressors said so.
Surely Berlis isn't going to kill the demon and disappear alone again this time.
Such thoughts made my mind impatient.
However, no matter how impatient we were, the speed of the carriages had limits.
It took at least a week to get to the academy.
The first night, while everyone was busy calming their impatient minds.
“Let’s have a bout.”
The Spear God came to find me holding his spear.
“Hey, old man! What are you doing! Our Teacher is weak, vomits blood often, and gets nosebleeds a lot, huh? He is that kind of person!”
Rozalin rushed over, blocked The Spear God's path, and tried to stop him.
The gaze of the students who were preparing dinner and setting up sleeping places gathered here.
However, The Spear God just stood leaning on his spear and stared intently at me.
“I heard this guy created this thing called Aura? He certainly seems to be the strongest person here. So let’s have a bout.”
“You crazy fighting maniac! We are going to fight a demon right now, you know? But don't you know it will be a big problem if Teacher is lying down sick again?”
“Not my business.”
“Is this an escort or a thug!”
Enraged, Rozalin drew her sword and immediately took a fighting stance.
But I placed my hand on Rozalin's shoulder.
“Elder, can you control your spear so I don't get hurt?”
“I will try.”
“Teacher!”
No, this was right.
Because if we don't know each other's skills accurately, it will only hinder the execution of the operation.
Besides, there was one thing I was curious about.
“I want to learn how to use the body.”
At my words, The Spear God smiled for the first time, raising the corners of his mouth as if he knew I would say that.
A hunchback who wouldn't even be 120cm tall.
His back was severely bent, and he couldn't even walk straight.
He is such a person, yet no openings can be felt.
I was curious about how on earth he uses his body, muscles, arms, and wrists.
If I take this opportunity to see how his distinctive body can achieve harmony.
‘I will be able to refine the basic textbook a little more and create advanced physical arts.’
The moment I agreed, students and people were pushed to the left and right, creating a huge clearing.
“Widen, widen it more! That old man is a brute!”
“Move your luggage there. If you don't want to lose what you bought at a high price.”
Hati and the mercenary members skillfully organized the students.
It was work befitting a security team after a long time.
Once preparations were complete, The Spear God held his spear upright in the center of the stage.
His aura changed completely.
“Then here I come.”
And his shoulder muscles swelled up, and soon the spear shaft flew towards me, drawing a massive plane that filled our entire sparring ground.