novelraw Chapter 148 : Chapter 148
Chapter 148 : Chapter 148
148
Five griffons combined with the Holy Kingdom’s latest technology.
In other words, the griffons flew madly toward their destination without eating, drinking, or resting.
“Incredible… it is fast.”
I leaned as far forward as I could to avoid the wind tearing at my face.
With winter approaching, it felt as though my skin were being ripped apart.
But only for a moment.
Soon, a warm sensation wrapped around my body.
It was Serris’s holy power.
“Thank you.”
“At this speed, we should reach the academy in about a day.”
It was an absurd velocity.
Yet the griffon’s body did not tremble even slightly, as though we were seated on level ground.
Perhaps because of that, I was able to calmly review everything that had happened in the Empire.
Where was Avril now, after dealing with the Chairman?
Had he gone to the Great Forest to meet the Wolf King?
In truth, there were points where the Wolf King’s ideals and Avril’s rationality aligned.
But there was one thing.
Would Avril truly abandon Pan or me and bet on the Wolf King’s victory?
He had gone not to the Great Forest, but to Akarind Academy.
Rozalin’s request played a part, but even so, it was enough to infer what he truly valued.
‘Then it must be somewhere else…’
The Goldline Merchant Guild wielded the greatest influence within the Empire.
A place that was not the Empire.
Yet a place where Goldline’s power could still be demonstrated.
The conditions were not many, yet no clear answer came to mind.
“I believe you said you wanted to remain human.”
Serris spoke first.
“Yes. I have always been human.”
“Because you were human, you wish to remain so. It is a simple statement, yet many fail to uphold it.”
I did not argue.
His profession was that of an Inquisitor.
He had surely seen far more examples of humanity than someone like me.
“Before demons existed as a race, there were those who called themselves demons.”
“Heretical cultists?”
“The world is full of people who wear human skin yet act in ways unbefitting of humans.”
It seemed he did not mean indiscriminate slaughter or imprisonment.
I felt a twinge of guilt for having suspected Inquisitors of something similar.
“How does the Holy Kingdom intend to deal with demons?”
“The world is full of people who wear human skin yet act in ways unbefitting of humans.”
Serris merely repeated what he had already said.
At that moment, a strange intuition struck me.
Surely not—
“The summoning of demons! Does the Holy Kingdom believe this was caused by humans?”
“You are perceptive, so you likely already understand. Demons began invading without any apparent reason. Do you truly believe such a calamity occurred without cause?”
I had never considered it.
No—I could not have.
Rozalin had appeared out of nowhere and told me the world was in danger, that countless people would die, and that even I would die.
And that I was the one who could save the world.
‘I was too fixated on that story.’
That was right.
If demons had never appeared before and suddenly began to emerge, there had to be a trigger.
I should have thought about that first.
“There is a Necromancer at Akarind Academy.”
“She is innocent. She has been preparing to fight demons for a long time, and during this incident she even saved Yuria!”
I hurriedly defended Berlis, fearing Serris might point to her.
“Since ancient times, Necromancers have conversed with demons. Demons exploit human weaknesses. Of course, there are also cases where people are drawn in regardless of their own will.”
“Are you saying Berlis is the culprit?”
“No. According to our investigation, she is not the cause of this crisis. However.”
Serris fell silent, choosing his words carefully before continuing.
“Sometimes, those who seem good to the people around them inflict harm upon humanity and society that is difficult to bear. You must separate those who are good to you from those who are good for the world.”
The Serris I knew was blunt, rarely showed emotion, and kept his feelings well concealed.
Yet for some reason, there was a faint sorrow in his voice now.
He had said he had encountered many who wore human skin yet acted inhumanly.
Perhaps he had once trusted each of them in turn.
Perhaps he had grown weary after endless betrayal.
‘He resembles Yuria.’
Yuria had said she abandoned the gods because she loved the gods and the people around her too much.
Her personality must have been shaped by the many people of the Holy Kingdom.
‘She will be fine.’
Yuria, having gone to the Holy Kingdom, would return stronger.
If so—
Thump—
“Careful.”
At that moment, the world trembled along with my heartbeat.
The griffon seemed to sense it as well.
Its steady flight wavered violently.
We nearly fell from dozens of meters in the air, but Serris quickly reached out and steadied us.
“A demon.”
“…That was fast.”
Rozalin had said the second and third demon appearances were rapid.
And that from next year onward, demons would emerge in droves.
But this—
Two demons had appeared within a mere day or two.
“You mentioned regressors. People who know when demons appear.”
“Yes, well, that is their claim.”
“Then we may consider a similar possibility.”
I could already guess what Serris was implying.
If we reasoned it through step by step, the answer was simple.
“The one who summoned the demons may also know the future, or have regressed.”
“……”
“Even if not through regression, there are many strange beings in this world. Some see the future through prophetic dreams. Among demons, there are even those who manipulate time.”
“So someone among them passed along information?”
“I am not someone who gives correct answers. I am someone who finds incorrect ones.”
Which meant the answer was mine to uncover.
My thoughts deepened.
I failed to reach a conclusion before we arrived at the academy.
***
“That was insane, right? I just swung my sword and monsters went flying!”
“Our parents would be shocked if they saw this. It makes no sense. We wiped out monsters after just one year!”
“I met a mercenary on this trip. He said we fight as well as seasoned professionals and told me to come work for him after graduation.”
“So you are becoming a mercenary?”
“Are you crazy? There are way better paths.”
Many students had already returned to the academy after completing their final evaluation assignments.
Every one of them wore a bright expression.
Even from a distance, it was clear they had achieved impressive feats.
It was only natural that their spirits were high.
Watching them, Bridget approached Pan.
“Pan! Was the Empire fun?”
“Huh? Ah… yeah.”
At Pan’s indifferent response, Bridget’s eyebrow twitched.
“What? Was it boring? You said you were going to fight the Lionheart Knights. You even flew back on griffons at the end.”
“Well… yeah, that happened.”
“…You seem oddly detached today.”
“Yeah.”
It could not be helped.
Teacher Cassian had transcended even the limits of the sword and was firing long-range attacks.
And then he attached the Giant-Block fantasy to his blade and blocked all incoming ranged attacks.
It was beyond unfair.
To kill Teacher Cassian now, one would have to close the distance and defeat him purely in sword combat.
‘Does anyone like that even exist?’
One figure crossed Pan’s mind.
The Wolf King.
That absurd monster might be able to break through the teacher’s spacing.
‘Or would he just cut him down before he even got close?’
Pan had managed to cut the Wolf King’s clothing once, even if it was a fluke.
So if it were Teacher Cassian, he might stop the Wolf King’s approach with some even stranger swordsmanship.
‘If the Wolf King is that strong, just how strong is the Lionheart Captain?’
There were too many masters in this world.
He realized he still had a long way to go before catching up, even in swordsmanship.
It was exhausting.
“Do not mess with Aura…”
“Huh? What?”
The once-innocent Pan—confirmed middle school syndrome.
A cynical gaze, an enlightened expression as though he understood everything in the world, and languid eyes.
At least he was not holding cigarettes, but loosely swinging a wooden sword instead.
Unfortunately, because Pan was absurdly handsome, even that looked fitting.
The students wavered despite knowing how good-looking he was.
“Pan seems troubled.”
“We all had real combat experience, right? Maybe he is unhappy that he only escorted Teacher Cassian.”
“I doubt it. It was the Empire, after all. He must have had all kinds of experiences there.”
“You still like the Empire? I think it is pathetic now. Even the Empire is too small to hold people like us.”
“…Are you copying Pan?”
“Yeah. It feels like those thoughts are flowing through his head.”
Watching all of this, Rozalin snorted.
“All that over something so trivial.”
Sordian approached her with a sigh.
“I heard Teacher Cassian brought back another insane sword technique from the capital. If it were me, I would look like that too.”
“Do not. When he does it, it is middle school syndrome. When you do it, it is just a pitiful old man.”
“Ahem. Keeping up with his pace is no small task.”
“I know. He is the strange one. He is the fastest of all of us.”
Rozalin’s snort had a simple reason.
Among the disciples, Pan was currently the closest to Cassian’s level.
He had mimicked Aura Wave after seeing it just once.
Because he believed everything Teacher Cassian said.
She trusted Cassian too, but not to that blind extent.
Her feelings were different—more delicate.
“Ugh. I do not like this.”
Rozalin lay down.
She wanted to see Teacher Cassian.
“Is Teacher not done yet?”
“It does not look like it will end today.”
Sordian stroked his stubbled chin.
“How annoying. People should handle their own problems.”
“It is not bad for us. We can obtain those fantasies.”
“There is no real gain.”
Cassian was currently meeting with envoys from a neighboring kingdom.
Demons had appeared within their territory, and they lacked the manpower to deal with them.
They had come to ask for help.
“The demons appearing now are powerful, but their fantasies are all mediocre.”
Ocean Hall was the prime example.
The demon that appeared in the seas of the Kingdom of Namress devastated their food supply and economy.
Yet the fantasy obtained after destroying Ocean Hall merely controlled flow.
“Flow control?”
“An ocean gyre, right? It lets you accelerate the speed of things that flow, like ocean currents.”
What was that even good for?
With that thought, Rozalin lay back down.
Sordian’s hand froze mid-scratch.
“That… would not that apply to Aura Wave?”
“Huh?”
“I have not seen Aura Wave myself, only heard about it. But the word ‘wave’ refers to flow or oscillation, does it not? Then could you not increase its speed dozens of times…?”
Rozalin’s eyes widened.
“Teacher!”
She jumped up and ran straight toward Cassian, who was still in the middle of his meeting.
And in that meeting hall, Cassian had already made up his mind regarding that proposal.
“I will do it.”
It had not been long since his return from the Empire, yet he was already heading out again—this time to the Kingdom of Namress.