CREEEAK.
Arthur Blanco opened the door. The moment Theodore and Julian followed him into the Headmaster’s Office, the group froze in their tracks.
BZZZZT—
An ominous sound filled the office.
At the center of the vast chamber, where the headmaster’s desk should have stood, there was a black altar.
Atop the altar rested a large, radiant egg, with Sion Etain held motionless beside it.
Beneath them was a magic circle drawn in blood, while familiars stood around the altar in a ring.
Before it, Demon King Paimon knelt on one knee.
“My liege…….”
He had completely discarded his usual arrogance and bowed deeply before the altar.
HISSSS—
“I offer you a mage capable of withstanding the power of a dragon! Make him your servant and fulfill your will!”
Streams of crimson blood suddenly surged from the altar.
The magic circle flashed dark red and violet as mist rose into the air.
Within the mist appeared the form of an enormous serpent plunging headfirst.
“Th-the Falling Serpent……!”
Behind Julian, Arthur Blanco sucked in a sharp breath.
“Demon Lord Lucifer!”
Julian reflexively asked.
“What? Who?”
“That is Demon Lord Lucifer! The serpent falling upside down is Lucifer’s symbol!”
Julian felt momentarily faint.
What kind of damned two-for-one deal was this?
First Demon King Paimon, and now Demon Lord Lucifer.
“Did these demon bastards abandon the Demon Realm to hold some sort of territorial contest here?”
Julian spat out the question. Theodore and Arthur answered in tense voices.
“There were rumors that Demon King Paimon was one of Lucifer’s foremost subordinates.”
“Come to think of it, Paimon often said things such as ‘for His sake,’ Master.”
Their answers made the situation even clearer.
Demon Lord Lucifer and Demon King Paimon had truly appeared in the Headmaster’s Office.
‘Why have all these bastards abandoned the Demon Realm to cause trouble here?’
Wait.
Julian’s mind raced as he ground his teeth.
Something was strange.
Arpad Academy was indeed the finest magic academy in the Empire.
‘But the greatest being in the Demon Realm and his right-hand man both came here and caused all this merely to seize a single magic academy?’
There had to be something else.
Something valuable enough to attract Demon Lord Lucifer.
Julian looked toward the altar.
The large, radiant egg.
Sion Etain.
The magic power surging around them both.
At that moment, Julian understood.
The ‘Magic Power Source’ said to have pooled within Arpad Academy’s valley.
The power that acknowledged the academy’s headmaster and allowed them to activate the Magical Defense System.
The Magic Power Source was not the corpse of an ancient dragon or its lingering will, as everyone believed.
“A dragon.”
Julian muttered.
Arpad Academy’s Magic Power Source was a living dragon descended from the ancient dragon.
The radiant object was a dragon egg that had yet to hatch.
Everything that had once seemed strange finally fell into place.
Why had even Demon Lord Lucifer descended upon the academy?
Why had Demon King Paimon refused to allow humans into the Main Building, even as his own strength gradually diminished?
“Lucifer came to seize the dragon. Paimon occupied the Main Building and kept the secret while helping him!”
Theodore and Arthur Blanco turned deathly pale.
“Demon Lord Lucifer intends to take possession of a dragon……!”
“If the strongest demon acquires a dragon, a being virtually regarded as the god of magic, the Empire will be finished!”
Cold sweat ran down Julian’s back as well.
He muttered forcefully.
“We still have an opportunity to stop them.”
Although he was no longer a mage, Julian could sense the tremendous magic power possessed by Sion Etain and the dragon on the altar.
“The dragon egg is still shining. I can feel an immense amount of magic power coming from it!”
Understanding flashed across Theodore’s and Arthur Blanco’s faces.
“You mean it has not yet been corrupted by the demon?!”
Julian nodded. Theodore swallowed dryly.
“Dragons are said to stand somewhere between gods and demigods. Lucifer may have believed it possible because this one is still an egg, but even a Demon Lord must have found it difficult to consume.”
“Th-that appears to be the case, Master. Lucifer’s Authority is Pride. He may have been confident that he could take possession of the dragon…….”
“Pride? I would call it stupidity.”
Julian sneered.
“Perhaps it is because he is a serpent, but he is too foolish to distinguish between what he can swallow and what he cannot.”
Arthur Blanco turned blue and began to hiccup at Julian’s fearless words.
Theodore stepped halfway in front of the prince and assumed a stance to draw his sword.
“Stop being so overprotective.”
“Then stop provoking them so recklessly!”
“Recklessly?”
Julian smiled.
Powerful demons.
The dragon egg and Sion Etain held hostage by them.
Every part of the situation was dangerous.
‘Then I have no choice but to draw their attention as much as possible.’
Although his mouth continued to mock them, sweat dampened his palms.
Concealing his tension, Julian continued taunting them.
“I might restrain myself if that serpent displayed even a moderate amount of sense. But he cannot even distinguish between what he can and cannot swallow.”
“…….”
“I have heard that some snakes swallow prey larger than their own bodies, fail to digest it, and die. I never realized snakes were such unintelligent creatures.”
Julian clicked his tongue loudly while looking directly at Lucifer.
“Perhaps the Demon Realm is more hospitable than I imagined. Even a moronic serpent incapable of recognizing its own prey managed to slither all the way up here, hissing as it came.”
By that point, Theodore had given up trying to stop him.
“It appears he was blinded by his prey.”
“Indeed. What would a creature desperate to die not attempt?”
Paimon, who had endured the insults while maintaining the summoning circle, began breathing heavily.
“……I have listened long enough! You lowly human dare wield your filthy tongue so freely!”
“You endured it quite well until now.”
Julian scoffed incredulously, then struck one fist against his palm.
“Ah. I understand now. You were afraid that if you remained silent while I insulted your master, he would later kick you in the shins and ask why you merely stood there listening.”
He chuckled under his breath.
“Yes, even a Demon King has to play office politics. Go on. At least pretend to be angry.”
“You insolent human!”
Paimon turned toward Julian with bloodshot eyes.
“My liege, the Lord of Darkness, will tear you limb from limb……!”
The instant the demon’s concentration faltered—
WHOOSH!
The shield-bearing holy knights teleported and surrounded the familiars.
FLASH.
At the same time, the divine power Julian released struck their metal shields.
***
The young mage dispatched by House Etain was trembling from head to toe.
“Pull yourself together!”
The senior mage who had accompanied him in the Liberation Army shook his shoulders.
“H-how am I supposed to do that?”
The boy asked fearfully.
Beyond the door were Demon Lord Lucifer and Demon King Paimon.
His legs felt weak, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably.
“That serpent above the altar is not Lucifer in his complete form. There is no need to be so terrified!”
Whether it was the complete Lucifer or only a fragment of him, both were equally terrifying to an ordinary mage.
The senior mage shouted at the dazed boy.
“Do you intend to die pointlessly here? We have come this far, so we must at least earn some merit!”
That was right.
He could not allow himself to die pointlessly here.
The boy nodded, gritted his teeth, and mechanically followed his senior in reciting the spell.
WHOOSH!
The holy knights holding metal shields moved with the Etain mages’ teleportation magic.
SCREEE!
The holy knights appeared directly before the familiars and raised their shields.
“O Light!”
Prince Julian’s divine power poured toward their polished surfaces.
SCREEECH!
The reflected light illuminated both the familiars and the mist above the altar.
“Fire!”
The mercenary archers waiting beyond the doors of the Headmaster’s Office released their silver arrows simultaneously.
The silver-haired spirit mage shouted.
“O Gale!”
The wind spirit drove the arrows together in a single direction.
A mass of light followed behind them and exploded magnificently above the summoning circle.
FLASH!
The explosion of light scattered the ominous mist.
The form of the serpent symbolizing Lucifer distorted.
“How dare you!”
Paimon swept his arm through the air and frantically summoned more familiars.
The familiars multiplied severalfold and collided with the holy knights.
“Ugh…….”
A desperate battle was unfolding directly before him.
The young mage felt as though he might faint.
SCREEECH!
“In the name of Light!”
The cries of the familiars mingled with the shouts of the holy knights.
The boy clutched his staff in trembling hands.
‘Why am I here?’
His magic power was ordinary, and he possessed no instinct for combat.
Why did someone like him have to stand at the center of this battle?
The mages of House Etain will handle the holy knights’ teleportation and help rescue Sion at close range!
It was because his senior had made that promise to the prince.
You understand, do you not? We will take responsibility for Sion……
It was because his senior had gathered them and whispered those words.
Sion.
Sion.
Sion.
It was all because of that bastard.
The boy stared at the altar through unfocused eyes.
Sion Etain, the reason he had been forced to come here, stood motionless like a corpse nailed upright.
‘If it were not for you, I would never have had to come here!’
He had been conscripted into the Liberation Army’s reinforcements merely because he came from the same hometown as Sion.
It felt deeply unjust.
From the moment they entered House Etain, Sion had existed in an entirely different world.
If the boy walked upon the earth, then Sion was someone who lived above the clouds.
‘I have barely even spoken to him. Why did I have to become entangled with him and have my entire life ruined?’
He had never benefited from knowing Sion.
They had never even held a proper conversation.
After Sion lost his position as heir, the members of House Etain had uprooted each of his connections one by one like weeds.
The boy had never imagined that he would be uprooted as well and dragged into the Liberation Army.
He glared at Sion upon the altar.
‘You should have left House Etain when they told you to! Fuck, why did you stubbornly remain there and ruin my life with your lingering attachment?’
Cursing inwardly, the boy summoned flames at the tip of his staff.
The cheap staff trembled violently.
It shook even more as he aimed it toward Paimon’s back.
“Hey. What are you doing?”
His senior struck the boy’s shoulder.
“S-Senior.”
“I told you that we need to earn merit. Do you not understand what I meant?”
The senior seized his staff and changed the target.
Away from Paimon—
And toward Sion Etain.
“!”
The boy sucked in a sharp breath.
His senior spoke.
“The people above us……”
The boy recoiled and released the staff, but it was already too late.
The cheap staff in his senior’s hand spat fire.
BOOM!
The Fireball struck Sion’s arm.
“Ugh…….”
Sion released a pained groan.
The eyes of the unconscious boy trembled faintly.
“Eek!”
The young mage screamed as though he had been struck himself.
He stared blankly at his senior.
The senior continued.
“They prefer potential threats to be eliminated cleanly.”
“B-but Sion……”
“Sion would also prefer to die as a brilliant heroic genius.”
The senior spoke confidently as he took full possession of the boy’s staff.
“And we will earn merit in the process.”
The boy drew in a breath.
When his senior spoke of earning merit, he had not meant fighting courageously against the demons.
He intended to kill Sion and gain recognition from the leaders of House Etain.
“Uh…….”
Sion Etain.
The boy had thought of him as a genius who lived above the clouds.
In truth, he had found Sion somewhat irritating.
Sion was a commoner just like him, yet after becoming engaged to the only daughter of House Etain, he had carried himself arrogantly as though he were a noble.
‘But this is wrong.’
The boy had seen Sion study until his nose bled from the moment he entered House Etain.
At the time, he had merely thought Sion frighteningly persistent.
Sion had been sent into his first battle several years earlier than the others his age.
After returning, he had locked himself inside a corner of the dormitory room. Every night, he woke screaming from nightmares.
At the time, the boy had been too consumed by the fear that he would soon be sent to the same battlefield to consider why Sion suffered that way.
‘We were only eleven years old.’
He still found Sion irritating.
They were not friends.
‘But this is still wrong.’
Just because House Etain had taken them in did not mean they had merely received its benevolence.
Had they not risked their lives while fighting for House Etain?
The family could not exploit them until nothing remained and then kill them whenever it pleased.
FWOOSH—
While the boy hesitated, crimson flames erupted from the tip of the staff in his senior’s hand.
“!”