Nicolette, an Assistant in the Department of Summoning Magic within the Faculty of Magic.
She had worked as an Assistant at Arpad Academy for seven years. She was still in her twenties, yet she was already suffering from partial hair loss.
She had spent two years being worked to the bone under Professor Arthur Blanco, followed by five years of demons squeezing every last drop out of her as they forced her to research Black Magic summoning techniques.
Then Professor Arthur Blanco, whom she served, had claimed that ‘the demons in the Main Building give us less work, and it is relatively safe there.’ She had obediently followed him, only to nearly end up wearing a Burlap Execution Hood and being blown to pieces.
‘I must have been insane to trust Professor Blanco……!’
After lying in shock for some time, she finally heard the news about the prince who had saved her.
He had subdued her nemesis, Professor Arthur Blanco, and made him his slave. He had taken the dragon hatchling from the demon Paimon, driven the demons out, and rescued a Mage who had been abducted into Lucifer’s hell.
Every story sounded impossible to believe, but Nicolette believed them all.
What could a great man who had enslaved that wretched Professor Blanco possibly be incapable of?
“You truly are the benefactor of my life! Sob!”
The moment Julian summoned her, she scurried over and immediately began thanking him.
“Sniff, I truly thought I would spend my entire youth being squeezed dry by Arthur Blanco, only to die at the end of it all……!”
“Ah.”
Julian looked at her with sympathy.
“You must have suffered greatly.”
Nicolette nearly sniffed her runny nose back in surprise.
It was a common phrase—‘You must have suffered greatly’—yet it sounded entirely different from the empty words important people used to bring a situation to a convenient close.
Sincerity.
She could feel genuine sincerity. Without realizing it, she raised her head, which had been deeply bowed.
‘What?’
She had not imagined it.
There was something strangely familiar about his gaze.
It resembled the look her senior Assistants had given her while they all suffered together under Professor Arthur Blanco.
-Rookie. Sleep. Come back.
-That is right. Rookie, go and get some sleep.
-No. You have both been awake for two days longer than I have…….
-We are already slaves.
-That is right. We are already beyond saving. At least one of us needs to remain sane before an accident happens, so go and sleep.
-S-Seniors…… Sob!
Overwhelmed with emotion, Nicolette thought,
‘The Imperial Family truly must be descended from the God of Light!’
How else could the Third Imperial Prince, who must have spent his entire life being raised in luxury and privilege, possess the understanding gaze of a senior Assistant who knew every hardship Nicolette had endured?
He must have learned of her suffering through divine power and was now bestowing divine compassion upon her.
Julian gently added,
“Your suffering ends now.”
“……!”
It seemed as though a halo shone behind the prince.
Drip.
While Nicolette stared blankly, mucus ran from her nose.
“Sniff! Sob!”
She hurriedly sniffed and wiped away her tears. He was the benefactor who had saved both her life and her future. This was no time to stand there in a daze.
“I-I heard that you took Professor Arthur Blanco as your slave.”
“I did. I also heard that all of you gave him a beating.”
Julian grinned and asked,
“Why? Would you like to beat him again?”
“……May I?”
Nicolette’s face brightened, and her eyes sparkled. Julian told her,
“Why not? However, there is something I need you to do first.”
“Just say the word!”
***
Several days later—
The Liberation Army and the Holy Knights gathered in the Central Hall of the Main Building.
“Whoa, what happened here? It looks like an entirely new building.”
“So the Main Building was originally this magnificent.”
They repeatedly looked around and expressed their admiration.
The walls had turned black after five years of erosion by dark Magic Power and the passage of time.
The floors had been gouged in numerous places by the Explosive Vest detonation and the battle against Paimon.
All traces of that ruin had vanished. The Main Building of the Academy had regained its original grandeur.
“Rrrawr-rawr. What do you think, rawr?”
The dragon hatchling appeared smugly at the top of the stairs, wearing a rather impressive hat. The Mages from House Etain who were now bound to him stood at his side.
“Is it not magnificent, rawr? It is because I, Arpad XIII, the dragon who protects this Academy of magic, restored the Magical Defense Barrier, rawr!”
“Ooh!”
The Mages among the Liberation Army erupted into cheers.
“To place a Magical Defense Barrier around the entire Main Building—as expected of a dragon!”
“God of Magic! God of Magic!”
The increasingly pleased hatchling declared,
“From now on, I will restore the Magical Defense Barrier throughout the entire Academy, rawr!”
“The entire…… Academy!”
“We truly can save Arpad Academy!”
While the Mages burned with enthusiasm, the other mercenaries in the Liberation Army examined the Mages from House Etain standing behind the hatchling.
“Those bastards have lost every hair on their heads.”
“They strutted around because there were so many of them from House Etain. Serves them right. They are the Egghead Mage Corps now. The Egghead Mage Corps.”
“Heh heh. They are lucky, though. They fired a Fireball at their allies and only lost their hair? They should have lost their heads.”
“They are damned bastards, but we are desperate enough to borrow even a cat’s paw against the demons. What else can we do?”
Although everyone remained displeased with them, they appeared willing to accept that the Mages from House Etain had become the dragon’s subordinates.
“His Highness seems more capable than he looks.”
“You can tell from the way he handed them over to the dragon and put them on a leash. I was worried those bastards might launch another Fireball at us…… but seeing them like that immediately put me at ease.”
“Exactly. Those bastards are famous for their pride in coming from House Etain. How did His Highness make them betray the House and bind themselves to the dragon? It is remarkable.”
“Ha. I suppose the blood of the Imperial Family truly is different.”
“But do the bald Mages not look different? That bastard’s face used to be covered in ugly lumps, but now it is completely clear.”
“Perhaps following a dragon purified their Magic Power.”
Julian listened to the whispers and smiled inwardly with satisfaction.
‘It is working.’
The role of the Mages from House Etain—or rather, the bald Mages—was simple.
Lucifer’s black Magic Power had seeped into the Mana of the hatchling. Using House Etain’s Magic Power Cultivation Method, the Mages gathered that contaminated Magic Power into clumps resembling Magic Power Spheres.
Once they had gathered it, Julian purified it with Divine Power.
That was all.
‘As they repeat the process, they will share the flow of Mana with the hatchling. Once their Mana mixes with a dragon’s overwhelming Magic Power, the Magic Power Spheres inside their blood vessels will soften and dissolve.’
It also benefited Julian.
As long as Julian continued to purify the black Magic Power effectively, the hatchling would have no choice but to rely on him.
The dragon needed Julian to remove the contamination, while Julian needed a dragon with clean Mana to protect the Academy.
It was a mutually beneficial relationship!
‘In other words, the dragon is on my side, and an incredible barrier is already secured.’
Was this what people called a rosy future?
Julian looked up at the hatchling on the stairs, his heart swelling with emotion.
“I am the Chairman of Arpad Academy, the great dragon Arpad XIII, rawr!”
“Oooooh!”
The hatchling raised both arms high and declared,
“And today, I intend to appoint the Headmaster of Arpad Academy, rawr!”
The appointed time had arrived. Julian stepped forward.
‘At last……!’
Strength filled every step as he climbed the stairs.
At first, Demon King Paimon had stood at the top of those stairs. Next, Julian had stormed up them toward the Headmaster’s Office. Now, he was climbing them to become the master of that very office.
When Julian reached the top, the hatchling floated into the air before him.
“Take my hand, rawr.”
Julian grasped the hatchling’s hand as the creature hovered at the height of his waist.
The hatchling asked,
“Will you protect Arpad Academy with me, built upon the land of magic and the homeland of the Arpad Dragon Bloodline, rawr?”
“I will protect it.”
“Will you respect magic and cherish the Mages, rawr?”
“I will cherish them with due respect.”
“Will you embrace and protect the students, rawr?”
Did he have to embrace them too?
Julian’s brow furrowed slightly. He answered,
“I will do everything in my power to protect them.”
Satisfied with the answer, the hatchling nodded.
“You are sincere, rawr. You are qualified, rawr.”
FLASH.
Magic Power erupted from the hatchling’s hand, while Divine Power surged from Julian’s.
“I, Arpad XIII, Lord of the Land of Magic, hereby appoint Julian Barnabas Istvan as Headmaster, rawr!”
The dragon’s Magic Power intertwined with Divine Power and enveloped Julian. He could clearly feel the territory and power of the Magical Defense Barrier.
‘So this is how they are linked.’
Only then did it begin to feel real.
The Headmaster of Arpad Academy.
The authority to control the Academy’s Magical Defense Barrier and exercise its full administrative and personnel powers had entered his hands.
Julian clenched his fist.
‘I am going to wield every last bit of it like a madman.’
Anyone who heard him might have asked whether he had not already been wielding the twin privileges of a diamond spoon and a Divine Power spoon with tremendous enthusiasm.
However, Julian was serious.
‘We have only secured the Main Building. We are merely standing at the starting line.’
They had established the Main Building as their base, completed the Headmaster Authentication, and begun operating the Magical Defense Barrier around it.
What was the first thing they needed to do now?
Julian inhaled deeply and turned around. He shouted toward those watching from below the stairs.
“Everyone, from this moment onward, I am the Headmaster of Arpad Academy!”
He raised his right hand toward the assembled Liberation Army.
“Waaaah!”
“Headmaster! Headmaster!”
As the cheers intensified, Julian clenched his raised hand into a fist. At the signal, Nicolette, who had been waiting nearby, hurried forward and cast the spell she had prepared.
HUMMMM—
A Magical Holographic Map of Arpad Academy appeared above the heads of the Liberation Army and the Holy Knights.
“And all of you have become freshmen of Arpad Academy. Congratulations. Your difficult first year begins now.”
Julian lowered his arm and spoke solemnly.
“…….”
The cheers filling the hall died away.
Tension, determination, and a sharply honed atmosphere took their place.
The Liberation Army—or rather, the Academy’s new freshmen—swallowed nervously as they studied the place that was now both their school and their battlefield.
“This is the overall layout of the Academy.”
Julian traced the central road running through the map.
“As you can see, the buildings were constructed along the length of a valley. As a result, there is a considerable distance between them.”
The dormitories were already some distance from the main gate, and one had to travel much farther up the road before reaching the cluster containing the Main Building, the Magic Building, and the Welfare Building.
The Library and Student Union Building stood across the road from the Welfare Building. Farther up was a large lake.
Julian pointed toward the lake.
“Behind this lake are the Arts Building, the Martial Arts Building, and the Training Center. Frankly, we cannot concern ourselves with the areas beyond the lake at present. However……”
Julian continued.
“One day, we will rescue every student there from the demons.”
The firm voice of the prince—no, the Headmaster—resounded with Divine Power. The Holy Knights nodded as though entranced.
He pointed toward the Main Building.
“Who rescued this place, the heart of Arpad Academy?”
“Your Highness did!”
“The Headmaster did!”
Julian shook his head.
“We did it.”
“……!”
“We rescued the students from demons who dressed people in Explosive Vests and treated them like toys. We stopped the demon who attempted to abduct the God of Magic—the dragon who serves as Chairman of this Academy.”
Julian’s golden eyes met those of each freshman in turn.
“Even at this very moment, the students in the Magic Building are being worked like slaves by demons and forced to drink potions instead of eating bread. I am told that the students in the Welfare Building must offer their tears to demons merely to receive stale bread.”
Slowly, he raised his clenched fist once again.
“Who will save those students?”
“We will…….”
A Mage who had once dreamed of entering Arpad Academy murmured.
“We will save them!”
A Holy Knight who had spent so long merely waiting at Arpad Fortress shouted.
“We will save them, no matter what!”
Those who had volunteered to rescue the people precious to them cried out.
“You seniors had better hold on until we get there!”
A mercenary who had come because he believed that, since he lived by the sword anyway, he might as well use it to do some good raised his voice.
The new Headmaster nodded toward them and opened his clenched hand. The Divine Power gathered in his palm reached toward the Magical Holographic Map of Arpad Academy.
Dazzling Divine Power illuminated the buildings of the Academy one by one, scattering light throughout the Central Hall.
“!”
The freshmen and Holy Knights watching felt the light seep into them. Divine Power infused their blood with courage.
“We will prevail.”
Julian spoke while immersed in the light.
The freshmen and Holy Knights nodded fiercely. They clenched their fists. They placed their hands over their hearts. Their blood raced so quickly through their bodies that they repeatedly swallowed against dry throats.
Before they knew it, those who had lived far removed from worldly glory and those who had thirsted for a truly righteous battle all felt the same emotion as they gazed at the shining hologram of the Academy.
We will save them.
We can do it.
Theodore swallowed as he felt a force rarely witnessed even within the Order of Holy Knights.
Determination and longing…… A whirlwind containing every conceivable emotion dominated the Central Hall.
Where would that whirlwind turn next?
His gaze shifted toward the golden-eyed prince.
“Your Highness.”
“I told you I would save them, did I not?”
Julian’s eyes remained fixed on the Magical Holographic Map of the Academy.
He spoke.
“Let us go.”