Arpad Fortress, which had been built five years ago, was flimsier than Julian had expected.
Rather than a sturdy permanent fortress constructed from stone, it was a wooden field fortress. It was closer to a garrison for the Order of Holy Knights, who surrounded Arpad Academy and kept watch over it.
“To be precise, saying that we have surrounded the academy is something of an exaggeration. We are only blocking the entrance.”
Theodore explained as he showed Julian around the fortress.
Arpad Academy had been built upon a source of magic power pooled within the tomb of an ancient dragon.
Dragons tended to establish their lairs in rugged terrain to avoid those who coveted their treasures.
Arpad Academy’s buildings had been constructed along the source of magic power deep within a valley. Consequently, the Order of Holy Knights had no choice but to build a fortress that also served as their garrison at the mouth of the valley and erect a divine barrier along the surrounding ridgelines.
“You erected a divine barrier along that entire ridgeline?”
“Impressive, is it not? His Majesty the Emperor accomplished it personally.”
Theodore’s voice was filled with admiration and pride. Julian narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the valley and its ridgelines.
‘He spread divine power across that entire area like a barrier? Is he even human?’
Perhaps the claim that the imperial family carried the blood of God was true after all. Julian clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘No wonder the Emperor collapsed and never recovered after undertaking something on that scale.’
In any case, the explanation had given him something useful.
Divine power seemed to have far more applications than he had expected.
Julian considered the possibilities as he continued asking questions.
“Has the barrier ever been breached?”
“It contains His Majesty’s divine power. How could it possibly be breached?”
“I see. So our divine power truly is highly effective against demons…….”
Julian muttered as he turned and looked down from beneath the wooden watchtower.
Rows of temporary tents had been erected around the carriages that had arrived along the southern highway.
‘The Liberation Army has almost completely assembled.’
There were several hundred people in total, consisting of soldiers conscripted from various noble houses and commoners whose combat abilities had been recognized.
‘Their backgrounds are obvious at a glance.’
Those sent by noble houses were all neatly dressed, but their expressions were gloomy.
The commoners gathered in large groups wore all manner of clothing, their eyes filled with grim determination.
Only the holy knights moving among them seemed full of energy as they secured the tents and distributed water and light refreshments.
“The holy knights appear to be in high spirits.”
“It is thanks to Your Highness.”
Theodore continued.
“Had Your Highness not taken the lead in liberating the academy, we would still be trapped here. We would have done nothing but stare at Arpad Academy from this fortress and wonder what might be happening to the students.”
His gray eyes darkened.
“Had this standoff continued, some of the holy knights might have been mentally broken by it.”
“……Was it truly that severe?”
“Yes.”
Theodore smiled bitterly.
“Having an enemy directly before you and people who need saving, yet being unable to act…… It is a far more terrible thing than one might imagine.”
Julian glanced at Theodore’s profile.
It was unexpected.
The holy knights appeared to have been molded entirely from a sense of justice and devotion to God.
Yet they, too, suffered from helplessness and wanted to find fulfillment in their duties. They were ordinary people after all.
‘The Liberation Army’s atmosphere is also different from what I expected.’
Even those who had supposedly come prepared to fight demons wore expressions that betrayed their troubled thoughts and personal circumstances.
Energetic holy knights.
Gloomy nobles.
Commoners brimming with desperation.
With all of them mixed together, the Liberation Army’s encampment honestly resembled a refugee camp filled with a ragtag collection of people.
‘That is true. Merely gathering people together does not make them useful.’
Julian fell into thought.
They had assembled beneath a single banner, yet they had failed to truly unite.
Their abilities, backgrounds, and objectives were all different.
However, Julian was not discouraged.
‘Admittedly, this situation is on a much larger scale, but it is hardly the first time I have dealt with something like this.’
The academy’s students had been the same. They had possessed different abilities, backgrounds, and occasionally even different objectives.
‘There are three things needed in a situation like this.’
A clear sense of purpose.
Swift, relentless action.
And a coordinated sequence that seamlessly linked the two together.
“Theodore, we need to divide them into groups according to their backgrounds.”
“Yes. I will give the order.”
“Once they have been divided, let us patrol the camp together and have a few conversations with them.”
Theodore grinned as though he understood exactly what Julian intended.
“Do you mean threats like the ones you made while visiting the mage societies?”
“Threats? They were productive conversations concerning our shared future.”
Theodore smiled as though to say, Of course they were.
Seeing that Theodore somehow appeared even more excited than he was, Julian shook his head.
“In any case, once we finish patrolling…… Tomorrow night is the new moon, correct?”
“Yes.”
“We will charge into the academy then.”
“……Pardon?”
***
Late the following night.
The front gate of Arpad Academy lay silent beneath the darkness.
However, anyone who listened carefully could hear countless small noises.
The sound of people breathing sharply through their noses from nervousness.
The sound of prayers being muttered under their breath.
The sound of hands repeatedly gripping and releasing the hilts of bladed weapons.
The Liberation Army had assembled ahead of the surprise attack and was waiting for the order to advance. The tense holy knights had formed ranks around them as though shielding them.
‘He intends to enter the demons’ lair in the middle of the night.’
‘We are warriors who follow the God of Light, while our enemies are demons, the children of darkness…….’
‘I do not know whether we will even be able to see anything.’
‘Why did His Highness order us to polish our metal shields before our swords?’
The holy knights struggled to conceal the anxiety in their eyes.
Nevertheless, the Liberation Army, which should have resembled a boiling cauldron filled with an unruly mob, was unexpectedly quiet.
Julian’s promise had taken complete possession of their thoughts.
-Those members of the Liberation Army who reach the Main Building alive will become freshmen of Arpad Academy.
-I have received information that there is a magic circle near the Main Building that connects to the outside. It cannot transport living creatures and is limited to supplies, but it is sufficient for the Empire to keep the academy’s students fed.
-Therefore, I intend to focus on seizing the Main Building rather than fighting the demons. I will formally become the headmaster and rescue the students one by one from within the academy.
-Once I become the headmaster, I will admit every surviving member of the Liberation Army into Arpad Academy as a freshman. You are all aware of the treatment academy students and graduates receive, are you not?
Those were not the only privileges Julian had offered.
They would receive badges bearing the title ‘One Who Fought Demons’ and be permitted to use the Temple’s infirmaries for the rest of their lives. Should they fall in battle, they would also receive the honor of being buried in the Grand Temple’s cemetery.
These were privileges ordinary imperial citizens could not even dream of receiving.
Some possessed outstanding talent but had been unable to enter the academy because of the limitations imposed by their birth.
Some had survived numerous brushes with death but could never afford the expensive treatment offered by the Temple’s infirmaries.
Some had labored their entire lives without ever dreaming of receiving a gravestone, much less a resting place in a Temple cemetery.
It was an enticing offer for commoner mages and mercenaries who possessed skill but lacked the proper bloodline and fortune.
Even those of noble birth were tempted by the proposal.
Whether they were elite members dispatched by their houses or relatives from cadet branches, anyone sent to this place had already been excluded from the central circles of the nobility.
A diploma from Arpad Academy obtained through their own efforts, rather than through the influence of their families, would become a valuable weapon.
Julian poured the final measure of oil upon the Liberation Army’s already blazing ambitions.
-Those who achieve great accomplishments inside the academy and demonstrate exceptional ability may be appointed as academy staff members or professors at the headmaster’s discretion.
Julian smiled triumphantly as he watched the Liberation Army’s eyes turn red with desire.
Some had come to rescue their families.
Some had come because their blood burned for battle.
Some had come because their houses had sent them.
Others had come to earn merit.
Julian had given all of them a single short-term objective.
Those who reached the Main Building alive would be given an opportunity!
‘And that is how I will make them my people.’
They would obey Julian’s commands to seize that opportunity, then support him to ensure that they did not lose what they had gained.
Seizing the Main Building and reclaiming the academy from within would inevitably take time.
Those who received the benefits Julian had scattered would become a faction supporting Headmaster Julian throughout that period.
‘Of course, none of that matters unless we successfully enter the academy tonight.’
Julian drew in a deep breath.
For the moment, he could reveal neither a sigh nor the slightest sign of nervousness.
“Your Highness.”
Theodore whispered beside him.
“Are we truly going now? We cannot see what lies ahead.”
“Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles.”
“Pardon?”
“If you understand both your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses and your own, then enter battle only when victory is possible, you will not be defeated.”
“Ah. Yes.”
Although Theodore wondered why Julian was suddenly saying something so unrelated, he continued listening.
“However, we know nothing about the situation inside except that we must seize the Main Building first.”
“That is correct.”
“If I must fight without knowing my enemy, then I should ensure that my enemy knows just as little about me. Should I not at least strike them from behind?”
“……Does ‘Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles’ truly mean that?”
“This is the adapted version.”
“…….”
It was sophistry, yet it did not sound entirely wrong, which made it difficult to refute.
Theodore swallowed for no reason as Julian spoke to him seriously.
“My point is that we should attempt every advantage available to us, whether that means a surprise attack or striking them from behind.”
“……I see.”
The corners of Theodore’s mouth unconsciously rose.
“Then let us proceed.”
CRACK!
Theodore brought down the Holy Sword, shattering the lock on Arpad Academy’s front gate.
Julian stepped into the pitch-black darkness.
He raised his right arm.
“!”
Within the dense darkness filling the valley, an orb of light suddenly rose from Julian’s fingertips.
Theodore raised the Holy Sword high.
The sunlike light Julian had created settled upon the sword’s tip.
The holy knights and members of the Liberation Army narrowed their eyes and swallowed as the blazing bluish-white light shone before them.
Theodore shouted.
“Order of Holy Knights, raise your shields! Reflect the light!”
The holy knights, who had been staring with their mouths open, raised their metal shields with thunderstruck expressions.
There were silver-plated shields designed for battle against demons and thick shields hammered from bronze.
Every one of them had been polished until it shone like a mirror. They reflected the intense light, illuminating the surrounding darkness.
A legion of light had suddenly appeared within the darkness.
Standing at its head, Julian shouted.
“Run!”