Chapter 42
“….”
Nerjin hesitated but decided it wasn’t something to hide and began revealing the truth.
“They’re called Malice Wraiths…”
“Malice Wraiths?”
“First I’ve heard of them.”
The two reacted calmly. But I—
‘Damn it! Why are those showing up here?!’
“Manager Nerjin! Are you saying those are truly Malice Wraiths?!”
“President Martin, you know what they are?”
“Aren’t they the residue from summoning high-ranking demons?”
“…You never cease to amaze me.”
At the mention of high-ranking demons, Elisha and Gilbert flinched. They’d seen their reality in Dr. Keren’s lab.
“Let me… explain this pattern first.”
The formation drawn with brain matter, shown by Gilbert, was preserved in a photograph. It was far more gruesome and vivid.
“This is a symbol of the state religion of the Cosmos Empire, which perished decades ago due to a mass outbreak of Time Chaos Dungeons.”
“The Cosmos Empire!”
Elisha muttered aloud, startled. After its fall, traces of the empire were strangely scarce on the continent.
Gilbert, perhaps already aware, remained unfazed.
“This… Hmm… I’m at a loss where to begin. Lady Harmadun, please swear you won’t speak of this elsewhere.”
“Anywhere?”
“Even to your father, Duke Harmadun, His Majesty the Imperium Emperor, or the Humanity Preservation Agency.”
Elisha’s eyes wavered. But soon—
“Alright. I, Elisha von Tresha Harmadun, swear on my name to tell no one.”
The first condition of the protagonist party, justice, was invoked.
“…The Cosmos Empire may seem noble, but in truth, it was a hub for numerous taboo experiments in secret.”
Elisha looked at Nerjin with shocked eyes. Information about the Cosmos Empire was hard to come by.
“Was demon summoning one of them?”
“Correct. It’s clear a survivor of those experiments has infiltrated the Imperium Empire. Based on the situation, they’ve already summoned a demon and are planning further atrocities.”
The explanation was brief but necessary. Given Elisha’s personality, she wouldn’t act without understanding the context.
What comes must go.
Elisha naturally brought up past experiences.
“There seem to be more demon worshippers than I thought. Manager Nerjin, during our academy field training in the Petrak Kingdom…”
Elisha recounted the incident at Dr. Keren’s lab and the Count-rank Demon. As it was classified, it was news to Nerjin.
“How did you defeat the Count-rank Demon?”
“Well…”
Gilbert and Elisha’s gazes turned to me. I decided to sprinkle in a little lie, like they did.
“Teacher Hectia killed it.”
“Ah, Hectia, the Platinum Knight Commander. That makes sense.”
“….”
It wasn’t entirely a lie.
Nerjin, Hectia, and Elisha continued sharing information. They needed to find the demon worshipper hiding in the capital.
The conversation dragged on.
‘Oh, wait.’
I realized I’d left without telling Lilac. She might wander into a deserted area looking for me.
In a place where a serial-killing demon summoner roamed.
‘Damn, I need to get back!’
But the discussion showed no sign of stopping.
“We must prevent civilian casualties.”
“But we can’t even handle the Malice Wraiths, Gilbert.”
“As the Lady says, Malice Wraiths are condensed malevolent energy, closer to spirits than physical beings. One or two might be manageable, but with a wave of them, only holy power can counter them.”
“Then the only way is to find and kill the summoner.”
“That means we need to identify the demon summoner first.”
With three serious people gathered, the talk could go on all night.
I decided to toss out some useful information and slip away.
“…It’s an academy cadet.”
All eyes turned to me.
“I caught a glimpse earlier. A female cadet in a uniform was watching us from within the Malice Wraiths.”
Their stares screamed why I’d only mentioned this now, but I ignored them.
Elisha spoke.
“If it’s an academy cadet, I can identify them. Any other traits?”
“I don’t know. I only glimpsed her hidden under a dark robe in the shadows.”
Still, it was significant progress compared to their theorizing.
Nerjin raised a question.
“Why wear a cadet uniform? It only exposes their identity.”
A valid point, one only someone unfamiliar with the academy might miss.
“The cadet uniform is an artifact imbued with various magics. It’s better than most armor. In a crisis, it can disrupt one’s presence for stealth.”
“Ah, I see.”
I stood up quickly.
“I have an urgent appointment, so I’ll leave first. If there’s new information, I’ll ask separately later.”
Thinking of the demon summoner and serial killer lurking in the capital, I couldn’t stay. Elisha’s investigation of me wasn’t important. Compared to Lilac, nothing was.
‘Surely, with the future altered, nothing’s happened to Lilac now…!’
I rushed out of the alchemy workshop and hurried home.
Thankfully, my fears were unfounded, but the moment I got home, Lilac chewed me out.
“Master! You should at least tell me where you’re going! Do you know how worried I was when you didn’t return past lunchtime?!”
“Y-Yeah, sorry. I’m sorry.”
I felt both awkward and deeply relieved.
***
After spending a sweet weekend like that, the next day, I went to the academy as usual.
After morning assembly, Hectia gathered Class A at the training grounds.
“Today is person-to-person combat training. Experienced instructors have been assigned. You cadets will use your personal weapons, while we instructors will use practice weapons.”
Person-to-person training was one of the most frequent classes at the academy.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Dave, an assistant instructor. Swordsman.”
“Oh my, a mage cadet. Let’s spar together.”
Assistants, student teachers, and instructors all participated, sparring one-on-one with cadets and giving immediate feedback. Simple but effective education.
“Too much force in your sword. Not nervous because it’s me, are you? Relax and come at me naturally.”
“My, your power is strong. But if that’s all, it’s just monotonous. You need more unpredictability.”
With a luxurious pool of talent, classes rotated by turn. It was finally Class A’s chance.
“Tada! Hello, Cadet Martin!”
“Teacher Hailey.”
“Ugh, I’m still a student teacher!”
Her hands-on-hips, furrowed-brow look was, as expected, that of a chick. A pink chick.
When Hailey extended her hand, a sprout shot up from the ground, growing into a verdant green staff.
“Shall we? Just so you know, I won’t go easy. I know your skills, Cadet Martin.”
Oh, look at that. She genuinely wasn’t planning to hold back.
“Didn’t you say you’d use practice weapons?”
“Psh, why nitpick?”
I could tell. While she smiled and chatted, she’d already cast three spells.
Honestly, at this point, I’d already lost.
“Well… I won’t hold back either.”
I raised my rifle and fired a piercing round. A green barrier blocked the bullet.
“Tch, that won’t do.”
I fired several more piercing rounds, but the barrier didn’t budge.
‘Even the pinpoint shooting that pierced Dominic’s armor won’t work.’
The barrier seemed to have a regeneration function, constantly recovering. Fortunately, Hailey couldn’t move while casting, but did that really matter for a mage?
Looking around, I noticed thick grass and vines had grown. I couldn’t let my guard down. I was already in a nature mage’s domain.
Hailey seemed serious about this.
“Surely, that’s not all?”
I had no intention of using my trump card in a place like this.
So—
“That’s it.”
“…Huh? What?”
“The rifle’s destructive power has its limits.”
“Uh… That thing… Hmm…”
She must mean the Diamond Bullet that shot the Count-rank Demon. Realizing it wasn’t suitable here, she continued.
“Well, no helping it. Shall we do evasion training instead?”
I leaped aside as a vine whip struck where I’d stood. Blades of grass shot up like knives, petals flew like throwing stars, and tree branches swung past.
But none hit me. I’d survived against a Platinum Knight, after all. Sure, I got bisected in the end, but I was confident in dodging.
Hailey watched my movements with a ‘Wow’ of admiration.
“…Your evasion skills are incredible. Not even a graze.”
We were both impenetrable shields. Of course, by judgment, I lost. If Hailey got serious and unleashed area magic, I couldn’t dodge forever.
Feedback began.
“Cadet Martin, you’re perfect except for your attack power. Against opponents above a certain level, you’re helpless. You need to find a way to compensate.”
I’d heard this feedback every class. So, I ignored it for now.
‘Nothing?’
I activated Wild Instinct, but no notable response came.
Even in the original, there was no mention of which class the serial killer was in or where they frequented. One thing was certain: it wasn’t Class A.
“Cadet. Are you listening?”
Where should I look? Should I check every class?
“Hey! Cadet Martin!”
“Yes, I’m listening.”
“Hand on your conscience, were you really listening?”
“…Maybe.”
I got chewed out again.
As I packed up in the classroom after class—
“Wait a moment. I need to talk, Cadet Martin.”
It was Gilbert, with Lina, Elisha, Bord, and Mary behind him. The full protagonist party.
My head throbbed. I didn’t like this.
“What if I say no?”
“It’s about yesterday.”
“Search on your own. I’ll do it my way.”
Like a stubborn child, I left my seat. The protagonist party, knowing they couldn’t sway my stubbornness, didn’t stop me.
I stood near the academy’s main gate, activating Wild Instinct. I waited until sunset, but no cadet resembling the culprit appeared.
‘Are they staying in the dorms?’
Then I’d search tomorrow. I felt sorry for today’s victims, but this was my limit.
As I turned to leave, an old man approached me from afar.
An unexpected guest, but I wasn’t fazed. I followed the wise old man, who had something to say, to a nearby café. He ordered an Einspänner, and I got a Caramel Macchiato.
As far as I knew, this was his first time drinking coffee.
“Manager Nerjin, I hope the coffee suits your taste.”
“Haha, it’s fine. My granddaughter Bianca liked it, so I tried it. It’s a great drink. I especially like the caffeine’s stimulating effect.”
As expected of an alchemist.
‘Hmm.’
Why did he seek me out? No matter how I thought about it, Gilbert was more trustworthy. Of course, I was glad.
“I also love that about coffee. A cup before studying clears my mind.”
“The taste and aroma are far better than a stimulant potion. The effect feels natural, not artificial.”
Nerjin was a special supporting character. He wielded mysterious card magic of unknown origin and, though not in the original, knew an extensive amount about the Cosmos Empire.
To me, seeking another ending for this world, he was an invaluable asset.
That’s why I gritted my teeth and cooperated with the protagonist party.
“I’m glad you think so.”
But if my memory was correct, he’d die in this demon summoner incident.
“I was surprised. To think you’d come all the way to the Imperium Academy.”
“I thought visiting your home might be rude.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
His granddaughter would die to a demon. Nerjin would wail for days and nights before taking his own life.
That was his fate.
“Since you’ve shown consideration, I’ll engage actively in this conversation.”
But I’d change it. I’d overturn the fate Recola set and seize the possibility of another ending they cleverly hid.
“Sorry for coming suddenly. But the matter I need to discuss is grave…”
Nerjin took out a faded, yellowed business card from his pocket and placed it on the table, face down. I couldn’t flip it carelessly.
“Are you the Peacemaker?”
“…No.”
To think someone else would seek me out for this after Princess Adela.
“What’s more infuriating is that I immediately knew who the culprit was.”
“It seems you heard from Cadet Gilbert.”
“I only asked for details since we might fight a demon, not to pry secrets. But hearing it, I couldn’t let it pass.”
The faded business card was flipped over.
[Cosmos Dimension Research Institute, Manager, Nerjin von Fierik Wisdremus]