Chapter 51: Midterm Exam (6)
Stefania was strolling through the forest with a lively step.
It wasn’t as if she was enjoying a leisurely walk. If she had been, she wouldn’t be holding a grotesquely twisted heart in her right hand.
The heart had been extracted from a demon she handed over to Georg. Since she had pulled it out just before giving it to him, it was still pulsating.
Knowing that a demon’s heart could regenerate quickly even if exposed to divine power, Stefania had no hesitation in taking it out.
Besides, they were individuals she had already felt the need to “clean up” sooner or later, so she felt neither regret nor guilt.
They should have been more useful while they had the chance.
That was the last thing she said to them.
‘If I’m remembering correctly, it should be around here…’
She moved according to her memory and the traces of divine power visible before her eyes.
It was a place far from the testing site, and as such, the proctor had left the area. But Stefania didn’t mind since she had made a deal with Georg for precisely this purpose.
‘…It moved?’
For some reason, the spot where the divine power was most concentrated had shifted slightly. But since it was only a matter of a few dozen steps, she didn’t dwell on it.
Well, after being trapped in one place for so long, it’s only natural to want to squirm around and move a little.
That was what she figured.
Stefania brushed aside the sacred relics that had eroded so much they were barely recognizable. She placed the heart on the patch of land where the divine power was most dense.
“To the demon—I offer you this sacrifice. Obey me according to the terms of our contract!”
Reciting words that were more a declaration than an incantation, she stomped on the crimson heart, crushing it underfoot.
The blood that gushed from the heart seeped into the ground, and the atmosphere around her changed rapidly.
Sensing something, the wild animals either fled or lay down, exposing their bellies. The dense divine power in the area was soon eroded by the surging demonic energy.
To Stefania, it only appeared as if the divine power had vanished.
But since she knew it was due to demonic energy, she immediately surrounded herself with the thickest mana barrier she could conjure.
She had seen with her own eyes how exposure to demonic energy twisted the human mind, and she had no intention of letting that happen to her.
—How arrogant of you to behave so insolently under the safety of divine protection.
“Isn’t it you who’s being arrogant here? You dare call yourself a god despite having no followers?”
The being, who had called himself a god, roared furiously, causing the atmosphere to tremble. But Stefania remained unfazed.
A god without believers was nothing more than a remnant.
A fallen god couldn’t even prevent someone skilled from declaring him a demon and forging a one-sided contract.
The most the demon could do was make the air rumble, which Stefania knew was the greatest threat it could muster.
There was no chance of this power dynamic being reversed unless she went insane and deliberately exposed herself to the full brunt of the demonic energy.
—Very well, impudent contractor. You’ve come all the way to where my true form is buried. So tell me, what do you want this time?
“Create as many demonic beasts and monsters as you can at the location I specify.”
—Are you giving me orders now?
While transmitting the location information to the demon, Stefania frowned. The demon’s words annoyed her, so she decided to put him back in his place.
“Oh my, aren’t I the closest thing you have to a follower? If you’re a ‘god,’ then shouldn’t you fulfill the wishes of your worshiper?”
—The only one… Ha. We’ll see about that. For now, I will do as you ask. But next time, you would do well to show a little more respect.
The way he spoke was reminiscent of a gambling addict dreaming of sudden fortune, and Stefania couldn’t hold back the scorn that welled up from the depths of her heart.
“Pfft… Haha… Dreams are free, but you don’t even have that luxury. You lost in the past, and now you’re nothing but a sorry little puppet bound to a human. Stay put and stay quiet.”
After a brief exchange of sharp words, the demon submitted to his contractor’s orders.
***
“…Th-thank you for calling it pretty. But…”
Hoyeon hesitated as if she wanted to say something more but suddenly fell silent.
“But…?”
Curious about what she wanted to say, I pressed her gently, but it was as if she didn’t hear me at all.
“…”
She was gazing straight up at the sky with an unfamiliar expression.
I wondered if something strange had appeared. Maybe a dragon was flying by? I followed her gaze, but all I could see was the clear, cloudless sky.
“…Hoyeon?”
“Sorry, not right now.”
Her face was so serious that I couldn’t bring myself to push her any further.
An awkward silence hung in the air for a while.
Luckily, Iris and Anya came running toward us from a distance. Otherwise, I might have gone outside to do some stretching just to escape the awkwardness.
“Dogeon! Hoyeon! Are you two okay?!”
They had gone off to pick herbs, so I didn’t expect them to return so quickly. But as soon as I saw them, I realized something was off.
Anya’s body was covered in scratches and cuts, and Iris looked like she had lost her soul, muttering the same phrase over and over.
“Monsters… beasts… Lady Stefania… why…?”
Monsters, beasts, and Stefania.
Ah, damn it.
In the end, it seemed Stefania had done something again.
Knowing Iris had some kind of connection with Stefania, I could guess what had happened just from her words.
Somehow, Stefania had released monsters and beasts into this forest.
“Did any beasts attack you?!”
“No, not yet. Anya, are you okay?”
Her body was marked with blood stains and scratches, so she didn’t look okay.
“This isn’t enough to be considered an injury. In the north, you don’t call it an injury unless bones are broken or skin is flayed.”
She said it like it was no big deal, but her face betrayed her pain.
Since I’d learned healing magic while getting beaten up by Georg, I could at least reduce her pain even if I couldn’t completely heal her wounds.
“Hold still. I’ll heal you.”
“…Thank you. About time you did something useful.”
That was only because Hoyeon was too competent. Not that I could joke about that now.
“So, what happened?”
“…I don’t know. Suddenly, beasts and monsters started pouring out of nowhere and attacking people…”
I asked for clarification, just in case I had misunderstood, but there was nothing particularly new.
Suddenly, monsters and beasts appeared and started attacking people. There was no sign of the proctor.
So this is why Stefania got herself assigned as the proctor here. But why release the monsters and beasts?
As cunning as she was, she was never one to act without reason.
“…When they saw the church members, they immediately rushed toward them. I only caught a glimpse, so I’m not completely sure, but…”
For some reason, it seemed like she was suddenly trying to purge the church’s influence.
I could see what was going on.
By the time I finished listening to Anya’s explanation, her bleeding had almost stopped.
Her expression also seemed more relaxed, so it looked like the healing had helped.
I glanced over at Iris, but she was still unresponsive, as if she couldn’t hear us. Hoyeon, meanwhile, was still gazing up at the sky.
…No, she wasn’t.
Earlier, she had just been standing while looking up, but now she had sunk to her knees, as if she were praying.
“Hoyeon.”
“…”
“Hoyeon!”
Even when I raised my voice, she didn’t answer. What was wrong with her? Why was she acting like this in such a critical situation?
Staying still like this felt dangerous, so I decided to move. But Hoyeon’s current state made that impossible.
I felt sorry for her, but I had no choice but to grab her and force her to move if it came to that.
The moment I placed my hand on her shoulder, Hoyeon suddenly spoke.
“Dogeon, do you trust me?”
“Huh…? O-of course I do. But, Hoyeon, now’s not the time to be kneeling like that—”
“Then stay right next to me. Bring Anya and Iris here too.”
Her words were completely out of place for how urgent the situation was. Asking if I trusted her, telling me to stay by her side—what was she even talking about?
But her expression was more serious than I had ever seen it before.
More than that, a gut feeling told me that if I didn’t do as she said, she wouldn’t move at all. It was such a strong premonition that I decided I had no choice but to follow her instructions.
“…Anya, stay right next to Hoyeon for a bit.”
“Next to Hoyeon? Sure.”
Anya, who had been moving her limbs to check if the healing had gone well, didn’t hesitate and stuck close to Hoyeon.
The real problem was Iris…
Since she was out of it, talking to her wouldn’t do any good.
“…Pardon me.”
I picked her up in a princess carry. She was as light as she looked.
Worried that Hoyeon might glare at me for this, I glanced at her, but she was still staring up at the sky.
With a strange, unsettling smile on her face.
…Is this really the right move?
I noticed that Iris was clutching something that looked like a necklace in her hand.
The necklace had some sort of intricate magic circle inscribed on it, but it was broken. Holding on to something like that wasn’t going to be any help to her.
She’s still a girl after all, huh.
“Alright, here. Everyone is right next to you now, Hoyeon. Can you get up? If we stay here, the monsters will chase us down. We need to move.”
“No. There’s no need for that.”
“…No need? What do you mean?”
I was about to question her further, but I quickly realized it wasn’t the time for that.
Thud.
Something massive was approaching us.
Thud.
There was no way it was a normal animal.
Thud.
A beast… or a monster.
Thud.
At first glance, it looked like a bear, but it was as big as an elephant. It had two heads, and between them was a third, glowing eye.
“…Guys. Break your bracelets.”
If we broke our bracelets, we’d be disqualified from the test and get a zero, but that didn’t matter right now. We were on the brink of death — who cared about a score?
And since the release of a beast like this during a practical exam would warrant some kind of compensation, we’d be fine as long as we escaped.
“Don’t worry, it won’t hurt us.”
But Hoyeon, as usual, was saying something completely absurd.
There was no way that thing wouldn’t attack us. The beasts you saw at zoos were tame compared to this. Its claws and mouth were already stained with blood.
It was clear as day that it had already torn someone apart. Not even Hoyeon would be able to reason with something like that.
“…Anya. Break Iris’s bracelet, and then break yours. I’ll break Hoyeon’s, and then mine.”
“Got it.”
Anya was the only one here I could properly communicate with. Having just one ally was a relief.
The moment Anya snapped her bracelet and Iris’s at the same time, both of them vanished.
Good. Looks like the system isn’t broken.
If it was working, then it was our turn.
I grabbed Hoyeon’s bracelet along with my own, closed my eyes, and yanked with all my strength.
But nothing happened.
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