Chapter 131 - Traitor (2)
‘This ti is different.’
In this life, I had a way.
A way to save the academy from ruin—and the people within it.
Because I had one card up my sleeve: lies.
Of course, even that wasn’t a perfect solution.
But it was still the joker that could overturn disaster.
The plan was simple.
‘Then I’ll make them reveal it.’
If they targeted our blind spot, I just had to strike at theirs in return.
A secret underground passage undetectable by magic.
But that wasn’t the cultists’ only task.
To awaken [Death], they’d need to inject an appropriate amount of energy.
They were breaking an ancient seal, after all.
On the cult’s side, they would undoubtedly supply this energy using demonic mana.
In the original story, several high-ranking mbers had accompanied the terror attack.
That very mont was the—
‘Opening.’
At that mont—
Even if the space distorted causality itself, that distinct aura would inevitably leak out.
That sliver of a mont—I would seize it.
Sharpen every sense throughout my body and, the instant that signal appeared, give chase without hesitation.
It might not be the most efficient thod, but it was undeniably the most certain one.
Like trying to find a single drop of ink lost in the sea.
Fortunately, I had the eyes to spot even that ink.
I’d crush them through sheer capability.
“Which is why… I’m counting on you.”
Given the academy’s fate was on the line, I had already requested help from a few individuals.
It was best to be as thoroughly prepared as possible.
I turned to look at the girls before .
Charlotte and Irene, who had been waiting, nodded in affirmation.
Not a shred of hesitation.
“Mhm. If it’s your request, Judah.”
“To think there’d co a day I’d be leaning on you… it’s a little touching.”
So my efforts hadn’t been in vain.
I felt a hint of pride.
Both of them were among the strongest in the academy, more than capable of withstanding the coming ordeal.
Their extensive experience in combat made them reliable assets.
It also helped that they wouldn’t question my erratic actions or oppose my decisions.
A relationship built on complete trust.
‘Of course, the sa could be said of the others…’
But each of them had their weaknesses.
Rezia’s firepower was overwhelming, but she lacked soone to coordinate her in the aftermath.
Emilia had near-perfect balance in all areas, but her relative inexperience held her back compared to the others.
Elize, on the other hand, simply didn’t have a body suited for battle in the first place.
Talents not yet fully awakened.
‘Which is why…’
I couldn’t involve them recklessly.
A calamity was not sothing to be taken lightly.
I intended to eliminate all unnecessary risks.
For this operation, the help of the fox and the young prince would be more than enough.
I reviewed the plan one final ti.
—We’ll be on standby at the local church branch.
—Everything will go according to your will.
There had been word of reinforcents from headquarters, but I had declined.
They were to be deployed outside the academy anyway.
After all, the cult’s attack wasn’t an event limited to the academy.
If the resurrection of [Death] were to succeed, evil would surge forth across the continent, as if waiting for this mont.
Which ant our forces had to be evenly spread.
A careless move would only invite casualties.
‘The major targets that were hit in the original story…’
The church branch. A remote barony. The northern snowfields.
I selected a few locations and dispatched personnel accordingly.
With Neria personally leading that front, I had little reason for concern.
More than that, I’d make full use of the trump card I had in hand.
“It’s been a while.”
—{My, my… I didn’t expect you to reach out first.}
A lord.
Though he’d been lying low since his defeat, his influence was still imnse.
In terms of organization scale, there was no force that could rival him.
Which made him all the more useful in this case.
The old man responded with amusent.
His voice carried faintly through the crystal orb.
—{Another fascinating request, I see.}
“I’m asking for your cooperation.”
—{Naturally.}
“All I need is for you to act according to the plan.”
—{The plan, hmm… Aren’t you expecting a bit much from a re outlaw?}
“If a puppet can’t even manage this much, its master will have no choice but to discard it as defective.”
—{My, such kind advice.}
As always, a cordial exchange of barbs.
There was so tension, but in the end, I secured reinforcents without issue.
Alongside the plan, I passed on the designated strike points.
“I’m counting on you.”
—{Heh… Then allow to wish you luck as well.}
And with that, the connection cut off.
Unreliable he may be, but there was no denying he was capable.
I took a deep breath and ended the transmission.
‘…This should be enough.’
I was prepared.
I had accounted for countless scenarios, maintained the highest level of output in my lies, and resolved the once-troubleso manpower issue cleanly.
The snake sat still, thoughts racing.
‘There’s nothing to worry about… right?’
Just like always.
All I had to do was move according to the board I had laid out myself.
---
And then—
The day of the scheduled calamity.
—Can’t believe the break’s already over… it still doesn’t feel real.
—Right? I’m already starting to miss it.
—Did you hear there’s a pop quiz in two days?
—Already? That’s way too soon.
—It’s that crazy bald professor again. Can’t he ease up for once?
—Seriously… He was relentless on the very first day back.
A peaceful, ordinary weekend at the academy.
On the surface, it looked like any other day.
Monts of rest, students complaining, chatting with friends, recharging for the academic grind—those quiet, blissful tis.
Soon to be shattered.
A thin veil of peace that had only held because the calamity had yet to descend.
The fragility of it all was like walking across thin ice.
“……”
The snake quietly observed that landscape.
The boy had sharpened every sense in his body.
So he wouldn’t be too late in sensing the calamity.
Beside him stood the vigilant fox and the absent-minded princess, keeping their posts.
The passing wind brushed against golden hair.
The scent of winter lingering in the air.
And then—
BOOM—!
A thunderous roar echoed through the academy grounds.
The sound ca from the direction of the main gate.
Dust rose faintly just beyond visible range.
Sothing had exploded.
—W-What was that?!
—Did sothing blow up…?
—Sounded like it ca from the front gate! Should we call a staff mber?
—Wait… sothing’s crawling out of the hole!
A single blast.
Like a ripple in still water, the impact plunged the campus into chaos.
Students frozen in fear, faculty rushing toward the scene to assess the situation, and unidentified figures erging from the breach.
It was pandemonium.
And yet—
Even in the midst of it all, the snake closed his eyes.
His honed senses pierced through the chaotic mana signatures.
‘The main gate’s a decoy.’
That earlier explosion was nothing more than a distraction.
A ploy to scatter attention as much as possible.
While low-ranking officers and chiras had appeared, they weren’t what he was after in this chaos.
The boy began expanding the lies he’d scattered earlier.
Until they blanketed the entire academy.
—Ting!
[Remaining Output: 91.7%]
As the output drained, his senses grew even sharper.
Waves of overwhelming information surged.
But what he sought was—
Further down.
Deeper still.
And deeper—
‘There.’
In the next instant—
A chill clawed down the boy’s spine.
A chorus of twisted mana, unnaturally distorted.
The unmistakable stench of demonic mana.
And its lingering trail pointed deep—far beneath the academy grounds.
He had found the location of the passage.
‘Got it.’
Though hidden by barriers, not even the faintest trace could escape the snake’s gaze.
He wove the remnants into a single thread.
Then—
A faint string suspended in the air.
It stretched clearly in one direction, like it was pointing the way.
The snake stood, securing the string to his fingertip.
His pale irises now gleaming bright white.
“Let’s go.”
“Mhm.”
“I’ll follow you.”
The three kicked off the ground.
The black thread led the way.
Cutting straight through the academy’s heart.
The chaos from the main gate had thrown the atmosphere into disarray.
Professors locked in battle, assistants guiding students to safety, students obeying orders despite their confusion.
They dashed through it all.
“This way!”
They arrived at the annex building.
Following the thread’s guidance, they reached just before the entrance to the underground passage—
When a figure blocked their path.
“Student Judah.”
“…Professor?”
The drunkard.
She had been helping evacuate students, but upon seeing him run off, had followed in pursuit.
She held out her hand, as if to take him along.
Her crimson eyes trembled ever so slightly.
“There’s been an unidentified attack at the main gate.”
“I’m aware.”
“The professors are doing their best to respond, but… until the situation is clear, you mustn’t act alone.”
“I have a destination I must reach, no matter what.”
“No.”
Her voice was firm.
Unlike before, she clearly wasn’t going to let this slide.
“I can’t support you through sothing this dangerous.”
She furrowed her brow like a scolding older sister.
And just for a mont, the stiffness in her expression cracked.
That flicker of emotion made him oddly happy—but the boy didn’t have ti to waste.
He snapped his fingers toward his unmoving teacher.
Snap—!
“Ah…”
Her pupils lost focus.
Staggering like a drunken woman, she collapsed to the ground unconscious.
He had spent a portion of his output to put her to sleep.
The boy gently laid her body down on the ground.
Then turned away.
“We’ll continue.”
Their footsteps resud.
The children ran toward the passage linking the academy to the underground.
“……”
And once they were gone—
A figure stepped out from the shadows near the unconscious woman.
Wearing a smile laced with foreboding energy, the man murmured.
“Well now… I didn’t expect things to unfold like this. Fascinating.”
None other than—
Professor Kadel.
---
The underground was deeper than expected.
We had barely managed to find the entrance.
Only after breaking through layers of silence and magic barriers did the doorway finally reveal itself.
I now understood why no one had found it in the original story.
The detection spells were too refined—even the professors missed it. There was no way a student could have found this.
It truly was a legacy of the [Ancient Star].
We ran through the passage.
Tak tak tak tak—!
Dozens of barriers shimred around us, the maze-like structure disorienting, its paths changing in real-ti.
An impossible labyrinth under normal circumstances.
Even walking through it was nauseating by design.
But with the guidance of lies, we made it through without resistance.
Tap.
Only after reaching the deepest level did the thread cut off.
We had arrived.
Before us stood an enormous door.
Engraved with images of offerings, demons, and gods—a grotesque collage—an overwhelming stench of blood and rot seeped through its seams.
I drew the shadows to my fingertips.
And in the other hand, a jet-black sword.
‘The Temple of Death.’
No hesitation.
With a forceful step forward—
The surrounding barrier shattered, and the colossal doors exploded into fragnts.
We had finally arrived at our destination.
And then, a voice echoed.
“Who goes there?”
A space overflowing with blood and corpses.
Were they in the middle of a ritual offering?
Blood-soaked lumps piled like mountains before the altar.
Dozens of robed figures surrounded the platform.
Each one clad in deep crimson.
The cult’s symbol.
“Foolish sacrifices, you’ve found your doom.”
Dozens of gazes bore into us.
Their voices all eerily similar, impossible to tell apart.
Blood-tears stread from their eyes.
Their movents eerily synchronized—almost like puppets.
Demonic mana oozed between the altar and the offerings.
“Raise your blades.”
I raised my sword and spoke.
To the two beside .
“We must stop them, no matter what.”
“Mhm.”
“If that’s your will.”
The girls drew their blades in unison.
And the three of us charged at the writhing darkness.
Then—
BOOOOOOM—!!
A massive shockwave erupted from within the underground temple.
[EP23. The Awakening of Evil]
—Blood boiling, malice seething, life crying out for death—
The ga to decide the academy’s fate had begun.
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