Arsene invited into her living room, where she began recounting the chaos that unfolded at Braveheart Knight Academy two days ago—right when the demons attacked Solara Magic Academy.
"First I want to express my deepest appreciation to you Naoki because together with Alia you have revealed the dark side of this academy and also found out the perpetrator of the kidnapping incident in this academy. I will give you a reward later." Arsene said that with a happy and proud face.
Suddenly I got a notification:
---
[!!!NOTIFICATION!!!]
Quest: Uncover the Dark Secrets of Braveheart Knight Academy (Complete)
You got 50 Goddess Points!
---
Finally I finished this mission. It felt quite long to do this because I received it since Alia ca to the academy.
I listened to Arsene’s explanation.
"Second, I will explain what happened here. I fought five High Demons by myself," Arsene started, her expression serious. "They trapped , planning to eliminate , but I managed to turn the tide with my divine magic. Just when they realized they couldn’t win, one of them revealed his true form."
Her voice dropped slightly. "It was Gorx the Living Terror, Demon Warlord Rank 4."
She described his appearance. A male demon, with an exoskeleton made of bone. His face was covered by a bone helt, long black hair, and two devil horns. He had devil wings. He wielded a bone staff, and wore a devil robe.
I felt a chill run down my spine. "Gorx? The necromancer demon who can control flesh and bones to create... those things?"
She nodded. "Exactly. He’s slaughtered countless people and turned their remains into monstrous servants. He summoned them to overwhelm , and I’ll admit—it was hard to keep up. Even so, I put up a divine barrier to protect the city from the chaos."
"That must’ve been exhausting," I said, unable to imagine the pressure she had been under.
"It was," she admitted. "But while the city remained safe, the academy wasn’t so lucky. Shadows rampaged through the halls, and the professors had to step in to fight them. It was one of the longest nights I’ve ever faced."
She paused for a mont before continuing. "I was at my limit when suddenly two heroes appeared: Cain von Flamore and Theresia von Stormheim. The three of us tead up to fight Gorx."
I blinked in surprise. "Wait, how did they end up here? Isn’t that too much of a coincidence?"
"They were delivering reports to the king and discussing future strategies," Arsene explained. "It just so happened that they were in the area when the attack occurred."
"That’s... lucky," I muttered.
"Very," Arsene agreed. "Together, we managed to defeat Gorx, though not without injuries. His ultimate spell injured all of us before we finally took him down. I purified him, but..."
"But he still opened a Gehenna Gate," I finished for her.
She sighed and nodded. "Yes. He succeeded in sending mana through it, weakening the seal on the Demon King. That’s when I realized sothing—this wasn’t just a random attack. The demons have figured out how to break the seal."
"That explains why they’re willing to send Demon Warlords," I said, my thoughts racing. "They’re prioritizing freeing the Demon King over fighting on the front lines."
Arsene’s expression darkened. "Exactly. The Gehenna Gate siphons mana from humans—either those with imnse capacity or large groups of people. At Braveheart, they drained both."
I frowned. "That’s the sa thing that happened at Solara. When I fought Norx, it was all about fueling the gate. This isn’t just on you, Arsene—it’s happening everywhere. You can’t bla yourself."
Her tense shoulders relaxed a little as she smiled at . "Thanks, Naoki. That ans a lot."
I shifted awkwardly. "Well... we’re all in this together, right?"
"Still, it’s frustrating," she admitted. "I’ve already reported everything to the king, including what happened at Solara. He’s decided to strengthen surveillance across the kingdom and is assigning a Royal Hero to safeguard the capital."
"Really?" I perked up, a na imdiately coming to mind. "Do you know who’s coming? Is it Serena von Winterfell?"
Arsene’s playful smirk returned. "Sorry to disappoint you. It’s Cain von Flamore."
"Oh." I couldn’t hide my disappointnt. "I an, that’s fine too, I guess."
She laughed. "Ara-ara, you’re so easy to read, Naoki."
I ignored her teasing and changed the subject. "Anyway, what’s going to happen with the academy?"
"It’ll be closed for three weeks for repairs," she said. "Take the ti to rest and train. But stay on your guard—no one knows when the demons will strike again."
"I will," I assured her. "I’m planning to head back to Blackmore Territory with Milly and train there."
"Good idea," she said. Then, her tone shifted, becoming teasing once again. "Ara-ara, are you worried about this beautiful big sister?"
"What? No!" I stamred, flustered. "It’s just... if sothing happens to you, Alia will be upset, so..."
She chuckled, pinching my cheek. "You’re so bad at being honest, Naoki. But thanks. That ans a lot."
I felt overwheld by her teasing and quickly made my escape.
...
The next morning, the students finally noticed the extensive damage to the academy buildings, remnants of the fierce battle that had taken place.
Arsene herself ca out to announce that the academy would be closed for three weeks to allow for repairs. Her words brought a wave of relief to the students, who were eager for a break after the recent horrors—especially the terrifying appearance of Norx in Solara.
I noticed my friends, Lyra, Freya, and Marius, looking relieved.
They asked what I planned to do during the break.
"I’ll head back to Blackmore Territory with Milly and keep training," I said.
Marius nodded approvingly. "That’s a great idea!"
I turned the question back to Lyra and Freya.
Lyra answered, "I’ll be returning to my family as well. My father seems to have renewed his expectations for , so I’ll be training under him."
I gave her an encouraging smile. "Good luck, Lyra. You’ve got this!"
Lyra thanked and smiled sweetly. I still couldn’t forget our kiss, making a little embarrassed. Damn it!
Freya answered hesitantly, "I think I’ll join Kael and train with him. I want to learn the Flaremore family’s swordsmanship techniques."
I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Wait, Kael? Are you serious? When did he start being so generous?"
Kael crossed his arms, looking slightly annoyed. "What’s that supposed to an, Naoki?! I just thought it’d be good to have strong allies for the final exams. Luna’s coming with us too, so we’re all training together. Besides, Freya’s from a branch family of the Flaremores. There’s no rule against her learning our techniques. It’s fine." He looked away, his voice tinged with embarrassnt. It seed like Kael had changed—just a little.
"Is that so..." I nodded thoughtfully. "Well then, I’ll leave Freya in your care."
Freya blushed slightly and mumbled, "Uh... Naoki-sama, I’ll be fine. Are you that worried about ?"
"Hehe, I know you can handle it, Freya. I’m not worried. Just... don’t push yourself too hard, okay?" I said softly, giving her a reassuring smile.
"I-I know..." she murmured, turning her face away, her cheeks noticeably red. It was rare to see her flustered like this.
Turning to Marius, I asked, "Hey, Marius. What about you? What’s your plan for the three-week break? Heading back to your hotown?"
Marius laughed awkwardly. "Nah, Naoki... I don’t have anyone waiting for back there anymore. I’ll probably just stay in the dorms. HAHAHA!" His laugh was loud, but I could sense the sadness hidden beneath it.
I placed a hand on his shoulder. "In that case, how about joining in Blackmore? We can train together. I know soone who can teach you, though... they’re a bit clumsy."
His eyes lit up imdiately. "YES! LET’S DO IT! I’M ALL IN! I’M SO FIRED UP!" Marius practically shouted, grinning ear to ear. For the first ti in a while, his laughter was genuine.
"Alright, then let’s find one more person to join us," I suggested.
Marius and I headed to Class 3-A. There, we approached soone in the middle of a conversation with their friends.
"Hey, Julius," I called out confidently. "Why don’t you join us? We’re heading to Blackmore to train during the break."
"Sounds interesting," Julius replied with a smirk. "I’ll take you up on that. We did promise to train together and grow stronger, didn’t we?"
With that, the three of us agreed to leave the next morning.
Afterward, I made my way to Class 1-A. There, I spotted Milly surrounded by her classmates, happily soaking up the attention. But as soon as I stepped into the room, everyone froze, their eyes wide with fear as they cleared a path for . Seriously, do I look that scary?
Milly turned and yelled, "W-What are you doing here, Naoki?! Are you here to bully my classmates?!" Her loud accusation made the girls around her even more nervous.
"Ugh, you little brat! How long are you going to ruin my reputation? Co with !" I grabbed her arm and pulled her out into the hallway.
Once we were alone, I sighed. "So, what’s with the innocent face now after calling a bully?" I ruffled her hair, making her pout.
"Alright, listen up," I said firmly. "We’re heading back to Blackmore tomorrow morning. Use the three-week break to co ho."
She tilted her head, considering my words. "Hmm... fine, but I’ll be lonely. Can I bring Aisha? She’s planning to stay here in the academy, and I feel bad for her."
Before I could answer, a soft voice chid in from beside us. "I-Is that true, Naoki-senpai? Could I co with you? I’d be really grateful." Aisha, the elf girl, had appeared out of nowhere.
"GAH! How long have you been standing there?!" I stamred. "Well... I guess it’s fine. I’m bringing two of my friends anyway. You can co along too, Aisha."
"Thank you, Naoki-senpai!" Aisha said cheerfully, her radiant smile lighting up her face.
For a mont, I thought to myself, An elf girl with a sweet smile and a kind heart... that’s a dangerous combination. No way am I letting any guys get weird ideas around her.
Inside my mind, Envi chuckled mischievously. "Careful, Naoki. If you’re not careful, I might take over and ask her out for you."
"Shut up, Envi! That’s not happening!" I retorted silently, earning another laugh from him.
..
The next day, I said goodbye to Lyra, Freya, Luna, and Kael. Then, with Marius, Julius, Milly, and Aisha, I began the journey to the Blackmore estate.
It felt good to be heading ho after six long months away.
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