Mid-December.
Starting today, the academy will have a week-long festival before entering the vacation period.
To call it a festival was far from the truth for .
Most of the students involved in club activities were busy preparing for festival-related experiences, booths, exhibitions, and such. As soone who didn't belong to any group, I could only watch from the sidelines.
Not only the Departnt of Magic but also the Departnt of Knights were making various preparations. As a result, whenever I played as a character from the Departnt of Knights, there were always events or incidents happening.
'The place where the terrorism occurs this ti is the small stadium, the year-end event tournant.'
Laurent Academy had originally hosted two tournants: the official spring tournant and the year-end event tournant.
However, the year-end tournant disappeared after the terrorism incident.
'At least from the mont I started playing the ga, there was no year-end tournant.'
I knew that the event, which had been held every year, had been abolished after the terrorism incident.
The difference between the spring tournant and the year-end tournant was that the spring tournant had a strong sense of real competition that reflected actual performance, while the year-end tournant was a traditional-like event where only graduating students participated.
Since it was an event tournant, participation was open only to the graduating class.
Generally, students from the Departnt of Knights occupied the majority, and like rain during a drought, students from the Departnt of Magic participated.
"Mom! Look at that!"
"Wow, it's really amazing. Should we go and see?"
During the festival period, the place was bustling with people, including prospective freshn, students' families, and those who simply admired the academy.
I maneuvered through the crowd and finally arrived at my intended destination.
The building was the small stadium where the event tournant took place.
Unlike the large stadium in the Departnt of Knights, it was slightly smaller in scale, but the year-end event tournant always took place here.
"Hey, there are quite a few participants from the Departnt of Magic this year."
"Yeah, it's nice to have more things to see."
Passing by people engaged in conversation, I entered the building. I could see the area where the tournant was taking place and a pathway leading to snack vendors and the spectator seats.
'I can freely enter.'
Since civilians were allowed to enter, there were personnel positioned throughout the area to prevent accidents, but it seed aningless.
The academy was confident that there were no significant threats that could attack Laurent Academy, even though they were attacked not too long ago.
'Damn bastards.'
The Empire had grown arrogant.
Their arrogance had reached an irreversible point.
'This is why they're gathering sins.'
To open the world of gods and beco gods themselves.
That was the only thought that ca to my mind.
First, I decided to find Carlos Alvin or Dianne Alvin.
It was difficult to determine the exact ti of the terrorism since the festival period lasted for a week.
If I stayed close to Carlos, I could sohow prevent it.
That's when it happened.
As I erged into the spectator seats, I stumbled upon a clue I had never thought of before.
'Hazel?'
Hazel, who had escaped from Boloric, stood in the spectator seats, looking around.
Around him, there were others who appeared to be students from the Departnt of Knights, happily chatting with him, but he seed oblivious to them.
The perpetrator of this terrorism was a fanatic of the Zepar sect.
There had to be a connection to his presence here.
I approached him directly.
"Hazel, are you alright?"
Suddenly, everyone present turned their attention towards .
And Hazel, with a slightly stiff expression, acknowledged my greeting.
"Adrias, my fellow student. Long ti no see. Luckily, I managed to escape the Dark Mage's trap unhard."
Escape.
From the fugitive.
In the eyes of the public, he was simply classified as missing after being targeted by the Dark Mage, but only I knew the truth.
As Hazel pretended to recognize , the other students from the Departnt of Knights around us played along, saying, "Ah, the mage who defeated that Dark Mage!" None of them showed any suspicion towards Hazel.
"I'm really glad you're okay. How are you feeling?"
"Yes, as you can see, I'm fine. I've been recuperating for the past few months."
After saying that, he quickly excused himself, ntioning that he had sothing else to attend to.
The students from the Departnt of Knights bid him farewell with regret.
'The future has changed.'
I couldn't be sure yet, but if it weren't for the Boloric incident, Hazel would have beco the villain that the first playable character would fight against.
If he got involved in the terrorism, the original future would cease to exist.
I cautiously followed behind Hazel as I saw him heading sowhere.
He moved while carefully scanning his surroundings, as if expecting soone to follow him, but he seed inexperienced in noticing my pursuit.
Hazel arrived at a place not far from the small stadium, a shop dedicated to the festival.
However, it was a remote location, and there weren't many people around. The sign read 'Swordsmanship Discussion,' but no one paid it any attention.
'The Zepar fanatics must not have Hazel as the only presence within the academy.'
Could it be the hideout of the fanatics?
Curious, I entered the shop, and one of the students inside greeted warmly.
"Welco. We are a shop that discusses swordsmanship."
Discussing swordsmanship within the grounds of the Departnt of Magic.
They seed reluctant to openly receive guests.
But the bigger issue was that Hazel, who had entered before , was nowhere to be seen.
'Is there another exit within the shop?'
I wanted to explore the interior of the shop, but the person in front of obstructed my way.
Could this person also be a fanatic?
One of the frightening aspects of the Zepar sect was that their fanatics were not easily recognizable.
It was a hidden problem, not visibly apparent even in the ga.
That's why there would be many fanatics that couldn't be exposed in the ga.
After contemplating for a mont, I asked, "A student ca in here just now. Where did he go?"
"What do you an? No one ca in," they replied.
From the subtle reaction of the person in front of , I could confirm that they were lying.
I imdiately released mana around my body and shot it forward.
Perhaps due to the unexpected reaction and speed, they simply stared blankly before their chin collided with the hilt of my sword, causing them to faint.
I hid the unconscious person in a place where they wouldn't be easily seen and searched the surroundings.
That's when I discovered a passageway leading underground from the interior.
'I should handle this quietly on my own.'
I couldn't use dark magic.
During the festival period, they would have placed alert spells all around to prevent any accidents.
Summoning Nickel and Timur would surely alert them to the occurrence of dark magic.
But the individuals to be cautious of within the Zepar sect were only the higher-ups.
There was no need for soone as important as a high-ranking figure to be present. Thus, I could still proceed without resorting to dark magic.
As I descended underground, I noticed a long tunnel that seed to have been magically carved out.
'Does it connect to the small stadium?'
Were they planning to explode and attack from below?
I couldn't know how the actual terrorism would unfold, but at least this seed to be their intention.
As I ventured further inside, I began to sense faint traces of activity.
The tunnel was straight, offering no cover, and eventually, I caught sight of two figures who appeared to be fanatics from a distance.
"Who's there?"
"How did you get in here?"
No use in questioning and answering.
I imdiately surged forward, striking them with my sword.
But they were not to be underestimated and easily blocked my attacks.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Aren't you a magician?"
Perhaps they didn't expect to wield a sword, considering I was wearing robes.
But what could they do? I was indeed a real magician.
"Grease."
Caught off guard by an unexpected spell, the opponent slipped and fell towards .
"You crazy!"
The remaining person witnessed their comrade's death and started to flee further inside.
But I wouldn't let them escape.
I erected an earth shield in front of them, blocking their path, and threw a rock sphere as I charged forward.
The opponent tried to block the rock sphere and surpass the earth shield, but it was too late for them, as I had already caught up.
Thud!
"Argh!"
I sliced their back lengthwise and stomped on their body as they fell to the ground.
"Zepar sect, huh?"
"You, you bastard! Who the hell are you?"
They needed so education.
I imdiately pierced their shoulder with my sword.
"Aggh!"
"Answer my question. Are you from the Zepar sect?"
"Yes! Yes, I am!"
"What's the purpose of this tunnel?"
"I don't know, you son of a bitch!"
Phwoosh.
I killed the screaming opponent and wiped the blood off my sword.
As long as it was certain that they were from the Zepar sect, there was no need to know their exact purpose.
I just had to stop them.
"It might have been loud enough to attract attention, but it's better this way."
It was ti to disrupt the enemies' operation.
.
.
.
.
Vivianne Velocan headed straight towards the Departnt of Magic as soon as the day of the festival dawned.
She had been contemplating whether to go and see Adrias several tis, but she finally decided to gather the courage under the pretext of the festival.
'It's natural to hang out together at a festival
Thinking positively, she wandered the streets alone, searching for Adrias.
If they were fortunate enough to et, it would be fate. If not, there was nothing she could do.
While wandering around, she noticed the small stadium.
One of the most popular events at the festival was undoubtedly the year-end tournant held there.
Moreover, the fact that the small stadium was located in the Departnt of Magic increased the chances of Adrias being there.
She imdiately entered the small stadium and looked around, and finally, she spotted Adrias.
'But... that person...'
The man talking to Adrias looked familiar.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Hazel, who was reported missing after the incident in Boloric.
'So, he's alive.'
Although she had finally found Adrias, she couldn't easily approach him.
She had no idea what expression to make when facing him or what to say.
Just thinking about standing in front of him made her face flush.
While she was pondering alone, Hazel left his spot, and Adrias secretly followed him.
'What are they up to?'
She didn't know what they had been talking about or why Adrias was secretly following Hazel, but she felt that she should also follow them cautiously.
Although they were quite far ahead, and she didn't know what was going on, the two gradually headed towards an isolated area.
Then, she saw Hazel enter a certain shop, and Adrias followed suit after a short wait.
There was a suspicious atmosphere, but Vivianne didn't particularly mind.
Instead, her heart raced, thinking that there might be sothing she could do to help Adrias.
'I need to repay the favor.'
Lost in her own imagination, she suddenly realized that quite so ti had passed and hurriedly entered the shop, feeling startled.
Feeling sothing off in the empty shop, she carefully looked around and discovered a passage leading underground.
"Adrias!"
Feeling that Adrias might be in a dangerous situation in her imagination, she beca anxious.
Could he have been kidnapped? Was he being tortured inside?
Various thoughts raced through Vivianne's mind, and she quickly descended into the underground.
As she descended, she saw a long tunnel, and she followed it without hesitation.
Then, she sensed soone fighting in a space that looked like a small hideout in the distance.
Thud!
"Adrias!"
.
.
.
.
The underground tunnel was deeper than anticipated.
Finally, the tunnel ended, and a hideout ca into view.
In the hideout, not only Hazel but also six fanatics of the Zepar Cult were busy installing sothing on the walls.
They were so focused on their tasks that they didn't even hear the sounds of the fight outside.
I targeted the unsuspecting enemies and imdiately unleashed a Rock Sphere.
Splat! Thud!
"Soone has intruded!"
Only after one of them died and the others hurriedly rushed towards did they realize that sothing was amiss. But I swung my sword without hesitation.
Even the students from the Knight Departnt displayed sharp swordsmanship.
They were undoubtedly more skilled than when it ca to swordplay.
However, I had the advantage of my combat talent.
Slash!
"Argh!"
One of them scread as his wrist was severed, and the other was impaled through the throat, unable to utter a sound before dying.
And then, there was Hazel, who had been a tireso presence, ultimately receiving a stab in the abdon.
"You... who are you..."
As expected, the fanatics were no match for unless they were higher-ranking officials.
As long as it wasn't an officer, I could handle them all...
Swish.
My combat talent sensed vitality and sent a warning.
But before my body could react, the attack from the enemy coming towards was fast and powerful.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
Blood dripped from my mouth.
It felt like my ribs were broken, and my organs were damaged.
Their overwhelming speed and strength left unable to react.
As I lay on the ground, struggling, a man who seed to be one of the higher-ranking officials of the Zepar Cult approached with a smile.
'Pahyat!'
I never expected Pahyat, who was known for his exceptional combat skills among the Zepar Cult's officers, to be here.
This was an unexpected turn of events.
He was undoubtedly a character that only appeared in the later stages of the ga's scenario.
"Oh, how delightful. You're just my type, little rat. I think I'll have so fun with you."
Of all the officers in the Zepar Cult, it had to be Pahyat.
Although he couldn't match the power of Aura Masters, he was stronger than Ivy Claire.
He was a formidable opponent that even my hidden cards, Nickel and Timur, couldn't handle.
As he approached step by step, I prepared to summon the undead to buy myself so ti.
But suddenly, soone appeared before , blocking my path.
"Oh, my. Who are you? Are you also one of those rats that ca with that little bastard?"
"..."
Vivianne?
How did she manage to co all the way here?
She stood in front of Pahyat, not responding and only holding her sword.
I was grateful that she was protecting , but Vivianne couldn't beco Pahyat's opponent.
'For now, I've bought so ti.'
I needed to use this ti to co up with a solution.
'If I detonate the bombs they've set up...'
Surely, many people would die.
Moreover, Vivianne would be in danger as well.
But to survive, I needed to provoke an all-out battle...
"I will protect Adrias."
Lost in thought, Vivianne began to swing her sword at the enemy before I could make a decision.
Showing a much faster speed and superior swordsmanship than I anticipated, Vivianne engaged in an intense battle with Pahyat.
Clang! Swish!
At first glance, it seed like an even match, but Pahyat's smile hinted at sothing ominous.
And as always, my ominous predictions turned out to be correct.
Boom!
"Ugh!"
Vivianne, who had delivered a powerful kick, was thrown far away.
Soon, Pahyat began to approach Vivianne, grabbing her by the hair with his muscular arm.
"I've always disliked pretty girls like you."
Then, he showed signs of trying to kill Vivianne.
I cald my mind and realized that it was ti to make a decision.
'Thanks to Vivian, I've bought ti to organize my thoughts. The best course of action I can take here is...'
It was obvious that Vivianne had followed here.
I couldn't let her die.
"Vivianne."
Looking at her bloodied face, I saw the face of the young Vivianne who had suffered abuse overlapping with hers.
Then, the mories of the month we spent together in the bond ca rushing back.
I couldn't bear the thought of soone, especially Vivianne, dying to protect .
I would rather burn everything...
['Original Sin' responds to the host's call.]
[Do you want to use the special ability 'Sloth'?]
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