Chapter: 483
Sudden darkness. And right after that, an ominous scene followed. Joy, holding a teacup, blinked and looked around the unfamiliar space she had fallen into.
The people who were just laughing and chatting with Joy had disappeared, leaving behind an unsettlingly cold air.
Startled by the chilling breeze, Joy instinctively tried to warm her body with magic.
“…Huh?”
Then she realized. The space she had fallen into was not a normal place. The density of magic in the air was abnormally low.
No. It wasn’t just the magic. Everything was scarce. Vitality. Temperature. Many other things too.
Many things that had been taken for granted in her original world were absent in this space.
Even breathing felt increasingly burdensome in this environment, so Joy recalled a fairy tale her mother had told her when she was young.
The vivid description of hell by someone who fell into it after repeatedly committing wrongdoings.
This is insane. Why is hell suddenly unfolding here?
What’s the problem?
…The Void Evil God.
A place where emptiness lurks is a place that holds nothing.
Not even the sun. Not even the warm breeze. Not even the vitality of the land. Not even the blessings of heaven. The ancients called a place where all positive things that maintain the world had vanished hell.
The Void Evil God and the Followers of the Void have unleashed hell on the Academy.
Looking around, the others had disappeared, so did they all fall into different places?
Then, for now, she must prioritize joining up with the other students.
An instinct ringing alarm bells.
The sixth sense that had naturally developed since her training at the Allen Family just a while ago alerted Joy to the danger.
Without doubting her senses, Joy immediately cast a defensive magic.
Kaboom! Startled by the ominous sound piercing through her barrier, Joy quickly turned her head to check the arrowhead lodged in her magic. Cold sweat broke out.
In the distance, she could see a figure holding a bow.
It looked human yet demonic, and in some ways resembled an angel, but also had beast-like features, almost like a monster, whom she felt was just a trivial existence unworthy of attention.
“Demon.”
The one guarding the space of emptiness. A being moving around to leave nothing on the desolate terrain.
…It’s hard to even guess what it looks like, so who knows how strong it is?
Should she explore for now?
Joy created five magic circles on the spot and cast spells from three of them.
One was a blade of wind.
Invisible and as fast as an arrow, this magic would break through her opponent’s defenses.
Another was a fire arrow.
Slower than the wind but reliable in power, this magic would deal damage to her opponent.
Lastly, an ice prison to bind the foe distracted by the previous two spells.
If this spell freezes their feet to restrict their movements, the earlier spells should hit properly.
Joy’s plan worked flawlessly. The demon, drawn in by the previous two spells, was caught in the ice prison Joy had hidden, forced to take the full brunt of the last two spells.
Kaboom! As the fire arrow exploded after the wind blade, Joy did not let her guard down and began forming another spell.
If that is truly the demon from the fairy tale, it won’t go down so easily.
So she needed to prepare for the next.
The scarcity of magic power in the air was annoying.
For now, she wouldn’t touch high-level magic but would intertwine multiple low-level spells to address the situation.
“…Huh?”
The moment the smoke cleared, a bewildered voice escaped from Joy’s mouth.
The demon, which had been standing fine just moments ago, was now rolling around on the ground in pieces.
The sight of the demon shattered into fragments from the explosion was horrifying enough for even Phoebe to shake her head.
What… is that?
If that really was the demon I know, it can’t go down so easily!
I was planning to cast at least ten more spells, but it ends like this?!
As Joy pondered whether she had gotten stronger or if the demon was weaker than legends said, she flinched at the sound of footsteps echoing from afar.
The sound was one, but it wasn’t just one. The sound shaking the earth couldn’t belong to just one.
A legion that is both singular and plural.
Those moving in perfect unison.
Beings that act solely on the duty of erasing impurities from this world.
Emerging behind the demon’s corpse.
Seeing their numbers, Joy stood frozen for a moment before slowly turning around.
Cheats! This is unfair! There are way too many for a bunch of guys just coming to get me!
Desperately, Joy started moving her legs while preparing various magic to shake off those who were tracking her.
Spreading ice on the ground to make movement difficult. Twisting the terrain to make running a struggle.
Increasing air resistance to require more force to move.
…Huh? Stopping abruptly, Joy turned her head back again.
Her gaze landed right in front of the demon legion.
Something feels off. Considering the environment here, it makes no sense that I can cast spells like it’s second nature.
It’s true that my skills have greatly improved since getting taught by the Great Wizard, but there’s a limit to that too.
Something’s wrong. Taking a deep breath while watching the legion charging at her, Joy invoked the miracle she created to deal with the hallucination generated by the Power of Void. A magic that grants existence to something that is nothing.
Then the surrounding scenery disappeared, and Joy’s consciousness soared upwards.
“…A dream?”
Within Joy’s blinking eyes, the blackened barrier of the Academy reflected back at her.
*
[By the sounds of what you're saying, aren't all the students of the Academy falling into hell now?!]
‘More accurately, it’s somewhere that mimics hell.’
[What difference does that make! The fact remains, many are in danger!]
‘Would I be like this if that were the case?’
I’m sensitive to the deaths of others.
Especially if it’s the death of an innocent someone. If I could have stopped it but didn’t, then even more so.
Just the other day, when I caught the smell of blood in the forest occupied by the Followers of the Void, I nearly felt my stomach churn.
But for me to cause the deaths of others?
Especially those I see regularly?
Just imagining it is terrifying. If something like that happened, I’d definitely lose my mind.
[So others aren’t in danger?]
‘I told you, it’s just a place mimicking hell.’
[Be clear.]
‘It’s a simple story. Grandpa. Do you really think the Void Evil God, who just failed massively the last time in the forest, has the power to manifest hell?’
<…Probably not.>
‘Even if that’s not the case, if such a grand plan had been in motion, wouldn’t you, Grandpa, and Phoebe have felt something?’
If there was even a chance of that, I wouldn’t be so relaxed right now.
I’d go find Benedict and tearfully beg, ‘Papa, help me!’
Then the doting Father Benedict would descend on the Academy and smash everything to bits.
[Then what is this?]
‘What do the Followers of the Void excel at?’
What can these beings, who can be anything because they are nothing, do best?
The answer is simple.
Dreams.
A space where anything imagined can become reality and where distinguishing between what’s real and what’s not is incredibly difficult.
‘If something goes wrong in a dream, you just end up in a long, deep sleep.’
Originally, this would be a pretty big deal, but in my case, there’s no reason to worry.
After all, there’s a Sloppy Fox around. And Phoebe. Plus, there are various ways to seek help, so what does a mere sleep matter?
Hearing my explanation, Grandpa released a long sigh.
[You really are unusually sharp in this area.]
‘Of course. I have a completely brilliant head. I just don’t study, but I would do well if I did!’
[Shall I mention the time you studied with your friend a few days ago?]
‘Why are you trying to kill my vibe?!’
Am I going to recount the story of how I madly filmed in a dumb manner in this situation?!
Don’t mock your genius granddaughter! Damn it, Grandpa!
[But anyway, if you know it’s a dream, why are you just standing around?]
‘It’s better if someone else causes the trouble in the beginning, right?’
<...Hmm?>
*
“What the heck is this?”
Yuden frowned while looking at the blackened barrier of the Academy.
“The Followers of the Void finally seem to have made a move.”
At Karida’s voice from beside her, Yuden’s expression furrowed even more.
After Arthur and Frey returned, Yuden had spent the night pondering how to teach the two of them—not to satisfy Lucy, but to satisfy herself.
Her happy thoughts about the decent talents were cut off by Karida.
Without asking for permission, she burst in and called Yuden outside.
And the scenery she saw as soon as she stepped outside was the darkened barrier.
“Did you know something was going to happen?”
Feeling her doubts turn into certainty at Karida’s calm face, Yuden spoke.
“That’s the reason I came to see you.”
“…But why did you let things unfold like this?”
“I don’t really know. The Employer told me to do it.”
“Should I force you to talk?”
“I really don’t know! I’m just a person who does what I’m told!”
Hearing Karida’s outburst, Yuden gripped the grip of her sword and spoke.
“In that case, please help me interrogate Lady Allen later.”
“Not gonna happen. If I touch the Employer, I’ll be the one to get hurt.”
Even showing killing intent and threatening her, she still smiled.
She must know I wouldn’t attack her.
Damn it, she really is a piece of work.
Clicking her tongue in frustration, Yuden turned her gaze back to the barrier.
“Can’t we cut through the barrier?”
“I can make a hole, but destroying it is a no-go.”
“A hole, huh.”
Standing in front of the barrier, Yuden lightly swung her sword, and a part of the darkened barrier crumbled, revealing the scenery inside.
“I’ll go in first. Call for backup.”
“Before the support arrives, you’ll probably smash everything, right?”
“No idea. Dealing with the Followers of the Evil God is always full of variables.”
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