Chapter: 482
The day of the midterm exams at the Soul Academy had begun. The morning of the academy started before the sun had even risen.
Although someone claimed they would study all night in their personal room, all they could manage was sullying their friend’s notes with their saliva, lamenting about being a trash of a person.
The third-year students, who were used to pulling all-nighters, looked more like the walking dead than the living, dragging themselves around.
Even among those who felt they had prepared well, there were many who were visibly trembling with nervousness.
“Lady Partran, is something wrong?”
Among those nervous people, Joy only realized she was shaking her hands after Lady Rumley asked the question.
“…It seems I’ve become so absorbed in preparing for this exam that I’ve ended up on edge.”
“Even you get nervous sometimes, Lady Partran?”
“Fufu. Lady Rumley, just because someone is from a noble family doesn’t mean they are immune to being human.”
Joy, who typically filled with anxiety so great it could fill her body to bursting before something important, was oddly unaware because she artificially masked that tension with magic.
In other words, Joy was so stiff with nerves that she couldn’t even think to hide them now.
If Lucy’s words are true, it won’t be long before the followers of the Void start doing something.
There will be chaos within this academy. Joy, who was anticipating future threats while seated among the young ladies, forced a smile despite her frustration at not being able to share her concerns with the others, while also trying to protect them.
Thinking it over, shouldn’t she at least hint to the other young ladies?
If something is going to happen today, what’s the harm in casually mentioning it? Everyone will find out soon enough anyway.
“Still, I’m not so nervous that I wish the academy would collapse. You don’t need to worry.”
“Oh my. That’s a relief.”
“I actually hope something does happen.”
“Me too. I just wish I had another day to prepare.”
As Joy jested, the other young ladies naturally picked up the conversation.
A scene of natural banter was created among the noble ladies’ class society.
Within that context, Lady Rumley waved her hand with a light chuckle.
“It’s a cruel story, but such things can’t happen. This is Soul Academy. Sure, there might be minor accidents, but a big event that would postpone midterms? Would the professors just let that slide?”
An outright assault on the Soul Academy sounded a bit far-fetched.
The professors stationed here were all people who had been recognized in their respective fields before coming to this place.
Even if some retired, it was hard to imagine a massive force capable of toppling the academy that housed those monster professors.
Even if such a force existed, there was no way they could infiltrate this place in the middle of the kingdom.
The kingdom would never just sit back and watch such forces at work.
“Especially now, with the First Queen and the Second Queen focusing their attention here. Any crazed faction that dares touch this place would be immediately wiped out, don’t you think?”
“Lady Rumley, you’re being too serious.”
“Yeah. You’re starting to resemble that commoner guy you’ve been hanging around lately.”
“…I guess I’ve gotten too serious due to a lack of sleep.”
As the count’s young ladies around them engaged in their little power struggle, Joy reflected on what Lady Rumley had just said. Her words were indeed correct.
A strike against the academy was anything but easy.
While a minor incident like last time might happen, a catastrophe severe enough to halt the academy’s schedule was, realistically, a heavy burden.
…But Lucy had definitely said something big was going to happen to the academy. We must be prepared.
What in the world is about to unfold?
What kind of event is big enough for Lucy to warn us about?
What on earth are the followers of the Void preparing?
*
Luca sensed the presence of Karl, who was keeping an eye on him, just outside the door.
How is it that this knight can stealth around so well? Had it not been for the magic set up with the Evil God’s blessing, Luca would have missed Karl’s presence entirely.
Well, in the end, it didn’t matter much. Luca had no intention of moving until everything was ready.
“Everyone, are you ready?”
What had unexpectedly benefited Luca was the power struggle between the First Queen and the Second Queen that occurred just before this year began.
Their fierce battle, where they’d stop at nothing to get their forces inserted into the academy’s faculty, had created the perfect conditions for outsiders to slip in.
Moreover, it was an additional advantage that many of the existing professors had stepped back.
Those who’d been serving long terms at Soul Academy were nothing short of monsters themselves.
Without strong capabilities, how could all sorts of nobles and even royals survive in this academy?
However, those monstrous professors had taken a step back venting their displeasure toward the recent power struggles among the queens.
The headmaster worked tirelessly to fill the gaps, but it was clear that things were less than ideal compared to before.
Having worked at the academy for an extended period, Luca played the role of mediating the chaos between old and new professors while stealthily sowing seeds of discord.
Thanks to that, there were now many among the professors who had been replaced by followers of the Evil God, and some places even saw graduate students replaced too.
Despite the good situation Luca had created, overthrowing the academy was impossible.
Even if some monsters had left, there were still plenty remaining.
There were also several threatening individuals among the academy’s students.
If too much time dragged on, the various monstrosities of the kingdom alongside the hunting dogs of the Holy Church would march in to lead their forces and punish the followers of the Void.
Luca was well aware of these matters and decided to take a different direction instead of confronting things head-on.
With his knowledge from long service at the academy combined with the powers of the Apostle of the Void, he was able to enact his schemes.
“It’s about time we start.”
*
Awakening early in the morning, I quietly watched Erin as she worked on my hair.
It seemed that the encounter with the perverted Apostle had aided Erin greatly, as she was growing at a rapid pace each day.
If one limited it to just my appearance, she had become comparable to a perverted Apostle. I nodded approvingly at my hair as I got up from my seat.
“Clumsy Erin.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
“Stay locked in this room today.”
“…Pardon?”
I motioned to the clumsy fox beside me, and it hopped onto Erin’s shoulder, using its trick to enchant her.
Erin tried to resist the fox’s powers but ended up falling onto the bed, wobbling.
“Looks like the goddess cares for this child. You’ve had quite the struggle.”
“Is your power really that lame?”
“Heh. No matter how clumsy, a potential is a potential. Without the goddess’s power, do you think I’d have a hard time putting this little kid to sleep?”
As I watched the clumsy fox scoff, I told her to take care of Erin and stepped out of the room.
[Ah, I can feel the presence of the Evil God inside the academy. They’ve begun their activities.]
“Hmm. It seems they were already infiltrating among the professors.”
I had an inkling of that ever since Luca got involved, but it seems there are more of them than I expected. They wouldn’t act boldly unless they had a significant number already.
[What do you think their plan is? They can’t possibly topple this place using the powers of the Void, right?]
‘That’s something I’m quite curious about, too.’
Most of the quests related to the followers of the Void in the academy typically involved the protagonist smashing their shady activities.
It was rare for them to move in this manner.
I wonder how they’ll come about it. It’d be nice if they presented something fun and fresh.
…Hmm. Reflecting back on the incident in the forest, I feel like expecting too much will only end in disappointment.
The moment I stepped into the academy’s plaza, fully geared up, an unsettling aura began to spill from the highest point of the Soul Academy’s main building.
That place is undoubtedly… the spot where the academy’s barrier lies.
The barrier that used to be transparent now darkened to a deeper shade than night. It looked as if it absorbed all the light in existence.
“…What?”
“What’s happening?! What is this?!”
“AAAH!”
“Is this some kind of surprise exam?!”
“Let’s start by making a fire!”
As the sudden darkness fell, various sounds of chaos erupted around, but soon after, the sounds quieted down.
[…The Evil God of Darkness?]
Grandpa was flustered, and his voice shook, but I shook my head firmly.
‘No, it’s different.’
This darkness is of a different type than what the Evil God of Darkness had shown before. Unlike the one that had devoured all human senses, this blackness still left the five senses intact.
[Then this is…]
‘Yeah. It’s just like that. Expecting betrayal after being excited.’
[…huh?]
‘These unimaginative bastards.’
As I grumbled, scenery began to form in the darkness after a while.
A barren land with no sign of life. Various ominous creatures lurking above it.
The sun had turned black.
‘According to someone, void is deprivation.’
That was something said by the actual Evil God of the Void who appeared in the game.
‘It’s a place lacking every grace that dwells in the world. That is the realm of the Void.’
[Wait. So right now, this place is…]
‘Yeah. That’s probably it.’
Right now, I; we; everyone at the academy has been invited to the realm of the Void.
‘Doesn’t it sound boring?’
In truth, it’s more like a staged invitation.
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