Chapter: 483
Suddenly, darkness engulfed the area, followed closely by an unsettling scene. Clutching a teacup, Joy blinked and surveyed the strange space she had fallen into.
Just moments ago, she had been laughing and chatting with others, but now, their figures had vanished, leaving only an eerily cold air in their absence.
Startled by the icy chill, Joy instinctively tried to warm herself with magic.
“…Huh?”
Then, it hit her. The space she was in was anything but normal. The density of magical power in the air was unnaturally low.
No, it wasn’t just the magic. Everything was lacking—life essence, warmth, and so many other things.
Many things that were taken for granted in the regular world were absent in this space.
In a place where even breathing was becoming increasingly difficult, Joy recalled the fairy tale her mother used to tell her.
A vivid description of hell, where one who had committed evil deeds was doomed to fall.
This can’t be right. Why the heck is hell suddenly unfolding here?
What’s the issue?
…The Evil God of Void.
A place where the Void dwells is a realm devoid of anything.
No sun, no warm breeze, no vitality from the earth, no blessings from the sky. In ancient times, people called these locations hell, where all positive aspects of the world faded away.
The followers of the Evil God had unleashed hell upon the academy.
Looking around, it seemed the others had vanished as well. Had they all fell into different places?
If that’s the case, the first priority should be to join up with the other students.
Her instincts screamed a warning.
Since her training with the Alrn family, Joy had developed a sixth sense that was now alerting her to danger.
Without doubting her instincts, Joy immediately cast a defensive spell.
Crack! Startled by a sinister sound piercing through her barrier, she quickly turned her head and confirmed an arrowhead was lodged in her magic shield, causing cold sweat to bead on her forehead.
In the distance, she spotted a figure holding a bow.
It looked human, yet somewhat demonic, almost angelic in a twisted sense, and there were hints of beast-like features. It felt like a monster, or perhaps something insignificant that didn’t even warrant her concern.
“Demon.”
A guardian of the void, roaming the desolate land to ensure nothing remained.
…It was hard to gauge its strength just by guessing its appearance.
Should she test the waters first?
Joy conjured five magical circles on the spot and unleashed spells from three of them.
One was a blade of wind.
Invisible and as fast as an arrow, this magic aimed to shatter her opponent’s defenses.
The second was a fire arrow.
Slower than the wind but packing a solid punch, this spell was meant to strike her target.
Lastly, to bind her opponent distracted by the first two spells, she summoned an ice prison.
If this spell could freeze the ground, it would restrict their movement, allowing her initial spells to land with precision.
Joy’s plan hit the mark. The demon, distracted by the first two spells, found its feet frozen by her hidden ice prison, forcing it to take the impact of the other two spells head-on.
Boom! Observing the massive explosion that followed the wind blade and fire arrow, Joy didn’t let her guard down and quickly prepared another spell.
If that’s really a demon straight from a fairy tale, it wouldn’t go down so easily.
So, she had to get ready for her next move.
The low density of magical power was a pain.
For now, she’d avoid high-tier spells and try to stitch together several low-tier ones to manage the situation.
“…Huh?”
As the smoke cleared, a surprised voice escaped Joy’s lips.
The demon that had been standing just moments ago was now a patchwork of pieces rolling across the ground.
The sight of the demon shattered and scattered like that was so horrific that even Phoebe shook her head in disbelief.
What… is that?
If that’s truly the demon I know, it wouldn’t have been taken down so easily!
She was barely thinking about throwing an additional ten spells at it, and now this is how it ends?!
As she pondered whether she had grown stronger or if the demon was weaker than expected, Joy froze in place upon hearing footsteps approaching from afar.
The sound was singular yet unmistakably not alone. The earth trembled beneath the weight of a collective force.
A singularity that was many.
They moved in perfect unison, driven only by their resolve to erase all impurities in this world.
The demon’s corpse was a backdrop for their emergence.
Upon seeing their numbers, Joy stood there, momentarily dazed, before quietly turning away.
Cheat! That’s cheating! There’s way too many of them coming after just me!
Desperately moving her legs, Joy readied several spells in a frantic bid to shake off those pursuing her.
She spread ice across the ground to hinder their movements, twisted the earth’s shape to make running difficult, and intensified the resistance of the air to sap their strength.
…Huh? Suddenly stopping, Joy turned around again.
Her gaze landed just in front of the demon legion.
What’s going on? Given the conditions here, casting spells like that should be impossible.
Sure, I’ve improved since learning from the great mage, but there’s a limit to what I can do.
Something feels off. She sighed deeply, watching the legion rushing towards her, and unleashed the magic she had created.
To counter the hallucination conjured by the forces of the Void, she crafted a miracle—the magic that gives existence to nothingness.
As a result, the scenery around her faded, and Joy’s consciousness soared upward.
“…A dream?”
In her blinking eyes, the darkened academy’s barrier flickered.
*
[So, according to your words, the academy students have all fallen into hell now, right?]
‘More like somewhere mimicking hell, you know.’
[What difference does that make?! The fact remains that many are in danger!]
‘If that were the case, would I be standing here so relaxed?’
I’m sensitive to the deaths of others.
Especially when it’s the innocent that die, and I could have prevented it but didn’t.
Not long ago, I nearly lost my lunch from the stench of blood when those followers of the Void occupied the forest.
But if my actions led to the death of others?
Especially when it’s people I see regularly?
Just the thought is horrific. I can’t imagine keeping it together if that ever happened.
[So you’re saying others aren’t in danger?]
‘I told you! This is just a place that resembles hell!’
[Speak clearly.]
‘It’s simple, Grandpa. Do you think the Evil God of the Void has the power to manifest hell after failing to do so the last time in the forest?’
[…I guess you’re right.]
‘Even if they don’t have that power, wouldn’t someone like me, or you, or even Phoebe, feel some premonition if there were such a grand plan brewing?’
If there had been even a hint of possibility, I wouldn’t be lounging around carelessly like this.
I’d be rushing to find Benedict, sniffling, saying, “Papa, help me.”
Then daughter-loving Benedict would have shown up at the academy, ready to smash everything to pieces.
[So what is this?]
‘Isn’t this what the followers of the Void excel at?’
In a place where nothing becomes anything, what’s the one thing they excel at?
The answer is simple.
Dreams.
It’s a space where anything imagined can become reality, and where distinguishing reality from illusion becomes almost impossible.
‘If something goes wrong in dreams, you just wake up from a long sleep.’
Originally, this would be quite a problem, but in my case, there’s no reason to worry.
There’s the clumsy fox, Phoebe, and plenty of other means to seek help. So what’s a little sleep to me?
Hearing my explanation, Grandpa sighed deeply.
[You really do have a strange clarity in certain areas.]
‘Of course! My head is brilliant! I just don’t apply it to studying; otherwise, I’d do very well!’
[Should I bring up the story of when you were studying with your friend a few days ago?]
‘Why are you trying to kill my vibe?!’
Do I really need to recount the tale of me making a mad movie with my ridiculous antics right now?!
Stop calling me a genius, you old coot!
[Regardless, if you know it’s a dream, why are you just hanging around instead of finding a way out? ]
‘Well, it’s better for someone else to stir up the trouble first, you know.’
[…Huh?]
*
“Ugh, what on earth?”
Yuden squinted at the darkened barrier of the academy.
“The followers of the Void seem to have finally made their move.”
Karia’s voice beside him only deepened Yuden’s frown.
After Arthur and Frey left, Yuden had spent the night contemplating how to teach them, not for Lucy’s satisfaction but for her own.
Just as she was lost in thoughts of the promising talents, Karia interrupted her.
Without asking for permission, she barged in and pulled Yuden outside.
And the first thing they met was the sight of the pitch-black barrier.
“Did you know this was going to happen?”
Doubting Karia’s nonchalant expression, Yuden cast a questioning glance, which elicited a mischievous smile from Karia.
“Is that why I came to see you?”
“…So why did you let this happen?”
“I can’t say for sure. My employer instructed me to do just that.”
“Should I force the truth out of you?”
“Honestly, I don’t know! I’m just doing what I was told!”
Hearing Karia’s shouting, Yuden fiddled with the hilt of his sword before speaking.
“In that case, you should help me confront Lady Alrn later.”
“No way! If I mess with the boss, I’ll suffer!”
She threatened with a glare but remained playful, likely knowing I wouldn’t attack her.
Damn, what a real pain in the ass.
In the hopes of making her heed my words, Yuden clicked his tongue and redirected his gaze back to the barrier.
“Can I cut through it?”
“You can make a hole, but destroying it could be problematic.”
“A hole, huh.”
Standing before the barrier, Yuden casually swung his sword, and part of the blackened barrier crumbled, revealing a scene inside.
“I’ll go ahead. Please call for reinforcements.”
“If you get there first, won’t you just destroy everything before support arrives?”
“I can’t say for sure. Dealing with followers of the Evil God is always full of variables.”
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