Chapter: 482
The day of the midterms at Soul Academy has begun. The morning of the academy starts before the sun has even risen.
Even though some declared they would study all night in their private rooms, all they managed was to sully their friend’s notes with their own drool, lamenting how trashy they were.
The third-years, who were used to staying up all night, were staggering around, looking closer to death than life.
Even among those who were confident in their preparations, many were showing signs of nervousness, trembling hands and all.
“Duchess Partlan. Is something wrong?”
Joy, one of the nervous ones, realized she was trembling only after the question from the young lady of the Rumley family.
“…I guess I’ve gotten too caught up in preparing for this exam that I’ve ended up getting nervous.”
“You’re nervous too, Duchess Partlan?”
“Hmm. Lady Rumley, just because I’m from a ducal family doesn’t mean I’m not human.”
Usually, Joy would feel her heart racing to the point where it filled her whole body whenever faced with something significant.
However, she managed to mask that tension artificially with magic, so no one else knew.
To put it another way, Joy was so frozen that she didn’t even think about hiding her anxiety right now.
If Lucy’s words were true, soon the Followers of the Void would stir something up.
Confusion would soon arrive at this academy. While predicting the future threat alone in a gathering of young ladies, Joy grew frustrated that she couldn’t detail her concerns to the others but also felt a resolve to protect them, tightening her lips.
Now that she thought about it, wouldn’t it be okay to hint at the situation to the other young ladies?
What was the point of subtly hinting at something today when it would soon come to light anyway?
“Still, I’m not nervous to the point where I want the academy to collapse. You don’t need to worry.”
“Oh my, that’s a relief.”
“I actually hope something happens.”
“Me too! I just wish I had one more day to prepare.”
Joy jokingly teased, and naturally, the other young ladies continued the conversation.
A natural dialogue unfolding between noble ladies among the class hierarchy.
Amidst it all, Lady Rumley let out a faint laugh and waved her hand.
“It’s a cruel story, but such a thing couldn’t happen. This is Soul Academy, after all. There might be small incidents, but a big enough one to delay midterms? Do you think the professors would sit back and let that happen?”
To attack all of Soul Academy would be a somewhat absurd tale.
The faculty members here are all people who have been recognized while active.
Even if they’ve been out of the line for a while, where would there be a colossal force capable of toppling an academy stacked with those monstrous professors?
Even if such a force existed, they wouldn’t be able to dig into a place right in the middle of the kingdom.
Would the kingdom just sit back and watch such a force move?
“Moreover, now that the First Queen and Second Queen’s attention is focused here, any lunatic force daring to lay a finger on this place would likely be wiped out quickly, right?”
“Lady Rumley, you’re being too serious.”
“Indeed. You seem to be taking after the commoner guy you’ve been hanging out with recently.”
“…I guess I’ve gotten too serious from lack of sleep.”
While the noble ladies from the Earl family swirled around in a power struggle, Joy reflected on Lady Rumley’s earlier words. Her words were correct.
It was no easy feat to attack the academy.
There might be a short incident like last time, but a cataclysm big enough to halt the academy’s schedule completely was practically impossible.
…But Lucy definitely said that something big would happen at the academy. That they had to prepare for it.
What on earth is about to happen?
What kind of considerable event occurs that makes Lucy issue a warning?
What are the Followers of the Void preparing?
*
Luca sensed Karl’s presence watching him from outside the door.
How does a knight manage to be such a good spy? If not for the magic Luca set up with the Evil God’s authority, he would have missed Karl entirely.
Well, it wouldn’t have changed much anyway. Until everything is ready, Luca has no intention of moving from his office.
‘Everyone. Are you ready?’
The stroke of luck that approached Luca was the power struggle between the First Queen and the Second Queen that occurred just before this year began.
Their relentless fight to place their forces in as professors at the academy created the perfect environment for outsiders to enter.
Additionally, one more thing that was good was that many of the existing academy professors had left.
Those who had served long at Soul Academy were all monstrous beings.
After all, how could all sorts of nobility and even royalty survive in this academy?
However, those monstrous professors had stepped back entirely to protest during the last power struggle between the queens.
The Headmaster had worked tirelessly to fill those spots, but it was clear that the current staff was lacking in many ways compared to before.
Having served long at the academy, Luca sought to mediate the chaos arising between the old professors and the new, sowing the seeds of confusion amongst them.
Thanks to that, there are now quite a few among the current professors who have been replaced with Followers of the Evil God, and in serious cases, even graduate students below them have been swapped out.
Luca, who created such a favorable situation, still found it impossible to overturn the academy.
Even if some monsters left, there were still many remaining, and even among the academy’s students, some threatening individuals existed.
If too much time drags on, the various monsters of the kingdom and the hunting dogs from Jushin Church will personally lead their forces and come to punish the Followers of the Void.
Luca, who was very aware of this situation, decided to take another route instead of confronting it head-on.
Blending the knowledge he gained from his long tenure at the academy with the powers held by the Apostle of the Void allowed him to concoct a scheme.
‘Let’s get things rolling.’
*
Waking up early in the morning, I quietly watched Erin as she played with her hair.
It seems that encountering the Perverted Apostle was a great boon for Erin, as she was rapidly growing in skill each passing day.
If it only concerned sprucing me up, she could rival the Perverted Apostle at this pace. Looking at my completed hairstyle with satisfaction, I nodded and rose from my seat.
“Sloppy Erin.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
“Stay holed up in this room today.”
“…Huh?”
I gestured to the Sloppy Fox beside me, and it jumped onto Erin’s shoulder, entrancing her with its trickery.
Erin tried to resist the Sloppy Fox’s power, but staggered and ultimately fell flat on the bed.
“Seems the goddess really cherishes this child. That was a struggle.”
“Isn’t your power sloppy?”
“Ha! Even if I’m a mess, a girl is still a girl. If it weren’t for the goddess’s power, would I struggle to put this child to sleep?”
I watched the Sloppy Fox smirk and told her to take care of Erin before stepping outside.
[I can feel the Evil God’s energy seeping into the academy. They’re starting their activities.]
‘Hmph. So, it seems they had already infiltrated among the professors.’
I had inferred as much since Luca got involved, but it seemed the number was greater than I assumed. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be making such bold moves.
[What are they planning, I wonder? They can’t possibly collapse this place with the powers of the Followers of the Void.]
‘That’s something I’m curious about too.’
Quest-related issues involving the Followers of the Void had predominantly involved the protagonist crushing their shady actions.
It was rare for them to move like this.
I wonder how they’ll approach it. Ideally, whatever it is should be something fun and fresh.
…Then again, thinking back to what happened in the forest last time, I feel like I could just be let down.
The moment I stepped into the academy square, armed and ready, a sinister aura seeped from the highest point of the main building of Soul Academy.
That place was surely… where the academy’s barrier is located.
The barrier, which had originally been transparent, had turned a dark black, thicker than night. A darkness that seemed to swallow all light in existence.
“…What?”
“What the?! What is this!?”
“Ahhh!”
“Is this a sudden exam?!”
“First, let’s light something up.”
Despite the sudden darkness, a commotion erupted around, but soon the surrounding noise quieted down.
<…The Evil God of Darkness?>
Hearing my grandfather panicking at a scene he had seen before, I firmly shook my head.
‘No, this is different.’
This is a different kind of power than what the Evil God of Darkness had shown. Unlike before, which swallowed all human senses, this blackness still left all five senses intact.
[Then this is…]
‘Well, it’s exactly that: getting betrayed after having expectations.’
<…Huh?>
‘Seriously, they have no creativity whatsoever.’
Not long after I muttered that, a landscape began to form within the darkness.
A barren land where no life could be found. Unwholesome beings lurking above it.
The sun had turned black.
‘According to someone, the Void is deficiency.’
Those were the words spoken by the Void Evil God himself in the game.
‘A place devoid of all grace that lurks over the world. That is the space of the Void.’
[Wait. So this place right now is…]
‘Yes. I’d say that’s about right.’
Right now, I, we, everyone at the academy has been invited to the space of the Void.
‘Not very interesting, is it?’
To be precise, it’s more like a facade of being invited.
[Is this really the time for such talk?!]
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