Chapter 195
Vargan, who put Erika to sleep.
Suddenly appearing, he was able to stop Erika’s mana surge, but the surroundings felt like they were about to freeze over with a chill and ice chunks rising up.
Even though he managed to stop it halfway, the explosive power was unprecedented, proportional to the total amount of mana Erika had gained through comprehension.
…So, would he be alright after taking it head-on?
Diphelia, who unexpectedly received help from Vargan, could finally focus on him as the noise of her racing heart began to calm down.
“A-are you alright? Vargan…?!”
Ice, like the flower of cold, bloomed all over Vargan’s nearly full body, which had been hugging Erika.
With every breath he exhaled, a foggy mist emerged, and even his black eyebrows and hair turned white.
“J-just wait a moment…! I’ll heal you right away…!”
Startled, Diphelia hurried to his side and began casting healing magic.
Up close, the damage looked worse. His body, hit by extreme cold, was far from intact.
If it looked this bad on the outside, how could the inside be fine? No matter how you looked at it, he must have severe frostbite.
“It’s fine. This much can be easily healed with a familiar,” Vargan said as he pushed away Diphelia’s healing attempt with his hand. Diphelia, unable to overlook this, showed strong will and insisted.
“No, Vargan. This isn’t the time to worry about your pride! We need to take care of this urgently!”
Erika’s mana, compressed to its maximum, burst forth and instantly unleashed its ice attributes.
With this kind of power, even a regular bishop could be easily defeated, yet he was still talking nonsense…!
Diphelia cast healing magic as fast as she could, but Vargan outright refused it.
Rising from the spot, he put on a familiar through his dark magic.
As he did, the white frost that had spread all over him gradually dissipated and vanished.
The marks of frostbite seemed to heal and melt away.
“Didn’t I say so, Saint?”
Vargan spat the words out with no emotion.
Normally, he would have had a ridiculous expression on his face, but for some reason, he was endlessly serious when it came to matters related to Erika.
Or… maybe he was trying to show a stronger side on purpose?
“…”
As soon as she confirmed that Vargan was fine, Bantlo also notified Erika’s safety.
“The mana circuit has normalized. The intensity and flow… thankfully, there’s no problem. There are no injuries, either.”
Bantlo finally felt relief. Vargan looked down at him and then shifted his gaze back to the Saint.
He mentioned a matter for the near future.
“Do not disclose what just happened to anyone.”
“Excuse me?”
“I mean Erika’s mana surge. If we let it slip, all sorts of gossip will spread.”
“But… considering Erika…”
“It’s because I’m considering Erika that I’m saying this.”
Currently, Erika showed extreme anxiety whenever she was separated from Vargan.
One could argue that this was the only reason she was barely enrolled in the Academia.
It can be said that Demia is barely enrolled.
However, if she reports what just happened, she will be treated like some kind of explosive.
A dangerous substance that’s bound to blow up at any moment, with anxiety brewing.
She might not even be able to attend Academia. No… there’s a high chance of that happening.
What is the path for Erica?
And what is the path for Academia?
“…I understand.”
The Saint nodded after some contemplation.
Sending Erica back like this felt like giving up.
Diphelia decided to selfishly hold off on her choice.
“…….”
“Don’t worry. I will ensure Erica poses no threat to Academia.”
“I wish that, but it won’t be easy….”
“I will always be there with her.”
Vargan murmured calmly.
To prevent his fiancée Erica from exiting the stage like this.
“I will keep a closer eye on her, so she doesn’t feel anxious like today. …That’s the responsibility I must bear as her fiancé.”
“…It’s not your fault; it’s because of me that this happened.”
“No, my misjudgment led to this result.”
Vargan considered the recent incident to be his blunder.
He acted rashly without accurately understanding Erica’s condition, which led to this situation.
However, he vowed that such incidents would not happen again.
“…Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Diphelia chose to trust Vargan.
Since what she could do for Erica was limited, she decided to accept Vargan’s help with feelings of gratitude and apology.
“…….”
Bantlo lowered his head in silence. He had no choice but to leave it to the only person Erica relied on.
Seeing this, Vargan turned his gaze around the room and soon drew out his mana.
Transparent mana enveloped the room, covering the ice shards. The previously frozen objects gradually returned to their original forms.
The traces of mana overflow vanished as if they had never existed.
* * *
……Erica’s situation flowed quietly without any commotion.
Neither Vargan, nor Diphelia, nor Bantlo mentioned a word about the incident.
At the same time, time passed.
The endless train of assignments was nearing its end, and the students of Academia were preparing for the upcoming final exams at their own pace.
A tournament exam conducted in collaboration with Rikeion.
Not all students could compete in matches within just 2 days, so preliminary rounds had to be held within Academia and Rikeion to reduce the number of participants.
There were 2 weeks left until the final exam.
On a day with just a little over a week remaining until the preliminaries.
Ocell Lampit Borg, a member of the Formist within Academia, was returning to the dormitory, exhaling angrily.
‘That damn little thief…!’
Since Vargan gained control over the Formist, he transferred part of his authority to Frieda.
Coming from the slums, it was hard to tell where she even crawled from. Seeing her mess around with the Formist just because she had power furrowed Borg’s brows.
Recently, Frieda had been secretly scheming something using the Formist.
Of course, it was undoubtedly Vargan’s directive. That empty-headed girl wouldn’t come up with a proper plan on her own.
‘Do you think I’ll just play along?’
Borg ignored the note he received secretly.
Not even bothering to read it, he tore it up and burned it.
According to the regulations of the Goddess Church, if he found out what the directives were, he would have no choice but to obey, so ignoring it without reading was the only resistance he could muster.
There might be issues later, but is that really important now?
The authority of the nobles was rolling in the mud!
Bang—!
Upon arriving at the dormitory, Borg slammed the door shut.
“Just a little longer… just a bit more…!”
Borg grind his teeth.
The curse cast by Vargan, at first he thought it was just an illusion, but that damn magic was definitely weakening gradually.
Moreover, it seemed Vargan hadn’t noticed. The day he regains his freedom isn’t far off.
“If I can regain control of my body, I won’t let this slide.”
Recently, Borg’s hobby was contemplating just how horrifically he could take revenge on Vargan.
Tearing limbs apart and tossing them to wild beasts was too mild.
Peeling off skin layer by layer while roasting it wasn’t enough either.
“I’m going to kill… kill him… I will…. Heh heh… ugh, ugh…!”
Every time he dreamed of revenge, pain would hit him, yet he smiled mischievously.
He deliberately thought of more severe tortures to trigger the curse’s effect.
The more intense the pain, the closer the end of the curse was. The rapidly fading power was proof of that…!
While Borg was grinning painfully for a while under the curse’s torment, he belatedly noticed the two people in the room.
“Wh-who are you…?!”
“You’re ridiculously slow to notice.”
From the shadow in the room, a woman with fox ears revealed herself, accompanied by a male student wielding a longsword.
“Frieda… why are you here…?!”
“What’s with that ‘you’?! Have you lost your mind like a clueless worm?”
Ignoring Borg’s surprised reaction, Frieda spat with disdain.
In her hand, there was a thick wire that looked like it would fit into a keyhole.
“Isn’t it pitiful for me to have to babysit someone like you? You’re such a useless burden, you should at least listen up.”
“Hah…”
Borg stepped back, clenching his teeth.
The meaning of Frieda being here was clear, and he was on high alert.
It was one thing if she was alone, but that male student was a problem.
“Felix! Why are you hanging out with that rascal?! Aren’t you ashamed as a noble?!”
Hiode Troa Felix.
A descendant of the esteemed Hiode swordsmanship family, he was a top ten student upon entrance.
Thanks to the suitable ‘blessing’ for secret communication, he had a solid position, except for Professor Lucien, the leader of the Academia Formist.
…But now, he had become Frieda’s lackey.
Borg denounced Felix for his noble honor, but Felix muttered in a miserable tone.
“So what am I supposed to do…? What should I do?”
“What do you mean ‘so what’? You need to subdue that little thief right now and lead the new Formist!”
“Haha. Borg, you really tell the funniest jokes…?”
Frieda wasn’t the problem. The real issue was Vargan’s presence. With him firmly established, how could anyone lead anything?
He had long lost his will and had been submissive for ages.
Borg deemed persuading him impossible and switched targets.
Unwilling, yet it might be a chance to worm his way in.
“Frieda! You idiot! Don’t you realize you’re being played by Vargan?! You’re being used! You’ll be tossed away after he’s done with you!”
Borg, who was pretty perceptive, was exactly right about the fear Frieda might be feeling.
‘There’s definitely a chance. No matter how dull she is, she shouldn’t be completely unaware of her situation. If things go well, I might even pull her to my side…! ‘
Borg smoothly let his words flow, and they seemed sufficiently convincing.
After listening quietly to Borg’s convincing speech, Frieda finally spoke up.
“Are you done with your little speech? You piece of sh*t?”
She lunged at him with furious eyes.
In a flash, she delivered a kick to Borg’s abdomen, then mounted him and pounded his face with her fists.
He mounted up and repeatedly punched his face.
Despite getting hit, Borg activated his mana circuits to counterattack. But every time he tried to focus his magic, it vanished as if being sucked away somewhere.
“What are you panicking about? Why? Do you think I was just playing around at Arbol Frutal?”
While blood was gushing out, Borg squinted his eyes and saw the ruby-red ring that Frieda was wearing.
Every time he tried to gather mana, the ring sparkled, and the magic failed to complete.
It seemed Frieda’s magic was enhancing the power of that ring.
‘What do you mean by “just playing around?” You little thief! Isn’t it purely the relic’s power? That must have been given to you by Vargan…!’
“Guh—!”
After getting hit on the jaw, Borg fought to hold onto his consciousness as he felt he might fly away.
First, he needed to toss Frieda off to do anything.
As Frieda’s smaller physique became precarious due to their size difference, she immediately drew her claws and pierced through his palm into the ground.
“Gaaah—!”
Borg screamed.
His hand was impaled as if it were stuck in rebar by Frieda’s claws.
Frieda’s claws were tougher and sharper than those of any ordinary monster.
“Look down.”
Frieda commanded him, her expression full of arrogance.
“I said look down.”
“Aaaah—!”
When Borg did not comply, Frieda wildly shook her claws.
With each shake, his wounds widened, and crimson blood seeped out.
Although they were both students from the same Academia, Frieda showed no mercy. As if she were oblivious to others’ pain, she tormented Borg.
Borg, unable to give up his noble pride, glared at Frieda with tears in his eyes, while she laughed as if it were ridiculous.
“So… your nose is a bit high, huh? Let’s see how much you can take.”
Frieda grabbed Borg’s nose and twisted it.
Crack. The sound of cartilage breaking erupted alongside Borg’s howl of agony.
The more he suffered, the more Frieda pressed on.
“Vargan said he’d abandon me? Ha, hahaha! What do you know? What do you know, you brat—!”
She continued to pummel Borg mercilessly.
Her beastly eyes glinted as she radiated a ferocious energy as if she were going to devour her opponent.
“I already received enough evidence that day…! That ring… I got it then!”
The day Vargan gave her a kiss as proof.
He had given Frieda a 2nd-tier relic ring.
An object that could disrupt the mana of those below a certain level when in contact. One of the glorious relics from the Schugenhartz family’s warehouse.
“You said you believed in me! You said you would cherish me as much as I prove my worth!”
Since that kiss, Frieda remembered every sweet word Vargan said and could not forgive Borg for insulting it.
“What gives you the right to spout such nonsense—!”
For a long time, she rained down punches on him.
Borg’s face, lying on the ground, was now barely recognizable.
Blood dripped from Frieda’s fists.
When Borg became unresponsive, she took a moment to catch her breath and called over Felix, who had been watching.
“Cast healing magic on this guy. I’m going to educate him until he gets his head straight.”
“F-Frieda, maybe it’s time to stop…”
“Hey.”
Frieda’s chilling gaze fell on Felix.
It seemed her mind had already sunk deep into madness.
“Do it.”
“Y-Yes, yes! Understood…!”
Frieda.
The woman craving Vargan’s affection.
A woman wanting love could be cruel to the end.
And she could descend into madness.
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