Realm of the Dead, Pandemonium.
Before the Fifth Legion Commander Markosias, the dark elf Dalian knelt down, presenting her respects.
“Oh great one, I have returned.”
“You came back faster than I expected.”
Dalian was one of Markosias’s cherished subordinates.
Although her lineage as an elf placed her far from demons, she had devoted herself to demons after acquiring dark magic.
It was largely thanks to her that Markosias could rise to the position of commander among the countless great demons.
“Alright, there’s no need for pleasantries. Who was responsible for the destruction of the 14th Legion?”
Dalian’s primary ability was information gathering, and Markosias had never doubted her in this regard.
Moreover, the news of the 14th Legion’s annihilation was spreading even to great demons who wouldn’t usually care, unless it was within their jurisdiction.
In other words, securing exclusive information on the background of the annihilation would solidify her position.
“After examining Hwangdo and the major cities, I found no significant movements. However…”
“However?”
“I was able to identify someone connected to this incident from Claris.”
“Oh?”
It was truly by chance that Dalian could track the relevant person.
First, her aim for visiting Mount Faeps was not just to use black magic on the Pitbit Jae.
The half-elf she had been eyeing for some time, Selena Windforce, was part of the Pitbit Jae extermination team.
And the overwhelming magical power showcased by that fallen divine beast, that despair…
She thought it would serve as bait to entice Selena, who couldn’t wield wind archery.
In truth, Dalian was nearing death.
Perhaps it was due to allowing dark magic into her body—her body, now a dark elf, was gradually meeting its end.
Just like humans become demons under the intoxication of power, only to burn out and perish shortly thereafter, Dalian was the same.
However, since she was an elf, this process was merely slower.
Thus, she had considered Selena Windforce as her successor.
If it weren’t for someone with pure blood, and considering she was sealed by the greed of humans and fairies, she thought that Selena would understand Dalian’s heart the best.
However, this plan could not materialize.
An enigmatic man appeared and succeeded in exterminating the Pitbit Jae.
A boy with rare gray ash hair and unsettling black eyes.
Of course, this became a significant boon for Dalian.
For she had obtained information she could not uncover after rummaging through the Empire.
With a steady tone, she reported to Markosias.
“He was someone who used a kind of archery similar to mine.”
“Hahaha!!”
At that, Markosias began to chuckle in a manner akin to coughing.
His voice was so deep and resonant that it felt as if the surroundings were vibrating.
“Haha! You’re saying something interesting.”
Markosias knew as well.
He was the Fifth Legion Commander, among the top ranks of great demons.
If he aimed to be the master of the realm of the dead, then he could easily deduce what had caused the annihilation of the 14th Legion from the flow, arrangement, and waves of mana.
He concluded that the one responsible for the destruction of the 14th Legion was…
Wind archery.
If that was the case, the story became simple.
Only someone who could freely come and go in Pandemonium and wield sufficient wind archery to annihilate the 14th Legion…
Was Dalian, kneeling before Markosias.
However, the surprising confession came from Dalian’s lips.
“The culprit is someone who handles a similar archery.”
It was a blatant suggestion to prove her innocence.
“You’re putting your loyalty to the test to the very last.”
“Markosias, I apologize, but I did not commit the act.”
“Haha! Very well, I shall trust you. If we consider the time we’ve spent together from a creature’s perspective… it hasn’t been short.”
“I am greatly honored.”
“Now, tell me. You succeeded in identifying him?”
“Yes.”
“Another fairy? If they can handle wind archery, it must be elves.”
“…It’s a human. A first-year… male student from Claris.”
“……”
After Dalian’s report ended, it took Markosias a while to remove his chin from his hand.
“Hahaha!!”
Then he laughed even louder, a booming mirth filling the air.
A student, not even a hero? Just a… first-year?
There are limits to absurdity.
“How amusing, how amusing…!”
Markosias’s ‘thirst’ was quickly being quenched.
Perhaps for a while, there wouldn’t be anything dull for him.
*
On the day of the second disciplinary committee.
“Next, Violet de Crescent, Melissa de Prominence, Aveline Valantes, and Lev Denec, please enter.”
With the committee’s official’s words, our time arrived.
Despite the incident yesterday, Melissa grinned at me.
Where am I, and who is Aveline?
And beside her, Violet, who kept her eyes closed, cast a complicated glance in my direction as I entered.
We four were precisely the ones who acted out during the extermination of the Pitbit Jae; thus, they aimed to cross-verify our statements.
Clunk.
Upon entering and sitting down, I noticed officials from the academy, along with committee members clearly bought off by Eternal Flame and Divine Valhalla.
“This meeting has been in progress since the morning, so I will skip the preamble. Is that alright?”
– Yes.
“From now on, there will be an investigation regarding the 16th cohort of the Claris Academy raid on the Pitbit Jae. First, do you all acknowledge that you acted out of order during the operation?”
We sequentially marked our agreement.
“Then, in chronological order, I will question Violet first. What was the intention behind your unilateral attack right after the first drop of the Pitbit Jae?”
*
The rest proceeded as expected.
Violet detailed the situation from that time, candidly expressing her intent.
“…I see. Taking that into account, we will determine retribution later.”
This likely indicated a chance for extenuation.
Violet was an exemplary student, pushing as the representative marksman at Claris Academy.
Had it not been for her sealing, the 3,4 party would have incurred even greater losses, making this outcome somewhat natural.
“Next, I will ask Aveline. After the situation changed, during the 5,6 party, why did Aveline, assigned to guard the front line, wield a sword instead of a shield? Is that true?”
Aveline glanced at Melissa before answering.
“Yes, that is a fact…”
‘She’s admitting this.’
It was not the abnormal formality I had heard for the first time, but rather a standard line of speech.
“The intention seems to be to take down the Pitbit Jae, is that correct?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right.”
The committee secretary began taking notes neatly.
The sound of the pen gliding through the paper was heard, and the most important question emerged.
“While the goal of the raid is both extermination and the survival of all involved, this is done under the raid leader’s directives. Why did you choose to take such a risky action unilaterally instead of following orders? Please speak honestly.”
Sigh.
I took a deep breath calmly.
‘Finally, the perfect chance has come.’
In order to stop Caeran, who would soon appear, I needed to become a bit ruthless.
*
Before the start of the committee, Melissa had given Aveline several reminders.
– First, say you took the lead in this matter. That’s true, after all.
– Th-That… understood…
– No need to feel intimidated. Our intentions weren’t malicious.
– Melissa, you are quite composed…
Thus began the disciplinary committee.
Aveline responded with a slightly trembling voice.
“First, Melissa, uh, I mean Melissa, merely followed my suggestion. It has no relation to my impulsive judgment…”
“I will give you additional time for testimony. Begin with your situation description.”
“Y-Yes. After the 5th exercise, the situation rapidly deteriorated. The 3,4 party seemed unable to continue combat, and I sensed dark magic from the Pitbit Jae. Therefore, I thought we needed to take it down while we could… That was all.”
“What made you think it was possible to take it down?”
“…It’s embarrassing, but I thought it was possible since I had awakened divine power; that’s why I drew my sword.”
When I followed what Teiron and Melissa said, there wasn’t much difficulty.
It subtly conveyed that there was absolutely no malicious intent.
The following testimonies went smoothly.
“Then, I will ask the accompanying Melissa. Do you acknowledge that Aveline spoke nothing but the truth?”
Melissa replied immediately.
“Yes. Everything is as stated. Our intention was solely to take down the Pitbit Jae. Of course, we believe that any outburst must be duly punished…”
She added that last bit and then threw a sidelong glance at Lev Denec sitting right next to her.
‘Really… sigh.’
His sharp profile was annoyingly conspicuous.
Considering he was a key eyewitness and didn’t cooperate, punishment was to be expected.
‘It’s fine… We’ll create a narrative that we acted to protect everyone.’
While the Empire aimed to assimilate all principalities, the position of the Principality of Prominence couldn’t be firmly established, but with both Eternal Flame and Divine Valhalla combined, their influence couldn’t be dismissed.
Teiron had already declared he would take the fall, and the Divine Valhalla side had mentioned they’d exert some influence over the committee, so there was some hope.
‘Maybe… normal mitigation could happen?’
“I see. I will also consider the fact that both students participated in their first raid along with the points mentioned earlier when determining future disciplinary actions. If you have anything further to say, you may do so now.”
“I have nothing particular.”
“N-Nor do I…”
As Melissa answered, Aveline hastily chimed in.
‘Phew, is it over?’
In truth, what bolstered Melissa’s mental state were some unexpected things.
After taking a bath yesterday and confirming…
– Oh?
An enigmatic letter.
——————————————————
Melissa, see you soon. Just the two of us.
——————————————————
– Just the two of…?
By the handwriting, it appeared to be a notification of Caeran’s return.
A piece of good news for once.
‘I knew he would come looking for me… right? After all, Caeran would need assistance…’
Of course, I acknowledge that Lev Denec is smarter than expected.
But, I could never rival the genius, Caeran Hiss.
And such a person was defeated by Edwin Gwynn in the rank match.
Edwin had been connected with me since the start of the semester, and knowing his character, he wouldn’t abandon me.
Furthermore, the fact that Caeran lost to Edwin means he would likely restrain himself from being overly harsh with Melissa now.
In a way, the tables had turned.
If I could leverage these two men…
While it might be greedy, if I could have both—
A little disciplinary action would mean nothing.
Only a bright future awaited after this.
Heh.
While Melissa’s mind turned into a flower garden, the gray-haired man finally spoke.
“Hmm…”
“Truly, were both of you acting with pure intent?”
Gasp!
It was a delightful resonance, yet it didn’t feel so to Melissa and Aveline.
“Wait, what… are you trying to say?”
“Lev! You didn’t see it! We aimed solely to take down the Pitbit Jae…!”
“True. That part is correct. But I’m curious about this.”
What emerged from his pocket was a small, square magical item.
Gasp!
The communication device had become a hot hit recently, replacing the old crystal spheres.
Expensive enough to typically only be found in Hwangdo.
But that wasn’t the crux of the matter.
The more pressing issue was… why that had appeared.
Clatter.
As Lev pressed the button, a familiar voice started playing.
“Teiron, you made sure it was handled, right?”
“Ah…………?”
They started hearing their own voices.
