District 4, Entrance to the Valley of Death.
What awaited Edwin’s party, after traveling through the dimensional gate, was a gathering of demon creatures emitting ominous energy around the far-off magic tower.
– “Everyone, prepare for battle!”
– Krrrr!
– Kuhhk!
Having already taken down the three-headed dog – Cerberus, it was not difficult for Edwin and his allies to deal with the hybrid demon creatures scattered around Districts 2 and 3.
‘Who would’ve thought the whole island would turn into a wasteland so quickly…’
If by any chance the magic tower stabilized and amplified the demon creatures’ malice while acting as a dimensional gate to Pandemonium, it was clear that this place would become a living hell.
Edwin, who had to lead the party, steeled himself alone.
‘Now that Lev is really gone, I have to manage this by myself.’
Before entering the dimensional gate, Lev had made separate requests to Professor McClone.
– “Professor, please take care of the magic tower.”
– “?!?”
– “Someone has to stop the tower from operating.”
– “B-but that’s dangerous!”
– “Lev…! Then I will too!”
– “No, I’ll be fine. Trust me. The demon creatures will probably gather toward the tower… I hope you can stop them in the meantime. Violet senior should be over there as well.”
– “Lev…”
– “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”
– “….”
– “Just hold on a little longer.”
He handed out only the emergency magical items provided by the academy and moved to another location alone.
‘Lev… You’re trying to resolve everything by yourself again, aren’t you?’
He had always solved problems from behind, but this time was different.
The perceived danger level was too high.
‘This time… I absolutely must go help.’
As Edwin steeled himself, he spotted the marksman committee head, Violet, fighting alone.
“Y-you guys… how did you…?”
Violet’s condition upon their dramatic reunion did not look good.
Edwin quickly explained the situation.
“I think something’s wrong at Mystic Island. Everyone’s trying to leave this place. And we entered to rescue you after hearing you were here.”
“Such a dangerous…!”
“Let’s talk more after we escape this island… Melissa?”
“It’s dangerous!”
Suddenly, a fireball illuminating the dark surroundings was flying toward them.
– Fhwaaa!
– KaKang!
“Ghah!”
Edwin sliced it away with his sword.
Cutting through magic was a skill only a swordsman who mastered their aura could perform.
He had grown rapidly in a short period.
“What is this?”
And the density of this magic felt familiar, almost nostalgic.
This was not the work of demons; it was human.
“……”
The caster was… someone Edwin knew all too well, the pink-haired princess.
“Melissa, what are you doing?!”
At Edwin’s cry, a spark of life returned to Melissa’s eyes.
However, she shook her head, denying Edwin’s words.
“I… I can’t let you pass. I have to stop you all from reaching Caeran…”
Watching this, Violet immediately asked Aria and Yeriel for help.
“Is there any chance of healing revelation? There’s an injured person behind that rock.”
“…!”
In the direction she pointed, Aveline was slumped against a stone, barely alive.
“C-cough… Please… save me…”
Aria took Aveline’s hand and calmly assessed the situation.
“I need a flat place to lay her down. The wound is deep and… it’s tainted by dark magic, so we need time too.”
“Got it.”
Violet approached Edwin and instructed him.
“You’re the vanguard of the party, so you must be Edwin Gwynn, right?”
“… Yes.”
“You seem to know the princess of Prominence. Please stop her. Yeriel and I will hold off the demon creatures coming this way to buy some time. The priest will heal Valanthe’s woman during that time.”
“Understood.”
As they divided roles according to Violet’s instructions, Edwin stepped toward Melissa.
– Thud.
“D-don’t come any closer…”
She trembled in fear, quaking like a leaf.
– Thud.
“Don’t come any closer…”
Finally, Edwin halted in front of her.
– Slap!
Melissa’s head jerked to the right.
“W-what?”
At that moment, overwhelming feelings surged within her, and Edwin shouted.
“Melissa! Get a grip…! You’re a student of Claris! You’re not a demon or anything!”
“What? Did you really just hit me, Edwin?”
“Yeah. Please come to your senses!”
“…”
“I saw everything. You buttered up to Caeran just to participate in the selection test. Honestly, I was disappointed.”
At this, Melissa’s face turned red with shame as she stammered.
“T-that’s… what’s it to you?!”
“That’s why I waited… We promised… What’s with getting all flustered and listening to that guy Caeran?! What’s going on right now?!”
Edwin’s yelling began to break down Melissa’s composure.
“I-I didn’t know it would come to this… sniff… I didn’t know!!! sniff! But if I don’t listen to Caeran… it hurts, I don’t want to be in pain…!”
Indeed, she sank down and began to sob.
Then, she lightly clutched Edwin’s pant leg.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Edwin… help me, won’t you…? You’ve always helped me, right?? You’re a good person… so you’ll help me, right?! Please…! Or no? I can’t. If I don’t listen to Caeran…”
– Shiiii…
– !
A puddle began to form between Melissa’s trembling legs.
“Wha… no, no…!”
Melissa tried to pull her skirt down to hide it, but,
“D-don’t look at me…”
The spilled water was impossible to collect, like a princess’s uncovered face…
It began to flow uncontrollably.
“Ha… haha… hwaaaa!”
Her sanity was slipping, and amidst it, ominous demonic markings were imprinted on her arms like tattoos.
‘Damn it…!’
Edwin quickly used his robe to cover her lower body.
“Haa… Edwin?”
“Haa…”
Edwin could easily infer the current situation.
Caeran had already tampered with Melissa, and this was undoubtedly the work of the demons.
The spell of the demons was mutual consent-based, so there was only one way to break it.
Kill the caster, Caeran, or eliminate the target of the spell, Melissa…
‘How the hell can I do that in this situation?!’
As Edwin grappled with this dilemma, he heard Yeriel’s voice from behind.
“Edwin, be careful…!”
“!”
– Kyaaaak!
– Clatter, clatter.
“Eek! Hihihih… Ack…!”
Melissa fainted, and undead skeleton creatures rushed toward her.
– Slink!
– Pshh!
Edwin reflexively drew his sword and swung it in a fan-shaped arc, swiftly taking down the monsters.
But…
– Creak, creak!
– Kyaaaah…!
The surrounding situation was worsening.
Demon creatures from other areas had gathered and surrounded them.
‘There are injured people around…!’
[ Central Area of District 4. ]
In the violet-hued area, remnants of the past demon settlements lingered, where a black-skinned magic tower dangerously leaned into the ground.
– Zwoooom… Zwoooooom…!
Here, Caeran, who had infiltrated, was slowly infusing mana stolen from Melissa into the central magic stone.
Once the magic tower was operational, it would automatically produce and amplify dark magic.
And for the empire to purify the demonic settlements created this way, unless they called upon an ancient hero like Kroon, it was impossible.
‘Damn… I’ve been discovered?!’
Plans had gone awry.
Originally, the plan was to activate the magic tower, recruit Aveline and Melissa into his ranks, and smoothly return to the academy.
He had planned for it to look as if he had slain the monster summoned by Yellody to become a hero.
After becoming the academy’s only candidate aspiring to be a hero, plans were already prepared.
If he brainwashed Lily into controlling the dragon, he could then obtain Claris’s weapon, accessible only by riding it.
“That violet-haired girl… that bitch…”
However, all this was ruined because of Violet de Crescent.
She had interrupted his attempts to recruit Lily, and because of her, he couldn’t forge a blood contract with Aveline.
Thus, now he was consuming more mana than he initially intended to operate the magic tower.
‘Well, there’s something more appealing about girls raised in privilege…’
Maybe it was because he could now handle dark magic.
Caeran had never been interested in submissive women, but now he found himself wanting to dominate her.
In his heart, he wished to bind her up and take her while savoring her expression.
“A noble lady should be treated roughly like a tool for the best experience…”
Once he restored this magic tower, he’d be able to taste her goodness.
‘Then goes~.’
Yeriel Artina. Aria Bluebell.
The two girls never showed any feelings of affection towards Caeran.
‘They’re quite intelligent, it seems…’
He was fully aware that they hovered around Lev Denec.
Thus, his top tier of revenge would be…
‘By leveraging force, I’ll have to take them.’
Lev Denec, taking the two of them right before him.
‘Taking turns…’
To thoroughly corrode their sacred powers and make them his slaves.
“Ugh. I’m quite childish, but I like this~.”
Unlike the last ranked battle, he wouldn’t be careless this time.
To ensure they would thoroughly submit, he had already set things in motion.
Rightfully, it was the Great Demon Markosias who dictated him to do all this.
– “Once the tower is activated, I’ll acknowledge your contributions and grant you one request.”
– “Lev Denec, Edwin Gwynn… take away everything from those two.”
Because he had made a pact with him.
-…
Perhaps due to pouring too much mana into the tower, Caeran felt dizzy and uncorked a mana potion.
“Whew…”
There was really not much time left.
The power of Markosias’s subservience.
This was a power that mere humans or creatures couldn’t block.
“I’d really love to have it… well, later I can just kill whatever great demon it is and take it anyway.”
Just as he was about to pour the potion into his mouth…
– BEEEEEEEEEEEEE–
– ?
Suddenly, an annoying sound flashed through Caeran’s ears.
“What @$^&?”
He definitely asked what it was, but nothing came back.
– BEEEEEEEEEEEEE–
Concurrent with a bright light, he could see nothing.
– %#$#%?
– #$
– %$@%@*
No matter how many curses he uttered, no sound occurred.
– BEEEEEEEEEEEEE–
He then realized while thinking that his sense of touch was intact.
His right cheek, shoulder, and legs felt like they were pressed against a rigid wall.
Once he realized this, intense agony began to surge all at once.
“Kuhk! Aah! Ugh…! Aargh!!!!!!!”
A feeling that twisted and squeezed at his very insides.
With no breath, it felt like he was about to perish from immense pain.
– Wriggle, wiggle…
In the end, what Caeran was leaning against was not a wall.
He was just laid out, grotesquely sprawled on the ground.
That, too, was punctured all over with something resembling a steel skewer.
“*Aha! Ugh! Wang…! What the hell…!”
He had to crawl over to the magic stone somehow…
To inform Marokosias or Yellody Latashia…
He needed to convey this situation…
– Thump. Thump.
– !
Caeran’s hearing returned.
And what he heard was the sound of chilling footsteps.
– Thud. Thud. Thud.
It was the sound of a human approaching… slowly.
“Kuhhh… kuh…!”
– Click.
– !
Then a heavy metal object pointed to the back of his head.
“Kuhk…! Gag! Gag!!!”
As a sense of crisis set in, Caeran’s breaths grew much shallower.
Then, suddenly a voice spoke.
