“Hmm?”
Unlike the stability of the Cheonggeuk Chariot ride, I had somehow adapted to this carriage that rattled at every turn, and had dozed off before I knew it.
Chomp, chomp I loosen my dry mouth and push away the two heavy heads resting on my shoulders. On the opposite side, Tana and Elise bumped their heads on the window with a thud but didn’t wake up.
I sneakily open a small window in front to take a breath of fresh air and see Bertia, my coachman, looking at me with a smile.
“You woke up just in time.”
“Ugh, if you’re tired, just say so. I’ll take over.”
“It’s fine. We’re almost there, so I’ll handle it.”
I had no idea the difference between the Cheonggeuk Chariot and a regular carriage would be this severe. Arriving at the royal palace took just over half a day on the chariot, but now it felt like it had easily taken ten days.
And with the royal family’s ample resources, it made sense that we stopped in nearby cities for lavish horse exchanges along the way.
I never thought I’d miss the warm breath of Prince Oliver who had provided the chariot.
“There’s the Academy.”
“Not particularly excited about it.”
It’s neither exciting nor pleasing anymore. Normally, students leave the Academy just a couple of times during vacations or field trips, but how many times have I circled back like this?
Still, having been gone for about a month due to all the incidents, I somewhat wanted to see the other kids’ faces.
“Hey, wake up.”
“Uhm?”
“Yawn, are we there yet?”
As I wake Tana and Elise, we just arrived at the Academy. My right arm was still in a splint, so Bertia helped me unload my luggage.
“I’ll drop your things off at the dormitory, so why don’t you go see the Dean first? Sir Daniel, you might have already been expelled!”
“…Thanks.”
“Let’s go.”
I was already short on attendance days, and after being gone for a month, I might have been expelled without realizing it, but that’s fine. With Elise deciding not to hide her identity anymore, she could probably pull some strings under royal orders.
Honestly, after catching an assassin targeting a royal, it was more than reasonable that I should receive an Honorary Medal rather than just a mere expulsion.
“But it looks a bit empty, doesn’t it?”
At Tana’s remark, I glanced around to confirm that there certainly weren’t many people. No, there were practically none.
As I strolled through the empty area, I wondered if some magic was at play, but thankfully, the guards caught my eye.
The guards, stationed at the Academy entrance, approached us startled and overly excited.
“Seeing your uniform, you must be in your third year. What brings you back?”
“Ooh, your arm looks like it got hurt during practice, huh?”
“What? What do you mean?”
Taken aback by the sudden bizarre remarks, perhaps the guards thought the same thing I did because they took off their hats, cooling themselves with sweat as they asked back.
“Wasn’t your team on a field training trip?”
“Field training?”
I retorted with a look of utter confusion, but judging by Tana and Elise’s reactions, I seemed to be the only one lost in the conversation.
“Oh! You went to prepare for the competition!”
“The timing is a bit earlier than last year, right?”
I recalled Hayun explaining about the competition. A yearly event held to foster friendship, exchange, and competition among the Pales Academy.
By the way, it seemed Aios had achieved a glorious 13 losses record for the past 13 years.
“This year, we’re definitely gonna win! The Dean pushed things along a bit faster on purpose.”
“But if you’re here because of an injury… wait, are you Daniel McLean?”
“Uh, yes, that’s me.”
Suddenly, a guard who called out my name clapped his hands and opened the Academy door with a bright smile.
“The Dean left instructions to open the door for you. He’s waiting for you, so please contact him through the Communication Orb.”
“Wow! Our Academy’s ace has finally arrived!”
“…Ace?”
I squinted my eyes at Tana and Elise beside me without realizing it. Did they know something? I checked with a sidelong glance, but both girls just shrugged or shook their heads innocently.
For now, I followed one of the guards leading the way to the Dean’s office on the top floor.
He suddenly became friendly, asking about my sports history and specialties, to which I awkwardly but adeptly replied.
“Oh, I used to play a bit back in the day!”
Click.
The guard unlocked the Dean’s office door. I had always felt that the desk, large enough for one person to use, was overkill, and right there was the Communication Orb.
“Hang on, was I supposed to handle it like this?”
From the mana radiating from the orb, I could tell enough mana had already been infused for communication.
The guard seemed to have misunderstood the instructions thoroughly, sweating as he struggled, and eventually, Elise exhaled and reached out.
“I’ll handle it, so you can leave now.”
“Oh, thank you!”
The guard exited quickly as if he had been waiting, looking forward to avoiding extra work since he was just slacking off guarding the empty Academy.
As soon as Elise placed her hand on the orb, it began to glow, casting a radiant rectangle of light. Though all I saw was suffocating darkness, the unmistakable voice echoed through the successful communication.
“What’s going on over there—hey?”
Finally hearing the Dean’s voice after such a long time.
I could hear rustling sounds; he was probably reaching into his bag for the Communication Orb, and soon the surrounding scenery became visible.
Ares was running around on the green lawn, but suddenly the screen was overtaken by the Dean’s face.
“Ugh, this is so uncomfortable.”
Did my voice go through the orb? The Dean exclaimed in a fluster.
“Daniel? You’re back!”
Like a survivor who found an oasis in the desert or a nun whose prayers had been answered, the Dean exaggeratedly welcomed me.
I could even feel his anxiety from this far away.
“You’re overly excited, aren’t you?”
“Of course! I was worried sick about what would happen if you didn’t come back! Can you come to Bairn right now? No matter how expensive the travel costs are, we’ll cover it, so hurry up!”
“You want me to go practice for the competition?”
“Huh? Y-you heard?”
Was he trying to keep it a secret?
I couldn’t even fathom if it was possible to keep it under wraps, but he continued to blurt out excitedly, inadvertently stepping on his own tail.
“Right! If you help us, we can finally break our 13-game losing streak! I can’t wait to wipe that smug nose of the Pales Academy Dean!”
“But Daniel can only compete in two sports at most, right?”
Tana pointed out the limit on the number of events one can participate in. However, the Dean grinned wider than the witches of the Black Forest and pulled out a piece of paper.
That was a list of competitor names, which could be deemed confidential for the upcoming competition.
But the important thing was…
“Are all these names listed as candidates?”
From battle soccer to magical basketball, large-scale battles, etc.
The name ‘Daniel McLean’ was prominently featured on all the candidate lists.
“Technically, there’s no restriction on candidates! Since there are many injuries in sports, we need plenty of replacements!”
“So you’re saying you want to make Daniel a candidate and let him participate in every event?”
Tana gasped, “Ooooooh,” in realization, while the Dean awaited my reaction with overly gleaming eyes that didn’t suit his age.
Swipe.
I raised my broken right arm, still fixed in a splint.
“I can’t participate.”
Oh no, I accidentally lifted my arm with the splint still on.
*
Creeeak.
As the door opened, light streamed into the previously dark interior. Yet, the oppressive darkness refused to yield, as if engaged in a battle of strength.
“It’s hard to see properly,”
Hotim Velok, a maester dwarf holding one of the seven hammers, didn’t hide his displeasure.
“Huff, huff. That witch’s scent is heavily lingering. And… I can smell blood, too.”
Jaegyua Baekplin, the leader of the Secret Claws following the beastman king Raizer, stepped inside with a disgusted expression.
Following them were Elris, the elf guardian of Yggdrasil, and Adriana, the witch of the Black Forest.
The four had found the last secret laboratory of the Tudogs hidden in the land of beastmen, and after much hardship, they had finally arrived.
After a taxing chase, they had cornered the last survivor of the Tudogs, Horan, to the edge of a cliff.
“It’s a place where the wind doesn’t reach. No secret passage seems to be here.”
Eriss asserted, and Hotim raised his axe on his shoulder and laughed heartily.
“We’ve come to hunt a tiger in its den!”
“…”
“Hey? What’s wrong? You’re unusually quiet.”
After noticing Jaegyua keeping his mouth shut, Hotim felt puzzled. They were so used to bickering that now, if even a bit was off, they’d notice right away.
“Something… feels scary.”
His black fur bristled, feeling a premonition of danger, wanting to retreat quickly.
“I feel a presence.”
“Witch, fire!”
“Yes!”
At Hotim’s shout, Adriana conjured a blue flame in her palm and hurled it forward. The flames splendidly engulfed the wall, driving away the darkness, but—
What stood there was Horan, already a corpse, and a massive werewolf or beastman.
It was too feral and wild to simply be called a beastman, exuding a fierce aura.
Yet, it didn’t seem like a completely mindless beast, as the wise gaze in its eyes suggested a heavy history.
“Ah… aah…”
The only one to recognize its presence was Adriana, who stumbled back only to be caught by Eris beside her, yet her eyes couldn’t look away from the imposing creature.
The one with predatory eyes slowly scanned over Eris and her companions before coming to a stop at Adriana.
“The witch has left the forest and come this far.”
Recognizing the wolf, Adriana quickly threw herself flat and shouted.
“Y-your Majesty! What brings you here?”
No one could call the master of the Forest of the Demon Realm by name.
While personal skill was indeed crucial, ultimately, the victors and losers depended on the surrounding environment and the prevailing conditions.
Even the ancient magical beasts, confident in their strength, would never recklessly fight. The nagging fear that anyone could find themselves in the position of prey.
In such a place, where victory or defeat was not guaranteed until they faced off, all ancient magical beasts were the most fearful of confrontation.
While they could not dominate the forest, everyone living in it was inevitably seen as sovereign due to their unmatched strength.
Moreover—
The only Sherpa on the continent, the monster who prevented the complete demise of the Forest of the Demon Realm.
A wolf beast, Kurika, bared its teeth and glared at them.
