A calm lake.
Suddenly, waves rippled across the surface.
Waves spreading outward from the center of the lake.
They grew stronger and stronger—
*Kwaaaang!*
With a tremendous roar, a massive column of water erupted.
At the top of that water column, a figure soared into the sky.
Describing a parabola, they traversed the air above the lake and landed with a *thud* on the shore.
“Huh….”
A girl stood there dripping wet, the Great Sage Tiltitz.
She lightly turned the internal circuits within her body.
Hot air enveloped her, instantly drying her wet clothes.
As she brushed her disheveled hair, Tiltitz suddenly recalled the heavy sensation gripping her left hand and turned her head.
“Ha.”
A sigh escaped her.
It was a giant longsword, far too large for her petite frame—no, too large for anyone’s frame.
Its blade, long buried underwater, was covered in moss and dirt.
She ran her fingers along the blade—
“Ugh…”
Bright light burst forth from within it.
Tiltitz swallowed hard and rubbed the hilt.
Then, a massive red gem, resembling an eyeball, revealed itself.
“I found it.”
Durandal.
The legendary sword lost for thousands of years.
A weapon that was said to cut through dimensions now rested in Tiltitz’s hand.
After searching so long, she finally got her hands on it.
“Ha… Haha…”
Overcome with emotion, a hollow chuckle escaped Tiltitz.
As she lingered in that moment, something she had momentarily forgotten resurfaced, and she hardened her expression.
“But how on earth….”
It wasn’t merely her own efforts that led her here.
There was someone who had told her the exact location of this lake.
If they had just mentioned the lake, it could be dismissed as coincidence.
But someone had specified that it was buried at the very center of the lake’s bottom.
The guy Alexia said was acting strange.
The Imperial student who quelled the southern rebellion.
Schlus Hainkel.
“Hmm…”
How did he ascertain this location?
Did his family know the location of Durandal, passed down through legends?
No. He was definitely from a lowly commoner background.
The chances were slim.
No matter how much she thought, no other possibilities came to mind.
She couldn’t deduce the identity of Schlus Hainkel, who possessed information superior to that of a Majin.
After repetitive thinking, she found herself stuck in the same quagmire.
“Servant of the Majin…? No way. That can’t be.”
Alexia had been searching high and low, wondering if Schlus had received powers from other Majins, but that seemed unlikely.
What Majin wouldn’t covet the location of Durandal?
If he were a ‘Deliverer’ who had given up on the world, perhaps, but he had already departed from this world.
She had personally burst his heart with her own hands.
“Could it be…?”
At that moment, a sinister thought crossed Tiltitz’s mind.
The radiant Durandal.
The legendary Durandal could open a portal to another world.
If that’s true, could it be that Schlus Hainkel is from another world?
Did he come from a higher world than this one? That doubt began to creep in.
*Woooooo…*
“Huh?”
At that instant, her heart raced wildly.
Gripping her chest, Tiltitz knelt down and immediately understood what it was.
“Meeting summons…?”
It was a signal that a Majin could convey to all other Majins once in their lifetime.
The meaning was clear: a crisis had occurred affecting either this world or the survival of the Majins, and they must attend the meeting.
“What on earth is it this time…?”
The last summons had been rather serious.
Ever since that meeting where she pursued and killed another Majin, she had hoped she would never be summoned again.
She couldn’t be sure, but she hoped Alexia hadn’t called for some trivial reason.
Even though she could be reckless and irresponsible, she knew when to joke and when not to.
With Durandal firmly in her grasp, Tiltitz stood up.
*
For sure.
This was largely my fault.
“And so, the method for calculating the combinations of the elements is—”
“Did you see the knight?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“2000 to 1… Is that for real?”
“Pfft. That’s just all propaganda.”
“There were tons of witnesses, though?”
“They probably staged it.”
“Thousands of southern residents?”
*Crack!*
The loud noise startled the students, snapping their attention toward the blackboard.
There lay the fragments of a broken—not a snapped—piece of chalk swirling everywhere.
“This is how you can calculate it. If you apply this formula to magic spells—”
“…”
Casually pulling out a new piece of chalk, Ludwig resumed the lesson, and now there wasn’t a single noisy student left.
Though they still sneaked glances at me.
Thanks to me, the study atmosphere had completely collapsed.
Sometimes, when Ludwig’s gaze fell on me, it felt strangely creepy, whether it was due to paranoia or not.
No way would he actually punish me for this, would he?
*Ding-dong…*
“The class is over. Get out, you pieces of trash.”
“…”
As soon as the bell rang, Ludwig turned away, murmuring softly.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one to feel an ominous vibe from that.
Everyone rushed to pack their bags and storm out.
Just when I hoped to leave before the fallout hit me, I heard—
“Schlus Hainkel, stay behind.”
“…”
Crap. I got caught.
Standing frozen, Iris smiled at me without saying a word before turning her back.
What a heartless person…
But I understood that she probably had no other choice.
“Erica.”
“Hmm… Hang in there?”
Erica also waved at me, leaving me behind.
At least it was a relief that I wasn’t the only one trapped.
I felt incredibly annoyed.
I would summon Selene later to provide intel on Erica’s movements.
I needed to find a weakness on that girl, so I could feel a little less peeved.
“Schlus Hainkel. Come closer.”
“Yes.”
Once the last student left, the door slammed shut.
I squeezed my eyes shut in response and turned.
Ludwig, arms crossed behind his back, was looking at me with an expressionless gaze, though it seemed slightly angry.
I would bet my last penny that Ludwig was the only one capable of exuding such intimidation while looking up from below.
I slowly descended the stairs to stand before Ludwig.
“Schlus Hainkel.”
“Yes, Professor. To what do I—”
At that moment, my voice cut off.
No, my lips were moving, but my hearing was gone.
Along with that, my vision dimmed, and darkness enveloped me.
Damn. Is this a barrier created in a Mana Vacuum state?
I need to find the spell and destroy it quick…
*Smack!*
“Ugh.”
Just as I tried to locate the spell, a *smack* hit my forehead, and my senses returned.
Ludwig, who had smacked my forehead, was once again back to calmly observing me with his arms folded.
“You’ve hidden well for a while.”
“What do you mean?”
“Are we going to play twenty questions?”
“…”
Ludwig blatantly revealed his annoyance.
Was he saying to stop my futile struggles and admit defeat?
Yeah. It was clear that I had been seen through.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have suddenly confined me in a barrier.
Moreover, the calm way he stood there had a side effect of making me react completely to the slap.
I had no more excuses; my hearing and sight had been caught in plain view.
“How did you know?”
“That’s not important. Anyone who pays attention to your gaze or walking pattern would see that those eyes were not looking at anything.”
“…”
The one who figured out the unimportant details was none other than him.
Ludwig’s problem was that he viewed everything in the world as revolving around him.
He thought that just because he could do something, everyone else could too.
Now, what was he telling me by pointing out that he had noticed my disability?
Did he think I’d beg him not to spread rumors?
That would be a huge mistake.
My inability to use my sixth sense had once been a fatal weakness; now, I was observing the world beyond sight and sound.
“What’s important is that you deceived the judges during the entrance exam.”
“Ah.”
Right, I hadn’t truly overcome the Barrier of Fear—my blindness had been exposed.
“What does that matter? I didn’t commit any wrongdoing.”
“True. You just canceled the barrier spell, and the judges made their own decisions. You didn’t deceive anyone directly.”
“Then what—”
“But how the public perceives it is another matter. The moment the word ‘deception’ spreads, people lose interest in the details of the incident. Their focus will shift to sensationalism. No matter how you clarify that the allegations are false, there will still be those who label you as a cheater and a liar. After repeating this a few times, your enemies will multiply like mad.”
“…”
So, it was possible to incite the public and tarnish my reputation regardless of the truth.
Was this a form of intimidation?
However, I knew Ludwig was generally the type who liked to keep things brief.
If this was intimidation, he would clearly state his intent; he was not one to drone on.
“What do you want to say?”
“It would be better if you hid your weaknesses well. Even a Count like me can take you down; imagine what a Duke or a key minister, or perhaps… the Emperor himself, could do. Don’t give them a single reason to nitpick. If you don’t want to fall into the abyss without a chance to resist.”
“Are you giving me advice?”
“Think what you want. It was a warning.”
“…”
With that, Ludwig turned his back and departed through the door on the first floor.
The type of warning was crystal clear.
Ludwig was careful to mention the Emperor.
Simply uttering the Emperor’s name could be seen as treason.
He must have sensed that the Emperor no longer trusted me.
While the media was busy hyping me up as the Emperor’s most trusted knight, Ludwig must have drawn a cold, analytical conclusion.
*If it’s visible to Ludwig, it’s probably noticed by others, too.*
While Ludwig brushed it aside, what about the other Counts, Dukes, or members of the Imperial family?
Wouldn’t they have already caught wind of it and be waiting for a chance to strike?
They could very well seize a minor issue and attempt to dispose of me.
I had to tread carefully.
As Ludwig said, I must act flawlessly without offering even the slightest reason for criticism.
If those words had come from someone else, I would have laughed it off, but the fact that they came from the neat and perfect Ludwig annoyed me to no end.
“It’s not easy…”
Now that I was starting to make a name for myself, it felt like I was being suffocated already.
I hoped the Emperor would kick the bucket soon, and Aria would ascend the throne.
Then, if I could become Aria’s beloved, no one would dare dispose of me.
“Pfft…”
Laughing at such outlandish fantasies was unavoidable.
What Aria said about marriage was all just a joke—it was silly of me to take it seriously.
Setting aside those unnecessary thoughts, I decided to focus more on how to avoid getting purged.
