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Luon set the loudspeaker down and took a hefty bite of the last remaining apple.

Crunch

Felia, who was sitting at the desk, closed the magic book embedded with a red gemstone and spoke.

“That’s it, all set. In about three hours, the spell will spread across the entire site.”

The magic Felia had crafted was a forbidden spell that sacrificed the living creatures above ground.

The larger the scale, the more time it took.

Luon glanced at the ‘Ruby Grimoire’ with an intrigued look in his eyes.

“It doesn’t seem like your typical book filled with explanations. Is there something that amplifies power in it?”

“Exactly. Some books can become weapons just by possessing them.”

Felia stretched and stood up from her seat.

“Remember, Luon, if the mosaic you have gets destroyed, the spell will break. So, how about hiding it somewhere safe?”

The mosaic was a magical stone that contained a mysterious power Felia had hidden while she was alive.

If this, the core of the spell, were broken, everything would be for nothing.

Despite that, Luon shook his head.

“That wouldn’t be fun. After all, this is a game.”

A game can only exist if both sides have a mechanism where they can lose.

“If I can’t protect the mosaic, I lose. If they can’t kill me and destroy the mosaic, they lose. Without even that simple sense of danger, it’d just be boring.”

Through this event, Luon wanted to experience the thrill he hadn’t felt for a long time.

But Felia looked at him with pity in her eyes.

Though, she quickly returned to her usual mischievous expression.

“By the way, the invitation you gave to Hersel—did you prepare it with special care for any particular reason?”

Luon responded in a calm tone while chewing the apple in his mouth.

“He’s outside the norm. I thought he might ruin the game. That’s why I needed your help.”

“Hmm.”

Luon rubbed his neck as he answered.

“Of course, I won’t force you. If it feels too risky, you can leave anytime. It’s fine if you refuse altogether.”

Felia, now inhabiting a professor’s body, had even removed the ‘Curse of Control.’

She had also helped him in many other ways.

“You’ve already done a lot for me.”

Felia grinned.

“Well, I’ll handle it my way. I guess I should finish my work and go make myself a body.”

Luon nodded.

Felia had long boasted that she had something to do after creating her new body.

Suddenly, Luon grew curious about what that task was.

“Are you going to revive your master after all?”

As he voiced his speculation, Felia chuckled.

“Fool. You can’t bring the dead back to life. Even if it were possible, it’d only be a fake. Look at me. I’m not Felia; I’m just a thought-form created by the original. Do you think someone like me would be obsessed with a fake? In fact, it’s because I’m fake that I’m obsessed only with the real.”

Luon tilted his head slightly, as if not understanding.

If she claimed she was fake, wouldn’t her new body also be fake, even if she gained her original form again?

Her original body must have rotted away by now, and the body she was making would merely be a reconstruction.

Still, he nodded, thinking she must have her own standards.

“Well, I should get moving too.”

Luon stood up and grabbed his sword.

This would probably be the last time he would ever see Felia.

Still, it was only polite to say goodbye.

“Felia.”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but I hope it goes well.”

Felia hesitated for a moment.

Then she smiled gently and waved her hand.

“Thanks for saying that. I really appreciate it.”

With that, she turned her gaze away and started to leave the office.

Luon waited for her to exit first.

Thud.

Suddenly, Felia stopped walking, and Luon looked at her curiously.

Then she quickly turned her head and spoke in a slightly brusque tone.

“If you change your mind, come find me anytime. I’ll be waiting by the fountain.”

With those parting words, Felia left the room.

“I’ll consider it.”

Luon muttered to himself, his expression indifferent, as he headed towards the stage.

***

The atmosphere in the main hall became chaotic.

Some were too drunk to grasp the situation, but most sensed the seriousness and anxiously fidgeted.

“What are those things? And what are the professors doing…”

“You heard, right? The entire floor and the faculty wing are on lockdown. It seems like the only place left is the main hall.”

While everyone was confused about what to do, I waited for Bellman to speak.

“As he said, the entire building seems to be under control. Otherwise, the professors wouldn’t have allowed something like this to happen.”

A student asked Bellman, “Is this some kind of joke?”

“The main hall is a special area, even within Frost Heart. Would they really allow undead to step foot in this place, known as the heart of the fortress, for just a prank?”

Many nodded at Bellman’s reasoning.

“If you understand, start blocking the doors. What you’ve done so far won’t be enough.”

The so-called lock was just a candlestick wedged like a bar between the door handles on both sides.

Scrape

As Bellman pushed a table, the other students, realizing they needed to do something, began helping.

Soon, a more solid barricade was set up in front of the door.

“Whew, this should buy us a little more time to think.”

Bellman wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and approached the attendant.

“You mentioned an invitation?”

“Y-yes, I was only told to deliver one to each of the nine individuals whose names were called…”

All eyes turned to us who had been named earlier.

Normally, I would have viewed this situation negatively, but I had already thought that it was necessary to accept Luon’s invitation.

That way, I could confirm whether the scenario was flowing as intended.

As expected, it was a good thing I provoked him when he came to execute the Roaming Band.

But I wasn’t the only variable. There was one more.

“Why me…?”

Erucel, who wasn’t supposed to be part of the scenario in Frost Heart, had also received an invitation.

“There’s a common factor. Everyone who received an invitation was part of the group that went into the forest to hunt the instructors that day.”

As Bellman pointed out, Luon’s selection criteria were the students who had gone to eliminate the instructors that day.

In his eyes, they probably seemed like capable individuals, suitable for his game.

“…I was there too.”

When I turned to the small voice, Gravel was raising her hand cautiously.

To have such little presence that even Luon didn’t notice—impressive.

Bellman avoided Gravel’s gaze and fidgeted with his glasses.

“W-well, I guess I was wrong.”

He could’ve just said it plainly.

You were so invisible that no one noticed, huh?

“Ahem, in any case, things don’t look good. He mentioned there was a time limit. So, Hersel, what are you planning to do now?”

Bellman suddenly looked at me as he asked.

Ricks and the others did the same.

It wasn’t surprising, as this was within my expectations.

These guys always came to me first for everything.

Still, there are boundaries that need to be set.

The fight against Luon is meant to be a stepping stone for their growth.

An extra like me shouldn’t interfere too deeply.

I looked down at them coldly and activated the ‘Noble Blood’s Ember.’

“How long are you going to rely on me?”

I spoke in a chilling tone.

They gulped, perhaps taken aback by my unexpectedly firm attitude.

Ricks, with widened eyes, spoke.

“Well, I thought things might go well again this time…”

I responded firmly.

“Ricks, are you going to look for me every time a crisis arises?”

“…I think that’s the best decision.”

“What will you do when I’m not around?”

From the look in his eyes, it seemed he had grasped my intent.

I scanned the faces of the others as I continued, to make sure they understood as well.

“Think and decide for yourselves. If you keep relying on others, you’ll never move forward. Sometimes I wonder why you even came to the academy.”

I then subtly pointed to Limberton.

“In my eyes, the one who has been the most dedicated to his studies here is this guy. He came to the academy to grow, and he’s proven through results that he’s become a better person than before. But did none of you feel anything when you looked at Limberton?”

Everyone averted their gazes in embarrassment.

But Limberton, oblivious to the atmosphere, blurted out something unnecessary.

“Uh, well. Honestly, I owe a lot to you~.”

“Quiet, Limberton.”

I cut him off while fully igniting the ‘Noble Blood’s Ember’.

I’ve been through enough to know that if I let such remarks slide, things would undoubtedly get tangled again.

“Hmph.”

Limberton quickly turned his head and shut his mouth.

Now that the distraction was dealt with, it was time to wrap things up.

“So, I think this is an opportunity. It’s a chance to think about what you’ll do and how you’ll handle it. This will be a valuable experience, because somewhere in that process, there will be clues for growth. Don’t you agree?”

Bellman nodded seriously with a stern expression.

“…Yes, you’re absolutely right. I understand what you’re saying, Hersel. If we’re at the academy, we should be growing. Let’s consider this situation as a stepping stone.”

With his words, the atmosphere shifted, and everyone began to agree.

I smirked inwardly as I grabbed the weapons I had taken out of the inventory earlier.

None of them had brought weapons to the banquet, so these would certainly be helpful.

“Of course, I don’t plan to do nothing. If you need help, I’m willing to assist. But you should take the lead, and I’ll decide whether or not to follow.”

I attached the sword I received from Rockefeller to my waist.

As I handed over the bow and arrows, Limberton squinted.

“When did you manage to bring these? I guess you were fully prepared for anything, as usual.”

I glared sharply at Limberton.

“What?”

“Ah, nothing, never mind.”

Now, I had fully positioned myself as an observer.

But I couldn’t give off any impression of being weak or cowardly.

To maintain a slightly more imposing presence, I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall.

Donatan, in an almost admiring tone, said to me, ‘Your skills in manipulating morale have greatly improved, Hersel.’

‘If they come at me ruthlessly, I have to respond in kind.’

‘True, failure is far from being a word associated with you.’

After pulling off another successful manipulation, I suddenly realized just how much I had fallen.

I had become so corrupted that I no longer felt even the slightest guilt.

But this was a necessary virtue if I wanted to survive the devils.

‘It’s too early to feel relieved. This trick won’t work many more times. They’ll soon change their strategy. I always have to think one step ahead.’

‘Hmm. Thinking ahead, huh? Sounds great, but saying that in this pitiful situation makes you sound like a fool.’

‘Shut up.’

While I was bantering with him, Bellman was discussing what needed to be done with the other key players.

“First, we should check the invitations. Since everyone got one individually, the contents might be different. Let’s take them out and see.”

Luon’s position was on the top floor.

There were three staircases leading up, so the teams would naturally divide into three groups.

Each invitation specified which staircase the recipient should take.

Since I hadn’t received my invitation yet, I approached the attendant who was delivering them.

At the same time, I listened carefully to what the others were saying.

“Every game has its rules. If people who weren’t invited start interfering, who knows what might happen. He might even consider it a breach of the rules. Remember, the control of the situation is still in his hands.”

Ricks nodded.

“Yeah, it’s like he’s taken over the whole fortress. We can’t risk unnecessary dangers. I also think we should follow his requests as closely as possible.”

Leana asked Bellman, “But there are so many undead outside. And we don’t have any weapons. All we’ve got are Limberton’s arrows. I don’t think that’ll be enough to break through.”

Ricks raised his hand eagerly.

“I can use conjuration magic to make weapons. We don’t have staves, and I have mana limitations, so the duration won’t be long, but it’ll be useful for a while.”

Bellman smiled in satisfaction.

“Then it’s decided. Our first destination is the armory. With Ricks’s magic, we can hold out until we get there.”

All the weapons borrowed for practice had been returned to the armory, so it was the perfect place to gather equipment.

The route was also the shortest, making the armory the smartest first target.

“Good, that will save us time. Leana, Silla, after we gather the gear, we’ll take the right staircase as the invitation says. Ricks, which way are you?”

“I’m heading up the left staircase. I’m counting on you, Aslay, and Limberton.”

Bellman looked at Erucel.

“You’ll take the center, I assume.”

“Yes, we’ve got Riamon and Edina on our side. Riamon is inconsequential, but Edina, you can trust me.”

Despite all the back and forth, the narrative was progressing smoothly.

After preparing at the armory, each group would tackle their assigned obstacles.

I opened the invitation, wondering which of the three squads I would be assigned to.

However, there was only one unexpected line written on it.

I had no idea what Luon was planning, and a chill ran down my spine.

Bellman, unaware of this, asked me, “Hersel, which staircase are you assigned to?”

I simply showed him the invitation.

The message read:

[To the dining hall of the Adele Hall.]

This was a location unrelated to the scenario.

It also meant that I wasn’t to join any of the squads and was being summoned alone.

I considered how to handle this unexpected situation, but unfortunately, there was no time for leisurely speculation.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, a heavy tremor began shaking the floor, and the barricade we had set up in front of the main hall door shattered along with the door itself.

Crash!

Splinters of tables and limbs of thin undead scattered through the air.

At the center of it all stood a massive skeleton clad in armor, its blue eyes glowing as it drew a rusted sword.

Given that this place was once a battlefield, it wasn’t surprising to see a knight-level undead appear.

There had been many warriors buried beneath the ground.

Even if they had awoken as weak undead, they could still use some of their strength from when they were alive, making them far stronger than typical undead.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The knight charged towards us.

I advanced, igniting a mana blade along my sword.

Clang!

Its sword swung toward my neck, and at the same time, I thrust my sword toward its chest.

Clang!

The knight’s sword was shattered by my ‘1-second invincibility,’ while my blade pierced deeply like a drill.

Squelch!

『Shadow Blade of Weakening』

[When imbued with dark energy, the sharpness of the blade is amplified.]

[It weakens the opponent’s armor, dealing additional damage.]

[One technique can be engraved.]

I had learned through experiments that even using dark energy as an adhesive for coating the blade triggered the weakening effect.

This meant that simply by igniting a mana blade, the effects of increased sharpness and armor weakening were activated simultaneously.

Thud!

The undead knight collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, turning into dust along with its armor.

Black liquid dripped from my sword.

It was the blood from the knight’s black heart.

Undead disappear, leaving behind only their blood when they die.

Ping!

After flicking off the blood from my sword, I glanced at the weapons the others held.

Ricks had conjured them without a staff, so they seemed a bit unstable, but they looked serviceable enough.

Clatter!

The undead charged toward the main hall.

The one shining in this battle was Silla.

◆Blessing of the Subjugating Tyrant Abel

= Bow your head if you don’t want your neck cut by the swinging blade.

Grants a 1.2x stat boost against weaker opponents.

Increases strength when forcing an enemy into submission.

Deals double damage when striking the neck.

A trait that reveals its full potential in massacres.

Without showing any signs of exhaustion, Silla cut through the hordes of undead like weeds.

Whenever things got dangerous, Bellman cast barrier spells.

Although the barriers were weaker without a staff, they were strong enough to block the undead’s attacks.

We quickly cut down the enemies in the hallway and crossed the threshold.

We entered a corridor lined with windows.

The swarming undead were similarly dealt with.

Leana delivered the finishing blow to the last undead, stabbing its heart with her sword.

Squelch

Then, she slowly turned her head toward the window and widened her eyes.

“…Everyone, look outside.”

Her voice trembled.

Silla, wiping sweat from her forehead, furrowed her brow.

“No way… Is that all of them?”

The grounds of Frost Heart were covered in snow.

But now, the ground was devoid of its pristine white color, replaced entirely by the blackened hue of undead.

Creak

The undead were swarming toward the fortress entrance like an army of ants.

I shrugged off any thoughts of contemplation and pointed toward the direction of the armory.

“Are you going to stand there idly? We need to save as much time as we can.”

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