Chapter 644
The ruler of the Dark Alliance, Neftis Arkbold.
Lete, who had been slumped down with her strength drained, found herself somewhat dazed at her sudden appearance. At that moment, Neftis’ gaze turned toward Lete.
Wooong!
Lete instinctively invoked holiness. Seeing Neftis’ eyes narrow subtly, Simon quickly stepped in front of her.
“Lady Neftis!”
“?”
“Lete—no, the Saint—she is…!”
“I know. She was of great help in this matter.”
There was no hostility coming from Neftis. She merely shrugged her shoulders.
“We went to the trouble of stopping Ever Kire and preventing a war—if I were to start fighting the Saint again, it’d all be for nothing, wouldn’t it? Even if I kill her, a new Saint will appear anyway.”
“Hmph, if you don’t kill me here and now, you’ll regret it later.”
Lete smiled rebelliously.
“When the day comes that war breaks out, I’ll be the one at the front, cutting off your head.”
‘What in the world is she saying all of a sudden?!’
Simon’s face went pale with shock, but Neftis merely chuckled as though finding her cute.
“You’re still far too young for that, child~”
“Who are you calling a child, huh.”
While the two exchanged such words, the Crow agent Alastair approached and whispered a report into Neftis’ ear.
She nodded.
“Mm, mm. Proceed with the closing ceremony as planned.”
“?!”
Simon was bewildered. To press on with the closing ceremony in the middle of all this chaos?
What could Neftis be thinking?
“If you two aren’t badly hurt, you’d better join in as well, then~”
Neftis raised her hand with a flick.
“Bye-bye!”
With that one word, the teleportation magic circle spread beneath Simon and Lete’s feet and activated.
* * *
All events of the Dark Emperor Festival had come to an end.
There were no further incidents. The Summonology Department failed to overturn Katarology, which held first place, and ended up in second. Still, considering they had been bottom rankers time and again in the past, this was a tremendous leap forward.
And the match at Valkese Arena right before the battle against Ever Kire—that was annulled outright. The participating students were given appropriate training evaluation scores so that they would not suffer losses. It seemed the faculty was hastily tidying things up before the closing ceremony.
Then there was the Ever Kire incident.
The truth of what had happened was still largely unknown. Rumors only went so far as to say that both the contestants and the audience collapsed for no apparent reason, and were rushed to the infirmary.
The victims had all regained consciousness safely in the infirmary, but none could recall anything immediately after losing consciousness.
Simon and Lete as well were transported to the infirmary by teleportation magic circles and treated. Thankfully, aside from exhaustion, there were no serious injuries. Simon lay in bed, lost in thought.
‘Is Keyzen planning to bury the Ever Kire incident?’
Indeed, it was the perfect chance to do so.
The victims had no memory of what transpired, and only Neftis’ close aides—like Alastair and Kajan—knew the details.
For the successful conclusion of the once-in-five-years Dark Emperor Festival, the grown-ups may well have decided, after running the numbers, to let the noisy Ever Kire incident sink beneath the surface.
But was that truly the right choice? Simon’s mind tangled with conflicting thoughts.
Clack!
“How are you feeling, student?”
A doctor entered to check Simon’s condition.
He too was under Neftis’ faction and knew the situation. Simon snapped out of his reverie and lay straight.
“I’m fine! What about the Saint?”
“The Saint who came with you seems fine as well. Though, she has refused the infirmary’s treatment using Darkness…”
“Ah.”
“But don’t worry too much.”
The doctor scratched his head and added,
“We’ve taken the appropriate measures.”
* * *
<Great Healing>
Woooong!
The wounds on Lete’s body began to close little by little. She silently endured the pain and turned her head.
“It’s you, then.”
The one healing her was an old man in a saintly white robe, with a long white beard.
“Farahan the traitor.”
“……”
“I heard you were once a bishop of Efnelle… and now you teach necromancers in Keyzen.”
Farahan silently finished her treatment and lowered his hand. He then touched his shoulders and chest, making the sign of the cross.
“Gratula mi Kibilis. I pay my respects to the daughter closest to the Goddess.”
“……”
Lete sighed faintly.
“You betrayed the Goddess and joined the Dark Alliance, yet you still cross yourself and show respect to the Saint?”
“I betrayed Efnelle, not the Goddess. I still pray every single day.”
Farahan was one who still believed in Goddess Dave, but held that Efnelle twisted the will of Goddess to maintain their privileges and satisfy their greed.
“Of course, I doubt the Saint will accept this.”
“Yes. What you’re saying—”
Lete spoke with a dry expression.
“That’s just the typical logic of a heretic.”
She had only recently heard such words again.
—It’s not too late. Open your eyes. Forget the teachings of Efnelle that blind you, and serve my revelation.
Ever Kire.
Just the thought of that fanatic now filled her with disgust.
“Ever Kire suffered from delusions that she was equal to Goddess—and she even had the ability to manifest those delusions into reality. Using that power, she cornered Keyzen and even created a false goddess.”
“……”
“The degree may differ, but the essence of you and Ever Kire is the same.”
Her golden eyes gleamed as she stared at Farahan.
“Using opposition to the Efnelle system as an excuse, you crawled to those who wield demonic power. I’d say that’s plenty horrifying.”
Lete believed her words were quite sharp, but the old man did not waver. He merely stroked his long beard with a kind smile.
His eyes held the weight of countless years of contemplation and suffering, carrying the depth of the sea, as though enlightenment itself. That was how Lete saw them.
“Go on then, make an excuse.”
Instead, it was Lete who felt a sudden impatience in her chest.
“To begin with, I, unlike that fanatic, neither deny the Goddess nor consider myself equal to her.”
Farahan opened his mouth.
“And the Goddess has never once declared that necromancers are evil to be destroyed.”
Lete jumped.
“What nonsense! It’s clearly written in the scriptures!”
“The words of the Goddess were transcribed by men, and through repeated reinterpretations and edits favorable to the powerful, the scriptures were passed down. According to the original texts held by the Pontifex, Goddess Dave did mention demons—but never did she declare that necromancers are enemies, nor that they are demon worshipers.”
“Even so…!”
“Even if we concede a hundred times that Darkness is demonic power, necromancers do not worship demons. What they worship is—”
Farahan placed his hand upon his chest.
“Only themselves.”
“......!”
“They are simply humans like us. They merely adopt the most efficient means to endlessly grow stronger and advance. To say that Darkness is demonic power, and that humans who use demonic power worship demons, that is nothing but Efnelle’s claim. Our true enemy lies elsewhere.”
Lete’s expression became conflicted.
“......Nonsense.”
In the end, she dismissed it as nonsense, but Farahan only smiled gently.
“Even so, the fact that you have listened so deeply and sincerely to my words, Saint, makes you the very first. Normally, I am dismissed as a mad old man, not even worth hearing out.”
She slowly tilted her head back.
“One last question, then.”
“Ask it.”
“Don’t you regret it?”
Farahan gave no answer, only a knowing smile.
A smile that was unburdened, yet warm.
That smile alone was answer enough.
* * *
That afternoon, the closing ceremony of the Dark Emperor Festival was held.
Before it began, there was some talk about Arena Sixteen and the people who had lost their memories. But once the splendid ceremony started, all eyes turned toward the festivities.
And just as Neftis had suggested, Simon and Lete also took part.
Simon was obligated to attend as Student Council President, and Lete came out simply to take in the sights. Alastair’s side had provided them a spacious VIP seat, so they were able to watch in comfort.
Before a massive audience, vice-chancellor Jane and the elders of the Dark Alliance gave speeches. The students’ significant feats were projected across mana screens.
Then came the all-important Student MVP Awards.
This was awarded to the most outstanding student of the festival.
For the 3rd years, it was of course none other than Ballack, the overall 2nd-place finisher and head representative of Toxicology.
And for the 2nd years…
“Second-year Student Council President, Simon Follentia!”
Waaaahhhhh!
Deafening cheers erupted as Simon raised a large trophy and posed for a commemorative photo alongside Ballack. It was hard to breathe, though, as Ballack’s mask kept leaking toxic smoke.
‘Ah.’
From the VIP seats, Simon spotted Lete.
Though she pulled her hood low, he recognized her instantly. She clapped her hands in joy, and Simon smiled back.
At last, the awards concluded.
“Ahem.”
Seiyur, who was presiding over the ceremony, cleared his throat and spoke in a solemn voice.
“Now entering, Chancellor Lady Neftis of Keyzen! All students and honored guests, please rise from your seats.”
Everyone in attendance stood.
Step—step—
With heavy silence punctuated only by the sound of low footsteps, Neftis appeared.
She had not even shown herself at the opening ceremony—yet here she was, appearing in person for the closing.
‘Lady Neftis.’
From behind the stage, Simon fixed his eyes on her back.
An attendant rushed in with a wooden box, placing it beneath the podium. Neftis climbed atop it with light steps, cleared her throat, and spoke.
“Mm, everyone, sit.”
“Please be seated.”
Only after her words did the audience take their seats. Neftis grasped the amplifying crystal and opened her mouth.
“Thank you all for gracing the Dark Emperor Festival until the very end. The reason I stand here today is—”
Her lips curled open.
“To speak of something important regarding the future of the Dark Alliance.”
A declaration of a major announcement.
The entire hall was instantly gripped with tension.
“I’m sure there’s been a lot of chatter, yes? Arena Sixteen. The spectators and students who lost their memories. To cut straight to the point—”
Her eyes sank.
“Keyzen was attacked by a fanatic who deserted from the Holy Federation.”
Murmur, murmur, murmur!
A fanatic.
It was the most sensitive and threatening topic in the Alliance right now, so the crowd’s murmurs only swelled louder.
“The intruder’s name was Ever Kire. A dangerous psychic capable of deceiving everyone by twisting reality, making what never existed appear to exist. You may not remember it, but a fierce battle was fought over Roke Island. And beneath the surface of that battle—”
Her blue eyes swept across the crowd.
“We discovered the presence of a new Legion Commander.”
“!!”
The arena roared like waves. First a fanatic—and now suddenly a new Legion Commander?! The story was taking an unpredictable turn.
The necromancers especially, those who had taken part in the Dark Emperor Festival, exchanged grave whispers.
“Impossible, isn’t it? A new Legion Commander?”
“All six seats are already filled. Unless some Ancient Undead suddenly appears with authority, it shouldn’t be possible…”
‘Heh.’
Neftis smirked slightly and brought the crystal to her lips.
“We confirmed the existence of the Ancient Undead ‘Feer’, once known as the ‘Lord of Fear’ and the master of the Seventh Legion—long believed to be utterly annihilated.”
“!!”
“That’s right.”
Neftis’ voice carried power.
“The Traitor Legion has returned.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters