Chapter 59: Take It

The magitech airship carrying Avalon’s teachers and students finally arrived at the outskirts of the Demon King’s Castle.

Just moments ago the sky had still been clear blue, yet the instant they crossed an invisible boundary, pitch-black darkness swallowed the heavens and turned day into night.

Barren hills stretched endlessly; the earth was cracked and poor, strewn with jagged boulders.

Eerie fluorescent stones jutted from the slopes, glowing with a sickly green light that made one’s skin crawl.

In the darkness, countless ferocious beasts seemed to lurk, waiting for the ignorant to step into their hunting grounds.

At the very edge of vision loomed a colossal, ruined city—that was the Demon King’s Castle ruins.

“This place feels awful… I swear I can hear strange cries in the wind.”

“Yeah, look over there—tons of bones! So many people died here!”

“I wanna go home… I shouldn’t have come…”

The students grew visibly uneasy.

“Everyone, stay calm! This is the destination of Avalon Academy’s expedition!”

Anima spoke on behalf of the faculty.

“The war between the evil demons and humanity ended many years ago, yet evil has not been completely eradicated from this world. The outskirts of the Demon King’s Castle ruins are still infested with demonic beasts!”

“As the cradle of heroes and a part of humanity, Avalon Academy must contribute to our race! Every beast you slay here will earn you credits. Those credits will be added to your annual assessment. If you kill as a team, points will be divided by headcount. You may also follow the teachers to observe and learn. Act according to your own strength! Remember—this is not an exam. You are not competing against each other; you are cooperating. As fellow humans, we must support one another!”

“The academy is currently setting up teleportation arrays. In two hours the teleportation crystals will activate. In a crisis, use your crystal or communicator to call for help. The academy will do everything in its power to ensure your safety! You are strictly forbidden from entering the deeper zones—your activity is limited to the outskirts only!”

Once Anima finished, the students made their choices.

Some immediately formed parties to hunt together.

Some chose to follow the teachers—fewer credits, but far safer.

The confident top students decided to go solo and hunt alone.

The most timid few regretted coming at all and returned to the airship to wait it out.

“…”

Nikita exchanged subtle glances with several instructors.

Those teachers had not been assigned to guard the airship or babysit students. They were to follow Nikita into the ruins proper for “exploration.”

They nodded in silent understanding.

“This expedition has fewer rules than an assessment—just a few precautions…”

Via, of course, chose to act alone. She quietly slipped to an inconspicuous corner and waited for the teleportation arrays to finish.

Hope everything goes smoothly~

…

…

“Ahh… the nostalgia.”

Walking along a mountain path, Via wore a relaxed, almost blissful expression.

To ordinary humans the air here reeked of corruption and death, yet to her it felt like coming home.

After the expedition officially began, she deliberately avoided everyone, ignored the teachers’ warnings, and took a route few would notice—heading straight for the Demon King’s Castle ruins.

She still remembered exactly where the beast packs were thickest and where they were thin. Fewer encounters meant less wasted energy.

After nearly an hour of trekking, she was drawing very close to the ruins.

Just as the pink-haired girl stepped onto a ridge trail, a massive boulder crashed down from the sky above, forcing her to leap aside.

“…Who’s there?”

Via had sensed it long ago—someone had been tailing her the entire way.

“Damn cheap whore. I gotta hand it to you for having the guts to come to the Demon King’s Castle ruins—and alone, no less. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t even know how to get my hands on you.”

A figure appeared atop the hill ahead, blocking her path.

It was none other than Owen, young master of the Leites family.

Like Via, he had also chosen to act solo.

“Owen, what are you doing here?” Via asked.

“What am I doing? Making the loud-mouthed bitch who ruined me pay the price she deserves, of course.”

Owen’s face twisted with loathing, no longer bothering to hide his hatred.

“You really know how to play innocent. You used dirty tricks to steal my magic core, made me lose face in front of everyone!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I told you, I just picked it up.”

“Still pretending? No one else is here—you can drop the act. I saw you that day.”

“Fine, I took your core. So what? You lost because you suck. Still blaming others?”

Via’s tone suddenly changed; the usual timid softness vanished, replaced by the taunting lilt of a brat asking for a beating would use.

“Useless trash. Not happy? Take it, loser.”

“Heh heh heh… you really don’t understand your situation at all.”

Owen was furious, yet he started laughing.

Because the moment he pictured what was about to happen, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“You want revenge? Careful—I’m a saintess candidate of the Holy Land,” Via said with a shrug, completely unbothered. “You sure you wanna touch me?”

“You still don’t get it. Do you know how many people want you dead right now? His Majesty the Emperor loathes you to the bone, and the nobles can’t wait for you to disappear,” Owen’s eyes darkened. “If you actually vanished from this world, it would be doing everyone a favor.”

“…”

Via had long suspected that the assassin Mary had been sent by imperial nobles.

The Leites family was part of that circle. They probably wanted her gone just as badly.

This noble young master’s actions weren’t a sudden impulse—he’d likely planned this for a long time and had his family’s backing.

“Finally, I get to see fear on your face,” Owen’s voice grew gleeful. “What happened to all that big talk? Keep going!”

“Owen, you can’t do this. We’re both Avalon students!”

“So what? You don’t seriously think anyone would mourn you if you died, do you? You’re just trash no one cares about! Killing you lets me get revenge and helps the Empire get rid of defective garbage!”

Owen’s eyes spun as a wonderful idea struck him.

“Tell you what—I’ll give you one minute. Beg me for mercy, and maybe I’ll be merciful and let you live~”