It didn’t take long for the situation to settle down.
Once the power source was repaired, the Empire sent in a large number of troops for support,
and after a brief investigation, we were able to leave the city.
Sylvia headed straight for the capital, while I took some rest and returned to Arcane.
I decided to put off thinking about Sylvia for a while.
She mentioned that she wouldn’t be able to come to Arcane for some time, as she needed to stay by Helena’s side until she recovered.
My sword, too, would only be forged once Helena was back to full health.
For now, I wouldn’t need it, so it didn’t matter much whether it was ready or not.
“So, Sylvia asked for your help?”
“Yeah, pretty much. Since she knows I’m your person, she didn’t hesitate to ask. Ah! For the details, you’ll have to hear it from her. I don’t want to get caught in the middle.”
“…Alright.”
Gray said he was only here because Sylvia had asked him to come, and that I should hear the details directly from her later.
‘The former Duke isn’t the type to willingly hand over his title.’
A greedy, power-hungry worm blinded by his own ambition.
That’s how people described the former Duke in private.
Of course, officially, they’d praise him with all sorts of flowery words,
but in private, they’d tear him apart.
I’m not sure how Sylvia managed to secure the dukedom, but it’s obvious how she brought him down.
‘She must have exposed his corruption, or perhaps even more serious internal secrets.’
The royal family must have been pleased.
It’s better to have someone young but capable take the dukedom rather than an unpredictable madman.
“Ugh, I think I need some rest.”
From the eastern front to training with Drakan, it’s been over a year since I’ve been moving around these places, and now they feel almost like home.
“A year and a half…”
A lot has happened.
Even if I say I spent a year just adjusting, the last six months have been truly grueling.
One thing after another kept piling up, far beyond what I could handle.
It’s been mentally exhausting.
But the me who used to shrink back and avoid everything
has now gained the strength and confidence to face things head-on.
Even though I’m still only at the 5th rank and have a long way to go, compared to how I was at the beginning, this is nothing short of a miracle.
‘Back then, I was at a level where I could die at any moment.’
I’ve been running forward, dealing with whatever was right in front of me, without even the time to look around.
I can confidently say I haven’t taken a single day off.
‘Now, I need to pay more attention to Ian.’
The heroines seem to be growing well enough on their own.
Even without much help from me, they’re showing explosive growth, twisting the original story in their own ways.
It’s almost ridiculous.
But in contrast, Ian’s situation isn’t looking too good.
I’ve been keeping an eye on him through Gray, but he’s been isolating himself, only training and not forming any relationships with others.
If only he could grow as effortlessly as the heroines, it would be fine, but his progress is slower than expected.
At this rate, it won’t be long before I catch up to him.
‘He has exceptional potential, but for now, that’s all it is.’
It’s strange how the heroines seem to avoid Ian, the protagonist, rather than showing any interest in him.
But I still have to take him with me.
After all, he’s the protagonist of this world.
***
“Senior.”
“Hmm?”
“I know you’re worried, but…”
“What, do you have a problem with that?”
“…No, not at all.”
After the weekend, it was back to school.
The faculty seemed to be aware of the situation and didn’t say much to me.
‘Maybe the Dean asked them to let it slide since there were circumstances.’
Drakan had left a letter for the current Dean.
Thanks to that, I wasn’t suspended, which was a huge relief.
Isabel welcomed me back with great enthusiasm.
Like a dog owner petting their long-lost puppy, she ruffled my hair until it felt like it was on fire.
It took some effort to shake her off.
“Oh, you’ve gotten tougher.”
“Right? It’s all thanks to my hard work.”
“…But you didn’t get into any weird stuff, did you?”
“No, Drakan treated me well. Thanks to him, my mana imbalance is almost fixed.”
“Phew… That’s a relief.”
One thing I regretted during my training with Drakan was that Isabel wasn’t there with me.
‘I wish she could have joined earlier.’
After the demon god’s descent, she began training as a warrior.
She had received some training as a child, but that was only superficial.
‘It was after the fall of the Aldonia Kingdom.’
The allied forces that had rebelled against the Empire.
Their first target, the Aldonia Kingdom, was utterly crushed.
Of course, the underworld was behind it.
Those who received their support gained an undeniable strength.
‘It’s amazing how they decided to attack other countries even after the demon god descended.’
Greed knows no bounds and leads to destruction—that’s exactly what they embody.
Even though they could die if the demon god went on a rampage, they lost their senses over the immediate benefits and cooperated. It’s truly pitiful.
From a reader’s perspective, they deserved to be stabbed to death a dozen times over.
‘It made for a diverse cast of characters, but I never thought they’d destroy the kingdom…’
This time, it’ll be different.
I was worried about messing up the story, so I didn’t intervene directly before, but now that I have Gray as a reliable information source, it should be fine.
‘I gave him some hints about expanding his influence, so he should be doing well.’
I casually dropped a few pieces of information about the underworld to Gray.
Along with the various issues I remembered from my past life, the Black Crow has grown significantly and now extends its influence beyond the Empire.
‘I barely slept over the weekend, reading through the information Gray gave me.’
As expected, the underworld is slowly emerging into the light.
We haven’t found any definitive evidence yet, but we’ve already identified some of their bases.
‘I’m not the type to just sit back and take hits.’
The story has already diverged significantly from the original.
So, there’s no reason to wait for them.
Even if they cut off their tails and the core members remain hidden, we can at least disrupt their movements for a while.
“Why is that occult addict coming this way?”
While Isabel was dragging me to the cafeteria, saying she’d buy me lunch, Rozennia spotted us from afar and hurried over.
“Hey, what are you—”
“Are you okay? I was so worried when you suddenly stopped coming to class!” Junior!
“Uh…”
“Why are you with that muscle-brain? Come on, let’s go to the clubroom. I have a lot to ask you.”
Ignoring Isabel, Rozennia grabbed my arm and started pulling me away.
“We’re going to eat, can’t you see?”
“Come on, let’s leave that barbarian behind.”
“Can’t you see?!”
Why are they so hostile to each other?
Unable to take it anymore, I slipped away from their bickering.
‘I’m so drained.’
If I had stayed, Rozennia would have ended up coming to the cafeteria with us.
If I hadn’t escaped, I wouldn’t have been able to eat properly without feeling sick.
‘But were they always this close?’
Judging by their tone and behavior, they seemed quite informal with each other.
Isabel is like that with everyone, but Rozennia is usually more reserved.
‘Wait, from Rozennia’s perspective, she’s the princess of a vassal state, so it makes sense.’
In the original story, there wasn’t any mention of them being unfamiliar or not close.
Well, there was a scene where they used honorifics when forming a special unit to hunt the demon god, but that was after they had gone through some tough times together, and it was after graduation.
So, it made sense.
“Phew… I should go check on our golden boy.”
I haven’t seen him in a while, being caught up in all sorts of things.
I know from Gray that he’s been training,
but seeing it in person is different from just reading about it.
“Let’s see… I’m sure he said he’d be around here somewhere.”