Chapter 38: The Start of Change (1)

Two figures were passing through the damp sewer.

A masked woman and a man so ugly that even the word “homely” felt like a compliment.

Their names were Rachel and Guartes.

They were clerics of the Darkness Council and the Death Council, respectively.

There was no conversation between the two clerics.

Only heavy silence.

The small sound of footsteps alone followed the darkness of the sewer.

“…….”

In truth, both were in a deeply uncomfortable state of mind.

They had failed a mission they believed was certain to succeed.

Guartes’s head was a tangle of thoughts about how to report this to their superiors, and Rachel, in her own way, was seething with anxiety about what would happen next.

No.

To be precise, she was afraid.

Cave was dead, and the thief who had sacrificed himself for the mission was now in an unknown state, alive or dead.

On top of that, they had failed to rescue Ged.

Since she was the only one to return alive, she alone would bear the responsibility.

Rachel felt the world go dark before her eyes.

‘But… there was no other choice….’

If the Black Sword had been there, she could have easily defeated Ivan and Yuria.

But the Black Sword was gone, and she had been in a situation where she had to carry Ged as well.

‘To make matters worse, even the Head Collector was defeated, and then Gerard showed up….’

For her, “escape” had been the only option.

In a way, given her primary mission of “infiltrating the Academy,” which was more important than rescuing Ged, it was the best choice she could have made.

But would this excuse hold?

“Stupid wench.”

It was then.

Rachel’s brow furrowed fiercely at the sudden insult.

“What?”

“How could you botch a job this badly? Are all the Darkness Council’s people this useless?”

“Shut your mouth, Guartes. Want to die without a trace?”

“Hmph. Kill me? Me?”

Guartes scanned Rachel’s tightly clad figure with lecherous eyes and smirked.

“A wench who lost her sword is all talk.”

“……!”

“Can’t you read the situation? If the thief’s fate isn’t confirmed, it’s not me who’s dead—it’s you, you fool. Instead of thinking up excuses, you should be praying!”

Tch, clicking his tongue, Guartes turned and opened the stone door in front of them.

With a rumbling groan, the door opened, revealing a stone chamber about two pyeong in size.

In the center of the chamber.

A crystal orb the size of a human torso stood.

Guartes approached the orb, placed his hand on it, and muttered.

Then,

Fwoosh──

Flames sprang up from the candles on either side.

One black, the other blue.

The two clerics bowed toward the flames.

“I greet the Bishop.”

“I greet the Bishop.”

Curiously, two distinct voices echoed softly in the chamber.

[Report the results of the mission, Guartes.]

[……Hold on.]

It was then.

The black flame flared, growing in intensity.

[Why are you there, Rachel? Where is Cave?]

Rachel, singled out, flinched.

By now, she had removed her mask, revealing her bare face.

“Well….”

When her story was finished.

The air in the chamber was scorching with the heat emitted by the black flame.

The two clerics writhed in pain.

“F-Forgive us…!”

“No. Why me too… Aagh! It’s hot, it burns!”

It was at that moment that the blue flame, which had been silent, flickered.

[That’s enough, Lutus. Are you trying to kill them outright?]

At once, the black heat that had engulfed the chamber dissipated.

[Of course not.]

[You held back well. Now, Guartes?]

“Y-Yes! Bishop Cristiano!”

[What of Shadow’s Master? What happened to him?]

“W-Well….”

Guartes, still prostrate, kept glancing at Rachel beside him.

In truth, the survival of the thief was the next most critical matter after the mission’s outcome.

At Guartes’s glare, Rachel answered.

“Probably… he’s safely hiding somewhere.”

[Indeed, considering his abilities, he’s not the sort to die so easily there.]

Rachel nodded in agreement, almost unconsciously.

But the black flame disagreed.

[Fortunate? Die easily? Our Darkness Council lost a high cleric, and you dare speak so carelessly?]

[Of course, Cave’s death is genuinely regrettable. But in the grand scheme of “destroying the Academy,” it’s a minor loss. For us, it’s far more fortunate that we didn’t lose Shadow’s Master.]

[What did you say? You…]

[Think coldly, Lutus. Cave is replaceable, but Shadow’s Master is not, is he?]

[…….]

The black flame fell silent.

The blue flame’s words were true.

Cave was merely one of fifty high clerics.

But finding a skilled and trustworthy thief was like plucking a star from the sky.

And Shadow’s Master was no longer just a capable thief—he had become irreplaceable.

His reputation within the cult had spread beyond the Death Council and Darkness Council to the other three factions.

[What about Ged? Has he completely slipped from our grasp?]

“He’s been transferred to the Central Knights’ headquarters, so it seems….”

[Damn it.]

Then Guartes spoke up.

“I-I have one question.”

[What is it?]

“If Shadow’s Master returns, what should we do about his payment?”

The black flame flared up again.

[The mission failed, and you talk of payment?]

But once again, the two flames diverged.

[Pay him.]

[What? Cristiano!]

[He fulfilled his role sufficiently. He even went beyond his abilities, sacrificing himself as bait to ensure the mission’s success.]

[But the mission failed!]

[Why?]

[What?]

[Why did it fail?]

[That’s…]

The black flame’s voice grew quieter.

The reason for the failure was clear.

Defeat in battle.

And not to professors, but to mere cadets, who had taken Ged from them.

That was the decisive factor in the mission’s failure.

And the one who had provided the combat personnel was none other than Bishop Lutus, the incarnation of the black flame.

[He requested operatives to compensate for the lack of combat strength. But what was the result? They lost the battle, and Ged was taken. They didn’t do their part. That’s our responsibility.]

[Our responsibility? Really?]

[…….]

[Haha! You cunning bastard, Cristiano. Just say it outright. It’s entirely the Darkness Council’s fault.]

The blue flame said nothing.

A heavy silence settled over the chamber.

It was a stifling stillness, incomparable to the earlier tension.

How long did that silence last?

The black flame let out a low chuckle.

[……Heh. Fine. I’ll back off this time. But mark my words. If you keep favoring that man, one day he’ll try to climb over our heads.]

With that, the black flame went out with a pop.

Guartes, who had been nervously watching, spoke hesitantly.

“S-So, the payment….”

It was then.

The lone blue flame illuminated one side.

[What do you think, cleric Rachel?]

Rachel’s eyes widened at the sudden address.

“Me?”

[Yes. You worked directly with Shadow’s Master, even briefly. I’m curious about your thoughts. Do you agree with my decision to pay him? And also.]

The blue flame’s next question thundered in Rachel’s ears.

[Did he seem like someone who knows his place?]

“That’s….”

Rachel lowered her head, biting her lip.

She could feel it.

Though the black flame was gone, Bishop Lutus’s presence still lingered, watching the room.

If so, her answer was already decided.

Just as Rachel, having gathered her thoughts, was about to speak.

Her eyes caught the black cloth in her hand.

It was the mask she had been wearing until moments ago.

And the one he had given her.

[Your answer?]

Staring at it for a moment, she finally spoke softly.

* * *

Perhaps because of the commotion last night.

The air at the Academy, as I woke up, felt different from usual.

And so did I.

Unlike usual, my heart was pounding with excitement.

I sprang up, splashed cold water on my face to wake up, and headed out for my morning routine.

Tap! Tap!

The steady sound of my breathing broke the quiet morning.

How long had I been running?

I saw two silhouettes approaching from the opposite direction.

A soft, pleasant voice and giggles in between.

The Academy emblem on their collars was red.

They were juniors from the 889th class.

Then, at some point, their laughter stopped.

They had seen me running toward them.

“……!”

What was it?

This scene felt strangely familiar.

A sense of déjà vu, though not a premonition or a dream.

“Crazy. Isn’t that Gerard?”

When those words pierced the quiet morning air and reached my ears, I remembered who they were.

Oh. These were the girls I met the day before the Entrance Festival.

Not just the people, but the place and situation were identical.

I recalled expecting a greeting only to be completely ignored.

“Gerard?”

“Yeah, yeah!”

So this time, I just passed by.

“Hello, Senior!”

No, I tried to.

Until they bowed toward me.

“Me?”

I stopped and pointed at myself, and they nodded vigorously, smiling brightly.

“Yes! I’m Irina from the 889th class! Nice to meet you, Senior!”

“I’m Sanya! What were you doing? Training?”

“Uh? Yeah. As you can see.”

“Got it! Keep it up!”

“Fighting!”

And with that, they left.

I stood still, staring blankly at their retreating figures.

I didn’t know what had just happened.

In just two weeks, those girls had become completely different people.

“Why are they acting friendly today?”

It didn’t take long to find out why.

I picked up a newspaper left on a bench, seemingly dropped by someone.

The date showed it was today’s fresh daily.

The headline on the front page was none other than──,

The Ged escape incident from last night.

As I scanned the article, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

There was a huge photo of my face.

“…….”

And not just me.

Next to it were Yuria and Ivan.

The description of us was none other than the “Academy Trio,” who had caught the thief causing chaos at the Academy and defeated a villain.

I didn’t know which reporter wrote it, but their naming sense was impressive.

“The Trio? Seriously.”

I knew the news would spread.

But I didn’t expect it to spread this fast.

Especially to be featured in “Royal Dream,” known as the Empire’s top news outlet, in less than a day.

I had a rough guess who was behind it.

“There must be a reporter at Royal Dream they know.”

The meaningful smile of Professor Chaser from yesterday flashed in my mind.

A smile crept onto my face.

For someone like me, trying to shed the image of a failure, this was the greatest help I could ask for.

Of course, I knew it was more for the Academy’s publicity than to help me.

But that didn’t matter.

Good was good.

In fact, I was so grateful for this unexpected help that I wanted to run over and kiss someone. I hoped they’d keep spreading my heroic tales.

“It’s nice to see visible change, at least.”

Two weeks had passed.

And in those two weeks, the perception of the 889th class had changed.

It was a reward.

The one I had waited for and anticipated more than anything, proof that my efforts hadn’t been in vain.

A wave of pride surged through me, filling my chest.

“Phew!”

I stopped running and slumped against a tree trunk.

I stayed like that for a while.

Yet my racing heart, pounding like a runaway train, showed no signs of stopping.

Beyond pride, a sense of anticipation welled up.

I instinctively knew this wasn’t just about the juniors’ changed attitudes.

Many things would probably change.

The way people looked at me.

No, the world around me.

The warm sunlight began to fall on my face.

Looking up, I saw a rosy dawn, like spilled paint, rising.

As if heralding the arrival of a new day.

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