Chapter 127: Return to the Academy and the Incident

Thud!

Evan vented his frustration by pounding the ground.

“Why…!”

He had never intended for this to happen.

But the moment he unleashed his Aura Vortex, the Dragon Heart of Wrath shattered, and he was forcibly expelled from the inside.

What made him even angrier was that, from where he now stood, he had a clear view of what was happening inside.

“Luna Pendragon, Adrias Cromwell.”

He was supposed to merely perform the formal role of a Dark Mage Hunter. Luna Pendragon, nicknamed the “Lunar Maniac,” was his target.

But as usual, he had gone out half-heartedly, without any real intention to apprehend Luna.

“Even though… Eve Millennium.”

A lifelong nemesis.

A term he used to refer to himself and her.

It must have been that way.

“She didn’t want this either…”

Inevitably, he was accumulating more debts.

That’s why he had left Luna untouched until now.

Luna hadn’t caused any incidents, not even once.

‘When I came to this place, everything changed.’

This bizarre space where endless repetitions changed his perspective.

It clouded his thoughts.

It wavered his belief in the Absolute Evil that he once believed the Black Mist practitioners to be.

‘Evil and good… What’s bad, and what’s good, exactly? Can I, a mere human, even distinguish between them? And if I can, by what standards?’

Confused, he began questioning his stance on the Black Mist practitioners, whom he had so detested.

In fact, they weren’t evil. Not Luna Pendragon, at least.

Adrias Cromwell, whom he had gotten to know while they were stuck here together, wasn’t evil either.

‘I don’t know…’

Ultimately, his conclusion was uncertainty.

It wasn’t that he wanted to side with the black magic practitioners. He merely couldn’t label them as pure evil anymore.

Luna Pendragon’s purity, in particular, transcended the boundaries of good and evil.

Getting to know Adrias Cromwell and learning his real name had added to Evan’s doubts.

‘I don’t understand.’

Therefore, he had decided to choose the Light.

He had decided that only the Light could save the world.

‘Once I return to the Holy Kingdom, I will relinquish everything and leave.’

When he thought about it, he couldn’t be sure whether everything he had done so far had been truly righteous.

His entire life, now entirely negated by himself.

By nobody else but himself.

But that wasn’t important right now.

Evan’s gaze shifted toward the city below.

Where he currently stood was outside the city’s walls, which would normally be obscured by fog. Thanks to some inexplicable force, he couldn’t penetrate the city. And his Aura Vortex wouldn’t break through either.

‘Adrias Cromwell. Luna, please…’

The inexplicable light formation, which seemed to function like a teleportation spell, had been created near the Dragon he had killed.

“It’s trying to disappear.”

The light formation was fading.

If anyone saw this scene, they would naturally think about escaping. Moreover, the black mist surrounding Luna was something they had already faced, so they knew how challenging it could be to break through it and rescue her.

‘Still, if I were there…’

Would things have been different?

With the combined strength of Adrias Cromwell and himself, could they have saved her?

“God… is not on the side of good.”

God was too neutral, an existence like nature itself.

He knew that, but he still resented God as a human.

His resentment towards God was more intense than ever before.

There was never a time when he felt more resentment than now.

Now, as Luna couldn’t hold out any longer and the black mist was about to engulf her, Evan finally despaired.

“Being called ‘Aura Master’ is meaningless.”

Despair, for the second time.

What good was being an Aura Master if he couldn’t help at all?

As he wallowed in his weakness and despair, suddenly, light spilled forth.

“Huh?”

Adrias Cromwell, wearing a black crown, emitted a brilliant light with a determined gaze, which shone brighter than the black mist that surrounded Luna.

The image of Adrias wearing the black crown, as reflected in Evan’s eyes…

Without fear of the black mist, Adrias stood boldly, as if everything was beneath him.

It was the demeanor of a true emperor.

“Ahhh…”

Back when he had seen the Emperor of Rodren, he had only confirmed that the man was a human with a bit more vigor.

“Your Majesty…”

Adrias, wearing the Black Crown, was enveloped in light and wielded the light like a monarch, as if everything bowed beneath him…

It was truly the resurgence of a true king.

{T/n: Dude needs to chill}

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When Luna and Adrias crossed over the portal, they witnessed a strange sight.

“Evan?”

Evan von Orlean.

He was looking at them with tears in his eyes.

‘What’s wrong with him? Has he gone mad?’

We had barely cleared the dungeon, and now he’s acting like he’s gone insane?

But as if reading my thoughts, Evan spoke.

“I’m relieved that both of you are safe.”

Even so, I expected things to become a bit awkward once we left the dungeon, but there was no sign of that.

But what happened next was even more surprising.

“I will follow the path of light.”

Evan knelt down as if taking an oath, and Luna and I just stared at him, not knowing what was going on.

“Evan, did something happen?”

Adrias asked, puzzled.

Perhaps Evan also experienced a regression outside?

Did he end up going mad?

“Nothing happened. I simply observed His Majesty performing miracles.”

Because he kept speaking in incomprehensible riddles, my head started to hurt.

Did something actually happen? I’m too tired to deal with this right now.

“Evan! Are you hurt?”

Luna couldn’t hold back any longer and asked.

At that, Rulf, who had been on her shoulder, also let out a mournful cry, as if scolding Evan.

“Yes, I might be hurt. After all, having the rotten parts of my beliefs cut away was painful. But as much as those parts were removed, I am now happier, filled with new hope.”

I still couldn’t quite grasp what he was saying, so Luna and I looked around in bewilderment.

Now that I looked around, we were on top of the city’s outer wall.

In the distance, I could see the place where we had just been in a fierce battle. But now, where should we go?

“Let’s find a way out first.”

Let’s rest outside. I just wanted to get out of this dreary dungeon. Luna and Evan obediently followed my lead. They probably had the same thought as me. I didn’t want to spend a second longer in this dungeon. And who knew what else could happen.

“There it is!”

As we walked along the outer wall, a random door appeared. But the appearance of this door seemed familiar.

“The first door we entered!”

“That’s right.”

It was an arched wooden door. When I saw it, I finally felt a bit of relief at the thought of escaping.

‘No hidden reward rooms, huh? Well, it doesn’t matter.’

Right now, getting out was the priority.

Besides, since this dungeon was likely unlike any other, being a hidden dungeon and all, there might not even be any reward rooms.

“Just a moment.”

I approached the wooden door, but Luna suddenly looked in the direction of the city and clasped her hands together in a prayer-like gesture.

“Poor souls. I promise to come back and release you all.”

Could she communicate with spirits?

I had no idea what she was doing, but Luna smiled at us.

“It’s done! Let’s go!”

“You’re planning to come back?”

“Yep! A loooot stronger! When I come back next time, I’ll definitely release all these poor souls.”

Maybe it’s better to erase them?

Honestly, I had no idea how these spirits worked, and if they were stuck in an eternal loop, it might be better for them to be set free.

“Shall we go outside then?”

I opened the wooden door, and once again, we stepped into the black space that unfolded before us.

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The view outside the window felt surreal.

Everything that I had passed by every day and never paid much attention to suddenly felt unfamiliar.

“Senior, are you okay?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Just… the atmosphere feels a bit different.”

Right now, I was on a train heading back to the academy. On the opposite side, Lucia, who had joined me during our visit to the Hollington Territory, was sitting.

“Yeah? I don’t know what you mean.”

“You said nothing happened during the break, but something did, didn’t it?”

Well, something did.

But it was too complicated to explain.

About two weeks ago, we had returned to the Vayatra Fortress from our dungeon expedition, and Evan’s reaction had been nothing short of shocking.

“Only about ten days?”

Evan’s astonished voice still echoed in my ears.

We had spent at least a year in the dungeon. Since we experienced the same day repeatedly and rarely got to complete a full day, we couldn’t count the exact duration, but it was only about ten days in the outside world.

‘I’m relieved.’

If the same amount of time had passed outside as it did inside the dungeon, the world would have been in chaos by now.

Before preparing for our next challenge and assisting the Player’s growth, I should be thankful for the time that passed.

Evan and I had separated in the Grandis Kingdom.

He had mentioned that he had matters to attend to in the Sacred Kingdom and disappeared, leaving behind a cryptic message.

“Please wait for me. I will definitely return.”

I had asked him what he meant, but he only smiled politely before vanishing.

What did he mean by returning?

Moreover, Evan now knew my true identity, which made me somewhat uneasy.

However, I knew that there was nothing I could do about it. I could only hope for the best, considering the trust we had built over the years.

“Lucia, when will you return to the academy?”

I tried to change the subject.

“Senior, you’re changing the topic. But I understand. I promised Luna that I would come back next time.”

We had made many promises.

Knowing Luna’s sadness and loneliness, I wondered what I could do for her.

“If only her appearance were a bit more ordinary, we could have found a way to spend more time together.”

For now, Lucia planned to return to our hideout, and her regretful expression tugged at my heart.

I wished I could have done more for her.

The way she looked so deep in thought only made me feel sorrier for her.

Because of that, when I arrived at the Hollington Territory to keep my promise with Luna, I was still pondering.

This dilemma had been ongoing and weighed heavily on my mind.

“Senior, we’re almost there!”

“That’s right.”

In terms of time, it had been less than two months since I left, but it felt like years since I had returned.

The dissonance I felt made me chuckle at times.

“It’s connected. Huh?”

As we entered the academy grounds, Lucia took out her tablet and seemed surprised by something.

“Senior, the dormitory was Mulfery Dormitory, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“It’s closed now.”

“Closed?”

Closed… closed!

I quickly read the news on her tablet.

Mysterious incidents continue to occur, with two students already dead and several accidents happening?

‘So soon?’

It was something I had suspected, but the timing was quicker than I expected.

‘In a way, it’s fortunate.’

It was time to break the connection with that cursed place.

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