Ch. 87.1 - Unexpected Event (3)
Grace Steele was capable of using various attribute magics, but her main magic was undoubtedly illusion.

Since that illusion was completely neutralized, she had no choice but to retreat.

"... Step aside, Deputy Commander."

Unusually, Kaen stepped back, calling her position. He also felt that the situation at hand required seriousness.

"Reveal your affiliation."

"Stella Academy, Grade 1, Class S, Department of Magic Combat..."

"No, reveal your 'true affiliation.'"

When Baek Yu-Seol didn't answer, Kaen's eyebrows twitched.

"Fine, I guess you can't say. I won't ask about your affiliation and why you infiltrated Stella. However, do not interfere in our affairs. We don't want unnecessary conflicts."

"That's a problem. Are you saying we should kill that student?"

"... Yes. That's our method."

If there was a hint of dark magic in someone, they were killed and disposed of. That was to prevent any repercussions.

Emotional appeals mean nothing to them.

Saying things like 'Will you kill your friend if they end up like that?' or 'Please spare my friend because they're my friend.'

It had no meaning to them. They must act even more robotically than those without emotions because they were mages of the Manwol Tower.

However, that didn’t mean they could retreat. Although Baek Yu-Seol knew he would be killed within a mere 5 seconds of fighting them, he was a being worth risking his life to protect the Haewonryang.

"How did it come to this..."

While everyone else was enjoying the Heavenly Spirit Tree Ascension Day, he was shopping at the market.

Then, a sudden message appeared.

[An event variable has occurred in the episode.]

[Episode 8 Haewonryang Dark Magic Route is in progress.]

Originally, only one student would have been affected by the sparks of Professor Maizen’s dark magic.

Jecky, Haeyonryang, and Arshuang.

In the original work, one of these three would randomly undergo dark magic during a specific event.

The ‘Jecky’s dark Magic Route' occurred during Episode 6, the Persona Gate practical training.

The 'Arshuang Dark Magic Route' occurred during Episode 7, the Familiar Contract ceremony.

The 'Haewonryang Dark Magic Route' occurred during Episode 8, the Dark Magic Contamination.

The Jecky’s Dark Magic Route had already been smoothly cleared, and honestly, the Arshuang’s Dark Magic Route was too easy to mention.

The problem was the Haewonryang’s Route.

The Haewonryang’s Route was an event branch that occurred with an extremely low probability, and a veteran user in a certain community who wrote a guide about it even said this.

"If you took the Haewonryang’s Dark Magic Route, there's a 99% chance of a bad ending. It's faster to give up and create a new character."

"However, if you still insist on pursuing it, read this guide."

"You'll realize that all the effort you put into it was futile."

Why was the difficulty so extreme?

One reason was that Haewonryang was incredibly powerful, making it difficult to confront him.

But even after defeating him, the choice of which path to take determined whether it led to a 'happy ending' or a 'bad ending.'

‘… Still, it seems like I've managed to solve it almost perfectly.’

Originally, the protagonist of this world was Edna. Even without Baek Yu-Seol stepping forward, the future steadily progresses in some direction.

Surprisingly, Edna chose the option for a happy ending with a 1% chance in the [Haewonryang Dark Magic Route], which was known to result in a bad ending with a 99% probability.

Perhaps Edna didn’t even realize that she made such a miraculous choice. He not sure how she strategized against Haewonryang's curse, but using their purification magic was the only thing left to finish.

But of all things, the mages of 'Manwol Tower' had to intervene.

‘Phew, I wish they had come a little earlier to help…’

Due to Edna’s significantly inferior ability to detect dark magic, they arrived at the scene too late.

What should be done now?

If there was just one chance to persuade them, Edna’s magic could completely purify Haewonryang.

However, the mages of Manwol Tower were absolutely uncompromising beings.

In front of a dark mage, the only way to ease their conscience is to dismantle their head.

That was all they could do.

They were not evil.

Dark mages were evil, so if one were to judge, they would be guardians of justice.

But that was not possible right now.

Just one step.

Just one step to make the mages of Manwol Tower retreat.

‘... There's no way such a favorable method will come up in this situation.’

Baek Yu-Seol was not actually that clever. In this situation, there were no miraculous solutions that came to mind like in a comic.

‘There's no choice but to face this situation head-on.’

He drew out his Argento. Although he didn't release any magic from the sword, it was enough to express his intention to fight.

"You say you'll kill my classmate, but I don't see any reason for me to just pass by. Are you suggesting we fight?"

"... You won't gain anything by fighting us. You will definitely die."

"Well, even if I die, I can make some noise. You guys don't seem like the type to confidently show your faces and act boldly. How about I strangle you once? I'm pretty confident in annoying you until people come."

...

Kaen remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"What do you want?"

"Just believe in me and let me purify that friend just once."

"It's a futile endeavor. Even if you manage to purify the dark magic, emotions won't return."

"That's why I'm telling you to believe. With the magic that kid uses, emotions can be restored to their original state."

When he pointed at Edna and spoke, her pupils trembled.

In truth, it wasn't Edna’s "magic" but rather the issue of the "method" they used, but it didn't seem necessary to explain in detail.

Edna silently watched Baek Yu-Seol’s back, sweating coldly.

’How can he move...?’

Grace would become the ultimate authority of illusion magic in the distant future. Currently, she was not at that level yet, but nonetheless, it was extremely difficult to break her illusion magic.

However, even within that illusion, he could move as if nothing was wrong.

Mayuseong's expression was severely shaken, showing considerable surprise. He couldn't believe the fact that Baek Yu-Seol could move so freely.

‘... Since he's a regressor, he must have figured out a way somehow.’

The important thing was whether Kaen would accept his opinion.

"If, by any chance, the purification of emotions fails?"

"I will cleanly withdraw."

"... Fine."

For Kaen, it wasn't a bad proposal.

At the very least, if they were to unnecessarily engage in a fight with someone who could easily bypass Grace’s magic, they would surely catch the attention of the Fairy King and the Elf King, "Florin," who was the king of all fairies.

That would be really unfavorable.

So it seemed like the best judgment to take a step back right now.

"If you break the promise... I will make sure you suffer the most agonizing death, causing chaos and everything."

"Why are you so ruthlessly cruel?"

For a moment, due to the sincere aura emanating from Kaen, his arms trembled slightly, but he managed to hide his hands as much as possible to avoid being noticed.

"Grace, release the illusion."

"Captain, do you trust his words?"

"... I just don't want to cause unnecessary trouble. If he's lying, it won't be too late to kill him then."

"Fine, I got it..."

Grave sighed deeply and shook her staff. Then, the illusion unraveled, and Edna regained his freedom.

"Ah..."

She forced her trembling legs to stand and approached Haewonryang, dragging her staff.

Then she collapsed in front of him.

Her legs had become weak from forcibly enduring the illusion. However, the spell had been completed earlier, and there was no problem in purifying Haewonryang.

She brought her staff close to Haewonryang's forehead, reciting the spell.

Well... calling it a spell, it sounded more like a magnificent hymn.

Angelic magic manifested through singing. Even though she was singing alone, it seemed as if dozens of choir members were singing from Edna’s mouth.

The melody was not in human language, so he couldn't comprehend it, but he could at least sense that the rhythm resonated in his chest.

"Captain, is that the Light Magic?"

Ch. 87.2
"Captain, is that the Light Magic?"

"... Yes."

"But she’s not from the Holy Order, is she...? And her power is almost on par with saints and holy maidens..."

"I heard that among the peculiar students who enrolled this year, there is a freshman who directly wields angelic power."

"Wow. Seriously, wow."

The light gradually trembled around Edna, forming seven pillars. Eventually, golden chains wrapped around Haewonryang's body, and the pillars of light pierced through him.

"Kuh...!"

Then, dark magic began to burst out in all directions. The dark magic that tainted his essence was all escaping outward.

The completely tainted dark magic returned to its purified state, transforming into blue mana, and his grotesquely deformed body returned to its human form.

The purification process didn't take long. In a short moment, Haewonryang returned to his human form.

"Kuk...!"

Due to forcefully using magic one level higher than her own, Edna, who had sustained injuries, vomited blood and slumped to the ground, but there was no time for them to pay attention to her.

It was because Kaen immediately occupied Haewonryang's body.

"... Let's check."

As Haewonryang gradually opened his eyes, Grace aimed her staff at his forehead.

"Who are you?"

"... Haewonryang."

"How do you feel right now?"

"... Not bad."

"Is there anyone you want to kill?"

"... None."

"What do you hate?"

Cir...

"... Losing."

At first listen, it might seem like a weird interrogation, but it was Grace’s specialty. Extracting concise answers from the subconscious target. She couldn't uncover deeply buried important information, but at least she could grasp his current state.

"Then, what do you like?"

"Tell me."

"Hmm, you really don't want to say this, huh? Well, can't be helped~"

"What's the result?"

"He's completely normal. He underwent black demonization. It's hard to believe, but he's just an ordinary human. He has almost no negative emotions. No, it's more like he never had those emotions to begin with... It felt like emotions were forcibly injected into him. The host seems to be quite powerful, huh?"

"I see."

Kaen nodded indifferently, but in reality, he was extremely surprised.

No... It wasn't just a surprise.

The current events had shaken his values to the core.

He had always believed that once a being was consumed by darkness, they could never return to their original state, so he had killed them all without exception.

It was unimaginable and unbelievable that a mere seventeen-year-old girl could completely restore emotions. He couldn't believe it, and he didn't want to believe it.

However, the reality before his eyes forced him to acknowledge the truth.

"Leader, what should we do?"

"... We're going back."

"Okay~"

Seeing that Kaen was in a bad mood, Grace didn't play any pranks. She also acted cautiously, considering the situation.

However, she couldn't help but burst into laughter because the situation was too amusing.

‘Our leader seems quite flustered~’

What should they do now? They had believed in their faith like saints and had acted their whole lives based on it, but it was being invalidated by a mere seventeen boys and girls.

"Get rid of the traces."

After saying that, Kaen turned around as if there was nothing more to see.

"Well then, little friends~ See you next time!"

That way, the Commander and Deputy Commander of the 13th Shadowblade Division completely disappeared, and Baek Yu-Seol sat down in that spot, gripping his trembling legs.

‘Wow... I thought I was going to die... Just his gaze alone could kill a person.’

He met Kaen face to face, even dared to confront him, and yet he survived.

But for some reason, he felt uneasy that he had come into contact with the most dangerous individuals. It didn't leave a good taste in his mouth.

… Was there nothing left but to die?

He lay down, thinking calmly. He didn't want to move a single step right now.

————-

… After all the incidents had come to an end.

Florin, who successfully concluded the Heavenly Spirit Tree's Ascension Day, returned to her castle and immediately headed straight to the Sky Flower Palace without a moment's rest.

Of course, no one could recognize her because she had completely changed her appearance.

"There isn't much time left. I've already exposed myself to the world for almost an hour. If I'm not careful, there might be victims affected by my curse, so I need to quickly handle the situation."

"That was undoubtedly dark magic. It was such a secretive dark magic that even veteran magic warriors wouldn't notice. However, for some reason, that dark magic completely disappeared midway. There was a possibility that someone had eradicated it, but I didn't want to leave such a risk factor."

Finally, Florin arrived at the vacant lot where the dark magic had been detected and closed her eyes while extending her palm.

"Wind, bring me the memories."

Then, the scent of memories wafted around her nose and quickly flowed into her mind.

"This is..."

She couldn't see anything.

Memories of wind filled with black and white. Someone had intentionally erased memories using magic.

Memories that had already been erased couldn't be resurrected even with high-level magic. However, Florin was the greatest master of them all. She wouldn't succumb to such petty magic.

"Whisper a little more details to me."

The ground, the wind, the flowers and leaves, the trees and rocks... Everything whispered to Florin about the situation at this scene.

Even though the ones who erased memories were thorough to the point of struggling to leave any trace, she could still see fragments of the situation.

"... Someone was using purification magic on a person presumed to be a dark mage, and meanwhile, two mages and one mage were in a confrontation."

Their faces weren't clearly visible.

However, it seemed like they were wearing Stela Academy uniforms...

"Ugh...!"

Due to forcibly squeezing out the memories of nature, a throbbing headache struck her. However, at that moment, a familiar scent brushed past Florin’s nose.

"This, this is...!"

It was a scent that she couldn't forget, no matter how much she tried. It was the fragrance of her long-time friend... Celestia.

The scent wafted heavily.

"How...?"

Celestia had fallen into eternal sleep in her own garden. She could never engage in any external activities, so how could Celestia’s scent be sensed in these memories?

… No, there was another possibility.

’If the culprit stole Celestia’s heart... If that person, the detestable one who stole the heart of my dearest friend, came here…’

Undoubtedly, if that person had come, the scent of Celestia would be so strong. Florin tightened her gaze, channeling her anger, in order to delve deeper into the memories.

However, as time passed, the memories grew fainter, and the power of nature diminished.

Even worse, a splitting headache struck as if the lid of her mind had been forcefully opened. Florin could no longer read the memories.

"Haah, ha..."

She sat down on the floor, breathing heavily, and bit her lips until they bled.

"Definitely... I will find the culprit who condemned my friend to eternal suffering. I will return everything... the same way..."

Florin’s anger grew deeper and deeper.