Act 20

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Instead of introducing someone, Aileen asked for a favor.

After accepting her proposal and following her, we arrived at the Bayer Academy.

A beautiful sight.

While it was considered one of the empire’s seven wonders due to its use of color contrast like a royal palace, its understated naturalness provided a sense of stability.

‘Stability, huh.’

Surely, part of the reason I felt this way was because the Bayer Academy is one of the main stages in “Let’s Kill the Demon Lord.”

This place has a deep connection with the protagonist, ‘Hayden Reich.’

It was the first place he saw ‘Julian,’ and it’s somewhat related to his past.

It was a location ‘players’ frequently saw in the game.

“So, what do you need from me, Miss Aileen?”

“It’s a simple task.”

Aileen began walking along the well-maintained academy roads.

 Of course, I followed her.

“It’s something you’re very good at.”

So, what is it, exactly?

As I quietly followed her, I felt the gazes of those around us turning our way.

Some bore the color of ‘fear,’ while others glanced over, wary.

“Miss Aileen, are you going to the old building?”

At that moment, a man approached Aileen in the middle of the road.

He wore the emblem of ‘4th Order, Leo’ on his shoulder and had the Bayer Academy’s teacher’s ID around his neck.

He was a professor at the Bayer Academy, teaching magic, and a Wizard.

“Yes, Sir Hardy Godfrey.”

Aileen greeted him with a bright smile.

“It’s also nice to see you here, Mr. Julian. I never imagined we’d meet in such a place.”

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you.”

The man acknowledged me as well.

As I returned the greeting with a small smile, he flinched momentarily before quickly shifting his gaze back to Aileen.

“And as for you, Miss Aileen, it seems you’ve been saddled with a rather troublesome task.”

“Troublesome? It’s something that needs to be done for the students. I’ve never thought of it as troublesome.”

“Is that so? Well, considering your background, it’s not something Miss Aileen would complain about.”

The man sneered in a demeaning way.

I thought they were simply acquaintances, but it seems they’re the kind that’s uncomfortable around each other.

“To shed the label of a collateral branch, one must endure and strive, after all.”

“Then, Sir Hardy must have his own challenges to endure.”

Aileen didn’t hold back either.

“What are you implying?”

“You received a harsher evaluation than me during the last thesis review. Even more than me, a person from a collateral branch.”

“What, what….”

The man’s face turned red.

Thanks to that, the disdainful looks that were only hinted at before became even more pronounced.

“To think I was worried about you taking on such a burdensome task, and instead of gratitude, I get insulted.”

“Oh, I was worried too.”

“Who’s worrying about whom!?”

Their voices grew louder.

This could escalate from a verbal argument to an actual fight if we’re not careful.

“Anyway, this is why you shouldn’t employ those from a collateral branch. They don’t know their place…”

“That seems to be your opinion, Sir Hardy.”

He seemed flustered, not expecting me to intervene.

Yeah, honestly, it’s not even my business, and there’s nothing good about butting in. But I’m not planning to waste time on needless matters here, especially when every second is precious. Especially if it’s because of some trivial dispute.

“Whether related by blood or not, all nobles are citizens of the Empire. Could I interpret your recent words as a challenge to the Emperor, who has built the Empire’s discipline?”

“Wearing glasses, aren’t you jumping to conclusions? I merely pointed out the shortcomings of a collateral bloodline…”

“Is that so?”

I smiled broadly at him as he nodded.

“I also come from a collateral line. According to what Sir Hardy says, that would make me part of the lacking lot, wouldn’t it?”

“…”

I gave a short laugh, and the man’s face stiffened. Soon, a purple haze appeared above his head.

Touching the scabbard at my waist as if to show off, the fear visibly shook him.

“Judging people by unnecessary standards is unbecoming of an academy professor. When I cut myself, I saw that blood is red regardless of noble bloodlines. Do you need to verify this?”

“……Hic.”

The man began to hiccup.

Of course, I had no intention of drawing my sword. It was merely a gesture.

I hope this teaches him a painful lesson about picking unnecessary fights.

“Let’s go, Miss Aileen.”

“Eh? Ah… Yes.”

Aileen started walking, stuttering as if confused. I bowed silently to the man and followed her.

“You weren’t really going to draw your sword, were you?”

After a while, Aileen asked cautiously, probably because of the scare earlier.

“Of course not.”

“That’s a relief.”

She sighed softly in relief.

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“Just. For dealing with the hassle for me.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Before long, the old building came into view. 

Despite being the old wing, it was no less sophisticated in architectural style than the new wing, boasting of the enormous budget of the Bayer Academy.

Its size was nothing to scoff at.

The fact that such a building was left as an ‘old wing’ strongly gave off the impression of wasteful expenditure.

“So, what do you want to ask me to do?”

“You said it yourself earlier. Something you’re very good at.”

After scanning the immense size of the old wing, I turned my gaze back to Aileen, and she continued.

“Hunting demons.”

Hunting demons? Here in the Bayer Academy?

“This place should be protected by the barrier of resonance stones.”

“I didn’t quite believe it either. But, a small creature was detected inside the old building.”

Aileen took out a compass-like case. 

Inside was a stone shining with a bluish light, ‘Resonance.’

“Judging by its size, it doesn’t seem very big…”

“Seeing that the Resonance Stone is reacting, it’s definitely a demon.”

She nodded.

“If it’s this size, it’s a small demon that we could ignore. But, given the recent increase in demon appearances and the number of incidents, right?”

There were incidents in the slums, Aileen added.

“With the atmosphere being tense, we decided it’s best to deal with it before opening the old building to the public. Moreover, there’s been a rise in cults worshipping demons lately… truly, there’s no end to troubles.”

In short, Aileen has been tasked with dealing with the demon in the old building.

Normally, knights or personnel specialized in dealing with demons, like ‘Closed Eyes,’ would be deployed. 

However, the demon in this old building is too small to affect the Resonance Stone’s barrier. It seems the academy does not want to make a big deal out of it.

“The problem is that the demon is too small to be within the barrier’s influence and can’t be properly detected with magic.”

“That must be troublesome.”

“Yes, very. How am I supposed to deal with a demon that can’t even be detected by the Resonance Stone in this vast old building?”

Aileen spoke with a tired look, then sneakily glanced at my face.

“So, I was hoping to ask for your help. What do you think?”

“Hmm…”

I let out a short hum.

As Aileen mentioned, the size of the old building in front of us was vast.

Finding a small, undetectable demon here would be as difficult as finding a needle in a desert. 

The conversation with the man named Hardy earlier wasn’t wrong.

‘…Maybe that method would work.’

Of course, it’s not like there’s no method at all.

“Even for you, it might not be possible.”

Ignoring her, I pushed open the door to the entrance of the old building.

I expected a musty smell from the long disuse, but the old building was surprisingly clean.

Crossing the hallway to the center, I closed my eyes and focused all my senses on the ‘Mana Blood’ within me.

Breathing in and out, stirring the ‘Mana Blood’ several times, mana began to flow subtly from within my body.

The technique ‘Mana Detection’ that had been used to find criminals hiding in the slums.

“If I could have found it with that, I would have done so long ago.”

Aileen murmured beside me.

Indeed, ‘Mana Detection’ is primarily a realm for Wizards. 

Knowing the settings and theories of magic doesn’t necessarily mean I could handle ‘Mana Detection’ better than Aileen, who hasn’t experienced it practically.

‘Then is there no way… Huh?’

That’s when, among the mana spreading throughout the old building, a special ‘color’ began to appear.

<The Color of Corruption>

It shows the negative emotions harbored by the other person. 

However, the ‘color’ appeared in places too narrow for humans to access, like the ceiling, for instance.

“Are you listening to me? Such a small entity cannot even be detected by mana detection…”

“Shh.”

I gestured for her to be quiet, and she looked at me with half-open eyes before closing her mouth.

I began to release a greater amount of mana. 

The fluctuating mana visualized like the ‘aura’ used by knights, filling the old building’s corridor like air. Looking at it, I asked Aileen,

“Will I have to compensate if the building gets damaged?”

“Eh? Ah… No, that won’t be necessary. We were planning to remodel it anyway.”

Good.

I drew my sword and slashed at the ceiling.

Crack!

With a sharp noise, a fissure instantly formed in the ceiling. Rubble fell down.

“Wha, what!?”

I saw small feet desperately trying to climb up to the ceiling.

“It seems to be a demon parasitizing a rat. Being so small, the barrier and detection were useless.”

The creature trying frantically to climb above the ceiling, I swung my sword again to knock it down, then decisively cut through its body to ensure it was dead. 

Then, I started to spread the mana more widely again.

If the <Color of Corruption> was visible, it might indicate other demons, but fortunately, it seems there are no other entities besides the one just killed.

“It looks like there are no others besides this one. Fortunately, the job was easy.”

“……How did you know?”

“Know what?”

“The location of the demon! It was so small that neither the resonance stone’s barrier nor detection could catch it. How did you know?”

She pressed for an answer, but I couldn’t easily respond. After all, how could I say?

That I had read the <Color of Corruption> emitted by the demon to find its location. 

That I had scattered mana visibly thick in all directions to make that <Color of Corruption> appear more clearly.

“It’s a secret.”

Dodging the question made Aileen look unsatisfied, her expression turning sulky.

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