Chapter 21: Academy Heist Eve, Part 2

“W-wait…!”

Ciella was the first to bolt out of the café.

Since she’d transferred from the Magic Tower specifically to search for Kayleen, her reaction was understandable.

However, Lucia hesitated.

The pressure emanating from Kayleen was even stronger than two years ago. The fear was palpable.

And the fact that Kayleen seemed to appear wherever Lucia went, the implied connection to the cursed system…

All these factors had kept Lucia away from the shop.

The fear of what might happen if they met again paralyzed her.

But Ciella was also affected by the fear, her movements slowed.

Two years ago, when she’d first encountered Kayleen and issued the warrant, the demonic presence wasn’t this overwhelming.

Back then, the potent mana had been concentrated around Kayleen’s bag.

Now, it emanated from her entire being.

The sheer volume of it should have affected everyone nearby, yet strangely, only those who could perceive mana, like Lucia and Ciella, felt its oppressive weight.

Ciella, who could usually track mana flows, found herself blinded by the sheer density of it, unable to pinpoint Kayleen’s location.

She could see, yet she couldn’t see. A paradoxical situation.

Still, she could make out Kayleen’s form, so Ciella pushed her way through the crowd.

“Huff… huff…”

Ciella’s pace slowed. Her weak stamina was a constant hindrance.

Fortunately, the increasing crowd density also slowed Kayleen down.

Just a little closer…

Ciella gripped her staff tighter.

The tip began to glow faintly, absorbing her mana.

She’d unconsciously begun casting her unique magic.

Just around this corner…!

Turning the corner, she saw… more crowds.

But Kayleen, with her distinctive hood, should be easy to spot.

She scanned the area, only to see numerous hooded figures moving through the crowd.

The overwhelming demonic presence made it impossible to distinguish individual mana signatures.

And their similar, almost identical, builds made visual identification difficult.

“What’s this…?”

As Ciella stared in disbelief, Lucia gasped as a window suddenly appeared before her eyes.

[Part 2, Act 2: Academy Attack!]

The glowing window foretold an impending tragedy.

“…!”

“Are you awake?”

Iris opened her eyes in the royal infirmary.

A fellow Moonshadow agent, skilled in healing magic, sat beside her.

“What happened?”

Clutching her throbbing head, Iris struggled to recall the events before she collapsed.

“T-the princess… was there…!”

“Princess Lena? So, it was that organization…!”

“And… and…”

There was something else she’d seen, something alongside the princess.

But all she could remember was the overwhelming terror, the crippling sense of helplessness.

“Ugh…”

The horrifying memory made her retch.

Having not eaten anything, only clear bile came up.

“I… I saw… something…”

“Something? Be more specific.”

“Y-yes…! Envy…! The Beast of the End…! L-Leviathan…!”

Recalling the girl’s words as she tore the paper with the star, Iris’s voice trembled, close to tears.

With every word she forced out, the terror intensified.

It felt like someone was watching her, listening to her every word.

Her hands shook uncontrollably.

Something was crawling inside her head, something was tearing at her mind.

She shouldn’t comprehend it. She shouldn’t remember it.

But she did. The memory was vivid, and her head throbbed relentlessly.

“Ah… ah… ah…!”

She had to erase it. She couldn’t remember it.

The thought consumed her.

Her stigmata began to glow an ominous color.

Something emanated from the mark, slowly enveloping her body.

With every pulse of the stigmata, her fear amplified.

Iris involuntarily reached up and clutched her hair, trying to tear it out.

“Stop!”

The other agent grabbed her hands, but Iris couldn’t stop.

Her strength, amplified beyond its normal limits, was overwhelming.

Then, just as suddenly, the seizure stopped.

Normally, even witnessing a demon’s true form wouldn’t cause such a violent reaction.

Those who encountered Leviathan usually fainted, and while they might experience trauma when recalling the event, seizures weren’t a common symptom.

And those with divinity should be even more resilient.

That was true, but it also depended on one’s mental fortitude.

Iris, hesitant to even kill monsters, let alone humans, had a fragile mind, easily influenced despite her divine protection.

But even so, this reaction was abnormal.

Her divinity, instead of protecting her crumbling psyche, was amplifying her fear.

Divinity, while a gift from transcendent beings, carried their will.

Just as those with divinity could wield the powers associated with their patron god’s myths, they also inherited their patron’s tendencies.

And if something triggered a god’s wrath, those bearing their divinity would be influenced by their will.

Those with sufficient mental fortitude or those who had fully awakened their divinity might simply feel anger.

But Iris wasn’t strong enough.

Moreover, she was exceptionally susceptible to divine possession.

And her compatibility with her divinity was unusually high.

Her consciousness, overwhelmed, succumbed, and her divinity took control.

Ah. Found you.

A strange pressure emanated from her voice.

It was an unfortunate coincidence.

The divinity residing within Iris and Leviathan were sworn enemies.

Iris bore the divinity of the god of Kindness, the antithesis of Leviathan’s sin, Envy.

And his kindness extended only to humans.

I knew you’d come eventually, Leviathan.

The divinity controlling Iris’s body turned its gaze towards a specific location in the capital.

An underdeveloped district on the outskirts of the capital.

A desolate ruin, frequently attacked by monsters, abandoned by humans.

A perfect hideout for villains.

A figure stirred in the shadows.

His bare chest, covered in scars, was illuminated by the sunlight that couldn’t quite reach him.

A brand on his back marked him as a criminal of the kingdom.

A brand on his chest marked him as a fugitive of the Magic Tower.

A brand on his forehead marked him as a heretic of the Holy See.

Bearing the marks of the worst criminals in each faction, the man slowly rose.

He noticed a faint glow emanating from a scar on his hand.

Another brand, but this one wasn’t inflicted by humans.

A curse of divinity, bestowed by the stars.

A mark designating him as an enemy of the gods.

The glow of this usually invisible mark signified only one thing.

One of them had returned.

“Ah… ah… finally…”

His faith, his pleas, hadn’t been in vain.

He rose, a renewed purpose in his eyes.

He draped a long robe over his scarred torso.

“Demon worshipper,” “fallen human.”

Rahat, leader of the cult bearing these derogatory titles, channeled mana into the pendant clutched in his hand.

A message spell.

To all those bearing the curse of the stars.

“It’s time, my brethren.”

The cult’s first target was the Royal Academy.

One of the key locations maintaining the barrier protecting the human realm.

Lena was ecstatic.

She’d finally met the beings she so admired.

And she’d even been appointed as a liaison by one of them.

No one in the demon-worshipping cults could boast such a position.

Filled with a sense of purpose, Lena made her way back to the palace.

Kayleen and Leviathan were heading in the opposite direction.

Appearing together would undoubtedly attract the Moonshadow’s attention.

Lena believed they wouldn’t be threatened by the Moonshadow.

However, she knew even they would prefer to avoid unnecessary trouble.

After two days hiding in the sewers, waiting for the heightened security to lessen…

This should be enough time for them to escape unnoticed.

Listening to the splashing water, Lena continued on her path.

Kayleen had found her where she’d been held captive and allowed her to meet Leviathan.

What she’d initially perceived as misfortune now seemed like a blessing.

This curse… it truly was a gift from the demons.

She had to repay their kindness.

Their presence here could only mean one thing.

While Kayleen had mentioned seeking the Mask of Anonymity, that was likely a secondary objective.

Considering Leviathan’s appointment of Lena as a liaison and the talk of a demon invasion, their true target was the barrier protecting the human realm, its magical formation located deep within the Royal Academy.

The cults, sensing the demons’ presence, would likely attempt to destroy the barrier as well.

Her role was to assist them, to remove any obstacles.

“I’ll have to… dismantle the Knights… Heehee…”