Chapter 333

Chapter 333: The Black Queen

“Clang, clang, clang!”

Alena and Letis carried out a cake from the kitchen together, announcing happily.

“Now, before your eyes is presented, the future Great Sage of Magic Sequences, the master of myriad demonic beasts, the overlord who rules the seven seas, the inventor of alchemical creations that swept the world, Miss Alena of the Three Greats, along with her companions, have crafted ‘the super delicious, nutritious, strength-enhancing, utterly delightful mulberry blueberry maple cream windmill cake’!”

“How long!” Lily sighed.

“Tch.” Ye Ling was somewhat dismissive.

“Welcome Miss Alena of the Three Greats, and thank you, Lolan and Letis, for your hard work. Now, let’s begin.” Bumansa clapped and celebrated, then invited everyone to sit down.

In the middle of the activity room stood a large table with a three-tier cake at its center, surrounded by other freshly made dishes emitting enticing aromas and steam.

The lights in the room had been turned off, leaving only candles on top of the cake lit. Ten young ladies gathered around the table, their youthful faces illuminated by the candlelight.

“Unconsciously, it has already been a year,” Cafra reminisced about the night she met Lolan, feeling deeply moved. She had changed so much in this past year.

“A whole year,” Lolan nodded, her gaze slowly sweeping over these familiar companions. Recalling the scene when they first entered school, the night they got to know each other and played games, felt like it was just yesterday.

Life at the school was always so fast, sometimes causing sorrow.

“In the new semester, how are everyone doing? Are you all happy?” Bumansa looked at the crowd in front of her, softly asking.

“Happy, I am very happy right now,” Alena replied first.

“Don’t rush,” Ye Ling said.

“It’s okay, but I wish I could play with Sister Lolan more often.”

“As for me, I feel pretty good. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been exposed to alchemy and magic since childhood,” Letis said.

“Meh, it’s alright,” Lily responded.

“There’s a lot to learn,” Nia nodded, and during this period, she seemed to have grown taller a bit.

“Busy but fulfilling,” Cafra said with a happy smile.

“Not as impressive as Nia, but I’ve adapted,” Vimya said slowly.

“I’m relieved to hear that,” Bumansa said with relief.

“But Lolan hasn’t answered yet,” Alena said.

“Lolan doesn’t need to worry at all. Sometimes even I rely on her for help,” Bumansa covered her mouth and smiled.

“No, not really,” Lolan modestly denied.

“Yes, Lolan is the best,” Keti raised her hand, making Ye Ling across from her feel a bit sour. It was supposed to be me who came first.

Under the burning candlelight, the activity room in the tower was filled with laughter and joy, the occasional sounds of playful commotion dissipating into the vast darkness outside the castle.

—

To the south of the Fortress Academy, in the dense forest and swamp.

Still in the clearing among the marshes, the old wooden house was no longer in use, and a black brick church had been built instead. Unlike the Angel Church, which favored flowers, wings, white colors, and gentle curves, this church extended vertically upward sharply, with its eaves and towers resembling sharp swords pointing towards the sky. The decorations on the stone walls leaned towards vines, thorns, twists, and black tones, giving a sense of madness, confusion, and pain.

Others might find it difficult to understand or adapt, but members of the ‘Black Veil’ club appreciated it, considering it the beauty of ‘ancient times’ and the ‘Renaissance’.

Inside the church, the position where a deity statue should have been placed was replaced by a high throne. This throne was crafted from sturdy black ebony wood, with deep purple cushions on the backrest, studded with gold nails, like stars in the night sky.

It was dark outside. Beside the throne, two firepots were lit, illuminating the interior. A black-dressed girl sat in the upper seat, crossing her legs to reveal her white calves. She supported her head with her fingers, watching the reports from below. Her long purple hair curled around her shoulders and fell across her chest, while the amethyst tear-shaped pendant under her ear glittered in the firelight.

“Hmph, did the president of the ‘Shadow Sword’ surrender so quickly?” She played with a black wooden carving in her hand, speaking with disdain.

“Yes, Guide,” one of the black-robed members below replied. Besides Osuna at the top, there were currently over ten black-robed members inside the black church.

“The major guilds in the academy with many demons in their sequences are mostly under our control. Only the ‘True Crimson Rose’ is special and has not been contacted yet.”

Upon hearing the respectful report from the members below, Osuna felt a sense of power. But soon, her thoughts returned to the content of the report.

Currently, under the temptation of significant power enhancement, many students in the academy were gradually being infiltrated and corrupted by her club, especially in the demon sequence, due to familiarity and frequent interactions, progress was smooth. Even if some guilds noticed something amiss, they would be slowly infected by the power seeds secretly planted by them and eventually lose resistance, becoming part of their ranks.

Some people realized what they were doing, but after being infected, their consciousness gradually became clouded, losing the desire to resist. After all, the enhancement in strength was real, so they felt justified.

However, since Osuna was still unaware of the current situation at the upper echelons, she temporarily avoided touching the members of the ‘True Crimson Rose’ and instead spread influence among other students. When many were still clueless, half of the demon sequences in the Fortress Academy had already been corroded.

If it were in the past, such unusual and eerie situations would have been investigated by the wise men of the school immediately. Unfortunately, the few wise men currently in charge were only at Sequence 8 and seemed to have failed to notice any anomalies. Or perhaps, even if they saw it, they were unable to feel anything strange.

The few Sequence 9s of Emanas happened to have one returning to the Holy Land, another heading to the Endless Sea, one always sleeping, and another locked in the laboratory for five years. It would take until the end of the year for the other Sequence 9 wise men to return. Currently, the only active Sequence 9s in charge were the two witches inside the tower.

This period of time was so coincidental that Osuna’s actions encountered little resistance and smoothly progressed to this point.

“The election for the chief of the academy is about to start. When the Guide takes power, we will surely advance further, controlling and redeeming the entire academy,” one of the black-robed individuals said increasingly fervently.

“Of course,” the black-dressed, purple-haired girl played with a wooden chess piece, commonly used by nobles, which symbolized the ‘Black Queen’.

(End of Chapter)