Chapter 184

The demon’s magic circle was inscribed in a place that one would typically overlook.

Things like the clock in the training hall or the model in the priest museum, and so on.

However, the most controversial item among them was undoubtedly the statue in the center of the main hall.

The statue was made in the likeness of a hero and has existed since the founding of the academy, along with the monument.

At this point, one might ask, “What’s the big deal?”

Several hundred years had passed since the academy was established. In that time, it wouldn’t have been unusual for tampering to occur.

But the issue lay with the location and timing of the magic circle. Other circles were installed relatively recently.

In contrast, the one placed on the hero’s statue felt a bit out of place. It was embedded right in the statue’s eye.

So, it’s not like it was just drawn on; it was actually embedded like a real eye.

In other words, it had been there since the statue was made. This sparked the greatest debate concerning its plausibility.

Some argued that even though they had defeated the demon, wasn’t it too careless? Others countered that it could be easy to let your guard down.

The most significant point was that unless the hero purposely turned a blind eye, the installation itself would have been impossible.

‘Isn’t it true that the darkest place is right beneath the lamp?’

The monument prevents any use of magic upon contact. If it had been installed there, it would have caused even more uproar.

Anyway, as the hero’s statue was beheaded (?), the magic circle was also deactivated.

Rather than deactivated, it should be seen as having received a trigger. As I mentioned earlier, it’s the eye.

“I’ll help you handle this matter somehow. But you need to make sure to properly educate the child.”

“…I’m sorry. There aren’t enough words to express my regret.”

“Apologize to Sivar instead.”

And now I’m getting scolded alongside Malboro.

To be precise, Malboro is the only one really being scolded. I’m just standing back in this incident.

Even though I beheaded the hero’s statue, it was a force majeure. The cause of the accident was entirely Dun’s sudden action.

At just five years old, the child can’t be held accountable, so the blame has to fall on the parents.

“It was a problem from the start to leave a child in the care of another child, my friend. I thought you had more sense.”

“?”

Even though I was being treated like a child, I let it go. There’s a saying that if you stay quiet, you can avoid half the blame.

In fact, the beheading incident of the statue would generally be a complicated affair.

Essentially, it was the equivalent of destroying a cultural property, one that is a symbol of humanity.

A large accident, or perhaps we could call it a mega accident. But that’s alright.

“If Sivar was a noble, it would have caused quite a storm. I’m relieved to escape a messy situation.”

Since I’m just a wildling with no connections or backgrounds, I can get away with this part smoothly.

Even commoners would use all sorts of excuses based on their country’s origin, but I have none of that.

Most would probably just shake their heads and say, “Sigh. Another accident. Tsk, tsk.”

Of course, it could be argued that Dun caused the accident, and the blame could turn toward Malboro.

‘Rod will handle that well, I suppose.’

This is a personal issue; it’s far too trivial to spill over into politics.

Even if they needed to make a case for themselves, wouldn’t they face backlash for involving a child?

As Rod mentioned earlier, it would probably just end with a statement to ensure the child is educated properly.

“Anyway, I’ll take care of the situation to a reasonable extent, so I’ll be heading out first. You’ll be quite busy as well.”

“Thank you, Dun. Let’s go.”

“Okay. Goodbye! I hope you and the sister are well!”

Little Dun, still not fully grasping the situation, waved his hand happily. His expression was pure joy.

As I waved back while seeing him off, Dun suddenly exclaimed with realization.

“Oh, and don’t eat the beetles! If you eat beetles, you’ll cry again!”

“… …”

It seems the incident with the beetles left some sort of trauma. Sorry, but I can’t promise that.

They tasted pretty good when I had them after a long time. I can just eat them whenever I go to mark my territory.

“Phew. So, Eli, why did you go into the forest? It was clearly stated as off-limits.”

After the Malboro duo left, Rod asked. Eli had been sitting next to me all this time.

Access to the forest has been blocked until now. Although she was my acquaintance, this time she entered alone.

So Rod had no choice but to inquire. If an accident occurred, it would be a headache for him.

“I was looking for some herbs that the principal could use. The symptoms of the poison aren’t completely gone, you know.”

“Hmm… that may be true, but isn’t it too dangerous to go alone?”

“Ratatosk was nearby, so it was alright.”

“Oh. Then that makes sense.”

I suppose it was fitting since she entered the forest alone with Porori.

Though it’s Porori’s territory, there were surprisingly many squirrels, likely due to Porori’s influence.

Rod exchanged a few more words before moving on without further questioning. He seemed to think it was unavoidable for rescuing the child.

“Rod, where’s Luna?”

“She’s training in the clearing behind. Why do you ask about Luna?”

“I have something to discuss.”

I recalled the ‘eye’ I had carefully hidden in my back pocket. It was bulging out, and my butt was starting to ache.

As mentioned earlier, what I found this time serves more like a ‘trigger’. It’s easy to see it as a starting point.

Being the most important item, it could definitely be useful in various ways later. It feels almost like a master key specifically for demon matters.

However, using the magic circle in reverse could take a bit of time. I would need to go seek someone else for that.

“Then, principal, should I brew some herbs for you? I found some that are good for lung health.”

“Haha. I seem to be bothering you daily. I can handle that much.”

“No, it’s something that needs precise measurements…”

While Eli was brewing herbs for Rod, I headed towards the clearing to find Luna.

Originally it was a yard, but due to the last incident with some trees getting smashed, we’ve been using it like a clearing.

Upon arriving in the backyard, I spotted a familiar figure. A blonde ponytail tied tight.

‘Should I tease her a bit?’

I crept up silently, attempting to sneak up on her.

******

Luna’s day during the vacation was quite simple. She would wake up in the morning, do some light exercise, then have breakfast.

After freshening up, she’d read a book before heading to Rod for training in the afternoon.

Or sometimes she would train with Kara, who occasionally dropped by, or chat with her. It was a structured pattern.

‘When will the demons choose to strike?’

Even so, it didn’t put her mind at ease. She had no idea when or where demons might pop up.

She could ask Sivar, but opportunities to do so were scarce. This sort of thing required careful planning.

Above all, it was crucial to inform Rod, who would be a significant power. However, sharing Sivar’s secret felt awkward.

‘Sivar might not even be a living being.’

After reading the explanation about the blood-red greatsword, that possibility seemed even stronger.

The sword reacted to life, but it did not respond to Sivar. In other words, Sivar isn’t classified as ‘alive.’

But he was clearly alive and moving, leaving Luna completely stumped. So what exactly is Sivar?

“Luna.”

“Eek?!”

Just as Luna was lost in thought, someone spoke from behind her, and she missed hearing any approach.

Turning around, she found Sivar standing there, expressionless as always.

Luna steadied her startled heart and opened her mouth, her words tripping over themselves.

“S, Sivar. W, what brings you here suddenly?”

“This.”

Sivar handed something over to Luna. She turned her gaze to the object resting in his palm.

It was a mostly round object, about the size of a jawbreaker and quite uniquely colored.

It reflected light as white but turned black in the shadows.

Luna took it cautiously, still perplexed.

“This isn’t something to eat, right?”

“No.”

“Hmm.”

If that’s the case, then why is he giving it to her? Luna examined the jawbreaker-like sphere carefully.

[Colorless Magic Circle: ???]

[Created without any use of color.]

[Constructed for a special purpose. Only those who do not utilize color exist.]

[Special Effect: ???]

“… …”

She had a feeling, and it turned out to be what she anticipated. It was a sphere with a colorless magic circle drawn on it.

If she were to stop here, Luna’s expression would have turned rigid, but there wasn’t just one message printed.

There was also a special effect separate from the magic circle engraved on the surface of the sphere.

[Eye of ???: ???]

[The eye that was embedded in the hero’s statue. Feels like a key.]

[The hero’s statue was made right after the academy was founded. This eye was embedded at that time too. Who put it in?]

[Special Effect: ???]

“…What?”

Luna expressed confusion after reading the explanation. While the magic circle alone was puzzling, the sphere itself was bewildering too.

She turned her head to look at Sivar. It was mentioned in the explanation, but first, she needed to know where it came from.

“W, where did this come from?”

“From the hero’s statue’s head. I broke it.”

“W, why did you break…? No. Never mind.”

Sivar breaking something was a common occurrence, so she let it slide. What’s important now is the sphere.

The hero’s statue had never left the academy for hundreds of years. It had been a treasured cultural asset maintained since its founding.

So who placed the eye on the statue’s head? Was it embedded when the statue was made?

If so, how did the people back then, especially the hero, not notice it? It made no sense.

‘Are the demons making plans for some far-off future?’

That was the only thing that came to her mind. The demon war was a grand conflict that erupted hundreds of years ago.

Plenty of time had passed for relaxing. Currently, humanity was steeped in peace, fighting among themselves.

“What are you two doing?”

Just when Luna’s head began to feel heavy, a voice interrupted them.

Turning her head, she saw Eli standing there, looking puzzled.

“E, Eli? When did you arrive?”

“I just got here a moment ago. But what’s that? Candy?”

Eli must have seen the sphere in Luna’s hand. Luna’s face turned flustered as she darted her eyes around, searching for a way to deflect Eli’s suspicions.

As she wracked her brain, she suddenly remembered what Eli had said earlier.

“Y, yeah! Right. It’s candy! I promised Sivar I’d give him some!”

“Oh really? What flavor is it?”

“U, um, I don’t know that either. Want to try some?”

“… …”

When Luna offered the sphere, Sivar’s expression was quite something to behold.

Though his face was mostly expressionless, it conveyed a clear ‘Are you seriously saying this?’ vibe. But given the circumstances, he had no choice but to roll with it.

“NOM.”

By putting the sphere in his mouth. In an effort to dodge suspicion, he actually bit down.

Luna realized too late that she had made a slip of the tongue, but the water had already been poured.

As she saw Sivar genuinely chew on the sphere, she felt the color drain from her face.

‘If he actually eats it…!’

Regardless, Sivar rolled his eyes around, savoring the taste.

Fortunately, he neither swallowed it nor chewed it to pieces. Eventually, Sivar made his evaluation.

“Tastes bad. It’s metal.”

“How fascinating. Sivar eats bugs, so how bad could this taste?”

“T, that’s true?”

It seemed they had narrowly avoided disaster. Luna fervently hoped that Sivar would quickly spit the sphere out.

Following that, Eli entered to check on the herbs, which temporarily quelled the situation.

No, the matter wouldn’t be settled until Sivar spat the sphere out. Luna let out a sigh of relief and told Sivar.

“…Now spit it out.”

“PHWACK.”

The sphere shot out from Sivar’s mouth. Naturally, it was covered in saliva.

Sivar wiped it off with his clothing before handing it over to Luna. She gingerly accepted it, making a slightly disgusted face.

Just as she raised her head to praise him for doing a good job, she noticed something.

“…What?”

THUNK—

The sphere dropped to the ground and rolled away. The shock she received was simply enormous.

She couldn’t distinguish if what she was witnessing was reality or some chaotic dream. Simultaneously, a certain dream she had once had came to mind.

A man holding an axe in one hand and a greatsword in the other was standing atop a pile of corpses. It was the very familiar back of a man.

And when that man turned around, she could see the vividly bright purple eyes.

“Luna?”

It was just like Sivar, who stood in front of her right now.

Sivar’s red eyes were ominously unsettling. But what she saw instead was those distinct violet eyes.

Though he himself was oblivious to the change, Luna could face it directly, as it was right in front of her.

“Hey?”

“… …”

“Knock, knock. Luna, you there?”

“Oh, uh?”

As Sivar continued to call for her, Luna finally snapped back to reality. She shook her head and faced him again.

What just transpired seemed like a hallucination, as his eye color had returned to its original hue of red.

‘… Am I that exhausted?’

She pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose. It seemed the fatigue from training too hard had piled up.

Then Luna picked up the sphere that had fallen to the ground. She thought she’d return to the dormitory to take a break.

“… Thanks for your hard work. Let’s meet later to talk.”

“Yeah.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“Chip away.”

“Okay, understood.”

Luna rubbed her eyes and started to walk. For some reason, her eyes felt a little scratchy.

It seems the shock had truly taken a toll. A good wash and a nap would probably do her good.

“Luna student.”

“… Principal?”

Just as she was about to enter, Rod was standing by the door, sword drawn.

The sharply honed sword shimmered with faint magic.

His expression looked rigid as he stared intently behind the door.

Following his gaze, Luna turned her head. At the end of that line of sight was Sivar.

“I could be mistaken, but… didn’t you just feel a heavy presence?”

“… A heavy presence?”

“Yeah. Like that monstrous… no. Never mind.”

Rod shook his head as if dismissing the thought while sheathing his sword.

Then, he used one hand to wash his face and muttered quietly.

“Seems like it’s just a troublemaker in sight…”

And that troublemaker was.

“Lu lu lu~ Lu lu~”

Humming a tune merrily while starting up his hobby.

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