Chapter 254

Chapter 57: The Tail Ends (2)

After arriving at the Academy, Ulan and his party followed the inspector, who had come to greet them, towards the main building of the Military Department.

Shortly after, they reached the Dean’s Office.

They explained everything that had happened to the Dean of the Military Department, Berge Erkazhan.

“…That’s everything we went through.”

The sudden attack by the demon beasts, the appearance of the undead forces that turned the border town of Shulfern in the Serun Kingdom into ruins, and even their joining with the Holy Nation’s Knights.

After Noah wrapped up her story as the representative, Berge nodded silently.

“Hmm, I see.”

His response was surprisingly bland.

He reacted as if it was neither shocking nor interesting. Soon, the reason for his reaction became clear.

“I already heard all the details from Plume Academy. I was just curious if there was anything else.”

In other words, he was quietly listening to Noah’s story to compare it with what had been delivered from Plume Academy.

After completing his answer, Berge reached out and tapped his desk with his finger. It was to redirect Noah’s focus onto him.

“So let me ask again.”

His wrinkled eyes narrowed slightly.

Still not breaking his gaze from Noah, he spoke in a calm voice.

“Is there anything else?”

“Well…”

For a moment, her words got caught in her throat.

It wasn’t just because of his intense gaze, but the intangible pressure he exuded heavily pressed down on her.

Noah gulped nervously. But she didn’t need to worry. Berge’s pressure didn’t last long.

“What Noah just said is all there is.”

It was thanks to Ulan stepping in.

He abruptly stood in front of Noah, deflating the invisible pressure Berge had dispersed.

Berge looked at Ulan silently. Ulan didn’t shy away from his gaze either, and it was Berge who raised the white flag first.

“Alright. That’s settled.”

The pressure vanished like smoke.

Meanwhile, Noah, who had felt suffocated, finally let out a sigh of relief.

‘…He surely is sharp.’

Perhaps it was because he had once served as a great general on the western front; he had a good instinct. She was almost caught for intentionally concealing information.

As expected, according to Dean Berge, Noah had purposely withheld some information from him.

‘The identity of Astevan and the existence of a structure similar to the Desert Order in the depths of the jungle.’

The reason for not disclosing this was simple.

First, if she told him about the Lord of the Immortals, Astevan, it would inevitably lead to discussions about the Seven Heroes.

Also, the fact that buildings similar to the Desert Order exist in the jungle and Astevan is involved only supported her decision to omit them.

‘If I reveal this…’

It would lead to a mountain of explanations.

More importantly, Berge Erkazhan was not someone she could trust one hundred percent. Thus, Noah had purposefully hidden the information.

“Good job. You can go back now.”

Since he had deemed that there was nothing more to hear, Berge concluded the conversation.

Then, Ivelia and Delia, who had been a few steps back, cautiously spoke up.

“Um, we have a question.”

“Is it about attendance, or something like that…?”

“I’ll relay that to the respective professors, so you can check with them for details.”

The clear response came.

It was also a boundary that no further questions would be entertained. Realizing this, Ivelia and Delia immediately lowered their heads.

“Then, excuse us.”

After finishing their greetings, the group turned to leave the room.

Just as they were about to exit…

“Ah, you two stay.”

Berge’s voice held them back.

He didn’t need to specify who he was talking about. His gaze was fixed solely on two people: Ulan and Noah.

“I have something important to discuss.”

With that short reply, Berge stared intently at the rest of the group, suggesting they exit since there was no point in them hanging around.

The two girls, picking up on the hint, soon exited the room, leaving only a heavy silence lingering in the Dean’s Office.

Then Berge opened his mouth again.

The reason he left them behind was unique: he had received news of concern from Plume Academy.

“News of concern?”

“That would be for them to relay.”

He gestured towards the door.

Shortly after, just as Berge finished speaking, the previously shut door swung open suddenly.

Entering was a middle-aged man with ocean-blue hair, a familiar face to Ulan and Noah.

“You are…”

“Long time no see.”

Seoric Al Gorphant.

One of the Empire’s Five Swords and a grand noble who claimed to be the guardian of Ulan and his friends.

“You must have heard the gist of the story from the Dean, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

With only a brief greeting, he directly approached Ulan. The question he posed was somewhat unexpected.

“They say a massive eyeball-shaped monster was spotted in the Eastern Jungle. Is that true?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Though we haven’t seen it in person.”

The eyeball monster.

The ones who directly confronted the minions of the demon beast were hunters Sven, Kadel, and Ian, who had ventured into the jungle to rescue him.

“Hmm, I see.”

Seoric frowned slightly as he absorbed the details with a serious expression. Noah inquired curiously.

“But why so suddenly…?”

“Actually, we have similar reports from our side.”

“Huh? Similar reports?”

“About the eyeball monster.”

Seoric’s expression darkened.

The first report originated from the Empire’s capital.

Specifically, rumors spread about a massive eyeball monster floating through the alleys in the southern district.

“At first, I thought it was just a rumor.”

But it didn’t stop there.

The second report followed.

This one emerged near the Magic Tower, known for its heavy security.

“That’s not all. More recently, there have also been sightings near the Source of Magic. A Special Operations agent confirmed this, so it’s reliable.”

The fact that similar sightings were reported from different locations proved it wasn’t just nonsense.

With the notion that the Abyssal Monster and Ulan’s minions were found in the capital and the Magic Tower, Noah’s and Ulan’s expressions tightened as well.

“The other two places might be one thing, but reports of the monster sighting in the capital is a serious issue. Therefore, I’ve been assigned to investigate.”

After finishing his long explanation, Seoric turned to Ulan and Noah.

“So, if you have any information regarding that monster, could you share it?”

“Of course.”

Ulan nodded readily.

Unlike others, Seoric deserved to hear about the Abyss.

He had once faced off against the Frost Dragon’s minions to protect Noah and Delia when the Abyss Rift opened in the past.

“That’s an Abyssal Monster.”

“An Abyssal Monster? Is it of the same kind as the ones we faced at the Source of Magic last time?”

“Yes.”

Ulan nodded silently.

On the other hand, Seoric’s expression grew increasingly grim. He recalled what he had heard about the conditions for the monsters in the Abyss to appear.

‘…When the Abyss Rift opened.’

Seoric swallowed hard.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he let out a deep sigh. Then he turned to Noah and muttered as if venting.

“Looks like you were right.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you say that during summer break, when everyone was away, an entity entered the Source of Magic and opened the Abyss Rift?”

“Oh, yes! That did happen.”

Noah’s eyes widened in surprise.

As she had just mentioned, Noah had asked Seoric to look into who had gone to the Source of Magic during summer break.

‘Ultimately, there were two potential candidates.’

D’muehl Ron Dermore.

Baruch Celestine.

These were the mages who had participated as deputy leader and leader of the Empire’s investigation unit. Just then, the long-awaited answer from Seoric came back.

“The investigation into that is complete.”

“Really?”

“The issue is that it’s only circumstantial evidence, not hard facts, but would you like to hear it?”

“Yes! Please tell me.”

Noah shouted without hesitation.

She wanted to hear at least something based on circumstantial evidence. Seoric immediately provided the answer.

“According to the investigation results, the person who entered the Source of Magic at that time was Count Dermore.”

“What makes you think that?”

“There was a witness. During your school trip when you all were away from the academy, someone saw the Count entering the Source of Magic.”

But this was all there was to the witness information.

They had no idea about what Count Dermore had done inside the Source of Magic.

They only confirmed he had entered and had come out hours later.

“And here’s the circumstantial evidence.”

“What is it?”

“There’s no record of the Count visiting the Source of Magic on that day.”

“…!?”

Noah’s eyes widened.

It reminded her of something she had heard before from Seoric.

“Th-that means…!”

“It’s just like last summer.”

The absence of visit records raised suspicions just as it had in the previous summer. Ulan narrowed his eyes at the situation.

Meanwhile, Noah’s expression grew much more serious than that. Based on the information she had just learned, something struck her mind.

‘…Count Dermore.’

He was someone who would stop at nothing to revive his daughter, who had passed away at a young age.

Thus, he could potentially aid in opening the Abyssal Gate during this process. In the original work, he was characterized just this way.

‘But things have changed now.’

From the very moment he joined the Empire’s investigation unit, which was six years earlier than in the original timeline, he was already taking different actions.

And one more thing had changed. The fact that for some time now, no more letters had been coming from Count Dermore.

‘The reason he was sending me letters.’

That was to build a vessel required for resurrecting his daughter. Corresponding and building rapport with Noah, who was around the same age as his daughter, was all part of this goal.

But no letters? This could be interpreted in two ways.

First, he might have concluded that reviving her was impossible and abandoned the objective entirely.

‘And the other possibility…’

He might have already revived his daughter.

While it’s impossible to bring back the dead, there are rare methods to bind an existing soul to a body.

With the recent witness information from Seoric as well, Count Dermore had many suspicious points about him.

‘I need to investigate this further.’

To confirm whether the inferences I just thought of are accurate.

And to understand the true intentions of the Count. The best way to do that would be to meet the person directly and question him.

So she immediately asked, “Where is Count Dermore?”

“Hmm? The Count?”

“Yes, I heard that he was appointed as the temporary dean of the Magic Department. Can I meet him in the Dean’s Office?”

“You’ll probably leave empty-handed.”

At that moment, Berge, who had been quietly watching, shook his head. He then promptly revealed the reason.

“The Count is currently in the Imperial Castle.”

“The Imperial Castle?”

“I can’t go into detail, but just know it’s related to an imperial decree. In any case, he won’t be leaving the Imperial Castle anytime soon.”

It would be tough to meet him at the Imperial Castle.

Especially during a time like this.

‘But still…’

There’s not zero chance.

If he was indeed the one who opened the Abyssal Rift, there should be some clues left behind. There might be something significant at his mansion.

‘I should find a time to visit.’

While getting into the Imperial Castle would be difficult, accessing the Count’s mansion wouldn’t be hard. Determined, Noah’s gaze flashed fiercely.

Then Seoric spoke up again.

“That’s all I had to say.”

“Thank you for your help with my request…”

“Haha, that’s what I ought to do. We’re in the same boat after all.”

He emphasized “same boat” as if reminding them not to forget their contract with the Empire.

“Oh, and a report will be compiled regarding the messages received from Plume Academy and the experiences you went through. Is that alright?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I don’t mind either.”

Since they would be extracting only the important information anyway.

Unaware of this, Seoric smiled contentedly at their cheerful responses.

“Great. If any new information comes up, I’ll arrange another meeting. You must be tired from the long trip, so let’s call it a day and you can head back to rest.”

“Understood. My apologies for intruding.”

Having finished their business, Ulan and Noah left the Dean’s Office. The hallway had become dark. They aimed to head directly to the dormitory.

However, they couldn’t do so.

At the end of the hallway, near the entrance to the stairs leading to the first floor, someone was waiting for them.

“Long time no see.”

“You are…?”

A girl with sky-blue hair tied up.

She had a much larger physique than her peers, and Ulan recognized her well.

“Iris Senior?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m glad you remember me.”

Iris, whose name had been called, smiled gently.

She was the girl who had teamed up with them in past friendly mock battles and sports festivals. Also, she had the ambition to launch a new student council.

After a brief greeting with Ulan, Iris suddenly darkened her expression.

Then, with a voice as rigid as her expression, she said, “…Ulan Student.”

With a peculiar, earnest look, Iris hesitated.

“I need your help.”

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