I truly appreciated Alec’s genuine concern, but I was determined. “Is there anything else?”


    “Hm? Anything else?” Alec responded.


    “An expedition journal, for example.”


    Alec did not answer me immediately. His intense fervor, almost like madness, subsided, and his desperation dissipated like fog.


    When Professor Alec’s calm demeanor returned, he turned away from me dismissively.


    “...You may leave for today.”


    “Professor...”


    “I’ll see you in ss three days from now,” he said. His tone was so firm that I was left with no choice but toply.


    Reluctantly, I nodded. “I’ll see you then.”***


    When your mind is at war, sometimes the best choice is to just walk without thinking. To let your gaze wander wherever it may, to let your steps fall freely and your arms swing loosely.


    After leaving Alec’sb, I wandered the academy with no real destination in mind.


    My eyes roamed aimlessly. The sky was beautiful, as was the river. Even the well-paved roads, the well-maintained street lights, and the buildings beyond were pretty.


    It would be hard to find any ce as beautiful anywhere in the capital.


    Eventually, I found a bench along my path. I sat down on it and stared up at the blue sky for a moment.


    Spirit Mountain, known as the Continent’s Worst Demon Zone...


    Its survival rate was less than 0.1%. It was a cursednd that left trespassers in a state where they could neither live nor die.


    I felt like I was starting to understand, if only indirectly, what kind of ce it truly was.


    <em>...So this is why he wanted me to find out for myself.</em>


    I finally understood the Lord of Blood and Iron’s intention.


    Sometimes, the weight of words isn’t in the words themselves but in who delivers them. This was one of those times.


    If the Duke had been the one to exin the dangers of Spirit Mountain, it would not have been so impactful.


    But...


    Oddly enough, my resolve didn’t falter. Instead, my desire to go to the mountain red.


    <em>Am I going a little crazy too?</em>


    I chuckled to myself as I tried to sort through my thoughts.


    Alec had a journal from his expedition to Spirit Mountain. I was certain.


    The tools and old publications in hisb, the photo, the books, documents, beakers filled with mysterious solutions, and even parts of unidentified creatures'' bodies...


    All of it, in one way or another, was definitely rted to Spirit Mountain.


    If that was the case, perhaps Spirit Mountain was also the underlying reason Alec spoke of the Empire’s doom.


    <em>Doom, huh...</em>


    Doom wasn’t necessarily grand or far off.


    If the Six Demon Lords were to fully manifest into their true forms, it would mark the beginning of the end.


    I paused for a moment, my mind catching on a particr detail.


    <em>The photo...</em>


    The monster’s face had been so overwhelming that I only just now realized...


    There’d been a sun in that photo, a sun that was dyed ck.


    An unnatural eclipse, one of the signs of a demon lord’s summoning.


    In that case... could a demon lord have already been summoned on Spirit Mountain?


    <em>Grooowl...</em>


    <em>Ah. I was wondering why I couldn’t think straight, but it’s because I’m so hungry. Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten sincest night...</em>


    <em>First things first, let’s get something to fill this stomach.</em>


    In an academy this big, there should be more than one ce to eat. If I asked someone for directions, I should find something quickly...


    But instead, I decided to wander, searching for a dining hall as though I was exploring.


    Even though this ce was called an academy, there were many people other than students here. From gardeners to cooks to guards, servants, staff members, and even what looked to be family members.


    It was fair to say that Kartell Academy was like a small vige.


    After walking around for a bit, I came across a ce that felt more like an actual vige than the academy grounds with its overly fancy structures.


    <em>So this is the shopping district.</em>


    Remembering something the headmaster had mentioned, I strolled down the street, knowing my pockets were full.


    It turned out that the shopping district had more than just food. There were bookstores and general stores and clothing stores and even cksmiths and magic shops.


    Prices were rtively high, but that made sense given that most of the academy’s students came from rich families.


    Coincidentally, it was lunchtime, so the streets were filled with students, and I could smell many delicious foods being cooked.


    Today, however, I felt the urge to escape the hustle and the noise, so I found myself searching for somece quieter.


    After wandering through the back alleys for a few minutes, I finally stumbled upon a ce with just the right atmosphere.


    It was a tavern with a rather bizarre name, “Your Mom’s Trumpet Sound.”


    I was filled with a sense of nostalgia. For some reason, the name reminded me of the taverns in the southern regions.


    <em>Ring.</em>


    “Wee!” a gruff voice greeted me as I entered.


    The inside was dimly lit by the barest amount of sunlight, just the way I liked it.


    I settled down on a seat and ced my order. “I’d like your best dish and a drink.”


    “We don’t serve alcohol during the day,” the owner replied.


    “Oh, really? It surely felt like nighttime a minute ago,” I insisted, flicking a silver coin into the air.


    With a practiced motion, the owner snatched the coin midair and drew the curtains over the sunlit window.


    “The days have certainly been getting shortertely.”


    The owner disappeared into the kitchen and I nced around, curious about what kind of meal I’d be served.


    It was quiet, but notpletely deserted. There was a couple dining quietly, their utensils clinking softly against their tes.


    I also spotted a familiar face.


    “Urmph...”


    Butterfly Goodspring was shoving a sausage into her already quite full mouth.


    Then we made eye contact. Butterfly choked on her food and quickly chewed and swallowed what remained before awkwardly greeting me. “...Hellow,” she said.


    “Hey.”


    I wasn’t really in the mood to chat, which was why I’de all the way to this remote ce. I definitely hadn’t expected to run into a familiar face.


    <em>At least it’s not someone I’m close with.</em>


    I kept my reply short and sent every signal I could to show that I wasn’t in the mood for conversation.


    Yet this kid... this kid must have swallowed her sense of tact with her sausage because soon enough, <em>she</em> approached <em>me</em>.


    “What a coincidence, running into you here. Why didn’t youe to the wee ceremony yesterday?”


    “I was busy.”


    “Busy? With what?”


    “Some things.”


    “What things?”


    “...”


    Yup, it was confirmed: She was just clueless.


    When I gave her an unimpressed look without responding, Butterfly finally faltered a little.


    “...Ehem. Now that I think about it, is Hector doing okay?”


    “Elder Brother Hector? What about him?”


    “You know, after he ended up like that yesterday...”


    <em>Like that?</em>


    My confusion must have been evident on my face because Butterfly suddenly smirked in an irritating way.


    “Oh, so you don’t know yet?”


    “Did something happen?”


    “Huhu. Something did—”


    I raised a fist and she quickly cut to the chase.


    “...After the wee party, he had a little fight with Elder Brother Barter.”


    “Butter? He’s still here?”


    “<em>Barter</em> is one of the swordsmanship professors here. Though he’s often absent, he manages to meet the minimum ss requirement each year to keep his position,” Butterfly exined.


    “Mm...”


    “Anyway, since news of Hector taking swordsmanship was going around, Elder Brother Barter told him he could take a look at his skill level before actual sses start.”


    I didn’t need to hear the oue. Though Hector had grown stronger over the course of the training camp, he stillcked the strength and experience to match Barter.


    <em>So that’s why he didn’te back to the dormst night...</em>


    Was he feeling discouraged? Was he sulking in a corner somewhere, crushed by defeat?


    I wasn’t too worried about him given how much he’d grown, but I’d have to check on himter just in case.


    “So, what are you doing here?” I asked.


    “I was eating, obviously.”


    “All the way out here?”


    “I could ask the same...”


    “I just prefer ces that are dark and dingy,” I replied.


    “Sorry that this ce is so dark and dingy,” came the owner’s voice as he set down my drink and a te of food in front of me. He didn’t look all that offended, though.


    The drink was beer...


    And as for the food, it was chicken. Judging by its look and smell, it seemed to be a stew simmered with sauce and wine.


    The portion wasrger than I’d expected.


    Even for someone with my appetite, two tes of this might actually be enough to make me full.


    <em>Clink.</em>


    The owner ced another dish with bread on the table and added, “It tastes much better if you dip bread.”


    I nodded at him. “ ‘Preciate it.”


    * * * * *


    * * * * *


    I took a sip of my beer first.


    Was it the atmosphere of the tavern?


    As I drank the beer, it was like I was transported back to my mercenary days.


    Of course, back then, luxuries like this frosty mug with chunks of ice floating on top had been unheard of.


    I nced at the small stage set up in the corner of the tavern. I nodded toward it and said, “I suppose bards drop by from time to time?”


    “Oh, no, not really,” the owner replied. “I y a bit of the harp as a hobby, so I use it asionally. Most of the time, though, it’s just drunken donkeys getting up there to imitate pigs being ughtered.”


    So it was just a prop, then.


    I nodded and said, “The vibe here is quite simr to a southern tavern.”


    “Oh... you recognize it. My father is from down there, so I put a bit of thought into the decor,” the owner replied with a grin.


    I nced back at the smiling owner’s face, and I noticed he had a particrly bushy beard and a sizable nose.


    “Dwarf?”


    He seemed a bit tall for that.


    “Just my father’s side.”


    “Ah.”


    So he was mixed-race. That wasn’t exactly umon.


    I smiled and raised my ss. “No wonder the beer tastes so good.”


    The owner chortled heartily. “Ahaha, I appreciate thepliment, but ‘dwarves are good brewers’ is a stereotype.”


    While heughed, I took a bite of the chicken to find that it was free of any smell and the thick sauce was rich in vor. Just as he’d said, it would taste great with bread.


    Butterfly asked again, “What about Elder Sister?”


    “What about her?”


    “I was just wondering if she’s been getting herself into any more dangerous situations.”


    It seemed Sellen’s reckless behavior was well known even within her family...


    “She’s doing fine.”


    “...Is that so? Well, I’m d to hear that.”


    “She must have been quite a handful even in your family.”


    Butterflyughed softly at myment. “She wasn’t always like that. From what I remember, she started to change when she was around ten years old. Sometimes it feels like she’s apletely different person.”


    “What was she like before?”


    “She was very timid and would express her emotions very often. Sheughed a lot and cried even more.”


    “...”


    Butterfly’s words reminded me of the brief encounter I’d had with Sellen Goodspring at the Rose Mansion.


    —...H-hello...? I mean... Sir Luan...?


    —O-or is it... former fiancé?


    “You know, about your sister—”


    “...!”


    At this moment, Butterfly suddenly jumped up from her seat and eximed, “Big Brother Luan...! You didn’t see me here! Us meeting here must stay a secret!”


    “What?”


    Butterfly didn’t even bother to answer. She just shoved a sausage into her mouth and hurried out the back door.


    Almost immediately, the front door opened, revealing yet another familiar face.


    “...”


    It was Barter Goodspring.


    Everything from his appearance to his attire contrasted sharply with the shabby tavern. He surveyed the area until his gazended on me, and when it did, his eyes lit up with surprise.


    “You are...”


    I didn’t want to get involved, so I took a sip of my drink without saying anything.


    “Drinking in broad daylight? Bednicker always manages to surprise me in the most unexpected ways.”


    “Care for a drink?” I offered, shaking my half-empty beer mug.


    Barter smirked. “You can have it all.”


    “...”


    “By the way, did my younger sibling happen to be here?”


    “Sellen? I’m not sure.”


    “Hmm.”


    Barter’s gaze fell to the table where Butterfly had been sitting. A piece of cold sausage remained on a te.


    “Well, if you haven’t seen her, that’s unfortunate. If you do happen to see her, please tell her I’m looking for her.”


    “Sure thing,” I replied.


    Barter smiled widely and walked away.


    Seeing him and his buttery smile had me feeling a bit queasy, so I downed the rest of my beer in one go and called out, “Owner! Another round over here!”


    ***


    Two uneventful days passed just like that.


    I mostly stayed in my room because I had only signed up for one ss, so there wasn''t much reason to venture out.


    I was not, however, particrly bored.


    During the day, I immersed myself in practicing my cultivation, and at night, I trained the power of my divine beast. That was enough to keep me upied.


    I was undergoing something of a growth spurt.


    Watching my inner energy swell day by day felt exhrating. I almost wanted to go find a sunny, secluded spot and do nothing but focus on my cultivation for a whole year.


    Unfortunately, I had too many responsibilities to attend to, so that wasn’t an option. Still, I didn’t stay locked away all the time. Whenever it was time to eat, I wouldzily crawl out to the dining hall.


    Whenever I ran into the other young heroes, we would exchange greetings and get caught up.


    ording to Pam, I was the only one who had chosen just one ss. While no one had signed up for a whopping fifteen sses like her, it seemed the others were taking at least four or five.


    On average, even if they had a lot of sses, it urred two or three times a week, so it didn’t seem too heavy a workload to have a sessful academy life.


    To be honest, I shouldn’t be this leisurely. As Sellen had told me to do, I needed to keep an eye on Glenn.


    “...If you know that, why are you here?”


    “That’s a very good question.”


    I was here at Your Mom’s Trumpet Sound again, having another meal. The prices weren’t the cheapest, but for “Luan, who became rich at sixteen,” they posed no problem.


    Sellen had no sses today, so she’d decided to join me to exchange information.


    “I have no idea where Prince Glenn lives, not to mention that I have no method of contacting him. But I do have historical geography tomorrow, so I can ask him then.”


    “Well, aren’t you breezy and carefree.”


    “Cut me some ck, that guy is oddly difficult. Putting aside his royal status, I can’t figure out what he’s up to.”


    At that, Sellen burst intoughter. “Difficult, you say? At least you can have a conversation with him. I’m... ha, honestly about to die.”


    “Was it... Princess Ferith? Why? Is she difficult to be around?”


    “She’s—”


    At this moment, the tavern door flew open.


    Standing there, backlit by the bright light from the outside, was a girl draped entirely in darkness.


    I stared, curious who it was this time...


    The girl scanned the room and, in a voice like she was performing in a theater, called out, “Is, by any chance, my dear friend Sellen Goodspring here?”


    Sellen flinched and very slowly raised her hand.


    “...I am here, Your Highness.”


    “Oh my, so you were here.”


    The girl, apparently the princess, began tough.


    In her arms, she held a ratherrge doll. She looked down at it and said, “See, Deathberry. I told you we’d find her here.”


    As I stared at her in bewilderment, the princess spoke again. “My dearest friend Sellen, you mentioned you’d show me a fine restaurant. Was it this ce, by any chance?”


    “...Yes, it is.”


    “Hmph. It’s dank and dark... I feel like I’ll have a rush of inspiration. I like it.”


    Then her gaze shifted toward me.


    “And you are?”


    “...I’m Luan Bednicker.”


    “Oh my, a Bednicker.” With a bright smile, the princess moved her doll while saying, “Did you hear that, Deathberry? It’s a Bednicker. You should say hello too. ...‘Hi! Mean-looking Bednicker! I’m Deathberry.’ Hohoho. Now, now, Deathberry, it’s rude to say such a thing to someone you just met.”


    The doll in the princess’s arms greeted me with a little bow, and... the princess looked at me expectantly, clearly waiting for something.


    “...”


    “...”


    “...Hello, Deathberry.”


    “Hehehe,” the princessughed, clearly pleased.


    I felt Sellen slowly turn to look at me, her gaze half dead. I could almost see the tears in her eyes. I could only nod and give her a small smile in sympathy.


    Glenn really was a saint.


    ____