Chapter 156
A snippet from the original story where Liam was the protagonist.
By the end of the first-year festival episode, Liam had pierced through some degree of truth.
The key figure in the incident was Spirit Summoner Francesca.
Through persuasion, Liam successfully appealed to her emotions and urged her into action. By destroying her book, he made it possible to safely take down the weakened Ancient Dragon in the past.
So, what exactly did Liam say that allowed him to momentarily move her, who had hidden all her emotions and was unwilling to act?
Was it simply because Liam was an outstanding orator that he could sway Francesca?
Or was there another reason?
…This is the story of the original work.
Now, it’s a different branch that cannot be returned to.
To confirm the tale of a foolish man, we need to briefly linger in the perspective of our protagonist, Liam.
*
The curtain is about to fall on the eventful festival.
The Ancient Dragon, resurrected in a half-finished state due to Francesca’s incomplete Unique Spell.
After successfully taking down the uncontrollable beast.
As if to announce the conclusion of the incident.
The dark curtain that had shrouded the world began to lift.
In the distance, the World Tree Yggdrasil stood tall, boasting itself as the center of the world. Between the grand tree’s exposed roots.
The faint morning sunlight neatly split the darkness.
Everyone at the Academia was either catching their breath or tidying up the situation now that the incident had concluded.
Liam, out of breath, was hastily crossing towards the main building of the Academia.
He did not explain to Alicia and Emily, who were worried about him, what was happening. He couldn’t provide a proper explanation.
The only people aware of the current facts were himself and Francesca.
He couldn’t tell anyone.
Because that was what the party involved had asked.
‘Is it too late? That person….’
Liam’s legs hurried along.
In fact, the results were already laid out.
Liam knew this and was running to fulfill the request of the party involved.
…However, after realizing everything, somewhere in his heart.
Though it shouldn’t be so, there was a story about a villain that slightly stirred his emotions.
⎯Liam, I have a request for you.
The villain of this incident was neither Vargan, who always troubled them, nor Erica, whose recent actions were suspicious.
It was Professor Ocell Victoria Lucien.
Ironically, his help was significant in resolving this incident without major issues.
If he hadn’t been there, Francesca wouldn’t have been stopped, and no opportunity for her rehabilitation would have been created.
⎯It sounds silly to say this, but I’ve been watching you closely since you enrolled, and I deemed you the most suitable person.
A few hours before the final day of the festival.
Lucien summoned Liam to his office and revealed a sculpture that he had held in his arms.
He took out a sculpture and displayed it.
⎯ Yes, I am from the Goddess Church.
Proof of the believers representing the Formist faction within the Goddess Church.
Lucien abruptly presented a secret that should never see the light of day in front of Liam.
While continuing to speak, Lucien incessantly sipped his coffee.
It was more of a habit, like taking medication, rather than a craving for a hot drink, as he continuously swallowed the scalding liquid down his throat.
Tensed up, Liam asked about the reason for revealing that he was from the Goddess Church. Lucien, with a dense aroma of coffee wafting around and ancient eyes, replied.
⎯ I never thought I would make such a request of anyone. …I believed my faith in the Goddess was quite solid.
Was it a reaction to a specific word?
Or was it a phenomenon induced by his thoughts?
Suddenly, a thick vein appeared on Lucien’s face, and blood spread across his right eye.
He took another sip of coffee and swallowed it.
With that, the vein that had been writhing inside him like a bug gradually calmed down.
⎯ I apologize for showing you such a wretched sight. The ‘bug’ inside me is a stubborn one and can’t be killed by medicine. …I’m doing what I can to cope, but I won’t last much longer.
It’s the price of a predetermined betrayal.
Lucien spoke calmly as he said that.
⎯ Do you know about the “Scripture” of the Goddess Church? A book containing all the causes and effects of the world… it’s also called knowledge.
Through the Scripture, the Goddess Church assigns each person their predetermined duties.
Since entering the Goddess Church, Lucien continuously received his verses from the Scripture at the appropriate times.
His mission was to protect Francesca, who had lost her father, and assist her in conducting her research. He was also entrusted with guiding her to enter the Academia.
After speaking about the Scripture and his role, Lucien grimaced as if he was in excruciating pain.
It was a rare occurrence for someone who rarely changed his expression.
Struggling even to drink coffee, Lucien gradually stabilized over time. With a faint breath, he managed to utter a sentence.
⎯ It seems I can’t provide any more information related to that place….
Stepping onto the lands of death has become troublesome.
Lucien said this and subtly diverted from mentioning the Goddess Church.
Instead, he brought up Francesca’s name.
Although his expression seemed dulled to the point of being blunt, there was a slight change in his voice.
⎯ …Francesca, I spent a short, albeit brief, time with that child. We did not share deep conversations or experiences that could be called enjoyable, but… life is unpredictable.
Lucien offered a faint smile.
Even he thought that his current actions were absurd.
When the time actually came, fearing the loss of one thing, he chose to forsake everything he had built so far.
Could it be a hidden brotherly affection for his brother Niklas?
Or was it perhaps feeling compassion for Francesca, witnessing her desperate plight while keeping her close?
Regardless of the reason, it was a powerful emotion.
Stubbornly swaying, yet impervious to any wind or bugs.
A tenacious weed.
⎯ Please save Francesca.
That was an impossible task for Lucien, with the Divine Bug already deeply settled inside him.
⎯ The root of all sins she will commit lies with me.
He intended to hoard everything related to her unique spell preparations and the incidents that would occur at the festival for himself.
Francesca became a victim of Lucien, the Bishop of the Goddess Church.
Though she resisted endlessly, she had forcibly received the twisted ideologies he imposed.
Niklas’s research continued not with Francesca but with Lucien, and Francesca became the tool to realize it.
That was the ending Lucien desired.
It was a word.
Although there would be some controversy, Lucien had laid the groundwork so that Francesca would be recognized as such once everything was safely concluded.
At the very least, it should ensure her life is preserved.
Lucien could have played the role of the villain in front of Liam, pretending that Francesca was merely being used, but he chose not to.
After observing Liam for a while, he figured Liam was more likely to act as desired when appealed to emotionally rather than logically.
⎯Please, Liam.
Therefore, he spoke even more earnestly, forgetting the status of professor and student.
⎯Please help Francesca to lay down the role she is trying to bear…
……
As the memories of the conversation with Lucien flowed back,
Liam found himself in front of Professor Lucien’s office.
Perhaps because he had raced here in a frenzy, burning off the limited energy left due to the festival,
his hand gripping the doorknob was drenched in sweat.
His breath was ragged.
Liam had come here because the incident was concluded, and Lucien had asked him to stop by his office.
In exchange for helping him, there was something Lucien wanted to give him… no, it didn’t even need to be called a reward, but it was something he wanted to offer.
However, Lucien had hinted that the room had to be ‘cleaned’ first.
After barely persuading Francesca, Liam had fulfilled the first request.
He couldn’t shake the anxious feeling and was struggling to calm down.
But he couldn’t stop here.
Given the time it had taken, he couldn’t afford to linger.
Slowly, he turned the doorknob.
The door wasn’t locked.
And then, click.
As the door swung open.
【Kerak?】
Inside the office stood a monster with a red body and a white mask. An unintelligent priest-level Altife.
Thick chains bound its neck and limbs.
At first, it stared blankly at Liam, but once it recognized a human presence, it opened its mouth wide, ready to devour him.
Clank.
The chains constricting it tightened.
In its frantic state, without any cognitive process, it was only fulfilling its monstrous desires.
The beast looked more fatigued than a typical specimen, as if it had expended a lot of energy.
Upon facing it,
Liam nearly lost his leg strength for a moment.
Because he knew well who this Altife had been just moments ago, it was difficult to hold his ground.
Around it, what appeared to be an adult man’s suit had suddenly torn apart, unable to support its altered form. Perhaps due to the scent of coffee circulating in the room,
it felt like that suit was giving off a strong smell of coffee beans.
Zing, zing—.
On the dark brown table where Lucien was conducting his duties, a black gem sparkled and vibrated.
Its delicate shudder was easily drowned out by the Altife’s monstrous howl, yet,
it seemed to be weeping for the present situation.
It felt like sheer despair.
*
That was merely the original stem.
Currently, it did not follow that storyline, and Lucien had not revealed his truth to Liam.
Instead, the person he chose was me, Vargan.
On the third day of the festival, he attempted contact, unlike Liam, he did not appeal to emotions.
Knowing I would not be swayed by such things.
He proposed a transaction from the very start.
And, it was the sequence I also desired.
“Why… why go this far… no… this is an illusion. Just an illusion….”
For a moment, Francesca, having encountered the illusion, was unable to regain her senses. What I showed her was not the original, but the past of the current timeline.
The scene of the transaction between Lucien and me.
Therefore, it cannot simply be dismissed as a mere illusion.
This is unchanging truth.
Francesca gazed at Lucien’s back with uneasy eyes. His body, being pushed by Louisa, appeared abnormal even by the way his clothes hung.
That’s just abnormal.
Perhaps, inside, the Divine Bug is rampaging grandly.
No matter how much poison is mixed into the coffee to restrict its movements, it cannot be fully subdued.
And why not?
Before coming here.
Lucien faced Chancellor Gulemashia of the Academia and revealed the foul deeds that the Goddess Church was planning.
Yet, he kept his mouth shut about anything related to Francesca.
Thanks to that, the normalization of the Academia will proceed faster than the existing story.
“…Illusions… it’s all fake.”
Francesca is desperately trying to deny the truth she has seen.
The golems protecting her are all burning in the flames of corruption.
I grabbed the neck of that fragile woman and lifted her up. The timing will soon arrive.
“Francesca. You foolish and pitiful girl.”
“Guh…ack!”
Francesca tries to struggle as if in pain, but her whole body lacks proper strength or mana.
In negotiations with me, Lucien prioritized Francesca’s survival, rather than their original purpose with the Goddess Church.
However, Francesca has chosen to become an avenger, burning with a sense of vengeance as she steps on the traps I laid.
Thus, Lucien recognized that he couldn’t remove her from the perception of being an evil person. He opted for a contingency plan.
It’s ironic.
It was because of me that things got chaotic.
Yet, thanks to my help, Lucien can at least save Francesca’s life.
However, to do that, Francesca must die once. She must become a forgotten woman of the past.
Francesca gasps in agony but doesn’t avert her gaze from Lucien.
As if hoping for him to say something.
She longs for it.
Was it a response to Francesca’s sorrow?
For a brief moment, Lucien turned his head to face her as she suffered.
‘…⎯⎯⎯⎯.’
He activated his blessing.
It was a meager blessing that merely conveyed his voice to a distant figure, entirely unrelated to combat.
“……!”
It reached Francesca.
It had an enormous effect on her.
Tears gathered in her round eyes, like jade orbs.
And then.
Zaaaan⎯⎯⎯⎯!
In an instant, the atmosphere of the Academia ripples.
The source is Chancellor Gulemashia.
He successfully stabilized the Academia’s defense system fully. Just as expected, he handled things quickly.
And in the ensuing gap.
This brief moment can connect the outside with the inside, just like when the first problem arose.
I smiled.
Creating black flames in my free hand.
I deliberately shouted loudly for everyone to hear.
“Criminal Francesca! Accept your death! Due to the cycle of reincarnation, if you die and are reborn, then you must pay the price for all the sins committed in this life!”
Not yet.
A bit more.
Just as the instability of the gap reaches this place, then will be the timing.
“I, Schugenharz Troa Vargan, as the executor of the execution of the criminal Ocell Victoria Francesca, will solemnly send her off.”
I heightened the sensitivity of my mana to the maximum.
The distortion point spreading from Gulemashia will soon arrive.
3…2….
1.
Now.
⎯Crack!
The hand blade pierced through Francesca’s heart.
From that point, the black flames spread over her entire body in an instant.
Everything was wrapped up in a split second.
The execution of the criminal took less than a second.
Everyone’s gaze was directed toward the empty space that she once occupied.
Francesca’s figure was already gone.
So neatly.
As if she had ‘moved’ somewhere.
The culprit of this Academia’s festival episode.
Spirit Summoner Francesca has vanished from the world.
