༺ Academy Conquest (3) ༻
“Enough, go inside!”
Professor Caren, who had taken out her sword for the first time in a while, urgently shouted. She forced the students into the classroom.
The situation had become urgent. The spirits, who had materialized due to the barrier, directly attacked with force.
There was a bright side; even though there were many of them, each spirit, individually, wasn’t exceptionally strong.
Bluntly speaking, the students were only unable to properly respond because they were intimidated by the grotesque appearances.
“Professor Caren! We’ve cleared this area!”
The professor who was blocking the right corridor shouted confidently. But Caren furrowed her brows when she looked in that direction.
“What do you mean?! Aren’t they still coming from there?”
“Hmm?!”
The spirits that had just been burned by magic and had disappeared, were now regaining their original forms, charging towards them again.
The startled professor quickly cast spells, but he was already caught by the spirits.
Even if Caren tried to help, she knew it was already over for him when she saw the spirits piling up on the fallen professor.
At that moment, sword strikes suddenly swept through the corridor, engulfing everything.
It was an intense and explosive power, like a violent storm that swallowed the entire area.
Swish!
The sword strikes swiftly cut through the spirits in the corridor.
Moreover, the strikes skillfully passed the professors and students, precisely targeting only the spirits. It was as if it was a technique that was meant to only sweep away the evil spirits.
“P-Professor Deus.”
And at the end of the corridor stood Deus, holding a worn-out black sword in his hand.
He extended his sword forward like a staff and calmly approached.
Other professors, Erica and Gideon, were with him. They began assisting in the rescue of the students.
Deus and Findenai arrived in front of Caren. He opened his mouth.
“Just because the spirits have a physical body doesn’t mean they are truly alive again.”
This meant that they would keep coming back.
Caren exhaled as she pointed her sword into the corridor.
“Many students and professors have already been injured. You got here too late. Far too late.”
With this much chaos, there was no future for Loberne Academy anymore.
Just as Caren thought this, Deus shook his head.
“Although this is a very unique barrier, where the boundary between life and death is forced to crumble, it is not yet complete.”
“That means…”
“No one in the academy has been hurt yet.”
In the end, if the barrier is lifted, the situation would be resolved.
Caren, who couldn’t understand how it worked, could only feel confused.
“It is not as easy as you think for the dead to harm the living.”
Deus, who told Caren this, simply walked away.
Spirits started rushing forward again, but as soon as he extended the sword he was holding, they were swiftly cut down without hesitation.
The object Deus was holding seemed to be a staff in the shape of a sword—one that possessed a unique magic.
“Take the students and leave the academy. The guards must have gathered outside, it should be safe to go now.”
With that, he continued walking with his maid… deeper into the academy where only darkness could be seen.
* * *
The gymnasium was one of the prohibited areas they closed off for the students.
It was one of the places with the most incidents, particularly known for the overlapping eerie voices and supernatural phenomena.
And before the Dean left, he had entrusted the priests to fix the problem.
“Oh, merciful Goddess Justia! Bring us salvation! Protect us!”
“The Goddess of Justice, J-Justia is with us! No soul can dare to approach us!”
Ten priests were kneeling at the center of the gymnasium, praying.
They, who served the Goddess of Justice, Justia, were called here with what little money the Dean could afford.
[Hehehe!]
[Fools! Keep praying! Fools!]
[Even if your legs are severed, your arms torn off, and your eyeballs plucked out, can you still call upon Justia?]
“G-Goddess Justia!”
One of the priests clutched a hammer-shaped rosary while tightly closing his eyes, but…
[Hehehehe!]
[Go on! Let’s continue! Can the Goddess hear your voice, when she’s so far up in the sky?!]
[Hurry and call her! The Goddess will let us devour you all!]
The spirits’ mocking voices grew louder; it was filled with laughter and echoed relentlessly within the gymnasium.
Crash!
The door suddenly shattered.
No matter how much the priests pushed, kicked, or thrusted their bodies against it, the gymnasium’s door, which had not budged an inch, was cut like tofu.
Accompanied by the sound of footsteps, the scantily-dressed maid with an axe slung over her shoulder, Findenai, stepped in after breaking the door.
Deus followed after and entered the gymnasium.
At that moment, bloodlust appeared in the eyes of the spirits, who had been celebrating among themselves.
[Deussssss!]
[You’re not dead yet?! You accursed existence! I will chew on your intestines!]
[Demon! A monster without even respect and mercy for the dead!]
The spirits who were surrounding the priests immediately flew towards Deus.
They reached out their hands, ready to tear him apart.
“How can I treat you, who have no respect for the living, with kindness?”
With his right hand lifted, the sword pointed toward the spirits.
A swirling gust of sword energy emerged, cutting down the evil spirits without leaving a trace.
There was a strange anger embedded in those sword strikes.
“What’s the point of using a sword like a staff?”
Ignoring the grumbling Findenai by his side, Deus stood before the priests.
Looking down at them, who were all kneeling and praying with tears and runny noses, he clicked his tongue and asked.
“Tsk. By kneeling like this, are you expecting a God to help you?”
“…Ah.”
They couldn’t offer any response.
Memories of the days when they believed they would never deny their God in any situation flashed before their eyes.
“I am not denying the existence of the God you speak of.”
Because he knew of this world’s structure, one where Gods existed.
“Even if they are all-powerful…”
Deus, whose eyes were filled with disgust and disdain, reprimanded the priests.
“For fools who simply kneel and shout, no one would want to lend them their assistance.”
“…!”
Those words couldn’t help but evoke a reaction from the priests. They knew how hard they worked to control the spirits in this gymnasium.
“What do you know?”
“Do you think we didn’t do anything? That we didn’t even try to make an effort? Do you think we just kneeled and pleaded? Don’t make me laugh!”
“Ah, Goddess Justia!”
Even if they trembled, they held onto their faith. They couldn’t tolerate any insult toward Justia.
This was their ordeal.
This was their belief.
This was the faith they had in their God.
With conviction, the priests shouted for Justia.
Deus’ hand slowly rose, pointing to a corner of the gymnasium.
There, the trembling souls of numerous young children were present.
“These children are the physical forms of the spirits you cursed and insulted.”
“…What?”
The priests all had the same expression of shock.
Even though all the evil spirits disappeared, the frightened children didn’t come near them.
Instead, their translucent eyes were fixed on them, filled with fear.
“Until that barrier was created, the boundary between life and death blurred. This place was nothing more than a playground for those children…”
They were the Setima’s children, gathered in the gymnasium to play among themselves.
Deus slowly approached the children and planted his sword in front of them.
Then, the sword let out a mournful cry, apologizing to them.
The children knew who it was; they cried and hugged Bushi, who was apologizing for being incompetent and not being able to protect them.
And then, slowly closing his eyes, he entered rest.
After waiting to give them a moment of farewells together, Deus drew his sword again.
Without giving a single glance to the priests, he walked towards the entrance of the gymnasium.
One of the priests, who had been staring at him in a daze, suddenly stood up. Overwhelmed by emotions, he cried out in frustration.
“We didn’t know! We swear we didn’t know! We didn’t know that the spirits were those children! If we had known, we wouldn’t have done such a thing!”
Thud.
Deus stopped in his tracks, slowly turned his body, and responded to him.
“If you wish to make such excuses, then continue to live out your life in such a manner.”
“….”
“Deny it if you will. That incompetence when in a position of responsibility is a sin of itself.”
“….”
“I didn’t know, I did it because I was unaware. Had I known, I wouldn’t have done so.”
“….”
The eyes of Deus, calmly settled, held not even a hint of expectation toward the priests.
“Keep spouting those pathetic excuses, comforting yourself, reassuring your own existence. Stay in that vicious state. The very same state where you wouldn’t lift a finger unless the commission is disguised as a donation.”
After saying that, he felt that he didn’t want to keep them in his sight any longer. Deus turned his body again and headed towards the exit of the gymnasium.
“And one day, when you cry out, beseeching to God and putting your own lives in His hands…”
Each of his quietly uttered words struck the priests’ heart with an unusual heaviness.
The cold wind outside felt like a sharp lash from God, aimed at them.
“God, too, shall respond that He does not know you.”
Even after Deus departed, the priests couldn’t take a step forward.
Only the ominous sound of the wind lingered in their ears, along with the words left behind by Deus.
