26 – I Must Win

The atmosphere at Tristi Academy was currently chaotic and hectic.

The usually bustling academy classes were temporarily suspended.

Students were either staying in the dormitories under the guidance of the faculty, or preparing to return to their hometowns, all because of the Inseine Curse.

A natural disaster that occurred every twenty years, lasting a month, during which a large number of demons overflowed.

Tristy Academy, within the dominion, was also among the locations where disaster struck.

“I understand the desire to save funds, but constructing the barrier like this leaves the right flank far too vulnerable. If the demon onslaught intensifies, it will collapse easily. Wouldn’t it be better to hire more mages to reinforce the barrier?”

“The budget is already depleted. What’s the status of the grant application?”

“I conferred with Lord Porto, but it seems unlikely we’ll receive any further aid beyond what we have.”

The academy staff were in fervent discussion, striving to establish safeguards for their students.

“Mages are expensive. Even itinerant mages are difficult to hire in the current climate. Perhaps we should hire cheaper mercenaries to prepare for when the right flank barrier is breached?”

“Hmm, should we consider engaging the Karlson Mercenaries or the Johnson Company?”

“That seems like a reasonable approach. Let’s proceed with that.”

“The curse will begin in earnest in a month and a half. Everyone has sufficient time to prepare, yes?”

Aria, present at the faculty meeting, gazed at the calendar.

It was not a considerable amount of time, but neither was it insufficient.

In any case, Porto’s Tristy soldiers would be garrisoned and awaiting deployment at the spawn points and chokepoints where demons were likely to appear.

Supplies were plentiful, and I understand that magical weaponry had been purchased in quantity.

Our sole task was to prevent any demons that Tristy failed to eliminate from infiltrating the academy and harming the students.

Those gathered at this meeting were all specialists like herself.

Working together, she believed they could manage it.

“How many students are departing the academy?”

“Including Etilla, fifteen students are scheduled to return to their territories in three days.”

“Wouldn’t that be risky? There are barely two months remaining… they could be ambushed along the way.”

The students attending Tristy Academy were predominantly nobles.

The academy’s tuition was exorbitantly high.

Scholarships existed for talented students, but unless they were exceptional, even among the exceptional like Etilla Bedford, they were expected to shoulder some of the burden themselves.

Even with the scholarship waivers, commoners found it difficult to afford the tuition, save in exceptional circumstances.

Therefore…

“We have little choice. The parents’ position is unwavering. If we refuse, and then an accident befalls a student at the academy, that would be the worst-case scenario.”

The upper echelons of the Yustina Kingdom lodging complaints with the academy would be a considerable headache; thus, in these sensitive matters, it was necessary to clearly delineate responsibility.

The professors were employees first, and instructors second.

In this situation, they had no choice but to fully respect the parents’ opinions.

“Then, let’s move on to the next item on the agenda. The discussion of food supplies for the students over the next month….”

It was then.

Aria’s crystal orb flared to life.

An urgent missive from the Flame Sect.

“Hmm?”

“Forgive me. I must excuse myself for a moment.”

Leaving a conference was impolite, yes, but.

Before she was a professor, she was a mage of the Flame Sect.

Aria rose immediately, stepping into the corridor.

And confirmed the message sent directly by the Master of the Red Tower to all mages.

“What the actual…”

Aria muttered the profanity, uncharacteristically.

She could feel the blood in her veins turn icy.

If the content of the missive held true.

They would have to completely rework every plan they’d made until now.

Aria returned to the conference room.

“Esteemed Dean, pardon my interruption. A matter of utmost urgency has arisen. I believe it best to address this before we continue, and beg your indulgence.”

The missive read as follows:

『Urgent word from the Azure Tower. An anomaly has manifested within the Curse of Insanity. The Azure Tower posits that this Extremity is localized to the Kingdom’s East, including Tristi, and appears to be precipitating a month earlier than anticipated. All Flame Sect mages residing within the Kingdom’s East should factor this into their preparations for the coming calamity…』

It was like a bolt from the blue.

“Is this… verified?!”

“The missive comes directly from the Red Tower Master. It seems a complete revision of our plans is in order.”

Suddenly, the Extremity’s timing had shifted solely in the Kingdom’s East?

An unprecedented occurrence.

At first, those gathered in the room found it difficult to believe, but the announcement that the Red Tower Master had been the one to relay the news elicited sighs of resignation.

“Barely a fortnight to prepare, then.”

“Still, we are fortunate to have been warned at all, wouldn’t you agree?”

The professors unanimously echoed Aria’s sentiment.

Had they not received this news, the Academy, no, not only the Tristi Autonomous Region, but the entire Kingdom’s East could have suffered greatly.

The demons are strong.

One need only observe the Royal Army struggling at the front lines to understand.

He wasn’t some pushover, easily slain without preparation.

Even a victory would have come at a considerable cost.

“Then it seems we must restart the meeting from the beginning. We should send a thank you to the Azure Tower later.”

Aria shook her head.

“This anomaly wasn’t observed by the Azure Tower. Este Tristi, the young master, was the one who observed it.”

“What…?”

Este Tristi.

No one would have imagined that the name of the genius young master who elucidated the Millennium Problems would be mentioned here, too.

*

“Daughter, are you truly alright…?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry. Since coming to Tristi Academy, I haven’t even seen a demon, except during combat practice, alright? Don’t fret about me, and start thinking about taking care of the people in the territory.”

Etila Badford was speaking in front of a crystal orb, her eyes weary.

The people she was conversing with were none other than her parents.

“There’s been such an anomaly in the eastern part of the kingdom; how could we not worry?”

“We were supposed to be spending time together at the manor for the first time in a long while, really…”

Etila was originally a “Returnee.”

By “Returnee,” they meant a student whose parents, fearful that their child might be involved in an accident due to the Insane’s curse, were demanding that their child be sent back to their hometown immediately.

But when the Azure Tower discovered and announced that the peak period in the eastern part of the kingdom was accelerating,

the Academy took special measures, forcing even Returnee students to remain at the school.

It was unavoidable. Now, there were only two weeks left until the peak.

“Still, it’s a blessing in disguise.”

“If Etila had been caught up in the peak while traveling to the territory…oh, I can’t even bear to imagine it.”

Etila was the only daughter of the Badford family.

The Badford family, like the Tristis, was a noble family that ruled an autonomous territory, steeped in history.

The Badford autonomous territory was famous for its high-quality medicinal herbs and skilled doctors, and it even possessed a small mithril mine, so its power was by no means inferior to that of the Tristi territory.

Compared to a cutthroat family like the Tristis, it would be an insult. Etila’s family environment was in the top 0.1%, thanks to parents who cherished their only daughter like the apple of their eye.

“You have to call me every evening without fail, okay?”

“Aish, stop it.”

There were times when such excessive overprotection felt stifling.

‘I need to study, how long are they planning to hold me!’

Etilla had no time for this.

She had to display prowess grand enough to deliver a solid blow to the arrogant genius, Ester Tristi.

To hell with the Insane’s Curse; Etilla’s mind was consumed solely with the thought of beating Ester.

She might have lost back then… but now, it would be different.

Because.

‘Since then, my magical aptitude has taken a quantum leap, and I’ve even prepared a trump card!’

After her defeat to Ester, Etilla sharpened her blade, dedicating herself to magic with fervent zeal.

Her already rapid growth accelerated even further, elevating her mastery to new heights.

She now felt confident that, at least in terms of raw skill, she could be considered a mage of legendary caliber.

Even if Ester possessed miraculous calculation abilities, magic wasn’t an art decided solely by theory.

Creativity, judgment, memory, mana circuits, sensitivity, incantations, and more.

The factors that could gauge a mage’s skill were diverse.

While Ester might be superior in calculation itself, they hadn’t competed in other abilities.

Etilla finished her greetings with her parents and ended the call.

Just as she was about to turn and head back to her dormitory, she spotted a familiar face.

A very familiar one, at that.

It was Ester Tristi.