I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 650: Broken Family (1)

As if the forces Pantos had faced on his way here were merely a taste, the troops waiting in the central hall of the inner castle were on a different level.

The Templar Captain, small in stature but seemingly packed with strength, was one thing, but those behind him were the real problem.

"I never thought the celestial gates would be breached. Perhaps there was a traitor inside."

A clear and leisurely voice that didn't match the atmosphere.

The voice belonged to a fair-skinned woman with long white hair.

Dressed in white clothing with white skin, everything about her was white except for her eyes and rose-colored lips.

No matter how remarkable her beauty might be, dressed like that, she looked eerie rather than sacred.

"It's been a while, Sister."

Rudger spoke to his sister, who shared the blood of the Holy Emperor.

Her red eyes gleamed as they scrutinized Rudger thoroughly.

"It's been a while. You've finally come this far. My youngest brother, whose face I can barely remember now."

"I never expected that another descendant of the Holy Emperor would be guarding this inner sanctum."

Diena van Bretus was Rudger's older sister, born with divine power and sensitivity almost equal to Salesin's.

Though she was defeated by Salesin and couldn't sit on the Holy Emperor's throne, her talent was highly valued. Instead of being killed, she was seated as a senior figure in the Holy Empire, now looking down at Rudger from a golden throne.

"And not just one, I see."

Rudger's blue eyes alternated between scanning either side of Diena.

Next to Diena on the golden throne were two people.

They were a pair, male and female, who appeared to be in their late teens based on visible physical characteristics.

This could only be an estimate because both were wrapped entirely in black and white leather belts.

Bondage, perhaps? Or maybe the appearance of someone confined to a mental ward.

Their arms were bound with restraints, their entire bodies wrapped in leather like mummies, and even their faces were covered in leather except for the mouth and nose.

Only the white hair protruding through the gaps in the leather gave a subtle hint of their identity.

"Laurence van Bretus. Lorelai van Bretus. Have the twin siblings developed some nasty masochistic hobbies?"

It was beyond common sense to see descendants of the Holy Emperor in such a state alongside Diena.

It was suspicious enough to make one wonder if Diena had some cruel hobby of tormenting her cute siblings.

"What have you done?"

What made it more incomprehensible to Rudger was the reaction of the other Templars.

As if this were perfectly normal, the Templars and priests surrounding them showed no signs of surprise.

"It's a form of consideration."

"Consideration? Have I misunderstood the meaning of that word?"

"The struggle for royal succession inevitably involves bloodshed. Some surrender, but others don't."

Diena's words were quite shocking.

"So you're saying the twin siblings, unable to accept defeat, resisted to the end and ended up in this state?"

"It's Elder Brother Salesin's form of consideration."

Rudger snorted at those words.

How could wrapping them in leather and treating them like beasts be considered any form of consideration?

"Besides, judging by their appearance, they seem to have lost their minds as well. Can you call that living? Isn't it just that they're barely alive?"

No, it was even more vicious than that.

It looked as if their brains had been bleached through brainwashing and drug addiction.

If they had at least been given an honorable death, that would be one thing.

But the act of turning siblings connected by blood into such a state to be used made him feel nauseous.

"What can be done? Laurence and Lorelai's talents were too outstanding to simply kill them."

"You turned your siblings into toys because their skills were too valuable? Even descendants of the Holy Emperor? And everyone around is watching as if it's normal?"

In that case.

Who exactly are the heretics here?

"No. These bastards were all accomplices from the beginning."

Rudger's sharp gaze quickly scanned the surroundings.

The Templars and priests gathered around didn't look quite normal either.

Among the bodies Pantos had defeated on the way, there were corpses that far exceeded human size, but who knew there would be even worse ones here.

From a giant over 3 meters tall wearing an executioner's hood,

To a lanky figure with unnaturally long arms wearing a plague doctor's mask,

To a person sitting on all fours with eyes moving in different directions like a beast.

"Test subjects."

Those were test subjects.

And not just any test subjects, but failed experiments from attempts to create something.

Like a child who dismantles a broken toy, tears off its arms and legs, and attaches strange things to modify it—that's exactly what the figures there looked like.

There were still some normal-looking people, but seeing them naturally standing with those creatures suggested they had contributed to creating them.

"Truly disgusting. I knew they had been experimenting on orphans without parents, but to this extent? Can someone who claims to act on God's will do this? Or rather, considering who you serve, is this fitting behavior?"

"Silence, heretic! How could you, who borrows the power of demons, understand the sacred will!"

The Templar standing at the forefront was the one who reacted angrily to Rudger's words.

The Templar who had easily blocked the iron door Pantos had hurled.

Though his height was only about 160cm, he was spread out sideways, resembling a turtle.

It was a physique that could be mistaken for a dwarf warrior if not for the presence of a beard.

On top of his shaved head were tattoos of a cross and rosary.

"Pademan, Templar Captain."

The Templars of the Bretus Holy Empire are divided by level: apprentice, general, advanced, and elite.

Even elite Templars have skills equivalent to advanced knights, and when they gather, they possess power comparable to that of master knights.

Among the elite, those who are particularly strong earn the title of captain.

The number of Templar captains in the Bretus Holy Empire is three.

Pademan, the Templar Captain, was one who had taken charge of protecting the Holy Empire beyond the Galahad Fortress.

In Empire terms, it would be a position like Terina Ryanhowl, the Guardian Duke.

"You seem quite angry with me."

"Despite having the blood of the former Holy Emperor! Despite having such talent, you dare to speak with that mouth that betrayed the Holy Empire!"

"And was it right for that Holy Empire to try to kill me?"

"If so, you should have died! How dare you shamelessly survive and point a blade at the Holy Empire?"

"So all these actions are justified? Or perhaps your anger stems from elsewhere."

Rudger wore a sardonic smile.

"Was the death of Bentum, Captain of the Light Templar Order, so painful?"

"...!"

Pademan's eyes widened to the point of tearing.

Rudger had hit a sore spot.

"Yes, that's it. Since you were close to Bentum, shall I tell you what his death was like?"

"W-what?"

"He was defeated miserably, unbecoming of a Templar Captain. With all the bones in his body broken and muscles torn, he still tenaciously kept recovering and enduring. His life force was truly cockroach-like."

"Y-you...!"

"Then at the end, he clung to me, crying and begging to escape. So what do you think I did to him? I sent him off cleanly so he wouldn't become any uglier. Of course, no body remained. After squeezing out all his power, he turned golden, but then crumbled like stone. Quite a curious thing, isn't it?"

"You bastaaaard!"

The veins on Pademan's forehead bulged grotesquely.

Unable to contain his anger, Pademan kicked off the ground and charged toward Rudger.

It was an incredible speed for such a small frame, but Pantos stepped forward first.

As Pademan charged with a shield as big as himself, Pantos grasped that shield with his burly arms.

"I am your opponent. Prey."

"Y-you filthy beast, how dare you!"

Pademan applied force to the arm holding the shield, but Pantos didn't budge.

Pademan's eyes changed.

The Lumensis Order classified all races other than humans as heretics.

Therefore, to Pademan, Pantos was nothing more or less than a heretic.

But this strength was strange.

Even though he wasn't using his full power, when Pademan charged with his shield, he was strong enough to overturn even a tank head-on.

'He caught it with bare hands? And the shield doesn't budge even when I apply force?'

A spirited flame flickered in Pademan's eyes.

"I see! You're not ordinary! Let's see what you've got!"

As Pademan gradually increased his strength, Pantos also sensed that his opponent was no ordinary foe and raised his fighting spirit.

An invisible, formless barrier spread out in a sphere around the two engaged in a test of strength over the shield.

-Crack. Crack.

The specially made floor cracked, and fragments rose up.

After the test of strength, both retreated simultaneously as if by arrangement.

Then the figures of Pademan and Pantos disappeared from their positions, and explosions with shock waves occurred one after another throughout the spacious hall.

Their fight was the signal flare.

The test subjects lined up behind Pademan charged forward.

"I'll take those on."

With a swish Alex stepped forward, drawing the sword at his waist.

"I needed practical combat to embody the insights I've gained lately. Well, those won't even be appetizers, but still."

Alex collided with the test subjects, while Arpa and Violetta stepped forward to face the priests and Templars.

"Fighting! Hang in there!"

"U-um, I'll cheer for you."

Seridan and Bellaruna, who weren't helpful in actual combat, retreated far away on their own and peeked out their heads to cheer.

Rudger glared at Diena.

Perhaps reading the emotion in his gaze, Diena grinned and spoke to her siblings.

"Laurence. Lorelai. This is your youngest brother. Love him to your heart's content."

Laurence and Lorelai, who had been standing still like wax figures, simultaneously turned their heads and stared at Rudger.

Despite their eyes being covered by leather belts, the two were looking exactly at where Rudger was.

At the same time, a red light flowed out from the gaps in the leather covering their faces.

-Boom!

The figures of Laurence and Lorelai disappeared from their spots.

"Aether Nocturnus."

Rudger wrapped his body in shadow.

The black shadow that covered him from head to toe placed a crow mask on Rudger's face.

Rudger spread his shadow-covered arms wide to the left and right.

Immediately after, the kicks of Laurence and Lorelai were caught in each of Rudger's hands.

-Boom!

Just from catching the attack, the ground where Rudger stood sank in as if a crater had formed.

Even with Aether Nocturnus, he felt a tingling sensation at the end of his arms.

'Is this extreme physical enhancement through divine power?'

Perhaps because they shared the blood of the Holy Emperor, the intensity of their physical abilities far surpassed those of other Templars.

Moreover, they weren't wearing armor or white coats, symbols of the Templars.

'No. Rather, the restraints covering their entire bodies are helping the divine power circulate within their bodies.'

The physical abilities of the twin siblings Laurence and Lorelai now exceeded those of master-level knights.

'And what's more annoying is...'

That this wasn't their full power.

And Diena wasn't just quietly watching this situation either.

A soft light flowed from the golden throne where Diena sat.

The golden light illuminated the entire spacious hall, then seeped into Laurence, Lorelai, and the test subjects.

Then their movements, which were already fast, became so rapid they couldn't be seen with the naked eye.

As Rudger lowered his head, Laurence's leg swung like a whip, split the space and passed by.

-Slash!

A cutting mark was engraved on the wall at a distance, as if a sharp blade had been swung.

Rudger stretched out his arm to grab Laurence, but Lorelai, anticipating this, dove into the lower angle.

A bare leg splitting at 180 degrees shot up, aiming for Rudger's chin.

Rudger gave up trying to grab Laurence and crossed his arms to block the kick.

-Bang!

With a sound like a bomb exploding, a shock wave burst out, and Rudger's body floated in the air.

Before Rudger could regain his posture, Laurence and Lorelai ran complicated paths along the ceiling, walls, and pillars, swinging their legs from both sides.

At that moment, Rudger's body contracted to a point and disappeared from its spot.

...!

Having lost their target, Laurence and Lorelai looked around, then lowered their heads.

-Sniff, sniff.

After smelling, the siblings jumped high into the air, kicking off the ground without hesitation.

-Swoosh!

Sharp awls shot up from the shadows on the ground where the two had been standing.

Had they been a little late, they would have been skewered but this was a diversion.

Behind Laurence, who had jumped high and stepped on a pillar with his foot, Rudger appeared like a ghost.

Just as he was about to cut down Laurence with the sword stick in his hand Laurence's head turned 180 degrees like an owl.

"What...?"

It was surprising that his head had turned at an angle impossible for normal human anatomy, but what happened next was even more surprising.

"Kyaaaak!"

As Laurence opened his mouth wide, a pure white beam shot out with a roar, engulfing Rudger.