I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 658: Transformation (2)

"This form."

Rudger's eyes showed interest and admiration as he looked at Hans.

Hans standing upright on two legs was distinctly different from his usual transformations.

When Hans transforms using beast attributes, he typically changes into a form that's half-human and half-beast.

The lycanthrope form was a prime example of this.

However, with the fangs of the Beast of Gevaudan or the Spirit Beast, their power was so strong that very little of human form remained, and he was closer to a beast state.

In the Spirit Beast form, his reason remained, but when transforming into the Beast of Gevaudan, even that didn't remain and he became a complete beast but now Hans, who used the Beast of Gevaudan fangs, was standing upright on two legs.

"Hooh."

Pantos, who had his arms crossed, showed his fighting spirit when seeing Hans's transformed appearance.

His height was about 5 meters.

Compared to when he transformed into the Beast of Gevaudan, he had become considerably smaller, but from a general perspective, he was still large.

He was standing upright on two legs with his arms hanging down, and the shape of his body looked closer to human.

Black armor protruded over black fur, and behind his back, a shadow-like black cape flowed down like rippling waves.

Bone shoulder guards with wolf heads were worn on both shoulders, and his face was not bone but that of a regular black wolf.

When Hans opened his eyes, a blood-red aura flowed out.

The surrounding temperature seemed to drop several degrees instantaneously, making everyone instinctively feel eerie.

His previous beast form was also terrifying and seemed very strong, but not to this level.

It felt like taking a larger and stronger nightmare, compressing it to its maximum concentration, and crafting only the extract.

If Hans in this state went berserk, it would be dangerous for them instead.

With that thought, Alex unconsciously placed his hand on his sword handle.

Pantos, who had unfolded his arms and clenched his fist, was the same.

When Hans' red pupils eventually looked at his own body...

"Waahh! What is this?!"

Hans jumped up in surprise.

However, because his jumping power was too excellent, Hans's body shot up vertically and his head banged into the high ceiling with a thud.

"Ugh."

Hans fell back to the ground, clutching his aching head.

Some of the ceiling debris from the partially collapsed ceiling poured down onto Hans's head.

"Keh!"

The tense atmosphere was feebly released at this comical sight.

Sheridan couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"What the...Making people needlessly tense."

"As expected, Hans is Hans."

Rudger approached Hans and asked.

"How is it? Do you feel alright?"

"Ugh. Well, it's much better than I thought. Rather, I could say it's clearer."

Hans rose from the debris and stroked his head with his hand.

Rather than being in pain, the current sensation just felt strange.

"However, the sensation is very strange."

"That would be the case. Not only has your size increased, but more importantly, unlike with the Spirit Beast, you're containing that power in human form."

It might take a little time to adjust to that.

"Don't worry too much. It won't take that long."

"Quite a confident tone."

"Confidence might be the right word. Now that I've become this body, I can clearly feel it. It's like instinct, or as a newborn life form realizes what it should do, I feel like I know what to do and how to do it."

"Yes. Then let's go practice using that newly awakened power right away."

Rudger took the lead, and Hans followed.

Hans' steps were unsteady, perhaps because he wasn't accustomed to his transformed body, but soon, after just a few steps, his movements became very stable.

That wasn't all. The strange sensations throughout his body now felt as comfortable and natural as if they had been with him his entire life.

So this is what it feels like to be strong.

Hans realized his perspective on the world had changed and also what he should do now that he had transformed.

Leaving the Galahad Fortress, they saw the gate connected to the outer fortress.

-Kuguugugung.

Just then, as the outer wall gate opened, knight templars who had come as reinforcements from the Second Checkpoint City were rushing in.

They saw Rudger and Hans and shouted something.

"Hans."

"Yes, brother."

"From now on."

The knight templars and priests used holy power to implement sacred law.

"Engrave nightmares onto this blessed land."

Red eye light spilled out from Hans with the wolf's head.

The growling wolf's mouth drew a long arc.

"Gladly."

Hans stepped forward and strode ahead.

Considering his size, his weight must have been considerable, yet Hans' footsteps were as light as the wind, making no sound.

Hans didn't rush in at once.

Instead, keeping a certain distance, he lowered his body as if kneeling on one knee.

The shadow cape behind his back draped like a curtain, touching the ground.

The cape moved on its own, writhing, and began to dye the earth with darkness and then

-Awoooo!

From within the darkness, red pupils sprouted.

* * *

"The news has been cut off?"

Salesin was perplexed by the fact that communications flying in from the distant homeland had been interrupted.

Even if the inner fortress had already been occupied, there were still many people left in the Bretus Holy Nation.

It wasn't just knight templars and priests.

The citizens belonging to the Holy Nation were also excellent ears and eyes for Salesin.

But Salesin recognized that those eyes and ears were gradually being erased.

The signals that came periodically, from the First Checkpoint City to the Second Checkpoint City were being completely erased.

"Hmm."

Salesin rested his chin on his hand.

"What on earth did they do?"

Could they possibly be massacring all the ordinary citizens?

"Hmm. That would be good for me. It would further solidify the justification for defeating the Demon King, and through the anger of those participating in the holy war, we could push even harder."

However, there were too many things that bothered him.

"With his character that differs from his appearance, it doesn't seem like he would commit such a cruel act."

Although it's said that he doesn't discriminate between means and methods to achieve something, Rudger didn't fall into that category.

If existing methods didn't work to achieve his goal, he was the type to solve things in a more extraordinary way.

Rather than thinking and operating only within the given framework, he would break the framework itself, laying down new rails at his level.

Because Rudger was like that, Salesin judged that this way of erasing eyes and ears would not be as radical as he thought.

'Right. He had comrades too. And there are many people in the world with excellent skills.'

Plus, with the demons attached to Rudger, it wasn't an entirely impossible thing.

"So you're planning to clash with all your might too."

Salesin grinned.

"Yes. Only to that extent can it be called a trial to escape from the hand of God."

* * *

Aileen and Ivelon moved quietly.

In a situation facing war, the surroundings were under strict surveillance.

Even if it was Ivelon, the moment he wandered around, he would inevitably become suspicious.

"This way."

But the two didn't get caught by anyone's eyes.

In the first place, the place where the two were moving was a secret passage set up inside the imperial palace.

"When did you make something like this?"

"It's never bad to prepare for anything."

It was an escape route made to prepare for any unforeseen event.

More accurately, it was made after preventing the coup.

"I hoped there would never be a need to use this after that day, but reality isn't that easy, I guess."

"Sister..."

"We're almost there."

When they opened the door at the end of the passageway and entered, a faint light flowed out from inside.

Ivelon's eyes widened as he saw the spacious area with warm light flowing from the cold, dark passage.

It was a modest place, but the lineup of people gathered there was extraordinary.

"Archmage Clinton. Commander Luther. And even the Protector."

Seventh-rank Archmage Clinton Rothschild.

Luther Wardot, who reached the pinnacle of the sword.

Protector Terina Ryanhowl.

"Plus Erendir."

Relief passed through Ivelon's eyes when he saw his younger sister.

He had been worried about what would happen if the evil hand reached out to Erendir as well, but seeing her like this, he could finally ease his concerns.

There were even more people besides them.

From Pasius to Madeline, who was carrying out Aileen's secret mission.

Leonhart Kimbell, the commander of the Coldsteel Knight Order, and the vice-commander, Veronica.

And even people who were secretly moving outside, not present at the scene.

"Yes. I'm glad you all gathered."

Aileen nodded with satisfaction as she confirmed the lineup around her.

Looking at the entire imperial household, the number of people in attendance was extremely small, but each of their fighting powers was almost on par with an army.

"As you know, the Holy Nation is controlling the leaders of various countries around the world with a peculiar power according to their will. And they're trying to wage a holy war."

"I did think something was strange, but..."

Terina bit her lip, perhaps not having thought that the empire would be driven to such a crisis.

As the Protector who dedicated herself to protecting the country, her mistake weighed heavily on her.

"Don't worry too much, Terina."

It was none other than Luther who comforted her.

"This is something that couldn't have been prevented, even if it had been someone other than you. Geez. Mass brainwashing, this is ridiculous on another level."

"So, Princess. What is our objective?"

Clinton asked Aileen.

Despite the extreme situation, his face still maintained kindness, but in his eyes, a slight displeasure was flowing out.

No matter how much Clinton was a person who didn't care much about the secular world, it wasn't a very good feeling to know that the empire he belonged to was being toyed with by someone's hands.

He wanted to burn Salesin the Holy Emperor and his subordinate priests and knight templars right away, but Clinton had to hold back.

'Taking action here won't improve the situation. Rather, it would lead to the worst.'

Salesin is not a man without power.

The holy power he possesses is difficult for even Clinton to break through at once.

In the past, he might have stepped forward, but recently, Clinton had seen a higher power than the realm he had achieved.

The moment he saw it, he had to realize that even though he had reached the 7th rank as a human, from a macroscopic perspective of looking at the whole world, he was just at the 7th rank.

'That day, because I didn't get involved in that fight, I was able to survive.'

Clinton remembers Rudger Chelici walking towards him with a cold terror from far away.

'The moment I faced that man, I couldn't say anything.'

Rudger passed by Clinton without saying a word after seeing him but Clinton could tell that Rudger had let him go.

Therefore, Clinton thought he needed to move more carefully and thoroughly.

If he showed even a slight gap, the moment he got brainwashed by Salesin, the incident would become irreversible.

"No matter how skilled we are, compared to the assembled forces now, it's still lacking. The same goes for the people we've gathered."

"Yes. But if we refuse Salesin's request here and say we won't participate in the war, they will truly try to brainwash us this time."

What was needed was the other side's carelessness.

First, they had to pretend to bow their heads and comply while watching for an opportunity.

"Until then, we will participate in this nominal holy war. And very actively at that."

And the moment an opportunity arises.

They will stab with a sharply honed dagger.

* * *

"Are you really sure about this?"

Sedina and Vierano left Theon and headed towards the Elf Kingdom.

It was an inevitable choice. Since people from the Lumensis Order had come to Theon, they couldn't help but worry about unnecessary conflicts.

Moreover, hadn't the saint and priestess sisters come?

Sedina is currently the only being who can communicate with the World Tree.

If the two clash, then it wouldn't end as a trivial problem.

"Yes, I'm fine. The teacher also told us elves not to get involved in the war."

After bringing Grandel back Rudger had separately spoken to Sedina.

It was a stern warning that elves should absolutely not get involved in what was to come.

At first, Sedina said why they had to do that and that they would fight too, but Rudger was firm.

"We haven't fully healed from the wounds of our civil war yet. If we try to intervene arbitrarily in an external holy war in such a situation, our position would be shaken, so I think that's why he was considerate."

"Yes, I think so too. Teacher Rudger is a person with a very deep consideration for others."

"That's why I'm sad. Knowing that the teacher and his comrades are fighting, yet not being able to do anything for them."

"Why do you think there's nothing you can do?"

Sedina looked at Vierano with surprise at his words.

"What? What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said."

Vierano spoke with a kind smile.

"While you can't help as Sedina Plante, can't you help as Sedina Roschen?"

"...!"

Sedina's eyes widened.

She never imagined Vierano would say such a thing.

"But if I leave my post, and if something happens while I'm away at war..."

"Yes. It would be a very serious matter for us elves. So we've made preparations to reassure ourselves as well."

Sedina's expression brightened when she saw the new people who appeared just after Vierano finished speaking.

"Have you been well?"

An elf wearing a black eye patch over one eye asked with a smile that was like a lion's.