I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 664: Thorny Vines (1)

With Surna jumping in, the power struggle turned into a three-way battle.

Was it Caroline Monarch, who had extensive combat experience and was skilled in mercenary techniques?

Was it Ambella Burke, who had never allowed enemy infiltration in defensive battles?

Or was it Surna, who had mastered all strategies and tactics of war over hundreds of years?

Each of them possessed remarkable skills and experience in their respective fields.

Surna's participation was like pouring gasoline on an already raging fire.

"Right. You spoke well. I heard that you were the one who interfered with the World Tree Project in the imperial capital 500 years ago?"

Ambella glared at Surna with murderous intent gleaming in her one remaining eye.

"I heard that the project was derailed because of a demon who appeared back then, and that you were the one instigating that demon from behind?"

The incident that became the signal flare for the downfall of the Plante family.

At that time, the former kingdom, which was the predecessor of the Empire, and Plante had joined hands to grow the World Tree in an underground cavity.

If it hadn't been for the demon Basara, it would certainly have been successful.

The price of failure was enormous and painful.

Burke was pushed from being a family that served the World Tree to the outskirts to defend against external enemies, and Plante completely disappeared, leaving the Elf Kingdom suffering for a long time.

For Ambella, failing to protect her friend Ella had always remained a wound in her heart.

Although she was fine now, it didn't mean that the pain and sorrow she experienced in the past had completely disappeared.

Having the man who could be considered the culprit right in front of her eyes, Ambella was actually fortunate not to have lost her mind.

Facing Ambella's intensity, Surna spoke as if nothing was wrong.

"It seems you're trying to blame the failure of that incident on me, but it would have failed even without me."

"You dress up your bullshit well."

"It doesn't matter if you don't want to believe it. However, if I hadn't stopped it then, a situation like today would never have happened."

"Is that the reason you drove the world into chaos?"

"I thought we finished this conversation when I was with Elder Dentis back then."

At Surna's words, Ambella clenched her fist tightly.

"As the head of a family, you should know. Sometimes there are moments when you have to throw away morality and conscience to proceed with a matter."

"......"

"If that still remains in your heart, I'll gladly accept that anger when this is over. But you'll have to wait a long time. There are many people who have taken a number and are standing in line."

Setadel was a prime example.

The one who had to help and watch Surna operate in the shadows, changing bodies over hundreds of years.

In this place, he was the number one person who wanted to strike down and kill Surna, even more than Ambella.

"Do you feel any regret?"

"I wouldn't say I don't."

Surna said in a confident tone.

"Regardless of those feelings, I only did what needed to be done."

"If it hadn't been for you, Plante would still be intact."

"But the whole world would have become slaves to Lumensis."

Surna turned to look at Sedina.

"Sedina Roschen. No, Sedina Plante. I do feel sorry for you. Your mother's suffering has some of my responsibility in it. Moreover, Ventmin of the Lifrey family, who caused the downfall of the Plante family, even made deals with me."

And Sedina, knowing nothing of this, had entered the Black Dawn Society and risen to the position of Second Order.

In a way, it could be called a truly unfortunate fate.

"It doesn't matter if you hate me. You have the right to do so. Do you want to kill me too?"

"Perhaps, I might have."

Sedina frankly admitted.

However, her answer was somewhat ambiguous.

"You might have?"

"If it were my former self. But now I'm different."

Sedina could now resonate with the World Tree and read its will.

And although only her soul remained, she could meet her mother again.

"If that incident hadn't happened back then, my mother would have continued to live in the Elf Kingdom. Then she wouldn't have met my father, and I wouldn't have been born."

Above all, Ella Plante didn't blame anyone when all this turned into a failure.

She even felt relieved to be free from the Plante family.

"It wasn't something good, I suppose. But in a way, thanks to that, my mother and father met, and I was born."

"...I see."

"I'm not going to say you did well. I'm not going to thank you either. But conversely, I won't hate you. I too, although I went astray, participated in unfair things."

Everyone listened attentively to Sedina's words.

"Hating and tearing each other down. I don't think I'm in a position to criticize that. I have many shortcomings and have made many mistakes. Still, I'm trying to get better. No, I am getting better."

Sedina's clear eyes took in Surna not as Second Order and Zero Order but as Sedina Plante and Surna.

"So I'm going to fight alongside you now. Apart from whether I hated you or liked you, because this is the right thing to do."

At those words, Ambella and Caroline, who had been hostile toward Surna, were led to reflect on themselves.

With Sedina speaking to this extent, they felt somewhat ashamed of their behavior, stubbornly holding onto their pride.

"True. Now, whatever has happened, it's time for us to join forces."

Caroline shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, you're both older than me anyway, so you must know parts that I don't. So let's all work hard together."

"Tch. Well, I guess there's no choice."

As the atmosphere suddenly shifted toward reconciliation, Sedina looked puzzled and turned to Rudger.

Rudger nodded to Sedina, indicating she had done well.

Though it wasn't her intention, thanks to Sedina, the atmosphere that could have become heavy was softened considerably.

"Whatever happened in the past, let's forget it for now. At least for now, we are a community of fate."

Rudger stepped forward and put a period on the mediated situation.

"It will be a dangerous fight. This is something that has never happened before, and never will again."

Rudger examined all the people who had come for him.

Everyone must have come for different reasons.

Because they owed a debt, for a cause, just to help a friend.

The reasons were diverse, but there was one common point.

No one came here to die.

"I have only one thing to say. Don't die. If you think you're going to die, it's okay to run away. That is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Don't try to sacrifice your life for someone else. Live for yourself."

"Hey, teacher. Aren't you asking too much? There's nowhere to run on the battlefield."

Despite Caroline's words, Rudger remained adamant.

"Then do your best to buy time. Use whatever means necessary. If you just hold out like that, I'll take care of the rest."

There was conviction in Rudger's voice.

He didn't say weak things like he couldn't guarantee their lives or that victory wasn't in sight.

We will definitely win.

It was as if Rudger had the key to winning this war.

At those words, the slight anxiety that remained in the hearts of the people gathered was washed away at once.

"They call this war a holy war to eradicate evil, but we are different."

Rudger gazed in the direction of the enemy across the sea, on the continent.

"This is a struggle. A struggle not for nobility or honor, but solely for survival. That is our fight."

* * *

The coast near the Holy Country of Bretus after the holy war began.

The fleet of airships that had been moving as if covering the sky had to retreat due to an unexpected turbulence.

"At this rate, approaching itself will be impossible."

The mainland command post received the news and became quite perplexed.

With the enemy occupying Galahad Fortress, the air force, which could most certainly sweep away the enemies, had been thwarted so easily.

"What is going on here?"

"How can over 2,000 airships be unable to move because of turbulence? Does that make any sense?"

"It's not ordinary turbulence, they say. There's a wind blowing almost as strong as a typhoon, and if they had made a mistake, the entire air force might have been annihilated."

"I've heard that the weather around the Holy Country of Bretus can be temperamental, but not to the extent that airships cannot pass through."

"That's right. Moreover, people moving through the sea reported that they didn't feel any storms at all. Rather, it was eerily calm, they say."

"The Demon King must have used some kind of evil magic!"

It was clear that Heathcliff had employed some kind of trick to cause such a strange storm in Bretus, the holy land.

The commanders were indignant at the Demon King's wicked tricks, but they couldn't just be angry.

"For now, it seems right to give up on sending troops by air."

"No, are we giving up already? Shouldn't we try a few more times?"

"This is a storm deliberately unleashed by the Demon King. We don't know how long it will last, and if we wait vaguely, won't our air force be tied up?"

"Are you saying we should do what the enemy wants?"

"They probably blocked the air force deliberately because they knew they would lose if we fought like this. Looking at how eerily calm the sea is compared to the sky, it must be an ability that comes with some kind of cost."

"That makes sense. If it were a complete typhoon, the sea would also be turbulent, making it difficult for warships to move, but that's not the case."

They modified their plans on the spot and devised a new strategy.

In fact, there wasn't much to call a strategy.

Although the air force was blocked, the difference in troops was still overwhelming.

They just needed to pour in like water and crush with firepower.

"However, it might be difficult to bombard recklessly."

"Hmm. It would be good to sweep away the fortress at once, but if we did that, His Holiness might not look upon it favorably."

"So we need to control our firepower. That's fine. We can still push forward with numbers alone."

"The main concern would be the waterways. It's an inconvenient structure for large squads to move at once. Moreover, there are several layers of moat-like waterways around the fortress, which makes it more so."

"That would be the case if it consisted of only a ragtag group. We can send selected elite knights."

"It shouldn't be difficult. We have the continent's number one sword on our side. With the support of the priests, it will be an easy victory."

Even though the air route was blocked, they didn't despair.

They were startled by the unexpected, but facing the Demon King, they accepted such occurrences as inevitable.

"First of all, I'm worried about whether we can land at all."

"Exactly. If they're not fools, they would have created some kind of line of defense on the shore."

And surprisingly, the concerns raised by the commanders did not materialize.

"What is this?"

The soldiers who arrived at the port near the Third Checkpoint City of the coast of the Holy Country of Bretus were bewildered.

There was no sign of the enemy.

There were no ambushes.

What greeted them was an empty port and the Third Checkpoint City.

When they heard that air force support was impossible, they had tensed up, thinking it would be a very tough battle, but what was this?

"Any traps?"

"None."

"No other signs of life are detected either."

"Nothing shows up in detection magic either. It's literally empty."

The Third Checkpoint City, devoid of people, was reminiscent of a ghost town.

According to witness testimony, a black wave had surged as if the end of the world had come, but there was no trace of such a thing.

Did they see some kind of hallucination?

Is this also one of Demon King Heathcliff's abilities?

From the perspective of the subjugation army, who knew little, they could only move slowly while maintaining their vigilance.

The subjugation army that entered the Third Checkpoint City realized that there were indeed no traps or ambushes, and felt their tension easing.

"What? Did they run away?"

"Well, the entire continent has gathered in one place, what's a Demon King compared to that?"

"At this rate, it doesn't seem like it will be much of a problem."

Some whose tension had eased even exchanged jokes.

The unit commanders who were watching gave warnings.

"No chatting, everyone. We've just set foot on the shoreline, and we still have a bit more to go to reach Galahad Fortress. Don't let your guard down."

"Yes, understood."

"First, let's explore the surroundings. The Third Checkpoint City is intact, but they said the Second Checkpoint City has completely collapsed, so we should confirm if that information is correct."

The soldiers who set up a temporary base in the Third Checkpoint City left to head towards the Second Checkpoint City.

And they had to stop when they discovered a wall standing imposingly before them.

"What is this?"

A massive wall of sharp, giant thorny vines stood like a mountain before their eyes.