I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 699: Punishment, Determination, and Salvation (1)

-Crash!

Magic power collided in the air.

Generally, fights between wizards are said to be marked by massive explosions and brilliant lights, but Caroline and Elisa were on a different level.

Caroline's destructive dark red magic power.

Elisa's beautiful but deadly pink magic power.

Every time the two clashed in the air without giving an inch, the atmosphere trembled and the ground rumbled.

Their fight was fierce beyond measure, as if they were trying to properly end a long-standing grudge from the distant past.

Since both were overwhelmingly powerful wherever they went, just the aftermath of their battle left numerous small wounds all over their bodies.

Caroline brought her two hands together and drew a spell formation.

Magic power gathered in the air and became a giant sword that fell toward Elisa's head.

Elisa raised her finger and pointed it at the blade.

A pink beam shot from her fingertip, splitting the sword in half and flying beyond the clouds.

The black storm clouds eventually turned pink, and countless pink meteors poured down from there.

Though they were small meteors, each one possessed power far exceeding that of high-explosive shells.

"Ha!"

However, Caroline snorted lightly and created swords made of magic power with both hands, then charged forward while cutting through the meteors.

She squeezed through the gaps between the countless pink flashes pouring from the sky and broke through, reaching close to Elisa.

Then Elisa infused magic power into the fan in her hand and confronted Caroline's sword.

-Crash!

As the sword and fan met, the surrounding air was pushed away, creating a momentary vacuum.

As air returned to the empty space, it became a great gust of wind, and the two women's hair fluttered as they continued to glare at each other without stopping.

"What's this? Are you getting tired? Did sitting in the heavy chair of the headmaster's position make your stamina drop considerably?"

"Look who's talking. You're the one gasping for breath right now. How about building up your basic stamina more than magic, like a proper mercenary?"

The two were too different, but their gazes toward each other were identical, like looking in a mirror.

The conversation didn't continue for long.

In the renewed exchange of attacks, their forms moved quickly and became entangled.

The two magic powers wrestled with each other, falling to the ground and sweeping the surroundings.

A group of Cryptids passing nearby was swept up in that magic power and turned to ash without even leaving dust behind.

It was truly a moving furnace made of magic power.

A fight where one of the two would surely have to die for it to end.

But the fight ended in a more anticlimactic form than expected.

A withered and twisted white tree soaring high into the sky.

At the same time, all sorts of noises echoing from various places.

Caroline and Elisa instinctively sensed that the holy war was flowing strangely while they were fighting.

Without taking their eyes off each other, they simultaneously spread their magic power and presence widely to survey the surrounding situation.

No matter how they looked at it, if things continued this way, they would both perish together.

Caroline and Elisa didn't want to admit it, but that annoying woman indeed possessed equal power to themselves.

However, both women had too much pride to be the first to propose a ceasefire.

Whoever spoke first would lose.

Because of that thought, they just silently glared at each other with their lips pressed tightly together.

"My, my. It's good that you still maintain youthful vigor, but how about considering the time and situation?"

What interjected between the two was an elderly man full of benevolence and wisdom.

Caroline and Elisa recognized him and were startled in shock.

"Lo, Lord Rothschild?!"

"How did the Great Wizard come to be here..."

Clinton Rothschild, the man who reached the 7th tier as a human, and the acknowledged strongest wizard had appeared to mediate the fight between the two.

"A holy war has broken out, so how could I not step forward?"

At those words, Caroline bit her lip.

Clinton was a wizard belonging to the Empire. Even though he had the authority to act individually, different from the Empire and Imperial family's will.

Fundamentally, he could only be her enemy.

Because Caroline was now a traitor who had joined hands with the Demon King Heathcliff.

However, Elisa's expression was equally unpleasant.

This might be her final fight with Caroline, and ending it like this was not what she had hoped for.

Whether he knew the inner thoughts of the two women or not, Clinton let out a hearty laugh.

"Your eyes are full of dissatisfaction. I'm sorry that this old man interfered when you were having such an exciting fight with your rival. However, given the situation, please understand that I had no choice but to intervene."

Clinton even used the word "understand."

There was no need for him, who received respect and praise from wizards, to be so humble.

"Did you come to capture me?"

To Caroline's question, Clinton asked what she meant.

"No, didn't I say? I came to stop the fight between you two."

"Why on earth?"

"You wouldn't not know that. Look over there."

Clinton raised the staff in his hand and pointed toward Galahad Fortress.

"With the situation having come to this, still moving for personal matters is a bit much, isn't it?"

"...What are you aiming for, Lord Rothschild?"

Caroline realized that Clinton had not come to defeat her.

To begin with, Clinton hadn't actively participated in this war.

"Is it because of the Order?"

However, Elisa, who understood the Order's suspicious aspects to some degree, was different.

"Great Wizard, you're aware that this war is not normal."

"That's right. Actually, it's not just me, but others as well."

Clinton's gaze turned toward Caroline.

"You know that too, which is why you're fighting on the Demon King's side, isn't it?"

"I simply accepted a request as a mercenary."

"You didn't become number one in the industry by completing any request regardless of means and methods. Rather, you reached that position by judging right from wrong and only taking necessary requests."

"..."

Caroline was momentarily speechless, not expecting Clinton to know so much about the Monarch Mercenary Company.

"Fighting on the Demon King's side like this means you also think it's right, doesn't it?"

"...Maybe it's because I'm a bad woman who considers bad guys to be right."

"I've been watching you since long ago, so wouldn't I know? And I didn't come all the way here to have such small talk. What will you two do now?"

Since they understood the meaning of that question, Caroline and Elisa exchanged glances.

Because Clinton had completely deflated the momentum of their fight like this, it was awkward to settle the match again.

The biggest reason was that they didn't feel like it anymore.

"Ha. Can't be helped. Consider yourself lucky, you bitch. I'm letting you off."

"Oh my. Who should be saying that? Thank the Great Wizard. He saved you."

At the sight of the two exchanging words without giving an inch until the very end, Clinton chuckled.

"Youth is indeed good."

"Lord Rothschild. We're old enough now, so saying things like 'youth' is a bit much, isn't it?"

"What's much about it? Compared to me, you're on the young side."

"No, that's..."

Compared to a completely aged old man, they would indeed be young.

"So, what will you do?"

To Clinton's question, Caroline and Elisa didn't answer.

But just withdrawing their hostility toward each other was answer enough.

"Block them! Block them!"

"We need more ammunition here!"

"Fall back! Take care of the wounded!"

The battlefield became a crucible of chaos.

The army had no choice but to be pinned down by the enormous horde of Cryptids suddenly pouring in.

At first, they held out with formations and the power of guns, cannons, and bombs.

But the Cryptids showed no sign of decreasing in number.

Unable to withstand the surging offensive, casualties began to appear one by one.

Wolves rushed at the few remaining steam golems that had stepped forward, gnawing at their hard outer shells.

Since they weren't ordinary wolves but frenzied wolf Cryptids, even the steam golems couldn't hold out.

The steam golems that had somehow managed to fight at the front line collapsed one by one, causing the formation to crumble.

If the knights hadn't stepped forward to block the Cryptids, the number of casualties would have been enormous.

"Damn it! We're out of ammunition!"

"When will the supplies arrive!"

"The supply lines are still tangled due to the tsunami, making docking impossible! Hold on a little longer!"

"There are no bullets!"

With the supply ships tangled up due to the tsunami, making docking impossible.

Combined with the endless stream of Cryptids pouring out their forces, it was truly maddening.

At that moment, a giant man stepped forward.

"Kuhaha! This is a scene I've seen somewhere before!"

The man who jumped into the wolf pack swept the surroundings with his robust body and massive magic power.

Each time his fist struck, fist-shaped magic power created a huge furrow in front, eliminating the Cryptids in the area.

"It's Whiron!"

"A Lexer-grade wizard has stepped forward!"

Whiron wasn't the only one who came to help.

Roy and Pavlini also protected the soldiers from the monsters by creating barriers of magic power.

"Everyone focus on defense!"

At Roy's shout, the soldiers slowly pulled back their formation.

In such a crisis, there were no fools rushing forward recklessly.

The academy wizards stepped forward, surrounding the area with temporary barriers to block the wolves' path.

Confirming this, Roy thought to himself.

'Great Wizard Clinton told us that we need to delay the army's advance as much as possible here and buy time.'

However, he said they must never arouse suspicion.

Fortunately, the situation of monsters pouring out coincided, giving them justification to buy time.

'I don't know why he said that, but since this war itself isn't ordinary, it can't be helped.'

Of course, Whiron, who didn't know this, was just running around happily like a puppy on a snowy day.

But showing such behavior had the effect of completely concealing their intentions.

'I hope the situation ends well.'

Roy said this while glancing at the rear.

In the distance, new reinforcements were coming.

The flag held by the soldier at the front bore the flag of the Kingdom of Yuta.

The Galahad Fortress connected to the pure white tree looked like a giant flower blooming on top of a tree.

Rudger said this was similar to a kind of transmission tower.

A massive structure towering high into the sky.

Considering that its purpose was to have some great influence on the entire continent, it wasn't wrong.

"The situation is changing."

That was what Surna, who had observed the entire outside situation, said.

Surna's eyes placed throughout the battlefield grasped exactly how the situation was flowing.

Hans' rampage. The blocked enemies. Pantos who stepped forward to hunt such a Hans. Others moving in between.

What caught Surna's attention most wasn't an outstanding strong person, nor someone with an excellent brain.

There were such people, but they were also ordinary soldiers, war correspondents, wizards, and knights.

While many people were played by Salesin's hands like puppets without will, there were those among them who did not yield.

People who tried to carry out their own will.

The way Surna saw them seemed to shine with light.

Not physical light, but the light of will emanating from deep within their hearts.

The most beautiful thing shown by humans who want to move forward.

A weapon that only humans possessed, which he as an apostle did not have.

Surna's contemplation was interrupted by Rudger's words.

"Surna. Is everything ready?"

"Yes."

Rudger and Surna headed underground.

They had to finish charging the relic there and take it to the highest spire of the fortress.

The two people who arrived at the underground altar.

As Rudger looked at the relic engraved with pure white divine words, Surna said.

"This is as far as I go."

Rudger looked back at Surna.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yeah. I have to go. I came this far for that."

"I see."

Rudger reached out and grasped the relic.

The relic that had been buzzing and trembling became docile as if nothing had happened when it felt Rudger's touch.

"I'll go first."

There was no need to say such things when they were parting ways.

But Surna felt encouragement to succeed in what he wanted to achieve from Rudger's words, so he spoke honestly.

"Thank you. I hope you succeed too."

Surna stood at the center of the empty space of the altar after Rudger left for a moment, then drew his sword.

The altar that they thought was the bottom of the fortress but below it, there was still more hidden space.

"Finally, the path has opened."

Surna thrust his sword into the floor without hesitation.

Even though Surna's swordsmanship could cut through almost anything, his sword didn't properly penetrate the floor.

The repulsive force from the enormous divine power engraved on the altar pushed his sword away.

Surna didn't give up and applied more force.

"Now that the fortress's true form has been revealed, this door can no longer be locked."

-Thud!

The tip of the sword penetrated the center floor of the altar.

Then the trembling stopped and the floor collapsed in a swirling motion.

Debris poured down along with dust.

Surna lightly dropped down below the collapsed ground.

Below the altar existed a very large and wide cavity.

Gentle light poured from the gaping ceiling, illuminating the cavity with a dreamlike atmosphere.

This was a place kept secret even within the Order.

It was the Catacomb.

The walls of the wide cavity were filled with stone statues of praying women like a beehive, and on the floor spread a field of pure white flowers that somehow grew on their own.

It was quiet and beautiful.

However, Surna's interest didn't linger there.

At the end of his gaze was a withered white tree.

"Finally."

At the center of the tree decorating one side of the cavity was a woman with ash-gray hair, her body buried in the tree with only her upper body revealed.

"I've come to meet you again."

Surna looked at her with her head bowed as if asleep and briefly closed his eyes.

All the things he had done up until now flashed through his mind.

The faces of all the people he had met came to mind.

Those who moved for desire, those who fought for personal revenge, those who fought for a cause, those who sacrificed to save precious people.

"God only brings down punishment."

He had finally reached this point.

"And humans sought to move forward without looking back."

From before founding the Black Dawn Society, during the time he lurked behind the scenes manipulating the continent.

All of that was only for this moment.

"If neither god nor human will do it."

The saint who had disappeared from history.

"Then the devil has no choice but to provide salvation."

To meet Arkenis again.