Chapter 127: Return to the Academy and the Incident

Chapter 127: Return to the Academy and the Incident

Thud!

Evan vented his frustration by pounding the ground.

"Why...!"

He had never intended for this to happen.

But the moment he unleashed his Aura Vortex, the Dragon Heart of Wrath shattered, and he was forcibly expelled from the inside.

What made him even angrier was that, from where he now stood, he had a clear view of what was happening inside.

"Luna Pendragon, Adrias Cromwell."

He was supposed to merely perform the formal role of a Dark Mage Hunter. Luna Pendragon, nicknamed the "Lunar Maniac," was his target.

But as usual, he had gone out half-heartedly, without any real intention to apprehend Luna.

"Even though... Eve Millennium."

A lifelong nemesis.

A term he used to refer to himself and her.

It must have been that way.

"She didn't want this either..."

Inevitably, he was accumulating more debts.

That's why he had left Luna untouched until now.

Luna hadn't caused any incidents, not even once.

'When I came to this place, everything changed.'

This bizarre space where endless repetitions changed his perspective.

It clouded his thoughts.

It wavered his belief in the Absolute Evil that he once believed the Black Mist practitioners to be.

'Evil and good... What's bad, and what's good, exactly? Can I, a mere human, even distinguish between them? And if I can, by what standards?'

Confused, he began questioning his stance on the Black Mist practitioners, whom he had so detested.

In fact, they weren't evil. Not Luna Pendragon, at least.

Adrias Cromwell, whom he had gotten to know while they were stuck here together, wasn't evil either.

'I don't know...'

Ultimately, his conclusion was uncertainty.

It wasn't that he wanted to side with the black magic practitioners. He merely couldn't label them as pure evil anymore.

Luna Pendragon's purity, in particular, transcended the boundaries of good and evil.

Getting to know Adrias Cromwell and learning his real name had added to Evan's doubts.

'I don't understand.'

Therefore, he had decided to choose the Light.

He had decided that only the Light could save the world.

'Once I return to the Holy Kingdom, I will relinquish everything and leave.'

When he thought about it, he couldn't be sure whether everything he had done so far had been truly righteous.

His entire life, now entirely negated by himself.

By nobody else but himself.

But that wasn't important right now.

Evan's gaze shifted toward the city below.

Where he currently stood was outside the city's walls, which would normally be obscured by fog. Thanks to some inexplicable force, he couldn't penetrate the city. And his Aura Vortex wouldn't break through either.

'Adrias Cromwell. Luna, please...'

The inexplicable light formation, which seemed to function like a teleportation spell, had been created near the Dragon he had killed.

"It's trying to disappear."

The light formation was fading.

If anyone saw this scene, they would naturally think about escaping. Moreover, the black mist surrounding Luna was something they had already faced, so they knew how challenging it could be to break through it and rescue her.

'Still, if I were there...'

Would things have been different?

With the combined strength of Adrias Cromwell and himself, could they have saved her?

"God... is not on the side of good."

God was too neutral, an existence like nature itself.

He knew that, but he still resented God as a human.

His resentment towards God was more intense than ever before.

There was never a time when he felt more resentment than now.

Now, as Luna couldn't hold out any longer and the black mist was about to engulf her, Evan finally despaired.

"Being called 'Aura Master' is meaningless."

Despair, for the second time.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

What good was being an Aura Master if he couldn't help at all?

As he wallowed in his weakness and despair, suddenly, light spilled forth.

"Huh?"

Honestly, I had no idea how these spirits worked, and if they were stuck in an eternal loop, it might be better for them to be set free.

"Shall we go outside then?"

I opened the wooden door, and once again, we stepped into the black space that unfolded before us.

.

.

.

.

The view outside the window felt surreal.

Everything that I had passed by every day and never paid much attention to suddenly felt unfamiliar.

"Senior, are you okay?"

"What's wrong?"

"Just... the atmosphere feels a bit different."

Right now, I was on a train heading back to the academy. On the opposite side, Lucia, who had joined me during our visit to the Hollington Territory, was sitting.

"Yeah? I don't know what you mean."

"You said nothing happened during the break, but something did, didn't it?"

Well, something did.

But it was too complicated to explain.

About two weeks ago, we had returned to the Vayatra Fortress from our dungeon expedition, and Evan's reaction had been nothing short of shocking.

"Only about ten days?"

Evan's astonished voice still echoed in my ears.

We had spent at least a year in the dungeon. Since we experienced the same day repeatedly and rarely got to complete a full day, we couldn't count the exact duration, but it was only about ten days in the outside world.

'I'm relieved.'

If the same amount of time had passed outside as it did inside the dungeon, the world would have been in chaos by now.

Before preparing for our next challenge and assisting the Player's growth, I should be thankful for the time that passed.

Evan and I had separated in the Grandis Kingdom.

He had mentioned that he had matters to attend to in the Sacred Kingdom and disappeared, leaving behind a cryptic message.

"Please wait for me. I will definitely return."

I had asked him what he meant, but he only smiled politely before vanishing.

What did he mean by returning?

Moreover, Evan now knew my true identity, which made me somewhat uneasy.

However, I knew that there was nothing I could do about it. I could only hope for the best, considering the trust we had built over the years.

"Lucia, when will you return to the academy?"

I tried to change the subject.

"Senior, you're changing the topic. But I understand. I promised Luna that I would come back next time."

We had made many promises.

Knowing Luna's sadness and loneliness, I wondered what I could do for her.

"If only her appearance were a bit more ordinary, we could have found a way to spend more time together."

For now, Lucia planned to return to our hideout, and her regretful expression tugged at my heart.

I wished I could have done more for her.

The way she looked so deep in thought only made me feel sorrier for her.

Because of that, when I arrived at the Hollington Territory to keep my promise with Luna, I was still pondering.

This dilemma had been ongoing and weighed heavily on my mind.

"Senior, we're almost there!"

"That's right."

In terms of time, it had been less than two months since I left, but it felt like years since I had returned.

The dissonance I felt made me chuckle at times.

"It's connected. Huh?"

As we entered the academy grounds, Lucia took out her tablet and seemed surprised by something.

"Senior, the dormitory was Mulfery Dormitory, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"It's closed now."

"Closed?"

Closed... closed!

I quickly read the news on her tablet.

Mysterious incidents continue to occur, with two students already dead and several accidents happening?

'So soon?'

It was something I had suspected, but the timing was quicker than I expected.

'In a way, it's fortunate.'

It was time to break the connection with that cursed place.