Chapter 78

As I approached the door, the surroundings became pitch black.

Only Victor’s halo was visible.

To secure our vision, Sepia cast a light spell.

Various words were written in red on the door. I couldn’t read them.

“Can you read it?”
“Give me a moment.”

When I asked Sepia, she was already staring intently at the letters without needing my prompt. It seemed she could read them.

As expected, even though she’s a young girl, she’s the head of the magical academy for a reason.

“It says, ‘Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.'”

I see, just a threat then.

Maintaining Victor’s protection was tiring, but from here on, it was an unknown territory. A single surprise attack could be fatal.

I pulled Sepia closer.

“Wah!?”
“Stay close. I can’t protect you otherwise.”
“O-okay.”

Sepia clung to my waist.

I grabbed the handle and slowly turned it. There was no lock. The door opened inward.

In the next moment, the door vanished. The surrounding scenery changed as well.

It was likely that the door was a conceptual one. Opening it had transported us somewhere else.

How to describe the landscape around us…

A red sky and a black ground stretched endlessly. There were only a few puddles here and there.

This was definitely not indoors.

While I could sense miasma, it was much denser in front of the door we had just passed through.

There was someone ahead. We headed in that direction. Sepia and Victor followed.

The wind was warm. There was no smell.

Where is this place?

If Mastema were here, she might have known.

We hadn’t gone far before we reached our destination. The sense of distance must have been distorted.

“Ah, it’s no wonder you’re confused. This place gives meaning to concepts,” said Sena Easton.

Beside her stood a gate.

It was slightly open.

Sepia stepped in front of me.

“Sena! Why did you do this? Do you realize how many have died?”

“Oh? Even the headmistress came along?”

Sena shrugged her shoulders, seemingly surprised.

“If I could have used the headmistress as a vessel, it would have yielded something promising.”

“Are you even listening!?”

Sena’s mood soured at Sepia’s loud voice.

“Shut up.”
“Ugh…”

With a single glare, Sena silenced Sepia. She hid behind me, her eyes filled with tears.

She’s still a child in some ways…

“Hmm. It’s a mixed blessing that you came. My research progressed rapidly thanks to the observation and samples from Mastema, the archdemon, but now you’re here, getting in the way.”

“From my perspective, everything’s been the worst.”

I came here to study magic, so why am I swinging a sword?

Sena laughed at my words, then suddenly looked off in a different direction.

“Evans has died, huh. I thought he had decent potential…”

So Mastema won. Of course.

“How about we just sit back and watch as the gate opens? It’ll reveal a magnificent sight.”

“I refuse. What I want isn’t that so-called ‘magnificent’ view.”

The damage was already extensive. Even if we solve this, who knows what will happen to the magical academy. Just thinking about it makes me furious. I’ve paid tuition for four students, after all.

“If you hadn’t come, I would’ve used the headmistress here as a vessel and taken my time. This place is quite lax.”

“Lax, huh.”

That’s putting it mildly. There’s no self-regulation here.

The academy had allowed a prestigious family’s daughter to sit in the headmistress’s seat just because of her magical talent, and discipline was left entirely to a washed-up adventurer-turned-instructor.

The result? A rotten institution that preyed on its students.

This is what happens when mage supremacy backfires completely.

“So, what exactly are you?”

“Ah, that’s what you’re curious about?”

Sena spun around, her long hair momentarily obscuring her figure.

When she reappeared, she was dressed entirely in black, holding a staff dyed bright red.

Judging by her appearance, she’s a witch.

The opposite of a priest or cleric, gaining power through worshipping demons.

She’s like the epitome of a demon worshipper.

So, witches still exist…

“Hey, headmistress. There’s a full-blown demon worshipper in the academy, you know?”

“Seems like it… Her test scores were excellent, so…”

Sepia trailed off when she met my gaze. My frustration must have shown on my face.

Sena enrolled a few years ago. The kingdom had been preparing for this for decades, yet here, it took only a few years for things to go so wrong.

I came to the wrong place. Now I understand why Kasugal wore that bitter expression. This kingdom is a joke.

If Kasugal had stayed, this would have been resolved by now.

He’s not good at preventing incidents, but once something happens, he acts fast—by burning everything to ashes.

The gate creaked open a little more. This wasn’t a summoning but a direct link through the gate.

“Victor, what happens now?”

Not that I expected a good answer, but I asked Victor.

“Demons will rise. If a horde of demons reaches the surface, the heavenly army will break the rules. They’ll open Heaven’s Gate, and this world will become a battleground.”

Cardinal Keller might know something about this. At the very least, this isn’t a situation we want.

“Then we have to stop it. Though this should be the job of a hero, not me.”

I’m just an adventurer who wants to study magic.

As time passes, the gate will open wider, but Mastema should arrive here soon as well. I drew my celestial sword.

“Victor, protect Sepia.”

“Got it. Come here.”

Victor grabbed Sepia and pulled her away from me. Sepia screamed as she was whisked off.

“Oh, are you sure about that? You could’ve had them join the fight,” Sena said as she prepared her magic.

She didn’t seem to need incantations. I’m envious.

I snorted at her words. I had been expecting something worse, but this was manageable. With the dead weight gone, it’s even easier.

The only mage I ever fear is Kasugal.

“For someone like you, I’m more than enough on my own.”

Especially after facing Mastema