Chapter 48
Demon King Magram
Idnia and Headmaster Ludwig crossed the forcefield bridge and arrived at the Necromancy Research Building.
“Hmm, it looks like a hospital.”
Idnia was amazed as she looked around the Necromancy Research Building, which had the feel of a hospital. The scent of disinfectants and preservatives filled the air, and there were many patient rooms and labs. Some rooms had lights on, where she could see the assistants and graduate students working tirelessly day and night.
Idnia, avoiding being caught, swiftly moved through the hallway, almost teleporting with her overwhelming Overlord Energy form.
“There’s a health ward on the first floor. They’ll be there—Crown Prince and your roommate, the saintess.”
“Oh, thank you for telling me.”
Idnia headed towards the first floor.
Ludwig, despite his large frame, couldn’t help but chuckle at how quietly Idnia walked, without making a single sound.
“You’re quite skilled, Idnia.”
“Ah.”
Just then, Idnia stopped, and Ludwig had to stop behind her as well.
“What is it? Ah.”
In front of a hospital room on the first floor, two girls were asleep on a bench.
Izzolde and Mari were sitting on the bench, dozing off.
“They’ve been sleeping here. They must have come here because they were worried about the Crown Prince’s condition. But why…?”
“This is probably Sadia’s doing. She lives for the thrill of pairing men and women from different social classes. When the girls, worried about the Crown Prince, risked getting penalties to stay here, she probably pretended to be reluctant but ended up bringing them.”
“Now that you mention it, what about Rudolf?”
“Well, I’m not going to tell you that. You should investigate….”
“Emperor Franz must have put a spell on Rudolf’s body, right? Since he’s afraid of the academy but still wants to get his hands on it, he must have sealed some detection spells in his son’s body to check on the academy’s defenses. Even though the academy’s professors wouldn’t conduct a detailed investigation of the Crown Prince’s body.”
Hearing Idnia’s words, Ludwig went silent.
“What?”
“Not bad. You’re more capable than I expected, Idnia.”
“Well.”
She had already gathered this information through the game. But Idnia couldn’t say that.
Just then, a whistle could be heard from somewhere.
It was surprisingly the OST of Awakening Concert.
“What’s this?!”
“It’s Magram.”
Ludwig clicked his tongue.
Rudolf woke up.
Though he had undergone Energy Drain, his body wasn’t severely hurt or damaged.
However, his heart ached.
“Why did I have that dream?”
Rudolf trembled as he remembered the figure of his father, Franz.
The gaze of Franz he saw in the dream was chilling.
It was like a craftsman looking at a freshly made pottery piece, about to shatter it with a hammer at any moment.
And it was that same coldness he had always felt from his father.
His father had never really paid attention to him.
But still, Rudolf respected and loved his father.
To make him not just the son of a feudal lord but the Crown Prince, Franz had sacrificed much of the Kaliestra family’s wealth and influence.
He wanted to believe that all those sacrifices were proof of his father’s love.
But Franz had hardly ever interacted with him.
It was Duchess Polchen who had raised him, and it was Izzolde who had grown up alongside him as a child.
“Ugh…”
The Crown Prince, loved by all, shuddered as destructive emotions surged inside him for the first time.
“Where am I?”
Looking around, it seemed like a battlefield hospital, with rows of hospital beds lined up, but it was completely quiet.
There was a faint sound of breathing.
“……”
Rudolf got up and moved towards the source of the sound. There, in the hallway outside the patient room, were two girls sitting.
Izzolde and Mari were sitting together, leaning against the wall, sound asleep.
The Crown Prince reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket watch.
It was 11 PM, and lights out for the dormitory was already in effect.
“Hm? Ah?! Older sister?!”
“Crown Prince?!”
Izzolde and Mari woke up.
“Have you been waiting here? Izzolde, Mari.”
“Yes, Crown Prince. I’m sorry. I’ve dared to cause harm to your body. Please punish me.”
“No, you haven’t done anything wrong, Mari. It was just me who was the problem. Ah, but what’s going on here?”
“Well, you see…”
“According to Professor Sadia, there was a strong magic placed on the Crown Prince’s body. It seems when I cast my spell, I put in too much magical power, and the magic circuits that were engraved burned out and broke, revealing them.”
Mari spoke honestly.
“So, without knowing, someone from the Empire placed a spell on my body? I didn’t know about it… Ha, I don’t know whether I’m the Crown Prince or just a puppet.”
Rudolf spoke the words, but they made him feel miserable.
For some reason, his body had been left with such a powerful spell, and yet his father, the Emperor, had said nothing.
Still, up until now, he had believed that his father loved him, having sacrificed so much to make him the Crown Prince.
But this was shattering that belief to the core.
Could he still trust his father?
And could he trust himself?
Such questions arose.
“Professor said that all the dangerous magic has been removed, but you should rest here for the night. There’s a barrier, so it’s safe.”
“Safe? Safe from what?”
“Older brother.”
Izzolde looked at the sad Crown Prince and felt her heart ache.
She knew more than anyone how much Rudolf had suffered trying to gain his father’s recognition.
But today’s magical accident proved that there was an enormous amount of magic intertwined in the Crown Prince’s body.
It was as if Emperor Franz had given up on Rudolf’s life.
No, perhaps the Emperor didn’t care for his life at all?
A terrible force was sealed within him, without any concern for his safety.
“I’m sorry, Crown Prince. I was careless and caused harm to your body.”
Mari apologized even more as she saw Rudolf’s sadness.
“It’s not your fault, Mari. It’s just…
I don’t know.
I think maybe it would have been better if I had never been born.”
Rudolf uttered the words, and then clicked his tongue.
As the Crown Prince, loved by all, this was not something he should have said.
But sometimes, sincere emotions break through, like a needle piercing through a pocket.
Just then, suddenly, a shining powder flew through the air.
“What?”
“Ugh?!”
Izzolde and Mari blinked in surprise.
“Izzolde?! Mari?”
Rudolf was horrified as Izzolde and Mari suddenly collapsed from a magic that drained their consciousness.
The sparkling magical flames and foam circled around their bodies, stealing their consciousness.
Rudolf, shocked, grabbed both of them as they were about to fall.
“Izzolde! Mari! Are you okay? What’s going on?”
From somewhere, a whistle and a humming sound could be heard.
It was a strange tune.
“Are you awake? Your Highness?”
Startled, the Crown Prince turned around, and from far down the hallway, he saw faint flames rising.
Those flames flickered, and a woman made of flames appeared.
She wore a veil on her head, but carried a crescent blade at her waist, and her entire body was made of fire, reminding him of someone.
The oil lamp in her hand emitted flames and smoke, which maintained her fiery form.
“Professor Magram?”
“Yes, it’s Magram.”
Magram’s eyes gleamed with strange light.
“The two students. They were told to go back to their dormitory, but they refused and stayed, saying they would protect you.
It’s admirable, but both of them will receive penalties.
So, Crown Prince, please remember their sacrifice.”
“What is going on here?”
“Oh, you’re curious? Let me tell you.”
But at that moment, another voice came from behind Crown Prince Rudolf.
“Don’t listen.”
It was Succubus Queen Sadia.
“This incident happened in my class, so it’s my responsibility.”
“Leave, Magram.”
“No matter what you do, I can’t accept this right now.”
Magram let out a sharp laugh.
“Too much, Sadia. Are you really asking for a fight between professors? Fine. How many years has it been?”
Magram’s body flared with flames as he glared at Sadia.
“Ah…”
Rudolf was stunned by the sight of Magram in front of him.
When his eyes met Magram’s, he saw a black sun.
A black sun floating high in the sky… burning, but instead of shining, it devoured human souls—a terrifying existence.
The Demon King of Desire.
Rudolf had momentarily glimpsed a fragment of its essence.
Then, just then, someone stepped in front of him.
-
Protection!
In the midst of the deadly aura between the two professors, a simple Protection spell was cast.
To his surprise, Mari from Astraea regained her senses from Magram’s magic and cast Protection and a shield, stepping in front of Crown Prince Rudolf.
“Mari.”
“Your Highness Rudolf. I’m just a foolish country girl, but one thing I know is that you should never listen to those who try to control you using knowledge!”
Mari stood in front of Magram, willingly acting as a shield for Rudolf despite the pressure from his magic.
Magram, seeing her, chuckled.
“I don’t want to kill a student, but if you jump into my flames, that’s something I can’t control.”
But just then, another voice was heard as a shield spell was cast.
-
Shield!
Someone had cast the shield spell and transformed it.
-
Transformation!
The shield was transformed into a compressed disk and thrown.
Magram scoffed.
Such low-level magic!
However, he knew Ludwig and another person were already here.
‘Ludwig wouldn’t interfere with us creating penalties for the students. But it seems Idnia couldn’t hold herself back.’
Ah, students are so fond of each other…
Magram carelessly raised his hand to block the shield transformation spell Idnia had cast, the magic disk.
But suddenly, Magram’s expression changed.
‘Huh?’
Incredible speed, incredible power.
‘What…?’
Magram’s arm was severed, and the disk hit his face.
-
Boom!
The magic shield exploded, and flames filled the hallway.
