Peace Hunter

In the shopping district where Irene stood, several shop buildings lay in ruins; the ground beneath them had given way to the sudden emergence of towering tree-walls that now encircled the area. Irene was currently attempting to shatter the wall of trees surrounding her.

~San Lucia Art: Freezing Air Slash~

Irene unleashed a slash with her rapier toward the tree-wall. The attack struck true, instantly freezing the section of the wall it hit. She then launched another attack at the frozen barrier.

~Ice Sword Art: Great Ice Slash~

Irene delivered a massive ice slash against the frozen tree-wall. Although the attack landed squarely, she failed to shatter the barrier; the wall didn't sustain even the slightest damage. The ice encasing the wood slowly began to melt away.

"This tree-wall is incredibly tough. If I could just break through it, I’d be able to move on to another area much faster. It looks like I’ll have to find another way out of here," Irene said.

She turned her gaze toward the paths and corridors in the area. There were three distinct routes leading in different directions. Irene studied each one carefully before looking upward. Above her, a dense canopy of leaves extended from the surrounding tree-walls.

"I don't know if I can break through that foliage or not. Hmm, I think it's better to just take one of the paths; if I do, I might run into people I know," Irene mused.

She looked back at the three diverging paths: one leading to the left, one to the center, and another to the right. Irene had to choose which path to take, as there were three roads leading to different locations.

"If I recall correctly, those three paths lead out of the shopping district. That means if I choose the left path, I’ll head toward the academy gardens or the forest. If I take the middle path, I’ll end up on the road to the student dormitories. If I choose the right path, I’ll head toward the dorms and the nearby boundary wall. Then again, there’s a chance they lead somewhere completely different from what I imagine. Hmmm, this is confusing," Irene thought.

She fell silent, deep in thought.

"There’s no point dwelling on this. I need to get out of here immediately. Rid mentioned he was going to the academy gate. In that case, I’ll take the middle path. Whether it leads to the dorms or somewhere else entirely, the most important thing is to leave this area first," Irene decided.

With that, she hurried toward the middle path she had chosen. She kept running along the road; it seemed to wind and curve rather than running straight.

"The other paths probably wind around like this too. With a path that twists and turns like this, I wouldn't be surprised if it led somewhere completely unexpected. Even so, I have to keep moving forward," Irene thought.

She pressed on along her chosen path. Before long, she encountered several demons. At first, they had been standing still, but as soon as Irene arrived, they moved toward her, preparing to attack. Seeing them, Irene readied herself for combat as well.

"Don't stand in my way," Irene said.

~San Lucia Art: Great Freezing Air Slash~

Irene unleashed a slash at the demons, striking them squarely. The blow instantly froze their bodies solid.

She then resumed her journey along the path. Although she encountered demons several times, she easily dispatched those that stood in her way. A few minutes later, as she pressed on, she spotted a large fragment, resembling a piece of a fence, near the wall lining the path. She approached the object to examine it.

"This structure looks exactly like the academy dormitory fence. Does that mean I’ve arrived in front of the academy dormitory? It seems following this winding path wasn't in vain after all," Irene said.

Irene then continued along the path she had been following. A short while later, up ahead, she spotted several academy students and knights. Some of them appeared to be resting right there on the path. Irene decided to stop and approach them. The resting students and knights looked as though they had sustained various injuries. Irene observed the students closely and spotted someone she recognized. She immediately walked over to that person.

"Elaina," Irene said.

The person Irene had approached turned out to be Elaina. Hearing her name called, Elaina immediately turned around.

"Senior Irene," Elaina said.

Irene kept her gaze on Elaina, then turned to look at someone lying on the ground beside her. She was shocked by what she saw: it was Noa, whose body was covered in wounds.

"Noa?! What happened to Noa, Elaina?" Irene asked.

"Senior Noa... he was attacked by a large horde of demons. His condition is truly critical right now," Elaina said.

-

Meanwhile, in the academy's central building, specifically on the fifth floor, which served as the special training area for students who used close-quarters weapons.

Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet were gazing out of a window set into one of the room's walls. They appeared utterly shocked by the state of the academy grounds.

"What on earth is this? The entire academy grounds have suddenly turned into a forest. It’s not just the academy itself; the surrounding areas have transformed into a forest as well. What is happening?" Duke Louis asked in astonishment.

"The building has changed, too. The walls are suddenly covered in tree branches and foliage," Duchess Arlet noted.

Her observation was accurate; the walls surrounding them were indeed teeming with branches and leaves.

"It seems it will be difficult to leave the academy now that it has turned into a forest. Nevertheless, we must depart and return to the San Lucia City. We have to help our families, who have come under attack," Duke Louis said.

"Yes, you're right. Come everyone, let's hurry and leave this building," Duchess Arlet said to the knights from Duke San Lucia's retinue who were accompanying them.

"Understood, Miss Duchess" the knights replied.

Duke Louis, Duchess Arlet, and the knights then resumed their attempt to leave the central building. However, they had taken only a few steps when the sound of a wall being smashed open suddenly rang out.

*CRASH!*

Duke Louis, Duchess Arlet, and the knights were startled, as the sound came from the very wall directly in front of them. Upon seeing this, the knights immediately moved to position themselves in front of Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet to shield them. Then, a man emerged from the shattered wall and swiftly attacked the knights standing guard. He struck at them using tree trunks that erupted from the floor beneath his feet. The tree trunks shot forward rapidly, instantly impaling the knights standing before Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet. The pierced knights collapsed, lying in pools of their own blood. Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet were shocked to see their men felled so quickly, but they were even more stunned when they realized who had launched the attack.

"Lord Remy?!?" Duke Louis exclaimed.

"Why are you doing this, Lord Remy?" Duchess Arlet asked.

Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet stared at Duke Remy in disbelief at what he had just done. Then, Duchess Arlet was startled once more as she looked closely at him.

"Dear... look at Lord Remy's eyes," Duchess Arlet said.

Duke Louis followed her suggestion and immediately focused on Duke Remy's eyes. He was shocked by what he saw; Duke Remy, no longer wearing his glasses had eyes with pitch-black irises, a characteristic trait of the Demon race.

"Lord Remy, why do your eyes look like that? They resemble the eyes of a demon. Don't tell me... you were the one who created those demons and ordered them to attack the entire San Fulgen Kingdom?!" Duke Louis asked, shocked.

"That is correct. I was the one who ordered those demons to attack the entire San Fulgen Kingdom, including this academy," Duke Remy replied.

"....That means... you were also the one who plotted the assassination of Her Majesty the Queen and my entire family?!?!?!" Duke Louis asked.

"That is correct," Duke Remy said.

Duke Louis fell silent. Then, he drew the sword at his waist and immediately took a combat stance, ready to strike.

"Lord Remy, you... so you were the mastermind behind all of this?!?!?!" Duke Louis asked, looking furious.

"Yes, that is correct," Duke Remy replied.

"I will not forgive you; I am going to kill you right here!!!" Duke Louis declared.

"On the contrary, I am the one who will kill you here, Lord Louis. I won't let you leave this place alive," Duke Remy said with a smile.

-To be continued

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