Chapter 76
Notable figures from all walks of life—knights, scholars, nobles, merchants—took turns climbing onto the stage to give congratulatory speeches.
But the duchess didn't go up. She simply had a representative deliver a brief congratulatory message.
She didn't seek people's attention. She believed attention should rightfully be focused on the admitted students.
Though she sat properly, they could guess Bibi's inner thoughts were in turmoil.
Given her current situation, pushed into Eternia by her father's pressure, it was almost certain.
She had once desperately yearned to enter Eternia.
For someone with the status of a duchess to enter as a mere Eternia student was a risky venture, and her family strongly opposed it for various reasons.
Additionally, hereditary disease held her back, and after forming an ill-fated connection with a mage who held a teaching position at Eternia, she completely gave up.
After that, Eternia became an object of love and hate for Bibi.
So her state of mind was easy enough to understand without asking.
And seeing her search for the disciple of that ill-fated mage, she surely harbored deadly poison beneath her elegant appearance.
Gerald approached Bibi with complex emotions and reported, "My lady, the Archmage's disciple is not on the awards list."
Bibi remained lost in thought without turning to Gerald.
"...Are you certain?"
"Yes, my lady. That student apparently finished the exam in the middle to lower ranks."
A slight smile spread across Bibi's lips.
She seemed relieved that that witch's disciple would receive no glory.
"Quite different from her arrogant words. To think the disciple she took in after lifelong consideration turned out like this. She brought this on herself."
"..."
"Bring him before me after the entrance ceremony. I should at least see his face."
It clearly wasn't for any benevolent reason.
Gerald moistened his dry lips with his tongue and spoke awkwardly.
"Ah... my lady, however, this student named Damian... appears not to be attending the entrance ceremony."
"What... do you mean?"
"He has no close peers, and no one knows his whereabouts. We have people searching, but there's no news yet."
"A new student isn't attending the entrance ceremony?"
"That's correct, my lady."
"Like Master like disciple. They are equally ill-mannered. I think I understand. He must not be confident in himself. No need to search further. We don't have time to waste on cowards."
"Understood."
"And... deliver a separate banquet invitation to the Varianne family's heir. No matter how proud Varianne is, he wouldn't dare ignore an invitation from House Gainax."
"I have no doubt Lord Varianne will gladly accept the invitation."
"Father will lecture me again if I return without results. Even if Varianne acts arrogant, persuade him properly and bring him. He's exactly the kind of man Father would approve of. A man who has proven his worth through strong and valiant conduct."
"Wise words, my lady. One would be hard-pressed to find a more valiant figure than Lord Varianne across the continent."
Bibi Gainax smiled slightly and said, "Though I have no personal interest... I believe such heroic figures should be properly honored. So cowards might learn something from watching."
"..."
***
During the ritual, Silveryn stood watching without moving a step.
Priest Price's expression wasn't good. Other priests also began sweating profusely.
After an hour, the magical braziers around the stone platform began extinguishing one by one. Though another priest rushed to relight them, they couldn't last long before dying out again.
Soon after, both the Rosental Cube's light and the rune letters' glow gradually dimmed like dying fireflies.
Watching this, Silveryn's eyes wavered.
Things were proceeding strangely.
The priests' reactions were also bizarre. They seemed to have never experienced this situation before.
Soon all lights disappeared and the Grand Temple was enveloped in pitch darkness.
Though the ritual appeared to be over, none of the priests could move or speak a word.
Unable to wait any longer, Silveryn forcefully lit a fire in the brazier.
Price's face had turned pale.
He stood with his mouth open, frantically scanning the rune letters as if in a daze.
Among hundreds of thousands of rune letters, not a single one lit up.
Sensing the problem, Silveryn strode to Price.
"What is it."
"..."
When Price didn't answer, Silveryn grabbed his collar and shouted, "What is it, tell me!"
Price avoided her gaze. He was hesitating to tell Silveryn.
"I know something's wrong, so tell me what it is!"
"This is... more than just wrong."
"Speak."
"No rune letters are responding. There's only void. That child's star... doesn't exist in this world. It doesn't belong to any constellation."
"What does that mean?"
"..."
Silveryn glared with fierce eyes and said, "I'll handle whatever it is, so tell me straight."
Price's face twisted as if delivering the words caused him pain, "It means... it means... they are an existence abandoned by God. That child... has been dead for a long time."
And Silveryn's hand gripping his collar lost its strength.
"...What?"
***
"Do you... know Zverev?"
"Of course. He’s aided me greatly in the past and is still with me now."
"...!"
"Say hello to Zverev, who helped with your academy admission."
The Dark Mage turned slightly like an actor on stage and gestured. From there, golden eyes emerged through the fog.
At first, I thought it was short, but that was a mistake.
It walked on four legs. It wasn't human but a ghoul.
Cracked and twisted glasses, a shirt turned to rags in a dark color. The ghoul still bore traces of its time as a human.
That's... Zverev?
My heart pounded.
Zverev, ghoul, Griffin Potion. Everything was connected to the Dark Mage. This continuous series of revelations was too much to process all at once.
"Unfortunately, that potion isn't very effective for humans. It's more suited for ghouls."
Then, countless glowing eyes flickered in the foggy horizon.
There were too many to count. It was fair to say ghouls had taken over the labyrinth.
I saw no chance of victory.
Everything told me to run. The necklace, the bracelet, the broken potion bottles, Zverev, Ella, Silveryn, and even the now-dead librarians.
If I ran with all my might, perhaps I could preserve my life.
But I didn't run. I couldn't.
Memories of Lisa obsessively flooded my mind, and the thorns embedded in my soul fixed my legs like stakes.
The nightmare of falling off the cliff invaded my consciousness like sinking into a swamp.
I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head, trying to shake off the memories. But it was useless.
Lisa reaching out to me as I fell. I helplessly met death, and Lisa was left alone.
And I protected nothing.
I steadied my breath and looked up at the sky.
The Wraiths were gradually tightening their encirclement.
If I fled begging for my life, Trisha would ultimately be left alone to face the Wraiths, ghouls, and Dark Mage.
Remaining as someone who couldn't protect anything meant another kind of death to me.
So I couldn't run.
I ripped off the annoyingly ringing necklace and threw it aside.
Then I unfastened the potion pouch from my waist and made a hole in the bottom with a glass shard.
I squeezed the pouch and poured all the remaining liquid into my mouth.
Glass shards crunched and pain spread as if my tongue and esophagus were being torn.
Facing the Wraith, having holes torn in my organs, being drained by leeches, being torn apart by ghouls—each was terrifying.
But a rage that seemed to boil my very soul offset such fears.
As the potions began circulating in my bloodstream, my pupils glowed golden.
The flow of fog around me changed. Following the mana pressure centered on me, water vapor fell like a waterfall and settled low.
The leeches climbing up my shoes and calves burst, unable to withstand the powerful mana pressure. All the leeches crawling on the ground exploded too.
The sword of light resonated with my soul, crying out stronger than ever before.
To fight with everything at stake.
As if born for this moment.
I wasn't in the labyrinth, but standing on the cliff again, facing the ghosts of the past.
"As long as I draw breath..."
Brilliant radiance that could blind burst forth from my hand.
"You won't get your way."