Damn Academy - Chapter 217

Chapter 217

Host (14)

I thought it might be a hallucination.

When I turned around and saw Luna, I suspected it was an illusion. But when I realized that both Victor and Gale were seeing the same person, my heart sank.

Luna had managed to push through the mana pressure in her weakened state to find me.

“Luna?”

She called my name from a distance as she walked quickly towards me.

“Damian…”

Thi s w a s c opi e d f r o m k i n g m t l . o rg
I started to worry. Why was she here looking so forlorn, like a cat abandoned by its owner?

Gale muttered something in the northern dialect, perhaps thinking I was pathetic, and walked ahead without waiting.

Victor, sensing the strange atmosphere, followed Gale.

“Don’t be late.”

Luna stumbled and fell on her knees as she approached me.

T h i s wa s co p i ed fr o m ki ng mt l. o r g
Seeing her struggling, my heart ached. I went back to meet Luna, who was now sitting on the ground.

“Damian.”

“Didn’t you leave with the Drama Club?”

“I ran away.”

“Why? To fight with us?”

“…No.”

“Luna, you’re not in any condition to use magic right now. Why did you come?”
T h i s w a s c o p ied fr o m k i ng m tl.o r g

T h i s w a s co p i ed f r o m k i ngm t l. o r g
“I know…”

“What happened?”

Luna gripped my sleeve tightly. She seemed to have so much to say but couldn’t bring herself to speak.

“…”

“Luna, it’s okay. Just tell me.”

She pulled my sleeve closer to her body, her head hung low.

“Don’t go.”

Her unexpected words made me ask again.

“…What?”

“I have a bad feeling.”

“Can you explain more?”

I was at a loss for words. This was unlike any Luna I had seen before.

If it were anyone else, I might have dismissed their words. But Luna wasn’t someone who spoke out of mere feelings or whims.

“I can’t. I have to go. Luna, you know that too.”

Why was Luna, who had never once hindered my decisions, acting this way now?

T h i s w a s c op ie d f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g
“If Damian leaves like this… I feel like we’ll grow apart.”

“Luna, I promise. No matter what happens, I will return alive. Cecil needs me more than ever right now…”

“Cecil will be fine. So, please don’t go… I beg you.”

“Luna, did I make a huge mistake that I’m unaware of?”

She shook her head vigorously. How could she be so sure we would grow apart?

I lifted her chin gently to meet her eyes. Her eyes were reddened.

I didn’t know what to say.

Then, Luna’s ability, which I had forgotten about, flashed through my mind. There was only one explanation for this puzzling situation.

“Luna, did you see the future?”

A magical ability that exists in infancy and gradually fades with growth. Luna still had faint remnants of that ability.

She avoided my gaze and hesitated for a long time before nodding.

“Yes.”

Hearing her answer made me feel conflicted.

I had experienced future visions in dreams before. If I had dreamed of drifting apart from Silveryn, I would have been tormented for at least a week.

Knowing the pain of breaking a bond, I could understand her actions. Luna’s social circle was extremely narrow, so the pain would hit her even harder.

“Can you tell me what kind of future you saw?”

Her arm, which was gripping my sleeve, went limp. Luna avoided my gaze and shook her head.

“I’m sorry for being selfish…”

But she still wouldn’t let go of me. This stubborn and clinging side of her… was just heartbreaking.

“Luna.”

“….”

It was best to reassure her. As I had experienced, future visions were never absolute.

“I don’t know what you saw, but I won’t drift apart from you by my own will.”

“Then promise me. Promise you won’t neglect me.”

I raised my pinky finger.

“I will never neglect you, Luna.”

Luna hooked her pinky with mine and added,

“And… if you must fight, give it your all until you collapse from exhaustion.”

T h i s wa s co p i e d f r om k i n gmt l . or g
I wondered if it was necessary to add that, but I accepted without much thought.

“I was going to do that anyway.”

Fortunately, the words I used to reassure her seemed effective. Luna wiped her teary eyes and looked more composed.

“Sorry for holding you back in this urgent situation. I’ll go back alone.”

“Can you go alone? More importantly… is Cecil really okay?”

Luna nodded confidently.

“Yes. As long as you give it your all, Damian.”

***

I climbed the hill, searching for the source of the mana pressure.

T his was c opi e d f r om ki n g m tl. o r g
Finally, I reached the Lupola Altar.

Amid the trees, I saw a flat stone surface covered with countless white bones. A circular sacrificial site, and in its center was a small metal altar shaped like a coffin.

Not far from the altar, about twenty steps away, stood Gale and Victor, weapons drawn. They seemed to be watching something.

I approached their position.

Victor sensed my presence but kept his eyes fixed on the altar.

“You’re late.”

Gale remained silent, his gaze also locked on the altar.

A stranger was crouched at the altar, fiddling with something.

His hair looked unkempt, as if it hadn’t been groomed for months, and his clothes were stained with blackened blood. His face was that of an old man, half of it melted like dripping wax.

Two swords hung at his waist.

From the old man emanated an overwhelming, ominous mana pressure. An ordinary person would have fainted before even reaching this place.

Despite facing multiple enemies, his movements were leisurely. Though he didn’t seem to be on guard, just watching him made my arms tremble.

I hadn’t fought him yet, but I could instinctively tell. This man was on a different level from any human I had faced.

Victor and Gale must have felt the same primal fear.

I asked Victor,

“Where’s Cecil?”

Victor, without a word, gestured toward the altar.

The old man lit a candle and placed it on the altar. Then, a series of clanging noises came from inside the altar.

“Mmm, mmm! Mmm!”

“Shh, stay quiet.”

On closer inspection, it wasn’t an altar but a coffin. And the noise was coming from someone trapped inside.

Like Victor and Gale, I could only watch.

Cecil was a hostage. The old man could kill her at any moment if he wished.

No one spoke, so I started.

“Sir, may I ask you something?”

Without looking at me, the old man replied,

“Shh, it’s not time yet.”

“Weren’t you looking for me?”

He turned his head, showing interest.

“Hoho, Damian, is it really you?”

T h i s w a s c op i e d f r o m k i n gm t l. o rg
“I’m surprised you know my name. I’m not that famous.”

“This lovely girl told me. She said her brave lover would come to save her and cut off my head. Hehe.”

Victor, with a puzzled expression, glared at me.

“You…”

Ignoring Victor, I continued my questioning.

“What brings you to meddle in these kids’ games, sir?”

“Well… there wasn’t enough food…”

A chilling sensation swept over my skin. Victor and Gale seemed to feel the same, taking a step back.

The old man stroked the hilt of his sword and continued,

“Handling a Magic Sword is like handling a lover. Sometimes you listen to it, sometimes you caress it, and you have to feed it delicacies to keep it strong.”

Clang!
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i ng mt l. o r g

The old man stood up and drew his sword, revealing a strange bluish blade. The ground at his feet froze from the cold.

As expected, he was the Magic Sword Hunter. The massacre in Marbas Village was likely caused by that Magic Sword.

“Only by caring for it with love will the Magic Sword serve its master better.”

Sensing the danger, Gale and Victor immediately assumed battle stances.

I drew my wooden sword and spoke,

“I’ll keep that in mind, sir.”

I took out a Gryphon Potion, gulped it down, and pulled out my mask, placing it on my face. Given the need to exert full strength, it was inevitable that Gale and Victor would recognize me. So it was better to wear some form of protection.

Victor, looking at me, began to speak again,

“You…”

The old man stepped toward us, one step at a time. Victor and Gale seemed to be struggling just to stand under the supernatural mana pressure.

I whispered,

“Who goes first?”

“…”

“…”

Both Victor and Gale were silent for a moment. Gale finally spoke,

“Cowards, all of you.”

Gale, gripping his massive axe, boldly stepped forward.

Unfortunately, the old man had no intention of facing us one at a time.

He swung his sword, releasing a wave of blue cold that surged towards us like a tide.

We all had to throw ourselves to the ground to avoid it.

The cold wave extended to the forest behind us, shattering the area like glass.

“…!”

“…!”

I had seen many ice spells, but never anything with such devastating power, sweeping everything away like a tidal wave. A direct hit would leave nothing behind.

Though he couldn’t unleash such attacks continuously, the sword thrashed like a live fish, causing his arm to stiffen as if electrocuted.

He couldn’t fully control the Magic Sword. There was still an opportunity.

Victor and Gale, getting up quickly, exchanged glances. They knew without speaking that this wasn’t a fight to face alone.

The old man switched the sword from his right hand to his left. He must have overexerted himself.

Catching this, Victor and Gale immediately lunged at the old man together.

Th i s w a s co p ie d f r o m k i n g m tl .o r g
End of Chapter