Damn Academy - Chapter 233

Chapter 233

Black Footprints (8)

Liria handed over the black letter.

As I received it, my heartbeat quickened.

“Liria, this letter flew in through the mansion’s fireplace, right?”

“Yes.”

In that case, Amarylis’s letter wasn’t directed at me but at the mansion.

“Then I’ll leave a stitch here. If another letter like this arrives, please send it directly to me.”

“I’ll make sure to do that!”

Liria bowed her head and left the room.

I placed Priscilla back in its scabbard and took the letter. This was the first time I was checking the contents right after receiving it. What could it say? Amarylis’s letters mostly contained trivial matters with little hint of my future. I hoped it was filled with trivialities again.

Carefully, I opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.

“…”

It contained an unsettling message that shattered my hopes.

[I heard you’re going to Claridyum. I don’t understand. That place is already a fallen city. Its once-glorious civilization vanished like a dream, and now it’s filled only with stray dogs, rats, and decaying corpses. What joy could there be to find there?]

What on earth does this mean? Claridyum has fallen? There hasn’t been a sudden war, and it’s one of the most prosperous cities on this continent. How could it have already fallen? How? Why?

Th i s was c op ied f r o m k i ng m tl .o rg
If I relay this to anyone, undoubtedly, every single one of them would laugh at me.

This is nonsense. If it had fallen, or even shown signs of falling, many would have known, and Eternia would have been the first to inform the art club members.

The real issue is that I can’t simply dismiss this as mad talk. Amarylis has never been unaware of the major incidents that threatened my life.

***

As she mixed finely ground pigments and oils to make paint, Haley paused and questioned me.

“What? Did something happen in Claridyum?”

T h i s w as co p ied fr o m ki n g m tl. o r g
“Yes, I was wondering if there was any new information.”

She tied back her long, untied hair and spoke.

“No, nothing.”

“Is there anything potentially threatening there? Like dangerous research or something?”

“Hmm…”

Haley squinted at me intently.

“…Senior?”

“Why are you suddenly asking about that? Are you worried something might happen in Claridyum? Or are you hoping something will happen?”

“What?”

“Oh, I get it. You’re the newbie who doesn’t want to go to Claridyum, right? Just like before the special division competition when you asked if you had to go there.”

“…?”

“Hey! Jenia, come here!”
T h i s w a s c o p ie d f r o m k ingm tl . o rg

Jenia, who was tending to the plants from afar, came running with a watering can, not even taking off her apron.

“Why, why? I’m busy, what’s up?”

“The newbie doesn’t want to go to Claridyum!”

Jenia put her hands on her hips and glared at me with a fierce expression.

“Are you kidding?”

Just then, as Lilith entered the greenhouse for class, Jenia shouted loudly.

“Hey! Close the door! We need to scold this one.”

Lilith was startled and, due to the now serious atmosphere, froze at the door.

“I’m not saying I won’t go, seniors.”

Jenia spoke to me as if she was disciplining me.

“I’ve bragged so much about you to the senior waiting in Claridyum. She bought pretty clothes and did her hair, waiting eagerly at the harbor for the art club’s jewel to visit. Do you understand? Yet you dare say such a thing?”

“…”

“Haley even spent her savings, gathered with difficulty, to buy dried fruits, jerky, bread, cheese, and other stuff for you guys, and now she’s going hungry. How can you say such a thing?”

Looking back at Haley, she suddenly wore a sad, tragic expression like a heroine in distress.

“…Since the newbie won’t go… I’ll have to throw it all away…”

She dipped her hands in the watering can and drew tears on her face, pursing her lips.

Everyone here knew she was a prominent aristocrat’s daughter from the Empire, and the academy provided meals. The seniors were expressing their disappointment with half-playful threats. But I never said I wouldn’t go…

“I won’t drop out on the seniors. I just want to confirm how safe it is.”

“Is that it? Are you sure?”

Amarylis’s letter didn’t say it would be dangerous to go there. It just questioned why one would visit a land that’s already fallen.
T h i s w as co p i e d f r o m k in gm t l . o rg

T h i s was c o pi e d f r o m k i n gm t l . or g
Even when a rich city declines, it takes at least a decade, as they say, riches last three years. Maybe Amarylis was looking too far ahead. Even if we went for a visit and returned, Claridyum wouldn’t change much.

Jenia asked Haley.

“Hey, is there anything dangerous about Claridyum?”

Haley replied.

“Okay, since the newbie seems worried, I’ll explain kindly. First, it’s one of the safest cities in the world from beasts. It’s on the forefront when it comes to research about them. You’ve heard that often, right?”

Haley pulled her chair closer, sitting with her thigh against mine. She placed a paper on an easel and began drawing something with a brush.

She drew a large letter ‘C’.

“Okay, let’s say this is the map. And here, attached like this, is Claridyum.”

Then she added a pimple-like mark in the middle of the rounded inward part of the drawing, which was Claridyum.

“Okay, Claridyum is a small peninsula surrounded by the Empire, the Kingdom of Malia, and the sea. Moreover, another peninsula acts like a wall surrounding Claridyum.”

“…”

“Originally, that region had completely eradicated beasts, and even if flying species crossed the sea, they’d have to pass through other countries first. Something happening because of beasts? That would never happen.”

“What about relations with the Empire?”

“Claridyum has a great relationship with the Empire—one-third of its population is from the Empire. Trade and research exchanges are very active. And, although I can’t mention family names due to circumstances, ahem! If I’m accompanying you, the Empire will never be a threat. I guarantee it.”

“Is there anything else?”

“Let’s see. Something that might scare our newbie… Ah!”

Haley seemed to have remembered something and slapped her thigh.

“The exchange competition finals are held there.”

“…”

T h i s w a s c o p ie d fr om k in g mt l . o r g
“There are quite a few beasts being raised for the exchange competition finals. Though it’s a number manageable by students, that’s about the only danger. If there’s something you’re scared of, the seniors will handle it.”

Haley patted my back. She was determined to get me to Claridyum.

“……”

“So you’re going, right? Hmm?”

Jenia and Haley looked at me with bright, expectant eyes.

If it were a northern city, the word “fall” might have seemed plausible. Claridyum is known to be as safe as the Empire’s capital, which is confusing. No matter how much I think about it, I can’t envision a calamity that would bring down such a prosperous city.

The beasts raised for the exchange competition won’t cause the city’s collapse. Other major cities, including Eternia, do the same.

War? That ultimately just changes the flag on the castle, not completely destroying the city.

The only clue, if it can be called that, is the mass migration of artists to Rigved.

Is there a need to complicate things? There’s no better way than to check it out directly.

I told the seniors.

“Yes, of course, I’ll go.”

***

Calios was still waiting for me in the Forbidden Forest.

I informed him that I had satisfied Trisha and subsequently succeeded in communing with Priscilla, but he showed no particular reaction.

Instead, he sat on a rock, crafting a spear from a piece of wood, and asked an unexpected question.

T hi s w a s co p i e d fr o m ki n gm t l . o r g
“Have you ever heard of Taitirian?”

“I’m hearing about it for the first time.”

“Hmm.”

“My knowledge isn’t very broad. It’s not that I skip classes…”

“That’s understandable. It’s a place hard to know unless you dig through ancient texts. Humans are no longer interested in dwarves.”

“Is it where dwarves live?”

“Correct. Despite causing all sorts of calamities, they are a tenacious race still surviving.”

“I’ve never heard that dwarves cause calamities.”

“There’s a saying that when calamities arise, blame the dwarves and wizards first. Haven’t you heard it?”

“I’m hearing it for the first time.”

Calios stroked his white beard with a complicated expression.

“The times have changed too much.”

“…”

“When you trace the causes of calamities, you’ll often find dwarves at the origin.”

“I didn’t know they had such a notorious reputation.”

The most I knew about dwarves was that they were good at digging tunnels and had particularly skilled hands.

“True. With interactions completely severed, most humans don’t even realize that the calamities that befall them are caused by dwarves.”

“…”

“Dwarves have an insatiable desire to conquer the underground, digging endlessly, and sometimes they uncover amazing things. Ancient magic swords, orbs from other dimensions, demonic artifacts, the heart of the earth that causes earthquakes. Visit a dwarven kingdom, and you’ll be wide-eyed at the outlandish artifacts that defy common sense. You’ll wonder if they live in the same world as us.”

“Having severed ties with humans, they must be hoarding them all to themselves.”

“There’s no need to be envious. Dwarves can’t handle them properly. They’re just obsessed with hoarding the one-of-a-kind, driven by a sense of superiority.”

“…”

“Also, dwarves haven’t cut ties with all humans. They maintain close exchanges with the monks of the Taitirian Plateau.”

“Did they brew beer that perfectly matches dwarven tastes?”

“That’s one way to earn respect, but no.”

“Then what’s special about it?”

“Most of the dwarves’ findings are not beneficial to the world. There’s usually a reason they’re buried deep underground. Some corrupt souls, poison the land, and are filled with pure malice towards living creatures. There was even a case where a kingdom relocated because they couldn’t find a way to control something, despite hundreds or thousands of dwarves perishing.”

“…”

“After experiencing calamities, dwarves bring things they can’t handle to the surface and entrust them to the monks of Taitirian.”

T h i s w a s c o pi e d f r o m k i ng m tl . o r g
“Is it okay to do that?”

Calios nodded.

“The monks are not dominated by magic swords. Even an orb inhabited by a demon becomes just a stone before them, and a sword containing a dragon’s heart becomes mere iron.”

“Why is that?”
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i ng m t l.o rg

“They train only one thing. What do you think it is?”

“…Sealing techniques?”

“No, it’s the soul. Through the meditation you practice.”

“…?”

“They simply continue the method left by the original monk to train their souls. They don’t specialize in handling weapons, nor do they use magic. They’re composed of orphans and vagabonds, unrelated to bloodlines.”

“Is that really possible?”

“Monks have empty hearts, so they can’t be dominated. It’s like a thief entering a house but leaving because there’s nothing to steal. Do you see how great the power to control one’s soul is?”

“…”

“Worldly humans accept everything that comes their way, but monks choose what to accept and what to release. They can take in vital energy and release poison. They can be enraptured by the beauty of a flower as if seeing it for the first time every day, and remain steadfast as steel even before a magic sword filled with malevolence toward humanity.”

“…”

“That’s why you had to learn the ways of the Taitirian monks before anything else.”

“…!”

“Though I don’t know what triggered it, you’ve learned the art of letting go of what’s on your mind.”

“I don’t know how it happened either, and I’m still quite lacking.”

“Taking that first step is important. Now, would you summon your magic sword?”

I quietly closed my eyes and summoned the magic sword as I always did.

A brilliant light extended from my hand. I opened my eyes and confirmed the sword in my grip.

Something had changed. The sensation was distinctly different from before.
T h i s was c op ie d f r o m k i n gmt l . or g

The oppressive mana that weighed down on me felt lighter, and the draining of energy that happened upon summoning was noticeably less.

Moreover, the sword’s glow was clearer than before.

Calios, observing this, nodded with a satisfied expression.

End of Chapter