Under the blazing sun of the Kahal Desert, some people lived only on camels and tents.
Originally a native of the eastern part of the continent, the poor Demon Blood clan got entangled in foreign rights, were banished, and since then became the living evidence of discrimination and oppression.
Whooosh…
As sandstorms pounded on their tents amid the darkness, their leader’s anguish coursed through the clan’s future.
“This is troublesome, chief. It’s finally begun…”
Captain Zubaekren stared at the dark tornado in the desert, finding it no different from hatred. It whirled around like a never-ending cycle of grudge breeding resentment and resentment breeding hatred.
That cycle would only end with the destruction of either side or the proliferation of harmony and unity.
In an era when the latter was reduced to a mere mirage, he watched the Altar’s movements, knowing full well that the Demon Blood and the Altar’s religion were the same at a glance.
“There are rumors that Professor Deculein is building a concentration camp in Rohalak.”
Disappointed by his passive attitude, the Demon Blood radicals joined the Altar, which ‘seemed’ to have similar religious doctrines, and in the end, committed horrific misdeeds.
“The groups will be taken there.”
Zubaekren nodded.
Deculein.
The Yukline successor defending the Demon Blood at Bercht confused him. Nevertheless, he was grateful.
“I see. He bought us time in Bercht, but since this attack was our clan’s doing, he must have thought we betrayed his good graces…”
He remembered the former Yukline Family head and Deculein’s father, ‘Decalane.’
He was a hunter of wealth and had no mercy, a pitiful man who couldn’t even develop feelings to love someone.
Though more Yukline than anyone else in their family, he was never bound by the yoke of it.
That was why Zubaekren was afraid of him.
“The cost of betraying them has always been excruciating.”
“… Yes. I know. ‘Fear the demon.'”
Fear the demon.
That was the Yuklines’ dictum. It made people aware of the demons’ existence and, at the same time, revealed the tradition and power of their family.
Having been hunting demons since ancient times, the Yukline resembled their targets the most. That was why the ‘demon’ their enemies should fear wasn’t only the devil itself but also the ‘Yukline who would become a demon to them.’
“A gale will soon come, rendering all words we utter into excuses. Even peaceful rallies will be difficult to execute.”
The Demon Blood clan was spread out in groups across a low-lying area, some of them having decently sized populations.
“We won’t be able to control all the new and bloodthirsty groups. If we press them hard, they might leave and cause incidents like the terrorist attack.”
“… That’s true.”
“Don’t let the ‘Cradle of Trees’ handle it. ‘Elesol’ and ‘Carixel’ will be able to lead well.”
He then looked at the distant whirlwind gradually growing larger as it absorbed the sand and mana of the desert. Beyond it, he could see the faces of his long-lost friends.
The sweeping and howling air currents seemed to act as their screams; the grains of sand their blood.
He felt as if they were calling out to him.
“I haven’t been thinking properly until now… But what can I do? The answers I seek aren’t in this world.”
Captain Zubaekren sank into the darkness amid the sandstorm.
* * *
Hadekain, three days later.
“What nonsense is that?!”
Yeriel yelled at the family Head, who visited after so long.
“Why would you build a concentration camp on our estate?!”
“…”
“Answer me! Sir!”
Though Yeriel usually sat on the lord’s seat, Deculein took to it silently for the first time in a while.
“I hate the Demon Blood as well, but a concentration camp! That’s a hate facility! Sir!”
“Stop adding ‘sir.'”
After a few moments of waiting for her to subside, she finally gasped and sighed.
Only then did he get to the point.
“It’s far from the private mansion.”
“Where are you going to build it, sir?”
“… Are you rebelling?”
“What, sir…?”
“I won’t ask you again.”
“I’m not, sir.”
She chuckled in disdain, to which he responded by shaking his head.
“The camp will be in Rohalak.”
“… Are you kidding me?”
Her expression hardened.
The Yukline County was large enough to match the Principality of Yuren, a country. Still, only half of that was available land because a part of Marik, the land of magic mines, was within their territory.
Considering that place was accompanied by a multitude of obligations, it was more accurate to say it fell under their jurisdiction rather than their ownership.
“We mustn’t let corrupted beasts into the civilian world.”
“It doesn’t matter if they’re Demon Blood. They are human.”
Rohalak was the worst area close to extinction.
It was a hell comparable to Recordak, the northernmost prison of Freyden County.
“People live there—”
“I’m not here to discuss it with you, Yeriel.”
“…”
His glare pierced through her like a blade, causing her to stagger back.
She had been out of Deculein’s shadow for quite a while now, but she still couldn’t stop herself from feeling scared every time this happened.
“… Okay. The Demon Blood aside, what benefits would this bring us? Nothing! That area will only be nicknamed ‘the territory where the camp was built!”
“The Imperial Family will soon pass all the benefits to you.”
He got up from the lord’s seat and exited the room. Yeriel then hurriedly ran and sat in the empty seat, which normally served as her chair.
“I’m going. Just know that I’ll assign the raw materials needed for the foundation construction.”
“… I don’t care.”
It was something he did on his own without any consultation. There was no way he would change his mind even if she insisted.
Yeriel glanced at Deculein.
Creak—
He opened the door to the lord’s office, finding his companions, imperial knights, and imperial officials gathered before him and greeting him with a smile.
They seemed excited about the Demon Blood suppression.
“As expected from Professor Deculein. Oh, I should call you Count Yukline here.”
“With the Count who overpowered Rohakan and resolved the imperial terrorism in an instant, we would go to even the end of the universe—”
Creak—
The loud flattery subsided as soon as he closed the door behind him.
“Sigh…”
Now alone in silence, Yeriel muttered, “Rohalak, Rohalak…”
Even she had never thought of shoving people into that place.
Of course, his intentions were vaguely understandable. The truth was also undeniable.
The support would come from the imperial family, and the Demon Blood concentration camp would be useful as a ‘human wall’ like Recordak.
It would become a fortress that would prevent the beasts from coming.
If they built the camp in that location, the captives would defend against the beasts themselves to survive. Moreover, there would be no real damage to the Yukline even if they were destroyed.
A cold, cruel, extremely Deculein-like thought.
“I thought he was a little more human these days.”
Yeriel touched her temple. Lately, she found herself no longer able to peer into Deculein.
“… Well, I don’t know what it means to be called human anymore after those assholes carried out such acts of terrorism.”
As Yeriel talked to herself helplessly, the door opened again, revealing her butler.
“The Marik Underground Passage’s income this week has been aggregated.”
“I see.”
As she looked at the document without much thought, her eyes immediately widened when millions of Elnes entered her sights.
“…!”
Money was pouring in huge amounts.
“How did this happen? Our weekly earnings far exceeded expectations! I thought it would take some time for word of mouth to spread?!”
“The number of visiting adventurers far exceeded our projections. As a natural result, the sales of the underground mall also increased.”
The product prices of Marik’s restaurants, hardware stores, equipment stores, magic stores, and others, including the Pig’s Flower, were 30% higher than in most cities, but adventurers who valued convenience over money paid without hesitation.
“O-Okay, that’s a good thing. Let’s stay calm and keep the profits flowing. Got it?!”
“Of course.”
Her own territory remained the top priority.
She didn’t care about the Empire, Imperial Family, Emperor, Demon Blood, or others. After all, from childhood to adulthood, Yeriel’s only ‘possession’ was their estate.
“You may go.”
“Alright.”
After sending her butler away, she immediately placed her hands on both cheeks.
She looked at the ledger again, laughing like a child.
It was ten times the income they expected.
… She couldn’t stand the excitement!
“Kyaaaa, kyaa~ kya~”
She sang like a nightingale and played the turntable.
♩♬~ ♩♪♬~ ♪♩♬ ♪~
Yeriel danced a slightly clumsy waltz to the resonating classic.
*****
Rohalak. A wasteland close to a desert, having neither grass growing nor sand. The scorching sun and sweltering heat dominated its barren soil.
Although I had only ever seen this scenery in the game, it was bleaker than I thought it would be.
“Professor.” Julie grabbed the hem of my robe.
When I looked over at her, she hesitatingly spoke.
“Don’t you think… the ground here is too weak… to build a camp…?”
It was a cautious question.
The Freyden, her family, had more than enough hatred towards the Demon Blood and the Altar.
Perhaps Zeit rebuked her, considering the way she asked, ‘Aren’t you going too far with Rohalak?’ shyly and euphemistically.
“It’s okay. Suppression is better than annihilation.”
I would build the largest camp possible in this place to ensure that as many demon-blooded as possible could survive here.
After all, a literal massacre would occur at the camps that many other wizard families would create in the distant future.
“But I’m just not certain if… anyone… can even survive here…”
Looking at our surroundings with [Man of Great Wealth] activated, I immediately located Rohalak’s water source, which I would use as the focal point of the ‘fortress.’
“Julie.”
“Yes?”
“Trust me. What concerns you won’t happen.”
“…”
When I smiled to reassure her, Julie nodded.
“Professor! The raw materials are ready!”
I soon heard a shout coming from a distance, where multiple wagons filled with steel frames were parked.
Whooong—!
I used [Psychokinesis] on all of them to make them hover.
Today’s objective was to build an iron wall to designate the border of the camp. My magic would prove extremely useful in achieving it, considering it was great for engineering and architecture.
At some point, however…
“Ugh!”
A small groan startled my heart more fiercely than anything else, causing me to immediately look back.
“Oh. I’m fine. I think I stepped on a cactus.” Julie smiled bitterly.
I didn’t know if she was feeling ill or just hot, but sweat dripped down her chin.
*****
The Yukline residence, late evening.
Julie, who fell asleep as soon as she returned from Rohalak, got up quickly at some point, feeling as if her soul was being thrown out of her heart.
“Pant… Pant…”
The immense pain she felt made her upper body stiffen. After repeatedly conducting a breathing technique for some time, she quickly came out of the room.
“Whew…”
She walked through the Yukline mansion’s fancy passage.
“Julie.”
“…!”
The sudden call made her body jerk upright.
Amid the darkness of the hallway beyond her, Deculein stood, gazing upon her.
“Are you feeling well?”
“Yes. I’m fine.” She smiled, to some extent, in a natural manner.
“…”
Deculein approached her silently, his expression making her feel sorrowful for reasons she couldn’t fathom.
Brightly, Julie deliberately asked, “When is your mission to the Imperial Family going to begin?”
“… What?”
“Ah… Ahem. Hmmm. My throat.” Letting a coughing fit pass, Julie continued speaking as usual.
“I heard it all. It’s okay. I understand. Now, to some extent, I have learned to be flexible.” She placed her hand on her chest and smiled triumphantly.
Nodding, Deculein replied, “Next week.”
“I see. Don’t fail. If you do, I’ll get angry.”
“…”
He stared at her smile in silence, causing his agony, which had been thriving deep down, to resurface.
“… Julie.”
“Yes.”
If her knowing that he had changed would be poison for her, if the person named Deculein shouldn’t be by her side…
Wouldn’t that mean [The Villain’s Fate] was trying to deprive him of even the opportunity to become a good man?
“Julie.”
“Yes? Why are you calling me twice?”
He took off his gloves and gently brushed her frizzy hair. It startled her, but she soon accepted his gesture.
The full moon shone through the window, illuminating him.
“…”
In his blue, crystal-like eyes, his sorrow churned like the sea.
“I know your injuries are my fault.”
“… Why are you doing this again? It’s not because of that. I was also fully compensated for that day.”
He shook his head, remembering what truly happened, what Kim Woojin saw in Deculein’s diary.
It happened in Marik.
“No. That’s not what you got.”
Even under the worst circumstances, Julie didn’t give up on him.
The compensation for her irreparable injury was the dismissal of Freyden’s 50 million Elnes’ worth of debts to Yukline.
However, though she was the actual victim, she received neither gratitude nor a single penny.
Instead of being apologetic, Deculein blamed her for failing her mission.
Although she feared her father’s punishment, Julie understood it all.
“That’s why at any cost…”
His hand combing through her hair then rested on her shoulder. Perhaps out of fear, he couldn’t even bring himself to caress her.
“I will definitely cure you.”
She looked at him blankly.
It would have been scary if it was like the old days, but now she felt relieved.
“… No.” Julie smiled softly and nevertheless shook her head. The pain in her heart got a little worse, but one side of her chest seemed to have warmed up.
“I’ll get over it on my own.”
Her smile reached Deculein like the moonlight.
“So, please, you don’t have to do that.”
Immediately after that, she suddenly moved her finger towards his ear and flicked it, causing his expression to change vaguely.
Laughing, she said, “You don’t look great. Smile. Your expressionless face must scare your students so much—”
“Meow—!”
A sudden loud cry interrupted her.
“Eek!” Letting out a strange squeal, Julie rushed into Deculein’s arms.
Bang—!
Their bodies collided, but his solid physique easily caught her.
“…?”
Pat-Pat—
Finding it strange that she bumped into a steel wall in the middle of the room, she tapped on it with her finger involuntarily then looked up blankly.
Deculein shook his head.
“Have you been reading fairy tales? Pretending to be surprised is so cliché. Did you call me for this?”
“N-No! No! I’m not pretending to be surprised at all! And it was you who called out to me first!”
Julie, taking a huge step backward, pointed to a feline.
“That cat…”
“Meow!”
It came closer as it cried, revealing its black fur.
“Do you know it?”
“Well. If it were raised by a monk or Yeriel, it wouldn’t be dirty like that.”
“Meow-!” The cat clung to Julie’s leg while crying.
“I think it chose you.”
“…”
She glanced at Deculein.
“Meow— Meow—”
It rubbed its body against her as it purred…
“I must find its owner.”
She then took it in one hand and went back to her room.
*****
Epherene played around in bliss for the past three days of her vacation. Naturally, she didn’t forget to review the magic training book Rohakan gave her, along with Deculein’s [Understanding the Pure Elements].
She hadn’t solved the last question of Deculein’s midterm exam yet.
However, something far more pressing than that was happening right now.
“Whew.”
Epherene took a deep breath while waiting for the elevator to the Isle of Wizard’s Wealth.
Today was the registration day for the “Solda Promotion Test.”
Her body and mind trembled anxiously.
“Ifi!”
Julia appeared behind her.
“Oh, you’re here as well.”
“Of course. The others will be a bit late today. After your orientation, let’s eat meat at my house.”
“Sure!” Epherene answered enthusiastically.
Today, she was definitely going to eat a Roahawk.
─Please prepare for boarding.
“It’s here. Let’s go, Ifi.”
“Yeah.”
They rode the elevator together. The admission fee was expensive, but thanks to her professor’s recommendation, it was free.
Whooong—
The magical elevator rose tens of meters per second.
Ding—!
After about a minute, they arrived at the floating island.
As soon as they did, Epherene went straight to the Megiseon and approached the receptionist on the first floor.
“I’m here to apply for the Solda promotion test.”
“Please provide your documents and ID.”
“Okay.”
She pulled out a bunch of documents and identification from her backpack.
“Debutante Epherene. Confirmed. The promotion exam costs 10,000 Elnes.”
Ten thousand Elnes.
Epherene took a deep breath and held out a card, her hands trembling.
“Thank you. The orientation will be held there. Go inside.”
The staff pointed to the auditorium behind the counter.
“Oh, got it.”
“Ifi~ Good Luck~ I’ll be at the magic shop~”
“… Thanks.”
She heard [Pig’s Flower] recently opened a new branch, the huge success of which seemed to have made Julia extremely wealthy.
She probably spent ten to twenty thousand Elnes per month.
Epherene felt jealous.
Anyway.
“I’m so nervous.”
Clenching her fists tightly, she went into the auditorium, immediately finding a familiar figure in one of its seats.
“Oh? You’re here too. Hey.” Epherene approached Sylvia and sat down next to her.
“…”
Sylvia glanced at her but remained silent, which seemed to have been within her fellow debutante’s expectations, considering she started looking around before she could even answer.
“Huh? There are adventurers here too, aren’t there?”
“….”
“Am I wrong?”
“No, this is actually a common occurrence.” Instead of Sylvia, who kept her mouth shut, the man beside Epherene answered.
“There are many wizards among adventurers. Even if they don’t meet the required credits, they can take the test if they’ve retained their adventurer license for two years or more.
“Aha~ Is that so?”
“I heard the Adventurer Test and the Solda Promotion Test will be held at the same time this year. Some of its procedures will probably overlap.”
Although adventurers and wizards appeared to be far different, they had a certain degree of homogeneity.
After all, the creator of the Isle of Wizard’s Wealth and the founder of the Adventure Guild were one and the same.
“Oh, really? How do you know so much?”
Smiling, the man showed his license to her.
“Woah! You’re an adventurer?”
“Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Carixel. I’ve been an adventurer for three years now.”
“If you’re in your third year, can’t you just get promoted to Solda?”
Adventurers could usually be classified by years of experience. If one were to get a license only to play around afterward, it would be confiscated after a year. Hence, their number of years in service served as evidence of their skills.
“Haha. I already have three children. The difference in unit price between Solda and Debutante is almost two or three times.”
“Aha… Wait. Three? How old are you?”
Epherene’s eyes widened. Even though he looked to be in his mid-20s, his words made him sound far older.
“Thirty-three. I got married ten years ago.”
“Whoa!”
Epherene covered her mouth in amazement.
“We will now begin the orientation, which will be conducted by one of the Solda exam’s actual supervisors.”
The auditorium’s light turned off.
After that, a wizard appeared on the podium.
“…!”
Epherene grew momentarily surprised, and Sylvia, sitting next to her, trembled profusely. She almost looked like she was vibrating.
“Nice to meet you.”
They were already all too familiar with that introductory greeting.
“I am a Monarch-ranked wizard that specializes in elements.”
The supervisor of the Solda Promotion Test Orientation was none other than Deculein, the Head Professor of the Imperial University Tower.
