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In the continent of Pantheon, which is divided into multiple nations, excluding the Chlorind Empire, the second most influential country is the Holy Kingdom of Hebra, located at the far western edge.

Among its significant roles, the Holy Kingdom is responsible for selecting a saint, one of the heroic party members throughout history, which greatly affects the influence it holds over other nations in the continent.

This land, overflowing with divine power, was regarded as the safest nation against the malevolent forces of demons and the demon race.

However, contrary to those words, the Holy Kingdom was currently in ruins.

“Why… how did the demon race get here so quickly?”

Surrounding buildings were shattered and ablaze, and screams and cries echoed nearby.

The knights protecting the kingdom were slumped, drenched in blood, helplessly staring at the powerful presence before them.

Two figures gracefully passed by the fallen knights.

“How did you breach the barrier?!”

One of the fallen knights managed to rise slightly and shouted towards the figures.

“The barrier…? It just fell apart…”

One of the two, a woman wearing a mask adorned with a phoenix, reached a hand towards the fallen knight.

“More importantly… it’s too noisy… can you please be quiet?”

Snapping her fingers—

The knight exploded, blood gushing from every pore of his body.

“Captain! Damn, what is going on?!”

According to what the Magic Tower had investigated, it was said that the demon race wouldn’t show up in the human realm for at least 2–3 years.

Yet here we are, and one of the main forces of the Holy Kingdom, the Holy Knight Order, has been utterly wrecked by just two beings.

“Under no circumstances should they be allowed inside the cathedral!”

Inside the cathedral is the recently appointed saint.

If their objective was to slay the saint, we absolutely had to stop them.

A man of high rank among the knight order shouted.

“Damn it, where the hell is the Paladin?!”

“The messenger has been dispatched and is on his way!”

“Why, of all times, is the Paladin out of the Holy Kingdom… Is this a trap?!”

Each one of them was considered a national-level force, a part of the continent’s top ten.

Among them was the Paladin, the third strongest, known as the Saint.

Until he arrived with reinforcements, we had to ensure those two demons did not get inside the cathedral.

“Protect the saint! Show the strength of the knight order!”

““Uooh!””

The remaining knights infused divine power into their spears and charged.

“Hah… really, it’s noisy… Hey, newcomer… you handle this.”

“…Y-Yes.”

At the command of the demon wearing the phoenix mask, the demon with a dragon mask stepped forward.

Kiiiing

As the eyes of the masked demon glowed red, the movements of the entire knight order froze, as if nailed to the air.

<Clack!>

With a snap of her fingers, the sound of an explosion echoed, and blood rained down from the sky.

The woman in the phoenix mask looked on with interest.

“Hey… did you imitate my ability? How fascinating, how did you do that?”

The dragon-masked demon remained silent in response to the question from the phoenix-masked woman.

“Well… it’s not like it matters much…”

“Oh dear… cough, what a monster…”

“What? There’s someone still alive?”

Just as the phoenix-masked woman reached out to finish off her target, the once darkened sky suddenly began to shine brightly.

“…Faster than I expected.”

As she spoke, the bird-masked demon reached out to the sky, and a gigantic magic circle enveloped the ceiling.

In the next moment, immense bolts of lightning descended from the heavens towards the two figures.

Boom! Boom!

The bolts of lightning cleared the ground around the magic circle cleanly away.

“I find this a bit bothersome… Newcomer, you go ahead and retrieve the sacred relic first.”

“Yes.”

As the dragon-masked demon vanished, a torrent of wind swept up, blowing away dust and sand.

What was revealed was a knight clad in sacred-looking armor and a helmet, wielding a spear that at least appeared to be two meters long.

The knight was known as the Paladin, undoubtedly one of the strongest on the continent.

“Who dare trespass so carelessly into this holy ground?”

“Haah… I detest being bothered, but listen here, Holy Knight… I have no intention of needless slaughter. I’ll just grab what I want and disappear, so could you wait?”

“No needless slaughter, you say?”

Looking around, all one could see were piles of bodies stained with blood and burning buildings, cries of despair and agony echoing around.

“Those scum are prepared to burn in hell… after creating this mess.”

Even when wearing a helmet, the fury emanating from the Paladin was so intense it could be felt by any onlooker, causing the buildings around him to tremble in response.

“I swear upon the name of the Holy Lance Longinus, I shall crush you without leaving a single piece behind!”

The Holy Lance of the Paladin started to vibrate as it emitted a sacred light.

“Really… I can’t comprehend why you’re seeking death when I’m offering to let you live…”

Boom! Boom!

The Spear of Destiny surged towards the phoenix-masked woman with tremendous force.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The spear’s light shone so brightly it was visible even against the celestial bodies of the continent.

*

[So what are the damages suffered by the Holy Kingdom?]

The news of the demon attack on the Holy Kingdom spread across the entire continent two days later.

Shortly afterward, a meeting was held through the Magic Crystal with the ten powerful leaders governing the continent and the Emperor.

[One-third of the Holy Knight Order is dead, and over half are severely injured.]

[That’s serious. What is the condition of the Paladin and the saint?]

[The Paladin is in a serious state of unconsciousness; luckily, the saint fainted but quickly regained consciousness.]

[Could it be that their objective isn’t the saint?]

A man through the Magic Crystal shouted in frustration.

[How can this be? You said that the appearance of the Rockpelikan demon would be at least two years away!]

In response to those words, the old man gazing through the crystal sighed and spoke.

“I have no words to say about that, Duke Gruwein.”

At this, the Emperor of the empire defended Rockpelikan, saying,

[It’s not surprising considering the timing of the Demon King’s reappearance is different each time.]

The man who had been fiddling with his sword appeared unconcerned and shifted the topic to the demon race.

[If the Paladin was defeated, then what kind of demon could it be? An Executioner?]

To which a representative from the Holy Kingdom responded.

[Witnesses say that one was wearing a phoenix mask.]

“That means this Demon King embodies laziness, namely ‘Belphegor’.”

[That’s not all!]

“What do you mean by that?”

[There was another individual wearing a different mask!]

“!!… Are you saying there’s another Executioner-level demon?”

[The mask bore the image of a red dragon.]

At this revelation from the Holy Kingdom’s representative, everyone fell into silence.

The first to break the silence was a burly man.

[Hah! Two Executioner-level demons? How amusing!]

[Now’s not the time to laugh, King of Power.]

“It’s evident that someone clad in a mask must indeed be the Demon King’s envoy, but the mask with a red dragon is unheard of throughout history.”

With those words, the Emperor fell into silence.

[Does that mean…?]

“It’s possible that the Demon King revealing itself this time may not be just one.”

The atmosphere became serious from Rockpelikan’s comment.

The man holding the sword spoke.

[In this situation, the Paladin’s retirement is grievous. We must quickly select a hero so I can raise them.]

[Please wait a moment, Swordmaster. The Academy will soon select a fitting candidate for the hero.]

[It hasn’t even been long since the ‘Wise Man’ died… and now another one is unable to fight.]

The Emperor shifted the topic.

[Let’s move on to the next matter; who shall fill the vacant seat among the ten powers?]

[That’s already decided, isn’t it?]

Someone spoke with a sarcastic tone.

[Isn’t it because of your apprentice that Rockpelikan is dead? A mentor must be responsible for their apprentice’s mistakes, right?]

[Master of the Silver Tower, I urge you to mind your words.]

Even with the Emperor’s interjection, the Master of the Silver Tower pressed on.

[Did I say something wrong? Shall we place the worst criminal on the continent in the seat of the ten powers?]

Just then, someone else interjected.

[What about that girl?]

“…If it’s that girl…”

The hefty man spoke with a hearty voice.

[Isn’t she your little one from the Magic Tower? I’ve heard she possesses enough skill. I’d like to fight her.]

“She is still inexperienced; it’s too early for her to be put in this position.”

[Hah! Surely you think so, but who knows if she can handle it without just copying her previous mistakes?]

[Master of the Silver Tower!]

With the continuous provocations, the atmosphere around Rockpelikan became tense.

“You… I can tolerate you insulting me, as I understand you have your grievances, but…”

At that moment, Rockpelikan unleashed a fierce pressure that resonated through the Magic Crystal.

“If you insult my apprentice, I shall not stand idly by.”

[Stop! Master of the Golden Tower, calm yourself! And Master of the Silver Tower, it’s best to refrain from provoking him.]

[…Yes, Your Majesty.]

[Cough! We will put this issue aside for now and conclude this meeting here.]

*

“Phew…”

As the light faded from the crystal,

Rockpelikan sighed and turned to speak to his beloved apprentice, quietly drinking something in his office.

“So, what do you think?”

“Yes, about what?”

“About the seat among the ten powers.”

“Oh, that?”

Sucking on her bubble tea straw, Stella responded after a moment.

“To be honest, I’m not interested. Too bothersome.”

The top ten in the continent.

A symbol of power and authority in Pantheon, a position respected by all.

Yet, despite this, his apprentice seemed utterly uninterested, more so than the drink in her hand.

“By the way, that old geezer keeps being a nuisance. How childish.”

Sipping,

“What’s that you’ve been enjoying so delightfully?”

“Oh, this? It’s bubble tea from a new café that opened in the empire. Would you like to try some, Master?”

While saying this, a newly wrapped bubble tea and a certain document were set on Rockpelikan’s desk.

“Hmm? What’s this?”

Upon lifting the document, it showed an Academy admission application and a certificate proving acceptance.

“Have you decided to enter the Academy? That’s great!”

Rockpelikan, who had been frowning and pinching his brows, couldn’t hide his delight.

“However, what changed your mind? I thought you were adamant against going.”

“Oh, that’s because…”

The eyes of her previously indifferent apprentice sharpened as if she had spotted a prey.

“I need to go for fox hunting.”

“…Fox?”

“Anyway, I’ve passed on everything necessary; I’ll just take my leave now.”

As Stella closed the door and left the office, Rockpelikan let out a relaxed expression.

“… Regardless, it turned out well…”

With a look of someone finally released from tension, Rockpelikan took a sip from the bubble tea his apprentice had left behind.

“…Ugh! Cough, cough!”

‘How much sugar did they put in this?!’

 

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