The Empire's finest magic academy, Theon.
People dressed in pure white clothing, not usually seen there, began entering the place where only magicians and servants were allowed.
It was the delegation from the Bretus Holy Nation.
Priests walked around, providing psychological counseling to students and giving them comfort.
Even with just that, the heavily depressed atmosphere of Theon had improved considerably.
Aidan, who was walking through the campus, stopped in his tracks when he heard a sound coming from one side.
Wondering what it was, he saw several students praying outdoors.
Prayer at Theon was something utterly unimaginable considering the usual campus environment, but not anymore.
After this sleep disease incident, the number of students who prayed like that had greatly increased.
Such scenes weren't uncommon these days.'Perhaps it will continue to increase in the future.'
Just as Aidan was thinking that, someone tapped his shoulder.
"What are you doing here?"
"Ah, Leo."
"What are you staring at so blankly? Hmm? Who are those guys? They're nobles, aren't they?"
Leo narrowed his eyes as he looked at the praying noble-born students.
What formed at the corner of his mouth was a sneer directed at them.
"They act so noble and proud normally, but in the end, they cling to God."
"Do you dislike the Lumensis Church, Leo?"
"Of course. I didn't like it from the beginning. Nothing changes just by praying to God."
Leo's voice contained deep regret.
It was an emotion that only someone who had tried and failed could possess.
Aidan, knowing what Leo had experienced in the past and how deeply he had fallen into anguish, couldn't easily offer comfort.
Leo must have certainly prayed desperately too but no matter how many times he prayed, nothing changed.
In the end, what saved Leo wasn't God, but the teacher who taught him.
"But you're unexpected. I thought you weren't interested in such things, Aidan."
At Leo's remark, Aidan scratched his cheek with his index finger.
"Haha. Is that so?"
"You're an upright guy. Even now, while everyone else is anxious, you don't show any signs of it. At this point, I wonder if you've got nerves of steel."
"It's not like that. I just looked because it was curious. I can also understand the position of those who pray."
"You understand?"
"I don't have much ill feeling toward the Lumensis Church. I've actually been scolded by Teacher Rudger because of that."
"That happened?"
Aidan, seemingly embarrassed, scratched his head and explained what had happened.
"I just went to the faculty office separately to ask him a question. At that time, the topic of theology came up by chance."
"Judging by you saying you were scolded, Teacher Rudger must have the same stance as me."
"Yes. The teacher doesn't like religion itself. He seemed to dislike it, actually."
"Well, I guess that makes sense."
Leo couldn't help but nod as he recalled Rudger's appearance.
It was hard to imagine that man, standing alone and dignified, desperately relying on something else by believing in it.
"The teacher said that leaning on something is ultimately nothing more than turning away from reality. And that nothing changes by doing so."
Even though Leo hadn't directly heard those words from Rudger, he felt like the voice was clearly audible in his mind.
The real Rudger would certainly say that.
Leo strongly agreed with that part.
"I also think that statement is correct, but I found it hard to agree with the opinion that religion is unnecessary. So I confronted the teacher."
"What? You confronted him about that?"
Leo's mouth fell open.
Even for Aidan, whose nerves were as tough as ox tendons, Leo hadn't expected him to say he had so boldly confronted Rudger.
"It's not like I defied him as you might think. I just argued that there are good aspects to religion."
"Did Teacher Rudger just let that slide?"
"First, he asked why I said that."
I thought he would throw a book at me right away, but that's not what happened.
Leo thought this, and then realized that asking for reasons was actually very like Rudger.
"So what did you answer?"
"Well, I said that religion can be helpful too."
"Helpful?"
"Yes. My mother is a believer of the Lumensis Church."
That was something he was hearing for the first time.
"This happened when I was very young. You know I have younger siblings, right?"
"I know. You're the eldest."
"Yes. When I was young, my mother was about to give birth. It was a cold winter, and outside, a blizzard was raging fiercely. That's when my mother's labor pains began."
Aidan was from the countryside, not the city.
There was no way proper medical care could be provided there, and to make matters worse, the weather was in the worst condition.
"Somehow, with the help of neighbors, she began the delivery, but it was a dangerous environment for both the mother and child."
"Such a thing..."
"At that time, there was nothing I could do as I knew nothing. The neighbor lady said it depended on the mother's will, but my mother hadn't properly eaten or slept for days, so her mental and physical state was terrible."
Aidan still couldn't forget that day.
Even in his innocent childhood, he could tell how serious the situation was since he knew his mother was in critical condition.
Could a rural woman, exhausted in body and mind, possibly endure this harsh environment?
"That's when my mother prayed."
"Prayed?"
"Yes. She prayed desperately to God. She said she would be fine with dying, but please let her child be born safely."
The mother's prayer continued until dawn.
Until the moment she gave birth, she was praying, they said.
Did that prayer reach heaven?
"My sibling was born healthy, and my mother also safely completed the delivery. The blizzard that had been raging also stopped the next day, and the outside was filled with bright sunlight."
Whether it was God's grace because of the prayer, or if it was going to happen this way anyway, no one knows.
But Aidan could tell.
Even if grace didn't really come down, the desperate heart of the person praying was not false.
"It was because my mother had prayer and faith that she could endure that difficult time."
"..."
"So I don't think much when I see people praying like that. Teacher Rudger's words are right, but acting like that isn't meaningless. It's about gaining courage to stand up again."
That's why Aidan didn't think religion was necessarily bad.
Getting too deep into it wasn't good, but a world without religion would have been terrible in its own way.
"What did Teacher Rudger say to that?"
"He didn't say much, just told me to go."
"Really? That's unexpected. I thought Teacher Rudger would say something."
"He seemed to agree with my words. But he didn't say anything. I don't know why, but Teacher Rudger seemed to have a deep-rooted hatred for the Lumensis Church."
"Hatred, huh. I wonder if something happened in the past related to the Lumensis Church?"
"Yeah. Maybe. But we can't ask about it now. He's suddenly missing."
It was then that a third person's voice cut in toward Aidan and Leo.
"May I also hear that story?"
Where the two turned their gaze, there stood a woman in white clothing wearing a pure white tiara on her eyes, smiling brightly.
"There he is!"
War Mages using flight magic shot spells at Rudger.
Sharp arrows, spears, and bullets imbued with various attributes flew toward Rudger's vital points.
Beyond simply drawing formulas while running, their acrobatics during flight showed how experienced they were.
Rudger wrapped a shadow cloak around his body like a phantom thief.
The spells hit the cloak and were distorted, bouncing off in different directions.
Meanwhile, the War Mages landed on building rooftops, nearby alleys, or railings, trying to surround Rudger.
What aimed at Rudger as he tried to quickly escape was an iron weapon wielded by the test subject.
-Clank!
A blue flash cut through above Rudger's head.
He thought it wasn't an ordinary iron sword, but didn't expect it to be a weapon called Magic Killer.
While thinking they had really prepared thoroughly, Rudger noticed something odd about the current situation.
'Nikolai's test subjects and the New Magic Tower's War Mages aren't fighting each other.'
Rather, the New Magic Tower's magicians were skillfully avoiding the test subjects and only targeting Rudger.
One fact that could be deduced from this:
'They're already in league with each other, aren't they?'
No wonder their reaction was quick after the surprise attack; it seems Nikolai had tipped them off.
The New Magic Tower, being a large organization, naturally had factions divided by inclination.
Among them, there would be people who maintained pride as magicians, but also those who joined hands with the underworld to look after their own interests, like these.
Just as Pomfret did, these were the same.
They were certainly part of the same faction as Pomfret.
"Don't move! You're surrounded! Surrender peacefully!"
"You raid the New Magic Tower, yet you offer surrender instead of immediate execution? Your mercy brings tears to my eyes."
Rudger scoffed at the War Mage's warning.
Their not killing him immediately and offering surrender was genuine.
Not for prisoner treatment, but to capture him alive to offer to someone.
"What kind of deal did you make with Nikolai? Did you take money?"
Well, for their own benefit, they not only allowed dark magicians and Nikolai's forces to fight but even forcibly maintained balance behind the scenes, so money must be the only reason.
In this situation, one couldn't unconditionally say that dark magicians were bad.
Those who weighed and traded lives as currency were no different from dark magicians—they were just rogues.
"Aren't you ashamed?"
"Ha. Surrounded, yet your mouth still works."
A War Mage with a long mustache gave Rudger a sly smile.
"What's the big deal? We don't care as long as we get paid."
"Even mercenaries would be better at this point."
"Have you forgotten your situation? Your life is in our hands now. You should be begging for forgiveness, yet you're being so stubborn?"
The War Mages cackled at those words.
"Or are you expecting help from your comrade? What a foolish expectation. Did you think we didn't know about that dark magician who moved with you?"
Not only that, they knew about Cravat’s existence and had sent pursuers after him too.
"I wonder how long a master of a school that only learns ancient curses can hold out against War Mages."
"..."
"You seem to be trying to buy time by drawing attention, but you're wasting your effort. How do you feel now?"
"Huh."
Rudger couldn't help but laugh at the War Mage's words.
The War Mage's face, which had been soaked in a sense of superiority, was filled with displeasure.
"...You laugh? Don't you understand the situation?"
"That's what I'd rather ask. Did you really only send War Mages to catch him? If so, I'm disappointed."
The War Mage's expression contorted at Rudger's sincere words, but then regained composure.
"How stupid. Do you think we would handle things so carelessly? Of course, we sent proper people to ensure success."
"Proper people..."
"Dark magicians who use curses are troublesome for us too. Those who deal with poison and curses—these two types are always unsettling. So we sent sufficient forces to subdue them without giving them a chance. We even prepared prototype automatons and artifacts. Is that still not enough?"
Rudger sneered at the confident War Mage.
"Yes. It's not enough. Far from it. Isn't that force designed to deal with dark magicians?"
"What?"
"Just as you have something to rely on, we have something to rely on too."
Rudger smiled under his shadow mask.
"By now, yes, they should have arrived. Our local helper, that is."
Cravat stood still, seeing the War Mages surrounding the alley.
Not fighting immediately to reduce the number of enemies was equivalent to surrendering to be killed.
Cravat knew this.
The reason he didn't move despite knowing was because of a man who suddenly appeared.
"Since when did our New Magic Tower join hands with such unidentifiable characters?"
A resonating voice coming from inside an iron mask with a clanking sound.
The New Magic Tower magicians who had surrounded Cravat froze.
"W-why are you here?"
The 6th rank magician from the New Magic Tower Iron Mask Rotheron flashed his eyes from inside the pitch-black mask.
"I cannot simply let this matter slide. I assume you are all sufficiently prepared."