“What did you say? The Order Spire has been infiltrated? But how is that possible??” The others clearly found it difficult to believe.

That was the Order Spire, one of Carillian Academy’s most prominent symbols. The Academy’s entire upper administration was based there.

The Order Spire had been constructed on the orders of the final principal from the Imperial Academy era. It housed the Academy’s deepest and most critical secrets, and its defenses were virtually impregnable. Every principal of Carillian Academy since then had reinforced and improved it with the latest magical technology, until it had become an unbreachable wall capable of driving any attacker to despair.

The Spire had been constructed from ancient goldstone and inlaid with exceptionally rare anti-magic stone, with layer upon layer of defenses both inside and out. It was said that not even an Archgrandmaster’s supreme-tier magic could leave so much as a scratch on it.

No one could imagine how such a colossal anti-magic fortress could possibly have been infiltrated.

“Could it be that there’s a traitor among the upper administration??” one of the lower-ranking instructors speculated.

That seemed like the only possibility.

“We can’t rule it out. For some reason, no one in the upper administration can be contacted right now.” Pipe clenched between his teeth, Fecolin stared grimly in the direction of the Order Spire.

Unless it had been struck by an attack on the level of a Demon Pillar, there was absolutely no way the Spire could have collapsed.

The problem could only have come from within.

A traitor had infiltrated the upper administration.

The odds of that were still low, but they were at least far higher than the odds of anyone breaching the Order Spire head-on.

“Then what are we supposed to do now?” The lower-ranking instructors were at a loss. “We can’t enter the Order Spire, and we can’t contact anyone inside—not even the Dean or deputy dean.”

“Even the detection array left behind by the principal had its core altered. It’s become a ‘glass bottle’ trapping everyone inside.”

“Who in the world is doing this? What are they trying to accomplish??”

“Questions like that won’t help us right now. The control nodes for many of the Academy’s most important magical arrays are all located inside the Order Spire. Anyone who successfully infiltrates it can tamper with those large-scale arrays however they please. From what we can see, the traitor who entered the Order Spire has succeeded. They must have taken control of the rest of the upper administration as well. Otherwise, there’s no explaining why we can’t contact any of them.”

The lower-ranking instructors exchanged uneasy looks.

Was that even possible?

The members of Carillian Academy’s upper administration were hardly defenseless. Even those who did not specialize in combat were Intermediate Masters at the very least. How could anyone have taken all of them out in a single sweep??

Just how powerful would someone have to be to accomplish that?

Could it have been an Archgrandmaster??

Did that mean someone in the upper administration who had reached the Archgrandmaster realm was the traitor?

The more they thought about it, the more confused and incredulous they became.

But the most important issue remained.

“Instructor Fecolin, assuming everything you said is true, what can we do now?” one instructor asked.

“What can we do?” Fecolin pondered for a moment. “That’s the wrong question. You should be asking what we’re still capable of doing.”

“Evacuate the students and send them back to their respective dorms. The instructors will be responsible for protecting them. At regular intervals, there must be groups of at least three instructors positioned close enough to support one another.”

“But Instructor Fecolin, is that really the right decision?” An instructor quickly raised an objection.

“Shouldn’t we be gathering everyone in one place at a time like this? That way, the enemy can’t divide and destroy us one group at a time.”

“Judging from the situation, even if the traitor inside the Order Spire hasn’t reached the Grandmaster realm, they’re extremely close,” Fecolin challenged. “Can you guarantee they don’t know supreme-tier magic?”

“That...”

“If they do, gathering everyone together would only turn us into a living target. Take a guess—if they drop one supreme-tier spell on us, won’t they wipe us all out at once? In the face of supreme-tier magic, any defensive spell is as fragile as paper.” Fecolin pressed him further. “Are you trying to gamble with the students’ lives?”

The instructor knew that he had failed to think the matter through and fell silent, no longer offering his opinion.

“The Academy is enormous. Spread the students out,” Fecolin said tersely, though the fingers gripping his pipe tightened further.

“Then...”

“Then perhaps, after this catastrophe is over, there will still be survivors.” Fecolin tilted his head back as he spoke.

The lower-ranking instructors stared at him in shock. Not one of them said a word.

“It can’t be that serious, can it?” one of Fecolin’s colleagues finally said. “At least no one has been hurt yet. Once the vice principal and the Academy decision-makers return, everything should get better, shouldn’t it?”

Fecolin remained silent and offered no explanation.

Back when he had still been a knight of the Church, he had witnessed no fewer than ten major disasters. They had included Demon Pillar uprisings, revolts by Demon Pillar cultists, and catastrophes caused by heretics.

He had seen more than his share of both natural disasters and man-made calamities. After enough experience, he had slowly developed an instinct for them.

And this time, he had caught the scent of something terribly familiar.

He did not tell the others.

Partly, it was to keep them from panicking.

More importantly, it was so that none of them would lose the will to survive.

“Organize the students and spread them out. Send them back to their respective dorms, and make sure no one approaches the Order Spire,” Fecolin ordered, pipe in hand. “Hold your positions there and protect the students.”

His presence was that of a seasoned knight commander who had survived countless battles, and the others could not help but trust his judgment.

“Understood.”

The instructors set aside their doubts and went to evacuate the students.

“What? We’re not allowed to go home? What’s that supposed to mean??”

The moment the students heard that they were being ordered back to their dorms, they reacted with considerable reluctance.

“It isn’t that we don’t want to let you leave. You all saw what happened just now. A unicorn carriage fell from the sky and nearly crashed. There’s an invisible wall along the Academy’s shoreline sealing us inside. No one can get out right now,” the instructors explained.

“You are students of Carillian Academy. Show some courage and maintain order! Don’t start a riot over this!”

“The Academy stands with you. As long as we remain standing, nothing will happen to any of you.”

Only after being reassured by the instructors did the students reluctantly turn back.

No one could leave anyway.

What else could they do besides return?

Oh? They actually split up?

Meanwhile, at the highest point of Saint Selena Cathedral, a black-robed figure stood overlooking the Academy. Beside him floated a crimson demonic sword threaded with writhing living blood vessels.

Looks like there’s someone sharp among those insignificant little instructors. They even knew to scatter at a time like this. I was thinking that if they all gathered together—or fled into one of the Academy’s shelters—we could just drop a high-tier spell on them and be done with it. Then all we’d have to do was sit back and collect their lives and souls, the crimson demonic sword teased.

“It doesn’t matter. I never intended to use such a crude method in the first place.” The black-robed figure shook out his tattered robe and spoke coldly. “That would have been our worst option. It wouldn’t be any fun if we played that way.”

“I’m not a homicidal maniac. You know that. Compared to killing, I prefer art.”

Art? Hehehe. What vulgar art it is. Humanity is truly blessed to have produced a rotten bastard like you.

“No one in the Academy is a match for me now. Why shouldn’t we let this game continue?” The black-robed figure bared his teeth in a grin. “Cat-and-mouse is my favorite game.”

Just as it had been when he was a child.

Except now, the positions of cat and mouse had been reversed.

He was the cat.

He would hunt down those filthy rats.

“It took some effort, but everything is finally back on track.” The black-robed figure shrugged. “The fact that they can live so comfortably in this filthy, corrupt world proves that they’re nothing more than sewer rats, cockroaches, and vermin. None of them deserve to live. I’m merely cleaning the Tyrelis Continent.”

Mm-hmm, very good, very good. It is a little troublesome, though.

[Blood-Debt] did not care about any of that. It only wanted more high-quality sacrifices. As far as it was concerned, every other step was an unnecessary nuisance.

Still, the same old principle applied.

Its meal ticket controlled its food supply.

Ever since [Blood-Debt] had started following him, he had never mistreated it. Every meal had been excellent.

That being the case, [Blood-Debt] did not mind investing a little more effort in him.

So, boss man, are we finally getting started? We’ve taken control of the Order Spire again. At long last, we’ve reached the delightful feeding stage. I’m practically trembling with excitement.

“No. There’s no hurry,” the black-robed figure replied.

Huh? There’s still no hurry?

“The time isn’t right.”

The black-robed figure stared into the distance at the chaotic black cloud that was gradually spreading in their direction, devouring the sky and blotting out the sun.

Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask. What exactly is that black cloud? Is it something you created by reversing another one of their magical arrays?

“No. That cloud has nothing to do with me. I don’t even know what it is.” The black-robed figure chuckled. “Would I keep it from you if it were part of my plan?”

Oh, hearing you say that is positively flattering, boss man. So what is that black cloud? It won’t interfere with our plan, will it?

“Its appearance was certainly unexpected, but not only will it not interfere with our plan, it will help it along. It will make our plan even more interesting.” The corners of the black-robed figure’s mouth curled upward.

Oh? What do you mean?

“Just watch. We need to wait a little longer,” the black-robed figure said meaningfully.

“As for that black cloud devouring the sky...”

“I suspect its birth is closely connected to our arrival in this world.”

*****

“Yes. There’s still that problem to resolve.” After listening to Vanessa, Kaleni fell into thought.

“But as you said, when you arrived, you selected that little planet by accident. There are so many parallel worlds. How are you supposed to find the world you originally came from?”

“That’s the difficult part.”

Vanessa walked onto the balcony. Gazing up at the outlines of the two moons already visible in the sky, she let out a quiet sigh.

“Little Vanessa, if you cross into another parallel world, won’t your arrival cause that parallel world to collapse as well?” Kaleni asked worriedly. “And what if the environment in that world is terrible? Suppose you cross into the world that wicked child came from. How would you return to your original world after that?”

Wouldn’t every crossing only carry her farther from home?

Worse, if the world she entered was hostile—perhaps a worldline in which Facilis had already fallen—she would never have another chance.

There would be no double-moon phenomenon and no Original Sin Mirror.

She would be trapped in that world forever.

“And Little Vanessa, this world is already experiencing problems. Its landmasses are continually collapsing. Your world may be suffering from some indescribable problem as well. Perhaps the phenomenon there is the same as it is here. Perhaps it is different, or perhaps it is the exact opposite. But unless the unbalanced scales are restored soon, I’m afraid your world may collapse too.”

“Mm, I know.”

“Maybe I’ve already found a way.” Vanessa considered it for a moment. “You don’t have to worry too much, Big Sister Kaleni.”

“Really? What way?” Kaleni asked.

“Whatever happens, I can’t drag you down, Big Sister Kaleni. Or your world.”

A gentle breeze stirred the hair at Vanessa’s temples and brushed across the young woman’s soft features.

“I have a way, Big Sister Kaleni. Trust me.”

Vanessa appeared perfectly composed, as if everything were under control.

In truth, she was not certain at all.

She had said those things mostly to reassure Kaleni and stop her from worrying.

She did not know whether there was still enough time.

Nor did she know whether that thing would actually work.

What if she had misunderstood how it was supposed to be used?

What if it was completely useless under these circumstances??

Vanessa did not dare dwell on those possibilities.

Even she had nearly run out of options.

If she missed this double-moon phenomenon, she would have no other opportunity.

All she could do was gamble on this one possibility.

At present, what unsettled her most was the uncertainty surrounding the flow of time.

She had already spent several months in this world.

But what about her own world?

Had several months passed there as well?

If time flowed at roughly the same rate in both worlds—or if time passed more slowly here than it did there—then it was already too late.

Most likely, she would never make it back.

This was an enormous gamble.

She was gambling that the thing worked the way she believed it did.

She was gambling that it could still function across two different worlds.

And she was gambling that time flowed far faster here than it did in her own world—that the appointed time had not yet arrived there.

If even one of those gambles failed, she truly would never return.

Worse, she might become trapped in spatial turbulence, unable to escape for all eternity. Even if she died, her soul would have nowhere to go.

But she had no choice.

She could not remain in this world and continue burdening its people.

She could not continue burdening Kaleni.

“Big Sister Kaleni, I’m ready. Let’s begin.”

Vanessa drew a deep breath and looked up at the twin moons in the sky. Then she turned toward the concave-convex mirror, which had been covered in black magical cloth and was faintly surrounded by two completely opposing forms of energy.

“There’s one more thing, Little Vanessa,” Kaleni said. “Even if you successfully return to your own world, you’ll still have to deal with the other you from that other world.”

“I know.” Vanessa nodded, then spoke thoughtfully.

“Maybe I’m the only one who can solve that problem.”

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