Peran Jun.
Throughout the long history of the Westroad Academy, there were
few who were as talented as him.
He was the head of one of the largest clubs in the academy, the
Traumen Rings, as well as the heir of the Jun family, which was one of
the three most powerful influences in the Empire.
Even his appearance attracted attention. Though it was not hard to
understand why.
With a pale but gorgeous face, whenever he laughed, the female
students in the academy screamed.
His aura of nobility was ever-present and his magical talent was
not something that could be overlooked.
Some students even called him 'The Man Blessed by God'.
The same Peran, who would usually be smiling regardless of the
situation was now standing there with a pale face.
It was because of the lich in front of the.
Dullard looked at Peran with interest. In his eyes, Peran had to be
at least a 5-star mage.
That was because it was impossible for someone to counter his
spell if they weren't that strong at least.
Meanwhile, Peran was filled with regret.
'Why did they come to the Cortez?'
He disliked noise so he avoided the Nitilus and came onto the
Cortez. He even hid his face to ensure none of the other students
knew he was on board. He had only given a slight hint to Captain
Mac.
If this situation didn't occur, no one would've known he was even
there.
Peran had believed that with his magic power, he could handle any
opponent that came during the trip. And he believed that it was not
arrogance, but simple fact.
In fact, a 5-star mage could overcome most of the dangers that
one would find around the continent.
But the opponent this time was just too strong.
'This is a lich.'
Peran couldn't handle this.
Honestly, he was doing his best to not appear afraid because the
pressure that was coming from Dullard was very heavy.
Some of the other students had already fainted after being
subjected to his presence.
The only way they could escape was to trick the pirates who only
knew about looting and murder…or if there was a mage with
the strength that surpassed the lich.
'But there is no such mage here.'
It felt like even their most powerful teacher, Professor Dio
Perseman, would not be able to defeat the lich before their eyes.
In truth, Peran never really showed his true strength in the academy.
With the exception of a few professors and the academy president,
everyone believed that he had only reached the 4-star level.
However, Peran had already reached the 5-star level.
You couldn't call a full 5-star mage because he had only just
reached the threshold but he had achieved enlightenment and
released the impurities and debris from his body.
'But…'
Peran's face was pale.
His fingertips were cold and his body was shaking.
The ice spear that Dullard had cast had been blocked by Peran
before it was fully cast.
However, forcibly interrupting the casting of someone at a higher
level than you were incredibly dangerous.
Although he had succeeded, the aftereffects were severe.
He had already vomited blood twice.
Nevertheless, Peran was forced to show himself.
If not, the students here would all be killed by that devil.
[Kuh. Nice. I never expected to meet a talent like you
here.]
Dullard laughed happily.
When Mac heard his laughter, his heart stopped for a moment.
That was how horrid the lich's laugh was.
Peran straightened his back so as to not appear afraid.
He looked at Dullard and spoke with all his willpower.
"I have a proposal."
[Tell me.]
Kunst watched their conversation with his arms folded. He had an
unpleasant feeling, but he didn't dare to affect Dullard's plans.
The lich was strong enough to kill every being on the ships.
"What is your objective?"
[Do you want to divide us?"
"Divide?"
[The purpose of them and I are different. We are simply
working together.]
As he said this, Dullard glanced at Kunst.
Kunst caught the meaning of the glance and could only smile.
"He is right. Our purpose is simple."
"Please tell me."
Kunst shrugged.
"You all know that the Oscar Islands is a very dangerous
place. It's a place where you don't know when and where
dirty pirate bastards will jump out and threaten you."
This was a fact that everyone knew.
However when it came out of the mouth of the pirate captain who
captured their ship, it just seemed ridiculous.
Kunst laughed.
"As proper sea men, we can't just stand and watch as
academy students pass such a dangerous place. Um, so you
see…We will politely and promptly bring you all to
Kausymphony. That's it."
"Kuhaha!"
"What a broad-minded attitude! He is a true seaman."
The pirates clapped their hands and laughed loudly.
Kunst raised his hand, causing them to go silent.
"Of course, the students here all belong to prestigious
aristocratic families, so I'm sure you wouldn't hesitate to
reward us for our time."
The pirates once again made a fuss.
This time Kunst didn't stop them.
Most of the students were pondering his words.
It was hidden within the words, but in the end, what he said was
that they would use them as prisoners to intimidate their family's
and gain money from it all.
However, none of them were able to say anything as they were
afraid of the pirates in front of them who were swinging their swords
and laughing.
The students had never seen such coarse and dirty people before.
Most of the pirates had scars on their faces, and their bodies were
dirty and stank.
The lack of teeth was visible every time they smiled and the clothes they were basically pieces of cloth.
A female student shuddered when she saw their enthusiasm.
As they saw the reactions, the pirates enjoyed it even more.
Then Peran spoke.
"I alone am enough."
"What?"
The expression on Kunst's face changed. He had not been
expecting such a response.
Peran did not panic.
"I will give you all the money that you need. So, please
release the students."
"Hooh."
Interest flashed in Kunst's eyes.
That was because of the face of Peran after he finished speaking
looked so noble and pitiful.
The students standing behind looked at Peran's back with
emotional expressions.
Some students even sniffled.
[That won't work.]
That was Dullard's answer.
Peran's heart grew heavy.
Even if they were cruel and ignorant, it would be better to talk to
the living.
There were knowledge and perspectives that a human would have
that the undead would not understand.
Such beings were not meant to converse with.
Peran added in a hurry.
"It's not a bad thing for you either. It's much more work for
you to take care of all these students when compared to just
one…"
[You are mine.]
"What?"
Peran had caught Dullard's interest.
At that time, the skeleton looked particularly creepy.
Peran felt that the skeletal face without any skin was smiling at
him.
[Mages like you are rare. Since you're hard to come by,
there are many ways that you can be used. I can kill you then
turn you into undead to serve me…or I can eat you alive
to absorb your mana.]
At those words, Peran finally showed fear.
Then Kunst laughed loudly again.
"Kuhahaha! Do not waste any time. Get on our ship
quickly."
Kunst pointed towards one of the boards they used to get on the
Cortez, but the students stayed still.
The vice-captain couldn't take it and shout.
"Our noble children can't walk on the plank without help from their servants! What are you doing? Hurry up and
don't make us carry you there."
"Kuh."
"I will escort the ladies over there."
"Shut up. That's my job."
The pirates laughed gruesomely as they stepped toward the
students.
Peran was forced to watch this happen.
At that time a student caught the one-eyed pirate's eye.
He was a student with grey hair and unlike the others who looked
terrified, he was expressionless and even had his arms folded.
"Ho, well aren't you a brave one."
One Eye chuckled and approached him.
In the beginning, he was bored because all the students from the
academy had the same frightened expressions.
The only person who was different, Peran Jun, who had awakened
his appetite had been claimed by Dullard.
But now he'd found another student with a similar temperament
and of course, he had no reason not to move.
"You, come here."
The student with the grey hair turned to glance at him.
"Are you talking to me?"
One Eye was shocked by his reaction.
This was because Frey's words were very plain as if he was talking
to a friend.
'What's with this guy? Is he acting like this because he's
scared?'
One Eye laughed forcibly to calm down the odd feeling that came
up within him.
"Yeah, you. The one that looks like a stick."
"If you have business with me then you should come over."
At that time, not only One Eye but even the students around him
began to look at Frey.
One of them was Jack, a member of David's group.
He looked at Frey with amazement.
'I don't know if this guy became crazy because he won a
few times.'
Did he not see the previous student fail to cast a spell and die?
As long as the pirates came close, the student level wizards could
do nothing to stop them.
No, even if their skills were better, without experience it didn't
make a difference.
It could be seen from what happened with Peran Jun.
'He's out of his mind. Definitely.'
Jack was convinced that Frey had gone crazy.
One Eye shivered and lowered his head.
Soon after he pulled a knife from his waist and advanced violently.
"This motherfucker…"
The students beside him shivered when they heard the knife being
drawn but Frey still didn't have any reactions.
His facial expression was as blank as ever.
"Ah. I don't know what great family you are from, but I'll
see how you keep flapping your tongue after I cut it off."
One Eye approached as he had already made up his mind to kill
Frey.
The students beside Frey shivered in fear and the weaker ones
even closed their eyes.
Splash.
But the students were surprised to see what happened next.
It wasn't Frey that was thrown from the ship.
It was the pirate.