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War history was essentially a course of Thorfen Academy that sought to not only teach about the great demonic war, but about the other well-known wars in history as well. The founding fathers of the academy believed that it would be appropriate for students to be aware of the bloodshed that happened in history and quite possibly learn a lesson from it.
Damian understood the purpose of it, but nevertheless he felt like one of those elderly folks back in his village who'd tell half-baked stories to the children of the village.
Only this time, he was getting paid handsomely for it.
"Before we dive into the specifics of it, we need to move back a bit and understand more about the coalition of heroes. It was basically an alliance that was spearheaded by the Empire, and the goal of it was to create a fighting force that would rival the grand generals of the demon king who were wreaking havoc at the time."
Saying this, he wrote down the names of its members before looking back to the textbook.
"It was only through the formation of this alliance that we started to gain a foothold against the demon army. Within a week, the hero Julius Malakith Ironblood and the others were able to push deep into the eastern front and liberate most of the territories under the domain of Duke Dennison as well as...fend off Garuth, the strongest grand general?"
"...Professor, is there something wrong?" One of the students asked.
"No, it's nothing. I thought that I just misread something."
Damian honestly couldn't help but be surprised at the amount of bullshit he was reading right now.
He clearly remembered how he deliberately took his forces in the exact opposite direction at that time under the pretense of protecting them from any flankings, and just leaving the dirty work to the other coalition members.
"I wonder how much did the Emperor have to pay folks to keep the story straight?"
He couldn't help but chuckle on the inside as he continued the lesson.
After a while...
"Alright, that covers the material for today. We still have about...fifteen minutes left, so are there any other questions? Doesn't have to be specific about the lesson today, if you're curious about anything else just shoot at me."
Ending class early was apparently a tradition frowned upon by the other professors so he'd like to keep the ball rolling a bit more if possible.
"Oooh! Professor, choose Sigrid!" He shouted, which made the rest of the students tremble in surprise.
Damian was the one that forced him to take another class, but he was still quite surprised that he picked history out of everything else...though considering his other options like mathematics and native languages, this was more of an easier option.
"Yes, Sigrid. Go ahead."
"Me want to learn more about powerful warrior of the Empire. One who humans tell story about defeating the hero king!"
"So about the hero, Julius? What do you wanna know about him specifical-"
"Sigrid not talking about him! Me want to know about the mighty warrior cloaked in black! The beast who hunts in night! The one my people call Zhnets! What was his name in professor language?...uh...erm..."
"You're talking about the Crimson-eyed Reaper?..." Luna, who was sitting behind him, interjected.
The moment that name was uttered the entire class went silent.
And seeing this, Damian couldn't help but sigh. It wasn't really a taboo to talk about it, but...
"Well, for starters he's recognized by the masses as the eighth hero of the coalition, but that has never really been made official because nothing much was known about him. Most of the information about the crimson-eyed reaper was reported by exhausted and paranoid soldiers of the battlefront so many officials even wondered if he even existed or if he was a figure created by the Empire to boost morale."
He wanted to end the conversation then and there, but...
"I've heard that he was the one who really killed the demon king, is that true?" Saika asked with uncharacteristic enthusiasm.
"Again, that's not confirmed so the law requires me to answer no. But it would be interesting if that was really the case..."
"Oooh! Zhnets sound powerful!" Sigrid's enthusiasm created a wave of excitement among the students who began chattering among themselves.
"I heard that he was also the one who really killed Garuth!"
"My grandpa told me the same thing. He was also telling me stories about how he killed an enemy commander which sent their army in disarray, allowing him and his comrades to make a retreat..."
"Did you know that he was the one who also cleared the valley of death?"
"He did it with his group, right? The Phantom Order?"
"Yeah, dude those guys sound so cool!"
Hearing them tell those stories with a sense of admiration was really making him feel things he was not comfortable with, and the moment he saw Mellaina looking at him with her smug grin was the moment he knew he had to pull the plug on this.
"Alright, settle down folks. There are only five minutes left so we're ending class early. Be sure to do the assignments in Chapter 1.5 and remember, the crimson-eyed reaper is just a myth so don't go around telling folks I told you otherwise! Seriously, I could get in trouble for that!"
Damian sighed as he took his suitcase and quickly left the lecture room.
"So much for keeping our work in the shadows..."
Seems that no matter how hard they try to bury their achievements, rumors would inevitably bloom from them...
.
.
.
As Damian was walking around the campus, he noticed a letter that was placed in his mailbox. Taking it out, he saw a familiar seal that was in the envelope. It was that of a cross that was bathed in holy light, the insignia of the Theocracy.
His alternate persona as an assassin and the Theocracy never really got along. Nonetheless, he opened the letter and read its contents.
Essentially, it was telling him that the Castilla Moonstone, one of his students, was off doing saintly duties and would not be able to attend class for about another week or so. It's a pity they can't meet earlier, but it has the approval of the academy so Damian was fine with it.
"Hm, now that I think about it..."
Other than Castilla, three more students hadn't been attending their classes. If anything, they hadn't built their schedules yet and it was almost time for the deadline so he had to do something.
"Let's see...if I'm not mistaken it's: Renly, Cathy, and Emy..."
Damian went to each of their dorms, but no one was really responding. From the looks of things, no one was really inside as well.
He was about to go to either the head dean or Professor Elise to ask about it, but then...
"Oh, Professor Damian. It's fancy seeing you here."
Richard called to him from the side. He was wearing a casual white shirt and from the looks of things he had just gone training.
"Good morning, you just finished class?"
"Yes, It was my advanced swordsmanship class. The professor was quite tough and ruthless on that course so I had built up quite the sweat."
"I see...well, don't push yourself too hard."
"I appreciate your concern, but I'm afraid that's just not possible. I aim to succeed in place of my father so I can't waste even a single second."
"Hmm..."
Damian couldn't really tell him off after hearing that. He hadn't seen Richard fight yet, but his father in combat was a sight to behold. During the war, he saw him kill a high-ranking demon with a wooden branch. If he truly wanted to surpass and inherit his title then he really needed to work hard.
"But anyways, what brings you outside Cathy's room, professor?"
"Oh, do you know each other?"
"Yes, well...Cathy was the one who makes the little tools and trinkets that Luna uses whenever she's out doing her business so we've talked from time to time. Unfortunately, she's rarely in her dorms so you wouldn't find her there..."
"Would you happen to know where she is then? She hasn't really been attending class and I needed to remind her about some things."
"Ah, we've noticed that as well. I'll just change my clothes really quick and I'll guide you to her, I need to repay you for the hospitality that you've shown us after all."
"That was nothing, but I appreciate the help, Richard."
It didn't even take him a minute before he was out of his room looking like a freshly bathed man.
"Okay, let's go."
"That was fast. Is Luna not coming with us?"
"She has classes up until the afternoon so she couldn't. Anyway, Cathy has this huge lot that she's renting at the main square so we'd need to take a carriage from here..."
"Huh, I'm assuming she's doing that to keep others safe from her inventions, but we do have a workshop here that students could use, right? Why go all the way over there?"
"Well, because there's curfew here in the academy and she pretty much spends all her time just creating some random things. She's a bit eccentric, you'll understand once we meet her, professor."