Chapter 32 - Viva! Apocalypse (4)
A man adorned with extravagant jewelry, the Golden Duke of the Empire, clenched his trembling hands.
He had faced countless crises to rise to this position, but this level of seriousness was new to him. Even the extreme has limits.
"The Iron Duke, the Firstborn Dragon, and now even the Imperial family are on his side. Everyone's completely lost their senses."
That unbelievable rumor turned out to be true. Somehow, in just a month, Lian had managed to bring those powerful figures to his side.
The result was nothing short of a nightmare. A light move to probe Lian had become a fatal mistake.
Perhaps Lian had always regarded the Golden Duke's influence in the Academy as a nuisance. Now, he seized this as justification to escalate things recklessly.
First, Lian threatened to resign, stirring public sentiment. Then he staged a shameless self-injury act in front of the Firstborn Dragon.
In the blink of an eye, he was painted as the villain, condemned by every authority in the Empire.
"He must have been waiting for me to make a move."
This couldn't be a mere coincidence. The situation was far too advantageous for Lian.
The justification and victory both lay in Lian's hands. Every angle made the Golden Duke appear to be the villain.
By abstaining from involvement in the chaos, Lian kept his image spotless while letting his foes destroy themselves.
Furthermore, by showcasing the dire fate of those who opposed him, no one would dare challenge his authority again.
"If things continue this way, my life is over."
He hadn't even hired an assassin yet. Considering how quickly Lian turned a light provocation into a vendetta, the outcome was clear.
The Golden Duke could foresee his end—cruelly executed as a public example.
"Now is not the time for half-measures."
It was a do-or-die situation; either he killed Lian or died himself.
With this in mind, the Golden Duke headed straight to the warehouse, where his last hope to reverse the situation lay.
After unlocking numerous security mechanisms along a hidden path, he came upon a ghastly doll made of flesh.
Among his vast wealth, this artifact was his most prized possession. He had acquired it from a dungeon where six out of the seven elite mercenaries he hired had perished.
"It manipulates causality to fix the worst possible future."
This wasn't merely bad luck. This relic toyed with causality itself, bringing about the most horrific outcome from countless possible worlds.
It could only be used once and required consuming the souls of 666 innocent people in advance, but its power was unimaginable.
With this, he could even bring down the Firstborn Dragon. All he needed to do was fix the possibility where Sion's mind deteriorated, leading her to suicide.
"Using this here is a painful loss, but if it means saving my life…"
A fair trade. Having reached this conclusion, the Golden Duke hammered a nail into the flesh doll while murmuring Lian's name as the curse's target.
Dark energy spread from the doll, confirming the curse had been cast without a doubt.
Now, Lian's inevitable downfall awaited him.
Even faced with danger, there's always a chance of survival. The key was to keep thinking.
The apocalyptic atmosphere around the Academy was unsettling, but I was determined to find a way to turn this around… and I thought of one.
"Given the situation, I might as well take advantage of it."
The chaos currently unfolding was excessive. I didn't care what happened to the woman who tried to kill me, but hunting down board members for supporting my suspension was going too far.
What if I were to say, "Did you really do this for me? Do you think I'd be pleased by all this violence and discord?" and rebuke everyone?
It would definitely work. If it didn't, it would be more shocking.
Rumors had spread that I was on the brink of death. Appearing in one piece and chastising them would make everyone stop and reconsider their actions.
Seeing my disappointment, guilt would crush them, leaving no room for rebuttal. Even if I tried to leave, no one would stop me.
A win-win solution: I'd get my wish and resolve this mess. There was no reason not to go ahead with this plan.
I squeezed out what little magic I had left and amplified my voice for everyone to hear.
"Stop this pointless fighting."
…But something felt off. I had intended to berate everyone, but my voice was calm and composed.
"Succumbing to anger and shedding innocent blood… such recklessness is something I cannot condone."
A strange aura enveloped me, and my mouth moved independently of my will.
I couldn't stop it. This was a miracle beyond curses or spells—an inexplicable force from an artifact.
"Karen, have you completed your mission?"
Out of nowhere, Karen, dressed in black, nodded. She looked at me with certainty, as if she had anticipated my actions.
She had brought an elderly man with her—the figure at the root of this entire incident, the Director, who had reportedly been on the verge of death.
"The treatment was successful. The herbs from our promised land worked wonders," Karen said, bowing to me with admiration.
"You must have something to say about this situation."
Ignoring Karen's admiration, I turned my attention to the Director. He swallowed hard and stepped forward, visibly determined.
With a voice full of anger, the elderly Director shouted, "Who are you to pretend to be my niece?"
It was revealed that the Deputy Director, posing as his niece, was not actually related by blood.
I had no idea what was going on, but my mouth moved independently, my tone unaffected as though I'd seen through this ploy from the start.
"Infiltration mask. I encountered this trick a few times while working as a fixer in the slums. She thought she could fool the Firstborn Dragon with physical disguise instead of magic."
The Deputy Director's eyes shook with panic as a knight, who had been restraining her, removed her face mask, revealing a hideous woman underneath.
Shock washed over everyone's faces. Students were aghast, wondering if she had truly been a demon.
As my mouth continued moving, I heard myself say, "All the board members were under the illusion magic of this thousand-faced demon. By shedding more blood, you would only be fulfilling her intentions."
There was no such thing as a "thousand-faced demon." The woman was just a petty criminal given a disguise mask by the Golden Duke.
But I now understood why I'd mentioned illusion magic.
Suddenly, elderly men began to sob like children, and the Golden Duke's followers shed tears of gratitude.
My words likely sounded to them like absolution: "Your sins are forgiven. This time, I'll look the other way, but never repeat this mistake."
One by one, messages of eternal loyalty poured in from the Academy's upper ranks.
I now had control over the entire board.
A horrifying situation, yet my troubles didn't end there.
Before the professors and students—those haunted by guilt for the innocent lives they'd harmed—my mouth moved again.
"While I stopped you all urgently, I do appreciate your intentions in supporting me," I heard myself say.
I walked slowly toward everyone, meeting their gaze as I asked teasingly, "But honestly, I'm a bit disappointed. Did you all really have so little faith in me?"
With a disarming smile, I declared, "I'd never leave all of you behind."
Cheers erupted instantly. Everyone chanted my name, running toward me.
Students hoisted me up, tossing me into the air over and over. The once blood-soaked grounds now echoed only with joyful laughter.
…Everyone, it seemed, was happy—everyone except me.