The smell surrounding the man lying on that gloomy floor was unpleasant. Although he was not yet dead, his body had developed wounds infected by dirt and aggravated by humidity due to his immobility. Not even the rats approached him anymore.

"I have given you a little demonic energy all this time. I have prolonged your life, turning it into torture. Tomorrow you will die.

Silence. The silence stretched out, allowing the distant voices of some prisoners, the rats, and some sounds of unknown origin to be heard.

"I don't even feel like laughing anymore." Ha ha ha. Sorry, I suddenly remembered something funny. You know that, right? I've been here for centuries, what's one more? If you're not willing to agree to my terms, I'll just let you die.

...

The hours passed, and the dying man's fading consciousness grew weaker and weaker.

The demon who sensed this let out a sigh.

"How boring you are," murmured the voice.

"I know, maybe that's why I'm part of Inquisiderian," said the dying man with what little strength he had left.

"Ha ha ha ha," the voice continued to laugh.

The man closed his eyes, accepting his end and that he would not be able to avenge his grandson and disciple.

••••

In the Gothic castle, in a private room, there were torches for each founder and candles for each crackler.

Bang!

Edmund Veltier's candle exploded.

Inquisiderian had lost another Crackling.

••••

At Danteriar Academy, everything seemed to have returned to normal.

The students participated in lessons according to their classes and the subjects they had chosen.

Even so, each year the lessons became more intense because the Danteriar Academy was the elite teaching center for demons and the foundation of the future of the demon country, but that was something known to those who aspired to be part of this Academy.

The antithesis of the Danteriar Academy was the Alexandrian Academy, which trained the elite of the human world.

...

After leaving his seclusion, Mart continued attending his classes and caught up on his practical training, because in the second semester of the third year, most of the lessons focused on each student's development according to their chosen profession.

In an outdoor training field, Mart sat quietly hugging Selis, his arms wrapped around her waist.

He watched her light green hair and her slightly flushed cheeks as she watched the spells coming and going in the middle of the training ground.

"She's so pretty," Mart thought, remembering the day he met Selis as he continued to watch her.

"An alchemist," thought Mart, who could smell the fragrance of flowers and medicine emanating from Selis' hair and clothes.

"Mart Sevec vs. Eriant Lizerit

Professor Advinc Derfernuz's announcement snapped Mart out of his pleasant thoughts and reminded him of a demon he deeply disliked.

...

In the middle of the training ground, some spells weakened because several students turned their attention to the confrontation between Eriant and Mart.

Meleic was standing in a corner talking to Sara and Nirian. Nirian seemed to be discussing an important issue, but Meleic seemed to want to divert the conversation, and even though he knew Eriant had no chance, he said:

"It looks like it's going to be an interesting battle."

Nirian just sighed and also watched the confrontation.

Professor Advinc gave them a few tips and then gave the signal to start.

Bang! Bang!...

Two spiral-tipped blades with concatenated spells were fired instantly and pierced both of Eriant's legs, who let out a deep cry.

Eriant's white staff, which had a black gem at one end that emitted a dark miasma, rolled across the grass.

"End of the match!" announced the professor, approaching Eriant, who was writhing in pain but looking at Mart with deep hatred and envy.

Mart shot him an almost instantaneous glance with murderous intent. Mart also hated Eriant.

Eriant felt terror when he saw that look, but as expected, while his companions helped them and accompanied him to the infirmary, Eriant forgot his fear and awakened his desire for revenge.

...

The atmosphere at the training grounds became uncomfortable for a few minutes, but Professor Advinc continued to lead the class and organize encounters between the students so that they could continue practicing and perfecting their skills.

...

Selenia, who had watched the encounter unfold, felt happy to see how Mart had humiliated one of the subjects who had instigated her suffering without even taking Eriant's position into account.

...

Mart, for his part, had decided to discard Eriant as an ally when, despite his title of prodigy, he did not even attempt to support his companions on Mount Marrac, added to which was what he had done to Selenia. Mart was determined to collect that debt sooner or later, and at the same time, if the Duchy of Lizerit instigated war against the Marquisate, he was prepared to intervene using the power of the "capital trait of lust" that he had not yet used. Because he believed that if he could elevate the Sevec territory to a duchy, it would help him achieve his own goals and ambitions more easily.

...

Time continued to pass.

Mart, Melic, and Moraf continued to train at the closed training camps.

Moraf had managed to rise to the starting point of the fourth rank in recent months, which pleased Mart, as Moraf was proving his talent despite having fallen in love and experiencing certain difficulties when discussing the matter with his family.

Although it seemed like a healthy romance, Mart remained alert to Miss Sebidarial's behavior because he was concerned that she might be an infiltrator. However, she had not shown any signs of being one so far, so he remained impartial despite Nirian Arcariz asking both him and Meleic to make her brother reconsider.

Bang!...

Bang!

Moraf lunged, and his dark blue sword clashed with the scimitar wielded by Meleic.

Mart watched the battle closely as Meleic easily blocked Moraf's attacks.

Meleic took advantage of Moraf's openings to attack slowly, pointing out Moraf's mistakes so that he could block and dodge.

When Mart noticed that Moraf had stopped focusing on his surroundings and was concentrating solely on Meleic, Mart fired a needle made of demonic steel dust and obsidian orchid dust.

The needle pierced Moraf's shoulder and he felt his arm go numb.

"Don't stop! In battle, the enemy won't wait for you!" Meleic shouted to get Moraf to react.

Mart nodded in agreement with Meleic's warning.

The training continued until Moraf was out of breath, then Mart handed him a demonic potion.

When Moraf drank the potion, he felt his fatigue ease as some demonic energy returned to his body.

"Don't stop perceiving what's going on around you. Focusing on the enemy is only part of what one must do in the midst of battle, because there are times when unpredictable things can happen. Never let your guard down," Mart advised Moraf and then handed him an antidote for the obsidian orchid poison.

Moraf was grateful for the support he had received from his two seniors. Thanks to them, he was almost indisputably the best first-year swordsman. Now he just had to wait for the end-of-year tournament and prove his potential.

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