As most of the Cuckoo Soldiers were away guarding against the Valkyrie, the few remaining were completely unable to hold their ground, retreating in a panic.
Oritis's mallet froze mid-air as he snapped his gaze toward Thorne. The latter's face was filled with bewilderment and pleasant surprise, not at all looking like a mastermind.
This outcome made the professor even more unable to understand. Serving knowledge was the greatest blessing for these 'intelligent puppets'; they should be hardworking and uncomplaining, contributing everything they had.
How dared they step onto the Academy's pure land with their filthy, stupid shoes? Could it be—
Just because they are 'human'!?
Chapter 40: Why Aren't You Running with Your Master? After noon, the sky was clear, and the air was crisp. Raya Lucaria Academy, known for its silence, was incredibly noisy today. Even the Cuckoo Soldiers at the ferry turned back to look, yet they dared not move an inch because the more elite and fierce Cleanrot Knights were watching from their ships.
In a high-magic world like The Lands Between, ordinary people were practically equivalent to air, yet it was precisely when they caused a stir that it attracted the most attention. Laborers, traveling merchants, and ordinary townsfolk packed the great bridge to the brim. They were of lowly status and dressed in rags, but their voices were unified. "Mr. Roland is innocent! Please release him, lords of the Academy!" Before them stood Cuckoo Soldiers with blades and spears in hand. Unfortunately, their numbers were too few. Without knights to bolster their ranks and without orders, they could only retreat slowly.
Meanwhile, the mages on the walls exchanged glances, constantly looking toward the high platform behind the gates. Beneath his mask, Oritis's face was full of incomprehension. Impulse made him want to order the total annihilation of these 'intelligent puppets' who dared to cause trouble, but reason warned him that it was best not to do so. Setting aside the chaos it would cause, it would also hand an excuse to the Valkyrie.
One must remember that she and the Princess of the Moon were half-sisters; that political stance was worth pondering. "What do you all say we do?" He turned his head. The other magic professors, aside from Seluvis, looked at him helplessly. In all their years, they had never seen the 'intelligent puppets' cause such a commotion. They certainly couldn't take action. As long as they still wore the masks bestowed by Radagon, they had no intention of falling out with the Erdtree.
After all, Liurnia was a province under the rule of the Golden Order. It was just that with the elden ring shattered, no one had come to look after it.
But if they didn't act, how would they explain it to the Cuckoo Knights, and where would the Academy's prestige go? Oritis shot a hateful glance at Thorne. The latter had a look of complete bewilderment that was infuriating to behold. He had exhausted his mind trying to protect him within the Academy, yet this apprentice was hell-bent on seeking death. Did he really think he would fare well without the Academy's protection?
"Expel him. He is no longer fit to stay in the Academy." The professor waved his hand wearily. He was tired; he just wanted this Roland to get lost already.
Thorne's ears twitched, and he quietly allowed a smile to surface. As the saying goes, a thief doesn't leave empty-handed; even if he was going to bolt, he had to take something with him. 'Right, expel me. I'll use this reputation to completely set Liurnia ablaze!'
The professors didn't see this micro-expression. They looked at each other, unable to think of a better solution even with their high intelligence. Declaring him innocent would be a slap in the face to both the Academy and the Cuckoo Knights, creating an irreparable rift. If he were guilty, how would they clean up this mess? If Malenia sent someone to investigate, would they let those Cleanrot Knights in or bar them at the gate? "I agree." "It's the only way." "Indeed, too much time has been wasted on this trivial matter." Oritis looked at each of them in turn, stopping only at the end of the line because Seluvis had his head down, deep in thought. "Seluvis, what is your opinion?"
The puppeteer didn't care about the farce before him at all. His mind was racing as he looked up at the sky. It was already past noon. Had that woman really not taken this seriously? Sellen hadn't appeared at the meeting at all, as if she had already told him her decision. Beneath his mask, the corners of his mouth curled into a cruel smile. Then don't blame me for dragging you down with me. As long as you keep your life, you will be mine anyway.
"He cannot be expelled."
"Hmm? Why?" Oritis's smile vanished instantly. If the other party didn't have a reasonable explanation, he wasn't prepared to be polite. "Stop messing around at a time like this. Dragging this out only makes us look worse." Aila, who was nearby, was very displeased. Did this bastard have to pick now of all times to go crazy? "Messing around? You fools were easily deceived." Seluvis stood up, took a piece of paper from his robe, and stared intently at Thorne nearby, wanting to enjoy the latter's expression of terror. But he saw nothing. Thorne just looked on blankly. Hmph, quite the actor.
Seluvis slowly unfolded the paper, facing the equally bewildered professors. "Take a look. Does this Roland Heinberg look like..."
Before he could finish, a crisp 'crack' sounded in his ear.
Thorne, who had looked dim-witted just moments ago, suddenly lunged, slamming a mage behind him into the ground.
This person had been standing all morning and their legs were numb; they never expected the person in front of them to attack. This was inside the Academy, under the gaze of hundreds of mages! The incident happened so suddenly that no one had time to react.
The Academy had no dungeons or chains because a mage's frail body was no threat once they lost their staff.
And then, what did they see? A mage used a shoulder throw to slam another mage to the ground, picked up the latter's staff, spun around abruptly, and manifested a Carian Slicer. Shink—
The head of another guard flew into the air. Before the headless body could even hit the ground, the culprit was sprinting toward the main gate with exceptional agility. "Stop him!!" Someone shouted, and only then did the crowd of mages snap out of it, reaching for their staves one after another.
Run, run as fast as possible! Actually, the moment Seluvis took out that paper, Thorne had already sensed trouble. He knew the bastard was going to move against him, but he hadn't expected him to be so quick and so reckless. It was indeed a surprise, but he had forced himself to endure it, feigning a look of bewilderment until the moment everyone let their guard down—
He struck to kill! Quiet as a maiden, swift as a hare. The apprentice who had seemed harmless just now instantly became a desperate fugitive. He fired a Glintstone Arc directly into the crowd, blasting a mist of blood.
The mages, who spent their days immersed in research, had never seen such a scene and instinctively dove for cover. There were too many onlookers, and the scene was extremely chaotic. Many mages, including the professors, raised their staves but couldn't cast a single spell—the greater the power, the more of their own people they would kill. Besides, Seluvis hadn't finished what he was saying, so god knows why this person had gone mad. You couldn't exactly trade the lives of your comrades for one madman. Getting closer! Thorne's eyes remained fixed ahead.
He continuously fired Glintstone Pebbles, but his targets were all on the ground, kicking up clouds of debris. His right hand brushed his ring, and he pulled out a Karolos Conspectus mask to put on.
Now, with the same mask and the same robe, no one could possibly tell who was who. Clatter, clatter, clatter... His feet moved with incredible speed. Thorne quickly wove through the crowd, but the Academy wasn't stupid; they certainly knew the one running toward the gate was the target. Two mages saw someone approaching and were initially wary, but seeing the mask, they relaxed slightly.
"Entry and exit are prohibited, go ba—"
Before the sentence was finished, the person lunged forward like a galloping swallow.
A knee strike shattered the mask of the mage on the left.
The person on the right turned his head in shock, only to see Thorne in mid-air brushing his fingertips; a silver light expanded in his eyes. Draw! Thorne decisively drew star-frost.
The blade's trace carved an arc through the air, and a head flew into the sky.
His toes hit the ground, and he rolled forward. With a loud 'BOOM,' his ears rang. A falling Cannon of Haima blew the headless corpse to bits.
While that Battlemage of Haima was wondering if he'd made a mistake, a roar came from behind. "Seize him! At any cost!!" Oritis's entire face was flushed red. He finally knew who had burned down the archives that night. Realizing he had been played for a fool all this time, his blood pressure nearly hit the ceiling.
With this order, the mages finally dared to act without restraint. Magic sigils linked together in a vast field; viewed from above, it looked like a sea of starlight. Thorne didn't even need to look back to know how grand this scene was. Even Ranni probably hadn't enjoyed such treatment. But he didn't stop, his eyes fixed firmly ahead.
Five more steps! Five steps were like the distance between heaven and earth. Within a second, he and the gatehouse would be pulverized together. Bloodhounds Step wouldn't be enough to escape this. But at that moment, he saw a cyan meteor streak over his head, trailing a long wake as it crashed down with a roar. The magic stopped. Everyone, including Oritis, looked toward the cyan meteor. No one here could use Thops's Barrier; once magic was formed, it was impossible to defend against. And those with keen eyes already recognized what it was. The ultimate sorcery of the Karolos Conspectus— Comet Azur!
Boom— A massive explosion roared within the Academy. Dust mixed with blood mist swirled into the sky. The shockwave swept through, slamming into Thorne's back and making him stumble forward, finally stepping onto the bridge outside the gates. Behind him was dust and wailing; before him was a silent crowd. These people didn't yet know what had happened. Thorne looked to the left and saw a witch standing on the nearby railing. The shockwave fluttered her robe, revealing her pale calves. Holding a staff in one hand and a knapsack in the other, she was slowly turning her head. "Stupid apprentice, what are you standing there for? Why aren't you running with your Master?" Chapter 41: Master Almost Vomited.
"Master, you came?" Thorne looked at her with a hint of surprise. In fact, the moment he started running, he knew he had dragged Sellen into this. Seluvis's target was her; he had no interest in competing with an apprentice. Conversely, Sellen had also dragged Thorne into the mess.
This witch couldn't stay at the Academy, but Thorne hadn't expected that Sellen wouldn't leave quietly. She was taking him with her.
"Perhaps you could trust your Master a little more. It was just a matter of convenience."
Sellen jumped off the railing and sprinted toward the other end of the bridge. Thorne overtook her quickly, grabbing her shoulder and hoisting her onto his own.
"Master, you're too slow!"
No matter how superb Sellen's magic was, her physical fitness lagged far behind.
She didn't struggle, allowing the strong man to carry her as he ran. Perhaps at this moment, a touch of mutual dependence was added to their master-student bond. Sellen wasn't heavy, and her body was very soft, but the posture was far too unsightly. Thorne, however, had no stray thoughts. He only shouted to the people blocking the bridge ahead:
"Get out of the way!"
"It's Mr. Roland! What's going on?"
The sudden battle had lasted only a minute. The protesting citizens hadn't yet realized what was happening.
Perhaps due to Thorne's prestige, the crowd parted in the middle to form a corridor, then closed up again. The two passed through. Many faces on either side were strangers. Sellen, enduring the jolting, asked curiously:
"Oh? It seems you were prepared long ago. Did you want them to be scapegoats?"
Thorne remained silent as he sprinted. This master of his was good in every way, except her nature was a bit too cruel. He just replied gloomily:
"I never use other people's lives as stepping stones!"
"You don't actually think the Academy would have mercy on ordinary people, do you?"
Sellen was about to mock him when they suddenly burst through the crowd and saw the ships on the lake. In an instant, she understood.
"Hahaha, you stupid apprentice, you're quite talented at messing with people!"
The corners of Thorne's mouth curled up, revealing a proud smile. This was a multi-layered plan that even accounted for Seluvis's unexpected move. As long as he broke out of the Academy, no one could catch him.
And that wasn't all. When he saw a group of Cuckoo Knights blocking the bridge, he held Sellen tight and leaped over the railing, jumping down into the town.
The town was nearly empty. Only some Cuckoo Soldiers who heard the noise were rushing back, running headlong into the two mages. There were no walkie-talkies in The Lands Between. The leading knight was about to ask what had happened when he saw Thorne set Sellen down.
Clang—
Star-frost reflected the sunlight. Just as the knight felt things were going south, he heard a cold voice.
"Master, finish them in one minute!"
"You run fast, but your Master almost vomited up breakfast."
The witch rubbed her stomach and calmly took out her staff, saying to the knights who were panic-drawing their swords:
"No, thirty seconds is enough."
The light of Comet Azur slammed into the ground, illuminating the sky. Hundreds of Haligtree Army soldiers turned their eyes toward the source. Their attention had been drawn the moment the civilians began to cross the bridge.
A slender knight stood at the ship's center. She wore dark copper armor, intricately patterned. Small white wings, mimicking their sovereign Malenia, adorned either side of her helmet.
These Cleanrot Knights served as the Valkyrie's personal guard and held high-ranking officer positions. Green eyes peered through the helmet's slits.
"What exactly is happening over there?" she asked, her voice crisp and feminine.
Another Cleanrot Knight stood beside her. He was blonde and one-eyed, with a delicate appearance marred by a scar across his handsome face. He responded immediately.
"It's not clear yet. Messengers have been sent to investigate. We should have news soon."
Just then, a scout arrived by small boat and knelt on one knee.
"Lord Finlay, Sir Ivan, internal strife has erupted at the Academy. It seems a mage is defecting."
Ivan, acting as adjutant, stepped forward. "The reason? What do civilians have to do with a mage defecting?"
"According to initial reports, the mage killed some looting Cuckoo Knights. The civilians went to beg the Academy to spare him, and then, for some reason, a fight broke out."
Hearing this, the knights all looked pleased. As the Erdtree's regular army and heroes who had followed the Valkyrie south, they felt the Cuckoo were unworthy of the title of knights. If they weren't in a hurry to head south, they would have taught them the knight's code long ago.
"When marching, refugees often seek refuge. One can see what a mess is being run here in Liurnia."
Finlay glanced at the assembling mages and suddenly reached out her hand. The adjutant quickly offered a crescent-shaped scythe.
"They disgust me. Fine, I'll return the favor in kind.
Order the fleet to move a bit closer!"