Aoko didn't pay too much attention to Rya's matters because neither the serpent people of Gelmir Volcano nor the great prison of the serpent people, Rykard, were things Aoko was currently worried about. Maybe later, she would take a trip to Gelmir Volcano to bring Azur back to the Magic Academy, but certainly not now.
Strictly speaking, the ancestors of the serpent people were a race born from the ancient blasphemous great serpent devouring Rykard in a ritual. Therefore, Rya had Rykard's blood flowing in her veins, and Rykard was a descendant of Radagon and Rennala...
Wait a minute, doesn't this mean that this serpent girl is related to Rennala and Ranni? Now, this was interesting. Should she say it out loud?
As Aoko pondered this, she simultaneously meditated using parallel thought, preparing the magic she needed for the day. She decided not to reveal this secret for now—there might be more fun to see later. But if Rya really ran into trouble, it wouldn't be too late to reveal the truth then.
Last night, the army set up camp in the ruins of the Academy Town and cleared out the various monsters around the Academy. Meanwhile, Touko found a spell called "Realm of Magic" in a cave near the Academy and shared it with Aoko. Aoko generously passed this spell on to Thops and the Tarnished, though neither of them had learned it yet and could only take notes and study it slowly.
The southern gate of the Academy, which connected to the Academy Town, had been completely sealed off. To enter without destroying its structure, they needed to unlock the barrier at the northern gate with a key.
Aoko knew exactly where the key was, so she volunteered to retrieve it from the Glintstone Dragon guarding it. She gave the dragon a severe beating and then stole the Academy key from behind it.
She didn't kill the dragon—just beat it up and chased it away. In a way, this dragon could be considered one of Ranni's subordinates, meaning it was part of the Carian royal family's forces.
The original Academy key only allowed a single person to enter, but Aoko, Touko, and Rellana—who were already familiar with both Carian and Academy magic—quickly decoded the magic key's internal enchantments. Using nearby Glintstone, they easily duplicated a large number of keys.
Even with many keys, it was impossible to let all the soldiers in the expeditionary force enter the Academy. Instead, they selected a group of elite fighters to form an assault squad for the mission inside.
Since Thops had recently been expelled from the Academy, Messmer naturally picked him to serve as the army's guide. Though Thops always acted as if he was dedicated to academic pursuits, in reality, he harbored resentment toward the Academy sorcerers who had kicked him out. Thus, he had no reason to refuse this task.
And so, the assault team was formed, consisting of Messmer, Melina, the Tarnished, Rellana, the Aozaki sisters, and the Flame Knights, with Thops as their guide. The rest of the forces remained stationed at the Academy Town encampment atop the broken bridge.
"So this is the architectural inspiration for the castle you modified inside your Bloodborne Ring?" Touko asked as she admired the Royal Carian Academy, speaking to Aoko in a low voice. "It truly is a stunning design. The Nokron people's architectural skills and aesthetic standards are remarkably high."
"This time, I'm going to document everything properly," Aoko nodded. "Last time, I reconstructed it purely from memories gathered through 'Observation,' so many details weren't perfect. You better help me out."
As Aoko and Touko walked and talked, carefully recording the Academy's breathtaking and majestic scenery, Messmer, Rellana, and the others had already engaged in battle with the Academy's magical constructs and Glintstone Sorcerers.
The cowardly sorcerers who had sealed themselves inside the Academy were no match for the battle-hardened Holy War Expeditionary Force. When they recognized that one of the intruders was Rennala's sister, Rellana, panic quickly spread among them.
As the hardliner faction of Academy Sorcers activated all the defensive traps, Messmer effortlessly subdued the Radagon's Red Wolf guarding the Grand Hall.
Or rather, Messmer did nothing at all—when he entered the Grand Hall and simply looked at the Red Wolf, it lowered its proud head and swore allegiance to him, the firstborn of the gods.
Even Messmer himself was a little stunned. Aoko had warned him about Radagon's Red Wolf being in the Academy, so he expected a battle—not necessarily difficult, but still requiring effort. Instead, the wolf submitted immediately.
Since it had already surrendered, Messmer graciously accepted his new pet, even if this pet had once belonged to the damn red-haired man who had replaced his father.
With Thops' guidance, the Flame Knights advanced rapidly through the Academy, eliminating any resisting sorcerers and constructs with brutal efficiency.
If not for the need to protect books and scrolls from fire, their progress would have been even faster.
Meanwhile, Rellana, Melina, and the expedition's Carian Sorcers rushed straight toward the Grand Library, with Aoko and Touko following closely behind. They effortlessly destroyed every trap in their path with overwhelming strength.
"...Murgram!" A sword-and-shield knight clad in Carian armor stood in shock before the courtyard leading to the Grand Library, staring at the 'invaders.' "Even you have betrayed Lady Rennala?!"
"Calm down, Murgram," Miriel reassured him, lowering his greatsword. "Look carefully at who stands beside me."
Rellana hated riddles and preferred directness, so she simply removed her helmet, revealing her beautiful face and flowing black hair to the loyal Carian knight.
"…Lady Rellana!" Murgram immediately dropped to one knee, his voice trembling with emotion. "It is wonderful to have you back… These disgraceful traitors have betrayed the Carian royal family! Betrayed Lady Rennala! Even Lady Ranni is now trapped in the northern Carian Manor, unable to leave… but these traitors have also failed to break into the manor."
"The Academy traitors have been executed," Rellana declared. "You have done well, Murgram. How is my sister's condition?"
Aoko did not interrupt their conversation, but in truth, not all rebel sorcerers in the Royal Carian Academy were dead.
The most fanatical hardliners had been eliminated, but they only accounted for one-third of the Academy's sorcerers.
Another one-third had fled during the battle, known as the "Escapees", who weren't worth mentioning.
The final one-third had surrendered, or rather, they simply didn't care. These "Resigned" sorcerers cared little for who ruled the Academy—they only wanted to continue studying Glintstone magic.
In fact, the return of the Carian royal family was beneficial to them. The hardliners had been stubborn old scholars who locked away all Primeval magic texts, preventing them from even reading them. Compared to the era of the Full Moon Queen, this was a complete regression in academia.
"Her Majesty the Queen, she..." Murgram hesitated, then sighed. "She has devoted all her energy to the 'Unborn One'... She no longer cares about the outside world. No matter how much she tries, the result remains the same…"
Though Rellana had already heard some of this, hearing it directly from Murgram still made her furrow her brows. How should she deal with her sister's condition?
But Rellana did not hesitate for long—she decided to see Rennala with her own eyes before making any judgments.
At the entrance of the Grand Library, Rellana pushed open the doors without hesitation.
Inside the dark library, the only lights came from the floating Rennala and the candles held by the crawling infants.