In the prophecy Fernan had seen—
Aint, barely surviving the assassins' attack with countless injuries, fled toward the center of the island, evading the two Seed Serpents.
Normally, those monsters wouldn't have strayed from the shoreline, but perhaps due to the power of the Aberrant Species, they chased all the way into the island's interior.
At the brink of death, Aint stumbled upon a secret arrangement left behind by the First Emperor and barely managed to defeat them.
So there was no need for Fernan to personally step in to deal with the Seed Serpents.
'Was it this way?'
The place mentioned in the prophecy lay between two jutting peaks. Fernan deliberately fled in that direction.
Pretending it was a coincidence, he planned to serve the arrangement to Aint on a silver platter.
───!
"Is this really okay?!"
Ruina bit her lip at the deafening crash of snapping trees and cracking earth as she glanced back.
The two enormous Seed Serpents were charging after them like raging bulls, leaving massive trails behind them.
The only silver lining was that the creatures, unfamiliar with land, were slower than their size suggested.
Still, it wasn't like they could run forever within the limited space of an island.
"There's no way this could be okay, not when we've already run into two Seed Serpents."
"If we reach the island's center, is there a way?"
There was. Aint Armian.
However, since Fernan couldn't openly show he knew, he shook his head for now.
"It was unexpected for them to actually follow us this far."
"…That's true."
It was clearly abnormal behavior to anyone, and both Fernan and Aint knew it was due to demons.
Ruina and Bella had also sensed something was off, but they hadn't directly connected it to demons.
"If they keep chasing, just buy me a bit of time. I'll take care of the rest."
"Like last time?"
"Yes."
"This time, I'll trust you."
Maybe because of past experience, Ruina nodded firmly.
"…Um."
Just then, Aint—who had been quietly carried along the sand—pushed himself halfway up.
Thanks to the potion applied for emergency treatment, his complexion had improved significantly.
"I can walk on my own now."
"If you want."
The spell was lifted.
"But… how did you all end up here?"
"Same as you. Got swept away by the waves during the battle and drifted here."
"Huh? We… Mmfp!"
"Bella? Why are you suddenly eating sand?"
"Ah… no…!"
Leaving Bella, who had accidentally bitten into a mouthful of sand, behind, Fernan succeeded in convincing Aint.
Given the situation, there was no reason not to believe they'd all ended up here the same way.
"…Thank you. You saved my life."
"I only did what needed to be done. They had disguised themselves as employees of the Golden Turtle Merchant Group, but they didn't seem ordinary."
"Ah, that…"
"If my guess is right, those were Aberrant Species. Am I wrong?"
"…How do you know that?"
Aint's pupils widened.
After confirming the prophecy this time, Fernan had considered two approaches.
One was to witness everything together and let Aint explain the full story.
The other was to take initiative and feed Aint just enough of the truth.
'The former is safer, but I wouldn't be able to explain my prior actions to prepare against demons.'
The latter, however, had the advantage of allowing him to reveal what he'd done so far, so long as he gave a plausible reason.
Truthfully, Fernan had already chosen the latter when he decided to bring Ruina and Bella along.
That decision included the alibi that they, too, knew about the demons.
"It's simple. I've been tracking those things for a long time."
"…What?"
Aint's eyes widened as if they couldn't get any bigger.
His pupils were shaking, utterly lost.
"…You knew about the Aberrant Species already?!"
"Don't stop—keep running!"
"Y-Yes…!"
Startled, Aint had instinctively stopped running, but now he hurried his pace again.
Before long, he caught up to Fernan, who was running ahead, and asked again,
"You really knew about the Aberrant Species?"
"Is that so shocking?"
"Of course it is! Who on this continent would believe in demons and Aberrant Species?!"
How could this possibly make sense?
He was supposed to obtain the arrangement left behind by the First Emperor and fight demons.
It was something he had heard countless times from Sir Gardner, but this was the first time he'd ever seen an Aberrant Species.
Before meeting Gardner, demons had been nothing more than legends or fantasy, and truthfully, even now, he was still half in doubt.
A thousand years was a long time.
Long enough to turn even the greatest enemy into little more than a myth.
So how did Fernan Pellenberg already know about the Aberrant Species?
No—how did he even believe they existed?
— What the hell?
— Did the Pellenberg family have some kind of preparation of their own?
It seemed Gardner was just as surprised; a flurry of agitated thoughts echoed in Aint's mind.
— Or could it be that the Aberrant Species started acting earlier than I predicted?
— And you just came to find me too late?
If that were true, it was terrifying to imagine just how deeply the demons might have already infiltrated humanity.
"You're misunderstanding something. Strictly speaking, I didn't know about the Aberrant Species. I knew about the two vermin who tried to kill you."
"...What?"
"Not long ago, there were suspicious financial flows within the merchant group. Money was leaking somewhere. Everything looked fine on paper, but on the ground, there were anomalies."
"You're saying... those anomalies were the Aberrant Species?"
Fernan nodded.
"I suspected it might be them. While following their trail, I ran into some shady characters several times, and once, I felt that unpleasant aura from them."
He added that he'd investigated thoroughly to uncover the truth, and concluded it was magia—demonic energy.
"And now, seeing them today, I'm convinced I was right."
"You believe what I said?"
"How could I not? You, Armian, are humanity's greatest hope in the fight against demons—you've been on the front lines longer than anyone. Who else would know more?"
— So the demons were siphoning funds through the merchant group to prepare for their operations?
— Sounds plausible.
'You believe me?'
— Well, there's nothing obviously wrong with your story.
— But the worst-case scenario would be that this guy is already one of the Aberrant Species, and orchestrated all this just to get close to you.
Indeed, there were some suspicious points.
The moment Aint first entered the yacht club, an unprecedented sea monster attack occurred.
The yacht belonged to the Pellenbergs, and the Aberrant Species disguised as Golden Turtle merchant employees targeted Aint.
Then, conveniently, Fernan had shown up and saved the day.
Was all of this truly coincidence? Was Fernan really innocent?
'But Senior Ruina and Senior Bella…'
— They might've come along under the guise of coincidence just to avoid your suspicion.
— Honestly, if it were someone else, I'd buy it. But they're nouveau riche. That alone makes them suspicious.
— Do you know how much suffering we endured because those bastards sold supplies to the demons…!
Both Fernan's explanation and Gardner's worst-case scenario made sense. There was no definitive answer.
But right now, that wasn't the priority.
Surviving the two approaching Seed Serpents was.
That came first.
— We're close.
— The arrangement the Late Emperor left behind.
— If you can obtain it and fight with the others, you should be able to take on the two Seed Serpents.
Though they were called the Tyrants of the Sea, Seed Serpents weren't as threatening on land. There, they were more like overgrown snakes.
— Still… it's a bit tricky. Revealing the arrangement to others under uncertain circumstances isn't ideal.
At that moment, Fernan came to a stop.
"This spot should do. There's nowhere else left to run anyway."
"How much time?"
"Ten minutes."
"Understood."
"Wait, Ruina. What are you—"
Without a word, Ruina turned around. Then, dragging a startled Bella with her, she charged straight toward the Seed Serpents.
"...What the hell is this?"
"Stall for time. I need to prepare to face the Seed Serpents."
"Prepare? What kind of preparation?"
"What kind of prep does a merchant need? You just smack them with money."
Thud.
Fernan pulled a heavy box from his subspace. As he opened it, a multitude of potions and reagents were revealed.
Aint and Gardner immediately understood what Fernan was planning.
— A great opportunity, Aint!
They also realized the time to act had come.
— Say you're going to help buy time and head for the arrangement instead. Luckily, it's not far from here!
"I'll go assist Senior Ruina and Senior Bella as well."
"If your injuries aren't too bad, go ahead. Though honestly, worrying about injuries when your life's on the line is kind of ridiculous."
Thankfully, Fernan didn't stop him. Aint pretended to charge toward the Seed Serpents, then veered off in the direction Gardner indicated.
─!
──!
Trees cracked and fell under unbearable pressure with deafening crashes.
The ground, frozen by a piercing white chill, crumbled, and devastation followed in the wake of the colossal serpentine bodies.
As the two sea serpents roared, the knights swung their swords at them.
The knights' aura blades were sharp enough to pierce the beasts' scales.
But sharpness alone didn't guarantee victory. The two knights' blades weren't enough to deal a decisive blow to the massive serpents.
Perhaps if they grew stronger, or if the First Emperor's arrangement shifted the tides—but not yet.
'That's their current limit.'
It was a desperate defense.
Fernan spotted the sign that would bring an end to that struggle.
A soft glow rising from a not-so-distant place.
It was the moment Aint began to reconstruct his body through the arrangement left by the First Emperor.
[Between the two peaks stood the most prominent tree of all.
— That's called a "Fairy Tree." It's tougher than most metals, brimming with forest essence. Elves go crazy over this stuff.
So durable and brimming with vitality, it's nearly impossible to kill.
— And with such rich essence, it's the perfect place to hide an arrangement.
"So what exactly is the arrangement? If I take it, will I be able to win?"
— That depends on you, but at the very least, it'll give you a fighting chance.
— Bring your sword to it.
Aint drove his sword into the tree. In response, the Fairy Tree split open on its own.
Inside, a small pill-like object was revealed.
It shimmered faintly, semi-transparent, glowing like a spirit.
— This is an elixir personally crafted by the Late Emperor. But unlike ordinary elixirs, it doesn't just increase mana—it reconstructs the body.
"…Reconstructs the body?"
— Human talent is passed through bloodlines. But it's imperfect. The Emperor worried about that. What if someone unfit for the Light inherits his arrangement?
The Armian clan's secret swordsmanship was based on the element of Light.
Because of that, it was rare, especially powerful against demons, and why the First Emperor was able to drive them out.
— That pill is pure Light incarnate. Its purity is so high that even someone with no elemental affinity can develop one.
— It restructures the body to align with the power of Light.
"Is that even possible?"
To forcibly bestow an affinity for an element one doesn't possess?
If spirit mages heard about this, they'd probably sell their own countries to get it.
— Of course, not just anyone can...
A sudden boom cut Gardner off.
— Hurry and take it!
"Yes!"
Aint swallowed the pill. A brilliant white light enveloped his body.]
Holding his throbbing head—the price of recalling the future—Fernan grinned.
"…Yes, that's it."
The arrangement Aint would gain—had to gain.
It would mean nothing in anyone else's hands, so Fernan had no regrets letting it go.
The light faded in an instant, but then Aint was seen charging toward the Seed Serpents.
Everything had gone according to plan.
Now Aint would assist Ruina and Bella in defeating the Seed Serpents—and fully realize the threat posed by the Aberrant Species and the demons.
"As a bonus, the academy will probably add a maritime combat course."
Which meant Fernan's pockets were about to get much heavier.
"Well then, time to go."
Fernan stored the box of reagents back into his subspace.
He'd never intended to waste money making a trap in the first place.
With a wide grin on his lips, he whistled softly.