Chapter 5

“You’re just going to let her go, Mirexia? She nearly caused you to fall under the control of the Demon Pillar,” Winnie asked in the student council president’s office that evening, now empty except for the two of them.

“It’s fine. That girl isn’t some evil mastermind. She was forced into becoming a pawn of the Demon Pillar. I’ve already reported the incident to the academy. They’ll keep an eye on Zoe and give her a chance to redeem herself,” Mirexia replied.

Still, even if Zoe managed to make amends, it was unlikely she could remain at Carillian Academy.

Once she returned to the empire, she would be under constant surveillance. After all, for human nations, any association with the Demon Pillar was the ultimate taboo.

Those who crossed that line rarely survived, so keeping her life and freedom intact was already a mercy.

It was widely accepted that humans who had contact with the Demon Pillar were rarely mentally stable. Even if there were exceptions, no one could afford to take that risk.

“Winnie, do you think my approach is wrong?” Mirexia paused and asked.

“No, what can I say? You were the primary victim. If you’ve decided to give her a chance, who am I to object?” Winnie shrugged.

“Still, those Bronze Blood guys are disgusting. They have potions that can turn humans into monsters and even summon the Demon Pillar’s minions. It’s horrifying,” Winnie complained.

“This isn’t anything new. The followers of Erunes aren’t the first to do something like this. The combat style of the Bronze Blood heavily relies on their bizarre alchemical potions. Backed by the Alchemical Demon Pillar Erunes, as a Demon Pillar, it has to provide conveniences and combat power to those who serve it.”

“Luckily, among the Demon Pillar cultists who ambushed us, there were only Sacrificers, no Martyrs,” Mirexia said.

“Martyrs? What are those?” Winnie was hearing this for the first time, that the Bronze Blood cultists were divided into such specific roles.

“Martyrs are another type of follower of Erunes. Their status is far above that of the Sacrificers, the ones who drink potions to become semi-minions,” Mirexia explained.

“According to the records of the Demon Pillar cultists in the Kingdom of Camella, Martyrs hold a much higher position within the Bronze Blood than Sacrificers. Their conditions for becoming one are extremely strict. From the moment they’re born, they must be indoctrinated by Erunes, meaning their families must have served Erunes for generations.”

“Erunes uses alchemical power to mark them with crimson patterns, which they call the ‘Blessing of Truth.’ These patterns spread across their entire bodies, but for the sake of concealment, they’re invisible to the naked eye. Martyrs can easily blend into crowds.”

“But when they unleash their combat power, the crimson patterns become visible.”

“Sacrificers can only drain their future potential by drinking potions, transforming into monsters with dozens of times their original combat power. But these monsters aren’t even considered minions. Martyrs, on the other hand, can directly transform into Erunes’ second-tier Fanatics. According to the kingdom’s records, Fanatics are terrifyingly destructive. Even two Masters working together might not be a match for them.”

“That powerful?” Winnie swallowed hard, considering that he was currently at the Artisan level, and Fanatics could even overpower Masters.

It was a good thing they hadn’t encountered any this time, or Winnie felt he and Mirexia would’ve ended up with a “defeat CG.”

“Indeed, they’re powerful. But as I said, Martyrs are rare. They must be blessed by Erunes and indoctrinated from birth. You could say their ‘production rate’ is low. Plus, they have a fatal weakness,” Mirexia pondered.

“A fatal weakness?”

“Yes. Activating their abilities is a hassle. According to our kingdom’s research, Martyrs are incredibly powerful once they activate their Demon Pillar blessing and transform into Fanatics. But they can’t do it at will. To activate the blessing, they need about ten minutes. During that time, the patterns on their bodies gradually become visible and intensify.”

“I see,” Winnie nodded.

“So, what’s next? Do we just wait for the Bronze Blood to contact Zoe?” Mirexia considered for a moment. “This is a serious matter. I think it’s better for Zoe to teach us how to decipher those codes, and then we’ll go retrieve the note in her place.”

“Yes, that’s the way to go,” Winnie agreed. If Zoe suddenly changed her mind and altered the note or deliberately misinterpreted it, it could spell trouble.

So, to be safe, it was better for them to handle it.

“Besides, we should play the long game and not alert the moles. We shouldn’t stake out the abandoned academy, or we might tip them off and scare them away,” Winnie said. “Plus, Zoe mentioned they all wear cloaks of night. Wearing those, they’re completely invisible in the dark. To find out who they are, we’d have to confront them, and that’s not worth it.”

“Right. I think the academy feels the same. Everyone would prefer to uproot these parasites completely. Leaving any remnants would only allow them to continue harming others,” Mirexia agreed.

—

At the top of the Order Spire in Carillian Academy.

“Oh? You’re saying the Bronze Blood has been active again recently, and their target is our student council president, Lady Mirexia?” A thin, elderly man wearing a top hat and leaning on a cane stood up from his desk. Upon closer inspection, one of his arms wasn’t physical but made entirely of pure mana.

“They’re old ‘friends’ of our academy. After lying low for so long, I thought they’d been buried by the sands of time, just like us old folks,” the old man said as he walked to the window, gazing down at the Order Spire that towered thousands of feet below.

“Yes, for some reason, they’ve taken an interest in that Mirexia. Not only that, but President Mirexia has also managed to uncover a Bronze Blood mole lurking in our academy… Those restless Demon Pillar cultists have never stopped coveting our academy,” the dean reporting to the old man said gravely.

“Everything has a cause and effect,” the old man didn’t turn to look at the dean. “In the end, everyone believes they’re the ones who hold the truth. But what’s the reality? I’ve lived long enough to see the rulers of the continent change endlessly, but war and bloodshed remain, like the endless stars in the sky.”

“Yes, it’s truly unbelievable, Deputy dean. Who would’ve thought that in this peaceful haven of knowledge, there would still be human scum hiding among us,” the dean sighed.

“Peaceful haven?” The old man chuckled. “The world has never truly been at peace, nor will it ever be, unless…”

“Unless?” The dean was puzzled.

“Nothing,” the old man cut himself off.

“Deputy dean, I believe our top priority is to root out those scum hiding in our ranks. To that end, that Mirexia has proposed a plan to play the long game and catch the big fish.”

“Catch the big fish?” The old man smiled faintly. “That’s a good idea, but often, we don’t know who’s the fisherman and who’s the fish. Being too presumptuous might result in us being the ones caught.”

“What do you suggest?”

“We can proceed with the plan, but…”

—

An ordinary weekend.

“Holy crap!” Just as Winnie had expected, the moment he played the [Saint Elusa] card, it was like the classic trope of a protagonist pretending to be weak before revealing their true power, stunning all the card players.

“Wait, dude, how much did you spend? Was it worth bankrupting yourself just to show off like this?” Fred’s jaw dropped at the sight.

“Spend? Who said I spent anything? I didn’t pay a single coin for this card,” Winnie said nonchalantly, enjoying the shock and envy of the crowd.

“Hahaha, no way, absolutely no way!” Fred laughed heartily.

“Come on, how much did you spend to get it? Did you clear out the entire card shop? I’ve never seen this serial number on an Elusa before!”

“How could you have seen it? It was just pulled recently. Well, actually, you could’ve seen it,” Winnie said with a mysterious smile.

“What do you mean?” Fred suddenly had a bad feeling.

“That’s right, Fred, old buddy. This Elusa was pulled from the card packs you gave me.”

“……” Fred fell silent.

“Also, these gold cards? All pulled from the packs you gave me,” Winnie added, delivering a series of small blows after the initial knockout punch.

“Tsk tsk…” Seeing Fred completely silenced, the other card players felt a bit better.

As the saying goes, another’s pain is sweet honey.

When they saw Winnie pull a rare card, everyone felt a pang of envy. But upon hearing that these rare and gold cards could’ve been Fred’s, and that he’d given them away, the tables turned.

Fred, who should’ve been winning big, was now losing big. It was so tragic that some people felt a bit better.

Hey, at least someone’s worse off than me. That’s fine then.

Compared to not getting something after putting in effort, the most heartbreaking thing is losing something that was rightfully yours because you gave it up.

This regret is even more bitter than eating a lemon.

That’s how Fred felt now, already half out of his mind, babbling nonsense.

“Hahaha!… You’re something else, kid, hahaha!” Fred burst into laughter.

“Uh, Fred, let’s just call it a day. Maybe we should go home and rest,” someone nearby, sensing something was off, suggested.

“No! I’m fine! Totally fine! Everyone, back off!” Fred waved his arms wildly, but it was clear to everyone that he was probably already losing it.

“Hey, Fred, you’re drunk, aren’t you?” Winnie, knowing Fred had been thoroughly beaten by his series of blows, decided to ease up. “Let’s call it a day. I’ve got some things to take care of too.”

“No! We can’t stop! Wait, Winnie, my friend! You have to promise me one thing!” Just as Winnie thought Fred was about to do something crazy, Fred grabbed his hand.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m really not one of them,” Winnie averted his gaze under Fred’s intense stare.

“Winnie, my friend, I’ve never asked you for anything before, but I’m asking you now! Last time I said you had bad luck, that was me being blind. Next time, help me pull some cards!”

“Are you sure?” Winnie raised an eyebrow.

“Yes!” Fred nodded emphatically. “To be honest, I’m not hiding it from you anymore. All my rare cards were bought from the market. I’ve never pulled a single one myself!”

“Alright, alright, don’t be like this. I get it, but if I don’t pull anything, don’t blame me.”

“I won’t! I believe in you, Winnie. As a descendant of the goddess, you’ll definitely help me pull something rare!”

Winnie pursed his lips.

Though he agreed, he was certain Fred would regret it when the time came.

After Winnie’s big reveal and Fred’s request, the other card players couldn’t help but chime in, all hoping Winnie would help them pull cards next time.

Now Winnie realized how much these card players had been exaggerating. Turns out, almost all of them had bought their rare cards, and none had actually pulled them.

After dealing with the card players, Winnie headed home, only to remember that Shikondell had a late class that night and would be back late, so she wouldn’t be cooking.

Well, he was planning to eat out tonight anyway. After dinner, he had some business at the student council.

Since Shikondell would be back late and probably wouldn’t have time to cook, Winnie decided to bring her some cake and leave her a note.

After dinner, Winnie left the house and headed to the student council.

“Winnie, are you sure you want to do this?” Mirexia hesitated for a moment.

“Yes, it’s better if I handle it. My identity makes it more convenient, and since we’re on campus, nothing should go wrong,” Winnie said, looking at the night cloak laid out on the table.

He and Mirexia had discussed having Winnie replace Zoe in going to the abandoned academy building to submit the written note.

Winnie felt it was more appropriate for him, the former antagonist, to handle this.

Plus, it wasn’t very convenient for Mirexia to do it herself.