Chapter 248 : Walpurgis Night (6)
Chapter 248: Walpurgis Night (6)
♠ ◆ ♥ ♣
Carl nudged the corpse with his foot to flip it over.
It was, of course, not a member of NOX.
Then the question became why they had impersonated NOX.
"It would be best to clean up first and assess afterward."
"Agreed."
The two brothers nodded and simultaneously kicked off the ground, charging at the remaining masked assailants.
It took just over ten minutes after Carl’s arrival for the attackers who ambushed the representative team to be subdued.
Thanks to their training, the cadets suffered only minor injuries, with no serious casualties.
"Tch."
However, the mood among the representatives was far from good.
They had come to attend the Walpurgis Night Festival, only to be suddenly ambushed and forced to kill a significant number of people—it was only natural to feel this way.
"What the hell are they?"
"Stop!"
Just as one of the cadets reached out to examine the bodies, Darius barked sharply.
"Nobody is to touch the corpses carelessly."
These were unidentified individuals.
Even if they were dead, they couldn’t be taken lightly, so only Carl and Darius conducted the examination.
"There's nothing."
"No markings, no identifiers of any kind."
"So the only clue is the name NOX."
"Is that a name you know?"
"...Not sure. I think there was an organization by that name near the territory, but it’s probably not the same one."
Darius tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
He had never paid much attention to such matters, so only a vague memory remained.
"NOX? Isn’t that the group backing the Madeira Trading House?"
Surprisingly, the answer came from the cadets.
"I’ve heard of them too. They’re a new organization that rapidly expanded in the underworld of Polfoardel."
"I heard they’re even linked to the Imperial Palace."
"So they built their power using mana beads? That makes sense—such organized movements wouldn’t be possible without support from the palace."
"But then why...?"
Everyone shared the same doubt.
Why would such a group as NOX attack participants of the Walpurgis Night Festival?
"Logically, who in their right mind would reveal their identity while doing something like this?"
Carl chuckled as he looked at the corpses.
"It seems like someone wanted to make it look like NOX’s doing, but they were too sloppy."
"True, that makes sense."
"There's no reason to state their affiliation themselves."
"But still, why hasn’t anyone shown up despite the chaos?"
One cadet cautiously poked a corpse with his sword.
They weren’t golems or illusions—they were real humans.
With the exam rendered meaningless, why wasn’t anyone responding?
"For now, our only way out is to locate the prepared coordinates and activate the teleport gates. The first-year coordinates are secured and they’ve returned. Two sets for the second and third years remain."
At Carl’s words, Darius nodded.
Given the level of disturbance and the fact that the organizers had yet to appear, something must have gone wrong on their end as well.
They couldn’t afford to wait passively for rescue; they had to take the initiative.
"So finding the golems is key."
"No need for that. One’s already come to us."
Perhaps drawn by the commotion, a golem roaming the forest was now approaching.
Thump. Thud.
The cadets, sensing the tremors in the ground, raised their weapons with tense expressions.
"Let’s take it down quickly and get back. I’ve had enough of this cursed forest."
There was no reason to wait around for a test that no longer mattered.
Darius lifted his greatsword, his expression cold.
About thirty minutes later.
The cadets returned to base camp with the mana stones inscribed with spatial coordinates.
The third-year team had returned earlier and were seated, tending to their wounds.
The mood was tense, and Darius approached them to ask.
"Did something happen on your end too?"
"...Too? Something happened with the second-year group?"
"We were ambushed by masked assailants. Around fifty of them. It turned into chaos as they attacked without warning."
"As for us…"
The third-year cadet grimaced and looked toward their injured companions.
"The golem was abnormally powerful. Even considering it’s the Walpurgis Night Festival, if anything had gone slightly wrong, one or two of us could have really died."
Even with all the safety precautions, being crushed by such massive stone would mean instant death.
Was this really what the Walpurgis Night Festival was supposed to be?
"Hmm."
Darius furrowed his brow in thought.
Rather than hiding what happened, it was better to tell the truth and help everyone prepare.
There wasn’t anyone in the representative team who would panic or act irrationally.
"Everyone, gather around."
The thought was brief, and the decision swift.
Darius gathered the cadets and explained the current situation.
Everyone listened attentively, and by the end, they raised their heads with complex expressions.
"So we might have been caught up in some kind of terrorist act?"
"At this point, we have to assume so. The real issue is why there’s still no response from the outside."
Darius found this particularly suspicious.
Even if the organizers failed, Bayern Academy should have noticed something was wrong by now and responded.
Why hadn’t anyone contacted them or appeared?
"We’ll have to move."
"Understood. The event isn’t important anymore."
What mattered now was getting everyone back safely from this unknown situation without a single person left behind.
Darius nodded and spoke to the cadets looking to him.
"We’ve secured the mana stones with the spatial coordinates. We’ll depart after a six-hour rest. Make sure you're all ready by then."
"Did you expect things to turn out like this?"
First-year representative camp.
While most were resting, a few had gathered in one place.
Carl, Yuria, Laysis, and even Maximilian and his group.
Naturally, all eyes turned toward Carl.
"No. It’s not like I know everything. I was aware something was being orchestrated through the event, but I didn’t expect it to be on this scale."
"You said even the Imperial Palace was aware of it, right?"
"Yeah. They must have taken corresponding measures too..."
Carl touched his lips thoughtfully.
Crown Prince Yulian had said he had taken action.
Was it possible that even with his intervention, this was the best outcome they could manage?
‘That so-called Saint of the heretics we met in the forest as well.’
There were too many suspicious points.
He wanted to break away from the representative team and scour the area on his own, but at this point, with no contact from NOX, it would be hard to respond if the team were attacked again.
‘Even with Darius and Laysis, it wouldn’t be easy.’
No matter how strong those two were, if even one Master-level enemy appeared, they would be overwhelmed.
Thus, it seemed inevitable that he would have to move with the representative team.
"For now, let’s cross through the teleport gate and think afterward. The event should still be proceeding normally on that side."
He could always contact Crown Prince Yulian immediately and have the event halted altogether.
Six hours later.
The cadets stood in front of the teleport gate they had first arrived through.
"Hmm."
Yuria, having received all the mana stones, studied the teleport gate’s circuit carefully, searching for the coordinate input slot.
The teleport gate was one of the highest-grade artifacts in magical engineering, far beyond what any regular undergrad could tamper with—even at the circuit's most basic level.
That was why, by unspoken agreement, Yuria—who had the most talent in magic—stepped forward, but even she furrowed her brow as she looked around.
"It’s all tangled up because it’s connected to the capital. I should’ve checked it beforehand."
"I’ll help."
Carl stepped forward and stood beside her.
"Should I decode the security spell?"
"Even just lifting that would help. It’s not a system I usually use, so it’s hard to grasp at a glance."
"Give me a moment."
Despite it being his first time attempting this, Carl deftly interpreted the teleport gate’s encrypted spell circuit.
It wasn’t through magical talent or intuition—but through the divinity of Kylos.
‘This is when it comes in handy.’
This mysterious ability could convert abstract concepts into practical solutions and deliver results.
Especially for tasks involving theoretical spells or analysis, it excelled.
This was exactly why Carl had stepped in.
"...What the heck is that? You’ve picked up something pretty amazing."
"Can you see it now?"
"Yeah. This is enough."
Once the spell blocking external access to the circuit was lifted, the inner workings of the teleport gate were revealed.
Of course, even that was difficult to decipher with undergraduate-level knowledge, but Yuria expertly navigated her way through.
[Automatic Assist Spell Activated]
"Four Seasons" floated beside her, assisting with the spell.
The automated magical system she had devoted her life to since arriving here had performed brilliantly ever since its completion.
Click. Click. Click.
Finding enough empty space, Yuria slotted in all the mana stones she had received.
Once the circuit was equipped with four mana stones, it began to glow, and the teleport gate activated, radiating a dazzling light.
"Ten people at a time! Move quickly! We don’t know when it’ll shut off!"
"Let’s go."
Responding to Yuria’s shout, Darius stepped forward with long strides.
Teleport gates were extremely delicate and sophisticated artifacts; if not properly stabilized, they were incredibly dangerous.
A single mistake could result in falling from hundreds of meters in the air—or only part of the body being transferred.
But as the representative team’s leader, he stepped in first, reassuring the others, who followed after into the gate.
Flash!
A burst of light enveloped the cadets and safely transported them.
Another group of ten cadets followed, and the teleport gate activated again.
"……."
Yuria focused so intensely on operating the teleport gate that blood vessels stood out in her eyes.
If she lost focus even slightly, it could put the cadets in danger.
Tap.
Carl gently placed a hand on her back and sent a stream of divinity into her.
As the refreshing sensation cooled her entire body and soothed her nerves, Yuria curled her lips into a smirk.
Carl’s charm was in quietly helping without needing to say a word.
"……Now, let’s go too."
Almost all the cadets had been transported.
Only those stationed to guard the perimeter remained.
After removing her hand from the circuit, Yuria stepped forward, and Laysis and the other cadets followed her into the teleport gate.
Flaaash!
Soon, the dazzling light enveloped them.
"...Huh?"
A crimson sky unfolded before their eyes.
The ground ahead was cracked as if stricken by drought, and twisted, leafless dead trees were scattered about.
"Ah, you’ve arrived!"
Right then, a mage cloaked in a robe rushed over, panting, to greet the cadets.
"Welcome to the Demon Realm!"