"Milord, this is a record orb sent by the young master."
The duke took the small orb offered by the butler and gazed at it silently.
"So this is it."
Not long ago, while the duke had briefly left his seat, the warehouse had been raided by Fernan.
What was taken was the heart of a Saint Bird, a magical beast as rare as a phoenix.
It was one of the treasures stored in the first-class vault, where everything was essentially priceless.
"Hyde took it himself, didn't he?"
"Yes."
If Hyde had acted, that meant it was Fernan's will.
Though a formal export request had been submitted, Hyde had retrieved the item himself via a teleportation circle even before approval was granted.
Teleportation circles required vast amounts of magic stones and the presence of mages every time they were used. That's why even the duke only resorted to them in truly critical situations.
To go so far as to use a teleportation circle before getting official approval...
He must have deemed the situation urgent enough to warrant it.
Both the removal of the elixir and the use of the teleportation circle were clear acts of overstepping authority. Yet, precisely because of that, the duke chose to endure it once.
Though Fernan's behavior had been unusual lately, the duke knew he wasn't someone who acted recklessly without reason.
Moreover—
"I will bring you convincing evidence within a month."
The export request had even included a plausible statement about submitting proof.
Fernan never spoke empty words. If he said it, he kept it. If he couldn't keep it, he wouldn't say it.
That's how he had raised his son.
So the duke waited—and finally, today, a record orb had arrived.
"But I wonder if this will really be enough to convince me."
The request had stated the item was to be used for a very important purpose.
"But then he just handed it off to that Ain't Armian..."
The duke's eyes turned cold.
Armian. A family that had already half-collapsed, leaving only the shell behind. They held titles like "former imperial family" and "prince-elector," but that was all they had left.
There was no need to give such a valuable gift while tiptoeing around Schwaben. At least, that was what the duke believed. No—anyone in the empire would agree.
So why had Fernan made this choice?
"What was Schwaben's reaction?"
"We don't know. The young master delivered it with such discretion that we likely won't ever know."
"That's at least some relief."
Barely a relief.
"For now, let's watch this and think it over. Butler, will you watch with me?"
"Yes, Milord."
The duke infused mana into the orb, activating it.
And then—
"..."
"..."
After watching the entire recording, neither the duke nor the butler's expressions lightened for quite some time.
Fernan visited the merchant group.
"Build another warehouse on this lot and fill it with potions, medical supplies, and relief goods."
"Sorry? All of a sudden, why…?"
"There'll be more injuries during the test period. It'll all be used."
"Still, using an entire warehouse seems excessive—Ah, no, understood. As you command."
Feeling the sting of Fernan's gaze, the officer quickly stopped talking and nodded in a hurry.
Fernan didn't bother to blame him. Honestly, if their positions were reversed, his reaction was natural.
If Fernan hadn't seen the future, he wouldn't have done something like this either.
The descent of Andromalius. This was just a small preparation for that day.
"Ah, and here are the documents you requested, Young Master."
The flustered officer hastily handed over a stack of papers to Fernan.
"But why are you suddenly trying to become a temporary teaching assistant?"
"I have my reasons. Now, go."
At Fernan's dismissal, the officer bowed and left.
"…Yeah. I have more than enough reason now."
Fernan pulled out a sheet of paper and began writing down the futures that had come to him the night before.
Last night had been as agonizingly painful as the first time he was struck by lightning. But the reward for that pain was indescribably sweet.
"Now that the futures I originally knew have ended, the next phase has started appearing. Is this how it will continue from now on?"
It seemed so, based on the circumstances, though there had also been fragmented futures that came to him suddenly not long ago, so it wasn't entirely consistent.
There were four major things in this future that mattered.
Aint, now a rising star among the first-years, encounters one of his key companions—Aria Pridian.
The first-year joint field survival class.
A spirit beast and a spirit elixir.
"And mithril."
There was nothing particularly surprising about Aint and Aria's meeting—Fernan already knew it would happen.
What mattered was the incident that would break out during the first joint class held after the midterm exams.
In the process, Aint would encounter a spirit beast, obtain a spirit elixir, and stumble upon mithril.
If Fernan hadn't known about it, he might've let it go. But now that he did, he couldn't sit still.
"I don't need the spirit beast or the spirit elixir."
No—those were things Aint had to obtain. They were the foundation for his growth to face demons.
"But…"
Fernan circled the word "mithril" several times.
"Mithril is mine."
Mithril.
A treasure said to be a metal blessed by mana—so rare and valuable it was considered priceless.
Its excellent mana preservation, storage, and adaptability made it ideal for crafting superior artifacts.
But the abilities of mithril Fernan saw in the prophetic book went far beyond that.
[—My god, is that a mithril vein?
As the spirit beast collapsed, the rear lines broke apart, and mithril ore started peeking out through the cracks.
—We have to mine it all, Aint. Don't miss a single chunk!
"Understood!"]
[—Once refined, it should yield about five kilograms. That's a massive amount.]
[—Mithril is a better vessel than any other metal. It naturally holds mana and is often called a metal blessed by mana. But that's not all.
—This sword too is an alloy made with mithril. That's how it was able to house my soul.]
"…A mineral that can hold souls."
Soul magic was considered practically forbidden due to its dangers and thus was under-researched. That's why no one knew mithril could even contain a soul.
That's where Fernan saw a new possibility.
"If I have this…"
With five kilograms of mithril and its newly uncovered properties, Fernan could finally complete the ultimate highlight of the merchant's way of battle he had always dreamed of.
"It's mine."
Any butterfly effects caused by Aint not getting the mithril? Fernan would smother them with money.
"It has to be mine."
His eyes burned with greed.
A problem had arisen during the first-year knight division's exam, but canceling the midterms altogether was not an option.
Thus, the academy shifted strategies.
"This midterm, due to safety concerns, all practical exams have been canceled. Instead, everything will be replaced with written tests."
"Ah…"
"No way…!"
"That means so much more to study…!"
At the professor's announcement, students groaned and clutched their heads in despair.
"Studying is something you should do consistently. This is a great chance to see who's truly diligent."
'Even better for me.'
From Fernan's perspective, this was ideal.
After all, theory was his specialty.
With all the practicals replaced by written tests, the midterms progressed more quickly.
"Those who have completed the exam may turn in their papers and leave."
Every time, Fernan was the first to leave the exam hall. And with the extra time, he went straight to knock on the faculty office door.
"An application to be a temporary assistant?"
Professor Rosalia flipped through the paperwork, scanning it carefully, then furrowed her brows.
"Is there a problem?"
"There are so many problems, I don't know where to begin."
She closed the folder.
"This system is intended for upperclassmen who are short on credits."
Temporary assistants were upperclassmen who acted as safety personnel for the lowerclassmen's practicals.
It was usually done by upperclassmen trying to make up for a lack of credits, though occasionally students aiming for top ranks would apply for the bonus points.
"I'm a bit short on credits myself, actually. I took it easy during first year, enjoying the academy life."
"Ever since you got paired with Ruina Berchef, you've suddenly developed a thirst for the top spot?"
"Well, I figured I should at least keep up with my partner."
Still, she shook her head.
"Upperclassmen can be temporary assistants because they have fewer required classes. If a first-year skips classes to assist, it defeats the purpose."
"That's why I want to do it just this once."
"The first-year joint survival class lasts a whole week. Even upperclassmen can't afford to miss that much class time."
In other words, being absent for a week would definitely interfere with multiple courses.
"I've heard that in the case of overlapping subjects, assistant work can count as a substitute."
And it wasn't just Magic Survival Skills. In large-scale practicals like this, three 5-credit courses were typically bundled together: Combat, War, and Magic, Magical Creatures and Monster Studies, and the aforementioned Magic Survival Skills.
Just like the second-years' first joint practical.
In other words, acting as a temporary assistant would cover all three of those classes.
"Introduction to Runes, Understanding Beastmen, Spells, and Rituals, Structure and Principles of Magic Circles, Elemental Magic (Earth), Intermediate Alchemical Magic, Magic Stone Processing and Engraving, Golem Engineering, Research on Magical Equipment—these are the ones left."
Professor Rosalia recited Fernan's remaining required and elective courses.
"If you're aiming for a higher rank, you really shouldn't be skipping any of them."
"Missing one class won't be a big issue. And Golem Engineering is already being substituted with a project, so there's no need to attend."
"You're going this far?"
"If I want to climb the rankings late, I have to push harder."
She gazed at Fernan steadily. Fernan did not avoid her gaze.
"According to school regulations, there are two conditions for becoming a temporary assistant."
"One, you must be in the top 10. And two, you can't participate in practicals with your peers or upperclassmen."
Since assistants were responsible for managing students in relatively dangerous conditions, a clear difference in skill level was required.
"And I meet both conditions."
Fernan was ranked 10th in the Magic Department, and the practical he aimed to assist in was for first-years.
"…Fine. There's no issue according to the rules, so I'll approve it. But you'll take full responsibility for the consequences."
"Thank you."
Fernan bowed his head.
As expected, going through Professor Rosalia, who didn't make a fuss as long as the rules were followed, was the right choice.
Still, I hope I can just go through with the assistant work quietly.
Though he was preparing for a worst-case scenario, obtaining the mithril during his assistant duties was truly a last resort.
Fernan sincerely hoped that "worst case" would never come to pass.
"…Now I can finally breathe. My head was throbbing."
Crunch. Luina let out a long sigh after finishing a sweet piece of chocolate.
"Was the exam that hard?"
"I'd rather have duels or practicals. Why did everything have to be replaced with written tests…?"
Knights weren't just muscleheads with no brains.
Knights were expected to have high standards of education and etiquette, and anyone accepted into the academy couldn't be stupid.
Still, as knights, they naturally preferred practicals over written exams—it was instinct and habit. Especially in her case, having achieved second place through skill alone, it was only natural.
"But… that thing—is it okay now?"
"Probably."
"That answer is rather vague."
"I don't know everything either."
He didn't remember every single detail of the prophetic book. He had no way of knowing whether the monster frenzy in the northern region would repeat or not.
"What about the demon? The one who turned Berian into a demon has to be inside the academy, right?"
"Definitely. I agree. I plan to investigate that soon."
In a few days, once Hyde returned, Fernan intended to leave it to him. Hunting demons wasn't easy, but Hyde was perfect for the job.
"Still, no matter how I think about it, I'm uneasy. Are you sure you don't need to tell the professors?"
"If I tell them, they'll ask how I knew. And that'll inevitably lead to Berian's case. Just this once, I'll keep it to myself. Next time, I'll report it properly."
"You're assuming there'll be another demon incident?"
Fernan nodded.
There was no need to reference the prophecy. The first time is always the hardest—after that, things escalate easily.
"But why the academy? What are they after?"
"This is just my theory… but the academy gathers the top talents not just from the empire, but neighboring nations as well. If something happens here…"
"It's no different from destroying the empire's future. Understood."
Luina became unnecessarily resolute.
"If you ever need help, please call on me—especially for anything related to demons."
"Sure."
Fernan smiled with satisfaction at how she offered her help without needing to be asked.
Now I can use her for free from here on out.
"By the way, the spirit elixir never existed in the first place, right?"
"Yeah."
"I understand. Honestly, if you'd suddenly told me it was a demon, I wouldn't have believed you."
"Thanks for understanding."
She would likely realize much later just how foolish a promise she'd made.
Whether demons descended, monsters went berserk, or Luina had just sold her future for free—the days passed.
And the chaotic midterms came to an end.
Thanks to the unusual situation with the monsters' frenzy, most exams had been converted to written form, so results came out rather quickly.
Fernan pushed through the murmuring crowd of students and checked the ranking board posted on the wall.
[Academy 2nd Year, 1st Semester Midterm Rankings – Magic Department]
[1st: Fernan Pellenberg
2nd: Carlo Deneb
3rd: Rudger Schwaben
4th: Daisy…]
"Fernan got first place?"
"Did his performance in the practicals make a big impact?"
"What are you talking about? The practicals weren't included. They were separate from the midterms."
"What? Then how—?"
"…Sure, the final ranking includes everything through finals, but getting first in midterms like this—?"
The academy ranked students solely based on required courses. Electives were graded separately and had little impact on the leaderboard.
All the students were baffled.
Fernan had indeed begun scoring exceptionally well this semester, but no one had imagined he would take first place in the midterms just like that.
While everyone struggled to figure out the reason—
"…That's one hell of a twist."
Fernan knew the reason perfectly.
"So this is the butterfly effect of the demon incident?"
Because of the monsters' frenzy, all the midterm exams were converted into written tests.
And Fernan, who had always made up for his weak practicals with strong theoretical performance, naturally rose to the top.
In hindsight, perhaps this outcome was inevitable.