Chapter 302 - The Darkness That Approaches
Nathan Evenhart:
"Took you long enough," said a senior student with red hair, extending her hand.
It was Elara Asalon. Over the past year, I had ended up spending quite a bit of time around her. If I had to describe Elara, I'd say she's a bit energetic, but I can tell she's extremely disciplined. I always see her staying late after hours to train. She practices swordsmanship while reinforcing her body with pure mana. She holds a position as an ambassador, and from what I've heard, she's extremely dedicated. Just by observing her, I can tell she's powerful—both in swordsmanship and magic. It's no surprise she's considered the academy's top student.
We greeted her. The student council was made up of more students beyond those who appeared publicly.
The meeting room was large, with knights scattered around, chatting amongst themselves. I noticed that our entire group of friends was present.
In one corner, Princess Melina was practicing swordplay with a knight, while in another, Princess Alice was reading. Edmund was absorbed in documents but acknowledged us with a glance. Viktor was polishing a suit of armor, and Chloe, along with Thyra, was making her way toward us.
"You took your time," my cousin remarked.
"We were stuck in a theoretical class on Underground Construction for Earth Mages," Syvis explained.
"And on top of that, we had to build model houses simulating an earth mage's magic…" I complained, recalling the lesson for Construction Mages.
I noticed a few people approaching us.
Princess Elara picked up some clipboards and handed them to me and Syvis.
"Now that you're here, we can continue our meeting," she said.
From another room, Princess Rose Olarion emerged—the most important person in the room at the moment. She was the daughter of the king of the fourth great kingdom.
Beside her stood Marco Filch, a demi-human, and Bron Eldurin, an elf. Behind them were Sebastian Blake and a high elf dressed in white, Saint Tiffania Brawen.
I acknowledged each of them with a nod.
"It's a pleasure to see you all again. I think I've barely shown up this year, despite being forced to come weekly," I said.
I turned to Bron, who carried a bow on his back. He was a Shooter Mage, specializing in storing his mana in arrows and releasing it through his fire spells.
Then, I shifted my attention to Tiffania Brawen. It was my first time meeting her in person. I had heard she was in high demand due to her healing abilities, and she also played a role as an international relations ambassador, often receiving special permission to miss extended periods of class.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," I said, extending my hand.
I noticed that her hand started trembling slightly as she reached for mine.
"T-the pleasure is mine…" she stammered, looking a little nervous.
The last was Sebastian, but he remained distant.
Saint Tiffania also greeted Syvis.
Elara suddenly appeared between us, placing a hand on both mine and Syvis's shoulders, pulling us closer.
"Come on, we've got a lot to discuss," she said with a grin, pointing toward a large table. "Everyone, take your positions."
Elara called for attention, and one by one, everyone took their seats at the massive table.
"Let's sit over there," Chloe suggested, and I nodded in agreement.
I picked up the clipboard and started looking through it.
Interesting… it's a schedule for the upcoming excursion to the Inverted Tower. It even includes a reminder of the areas the students will be passing through… They really think of everything. There's even a mandatory supply list for each student.
"As you all know, the purpose of this meeting is to discuss the grand dungeon excursion we'll be undertaking with so many students involved," Elara said from the head of the large table. "This will be the first excursion for first-year students, as well as for you newly promoted second-years."
Princess Elara tapped her clipboard before standing up and walking toward a glass board behind her. As she touched it, images began to appear.
"There is always an ongoing excursion to the Inverted Tower. With so many students in the academy, they spend days or even weeks down there, sharpening their skills and gaining practical experience. Teaching someone to quickly fire off a spell at a stationary target is one thing—having them do it against magical beasts in real combat is another," Elara explained.
The board's image shifted to a scene resembling a vast cavern.
"This large-scale excursion, organized by the headmistress, will form teams structured like mage squadrons—it's meant to function as military training," she continued. The images displayed mages casting spells, sword-wielding battlemages, and archmage fighters launching enchanted arrows. "But it's also something exciting for students. There's plenty to experience in the tower. It holds a real ecosystem of its own."
More scenes appeared—each one more distinct than the last. I saw landscapes of water, snow, forests… each probably representing different levels of the Inverted Tower.
"The instructors will be stationed below, serving as guides for the different levels. The first floors are accessible through cave routes. After that, an elevator is required to reach the second level, which consists of ten interconnected caverns. In a way, you could say the tower has only ten levels instead of a hundred, since each level contains ten connected caverns, branching downward," Elara explained.
"In this major excursion, we'll only be exploring the first level, covering its ten cavern zones. There will be set objectives for the students, assigned shifts, camp setups, and various activities."
She continued displaying different images.
"You'll find that it's not as grand as it sounds. When people hear 'a hundred floors,' they imagine something massive and overwhelming, but in reality, it's just a hundred separate caverns spread across ten levels."
She paused, giving everyone time to absorb the information.
"I can't reveal too much, but the activities will involve teams working together to collect one item from each cavern. It could be a mineral, a flower, an animal egg… it doesn't matter. Each team will be given their own set of missions while being supervised. Of course, this will be graded, so it will count as an official assessment—especially important for students from the first to third years," Elara said.
I noticed some of the students' expressions lighting up at the prospect.
Chloe leaned closer to me and whispered, "I think this is basically a camping trip," she joked.
Princess Elara handed out documents.
"This will serve as a practical test to prove that this academy rewards those who push themselves to their limits and hone their talents," she stated.
One of the knights raised a hand.
"So, we'll only be covering the first level, meaning just the ten caverns?" he asked.
"Exactly," Elara confirmed.
"Then it'll be easy. We've been down there plenty of times," the knight remarked.
Elara shook her head.
"Descending with a team of your own classmates—who are already experienced with the threats below and know the pathways—is one thing. What you'll be doing is entirely different," she explained.
"You'll be placed in teams with students from different years, many of whom lack real battle experience. The role of upperclassmen will be to manage the group, learning how to adapt to varying power levels. This will be a test for you as well—especially those who will lead squads in the future. It's easy to function with a powerful, well-coordinated team, but it's an entirely different challenge when dealing with a mixed squad of people with vastly different skills and experience levels. That's how it would be in a real war. How would you handle leading a squad of people you don't know? People with different talents? People who aren't particularly strong? How would you ration resources when you're forced to work with someone who isn't your friend?Everything will be a test for how well you can work together down there," Elara stated.
After her explanation, I could tell the veteran knight was beginning to understand the true difficulty of the task ahead.
Victoria Vargulfson:
It was late afternoon, and I was on my way to a meeting.
Yet, a lingering unease hung in the air. Everything felt… too calm. In a way that made my skin crawl.
"I can't believe I actually miss the days when things were tense…" I murmured, adjusting my pace.
To clear my mind, I had asked the carriage to drop me off farther away on purpose. I needed to walk, to organize my thoughts.
The noble district was as peaceful as ever. Elegant mansions lined the avenue, their flower-filled gardens tended by diligent servants. Well-dressed butlers stood nearby as noblewomen enjoyed tea and hushed conversations on their balconies.
This serenity felt… wrong.
Then, as I turned a corner, I spotted a familiar figure stepping out of one of the mansions.
"Old man Sahrotaar?" My voice carried a mix of surprise and disbelief.
The elderly elf lifted his head and grinned when he saw me, casually pulling a bottle of liquor from his storage bracelet.
"Well, well… if it isn't the woman I always send to handle my problems while I relax at home."
"What are you doing here?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "Wait… were you really about to start drinking at this hour?"
He let out a carefree laugh.
"I came to visit the Evenharts, check on things. I am the Elven Kingdom's official representative for these diplomatic matters…" He took a dramatic pause, bringing the bottle to his lips. "…involving the boy."
I couldn't help but chuckle, shaking my head in disbelief.
"You? Seriously? I thought you'd rather be drinking and telling your ridiculous war stories somewhere."
He shrugged.
"I was curious about the kid, so I volunteered."
"Please tell me you didn't fill his head with your insane stories… or worse, make him pay for your drinks."
Sahrotaar laughed even louder, practically confessing his guilt.
"Ahh, you know me too well… maybe I did both."
For a moment, only laughter echoed between us. But the lightheartedness quickly faded, replaced by the same uneasy silence that had been following me for days.
"Something is wrong." My voice was firm. "You must have received the latest updates about the situation at the border."
The old elf let out a heavy sigh, his expression darkening.
"There's been no word from the Human Empire. The Theocracy, the Song Dynasty… they've all simply turned their backs on the border. Nothing but absolute silence."
I frowned.
"If that was the only issue, it would already be a serious concern…"
"The real problem," he continued, his voice dropping into something heavier, "are the anomalies."
"They're spreading… getting closer and closer to our lands."
I remained silent, a chill running down my spine.
"Could it be?" His voice carried a rare, grim weight. It echoed in the cold wind. "That secret… passed down from generation to generation…"
I nodded, my chest tightening.
"Maybe the time has finally come."
He took a step forward, gazing into the dark depths of the forest ahead—almost as if he could see beyond the veil of reality itself.
"That once… there were nine worlds. And that, at some point, they fell to a darkness that is now approaching us."