In the Lert Mountains, where the Cult's Cradle is located.

To the south of these mountains, there is a vast field of pebbles, where the black stone flows.

Humans call this river the Pebble Desert.

The Cult, however, calls it the Black Valley.

Downstream of the Black Valley, humans have built and inhabited a fortress.

Though humans have taken land from the Cult in various ways...

They have never managed to ascend the Black Valley.

Blocking their expansion every 12 years is the Black River that flows over the Black Valley.

Thanks to the Demon Beasts of the Cradle.

"...What a waste."

Bishop Gran was observing as the magical creatures made their way towards the lands of humans.

He felt that the flow of magical creatures towards human lands was utterly wasteful.

If another Cradle could be constructed using those numerous magical creatures, it would surely enhance the Cult's power.

Why must these creatures go to their deaths at the hands of humans?

‘Your Eminence Cardinal asserted that humans would not grow using magical creatures as fuel, and that this flow would deplete human strength.’

Yet, Bishop Gran, sacrilegiously, couldn't believe even her words.

Wasn't there a single exception?

‘What if another being defies Your Eminence Cardinal's insight this time as well… How on earth should I handle this?’

He sighed deeply, unable to stop his irreverent thoughts.

For a while, as the magical creatures poured into the dry valley,

Something peculiar caught Bishop Gran's attention.

"A flame on the hill."

A mountain closer to the Cult's territories than to human lands.

There, a strangely colored flame was spotted.

Seeing the light, Bishop Gran decided to send his familiar to scout the area.

Normally, when sent towards human bases, this weak familiar would be intercepted quickly.

However, humans overwhelmed by magical creatures wouldn't have the time to notice the familiar.

He slowly began to confirm the situation where the light burst forth.

A group of humans moving across the black river path.

A human at the forefront, clearing the way.

From the end of a gun, full spectrum flames were spewing out.

It even seemed as if he was absorbing the magical creatures he burned with those flames.

This directly contradicted Your Eminence Cardinal's insight.

Bishop Gran decided to send the familiar closer to observe in more detail.

"That one requires close monitoring."

He used a few spells to redirect the path of the magical creatures.

To ensure the odd human absorbing magical creatures would not encounter them by chance.

He adjusted the path of the magical creatures, speeding their descent so that they would all pass by the human before he could come down from the mountain.

In the process, some humans were swept away, but that was not something Bishop Gran was concerned about.

Afterward, Bishop Gran turned to head back to the Cult to report everything he had witnessed.

"What on earth happened here..."

The Unit Commander whispered in despair as he looked at the devastation below the mountain.

The place where they were told a company was waiting. There was nothing there.

No people, no magical creatures, no equipment.

Nothing, not even the mountains, the grass, or the trees.

It seemed as though something enormous had swept through the terrain.

While the Unit Commander and I were surveying the disaster, A soldier in the rear shouted.

"Commander! The magical creatures..."

Oh no.

The disaster was so overwhelming that we momentarily forgot we were being chased by magical creatures.

Just as the Unit Commander regained h34 composure and prepared to give orders, the soldier relayed an unbelievable report.

"The swarm is no longer advancing towards us!"

"What do you mean? Explain."

"They... suddenly changed direction as if they're avoiding us."

"They changed direction? A magical creature?"

It seemed like his words were true.

The magical creatures that had been chasing us from behind were no longer visible.

The trees in the mountain range were still shaking, suggesting that the creatures were pouring down the mountain.

However, the magical creatures weren't paying any attention to us and were moving somewhere else.

"...It's a strange situation."

I agreed with the Unit Commander's mutter.

The creatures were moving as if they were following orders like a trained army.

Their direction led to human territory, so their target must be humans.

Who on earth is using these creatures to attack humans?

‘Monsters that are hostile to humans and control magical creatures, it can only be the Cult.’

If the story progresses according to the game, around the end of the term by the Academy's standards, the Cult leads massive monsters southward.

This causes the frontline to collapse and forces the defenses to retreat.

As the frontlines are pushed back, the Academy, which had been responsible for stabilizing the rear, takes on the role of the frontline.

From that moment, the Academy becomes a battlefield of life and death.

‘In other words, it's expected that the Cult will attempt to attack the frontline using magical creatures...’

Yet the current attack by the creatures seems too early to be the Cult’s move, and the quality of the creatures is poor.

It's unlikely that anyone besides the Cult is commanding these creatures.

And creatures of that magnitude couldn’t have appeared naturally.

Perhaps… The current attack by the magical creatures seems to be a reconnaissance mission before the Cult's full-scale invasion.

While I was pondering this thought, the Unit Commander spoke.

"We must first distance ourselves as much as possible from the herd of creatures, then head south and join up with the 4th Battalion."

"We've lost contact with the supply unit... The monster offensive came faster than expected..."

"It was a bit quicker than the previous cycle."

"Hmm..."

This was said by the Division Commander. She placed a pipe in her mouth.

The situation had become difficult. The plan was to withdraw the Academy cadets from the unit.

But losing contact due to the monster attack...

"Do I need to revise the scenario a bit..."

Originally, the idea was to publicize the story of the brave Academy cadet succeeding in breaking through the monster attack and returning.

Trying to align the dates of the monster attack with the unit's retreat so tightly, a mistake occurred.

"The protagonist of our propaganda being swept away by magical creatures and disappearing... we won't be able to come up with a proper title in this case."

It seems the company sent out to meet them has been decimated.

If we release something with a title like 'The brave Academy cadet met a fierce end,' it's obvious what kind of response we'll get.

The 5th Division Commander contemplated while taking a draw from her pipe.

White smoke billowed out as she sank into thought for a moment.

At that moment, the head of the Secretariat urgently spoke.

"…Division Commander? There's a phone call."

"If it's the Central Government, tell them I'm not here. No doubt it's the usual order to stay put and not make any moves."

The Division Commander waved her hand dismissively and leaned back in her chair.

Usually, the head of the Secretariat would have hung up the receiver, adhering to the Division Commander’s intent.

This time, however, he persisted.

"Division Commander, I believe you should take this call."

"Why? Who is it that's so important..."

"It's a direct call from His Excellency, the President."

"What? What do you mean?"

The Division Commander's eyes widened in shock.

Three ghosts were haunting the Academy.

Rumors included:

[ The shocking personal life of the Disciplinary Committee's Action Leader Gardner. ]

and slanders like:

[ The relationship between the Disciplinary Committee's Action Leader Gardner and the Student Council. ]

Furthermore, conspiracy theories claimed:

[ The Punitive Squad is actually controlled by the Disciplinary Committee's Action Leader Gardner. ]

These strange stories centered around Gardner.

Initially, no one at the Academy believed them.

However, once students testifying to these claims appeared in the newspaper, people started accepting these bizarre stories as half-truths.

As a result, the two main departments responsible for maintaining order at the Academy, the Disciplinary Committee and the Punitive Squad, were heavily tarnished in reputation, leading to considerable chaos within the Academy.

"The Punitive Squad and Disciplinary Committee must clarify the facts!!!"

Cadets trying to verify the truth of the strange stories spreading through the Academy.

"The Punitive Squad and Disciplinary Committee should return my confiscated cosmetics, magazines, comic books, alcohol, cards, and meal ticket duplicator!!!"

Cadets attempting to seize personal gain amidst the chaos.

"Relax the standards for establishing new clubs!!!"

Cadets filled with discontent gathered together, they turned the Academy into complete chaos.

The Disciplinary Committee stepped forward to quell the uproar, but…

The more forcefully the Disciplinary Committee repressed them, the more actively the students resisted.

They claimed they had justice on their side and did not fear being captured. For those tasked with suppression, it was indeed a headache.

Amidst this, for some reason, the Student Council remained silent.

The Newspaper Club had already gained protection under the Student Council before the incidents broke out.

"The President... she often did strange things, but this isn't right."

The Head of the Legal Department was troubled by this situation.

They should've dealt with the Newspaper Club that disseminated these rumors beforehand, preventing their spread.

However, due to the Newspaper Club's protection under the Student Council, that wasn't possible.

As a result, these absurd rumors spread far and wide, bringing the Academy to this point.

In order to restore their reputation, the Punitive Squad and Disciplinary Committee needed to precisely punish the source of the rumors.

Of course, if the rumors were entirely baseless...

The Punitive Squad and Disciplinary Committee would have advanced on the Student Council, but...

‘Based on what they've heard, some portion seems to hold truth…’

They needed to apprehend Gardner, the main source of the rumors.

However… Currently, Gardner has gone to the brigade for the medal award ceremony and has not returned.

Waiting quietly for him to come back to the Academy was not an option due to a lack of time.

"Sigh... I wasn't planning to go this far."

In the end, the Head of the Legal Department resorted to a card she thought she would never use.

She picked up the phone placed on one side of the office.

It was a long-distance communication device capable of connecting with the outside of the Academy.

After about 10 minutes of the dialing tone ringing...

As soon as the call connected, the Head of the Legal Department spoke.

"Dad, please send one person back quickly to the Academy."

Please support the series on NovelUpdates