CHAPTER 173: SHATTERED BELL [1]

Never.

It was something he had never thought about even once.

While he had considered changing bad futures predicted in the prophecy book to good ones, he had never even contemplated the possibility of good futures worsening.

Why on earth.

How on earth.

For what reason.

’I stopped it. I captured that evil species and handed him over to the Margrave!’

He was confused. His mind went completely blank.

The remains of the collapsed bell seemed to foretell a gloomy future.

The prophecy book clearly stated that Aint and Grad would protect it.

’Why on earth is the Bell of Pasa breaking? Why, why, why, why, why...!’

The future had gone wrong. Why had the future gone wrong?

’What did I do wrong? What was the problem?’

Was it triggered by what he had done at the Academy? Or because of the future he changed when he came to Altriark?

He thought and thought again.

In fact, there was one thing that could be pinpointed.

Setting a trap in advance to foil Byron’s plan and capturing him.

The problem was that the future, which he thought would improve positively as a result of his capture, had instead changed negatively.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t properly understand the causal relationship.

"The Bell of Pasa...?"

"This can’t be happening..."

The Academy students who had followed belatedly were also shocked to witness the collapsed Bell of Pasa.

"Why on earth is the Bell of Pasa broken!"

"What happened!"

Shouts heard from all around accelerated the confusion.

"..."

Gerhard couldn’t be certain how things had changed to result in this outcome.

But one thing was certain.

Whatever future this butterfly effect might create.

’I need to do something, anything...’

It would certainly not be a good future.

==

Magical beasts attacked Altriark.

The Bell of Pasa was broken.

The Margrave, who had been at the barrier, hurriedly returned to the capital.

All gates of the capital were closed, and all officials and administrators of the capital were summoned.

With emergency meetings being held day after day, the atmosphere in the capital became more intense than ever.

And in such a situation, all Academy students returned to the Academy.

They had solid alibis, and in this situation, withdrawing actually helped the investigation.

"...What do we do now?"

The practical training was over. The Academy students returned to their normal lives, and Aint also returned to his dormitory.

But his mind was not at ease.

[Breaking News! Artk, the capital of Altriark, attacked! The Empire’s barrier breached!]

[The evil species’ activities becoming increasingly visible. The symbol of the Empire destroyed. The Bell of Pasa shattered to pieces...]

The newspapers were constantly filled with stories about Altriark and the Bell of Pasa.

It was natural. What kind of object was the Bell of Pasa?

Although for a thousand years it had been merely a symbol, its essence was an instrument that broke demons and other malevolent things.

A divine object said to have been created jointly by the first Emperor and the Dragon Faith.

A weapon specifically designed for greater demons—when rung once, ordinary magical beasts would collapse, and even evil species and demons couldn’t be free from its influence.

"Does the Bell of Pasa really have as much effect as the legends say?"

It does.

The Bell of Pasa was the finest artifact created by the first Emperor together with the Dragon Faith.

To be precise, it was an amplifier.

"An amplifier?"

The Bell of Pasa could only be used by the first Emperor.

In fact, the Bell of Pasa didn’t possess the power to destroy all malevolent things as its name suggested.

It was an amplifier that enhanced mana, magical power, and aura through the medium of sound.

It amplifies and spreads Armian’s power of Pasa through the bell.

It dealt a great blow not only to magical beasts and evil species but also to demons?

Of course. Because the source of that power was the first Emperor.

The first Emperor frequently used the Bell of Pasa in large-scale battles.

After ringing the bell once, magical beasts would be weakened, allowing him to lead the battle advantageously.

Of course, he couldn’t use it often because the amount of aura or mana consumed was enormous.

Nevertheless, this incident showed how lethally the Bell of Pasa affected demons.

The first thing these beings did as they began to reveal their existence in earnest was to divert Altriark’s attention and break the Bell of Pasa.

You can see how lethal the Bell of Pasa was to them.

It was common for an excellent knight or mage to be considered a moderate hero in their own country, but in an enemy country, they would be treated as greater demons that couldn’t be appeased even if torn apart.

The evil species’ reaction was clearer evidence of how remarkable the Bell of Pasa was.

"...Then is this really a serious problem?"

It’s a serious problem.

The presence or absence of the Bell of Pasa will be starkly evident in large-scale warfare.

Aint’s face turned pale.

There was a difference between merely having an ominous feeling and hearing it confirmed from Gardner’s mouth.

And the bigger problem was that even if Aint recognized this as an issue, there wasn’t much he could do about it.

"We can’t just sit here and take it. Isn’t there a way?"

It’s frustrating, but the only thing you can do right now is to become stronger yourself.

Because the current Armian doesn’t have the power to lead the game.

"...Again, it’s a family issue."

Aint bit his lip tightly.

He had grown up hearing about his family’s brilliant past since childhood. The more he heard, the greater his sense of deprivation.

What good was it if they were once emperors, if they were once great?

Now they were just a princely house in name only, unable to escape from the vanity of the past.

Why didn’t Armian attend the Academy and lived a life isolated from the outside?

Because they didn’t want to face reality. They didn’t want to directly confirm with their own eyes and ears the fallen status of Armian.

It was a pathetic family. Aint disliked that and came to the Academy.

The treasure map of the first Emperor given by his father was a trigger, but even without it, Aint would have eventually left the family.

That’s why.

He wanted to make the family great again.

He didn’t tell Gardner, who wanted to make him Emperor, not to do so.

He really wanted to become Emperor.

Or there’s the option of asking the upstart for help.

He probably knows how big of a crisis the bell’s destruction is.

"But what should we do after asking for help?"

It wasn’t as if they knew where the evil species’ hideout was, or if there was a way to restore the bell.

I don’t know how to fix the broken Bell of Pasa either.

Of course, I don’t know how to make it. I’m a knight, not a craftsman.

"Then we have no choice but to sit idly and take it..."

It was then.

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on Aint’s door.

"Who is it...?"