[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero":3,"chapter-i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-123":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Became the Academy’s War Hero",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1531780,1990,"Chapter 123 : For Whom the Bell Tolls (4)","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-123",123,"\u003Cp>Chapter 123: For Whom the Bell Tolls (4)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Hey, Carter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m realizing this again, but…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gustav spoke with an expression close to awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re insane.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks for the compliment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his sharp remark, Eugene replied without the slightest change in expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Gustav looked at the ten cores already made, he let out a hollow laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still couldn’t quite believe what had just happened before his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re going to modify the cores?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah. They’re not perfect enough to use as they are.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You do know that to modify a core, you have to extract the soul that’s already been sealed inside, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You went through all that trouble to subdue them and turn them into cores, but now you’re just going to release them all…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s the problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve been forcing spirits that don’t even want this to submit and work for me. There’s no way I can operate them efficiently that way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I mean, what evil spirit would want to be used as a golem’s core? Even if it’s inefficient, there’s no other option—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll see about that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What Eugene did afterward shattered every last bit of the Mallet members’ expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…To think he’d use his contract with Clina White like that.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it had been an ordinary human trying to persuade them, it wouldn’t have worked at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if the Queen of Banshees herself — one of the twelve highest-ranking evil spirits — used her mana to persuade them, it was a different story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eugene presented the act as a stepping stone for future liberation struggles, igniting the spirits’ motivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, twenty-seven souls willingly offered themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them were even three high-ranking evil spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Those same ones that wouldn’t even respond, let alone answer, to anything before.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the agents began golem production using the newly made cores, Eugene moved on to check the status of the turrets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gustav and Meriel, who silently followed behind him, couldn’t help but be impressed again by his sharp and delicate observations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here, there’s a gap in the barrier. Even a small crack like this is enough for them to squeeze through. Maybe not as bad as when we faced Sabnac, but seal every opening you can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fill this turret mostly with low-grade mana stones. There’s no reason to waste high-grade ones on inefficient formulas.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The zero point’s off. Let me see that. You’re the gunner, right? Your deviation radius is way too wide right now. You got blank rounds? Fire five. I’ll calibrate it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These coordinates are off too. Let’s see… move four meters left and eleven right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In no time at all, Eugene finished inspecting over twenty turrets and even checked the positions of the combatants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of them were long-range mages, so he focused particularly on those capable of covering mid to close range, assigning tactics that would reinforce their effectiveness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even among the long-range casters, attack, defense, support, and healing roles differed; he made sure no one overlapped positions by organizing the formation again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once that was done, Eugene gave a satisfied nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This should wrap up the checks…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If there’s nothing else to verify, I’ll take a short break. I won’t be getting much sleep for a while after tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he quietly headed alone toward the tower terrace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching that scene, Gustav muttered to Meriel beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Maybe this battle… might actually be winnable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Perhaps.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They, too, needed rest, so the two entrusted final orders to the lookout before returning inside the tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll stop by the 21st floor for a moment. I left a few artifacts charging there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“While you’re at it, check the Barion Orb again. A slow read means slow response.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sending Meriel off, Gustav was just about to head to his room when an agent came running in a rush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir Gustav!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um… near the Forest of Delusion…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t tell me they’re attacking already?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“N-No! It’s not that, but…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then it doesn’t matter. If it’s not about Dellowell, don’t report it to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s enough. Get back to your post. We can’t afford to be distracted by anything else right now. Understood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I said, understood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-Yes, sir!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The subordinate, cowed by his rebuke, forced down his unease and returned to his assigned station.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As planned, Meriel arrived at the 21st floor and threw open the door—only to find an unexpected figure inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re late, Meriel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rubia? Why are you here…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rubia smiled, her hand resting on the outer rim of a radiant golden pillar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could you lend me a hand, Meriel?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing each other with the supreme-class artifact, the Episode Gazer, between them, the two sat back-to-back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t have much time, so it would’ve been better to finish their work first before talking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, knowing that well, Rubia still waited silently until Meriel spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meriel found it strange that she couldn’t open her mouth easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She thought she’d already sorted out her feelings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So why was it so hard to say a single word?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She decided to be brave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she didn’t speak now, she felt she’d never have the chance to confess for the rest of her life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…At first, it was jealousy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the first sentence she finally managed to utter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You were far more talented a mage than I ever was, and you carried yourself like one. I didn’t just acknowledge you—I admired you. I wanted to support you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until you met Eugene Carter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thought he had corrupted you. I resented him—and I was disappointed in you for being influenced by someone like him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meriel could never surpass Rubia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Rubia was dispatched to Karbenna, Meriel took her place as the Mallet’s second-in-command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outwardly, it seemed she had surpassed her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The inferiority complex that Meriel harbored—knowing all too well what the truth was—only continued to grow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she had taught Eugene how to use the Episode Gazer and helped him operate it,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>she, too, had witnessed a part of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What exactly had transpired between the two at that time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she realized it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That she, consumed by jealousy, had committed something truly unforgivable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that moment, all traces of jealousy and resentment vanished like they had been washed away,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>leaving only lingering regret and guilt in their place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she came to understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What Rubia was looking at— what she was aiming for— was something far beyond the reach of someone like her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why, on the day she left the Mallet, she had asked Eugene for that favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But even so, a trial came to me as well. The unavoidable calamity called Dellowell.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I’m sorry about that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, there’s nothing to be sorry for. It’s an opponent I had to face sooner or later. I don’t plan to run away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just wanted to be honest with you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because we might never get the chance to speak like this again. I was lucky even for this much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Meriel…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She rose to her feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rubia followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a while, the two of them simply looked at each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, a faint but fiery smile began to bloom on Meriel’s lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She placed her hand atop the pillar and asked, as though she’d been waiting for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright… what should I do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While waiting for Rubia’s return and continuing her search for clues, Francia slammed the desk in frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What on earth should I do…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more she searched, the clearer the limits became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Summing up all the information she had gathered so far, this was the conclusion:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even among those who had awakened the trait of the Sword Saint, only a handful ever reached full bloom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aura Blade was indeed an outstanding technique, but for the Sword Saints, it was nothing more than a basic form—something they could maintain ten or even a hundred times if needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond that lay the realms of Illusion Swordsmanship and the Divine Sword, yet in all of history, there had never been a single Sword Saint who had reached both at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sword techniques such as Illusion Swordsmanship could, in theory, be combined with flame blades or frost blades, but no doctrine had ever been established for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short—it was possible, but the method was unknown. The user had to discover it for themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant everything depended on the user’s own ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Francia bowed her head, berating herself for her own powerlessness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…There’s no more time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At most, she had two days left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had practiced endlessly until now, but not once had she succeeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Expecting a miraculous turnaround in just two days was, frankly, impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more desperate the situation, the more she knew she had to struggle with all her might.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one understood that better than Francia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until the very moment of battle, she wouldn’t give up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there was no method, then she would create one herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s what Eric had done, too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t give up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very least, that person wouldn’t have been frightened or resigned in the face of a trial like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she steeled herself and began to move forward— a shadow appeared before her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You seem troubled, young lady.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An elderly man with a long brown beard smiled kindly as he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Would you allow me to offer some help?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thursday, the 31st. 2 A.M.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An unfamiliar crowd had gathered at Dellowell’s main gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Burly soldiers, cloaked in black from head to toe, stood perfectly aligned in strict formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath their cloaks, thick plated breastplates gleamed dully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their weapons varied, but their condition was the same— old, cracked, caked with mud and blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single man strode confidently among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were the chosen five hundred elites of Dellowell— the most loyal and powerful among their ranks, assembled for this surprise assault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the vanguard had completed their preparations for battle, Director Heinrich of the Inquisition raised his voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Raise your weapons, all of you! The time of judgment is upon us!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his command, the soldiers lifted their weapons in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead of a weapon, Heinrich held the flag of Dellowell aloft and shouted even louder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kill them! Before their sins consume you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the soldiers stomped the ground in fervent unison, madness began to gleam in their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Satisfied with the sight, Heinrich pointed the flag forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Toward Duel—Mallet and Karbenna, he declared the sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now… it’s time to judge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Waaaaah—!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that same moment—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the tall spire within the Velut Fortress, a familiar peal of bells began to ring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the bell that heralded the beginning of the Holy War.\u003C\u002Fp>",1784,"2026-06-06T06:11:51.613Z",1,"novelbin.me","918535e3f6b6b877f4a8c5084f2b6ed4d9dc39e90f370132a512a9a9ecbc4cb1","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-124","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-122",163,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-cover.jpg"]