Chapter 214 - Chaos

“Are you thinking about going after him?” Dean Lukas asked with a smile from the other side of the desk.

Vermon stopped drumming his pen on his desk and looked to Lukas and asked, “Who?”

“Adion, of course,” Dean Lukas said with a chuckle.

“Oh. That brat,” Vermon murmured. He had indeed just been thinking about the possibility of going to the Saba Desert himself. “Don’t be ridiculous. I can’t afford to leave Cyalis. I wouldn’t do something so irresponsible.”

“I would hope so,” Dean Lukas said, “But you have been a little absent-minded lately.”

“Well, you know how it is,” Vermon said with a light smile, “It feels like we are so close now. I don’t want anything to go wrong. Besides, it would let me take some of my anger out on Heavenly Light. There are reports of at least three of their Hard Soul mages over there. I’ve been cooped up here during the entire war. I need to release some steam.”

“There will be time for that later,” Dean Lukas said, “The war isn’t over just because Valis has fallen.”

“I know that,” Vermon said, his eyes drifting to the map on the wall of his office, where the Valis kingdom still remained. Vermon really didn’t want to change it. 

He snapped back to look at Dean Lukas again, “Wait a minute. What’s with your tone today? Since when have you become my advisor?”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Dean Lukas, bowing his head with a slight smile.

“Hmph,” Vermon snorted. I try to keep things light around here to keep up the mood. Now, even this kid dares to joke around with me? Looks like I’ll have to make sure to reestablish my authority before Adion gets back, or I’ll get laughed at. 

“Report!” Vermon commanded in a strict voice.

“There is nothing new to report from last night, really,” Dean Lukas said, “We haven’t noticed anything suspicious.”

“Keep thinking about new methods to uncover spies,” Vermon instructed, “Put yourself in their shoes, what can they do to work around our investigations? Surely, I’m not paying you all for nothing. Educated people like you should be able to figure something out.”

“I’ll do my best, Headmaster,” Dean Lukas said.

“Good,” Vermon said with a nod, “We can’t afford to relax. Especially now that Heavenly Light no longer has to focus on the war in Valis. I’m sure we’ll see movements from them here in Cyalis soon enough. Some accidents in the city are unavoidable in times like these, but I don’t want the Academy to be affected. That is your responsibility, Lukas. Don’t take it lightly. Even with all our procedures in place, the world is a mysterious place. Gifts we can’t imagine. Artifacts from the Age of Wonder. You name it. You have to take it all into account and stay one step ahead.”

“I understand. I’ll put my utmost effort into it,” Dean Lukas said with a resolute expression.

That’s better. Vermon thought when he saw Dean Lukas giving his words weight again. 

Vermon meant every word, of course. He genuinely believed that Heavenly Light would come for Cyalis. And he had learned from the time Adion was taken that these people shouldn’t be underestimated. 

“Have you heard anything new from the Saba Desert?” Dean Lukas asked with a light smile.

Vermon pulled out his touban and took a look before answering, “Unless they find him, they won’t contact me for a few more hours for the daily update.”

“I see,” Dean Lukas said with a nod, “Have you told the princess?”

Aren’t you talkative today? 

Vermon didn’t mind, though. 

“I finally decided to tell Ailera about it today. She is much more stable,” Vermon said, “She’ll tell everything to Sell.”

“Did you tell her about the beasts, too?” Dean Lukas asked.

“Of course not,” Vermon answered, “What good would that do? They have enough to worry about. And it’s not like those kids knowing about it changes anything.”

“It’s always good to be informed,” Dean Lukas said, “We are an Academy, after all. I don’t think knowing about the beasts would be too much for them. Not after these past few months.”

“You have a point,” Vermon agreed, “I’ll consider making an announcement soon enough. It looks like it won’t be long before they attack now, and we don’t want the students to be caught completely unaware.”

“Haah,” Dean Lukas sighed, “These are tumultuous times. I would have thought the Age of Discovery would bring out the seeking of knowledge in all of us. There is so much of the world to explore, so much that we do not know yet. So, how has it come to war so soon?”

“We’ve had peace on Shiora for a long time, it’s not strange for large-scale conflicts to crop up from time to time,” Vermon said.

“Have you heard anything from the other Sages? Are they planning on getting involved?” Dean Lukas asked.

“I’ve been communicating with them, but the Sages of Pollonti do not take the conflict with Heavenly Light very seriously. Even if they would prefer peace, we all know that it’s impossible to force it. As long as Heavenly Light doesn’t start a mindless slaughter, they will look the other way,” Vermon said.

“Don’t they even care about Cyalis?” Dean Lukas asked.

“If Heavenly Light should send more powerful mages and take over the Academy, the Tower of Sages would definitely get involved. That is something they can never accept. But they all think that Heavenly Light would never dare cross that line. So they aren’t worried,” Vermon answered.

“Do you feel the same?” Dean Lukas asked.

“I do,” Vermon said after a slight hesitation, “But I wouldn’t bet the future of Cyalis on it. Besides, they can do a lot of damage even without the courage to take over the Academy.”

“Shouldn’t they be able to send at least some mages to help? We are one and the same in the end. I find it hard to believe they feel nothing about this war,” Dean Lukas said, shaking his head.

“I thought so too at first. But it seems Heavenly Light is stronger than I imagined. They don’t dare send anyone, because Heavenly Light can match them. Something like that can quickly escalate, and before you know it, the war is carried over to Quemer.”

“Surely Heavenly Light can’t be stronger than the Sages of Pollonti?” Dean Lukas questioned.

“Of course, not,” Vermon said. Even he didn’t know how deep the power ran in the Tower of Sages. But from what he had seen, he could confidently say that there was no stronger power on Quemer. “But the loss would be immense. It is not worth it.”

“I see,” Dean Lukas said with a slow nod.

Still, it’s not impossible. The teleportation formation at the Remori manor seems to have stirred something in them. 

Vermon hadn’t given up in his attempts to gain reinforcements from Quemer. He had been sending messages, urging them to reconsider. He still had a few friends with quite an influence over there. 

“What about the beasts?” Dean Lukas asked, “Are they planning on ignoring that as well?”

“Well, since Shiora gained independence, it is impossible to gain support from any place other than Pollonti. The other powers there couldn’t care less if the whole continent fell to the beasts. Pollonti can’t afford to send too much of their forces here in a situation like that,” Vermon explained, “I’ve been instructed to handle the situation. But if it really is impossible, we will receive help, don’t worry.”

“I suppose that’s somewhat comforting,” Dean Lukas said, “Hopefully, Heavenly Light will keep to their supposed goals and stand against the beasts. That would take care of two problems at once.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Vermon said with a wry smile, “They’ll probably keep their new own borders safe, but the rest of the continent will be in our hands.”

“How serious is the situation? Can we handle it?” Dean Lukas asked.

“I’ve sent people to keep watch and help, but we are already spread thin. Hopefully, the team looking for Adion will have results soon and can come back to help us. As for whether we will stand a chance…” Vermon trailed off, lost in thought.

From what I’ve heard, it’s serious this time. Just why would those beasts take this risk? Surely they aren’t running out of space.

“It will be difficult,” Vermon said, “We will lose a lot of people, and towns will be destroyed. There is nothing we can do to stop it. But the invasion should begin with weaker beasts taking the lead. No side gains anything from Soul mages stepping in immediately. The beasts have always been wise enough to know this. I don’t think anything will be different this time.”

“Haaah,” Dean Lukas sighed, “I hope we can pull through.”

“We will,” Vermon assured, “By the way, have you planned anything for the Clash of Houses yet?”

“We had planned to skip it this year, considering everything. I was planning on talking to you about it,” Dean Lukas answered.

“It can’t be skipped,” Vermon said with a frown, “This isn’t going to be resolved any time soon. Are we going to put it on hold forever? Might as well close down the Academy then.”

“Alright, I understand,” Dean Lukas said with a nod, “I’ll start planning for it.”

“I had considered using the war on Havenly Light as a way of competing this year,” Vermon said, “But I dismissed it. The danger is too high. But this beast invasion might be different. If only weaker beasts attack, it would be the perfect opportunity to temper our students. What do you think about doing the House Clash a little differently this year? The House with the most beasts killed would win.”

“Don’t you think it’s too dangerous? No matter the safety measures, some students will die,” Dean Lukas said.

“And you think they’ll be safe and happy once they graduate? With the way Shiora is now?” Vermon asked pointedly.

“I suppose not,” Dean Lukas said.

At least I won’t have to worry about any shameless kidnapping attempts from the beasts.

“Write up a suggestion for how to proceed and present it to me. We’ll do out best to avoid deaths, but we can’t eliminate the possibility,” Vermon instructed.

“I’ll do as you say,” Dean Lukas said with a nod. 

“Alright, you’ve been here long enough. Get going,” Vermon said, waving him off.

“Good night, Headmaster,” Dean Lukas said with a slight bow before leaving the office.

Vermon got up from his seat and walked up to the window overlooking the Melorian Bay. It got dark, earlier and earlier. Vermon couldn’t help but feel sleepy despite his Pure Soul strength.

I’m getting old, after all. 

Perhaps my strength will start to regress soon. 

Is there any hope for me to reach the Immortal stage in this lifetime?

Vermon conjured a small ball of water. He tried to grasp that strange power Adion had talked about. Authority.

But even with his powerful Will, it was nothing in front of the Will of the world. Slowly but surely, the water in front of him slipped out of his control and fell to the floor. 

Well, if it was easy, there wouldn’t be so few Immortals. 

I wonder how it will feel for Adion? Will he be able to advance as easily as drinking water in the future?

He even has the same kind of Authority as a god. 

Can he really reach that high?

I guess I have to do my best to advance. If only to live long enough to see that kid’s future. 

Suddenly, Vermon felt his touban stir on the desk. 

Already? There should be an hour more until…Or could they have found him?

Vermon hurriedly grabbed the touban but soon realized that the message wasn’t from his contact updating on the situation in the Saba Desert. It was from his contact in the Academy proper.

What’s going on?

Vermon soon heard a voice explaining the matter.

“Headmaster. I’m sorry to disturb you, but I deemed this matter important enough to bring to your attention. We have just received reports of attacks on the Fire Phoenix Church. Two in Rellen, two in Duts, and one in Iitha. There are likely to be more attacks that we haven’t yet heard about. It seems to be a coordinated attack.”

Heavenly Light…You really want chaos this badly, huh?