The Academy’s Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter
chapter-237

In a vast underground space.

Each candlestick lined along the walls flickered with an eerie blue flame. This place had transformed into a grand underground throne room, creating a bizarre scene.

A large man dressed in a neat robe sat on a throne adorned with skulls.

It was Calgart the Necromancer. The demon who led the Undead Legion and was once called the King of the Dead.

Resurrected with a skeletal body, Calgart gradually regained his strength and gained flesh over his form, transforming into a muscular man with copper skin.

The long, curved horns protruding from either side of his head and his entirely black eyes proved that he was definitely not human.

Surrounding him, the Undead Legion, imbued with dark mana, stood in formation. As a white-haired man suddenly entered the underground throne room, they all assumed a defensive stance.

Despite the acrid stench of decay filling the air, the white-haired man continued unperturbed and stopped before the throne.

Calgart glared at the man standing before him with emotionless eyes.

[This is no place for a mortal.]

The white-haired man, with skin so pale it appeared eerie, was an adult male.

He had eyes on his cheeks, giving him a grotesque appearance typical of demons.

He scoffed and locked his mysterious silver eyes on Calgart’s pitch-black ones.

[How dare a mere demon judge where one of noble birth should stand.]

Calgart extended a long finger toward the white-haired man.

[Kill him.]

At the command, the Undead Legion directed black magic circles toward the white-haired man.

The air was filled with an array of magic circles that unleashed dark magic.

Kwagagagang!!

The dark magic raged like a flame, storm, and shower, assailing the white-haired man, tearing at him relentlessly, leaving nothing but shreds of his form.

But the white-haired man stood still, smiling, absorbing all the attacks.

Even the massive undead warriors charged at him, swinging fists and weapons the size of human bodies.

When the relentless assault finally ceased, a dark, dusty cloud formed from the remnants of dark mana.

The white-haired man’s body, mostly gone, swayed like a reed in the wind.

Saaaaaaa!

Then.

Suddenly, a sacred light, a divine power, swirled like a vortex.

The undead warriors who had approached the white-haired man quickly retreated, instinctively reacting against the light.

Divine Power dispersed the dark dust and instantly restored the white-haired man to his original form.

Kwaak.

[Gwaaaa!]

The white-haired man extended his long arm and grabbed the head of an undead warrior who had swung at him.

Divine Power surged from his hand.

The undead warrior groaned and writhed in agony.

[What a barbaric welcome.]

The white-haired man laughed leisurely.

Calgart’s expression remained unchanged. Rational thinking made it clear that this man could not be killed.

It wasn’t due to a lack of firepower. The enemy was simply an immortal.

Clearly, this was a heavenly being blessed with the power of immortality.

[…Who are you?]

When Calgart asked, the white-haired heavenly being threw aside the undead warrior and made a gesture as if to sit.

Divine Power coalesced in the air, transforming into a chair emitting a gentle sacred light from the divine realm. The white-haired heavenly being sat down and crossed his legs.

In the underground throne room, he alone shone serenely.

[I am Vuel.]

The heavenly being, Vuel, extended his arm forward and pointed at the ground with his index finger.

To achieve his goal, Vuel had something he must accomplish in this world

[Summon Mephisto, Calgart. We have matters to discuss.]

***

The Ropenheim Barony was located in the opposite direction of Märchen Academy.

It was a pleasant pastureland on the outskirts of the Empire. However, contrary to the peaceful scenery, sinister and dark events frequently occurred.

Human trafficking organized by Baron Adrian Ropenheim was conducted across various regions under his control. Many children had yet to be transported.

Isaac had dispatched his minions to various branches involved in the trafficking under Baron Ropenheim’s jurisdiction. These locations were all disguised as taverns but were actually secret hideouts.

Using his [Clairvoyance], Isaac had already identified the locations of the captured children. He intended to rescue them all.

One such place was a small village directly on the route from Märchen Academy to Ropenheim Barony.

Isaac entered the tavern to gather information and rescue the children.

Accompanying him, Alice Carroll waited patiently, leaning against the tavern’s outer wall.

The tavern had a clean exterior. The two-storey establishment was bustling with men enjoying the night. It was unusually crowded for a tavern in a remote area.

The air was thick with the smell of delicious food and alcohol. The loud, boisterous laughter and rough conversations of men filled the tavern continuously.

“Welco…”

A young waitress caught her breath upon seeing Isaac. He was a rare handsome sight in this village.

She smiled slightly, tucking her hair behind her ear as she approached him.

“Welcome, Sir. Are you alone?”

“Yes, can I sit over there?”

Isaac smiled and pointed towards the bar where the middle-aged tavern owner was standing.

The waitress smiled and led him to the table in front of the tavern owner, where he pointed. Isaac took a seat.

The tavern owner, pouring drinks, spoke to Isaac.

“A young face I’ve never seen before. You look like you’re still in your teens. Are you a traveler?”

“Yes, you could say that.”

To the tavern owner, Isaac, the bespectacled boy, seemed very gentle.

However, his neat clothes didn’t appear particularly expensive. The hands sticking out of his sleeves showed signs of hard labor. He certainly wasn’t raised in luxury.

The conversations of the burly men in the bustling tavern gradually quieted.

“What’s your order?”

“Before that, I have a question.”

Isaac asked calmly with a smile.

“Are all these people your men?”

“…”

The tavern owner’s eyes narrowed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“That answer is good enough on its own.”

Isaac used [Psychological Insight] to get the answer he wanted.

“And do you know how many children have been sent to Ropenheim Barony? I thought you might know.”

Isaac couldn’t penetrate the barrier in the basement of the Ropenheim Barony mansion with his [Clairvoyance]. Calgart’s power was undoubtedly involved.

Knowing how many children were in the basement could help gauge how long it would take for Calgart’s curse to activate.

Flying directly to Ropenheim Barony on the Frost Dragon, Hilde, and raiding the basement was a prudent move. It was too conspicuous.

If Calgart, whose location was still unknown, detected the Ice Sovereign’s approach, he might flee with the children or prepare for an ambush.

The tavern owner stopped moving and silently stared at Isaac for a while

The atmosphere grew tense. The owner could no longer let Isaac leave unscathed.

The waitress watched the scene with a frightened look. She felt the same as the tavern owner.

A muscular man at one of the tables stood up, drew an axe from his belt, approached Isaac, and sat next to him.

Isaac met the burly man’s gaze with his own dark red eyes. The man placed his hand, gripping the axe, on the table and raised an eyebrow.

“Up close, you’re even younger than I thought.”

The burly man chuckled.

“You seem to already know what this business is about, but since you’re asking about the number of kids already shipped, it looks like you’re not one of us.”

The laughter and chatter in the tavern died down.

The tension in the air thickened as everyone’s hostile gaze focused solely on Isaac.

“Kid, who sent y-”

“You haven’t answered my question yet.”

Isaac cut him off in a nonchalant tone.

The burly man next to him laughed in disbelief, and the other large men in the tavern smirked.

“Haha! Hey, look at this oblivious kid… I was just as fearless when I was your age. Back then, I couldn’t tell the difference between courage and recklessness. Kid, you should know your place, don’t you think so? Well, how about I teach you a lesson about the harsh realities of life?”

He asked mockingly.

The men in the tavern roared with laughter, making jokes like, “Did you really have a childhood?” and “That kid looks like he’d break with a tap!”

While Isaac became the target of the men’s ridicule, the young waitress whispered to the burly middle-aged man who could be described as rugged.

She asked him to subdue Isaac, finish their business, and then lock him up in a back room.

The man, understanding her lustful intentions, grinned and replied, “Sure.”

Soon, the expression of the man next to Isaac hardened.

“No more talking. If you want to die painlessly, speak up now, kid. Who sent you?”

“Don’t you know how to answer a question?”

“Huh, you little punk. Fine, let’s see if you can say the same thing after losing an arm!”

Swing!

The burly man swung his axe at Isaac.

In a split second, Isaac lightly ducked backward to dodge the axe and unsheathed a dagger with a cut.

A sharp tearing sound rang out. Isaac drove the dagger into the burly man’s hand, pinning it to the table.

The burly man let out an ear-piercing scream.

“Kaaaargh!!”

He couldn’t move his hand that was holding the axe, and the laughter from the others in the tavern ceased.

The man’s wrist was pinned to the table by the dagger, blood gushing from the wound.

“Arrrgh!!”

Isaac twisted the dagger, causing the man to scream even more desperately.

The man tried to swing his other fist, but Isaac easily caught his thick wrist and held on to it tightly.

There was a crunching sound as his bones broke. The man’s wrist turned dark with bruises and was deformed, before finally crumpling like a sheet of paper.

His strength was ruthless, unmatched even by a beast.

“Stop, please stop…!!”

The burly man collapsed on the table, begging.

“I’ll ask one more time.”

Isaac asked cynically.

“How many children are there right now?”

The sound of chairs scraping the floor echoed from all directions.

All the men drew their weapons and approached Isaac quickly.

***