Chương 20: "A Ruff Morning (6)"

'This is a disaster.' Celestia's crimson eyes swept across the training grounds, watching the carnage and chaos unfold. Students were scattered across the campus, their screams echoing in the distance. The pleasant tour had transformed into a nightmare in a matter of seconds. And somewhere around her, invisible to the naked eye, a demon was after lives. Celestia had a vague idea of what kind of demon she was dealing with.

Among the many types of demons that existed in this world, there were different classifications and ranks. The original novel had gone into surprising detail about demon taxonomy, likely because they spanned through multiple arcs. Demons of the disguise and stealth variety were among the lowest-ranked. They relied on invisibility and ambush tactics rather than raw power. In the grand hierarchy the Demon Race, they were essentially even less than foot soldiers. That didn't make them harmless, though.

Two academy staff members were dead proof of that.

'Why was this happening? Wasn't there just supposed to be one dem—' Celestia's thoughts cut off when she remembered the severity of the situation. Her hand moved instinctively to the elegant fan she always carried. With ease, she inserted her fingernail into a hidden ridge along the guard. There was a soft click, and the fan's decorative leaves fell away, along with the outer guard, revealing a sleek metal baton beneath.

Another quick motion, and the baton extended with a sharp snap, transforming into a makeshift spear. The weapon felt light and durable in her hands since the metal was crafted from something that only existed in this world, a type of alloy that balanced weight with durability. It was still a prototype, one of several designs she'd commissioned from House Reingarde's blacksmiths. The craftsmen had been skeptical at first; a collapsible spear disguised as a fan? It seemed like an impractical vanity project.

But Celestia had been insistent, and the Reingarde coin had a way of making skepticism disappear. Now, she was glad she'd pushed for it. Among the many rules within Summit Academy, there were quite a few that barred the carrying or brandishing of weapons. It was a safety measure meant to prevent accidents and discourage duels outside of supervised training areas. With a bunch of prideful nobles and commoners seeking to make a name for themselves, there were bound to be problems.

This fan-spear hybrid was obviously illegal since it was technically a fashion accessory until it wasn't. And right now, with demons attacking the campus, Celestia doubted anyone would complain about the technicality. The situation was still dire. Even with a weapon in hand, Celestia was far from safe. She snapped her head behind her and realized that the stuttering Anna had fallen to the ground, trembling and deathly afraid at what was happening.

The academy's elite guards and the archmage principals would respond eventually, but for now, Celestia had to do her duty as a noble. Protect the commoner behind her. Celestia's eyes focused on the area around her, noting every detail. The blood splattered across the ground… Huh. In one swift motion, Celestia pivoted and thrust her spear to her right side. The spear met resistance when there shouldn't have been any in empty air. Squelch.

The sound was sickening, the feeling of metal piercing through flesh unmistakable.

"H-how...?!" The voice came from directly in front of her spear, choked and gurgling. The demon materialized where Celestia had struck, revealing the creature in full. It was humanoid in shape, roughly the size of an adult man. In fact, it could be easily mistaken as one, if not for the two curved horns protruding from its forehead. But what struck Celestia most was its complexion. The demon's skin was pale. It was paler even than Celestia's own fair complexion, which was already notable among nobles.

'How enviable,' Celestia couldn't help but think, even as blood bubbled from the demon's mouth and dripped down its chin.

'That sort of complexion is on the level of jade beauties from the xianxia novels I read in my previous life.' Celestia's gaze dropped to the ground around the demon's feet. There were faint footprints in blood leading back to one of the academy staff's bodies.

'Careless and moronic,' Celestia thought.

'How did something this sloppy make it this far into the academy grounds?' A trail of blood negated the entire advantage of stealth. Even a child could follow such obvious tracks. Even with the spear impaled through the demon's chest, she knew the demon wasn't dead yet. According to the books she'd read in the library of her family's estate, and more importantly, according to what she remembered from the original novel, demons could only be completely killed by destroying their hearts.

It was one of those convenient fantasy rules that was repeatedly shown throughout Tower of the End. Demons were resilient creatures. They could survive grievous wounds that would kill a human instantly. Decapitation would slow them down. Dismemberment would incapacitate them temporarily. But only destroying the heart would ensure permanent death. Celestia adjusted her grip on the spear and she pulled the weapon back with a sharp motion.

The blade slid free from the demon's chest with another wet sound, and the creature stumbled forward, clutching at the gaping wound. Then, Celestia thrust forward again. Noblesse Oblitère. This time, the spear didn't just pierce through the demon's chest. It punched through with devastating force, obliterating everything in its path. The demon's ribcage shattered like brittle wood as its heart exploded into fragments of blackened tissue.

A massive hole erupted through the demon's upper body, so large that Celestia could see clear through to the other side. Blood sprayed in a wide arc, splattering across the ground behind the creature. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. The demon's body convulsed once, its limbs twitching in a final spasm. Then twice, more weakly. Then it crumpled to the ground, landing motionlessly at Celestia's feet.

"Haaah…" Celestia let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Her eyes drifted down to the demon's corpse at her feet, and a strange impulse rose in Celestia's chest as she stared at the remains. A part of her really really wanted to step on the demon's face. Just plant her foot right on that annoyingly perfect pale complexion and grind it into the ground.

'It would serve it right for having better skin than me,' The corner of her mouth twitched upward, the beginning of a smile forming on her face. Her right foot lifted slightly, angling toward the demon's head…

"M-Miss Celestia...?" Anna's voice cut through the moment like a bucket of cold water. Celestia's foot froze mid-motion. Her eyes snapped toward the commoner girl, who had somehow managed to stand up despite her obvious terror. Anna was staring at Celestia with wide eyes, her face still pale and streaked with tears.

'Fuck! I didn't realize…' Celestia lowered her foot as if she'd simply been adjusting her stance. She fixed her expression back into something more appropriate, concern mixed with alert vigilance, rather than the vindictive satisfaction that was about to show. The original personality was still creeping in her psyche, if she weren't careful, she'd sink into its depths. Celestia turned fully toward Anna. The girl looked like she might collapse again at any moment.

Her hands were shaking, and she kept glancing at the demon's corpse with horrified fascination.

"Are you alright?" Celestia asked. It wasn't that she particularly cared about Anna's wellbeing on an emotional level. But only that she had successfully done her duties as a noble. Anna nodded jerkily, though her eyes were still fixed on the demon's corpse.

"T-thank you for saving me..." The commoner was still trembling like a shivering leaf in a storm, tearmarks down her face, but she was at least capable of standing and speaking.

"Thank you..." Anna repeated, her voice still shaky. She wiped at her face with her sleeve, smearing tears and dirt across her cheeks.

"I thought... I thought I was going to die."

"Isn't that a given?" Celestia scoffed. She swung her spear in a sharp arc, flicking the blood off the blade. Anna flinched at the motion but said nothing. Celestia's brain was working overtime. Her eyes seemed focused on her surroundings, but that was only surface awareness. Beneath it, her mind raced through possibilities.

'What is happening right now? The butterfly effect?' She'd changed some things, like slapping the Imperial Prince, annulling the engagement, and interacting with Jade. But none of that should warrant this drastic of a change. If anything, she'd expect consequences from the imperial side. Political maneuvering, social warfare, the usual noble nonsense. But this?

'Does that mean all of my plans are ruined? If too many things change, then Arthur might not be able to...' There. That was the crucial factor. Arthur. This world's main character. The hero who was supposed to climb the Tower, gather his harem, and eventually save the world. If the story had changed too much, if events were unfolding differently than they should, then Arthur might not develop the way he was supposed to. He might not awaken his powers at the right time. He might not meet the right people.

He might not become the hero... And if Arthur failed, then everyone died. The realization crystallized in her mind with perfect clarity. She couldn't just focus on her own survival. She needed to make sure Arthur survived too. At least until he was strong enough to carry the plot on his own. Celestia's eyes darted to the forest nearby.

"Hide somewhere," Celestia ordered Anna.

"The principals should fix everything soon."

"W-what? Where are you—" But Celestia was already moving, her spear still gripped firmly as she broke into a run. She sprinted across the training grounds, her dress billowing behind her. The forest had multiple paths but considering Arthur and his posse entered it for a so-called shortcut, then it narrowed down a few paths. Sunight dimmed into dappled patterns. The path was rough, with more dirt and exposed roots than a proper footpath.

Mud squelched under her feet as branches and shrubs caught at her dress and scratched her arms.

'Where are you, Arthur?' Then she saw it, a bright, dense light erupting in the distance. Brilliant white, with a quality that made her skin prickle. The awakening of Arthur's element. Holy. Celestia immediately hid behind a large tree, pressing her back against the rough bark. She peered around the edge, just enough to see what was happening in the small clearing ahead. Arthur stood in with his academy uniform torn and bloodied.

His sword, a worn-out rusty iron scrap, was gleaming with a condensed version of the bright light she saw just now. Opposite to him was a demon. But not like the one Celestia had killed. This one was larger and had more refined features. It was a centurion-level from the Demon Race, one of the weaker ones as she recalled from the original story, but still leagues above the stealth-type fodder. Arthur's face showed determination to fell the creature. Then the fight continued.

The demon lunged, and Arthur moved his blade, flashing in that holy light. The holy attribute met the demon's claws and the energy seared through. The demon's roar of pain echoed through the forest. Slicing through the claws, Arthur's sword then plunged through the demon's chest. The demon's body slammed into the ground, its scream fading into nothing. And Arthur stood there for a moment, chest heaving and sword still raised, t hen his legs gave out.

He collapsed onto the forest ground, the holy light fading from his blade. Celestia could see the dark stain spreading across his side, a deep gash from the demon's attack, probably something he had already received before Celestia got here.

"Arthur!" The scream came from the other side of the clearing. A girl burst into view, her silver hair streaming behind her as she ran. Liana. Arthur's childhood friend. The shy healer girl from the original novel. The first member of Arthur's eventual harem.

"Don't die!" Liana dropped to her knees beside Arthur, her hands already reaching for his wound.

"Please don't die!" Tears streamed down her face as she pressed her hands against the bleeding gash. Her whole body trembled. But then, something changed. A soft green light began to emanate from Liana's hands. It was gentle at first, barely visible, like fireflies gathering around her palms. Then it grew brighter, spreading across Arthur's wound. Here it was, the awakening of Liana's element: Healing. It was one of the rarest elements in the world.

Even House Reingarde, one of the most powerful noble families in the empire, only had one healer in their employ. The Imperial Family, with all their resources and influence, had only three. And here was Liana, a commoner girl with no training and no bloodline, had somehow managed to awaken this rare element. Liana's tears fell onto Arthur's face as the green light pulsed and flowed. Celestia watched the entire scene unfold, and she felt disgust rising in her throat.

'Such a copy-paste cliché narrative,' she thought with contempt. The hero awakens his special power at the moment of greatest need. The gentle girl discovers her hidden talent through the power of love and desperation. The convenient timing. The emotional crescendo. She'd read this exact scene a thousand times in a thousand different webnovels. It was uninspired writing. And yet here it was, playing out in front of her like a poorly written script.

'This is the kind of story I'm stuck in,' Celestia thought bitterly. Arthur groaned, his eyes barely opening. He looked up at Liana, confused and disoriented.

"Li... ana...?" His voice was weak.

"You're okay," Liana sobbed, her healing light still flowing.

"You're going to be okay…" It was nauseating to watch. And then Liana's head suddenly lifted. For just a moment, her gaze swept across the clearing. And her eyes locked directly with Celestia's. The two girls stared at each other across the distance. Liana's eyes, still wet with tears, widened.