Our first stop was a town called Tortusui, the closest settlement to Duran.
If you head through the North Gate from here, it’s a pretty straight shot to Duran. This was the exact route the Aria Magic Academy was scheduled to take.
Immediately upon arrival, Teacher Milk headed for the Adventurer's Guild to dig up the latest intel. We stayed behind to wait outside, mostly because a large group of us clumping around would just get in the way.
The town itself was perfectly ordinary. Mundane, really—maybe just a bit on the larger side.
"So, Pseudo-Demons are basically just thugs who gained powerful abilities from the Demon Race, right?" Tura asked.
"That’s the gist of it. But it’s a raw deal. They lose their sense of self and become total idiots in a tactical fight."
While I was explaining things to Tura, Eva wore a smile that was way too meaningful for my comfort.
"The one I checked out in the east was very interesting," she chirped. "It was the first time I’ve had something worth the effort in ages."
Sierra and I shared a look of pure dread.
Something worth the effort? For Eva? That is a terrifying thought.
If a monster like that was what had ambushed the academy students... I didn't even want to imagine it.
"What kind of person was it? Did you get a name?" I asked.
"A man named Grizz. He was incredibly fast."
A name I’d never heard of. There was no mistaking it now; the plot was deviating further and further from the Original Story.
"Vai, Tura, I'm sure you'll be fine, but you absolutely must not overdo it. That’s an order from your senior," Sierra commanded. Her tone wasn't her usual casual self; she sounded dead serious, and honestly, a little spooked.
I just nodded quietly. I wasn't about to argue with that. Tura must have caught the vibe too, as she quickly replied with a submissive, "I understand."
Just then, Teacher Milk returned.
"How did it go?" I asked.
"Zero contact from the advance party. Soldiers from the neighboring countries are scheduled to assemble in thirty minutes."
"Any word from the Aria Magic Academy?"
"None. Now... what should we do?"
I knew exactly why the usually hot-blooded Teacher Milk was hesitating. She was worried about us.
"Let’s go. We can handle it," I said.
I was her disciple, after all. I could tell something was off with her just by looking.
"...Fine. I’ll take the lead. Sierra, Weiss, Tura, follow behind me. Eva, you’ve got the rear."
"Yes, ma'am! Leave it to me!" Eva chirped.
"Keep the pace, but don't you dare fall behind!"
"""Roger!"""
We practically leaped out of the North Gate. This stretch of the path was a single road, flanked by high rock walls. If I remembered correctly, this area was a nightmare for landslides.
Up in the sky, the sun was beginning to set. If everything had gone according to plan, the students would have been finished with their joint training and enjoying a nice meal together right about now. Instead, everything was a mess thanks to these Pseudo-Demons.
As we charged forward as a single unit, I suddenly felt a massive disturbance in the mana ahead. Everyone else must have felt it at the same time.
"Stay alert!" Teacher Milk barked, and the atmosphere instantly grew heavy.
As we rounded a corner where the view had been obstructed, we saw it. Right in the middle of the road, a carriage lay on its side.
There were people collapsed all around the wreckage. They were covered in blood, their clothes shredded, and some were so badly damaged that it was painfully obvious they were dead.
However, none of them were wearing the Aria Magic Academy uniform.
They’re probably the adventurers from the advance party.
We let our mana surge, preparing for a fight, but there was no one in sight.
"Stay here," Milk ordered. She went to investigate the carriage alone, but when she checked inside, she just shook her head. "Nobody."
The students attending this Goodwill Event were all top-tier for their grade, and their chaperones were skilled teachers. Aria Magic Academy might not be the absolute best, but they were far from weak.
Did they manage to escape, or... were they kidnapped?
Regardless, it was almost certain that a Pseudo-Demon strong enough to wipe out an advance party was lurking nearby. I tried to piece together a timeline in my head. The story had advanced by about six months—maybe even a year. That meant we were likely dealing with a Pseudo-Demon that wasn't supposed to appear until much later.
But I didn't have to think about it for long. The enemy decided to show his face.
"Heh heh heh... I like this. What a great era. The food just walks right up to you."
I had no idea where he came from. He was standing just past the carriage—a man with a scruffy beard, maybe in his forties. He wore filthy brown clothes, but his stance was perfect. There wasn't a single opening.
I focused on him, activating Dark Eye and Time Lapse.
My heart nearly stopped.
"Everyone, look out! That guy's a Pseudo-Demon!"
The group tightened their formation at my warning. Because I can use all attributes, I'm better than most at reading the flow of mana—just like when I analyzed that ring on Undead Island. Pseudo-Demons were made of Darkness, but their internal structure was a mess of complex sorcery. I could see it clearly.
"Well, well. You guys are a bunch of experts, aren't you?" the man said.
He’s talking. He actually has a sense of self. He was observing us and speaking fluently.
That shouldn’t be possible! In the Original Story, Pseudo-Demons were basically mindless drones for the Demon Race. They were stronger than monsters, sure, but they were supposed to be lobotomized.
"Weiss, stay calm. He might not be alone," Teacher Milk said, noticing my agitation.
She's right. Focus on what’s in front of me.
Sierra and Eva had already figured that out. They were radiating mana, their attention split in every direction to watch for an ambush.
"Well then... it's showtime!"
The moment the man shouted, Teacher Milk and Tura drew their swords in a blur. Their fighting styles were remarkably similar. Sierra and I jumped back to stay out of their way.
Tura unleashed a horizontal sweep while Teacher Milk brought her blade down in a vertical arc.
"Airy—!"
"—Hah!"
Two invisible slashes tore toward the man. They were incredibly fast, packed with enough mana to level a building.
"Jump—"
Suddenly, a woman appeared out of thin air. She grabbed the man, making him float slightly, and then yanked him through the air to narrowly dodge the vertical slash.
She had red hair and looked to be in her twenties. She wasn't tall, and she wore the same drab brown clothes as the man. Strangely enough, she was holding him up with one hand as if he weighed nothing.
"Close one... thanks, Mika."
"Honestly, Captain Bull... you'd be dead if that had hit you."
Their mana was overflowing, but I couldn't explain how they had appeared so suddenly.
Then, a different man's voice came from behind us. I whipped my head around to see Eva casually dodging an attack. A thin, blond man holding a spear-like weapon had tried to get the drop on her. He was wearing the same brown clothes.
Brown clothes... Wait, I've seen this before. Think, Weiss, think!
—That was it!
"They're the Disobey!" I screamed.
Teacher Milk looked more shocked than anyone else. I was sure Sierra, Eva, and Tura recognized the name too. We’d all had to study this in history class.
In the world of Noblesse Oblige, people could travel between nations and work as adventurers because of the peace established by our ancestors. In the past, the world was a meat-grinder of constant international warfare. Magic existed back then, too, obviously.
Among the soldiers who thrived in that era of slaughter, there was a group known for being particularly sadistic. They were called the Disobey. They were war criminals who had repeatedly defied orders to massacre civilians. Eventually, they were caught, imprisoned, and executed.
But they were supposed to have died a hundred years ago! I only remembered their outfits because of a "Past Arc" chapter in the Original Story. It was world-building fluff, not part of the main plot.
And yet, here they were. In the flesh. And they weren't mindless.
"What's that? The Disobey? Is that what people call us now?" Bull laughed. "Heh. Alright, boys—kill 'em all!"
The moment Bull gave the order, mana erupted from the ground. A dozen more people materialized, their magic crackling around them like static electricity as they lunged at us.
One of the traits of a Pseudo-Demon is that their Unique Ability evolves exponentially. These guys were from an era of war—they probably specialized in assassination and stealth. One of them must have evolved their Concealment Magic to an impossible level.
I leveled my sword. There were more than ten of them, and every single one felt like they had as much mana as Tucker did—not to mention whatever unknown abilities they were packing.
But I'm going to win. I didn't spend all that time training just to lose here. I’ve forged a heart that won't break, no matter how much the timeline goes off the rails.
Besides, look at the people standing with me. There was no way we could lose.
But before I could even make my move, someone else beat me to it.
Eva Avery.
A terrifying, suffocating amount of mana erupted from her. In a blink, the Disobey members who had been surrounding us were slammed into the rock walls with bone-shattering force.
I couldn't see what she did. But I knew. I'd felt it when I had to face her before.
Eva possessed the Invisible Hand.
"Ufufu... things are getting interesting," Eva giggled, her eyes gleaming with a dark light. "Now then... I hope you're capable of entertaining me."