Erica stood under the scarlet blood moon, letting the raging wind and blizzard cut across her cheeks.
She stared blankly at that overwhelming red demon, as if she had fallen into madness, tearing open a crack in the gloomy sky and brutally ravaging the two giants, each as tall as a small mountain.
In its hands, the two giants were just like two worms, toyed with back and forth.
Until they were torn to pieces.
The red demon grabbed the huge, blood-soaked bodies in its hands and let out a victorious, sky-shaking roar toward the heavens.
That posture was like it was showing off to the people, showing off its strength and cruelty.
A few illusions flashed across Erica's eyes.
She touched her slightly hot forehead, feeling her mind turning hazy.
She understood the terror of demons better than anyone.
Because she had once faced such an existence directly.
Almost powerless to resist.
The moment the demon appeared, she too had felt a wave of doubt.
'Why would a demon appear here?'
Sharing the same thoughts as Gwen, Erica unconsciously connected the demon incident at the academy's back mountain with Viktor.
She still clearly remembered that terrifying existence, the greed demon as tall as a black mountain, which had manifested on Henny's body.
Henny was Viktor's assistant.
Ever since she fell unconscious, Erica had only heard rumors about everything that happened afterward.
No one ever mentioned Henny during that demon battle. Instead, the person they mentioned the most was actually that pig-headed professor from the Lesser family.
Devon Lesser was described as the one who served as the demon's vessel.
She had once been confused, obviously, the person possessed by the demon was Henny.
Yet no one mentioned her name at all.
Behind this matter, it felt like there was a hand manipulating everything, casually redirecting the blame however it wanted.
Suddenly, a spark flashed in Erica's mind, making her instinctively look for Viktor.
While everyone else cheered for the demon that had destroyed the two giants, only she looked toward the farthest place.
Toward those two figures.
Erica's pupils narrowed slightly.
She was very familiar with that figure, she would never mistake him.
'Professor Viktor...'
'And the person in his arms… is that Commander Gwen?'
Erica looked at Gwen slumped in Viktor's embrace, the two appearing extremely close.
"..."
'What exactly were they doing?'
Suddenly, a flash of light appeared before her eyes, and her attention was forcibly pulled toward Viktor's shoulder.
A one-eyed crow's single eye flickered with a blue light. It turned its head and stared straight at Erica.
Drawn as if guided by that eerie blue light, Erica couldn't help but fix her gaze on the crow.
Suddenly, an incredibly violent aura came rushing toward her.
It blew her golden hair wildly across the snowy plains with no pattern at all.
In her eyes, it was as if a strange scene invaded her vision.
Under the red moon, the snowfield suddenly became unstable, trembling like the rippling surface of a mirrored lake.
In the blink of an eye, a pure white scene jumped into view.
Now, she was standing above the clouds. Several towering pillars rose from the boundless white below.
A golden sun hung far above the sky, its warm radiance shining down on Erica, as if she had been pulled away from the snowy plains in an instant.
A vast white temple slowly appeared among the pillars. A massive bird flapped its wings in the deep blue sky, circling the temple.
A powerful air current lifted Erica from the clouds, spinning her in the vast space, letting her soar freely.
Like in an instant, freedom was held within her hands.
A clear power slowly merged into Erica's body.
Under her golden eyes, a white rune appeared, one that symbolized wind.
Inheritance...
A streak of lightning flashed across Erica's mind, and these words appeared instinctively.
In her daze, she saw that pitch-black crow, felt the lightness in her body.
And the crow's mocking laughter began echoing in her ears.
"Again, this power."
Erica didn't understand.
She still remembered, within her dream, the being who claimed to be an evil god had granted her this inheritance power.
And this time, it was wind.
Erica slowly reached out her hand, testing as she began to activate the wind element within her.
She didn't even need to draw runes or arrays. A powerful airflow instantly gathered from all directions, swirling endlessly in her palm.
Divine power of wind.
When she lifted her head again, trying to look at the crow, she instead heard a hoarse voice.
'Rage, you should go.'
Instantly, the scene before her eyes shattered wildly. A few seconds later, the surrounding red glow and the whistling cold wind made her realize she had returned to the northern frontier.
"This….."
After receiving the order, Leighton hurled the giant's remains into the water.
It reached toward the sky, tearing open a huge scarlet rift. Then it bent its legs and leapt into the crimson crack.
With the demon's departure, the gloomy clouds gradually dispersed, and the red full moon became clear again.
The blood-colored snowfield reflected in everyone's eyes, appearing even more terrifying.
Everyone witnessed the demon's appearance and departure in this war.
Only Erica stared at the one-eyed crow perched on Viktor's shoulder, its malicious gaze fixed on her.
Her heart trembled violently, unable to calm for a long time.
———
"A demon saved us!"
"Knight or demon, who is justice?!"
Countless slogans were carved onto the buildings of the Pale Mages' Association, spreading wildly among the territories.
In the war to eradicate the barbarians, the warriors of the Pale Mages' Association achieved an absolute victory.
They exterminated most of the barbarians and drove them out of the north.
The Association won a sweeping victory. Only a portion of brave mages died heroically while blocking the barbarians' escape route.
But no one expected that this victory was actually brought about by a demon.
From the moment it descended, that demon had already decided the barbarians' fate.
The scarlet sky seemed to welcome its arrival, and the ocean of blood was like the homeland of a massive crocodile.
That brutal yet thrilling scene became an eternal memory in the hearts of the Pale Mages.
At this moment, the Association was celebrating like never before.
The members all removed their mage robes, wearing their personal clothes, dancing and singing around massive bonfires within the territory.
Everyone raised their cups, faces flushed with joy.
For these warriors stationed in the north, they no longer needed to fear barbarian invasions.
After this battle, the two major barbarian clans, whose main forces were devastated, were no longer a threat.
As for the smaller tribes, the Pale Mages didn't even bother with them.
Members crowded around Vladimir, dancing with him and drinking wheat ale by the barrel.
Erica quietly sat to the side, watching the cheering crowd.
Although the joyous atmosphere was infectious, she wasn't someone who had lived in the north for years, so she naturally couldn't feel the same intense relief and exhilaration as the northern warriors and residents.
But she could fully understand the hatred toward the barbarians.
Her emotions were complicated. Resting her head on her hand, she sipped the bitter wheat ale in her cup.
A figure slowly sat beside her.
Amelia.
Erica knew, she was the Association's only Tier-Three mage, the leader of the mage division.
The two sat silently for a long time.
In the end, Amelia spoke first.
"Our strength is small. Everyone lives within the territory governed by this Association."
"Our lands for survival shrink layer by layer. Even sending information out has become difficult."
Sooner or later, the Pale Mages' Association would have to fight the barbarian clans to the death.
Otherwise, waiting passively meant only one thing, slow, absolute death.
Erica listened quietly, still silent.
A lollipop was handed to her, wrapped in the same familiar candy paper.
Erica stared at it in a daze before slowly taking it.
"Thank Viktor for us."
Amelia stood and walked back into the celebrating crowd.
Erica lowered her head, looking at the candy in her hand.
As if making a decision, she stood up.
———
The blizzard roared. On a snowy cliff, Viktor stood alone.
His coat flapped noisily in the wind and snow.
The crow perched on his shoulder, letting the storm ruffle its feathers.
Erica appeared behind Viktor, staring at his solitary figure.
"...Professor."
Viktor didn't turn around, so Erica continued, "I saw you… on the wanted notice."
"But I believe you! You must have been wronged."
He turned his head slightly, giving Erica a faint glance.
Her gaze met Viktor's cold eyes, making her heart jolt.
But she didn't look away, she kept staring at him.
Then she heard his quiet voice, "I didn't expect you to be here too."
Erica froze, and Viktor turned back again, "They aren't wrong. I did cripple Angus and his heir with my own hands."
Hearing Viktor state the fact, Erica suddenly became agitated.
"That's what they deserved!"
After staying here for a few days, she too understood how infuriating those northern knights were.
But in a certain sense…
No one could actually pick out a flaw in Angus.
He did accomplish his duty of guarding the north, preventing the barbarians from entering the empire.
As for those who lived near the northern border?
Who told them to live in such a dangerous place?
Erica could even recall how, when the northernmost people begged the capital for aid as their lives were threatened, the nobles scornfully turned them away.
If someone could leave the northern border, who would willingly stay in this barren land where not even birds would shit?
Those nobles only knew how to speak without feeling the pain.
Erica always believed Viktor did nothing wrong, even if he was wanted by all the northern knights.
"Is that so."
She couldn't see Viktor's face clearly, but she could hear the faint smile in his tone.
"But even so, they still live comfortably in the north, without worries."
"The barbarians have been wiped out. So who will this credit fall upon?"
Erica froze.
The Pale Mages weren't established by the royal family.
The official guardians of the northern border were still those useless northern knights.
With Angus's influence, the nobles in the capital naturally trusted the knights first.
There was no helping that.
Even if Angus's neglect of the civilians was exposed, legally and duty-wise, he hadn't failed his position.
Even if the emperor disliked him, he couldn't arrest Angus for that reason.
Not to mention, Angus had served under the emperor.
That old emperor, nostalgic about old loyalties, would never strip Angus of position for such a reason.
So where could they find a strong enough reason to convict Angus?
Suddenly, Erica thought of something… and froze.
"...The demon?"
The demon carried all the northern people's wrath and took shape on the ice field, annihilating all the barbarians.
And where did that wrath come from?
Not only from the barbarians.
But also from those northern knights who did absolutely nothing.
But… would the nobles really believe the demon appeared because of Angus?
In that moment, Erica dazedly recalled the conversation between the evil god and the demon.
"Professor, so that demon… was actually because you..."
"Keep it secret."
Viktor's voice, faint and cold, disappeared into the snowstorm.
Suddenly, a roaring gale swept across the cliff, making Erica squint her eyes painfully.
She tried to use the wind element within her to stop it, but it was useless.
"What's going on…."
Suddenly, a white rune lit up on Viktor's coat collar.
In Erica's gaze, a white mist slowly formed around him.
Within the mist, it was as if the outline of a creature appeared.
It was… a giant white bird.
It soared across the sky, through drifting snowflakes, like a king of the heavens.
At some unknown moment, Viktor was already standing upon its back.
Erica widened her eyes as the giant bird summoned violent winds.
The wind howled, within a blink.
It pierced through the pale clouds, the furious airstreams surging like crashing waves, and disappeared from Erica's sight.
She stood alone on the snowy cliff, watching Viktor leave.
Lost in a daze for a long time.