Broken Possessors of Infinite Regression Academy

I didn’t know why Maker suddenly appeared, but I couldn’t let this opportunity pass. Refined mana instantly transformed violently. A magical tsunami swept through the Legion Commander and his nearby guards.

The Death Knights moved first, blocking Elder Lich’s path. Maker, without any protective forces and unable to dodge in time, was swept away by the torrent.

A flashing blue light swept through, reducing the dozens of Death Knights to just a few. Elder Lich was unharmed, and Maker was nowhere to be seen.

“……”

Elder Lich turned his hollow eye sockets towards me and snapped his fingers. More Death Knights were summoned to replace the fallen ones. Seeing this, I thought to myself that the hero’s role was indeed crucial.

The Death Knights, even as undead, could be summoned by the snap of a finger. Without the Holy Sword, a war of attrition wouldn’t even be possible.

“You are a rude human… Interrupting our conversation…”

“Conversation? If you leave yourself wide open like that, why wouldn’t I take the opportunity to strike?”

“But it’s a practical thought… A very suitable mindset for knowledge exploration… It’s a pity you don’t accept the path of truth… You would have made an excellent subordinate…”

I kept an eye on the spot where Maker had been, wondering how far he had been blown away by the magic.

“What is the meaning of this?! How dare you do this to me!”

As the saying goes, a tiger will respond if you call its name, and Maker flew towards me, fuming. Despite being hit without any defense, his body showed no signs of damage.

If such magic could inflict critical injuries or kill him, he wouldn’t be called a Legion Commander.

“I will never forgive you for this!”

Armor materialized on Maker’s body. I prepared my next spell. If necessary, I would use the barrier to shield the Academy and cast a wide-area annihilation spell. Both of them relied on numbers, so it was only fitting to respond in kind.

Elder Lich needed no introduction, and Maker, as a mutated slime, could split his body into thousands of pieces to attack. He hated being called a slime, but it was the truth.

I couldn’t afford to fight them one by one. Who knew how long it would take?

“Go ahead, try me…”

Suddenly, something caught my eye in the corner of my vision. I looked up and saw the barrier surrounding the Academy flickering and fading away. Ingrid had kept her promise.

Without the barrier, the black aura that had threatened to engulf the Academy seemed ready to pounce at any moment. But, just as in the original story, it was merely a simple ward.

“This is terrible! This is very terrible! Who dared to deactivate the barrier?!”

“An unexpected turn of events… How did they discover the truth…?”

Elder Lich made a rare, almost inaudible sound, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Maker also jumped and fussed.

“Mira Crate! Why aren’t you surprised! Without the barrier, the miasma will soon engulf the Academy!”

Maker pointed at me, trying to intimidate me. It was too late for such a transparent attempt at deception. They had already cried wolf too many times for me to fall for it now.

I would have seen through their ruse even without their exaggerated reactions.

“I know it’s nonsense. That’s not miasma out there. It’s just a ward to prevent anyone outside from seeing the Academy in chaos.”

Maker’s eyes widened in shock.

“How is this possible?! How much do you know?!”

“At least enough to thwart your foolish plans?”

I had been about to strike first, but I paused as a better idea came to mind. The timing of the barrier’s deactivation was perfect for what I had in mind.

“That’s because Astaroth is the one who gave me the information.”

“What?! Is that true?!”

Maker’s eyes bulged even further, and he began to pull at his hair. The already large irises became even larger and rounder. Elder Lich, too, gripped the armrests of his chair, eventually breaking them off.

Despite the fact that it was an illogical lie, they seemed to be completely taken in. Perhaps it was because the events I had brought about so far were so far beyond the realm of common sense.

I had originally intended to sow discord between them, but if they were this gullible, things could be taken further. I began to weave a story as if I had truly made a deal with Astaroth.

“So, my entire plan was orchestrated with Astaroth. That’s why the Academy has been able to repel the invasion so effectively. I planned the invasion from within, coordinating your attacks with their defenses. That’s why external communication has been blocked, but they can still repel the invasion on their own.”

This was a lie. Astaroth had not planned the invasion with the Academy’s strength in mind; it was a hastily devised plan, and the Academy was only able to repel it because of their own power. The cause and effect had been reversed.

“What about the fact that she ignored the Demon King’s order to return? She must have known that after this incident, she would join our side anyway, so she ignored the Demon King, right? Now that she’s no longer her superior, she don’t have to obey her. Isn’t that right?”

This was also a lie. The reason why Astaroth had pushed forward with the plan despite the Demon King’s command was unknown. The only reason I knew about the Demon King’s involvement was because the traitor was the Demon King herself.

“And who told me that the miasma surrounding the Academy was actually a ward? Who told me that there was a device planted in the barrier’s core? Who told me that the barrier would explode when it reached maximum output? If you think about it for a moment, the answer to who gave me this information, and who that person I got it from, is obvious, isn’t it?”

Of course, it was Priscilla, a regressionist, who had provided the information. But to them, it would only make sense that a traitor within the demon tribe had leaked the information.

And Astaroth was the perfect candidate to be suspected as the traitor. She had actively led this entire plan, and it was also an opportunity to get back at them for what they had put us through.

“……”

As they considered the possibility that Astaroth was the traitor, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place dramatically. It was only natural for them to have deep suspicions.

Of course, it made perfect sense because I had crafted the lie to fit the cause and effect so neatly. To drive the point home, I deliberately smiled as if I knew something and opened my mouth.

“Elder Lich, you’re feeling a bit itchy, aren’t you? About the Life Vessel, hidden in the 37th room on the 23rd floor of the underground dungeon you’ve made your base. The one on the last floor is a fake, and the real one is there, right? Am I right?”

“Astaroth…! How far have you sold out the pride of the demon tribe…!”

When I mentioned the real location of Life Vessel, which I had learned from Priscilla, Elder Lich’s actions became noticeably frantic, as if he had confirmed Astaroth as the traitor.

It made sense. The location of Life Vessel had never been revealed to a human before. Yet, I knew the exact location. Someone must have leaked the information, and that someone was undoubtedly Astaroth.

At least, that’s what Elder Lich would think.

“If you don’t get back soon, things could get ugly. What do you think Astaroth is up to there?”

That was the deciding factor. Realizing that they should not remain here any longer, the undead horde began to disappear as if they were being sucked into the bead. Maker panicked at the sight.

“What are you doing?! Are you leaving now?! With Mira Crate right here?!”

“Shut up, slime… My Life Vessel is far more precious than you… Now that I know there’s a traitor within, I have no intention of staying here…”

Despite Maker’s protests, foaming at the mouth, Elder Lich opened a portal and disappeared. Leaving the undead dragon behind could be considered a final act of goodwill.

When they returned and realized that Life Vessel was intact, they would surely investigate Astaroth’s betrayal and interrogate her. It would take them quite some time to return here, as they would need to deal with any potential sabotage attempts and question Astaroth.

“Now it’s just you left.”

I turned my head. The monster growled.

“I always felt that Astaroth was overly obsessed with you! Who would have thought that her desire to kill you had another meaning! Just how good are you in bed to have seduced that greedy bitch! She needs to drain at least five or six minotaurs to be barely satisfied!”

‘Is that all?’

To be honest, I was a little surprised. So, when Nika becomes a queen, that’s what she’ll be like?

“Good! Although there was a traitor, I’m still a Legion Commander! I’ll put off killing Astaroth until after I deal with you!”

Maker puffed up his body, like an inflating balloon. I looked at him indifferently and said:

“There’s still one more.”

Refined mana, which had been lingering like fog nearby, soared into the sky. Countless magic circles were consumed as power sources, and the mana took on a new form as it rose.

A massive magic circle was drawn in the sky. The magic circle, which showed no signs of stopping, struck the black ward.

Crackle-boom!

Thunder rumbled, and flames began to devour the black ward. The flames whirled and scattered in all directions. The air felt hot and humid.

As the ward was punctured, the black aura began to melt and dissipate from the hole. Maker, realizing my intention, let out a piercing shriek.

“Are you trying to call the Sword Saint?!”

“How did you know?”

It was obvious what I was doing, so I was just teasing him. Maker’s face turned red with anger.

However, I had no intention of waiting for the Sword Saint. I exhaled refined mana once more. Hundreds of magic circles surrounded Maker and me, forming a barrier that enclosed the area.

“Don’t worry.”

I channeled mana into Eternity. Blue mist began to fill the barrier, obscuring our surroundings.

“I’ll make sure you never meet the Sword Saint.”