Grace Steele was capable of using various attribute magics, but her main magic was undoubtedly illusion.

Since that illusion was completely neutralized, she had no choice but to retreat.

"... Step aside, Deputy Commander."

Unusually, Kaen stepped back, calling her position. He also felt that the situation at hand required seriousness.

"Reveal your affiliation."

"Stella Academy, Grade 1, Class S, Department of Magic Combat..."

"No, reveal your 'true affiliation.'"

When Baek Yu-Seol didn't answer, Kaen's eyebrows twitched.

"Fine, I guess you can't say. I won't ask about your affiliation and why you infiltrated Stella. However, do not interfere in our affairs. We don't want unnecessary conflicts."

"That's a problem. Are you saying we should kill that student?"

"... Yes. That's our method."

If there was a hint of dark magic in someone, they were killed and disposed of. That was to prevent any repercussions.

Emotional appeals mean nothing to them.

Saying things like 'Will you kill your friend if they end up like that?' or 'Please spare my friend because they're my friend.'

It had no meaning to them. They must act even more robotically than those without emotions because they were mages of the Manwol Tower.

However, that didn’t mean they could retreat. Although Baek Yu-Seol knew he would be killed within a mere 5 seconds of fighting them, he was a being worth risking his life to protect the Haewonryang.

"How did it come to this..."

While everyone else was enjoying the Heavenly Spirit Tree Ascension Day, he was shopping at the market.

Then, a sudden message appeared.

[An event variable has occurred in the episode.]

[Episode 8 Haewonryang Dark Magic Route is in progress.]

Originally, only one student would have been affected by the sparks of Professor Maizen’s dark magic.

Jecky, Haeyonryang, and Arshuang.

In the original work, one of these three would randomly undergo dark magic during a specific event.

The ‘Jecky’s dark Magic Route' occurred during Episode 6, the Persona Gate practical training.

The 'Arshuang Dark Magic Route' occurred during Episode 7, the Familiar Contract ceremony.

The 'Haewonryang Dark Magic Route' occurred during Episode 8, the Dark Magic Contamination.

The Jecky’s Dark Magic Route had already been smoothly cleared, and honestly, the Arshuang’s Dark Magic Route was too easy to mention.

The problem was the Haewonryang’s Route.

The Haewonryang’s Route was an event branch that occurred with an extremely low probability, and a veteran user in a certain community who wrote a guide about it even said this.

"If you took the Haewonryang’s Dark Magic Route, there's a 99% chance of a bad ending. It's faster to give up and create a new character."

"However, if you still insist on pursuing it, read this guide."

"You'll realize that all the effort you put into it was futile."

Why was the difficulty so extreme?

One reason was that Haewonryang was incredibly powerful, making it difficult to confront him.

But even after defeating him, the choice of which path to take determined whether it led to a 'happy ending' or a 'bad ending.'

‘… Still, it seems like I've managed to solve it almost perfectly.’

Originally, the protagonist of this world was Edna. Even without Baek Yu-Seol stepping forward, the future steadily progresses in some direction.

Surprisingly, Edna chose the option for a happy ending with a 1% chance in the [Haewonryang Dark Magic Route], which was known to result in a bad ending with a 99% probability.

Perhaps Edna didn’t even realize that she made such a miraculous choice. He not sure how she strategized against Haewonryang's curse, but using their purification magic was the only thing left to finish.

But of all things, the mages of 'Manwol Tower' had to intervene.

‘Phew, I wish they had come a little earlier to help…’

Due to Edna’s significantly inferior ability to detect dark magic, they arrived at the scene too late.

What should be done now?

If there was just one chance to persuade them, Edna’s magic could completely purify Haewonryang.

However, the mages of Manwol Tower were absolutely uncompromising beings.

In front of a dark mage, the only way to ease their conscience is to dismantle their head.

That was all they could do.

They were not evil.

Dark mages were evil, so if one were to judge, they would be guardians of justice.

But that was not possible right now.

Just one step.

Just one step to make the mages of Manwol Tower retreat.

‘... There's no way such a favorable method will come up in this situation.’

Baek Yu-Seol was not actually that clever. In this situation, there were no miraculous solutions that came to mind like in a comic.

‘There's no choice but to face this situation head-on.’

He drew out his Argento. Although he didn't release any magic from the sword, it was enough to express his intention to fight.

"You say you'll kill my classmate, but I don't see any reason for me to just pass by. Are you suggesting we fight?"

"... You won't gain anything by fighting us. You will definitely die."

"Well, even if I die, I can make some noise. You guys don't seem like the type to confidently show your faces and act boldly. How about I strangle you once? I'm pretty confident in annoying you until people come."

...

Kaen remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"What do you want?"

"Just believe in me and let me purify that friend just once."

"It's a futile endeavor. Even if you manage to purify the dark magic, emotions won't return."

"That's why I'm telling you to believe. With the magic that kid uses, emotions can be restored to their original state."

When he pointed at Edna and spoke, her pupils trembled.

In truth, it wasn't Edna’s "magic" but rather the issue of the "method" they used, but it didn't seem necessary to explain in detail.

Edna silently watched Baek Yu-Seol’s back, sweating coldly.

’How can he move...?’

Grace would become the ultimate authority of illusion magic in the distant future. Currently, she was not at that level yet, but nonetheless, it was extremely difficult to break her illusion magic.

However, even within that illusion, he could move as if nothing was wrong.

Mayuseong's expression was severely shaken, showing considerable surprise. He couldn't believe the fact that Baek Yu-Seol could move so freely.

‘... Since he's a regressor, he must have figured out a way somehow.’

The important thing was whether Kaen would accept his opinion.

"If, by any chance, the purification of emotions fails?"

"I will cleanly withdraw."

"... Fine."

For Kaen, it wasn't a bad proposal.

At the very least, if they were to unnecessarily engage in a fight with someone who could easily bypass Grace’s magic, they would surely catch the attention of the Fairy King and the Elf King, "Florin," who was the king of all fairies.

That would be really unfavorable.

So it seemed like the best judgment to take a step back right now.

"If you break the promise... I will make sure you suffer the most agonizing death, causing chaos and everything."

"Why are you so ruthlessly cruel?"

For a moment, due to the sincere aura emanating from Kaen, his arms trembled slightly, but he managed to hide his hands as much as possible to avoid being noticed.

"Grace, release the illusion."

"Captain, do you trust his words?"

"... I just don't want to cause unnecessary trouble. If he's lying, it won't be too late to kill him then."

"Fine, I got it..."

Grave sighed deeply and shook her staff. Then, the illusion unraveled, and Edna regained his freedom.

"Ah..."

She forced her trembling legs to stand and approached Haewonryang, dragging her staff.

Then she collapsed in front of him.

Her legs had become weak from forcibly enduring the illusion. However, the spell had been completed earlier, and there was no problem in purifying Haewonryang.

She brought her staff close to Haewonryang's forehead, reciting the spell.

Well... calling it a spell, it sounded more like a magnificent hymn.

Angelic magic manifested through singing. Even though she was singing alone, it seemed as if dozens of choir members were singing from Edna’s mouth.

The melody was not in human language, so he couldn't comprehend it, but he could at least sense that the rhythm resonated in his chest.

"Captain, is that the Light Magic?"