The Strongest Student of the Weakest Academy-Chapter 155: Silverleaf Academy (3)

"...Aestrea? What's going on with that expression?" Vivian tilted her head slightly upon noticing Aestrea's narrowed eyes fixed on her.

At her words, Aestrea's narrowed gaze softened into a quiet smile.

"…Nothing," he said, brushing off the worry in her eyes.

Then, gently, he reached out and held her hand.

"Come with me."

Vivian blinked.

"Huh? Where are we going—"

"You'll see," Aestrea smiled, and with that, he pulled her along, the two vanishing into the silver mist of the academy's edge.

By the time they arrived, the sky had deepened into twilight.

Vivian gasped softly as she stepped through the last curtain of trees.

Before them spread a hidden green valley—untouched, radiant. Dandelions danced gently in the evening breeze, blanketing the hills in golden white.

A waterfall in the distance shimmered in moonlight, its waters flowing crystal-clear into a serene lake that reflected the stars.

And among the glade, animals moved freely.

A graceful deer bowed its head to drink near a soft-furred bear, and a pair of birds flew down to perch peacefully on the creature's back.

There was no fear.

"…Aestrea…" Vivian whispered, her eyes widening.

He looked at her with a soft grin.

"This is my secret place. Took me a long time to make it like this."

He knelt down and brushed the grass.

"Taught them to live together. To understand one another, in silence… no fear."

Vivian knelt beside him, gently touching a dandelion.

"It's… beautiful."

"Whenever I'm tired… I come here," he said quietly.

"It's the only place I can really feel at peace."

Vivian looked up at him, her eyes glowing softly.

"Thank you… for bringing me here."

"Come," Aestrea said with a tilt of his head.

"Let's lie down for a bit."

As they settled into the grass, the cool blades tickling their skin, Aestrea rested one arm behind his head and looked up at the slowly darkening sky.

The stars were beginning to peek through, one by one.

Vivian lay beside him, hands resting on her stomach, her long crimson hair spread out like a fan of silk across the dandelions.

"…It's so quiet," she murmured.

Aestrea chuckled softly.

"That's the point."

She turned her head to face him.

"You really made all this happen?"

He nodded.

"Took me months… patience, magic, and a lot of fish to keep that bear from eating the deer."

Vivian giggled, her voice soft.

"You're so weird sometimes."

"I prefer the term one-of-a-kind."

She gave him a playful smile, then her voice lowered.

"You always did try to protect everyone. Even when no one asked you to."

Aestrea turned his head toward her, eyes meeting hers.

'That was the old Aestrea...'

"Someone has to… And it always happened to be me."

Vivian only smiled after hearing his words.

"…You never change," she whispered.

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It's not," She said quickly, then added, quieter:

"It's one of the reasons I…"

She trailed off.

"...I like you."

Aestrea's eyes softened the moment she said it.

He didn't flinch, didn't even blink.

He simply smiled.

"I mean... You were terrible at hiding it."

Vivian blinked, then laughed—soft and sweet, like wind brushing the petals around them.

"H-Hey! I wasn't that obvious!"

"Oh really?" Aestrea raised an eyebrow, glancing at her sideways. "You almost burned Mia alive when she touched my shoulder."

"That was one time!" she gasped, rolling onto her side and lightly smacking his arm. "And it was accidental spontaneous combustion! Totally normal reaction!"

"Sure it was," he said with a playful smirk.

Vivian pouted, cheeks a faint red.

"…You're the worst."

"And yet, here you are," he whispered, brushing a loose strand of hair from her cheek, "right next to me."

She didn't move away.

Instead, she smiled.

"Yeah… I guess I like being next to the worst."

They continued talking for a while.

About the past. About little things. About the future, too.

And slowly, her voice got quieter… her breathing steadier.

Until she fell asleep.

Right there, in his arms.

Aestrea looked down at her—his smile faint but sincere.

But slowly…

That smile faded.

His lips pressed tightly.

Then, he bit them hard—so hard that blood welled at the corner of his mouth.

His crimson eyes glowed faintly, troubled.

He closed them.

And whispered, only to himself—

"…I hope you don't become my enemy… Vivian."

Aestrea could feel her warm body against his arms.

However… her being a hybrid—half Human, half Devil—was something Aestrea couldn't just ignore.

Her sealed talent.

Her limited rank.

None of it made sense.

And it bothered him.

Because Devils… weren't ordinary demons.

They weren't just some rogue evil spirits that popped out of a cursed well.

They were something... primordial.

The original darkness.

The root of what the world feared.

In the world's vast demonic hierarchy, demons were categorized by their origin, power, and spiritual alignment, and starting with the lowest tier, the classes are as follows:

Imp-Class, Ghoul-Class, Wraith-Class, Fiend-Class, Archdemon-Class, and finally, the feared Demon King-Class.

And then… above all that...

Devil-Class — The Origin.

The true progenitor.

The ones who weren't born from chaos — but were chaos.

Lucifer, Satan, Samael… the names change with every culture.

But they all point to one truth:

A Devil is not a demon.

A Devil is the first sin, the eternal blasphemy, the cursed divine.

Aestrea's thoughts darkened.

If Vivian's blood carried even a sliver of that ancestry...

And her talent was sealed?

Who sealed it? Why?

What happens when it's unsealed?

He closed his eyes for a moment, gripping the soft grass beneath them.

A cold wind passed.

Vivian stirred lightly beside him, her head still resting against his shoulder, unaware of the storm building in his mind.

'What are you really, Vivian...?'

And worse…

'What will I have to do if that seal breaks?'

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Drip...

Drip...!

Aestrea's eyes slowly fluttered open, the chill of the earth beneath him biting into his back. A heavy, metallic scent choked the air. Something was wrong.

Terribly, horribly wrong.

His breathing hitched.

He looked at his hands.

"…What—"

Squelch.

His fingers were soaked in a thick, black substance—oozing rot, cracks splitting his skin like dry mud. The veins bulged, pulsing with corrupted mana.

Blood dripped from under his fingernails. It stank. It writhed. It moved.

"Ghhh—!" Aestrea gagged, doubling over, bile rising up his throat.

His vision swam as he clutched his stomach. He wanted to vomit, to scream, to tear his hands off. The world around him spun violently.

Then—

Silence.

The kind that crushed the chest.

His body trembled as he lifted his head.

And froze.

"…No…"

The Silverleaf Academy was gone.

The great halls, the towering spires, the glowing mana crystals—nothing but ash and ruin.

Buildings torn open like paper.

Flames crackled faintly in the distance, swallowing stone and steel alike.

Ashes. Blood. Rubble.

Everything was gone.

"No… no, no, no, no—"

His body tensed.

He tried to stand.

"AGH—!"

He collapsed.

His left leg—

Completely gone.

From the thigh down, nothing remained but mangled meat.

"…Hah… shit…"

He bit down on his sleeve to muffle his scream, tears already forming.

"I have to move… I have to move—"

He dragged himself.

His elbows scraped against broken stone. Blood trailed beneath him.

He saw them—scattered like dolls thrown across a room.

"…Ren… Tali…"

Aestrea's voice cracked.

"…Kael… Shina…"

His hand trembled as he touched a girl's scorched braid, half her face burned beyond recognition.

"…Sophie…"

He kept going.

"…Nero… Alain… Yui… Kaedan…"

Name after name.

Dozens. Hundreds. Thousands.

His voice grew weaker, quieter.

Until—

He stopped.

His body locked.

Four bodies.

Side by side.

A golden spear—still glowing—stood impaled through James' chest. Maria's eyes were open, lifeless, frozen in terror.

Derek… was barely recognizable.

And Mia... was completely disfigured, multiple spears piercing her body.

"No…"

His vision blurred.

"…Please…"

He pressed his forehead against Mia's.

"…Wake up…"

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Nothing.

A drop hit her cheek.

His tears.

"…Derek, come on… You were always the toughest, right? Say something…"

Silence.

"James, you bastard… you still owe me a drink… You promised…"

His voice broke.

"…Maria…"

He touched her hair, brushing it gently.

She had always kept it neat. Even now, even in death, it glowed faintly.

He leaned down.

His lips trembled.

"I'm sorry…"

Then—

Drip.

He heard it again.

A slow, steady dripping.

His eyes followed the sound—

And he saw her.

"…Vi…vian…"

Up ahead, against a broken stone wall, a giant wooden cross stood—its frame soaked in blood.

Vivian was nailed to it.

Arms stretched wide.

Feet crossed.

Blood ran down her arms, dripping from her fingers.

Her head hung to the side, her long red hair soaked and matted, eyes half-lidded, barely conscious—if even alive.

"…Vivian…"

He reached out toward her, his entire body trembling.

"…No… please… no—"

The air grew heavy.

Clack...

Clack!

Footsteps echoed behind him.

Aestrea turned—slowly, painfully—and his eyes widened in disbelief.

The Pope.

Clad in ceremonial gold and white, untouched by the chaos, a halo of false light shining behind him.

The man looked down at Aestrea like one would a pitiful insect.

"Do not cry, child," he said.

Aestrea's voice cracked.

"You…"

"It was necessary."

"…What…?"

"The world is rotting. The Lord needed a sacrifice. Many of them. The old world… had to burn."

Golden magic flared behind him.

Hundreds of golden spears.

Aestrea's pupils shrank.

His hands dug into the dirt.

"You killed them… you killed everyone!!"

"They were necessary offerings. Their lives paid the toll for humanity's sin."

"What sin?!"

"Existence. Pride. Corruption. The world was rotting. The Lord demanded balance."

The spears flew forward.

FWOOOOOSH!

Aestrea screamed, gathering every ounce of mana.

He reached deep inside, dragging power from the pit of his being.

CRACK!

Every skill he could summon exploded outward—

Splurt!

A hole pierced the pope's stomach, making blood splurt out like a geyser.

But then—

DING!

A golden panel appeared.

Right in front of his eyes.

[Possible Outcome]

FWOOOOOOOM!!!

The world exploded into white.

—

"AAAGH!"

Aestrea shot up from the grass, sweat pouring down his face, body shaking uncontrollably.

His breath caught in his throat.

He touched his hands—clean.

His left leg—still there.

Then, he looked around.

The birds were chirping.

The wind was soft.

He was still in Silverleaf.

Vivian was still next to him.

"Fuuu..."

It was just a vision.

Just a possible future.

"…Fuck…"

He covered his eyes, a tear escaping down his cheek.

"…I won't let that fucking happen…"

Aestrea clenched his fists.

His red eyes glowed sinisterly, and strangely...

For the fraction of a second.

His red eyes had turned completely black.

Reminiscent of the abyss himself.