Chapter 47: Hera’s Intervention and the Examiner’s Arrival

Gern had not anticipated Sina stepping forward to speak on his behalf. Given the multitude of misunderstandings between them previously, her current stance by his side indicated a significant reduction in her wariness towards him. Although he didn’t require them to vouch for him, a faint sense of joy stirred within him as he watched the two young women bravely confront the crowd.

“Thank you…” he murmured softly, then stepped in front of the two girls, raising his voice to address the small gathering before them.

“You are free to question me, and by all means, verify my claims with the examiner when the time comes. But for now, I urge you all to compose yourselves.”

“I must return with him to report, so I bid you farewell.”

“Oh, and a word of caution: he has sown seeds within each of you. If you wish to avoid corruption by the Heretic God, you must use Holy Light healing scrolls to dissolve this contamination.”

Having delivered his warning, Gern intended to depart with the Heretic God Cult member, yet the others clearly had no intention of letting the matter rest.

Gern had barely taken two steps when he was intercepted.

“Boy! You claim he’s a member of the Heretic God Cult, but what proof do you offer? If you cannot present evidence of his affiliation today, then you will not be leaving this place!”

Gern’s brow furrowed. He truly possessed no tangible evidence for the man’s arrest, beyond the fact that the man himself had confessed to being a devotee of the Heretic God Cult. In a situation like this, simply stating that fact would utterly fail to convince these people, and might even result in him being turned upon.

Just as the atmosphere grew taut with unspoken threats, a slightly cool voice slowly chimed in.

“Everyone, might I have a word?”

Instantly, all eyes were drawn to the speaker: Hera, who had been keenly observing Gern throughout the commotion.

“Allow me to ask you all something first: what was the strength of that colossal serpent?”

“This…” Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, uncertain of Hera’s intent behind the question.

She paused for a moment; seeing that no one offered a reply, she let out a cold laugh before continuing.

“The three of us combined could only withstand that colossal serpent for a mere moment. If he were genuinely a devotee of the Heretic God Cult, would he truly need to expend such effort arguing with us?”

At her words, some of those present suddenly seemed to grasp the implication, yet others, still stubborn, retorted.

“That’s the Heretic God Cult we’re talking about; who knows what their true motives are? What if this is merely a ploy to gain our trust?”

Hera cast a sharp glance at the speaker, her emerald eyes slowly narrowing into slits.

“But the mere fact that he could reach this place proves he has already infiltrated the academy’s inner workings. Why, then, would he risk exposure to rescue us?”

“This… this could very well be his cunning scheme, designed to win our trust before enacting some wicked plot.”

“That colossal serpent might even have been drawn here by him. I simply refuse to believe that a Tier 3 knight could possibly defeat a Tier 4 Corrosive Viper.”

Hera’s lips parted slightly, utterly at a loss for how to respond to the man before her. She felt an overwhelming urge to crack open his skull and inspect the state of his brain development.

The power of magical beasts is inherently somewhat weaker than that of ordinary cultivators. This was precisely why Lilia and her companions, despite being at the peak of Tier 2, were able to hold their ground for such an extended period. Had it been a cultivator—whether a Tier 4 knight, a mage, or even a cleric—they would not have endured for nearly as long.

Given the man’s unyielding obstinacy, Hera realized she had no choice but to unleash her ultimate gambit.

She slowly extended her arms, her flawless figure revealed in its entirety. Behind her, the faint, shimmering outline of a colossal tree began to manifest. This was the World Tree, a unique class phantom exclusive to the elven race, granted only to those elves possessing the purest bloodline.

“As you can plainly see, I am an elf. The depth of hatred elves harbor for the Heretic God Cult should be self-evident, should it not?”

“I detected not a single trace of chaotic power emanating from him. Rather, it was the man he held by the hand who stirred a flicker of revulsion within me.”

Elves are the very children of nature, and the essence of chaotic power is to reduce everything to chaos and void. Thus, elves possess an innate, instinctive revulsion towards chaotic power. It must be noted, however, that this method of judgment is not infallibly accurate; a person detested by elves is not necessarily a Heretic God Cult follower, yet a Heretic God Cult follower will invariably be detested by elves.

This was also one of the primary reasons Hera had not voiced any doubts about Gern earlier, choosing instead to stand firmly on his side.

Even though Hera had articulated her points to such an extent, some individuals still refused to believe Gern. At this point, she was utterly out of options.

She cast a pointed look at Gern, then moved to stand beside Lilia and the others, her posture clearly conveying her current attitude.

“If any of you still refuse to believe, then let us settle this by whatever means you possess.”

“Are you truly intent on aiding a villain?”

Hera remained unconcerned. After all, she was not of the same race as these people, and they had previously engaged in heated arguments. She was, in fact, rather pleased to find a pretext to teach them a lesson. Oh, and she would also be assisting Anthony in fulfilling his earlier promise—helping him physically ‘abstain’ from his urges.

The two factions faced off for a tense moment, neither side willing to yield an inch, their stances bristling with barely contained aggression.

Just as both sides were on the verge of engaging, a sudden rustling emanated from the nearby bushes. In that instant, every person present felt their nerves stretch to their absolute limit.

“Could it be that serpent has returned?”

“What foolishness! Close your ill-omened mouth this instant!”

Even as the crowd murmured, speculating about the contents of the rustling foliage, a sudden flash of sword light cleaved the dense bushes in two.

A winding path was instantly carved through the undergrowth, and a remarkably tall figure emerged from the depths of the foliage.

Upon seeing this, both groups swiftly sheathed their weapons, their aggressive auras dissipating entirely.

The person before them was clad in the uniform of an academy examiner, and the crux of their argument revolved around Gern’s identity. With the examiner now present, there was no longer any need for further dispute; all matters would be entrusted to their arrangement.

“What is the meaning of this?” the examiner inquired, still somewhat perplexed as he surveyed the group, having just battled his way through the dense undergrowth.

The surrounding individuals offered awkward smiles, merely indicating that a minor misunderstanding had just transpired.

The examiner cast a peculiar glance at them, but refrained from comment. So long as no lives were lost during this assessment, how the students chose to contend with one another was of no concern to him.

His gaze soon swept over Gern, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face. He had been present when Gern reported the situation to Snow, and thus was naturally privy to Gern’s background. He first offered Gern a friendly greeting, only then noticing the individual Gern held in his grasp.

He recognized the man himself; it was indeed the Heretic God Cult devotee mentioned on the list.

“Alright, alright, everyone, please listen as I explain the situation. We have discovered that members of the Heretic God Cult have infiltrated the assessment teams.”

The examiner had not yet finished his next sentence when several individuals immediately pointed in Gern’s direction.

“Examiner, sir, the Heretic God Cult devotee is right over there!”