Fanatics of the Magic Academy

After much persuasion from Mason, Rose showed an expression that suggested he had given up on the idea of ​​going to find the cultists.

Mason handed Rosell the book, *The History of the Repression of Believers*, to her and said:

"Then you can take a look at this book and learn how bloody and terrifying believers really are."

It seems that the Magic Federation not only persecutes believers, but also promotes them in the media.

He left Mason with the book, "The History of the Repression of Believers."

Before leaving, Mason repeatedly instructed Rose to keep the book safe.

If the book is even slightly damaged, I'll fight Rosell to the death.

Rose swore to God before Mason allowed Rose to take the book away.

Rose took the book back to the tent; it was around noon.

Rose put the book in the tent, pulled the tent up, and lay down inside.

He casually untied the [Materialism] book, his gilded vertical pupils staring blankly at the top of the tent.

He turned around and picked up the small notebook Kenneth had given him, which was filled with runes and annotations that Kenneth had written for him before his death.

Rose scratched his head in a somewhat distressed manner.

He now seemed to understand what Mason meant when he said that every homeless person must have their own way of regaining their sanity.

The person who entrusted him with these tasks yesterday was buried by him today, and he could only use tree branches as a tombstone.

Most people don't even have a grave; after they die, they are simply taken away and placed on some magician's testing table.

It's no wonder people go crazy if they live in such an environment for a long time!

After lying down for a while, Rose let out a long sigh and sat up.

I decided to level up my skills first and learn all the magic left behind by Kenneth.

The environment here is becoming increasingly dangerous, and there are more and more bounty hunters around.

He currently knows only three spells: [Air Compression], [Circulating Fireball], and [Wind Network Perception].

[Air Compression] can be launched at zero frames by releasing it in a puncture-like manner, and its power is not bad.

But the bounty hunter who patted Rose on the shoulder today...

Rose had a premonition that his [air compression] technique might not be effective against that person.

Then the other side used it like a ball to kick around.

【Circular Fireball】is powerful, but it requires activation and has a long casting animation.

Rose decided to diversify her methods; having more methods would allow her to deal with more complex situations.

After figuring it out, Rose decided to continue grinding for proficiency.

Without Kenneth's guidance, it might take a little longer.

However, Rose believed that with the unlimited mana supply from [Ancient Dragon Meditation], it shouldn't take too long.

And so, Rose continued to grind for proficiency.

He first focused on improving his defense, planning to increase his proficiency in the "Transform into the Wind" skill.

[Transform into the Wind] There are a total of 8 runes, of which 4 have already been learned.

However, Rose still needs to increase her proficiency, which is important for a mage.

Each spell's arrangement and the interfaces between runes are different, so you have to grind proficiency again.

Even if you're a second-circle mage or a third-circle mage, it's all the same; even if you know a thousand runes...

If the rune arrangement and interface are different, you will need to try again and grind proficiency until you succeed in casting the spell.

It's possible that higher-level mages have a deeper understanding of runes, more accurate intuition, and therefore require less time.

But it's still the same process.

And so, relying on [Ancient Dragon Meditation], Rose kept grinding for proficiency from noon until almost night.

Eight runes continuously coalesced in his mind, only to shatter uncontrollably.

Each time the rune breaks, Rose adjusts the connection nodes and improves the smoothness of the rune connection.

He then went to the shop and spent 40 marks to buy meat that was nearing its expiration date, and then returned to his tent to continue grinding.

By midnight, Rose was feeling a bit tired, but thankfully he had successfully cast [Transform into Cloud Form].

Although he was deprived of sleep,

But I still feel tired.

After regaining his focus, he opened the book Mason had given him, "The History of the Repression of Believers."

The gilded vertical pupils that come with the Ancient Dragon Follower are not just for looks; they resemble the pupils of a wild beast.

The gleaming eyes also feature night vision, allowing the user to see in the dark without the aid of artificial light.

Rose was also able to read the words on the book.

He intended to find out why believers were suppressed and burned at the stake if they were discovered.

This is so that I won't end up on the stake one day; knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle.

More importantly, he wanted to see if the book contained any information about something similar to the Self-Nature All-Spirit Cult.

He felt that the church he had previously served was not a coincidence, and that such a phenomenon might not be uncommon in the magic capital.

Sooner or later he will expose the people behind the Self-Nature Ten Thousand Spirits Sect and make those beasts wish they were dead!

Rose opened the book to the first page, where it read:

Before discussing the Magic Federation's suppression of believers, we must answer this question:

That question that has been gradually forgotten over time due to the rise of entertainment to the death:

What was it like in an era ruled by believers?

"This is what the Arcane Council officially stated:"

Before the Magic Era, this land was ruled by the gods and their followers for tens of thousands of years.

In that era, reason was suppressed, science was forbidden, and people groveled at the feet of the gods, exchanging blood sacrifices and enslavement for false protection.

In the year 1231 of the Magic Calendar, which was also the 1231st year since the founding of the Magic Federation, the great arcane pioneers launched the "War of Dawn."

After hundreds of years of struggle, they finally overthrew the rule of the gods and established a magical civilization based on reason!

"There's nothing wrong with that statement, but it's too simplistic and concise."

To understand why the Magic Federation suppresses believers so cruelly, so fearfully, and so mercilessly,

We must return to that era known as the "Age of the Gods," not from the perspective of the victors.

Rather, it was blood-stained evidence unearthed from the ruins.

"According to the postwar investigation committee report currently held in the central archives of Lovillia,"

In addition, based on the sacrificial records, population ledgers, and lists of sacrifices offered by believers previously discovered in the temple,

We can piece together the social framework of that "Age of Gods."

The author then presents a list of various data points.

These data were shocking to Rossai.

In that "Age of Gods," a society composed of pure believers, one-third of the people were not considered human.

They have no human rights; they can be bought and sold at will; they can be sacrificed at will.

There is a more appropriate way to address them—

"Sacrificial offerings".

They were born to be sacrificed to the gods in order to obtain their blessings.

And through this kind of sacrifice, the world can truly obtain divine power and divine protection.

For example, the data above shows that during the "Battle of Dawn," some cities sacrificed 10 people as offerings in exchange for divine intervention.

Of these, 45% were women, 30% were men, and 25% were children.

The remaining two-thirds can be considered human, but they are also divided into five classes of citizens based on their beliefs.

Even the lowest classes of people will be sacrificed when necessary.

In the "Battle of Dawn," as more and more people were sacrificed, this minimum standard was constantly raised.

In the end, even former first-class citizens were included in the list of sacrifices.

While the Magic Federation besieged the central city that worshipped the sun.

The siege lasted for three years, during which time the city sacrificed 40 people in exchange for divine protection and divine blessing.

Ultimately, the city was conquered, and the book contains a memoir written by a mage who participated in the battle after the city fell:

"We entered the Temple of the Sun, where a new round of sacrifices had just ended and the blood on the altar had not yet congealed."

The central offering was a 16-year-old holy child, used as a medium to communicate with the gods.

The others who were sacrificed have long since turned into flesh and blood and returned to the gods.

The child was tied to a stone platform, his chest was cut open, and his heart was removed.

His eyes were beautiful, as comforting as the sun, but we know that they stemmed from the alienation of the human body caused by faith.

The high priest saw us and exclaimed fervently:

"Ha ha ha, you're too late! The sun has accepted our sacrifice! You cannot breach this city!"

Does he mean the last phantom image of the sun?

That is indeed a difficult problem, but with our relentless bombardment using forbidden magic, even gods will fall.

We told him that the city had been captured.

He didn't believe it, so he ran to the temple gate and saw that our flag had already been planted on the city wall.

Seeing our soldiers lined up in the street,

He knelt on the ground and began to scream and cry.

To my surprise, he didn't scream "We lost," but rather "God has abandoned us."

This is truly incomprehensible.

He kept yelling for a long time, and we got a little annoyed and were about to grab him when...

He suddenly started running, and went to the altar, to the child.

He picked up the small knife, still stained with the child's blood, and plunged it into his own neck.

He fell there, right next to the child, his blood flowing down the altar with the child's blood, and down to our feet.

I stood there, staring at the hole in the child's chest and the knife on the priest's neck, motionless.

After his comrades breached the city walls, they shouted:

"We've won!"

Then they began to cheer and celebrate.

But I stood there motionless.

Did we win? Perhaps. Conquering one of the largest cities of the Age of Gods was indeed a great victory.

but,

I looked down at the blood at my feet, lost in thought.

Is this really a victory?

Do not,

No,

I don't think this is a victory at all.

Because as long as there is one priest who believes that one can exchange the blood of others, even the blood of children, for one's own safety,

We cannot call it a victory yet.

I will eradicate all believers in this world.