Imprisoned for a Trillion Years, I Was Worshipped by All Gods!

Moments later, Alan and the others vanished completely into the depths of the Imperial Capital’s streets.

The onlookers, realizing there would be no duel to witness, sighed in disappointment and began to disperse, returning to their daily lives.

Stephen, meanwhile, raised his hand and gripped the back of Krom’s neck with an ironclad grip. His voice was low, his tone cold as ice, and his reprimand cut like a blade.

“You’re not young anymore, Krom. So why are you still acting like those hot-headed youths? Just a few provoking words, and you’re already losing control of your temper?”

His voice grew even colder. “Let me tell you something, Krom. If I’d arrived even a few minutes later, you wouldn’t be standing here in front of me, perfectly intact. You’d be lying cold and dead on the ground, do you understand that?”

Krom lowered his head in frustration and took a deep breath before responding. “Headmaster… I understand everything you’re saying. But… but! As a member of Lioncrest, I just couldn’t bear to see the last shred of our Academy’s dignity trampled into the dirt like that!”

Seeing Krom’s pained expression, Stephen gave a smile—yet one laced with unmistakable bitterness.

He sighed heavily. “Dignity? From the moment the truth behind the bounty order was revealed to the world, Lioncrest Academy had already lost all dignity.”

Smack! Smack!

Just as Stephen finished lamenting the fall of Lioncrest, Krom suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself twice—hard.

“I’m sorry, Headmaster! It’s all my fault! If I hadn’t rejected Alan back then, how could our academy have ended up in such a disgraceful state today?!”

As he spoke, Krom lifted his hand again, clearly preparing to slap himself once more.

Stephen quickly grabbed his wrist, halting the motion.

“Headmaster?”

Krom looked up in confusion, only to meet Stephen’s gaze—a gaze so sharp and calculating, it sent a chill through his bones.

“Let the past stay in the past,” Stephen said softly. “There’s no need for you to take it all on your shoulders. Everyone makes mistakes, Krom. The key is how we make up for them.”

He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping. “In the ruins of Kent Kingdom, Alan has already offended nearly every major faction. But you and he are different, Krom. Your mistake merely cost Lioncrest a student with decent potential. But Alan? His mistakes will bring death not just to himself—but to everyone in Sirius Academy. None of them will have graves left to be buried in.”

With that, Stephen turned his head toward a nearby elderly professor from Lioncrest and issued a rapid order.

“Go notify the Barton Kingdom spies we’ve stationed in the capital. Tell them—if they’re willing to help eliminate Alan and those Sirius Academy vermin, then Lioncrest will fully support them in the coming war!”

The old professor responded with a solemn nod, then immediately activated a teleportation array and vanished.

After he left, Krom furrowed his brow and asked, “Headmaster, openly cooperating with Barton Kingdom… isn’t that a bit too risky? Our academy is already facing a lot of negative public opinion. And from what I’ve heard, those Barton people are notoriously unreliable…”

Stephen chuckled and waved it off. “So what if they’re unreliable? I couldn’t care less whether this country ends up being called Charlie or Barton. As long as our academy can continue to function, it doesn’t matter what the kingdom is named. Unless… do you have strong patriotic feelings, Vice Headmaster Krom?”

Krom quickly shook his head. “Not at all. I don’t care which name the kingdom takes because in my heart, there’s only ever been one true allegiance—and that’s to Lioncrest Academy!”

Stephen smiled with satisfaction at this answer and replied, “It’s good that you think that way. Never forget, Krom—our true enemy has only ever been one person, and that’s Alan! Everything else—whether kingdoms, factions, or even the so-called mighty individuals—are just pawns for us to use.”

Krom seemed to grasp the larger picture now and nodded repeatedly in understanding.

“As expected of Headmaster Stephen. Your foresight is far beyond mine—I still have so much to learn from you.”

Stephen didn’t say anything more. He simply smiled faintly and turned to re-enter the academy’s main building.

—

Several days passed in a flash.

During this time, no one from Lioncrest Academy dared to respond to Alan’s public challenge to a life-and-death duel. The capital’s newspaper editors, hungry for headlines, spun the story with exaggeration and flair, spreading it across the city like wildfire.

In the blink of an eye, Lioncrest Academy’s reputation hit rock bottom.

Now, just admitting you were a student from Lioncrest was enough to get you thrown out of even the poorest tavern in the capital.

The academy’s name became synonymous with shame, whispered with disgust. Lioncrest became like a plague—reviled and avoided by all.

Some groups even went as far as to petition the royal family to remove Lioncrest Academy’s official status in Plantagenet Kingdom. They declared that they no longer recognized—or accepted—such a morally bankrupt institution as part of their proud nation.

But while Lioncrest’s prestige plummeted…

Sirius Academy—once silent for over a decade—suddenly burst into the limelight.

Alan, Francis, Fort, Blanche, and Headmaster Gayle—these names now echoed through the capital like legends. Their fame spread so wildly that even the common folk could recite their stories by heart.

Alan, in particular, under the dual endorsement of Emperor Denken and the Church, had become a household name. His popularity now rivaled that of the once-celebrated Rose Duke, Alice.

—

At noon, inside Sirius Academy, smoke curled into the sky.

But this wasn’t from an attack by bounty hunters.

No—it was the scent of roasted meat wafting through the air. Alan and the others were holding a barbecue party.

Francis held a skewer of smoked ham in one hand, and in the other, a hamburger the size of a grown man’s fist. He was just about to dig in when—

Headmaster Gayle appeared from the shadows, his voice solemn.

“Hold it. There’s something important I need to discuss with all of you.”

Francis let out a long groan. Staring at the sizzling, juicy meat in his hands, he couldn’t help but gulp down a mouthful of saliva.

“Headmaster… can’t it wait until after I eat?”

“No.”

Gayle’s face was unusually serious. Seeing that, Francis sighed helplessly.

“In that case… I guess I’ll have to show you all one of my hidden talents!”

With that, he stunned everyone.

He used gravity magic to reduce the weight of the food in his hands. Then, opening his mouth wide, he said with his mouth half-full:

“Watch closely, brothers… today, I shall perform—the Three-Bite Burger Vanish!”

Nom—nom—GULP!

A series of muffled, sticky chewing sounds followed.

As promised, Francis devoured the giant hamburger and the smoked ham in just three bites, swallowing everything almost whole.

Headmaster Gayle stood frozen in place, completely speechless. His mind kept replaying the absurd scene of Francis devouring food like a black hole.

Alan stepped forward and used the tip of a barbecue skewer to prod Francis in the belly. Chuckling, he said, “Would you stop embarrassing yourself? Headmaster’s actually being serious for once. Could you at least wait for him to finish before pulling your little stunts?”

Francis sheepishly licked the grease from his fingers and gave a bashful smile.

“Can’t help it. I was really starving. So… what was it you wanted to say, Headmaster?”

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