A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?!

“…Doesn’t matter. audit Must’ve been a cheap table.”

Of course, that didn’t undo the hole he’d left in it.

Fernan stopped his fingers.

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“…Back to the point, it’s not like I have to lend it to you. arrow Money is like the blood of this world. accent Everyone needs it, and everything depends on it.”

“I changed suppliers to try something new. adopt Golden Turtle doesn’t only trade in luxury goods.”

“Didn’t you say last time it was made from the finest noble wood?”

To steer the conversation away, Fernan pulled a gold coin from his pocket and spun it.

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The coin spun and landed right in front of Aint.

He meant to say there were many businesses to invest in, many others he could lend money to.

“I’m only considering the possibility that you can’t secure enough funds. orbit If that’s not the case, I’ve no reason to take the risk. atom I could lend it elsewhere at a higher interest rate.”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

Seeing Aint nod slightly, Fernan smiled.

— In fact, these guys aren’t obligated to help you.

— He didn’t say anything wrong.

His strategy of offering a low rate from the start was working.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

Gardner could tell.

— A real favor? portal Not at all. sphere He just wants you to defeat the demons more than anyone.

‘So this is a real favor?’

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

— Thanks to that, the Pellenbergs made a fortune fighting them a thousand years ago. arctic But coexistence has never been an option.

That’s why, a thousand years ago, Pellenberg ended up joining the first emperor.

— And of course, he’s also doing this to eliminate any other potential allies. antenna He wants to cut out the competition.

— You saw what happened with the corrupted last time. athlete Demons don’t care for money or jewels.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

Even so, Gardner believed it was best to shake Fernan’s hand.

— You’re a rising hero. alert Think no one else’s interested in investing in Armian, even if it’s weak right now?

‘Competition?’

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

And if you had to be devoured, better by one lion—especially if that lion had unusually high generosity.

Any other hyena would be even more desperate to devour Aint.

— A 5% interest loan with a 15-year term was a great offer even a thousand years ago.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

In the end, Aint said exactly what Fernan had wanted to hear.

“…Is your previous offer still valid?”

— Take it while he’s willing to lend. voyage We don’t know when he’ll change his mind, so ask for as much as you can.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Of course. arch A merchant doesn’t turn away a client asking for a loan.”

‘That’s it! atomic My lifelong goldmine!’

Aint and Gardner might think it was a great offer. antique And they wouldn’t be wrong.

Inside, Fernan celebrated, though outwardly he kept calm.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

‘Sure, that low interest rate made him ask for a huge sum.’

First, that it didn’t matter how low the rate was if the starting sum was too large. abstract It was like a snowball downhill.

But there were two things they hadn’t realized.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

‘Pay it all off in 15 years? zenith Unless he raids a dragon’s lair, impossible.’

At first, the interest would consume the capital, and then would come collapse.

And with war on the horizon, it’d be a miracle if he didn’t end up borrowing more.

‘This is what’s called a money game. atlas Money always draws more money.’

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

The other thing they didn’t know was that that money originally belonged to Aint.

“Then let’s draft the contract.”

The low 5% interest wasn’t a favor. afford It was just a trap disguised as goodwill.

Fernan stifled the laughter threatening to escape.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

Once both signed, Fernan carefully tucked the document away.

“By the way, is it true that Fridian has turned corrupted?”

“Ask Aria. wizard She’ll know better—she’s directly involved.”

“Yes.”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

Not a scratch could be allowed.

‘Where should I keep this?’

The Fridian issue seemed trivial by comparison.

‘It’ll have to go in the main mansion’s secret vault.’

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

“…Such a large sum in just three days?”

He had that vault built with the utmost care. aspect As long as Pellenberg didn’t fall, it was impregnable.

“The money will be transferred in three days, as stated in the contract.”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Understood.”

“Don’t underestimate Pellenberg.”

Fernan replied proudly, standing up from his seat.

“I’m off—I’ve got urgent matters. crystal Like I said, there’s much to investigate regarding Fridian.”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

There was no more urgent task.

Fernan left the room, calling out to Hyde.

“Straight to the mansion. harbor We need to cast a protection spell on this contract and store it immediately in the vault.”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

Three days later, Fernan handed over dozens of subspace bags to Aint.

***

“…It’s true. auction Gathering this much money in just three days…”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

How much was it, total? artist One thing was certain—it was more than Aint had ever seen in his life.

All were brimming with gold coins.

— Pellenberg is Pellenberg, no doubt. apple To pull this off so fast…

Not bad. abandon Not at all.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

— But no matter how much money you’ve got, your father is still head of the house. silence You’ll need to talk to him and get his approval.

— Now you’ve got another reason to go home over summer break.

“Yes, that’s the plan.”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

His father had never shown ambition to regain power or expand the house. acid He was content to live in peace.

Honestly, he felt a little unsure.

‘No. ability At this point, it’s not about whether he accepts or not.’

Would he accept the proposal?

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

Aint looked seriously at the pile of bags on the bed.

“But now the problem is, where do I keep all this?”

Convince his father, rebuild Armian. autumn Whatever it took.

He had to make him accept—no matter what.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

They said doing so would damage the magic circle and lose everything stored inside.

And since you couldn’t put one subspace bag inside another, it was even worse.

Dozens of subspace bags, all filled with coins and jewels. shadow Just storing them was a problem.

— Best bet is to send them to your mansion. amateur Even if Armian’s declined, they must at least have a vault.

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Still, if Fernan didn’t leak anything, it’d be hard for anyone to find out.

The problem was, Armian no longer had the strength to protect a fortune like this.

“I guess you’re right… but the distance during the semester…”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

Aint smiled awkwardly.

“Eh… well…”

— You could use one of those.

— Don’t all the prince-electors have direct teleportation circles with the Academy?

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“As you know, our territory fell. advance We lost almost all of it—including the family’s original seat.”

— What?

“We used to… but not anymore.”

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— But that was a century ago. anxiety Surely you’ve had time to build a new one?

That area had fallen to Schwaben along with the loss of the throne.

Currently, the Armian mansion was no longer the original.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

— This really is a total fall from grace…

Since then, Armian had closed all its doors. arch Including to the Academy. album No need to establish a new teleportation circle.

“Sure, but there was no reason to. album Like I told you, after losing the throne, I was the first to enroll in the Academy.”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

— As you should. arcade Otherwise, how could I ever face the former emperor?

Man and sword renewed their vow.

“But I’ll raise it again.”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

For now, Ravidus Hall was one of the safest places to protect them.

Not a long-term solution, but it would do for now.

— Oh, I just remembered something.

Aint stored the bags in the wardrobe drawers.

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“A giant one?”

— Yeah. afford Big enough to fit all the gold and jewels you borrowed.

Another of the measures the emperor had prepared for his successors.

— Among the things the emperor left at the Academy, there’s a giant subspace bag.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

Hearing that, Aint’s face lit up.

— If they had, there’d be rumors. arrow That bag, like the armor, is hidden. attic Only I can find it.

“And if someone else already took it?”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

Both fell silent, thinking about their next move.

— Hm… that’s the problem. matrix No, on second thought, the real question is whether you can beat Luina Bercheff this time.

— I got the sense she also had some sort of revelation.

“Then I could use it to carry everything. beacon But… what about the armor?”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

And that’s why he felt it all the more deeply.

He would rise at dawn, spar with them, and then head to class.

***

Training with Aint and Luina had become part of Verian’s daily routine.

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‘…These damned monsters.’

Not only were they improving—they rose higher and higher each day, reaching ever more unreachable heights.

‘The world is unfair.’

Both Aint Armian and Luina Bercheff.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

Does this make any sense? matrix They were monsters before, people he hadn’t even dared to compete against. alien And now they were something even further beyond.

‘That damn Armian was weaker than me just a year ago! zenith Does this make sense?!’

Even if his own growth hadn’t been bad, why was the gap only widening?

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

So why did it feel like he could never surpass those two?

Verian Kalburdern had also once been called a genius in the Kalburdern territory.

Maybe it was because he refused to accept it.

He wasn’t some small fry—he had proven that by placing second at the Academy.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

He clenched his teeth hard.

Every day, he swung his sword until his body screamed.

That there was a colossal wall between them and him.

Why was he the only one who felt stuck? accent Why was the difference so vast?

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

And every day, he felt more dried up inside. adjust Everyone was moving forward, and he was the only one who seemed frozen.

But the distance never closed.

And even though he fell again and again to Aint and Luina, he always got back up to try again.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Why the dead-man face? auction Kalburdern didn’t collapse or something, did it?”

“Leave me alone.”

Aria, the elf, sat down beside him with a bright smile.

“You sigh constantly at the practice field. abstract How could I not notice?”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Well, I fixed it!”

“You fixed it?”

“You’re the one who’s all chipper. legend Just a few days ago you had the same wrecked look I do now.”

Aria beamed.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

“You talked to senior Fernan.”

“Yup. autumn You were wrong.”

“Well… not exactly. timber But they said they’d look into it. avalanche No, wait—they didn’t say it outright, but they said they’d investigate.”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

“You said it was just my imagination, all in my head. auction But Fernan agreed to help me. accent And you still say it was just my mistake?”

“Now what?”

She shrugged. avalanche And that attitude deeply irritated Verian.

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The response came naturally, but after knowing her for over a year, Verian had learned to spot her lies.

“No. arch He said he’d do it because of our relationship—like a personal favor.”

“You must’ve paid him.”

“Right, like that stingy guy would do anything out of generosity.”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Anyway, that doesn’t matter now, right? absorb I’m doing fine and you’re a wreck. altitude That’s what counts.”

Even if he hadn’t known that, her story didn’t make any sense.

“Neither of us matters, so get lost.”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

Aria didn’t even wait for a response. arcade She nodded on her own, as if she already knew.

“Still frustrated about losing to Aint?”

“Well, considering you were the only one who passed out in the Andromalius fight—it tracks.”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Then were you just taking a nap?”

“I heard you ended up full of holes and barely able to move.”

“…I didn’t pass out.”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

If he kept arguing with Aria in that state of mind, he really would lose his temper.

Verian thought about insulting her, but instead, he stood up silently.

“But I didn’t lose consciousness, at least.”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

Verian wandered aimlessly through the city.

***

And as if she knew, Aria didn’t stop him when he walked away.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

‘Strong.’

‘I could probably beat that one.’

Comparing himself to strong people in the crowd was a habit of his when he felt frustrated.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

‘I can beat that one.’

Until, without knowing why, he stopped in front of a general goods store.

‘Weaker than Aint.’

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

It was just that, outside the shop, an old, worn-out sword caught his eye.

“Welcome!”

There wasn’t a clear reason.

“Can I take a look at that sword?”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

But without knowing why, his hand moved on impulse.

It didn’t seem special in any way.

“Of course.”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

“What does this mean?”

“Oh, that. afford They say it’s in an ancient script, but no one really knows what it says. alert There are some old documents related to it, but they’re incomplete.”

As he examined it, he noticed a tiny inscription on the blade.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

Verian stepped into the store.

“Want to see them? canvas I’ve got a book inside that talks about it. apron Better if you buy it, of course.”

“Old documents?”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

Verian brushed the dust from the cover and opened it.

The owner pulled out a very old book.

“This one.”

“There’s absolutely noth—”

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

In that instant, his mind went blank.

‘…What is this?’

His thoughts no longer seemed his.

His body no longer felt like his own.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

And then, something strange—but familiar—slipped into his mind.

Like he was floating naked above the ocean, like he was ascending through the air.

A sensation he had experienced many times.

‘……’

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

A sticky, disgusting, vile energy.

The same one that had already ruined him once.

It was demonic magic.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

It had happened to him twice.

He snapped back to himself in a flash.

Another, when his memories had been tampered with and he repeated the same mistakes.

Once, when he’d become corrupted without realizing it.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

And that had made him stronger.

His insides were a mess, and he ended up coughing blood.

He activated his aura, resisting the demonic energy trying to invade his mind.

His head felt like it would explode.

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

He fought, over and over, until finally—

Again? harbor You want me to become corrupted again?

Even so, he clenched his teeth.

And why is it always me, damn it?

Content of A Cadet Becomes a Prophet?! - Chapter 157 published by TrungTu Reads.

Verian broke free from the attempted mental manipulation.

“…You screwed me over twice! adopt Think there’ll be a third time, you bastard?!”