Resuming Operations

A few days later, news emerged from the Hori Kingdom and spread across the entire continent through the mouths of countless informants and undercover agents.

Heretics had attacked Havenlight and planted a curse on the king of the Hori Kingdom, leaving him bedridden and unable to govern any longer. The kingdom's affairs would temporarily be managed by the queen in his stead.

—This was the announcement the royal family had made at The Church's behest.

When Benjamin heard the news, he naturally guessed the truth of the matter almost exactly. The Overseas Sect's surprise attack had caused The Church enormous trouble. After this, the nobles would likely have another excuse to trip them up. Coupled with the losses from this campaign, The Church definitely would not be able to stir up any trouble for quite some time.

Ikor had already reclaimed all its lost territory and begun reconstruction. They were especially grateful for the Magic Academy's timely support. Not only did they cover the pensions for every fallen member, they also paid Benjamin a substantial additional reward.

Benjamin accepted it without ceremony, then distributed two-thirds of it among the Magic Academy members who had taken part in the support mission. Whether teachers or students... every one of them had contributed to the war, and Benjamin had no interest in pocketing the money for himself.

Afterward, he thought the war's aftermath would more or less end there. Yet what he had not expected was that the Magic Academy's actions would create an enormous stir throughout the mage world—especially among Ikor's mages.

At the time, a large number of Ikor's independent mages had volunteered to enlist. Once the war ended, they could have returned to their former free lives. Yet quite a few of them began coming to the Academy, expressing their