The academy grounds remained restless long after Noctis and the fallen angels entered through the outer gates beneath the drifting frontier night. Students gathered along elevated walkways, training courtyards, and connecting academy roads while whispers spread continuously through the surrounding districts faster than the formation itself moved. The deeper the group advanced into the academy grounds, the more people stopped what they were doing simply to stare openly toward the strange military force walking calmly beneath the wardlights.
The atmosphere around them felt oppressive without anyone deliberately releasing aura pressure.
The male fallen angels moved with composed military posture beneath fitted blood-metal armor while long dark coats shifted softly through the night wind. Crimson eyes reflected the pale academy wardlight spreading across the pathways while the clergymen followed farther behind beneath colder and more unsettling pressure. The Crimson Marshals carried heavy battlefield presence through sheer size and armored weight while the Dread Judicators radiated suffocating suppression aura beneath black coats reinforced with abyssal armor. Even the Sanguine Prelates walking calmly near Adrian caused nearby students to instinctively lower their voices whenever they passed.
The seven vampiric women disrupted the academy atmosphere even more severely.
The synchronized clicking of seven sets of heels echoed rhythmically through the academy roads while flowing hair shifted softly beneath the moving night wind and fitted blood-metal armor accentuated elegant predatory figures walking calmly among the formation. Claire's dark violet hair reflected portions of silver wardlight while Sophia's silver-black hair drifted behind her beneath the breeze crossing through the academy pathways. Hannah walked with relaxed confidence while compact blood pistols rested against her hips, and Eva openly observed the reactions spreading throughout the surrounding academy grounds with faint amusement already visible across her expression.
Students openly stared.
Several academy boys nearly walked directly into one another while watching the seven women pass beneath the wardlights, and farther behind them a group of first years completely stopped moving after noticing Nocthyrael walking beside Noctis with one arm wrapped possessively around his own.
"How is she even real…"
"That silver-haired one is terrifying…"
"She hasn't let go of him once."
The female academy students looked increasingly irritated the longer they watched the group move through the academy grounds.
"This is ridiculous."
"And why are they all surrounding him?"
"That purple-haired one keeps walking beside him too."
Claire, naturally, heard every word.
She continued walking calmly near Noctis beneath the drifting night air without reacting at all, which somehow made the academy girls even more frustrated afterward.
Nocthyrael noticed the comments too.
Every single one.
Her crimson eyes occasionally shifted sideways toward Claire before returning forward again while she pressed herself slightly closer against Noctis's arm beneath the moonlight.
Noctis honestly found the entire situation amusing.
The academy itself meanwhile continued growing more unsettled with every passing minute. Students emerged from nearby dormitories and training halls while instructors standing farther along elevated pathways quietly observed the formation with increasingly cautious expressions. Nobody knew exactly what Noctis had brought back from the frontier, but everyone instinctively understood the group walking through the academy was extremely dangerous.
Then suddenly a roar exploded across the academy grounds.
"NOCTIS!"
Nearby conversations stopped instantly while several younger students physically flinched beneath the pressure spreading through the surrounding pathways. The voice echoed across courtyards, towers, and elevated walkways while academy guards stationed farther ahead immediately turned toward the distant roads leading deeper into the inner academy sectors.
Noctis immediately recognized the voice.
A grin spread across his face almost at once.
Farther away, heavy impacts began shaking portions of the academy pathways beneath the drifting night wind while loud cracks echoed repeatedly through the surrounding grounds.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Each impact carried enough force to fracture sections of stone roads beneath the approaching pressure while dust burst upward from the distant academy pathways ahead.
Several academy students looked alarmed immediately afterward.
"…Vice Principal Valdred?"
"What is he doing?"
The rumbling rapidly grew louder while the pressure approaching the formation intensified across the surrounding academy grounds.
The fallen angels and clergymen reacted instantly.
Without waiting for orders, the formation shifted around Noctis and Nocthyrael beneath overlapping movement bursts while blood pistols materialized almost simultaneously throughout the academy pathways. Crimson Marshals lowered blood-forged weapons defensively while Dread Judicators spread outward toward suppression positions and the Sanguine Prelates activated layered blood-holy spell circles across the surrounding roads.
The academy students nearby immediately panicked.
Because the group surrounding Noctis no longer looked calm.
They looked ready for war.
The seven vampiric women moved especially quickly.
Claire pivoted sideways while dark violet hair shifted through the night wind and blood pistols aligned instantly toward the approaching pressure source. Sophia disappeared upward through Wraith Step before reappearing atop a nearby academy structure while Hannah and Eva spread toward opposite attack angles beneath synchronized movement rhythm. Elena stepped slightly forward beside Alice while blood aura circulated through both of their weapons beneath the wardlight.
Nocthyrael moved directly in front of Noctis while Eclipse and Halo formed into her hands beneath swirling blood aura.
The visual struck Noctis so unexpectedly that he almost lost composure entirely.
The seven women standing together beneath fitted blood-metal armor, flowing hair, synchronized combat stances, and blood pistols aimed across the academy grounds looked absurdly similar to some supernatural gothic version of Charlie's Angels.
Noctis burst out laughing.
Several academy students stared at him like he had lost his mind.
Even some of the fallen angels looked confused by the reaction while maintaining firing positions toward the approaching pressure.
"Charlie's Angels…" Noctis muttered while laughing beneath the wardlights before shaking his head. "No. Goth Angels."
The image somehow became even funnier the longer he looked at them.
Meanwhile the approaching pressure rapidly intensified until Vice Principal Valdred finally appeared at the far end of the academy pathway charging directly toward the formation at terrifying speed. Every stomp of his feet shattered portions of the stone roads beneath him while shockwaves spread outward across the surrounding academy grounds and nearby students scrambled away from the cracked pathways in panic.
The fallen angels tightened formation immediately afterward while blood pistols adjusted toward new firing angles and holy-blood spell circles expanded across the surrounding roads.
Noctis simply raised one hand casually beneath the drifting night wind.
"Relax."
Valdred crossed the remaining distance almost instantly before appearing directly behind Noctis through overwhelming movement speed. His arm swung immediately toward the back of Noctis's head intending to smack him, but before the strike landed, Noctis casually reached backward without even turning around and blocked the attack cleanly against his forearm.
The academy students froze.
Valdred froze too.
Noctis finally turned afterward beneath the drifting wardlight while a wide grin spread openly across his face.
"Good evening, Vice Principal."
Valdred narrowed his eyes while still pressing against the blocked strike.
"…You blocked that."
"Of course I blocked that."
The instant Valdred moved again, blood pistols snapped toward him from nearly every direction throughout the surrounding formation while several clergymen expanded holy-blood spell circles across the academy pathways and Nocthyrael stepped beside Claire with Eclipse and Halo already aimed toward the vice principal before many nearby students had even fully processed what happened.
The atmosphere became suffocating.
Several instructors farther away instinctively activated defensive aura while academy guards looked moments away from drawing weapons themselves.
Even Valdred visibly paused afterward while observing the overwhelming reaction speed surrounding him beneath the wardlights.
Noctis sighed softly.
"Stand down. This is nothing."
The fallen angels and clergymen obeyed immediately while blood pistols lowered throughout the surrounding pathways and spell circles gradually faded back into drifting aura beneath the night wind.
The academy students looked even more disturbed afterward.
Because every single one of those terrifying beings obeyed Noctis without hesitation.
Valdred slowly looked across the fallen angels and clergymen afterward before returning his gaze toward Noctis.
"…What exactly did you bring back from the frontier?"
Noctis shrugged lightly beneath drifting crimson mist.
"New allies."
"That explains absolutely nothing."
"I know."
Valdred stared at him for several moments before suddenly wrapping one arm around Noctis's neck and dragging him into a violent headlock beneath the wardlights.
"You. Come with me."
Several fallen angels instantly raised their weapons again while blood aura surged sharply throughout the surrounding academy grounds and Nocthyrael stepped forward with visible hostility spreading across her crimson eyes.
Before anyone moved further, Valdred and Noctis vanished from the academy pathways entirely through overwhelming movement speed.
The surrounding academy erupted into confusion immediately afterward.
"What just happened?"
"Vice Principal Valdred took him!"
Several fallen angels activated movement skills almost instantly while blood aura exploded throughout the formation and portions of the clergymen began preparing pursuit spells.
Then Noctis's voice entered their minds.
"It's okay. No need to be alarmed. The vice principal and I are going to talk."
The fallen angels gradually relaxed afterward, though Nocthyrael still looked visibly displeased beneath the drifting wardlight.
Moments later Noctis's voice returned again.
"Actually… on second thought… I'll have Bahamut come pick you up and bring everyone to the mansion."
Several academy students nearby barely finished processing the sentence before a massive dragon roar exploded across the academy sky.
The surrounding grounds trembled lightly beneath the pressure.
The fallen angels and clergymen immediately lifted their heads toward the distant night sky while academy students across the surrounding pathways looked upward in alarm.
Another roar erupted moments later.
Closer this time.
Louder.
Far above the academy, a tiny black-and-red figure appeared against the moonlit sky before rapidly growing larger while descending toward the academy grounds beneath overwhelming draconic pressure.
The academy erupted into panic.
"It's a dragon!"
"No way—"
"That's Bahamut!"
Students stumbled backward while several instructors immediately activated defensive barriers across nearby academy sectors beneath the growing pressure rolling through the sky overhead.
The gigantic black dragon descended through the night clouds while crimson veins glowed beneath armored scales and massive wings blotted portions of the moonlight across the academy grounds. Blood aura rolled outward continuously while glowing crimson eyes swept across the academy beneath ancient draconic pressure.
Then people noticed the armor.
The design matched the fallen angels.
The realization spread through the academy almost instantly.
The dragon belonged to Noctis.
Bahamut descended rapidly before slamming into the academy grounds directly before the fallen angels and clergymen. The impact shook nearby pathways violently while shockwaves spread across the surrounding roads beneath exploding dust clouds and overwhelming wind pressure. Several students nearly lost balance while robes and coats whipped sharply through the storming air.
Even the fallen angels and clergymen instinctively tensed beneath Bahamut's overwhelming pressure.
Then the dragon lowered his massive head calmly toward them.
"All of you Fallen Ones," Bahamut rumbled while crimson eyes moved across the group beneath drifting dust clouds. "Master Noctis ordered me to bring you to the mansion. Climb aboard."
The fallen angels and clergymen gradually lowered their guard afterward.
Meanwhile the academy students looked completely shaken while staring toward the massive dragon kneeling calmly before Noctis's forces beneath the moonlight.
Nocthyrael climbed aboard first, though she briefly glanced toward the direction Noctis had disappeared earlier before stepping onto Bahamut's armored back beneath the drifting night wind.
The others followed afterward in organized formation while heels clicked sharply across the dragon armor beneath the moonlight. Blood pistols holstered while halberds locked into place and the clergymen repositioned themselves naturally throughout the armored draconic platform.
Bahamut slowly spread his gigantic wings across the academy grounds afterward while crimson aura rolled outward beneath the pressure of his rising power.
"Hold on tightly."
The next flap of his wings unleashed violent wind pressure across the academy while dust and loose debris exploded outward through the surrounding pathways. Students shielded their faces while academy robes snapped violently beneath the hurricane force spreading across the grounds, and moments later Bahamut launched upward into the drifting night sky carrying the fallen angels and clergymen toward Noctis's mansion while the academy below remained frozen in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Valdred and Noctis appeared in the courtyard of the vice principal's residence with enough displaced force to send loose leaves skidding across the stone path and make the small lanterns hanging beneath the eaves sway violently in the night wind. The academy noise fell distant behind the walls of the private estate, replaced by the rustle of old trees, the low hum of protective wards buried beneath the courtyard stones, and the irritated breathing of the vice principal as he released Noctis from the headlock and shoved him forward.
Noctis adjusted his trench coat as if nothing had happened while faint crimson mist dispersed from his shoulders beneath the lantern glow. "You could have just asked me to come here."
Valdred's boots scraped against the stone as he stepped after him, his heavy frame still carrying the pressure of the movement skill that had dragged them across the academy grounds. "I shouted your name across half the academy, and you stood there laughing with an army of corrupted monsters pointing weapons at me."
"They were being protective," Noctis replied while brushing dust from his sleeve.
"They were aiming at the vice principal."
"You tried to slap me first."
Valdred's eye twitched as the wardlight flickered along the courtyard wall. "That slap was disciplinary."
Noctis turned with a wide smile while the wind moved the lower edge of his coat around his boots. "I blocked it, so the discipline failed."
Valdred stared at him for several seconds before dragging one hand down his face and turning toward the stone seating area beneath the old courtyard tree. "Sit down before I decide to test whether your skull is still harder than my patience."
Noctis did not sit, but he followed leisurely while Valdred paced in front of the stone table, the older demon's steps heavy enough to leave small cracks spreading through the courtyard surface. The residence wards pulsed faintly each time his irritation leaked into the ground, and somewhere beyond the wall a night bird fled from the pressure.
Valdred finally stopped pacing and jabbed a finger toward Noctis. "Reports came in from the frontier less than an hour ago. A hidden Church fortress, one that our scouts had not confirmed yet, was struck by a gigantic crimson sword falling from the sky. After that, the entire fortress detonated hard enough that tremors reached the portal stronghold. Markets flipped. Roof tiles were torn off. Half the frontier thought judgment had descended." His eyes narrowed while the night wind stirred the loose fabric around his shoulders. "Was that you?"
Noctis looked at him calmly beneath the lantern light. "Yes."
Valdred's expression went completely flat.
Noctis tilted his head. "What?"
The vice principal took one slow breath while the wards under the courtyard stones brightened. "You destroyed a hidden Church fortress with a gigantic sword from the sky and then came back to the academy like you had simply taken a walk."
"It was a very effective sword."
"Noctis."
"It also exploded beautifully."
"Noctis."
"And technically, I did the frontier a favor."
Valdred stepped closer, the stone cracking faintly beneath his boot. "I should beat you until the academy infirmary asks me for identification paperwork."
Noctis raised both hands slightly while smiling through the moving night air. "If I had not destroyed that fortress, the Church would have attacked the demon portal stronghold. An archbishop, inquisitors, templar leaders, bishops, and summoned angels were preparing to march on the gate connected to the academy route. If they sealed or destroyed that portal network, the demons would have lost a major strategic location, the academy mission would have collapsed into disaster, and the frontier balance would have shifted toward the Church."
Valdred's anger did not vanish immediately, but the pressure around him gradually lowered while the courtyard lanterns stopped trembling as violently. He looked away toward the dark garden beside the residence where leaves moved softly under the wards, and for several moments the only sound between them was the wind scraping branches together above the stone table.
Finally, Valdred exhaled through his nose. "Fine. If what you said is true, you did demon society a great service this time."
Noctis rubbed the back of his head as if embarrassed, though the smile spreading across his face betrayed him instantly. Then he lifted his chin, puffed his chest slightly, and spread one hand toward the courtyard as though the entire night sky existed to acknowledge him. "Exactly. A great service. A heroic contribution. A decisive strategic intervention. A magnificent crimson sword descending from above and eliminating a catastrophic threat before it endangered the demon frontier."
Valdred's eyes narrowed again. "Do not start."
Noctis stepped closer while the lantern light caught the grin on his face. "A contribution like that should be rewarded, right?"
Valdred stepped back once before realizing he had moved.
Noctis stepped forward again. "Right?"
The vice principal's expression tightened as the younger demon leaned closer with glittering eyes and a smile that looked far too pleased with itself.
Noctis took another step. "Right?"
Valdred's heel struck the edge of the stone bench behind him.
Noctis leaned in until his face was directly in front of Valdred's beneath the swaying lanterns. "Don't you think so, Vice Principal?"
Valdred closed his eyes, breathed once, and looked like a man losing a war he had not agreed to fight. "I will take you to the treasure vault later."
Noctis immediately straightened with a radiant smile. "That is excellent news. Thank you, Vice Principal."
"You are shameless."
"I prefer efficient."
Valdred sank onto the stone chair and rubbed his temple while the night wind moved around them through the courtyard. "Now explain the demons you brought back before I regret allowing you to remain enrolled."
Noctis folded his arms lightly while leaning against the stone table. "Oh, those demons? Just some fallen angels and clergymen."
Valdred nodded once as if he had heard an ordinary answer, then paused while the words settled into the air between them. His hand slowly lowered from his temple.
"What did you just say?"
"Fallen angels and clergymen."
The vice principal stared at him while the courtyard wards flickered faintly beneath his feet. "Fallen angels?"
Noctis nodded. "Yes. The ones wearing armor similar to mine. They are fallen angels. Nineteen total if we include Nocthyrael."
Valdred's mouth opened slightly, but no words came out at first.
Noctis continued cheerfully while the leaves above them rustled under the night breeze. "They are not as handsome or pretty as me, obviously, but they are quite impressive."
Valdred slowly stood from the chair. "You corrupted angels."
"Converted," Noctis corrected.
"You corrupted angels," Valdred repeated, his voice lower.
"They were Church-aligned angels, and now they are not. I consider that a practical improvement."
Valdred stared at him like the courtyard itself had become less stable. "Nineteen fallen angels."
Noctis's eyes brightened. "Exactly. Isn't that a great contribution? I went out on an academy mission and returned with nineteen fallen angels for the demon side. Fallen angels are extremely strong demons. Some can surpass royal demons depending on their traits and growth potential. This strengthens demon society enormously."
Valdred immediately lifted one hand when Noctis began stepping closer again.
"No."
Noctis paused mid-step. "I didn't say anything yet."
"You were about to."
"I was only going to ask—"
"No."
"—whether that deserves another reward."
Valdred's shoulders slumped beneath the lantern glow. "When we go to the treasure vault, I will give you another reward."
Noctis smiled instantly. "Thank you again, Vice Principal."
Valdred sat back down with the expression of someone swallowing poison politely. "There were more than nineteen beings with you."
Noctis's smile sharpened.
Valdred noticed too late.
The wind moved through the courtyard while the lanterns swayed faintly above the stone table, and Noctis leaned forward with the kind of calm expression that made Valdred immediately suspicious.
"The rest are the clergymen."
"I assumed they were priests."
"They were high-level clergymen," Noctis said while folding his hands behind his back. "One archbishop, three inquisitors, three templar knight heads, and twelve bishops."
Valdred nodded once with an all-knowing smile that lasted only long enough for his mind to process the actual titles. "An archbishop, three inquisitors, three templar knight heads, and twelve bishops."
Noctis waited.
Valdred's smile froze.
The courtyard wind continued moving through the tree branches above them while the vice principal slowly turned his head back toward Noctis.
Then his foot slammed into the courtyard stone hard enough to split the surface beneath him. "AN ARCHBISHOP, THREE INQUISITORS, THREE TEMPLAR KNIGHT HEADS, AND TWELVE BISHOPS?!"
Noctis nodded calmly while dust lifted around the new crack. "That's right."
Valdred stared at him with both hands slightly raised as though physically trying to hold his thoughts together. "An archbishop is not some random Church officer. An archbishop is a battlefield disaster. Even for me, fighting one directly would not be simple."
"I know."
"You corrupted one."
"Converted."
"You brought an archbishop back to the academy."
"Yes."
"And inquisitors."
"Yes."
"And templar knight heads."
"Yes."
"And bishops."
"Twelve."
Valdred slowly turned away, sat down on the stone chair, leaned forward, and pinched the bridge of his nose as the protective wards beneath the courtyard stones dimmed and brightened irregularly with his breathing.
Noctis coughed lightly.
Valdred pointed at him without looking up. "Yes. Treasure vault. Later."
Noctis smiled again. "Thank you, Vice Principal."
"I hate that I know what you are about to say before you say it."
"That means we understand each other."
"That is not comforting."
Noctis moved closer to the stone table while the night wind carried distant academy noise faintly over the residence wall. "Now the next topic. What should we do with the fallen angels and clergymen?"
Valdred waved one hand tiredly without lifting his head. "You decide."
Noctis's smile widened immediately.
Valdred sensed danger and looked up.
Noctis spoke before he could retract the statement. "Then they will live with me and receive the same special treatment and status arrangement I have."
Valdred shot upright so fast the stone chair scraped harshly against the courtyard floor. "Absolutely not. If they are admitted under academy protection, they attend classes like everyone else."
Noctis shook his head while the lantern light moved across his face. "That would be inefficient."
"It is academy policy."
"It would also be dangerous."
Valdred crossed his arms. "Explain."
Noctis rested one hand on the stone table while drifting crimson aura faintly moved around his fingers. "First, there is not a single ordinary teacher here who can properly teach them. The fallen angels and clergymen inherited my memories through my blood. Their combat instincts, magic handling, battlefield strategy, movement skills, blood techniques, and spell applications already come from me. Some still need physical synchronization and refinement, but classroom instruction would be meaningless for most of what they are."
Valdred's jaw tightened, but he did not interrupt.
"Second," Noctis continued while the courtyard wind stirred his trench coat, "very few people in the academy can safely spar with them. The fallen angels are strong individually, and Adrian was formerly an archbishop. His current form as an Abyssal Hierarch should be comparable to high-level academy leadership. Possibly close to you, depending on the conditions."
Valdred stared at him. "You are saying you brought back students the teachers cannot teach and fighters the teachers cannot safely fight."
"Yes."
"That is not helping your argument."
"It is the argument."
Valdred rubbed his forehead again.
Noctis leaned forward slightly. "Third, and this is probably the most important issue, the fallen angels are, in a sense, miniature versions of me."
Valdred's face slowly changed.
Noctis continued with a bright smile. "Physical combat, magic, movement, blood techniques, temperament. They inherited quite a lot from my blood memories."
Valdred's expression darkened with dawning horror.
Noctis looked around the courtyard as if discussing ordinary maintenance. "Do you think the academy needs another renovation the day after they arrive?"
Valdred said nothing.
"There are nineteen fallen angels," Noctis continued. "With the clergymen, the full group is thirty-eight. If they attend standard classes, challenge instructors, react to provocation, test movement skills indoors, or misunderstand academy rules, the academy may require thirty-eight separate renovations."
Valdred sat back down slowly.
Noctis smiled pleasantly.
The vice principal covered his face with one hand while the courtyard lanterns swayed above him and the night wind moved through the old tree behind the stone table. "Fine."
Noctis leaned closer. "Fine?"
Valdred's voice came out muffled behind his palm. "Do whatever you want."
Noctis straightened with victorious satisfaction spreading across his expression. "Thank you, Vice Principal."
Valdred lowered his hand just enough to glare at him. "Do not thank me like you did not extort me with academy infrastructure."
"I used sound reasoning."
"You used terrorism disguised as logistics."
Noctis smiled wider. "Efficient logistics."
Valdred leaned back in the stone chair and stared up at the swaying lanterns like the night sky might provide answers. "I should have retired before you enrolled."
Noctis stood proudly beside the stone table while the courtyard wind moved through his coat and the protective wards finally calmed beneath their feet. "But then who would give me treasure vault rewards?"
Valdred closed his eyes.
The night remained peaceful around the residence, but only because Noctis had not brought the fallen angels and clergymen into the courtyard with him.