Time slipped by like fine sand through an hourglass, steadily grinding away at the patience of the Haima instructors stationed outside the building.
These were men meant to charge across battlefields and cut down enemies without hesitation. Now they could only stand watch here, doing nothing. The frustration building in their chests was easy to imagine.
The two sorcerers from Karolos seemed almost intent on tormenting them.
After wandering around all day, they shut themselves inside and never showed their faces again.
What made it even more infuriating was that the pair appeared inseparable, like newlyweds glued to each other. Staying alone in a room together was perfectly normal. Even if someone wanted to pick a fight, there was simply nothing to latch onto.
Even as a disguise, it was flawless. Most people could never have pulled it off so naturally.
The two Haima instructors suddenly looked up at the sky. The moonlight that had once been bright and clear was now swallowed by thick, rolling clouds.
Instinctively, they tightened their grip on their faintly glowing glintstone staves as an uneasy feeling crept into their hearts.
Two full days of apparent idleness had been more than enough for Nolan to grasp many things.
"You even know how to use a soul clone?" Sellen's gentle voice echoed softly through the quiet room. "It seems my foolish apprentice has been hiding quite a few secrets from his teacher."
Nolan opened his eyes and drew the circulating magic back into his body.
In the world of Dark Souls, magic was inseparable from the soul itself. For Nolan, who had long mastered this path, such power was already second nature.
A soul clone was nothing more than a minor trick to him. Even suppressing Malenia's rot had relied on the power of the soul's flame.
"Want to learn?" Nolan narrowed his eyes, a smile dancing within them. "I can teach you. This is a magical system completely different from glintstone. It'll definitely surprise you."
"A magical system different from glintstone?" Sellen folded her arms, clearly unconvinced. "With that, you wouldn't just be founding a new conspectus. You could create an entirely new academy."
Glintstone sorcery was the culmination of countless generations of sages. Even she had never considered developing a completely different system. And how old was Nolan, really?
Nolan did not bother to argue. He simply took out a notebook from his ring.
"Teacher, this is my magic notebook. Without a staff, it'll be hard for you to actually use what's inside, so just read it for now."
"Surprisingly decent," Sellen said as she flipped through it, her attention quickly drawn in.
Whether it could truly be applied was another matter, but the theory itself was something she had never seen before. It was undeniably interesting.
"Then let's stop here for now," Nolan said.
"I've only read two pages," Sellen protested.
"There will be time later," Nolan shook his head. "But it won't wait for us now. Two days is enough for them to confirm our identities."
Night deepened. Darkness as thick as ink spread across the land, and at some point, the bright moonlight had vanished behind heavy clouds, leaving the world dim and oppressive.
Raindrops pattered steadily against the windows, crisp yet monotonous. Outside the door of the silent lounge, not a single stray sound could be heard.
A breeze of unknown origin slipped quietly through the space, brushing past every corner. The glintstone chandeliers hanging throughout the room swayed gently, their lights flickering like scattered stars.
Nolan changed into an ornate suit of armor and drew the Promised Greatsword and the Carian Greatsword from his ring.
"Teacher, you must stay close behind me," Nolan said, turning around with a serious expression.
"Don't worry," Sellen replied lightly. "I'll be right behind you. If I weren't watching over you, my foolish apprentice, I'd be the one who should be worried."
Her tone sounded relaxed, but the weight beneath it could not be hidden.
What they were about to do would determine not only the success or failure of the Caria plan, but also whether the two of them would live or die.
Nolan nodded silently. He poured magic into the Carian Greatsword and drove his foot hard into the tightly shut door.
With a deafening crash, the door burst open.
A brilliant streak of starlight shot forward, instantly illuminating the dark corridor ahead.
Nothing seemed to have changed. Aside from the torches swaying gently in the breeze, giving off faint crackling sounds, there was no other sign of disturbance.
Blinded by the sudden burst of intense light, the Haima instructors lurking in the shadows instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes.
In the blink of an eye, Nolan appeared beside them. Blood instantly blossomed across the bodies of the two Haima instructors standing at the doorway.
Pulled by gravity, their corpses collapsed like puppets with severed strings, hitting the floor with dull, heavy thuds.
By the faint starlight that was already beginning to fade, Nolan quickly took in his surroundings. Three more instructors were hidden farther down the corridor.
That number was far beyond what guards would warrant.
He snapped to attention at once. This was clearly an ambush. The academy had already seen through their false identities.
Against three battle sorcerers, two ordinary Karolos Sorcerers would have been doomed from the start.
But Nolan and Sellen were anything but ordinary. They might not be demigods or Lords capable of cleaving mountains and rivers, but they had no reason to fear battle sorcerers who were hardly heroes themselves.
From behind came the heavy clatter of iron boots.
The Cuckoo Legion.
What a spectacle.
The Dark Moon Knight cut down the sorcerer in front of him with a single swing. Almost simultaneously, a rapid series of sharp impacts rang out as the teacher unleashed a torrent of magic behind him, like a magical scattershot.
Crystal Torrent!
Violent waves of magic surged from the tip of the staff. In the next instant, countless crystal shards poured forth, forming a dense barrage that swept toward the charging Cuckoo Knights.
Faced with such overwhelming power, the once-aggressive Cuckoo Knights could not help but pale, their pupils shrinking in shock.
What terrifying glintstone sorcery!
Still locked in their charging stance, they were riddled through by the crystal shards.
Those soldiers who lagged even a few steps behind did not even have time to feel fear before their consciousness vanished forever upon this blood-soaked battlefield.
The corridor had already become a brutal killing ground, saturated with death and despair.
The disturbance was enormous, but once Nolan had donned his knightly armor, he had no intention of hiding who he was.
He lifted both greatswords and charged forward. Sword light flashed, and the remaining two instructors were torn apart on the spot.
"What kind of monster is this?"
The Cuckoos, usually so arrogant and overbearing, froze in stunned disbelief.
"Retreat! Fall back and call for reinforcements! These two are beyond us!"
A knight shouted at the top of his lungs. Running away was hardly a new experience for them.
Truth be told, the Cuckoos were a disgrace. Whenever the situation turned against them, their first instinct was to flee. If escape was impossible, they surrendered. Never once had they stood their ground and fought to the bitter end.
Leaving aside the reactions of the knights and soldiers, Nolan raised the glintstone-embedded greatsword high once more.
Dense azure magic rapidly gathered and condensed, forming a shell that radiated a terrifying pulse. It shot straight toward the thick wall ahead.
The Cannon of Haima!