Chapter 407: Strata Magic School (3-18)
"Ha, the dean... he said to bring Student Seong Su-ho here right away. It's really important, so please come quickly..."
"... "
Not just Count Potts and Louis, but all the nobles around us fell silent, staring at me intently.
I turned to Count Potts, who was glaring daggers at me, and spoke politely to observe decorum.
"If the dean's calling for me, I should go. Sorry to step away in the middle of our conversation."
"... "
Despite my courteous demeanor, Count Potts's face flushed red, his expression brimming with dissatisfaction as he remained silent.
I couldn't tell if his flushed cheeks were from the alcohol or simply his ruined mood.
Leaving him behind, I humbly asked the maid.
"Did he summon just me?"
"Yes... He told everyone else to leave and bring only Student Seong Su-ho."
"Got it."
I shrugged at Luna and said,
"Sorry to leave first when you set this up for me."
"No, if anything, I..."
"I'll head out then. Have fun."
I deliberately cut off her apologetic words and started walking away.
If Luna apologized here, it could spark unnecessary misunderstandings.
Besides, she hadn't done anything wrong. There was no reason for her to apologize.
Just as I was leaving the subdued atmosphere behind—
"Wait..."
"...?"
Count Potts suddenly called out to me and the maid, halting us, then staggered over to my side and spoke.
"I'll come along too. I've been wanting to see him anyway."
"B-but... he said to bring the student alone..."
"You haven't forgotten who your employer is, have you?"
"S-sorry."
The confident, bellowing Count Potts from moments ago was gone, replaced by a fat bully wielding nothing but his ego at my side.
As the mood grew chaotic, a woman in a green dress approached and spoke to us.
"What's going on?"
It was Sonya.
Count Potts, who had been so cocksure until then, broke into a sweat on his forehead at her appearance and barely managed to speak.
"H-ha, the dean called, so we're heading there together."
"The dean?"
Sonya glanced questioningly between me and the maid. Instead of the fidgeting maid, I explained.
"He said there's urgent business and summoned me."
"With Count Potts?"
"Apparently it's just with me, for now..."
At my words, sweat began pouring down Count Potts's face like oily beads.
Despite his large frame, he suddenly seemed terrified and started making excuses to Sonya in a flurry.
"H-ha, since the dean wasn't at the banquet held in his honor, I got worried and decided to check on him too. So..."
"Count Potts, we appreciate you organizing this banquet for the dean."
"Th-then I should..."
"But..."
Sonya erased her smile in an instant, clenching and unclenching her elegantly adorned hand, repeatedly summoning and dismissing glowing blue tendrils.
Not just Count Potts, but the surrounding nobles began eyeing Sonya warily.
They all knew what those blue tendrils signified.
Sonya summoned and dismissed the tendrils several times before fixing Count Potts with a sharp gaze and speaking.
"Remember that bothering the dean could turn that gratitude into poison."
"Kuh... S-sorry."
"I'll overlook it as a drunken mistake."
This wasn't mere forgiveness.
It was forgiveness laced with threat.
"... "
After receiving Sonya's forgiveness, Count Potts turned and shuffled back to his group.
'Whoa... sweat on the floor...'
A trail of sweat marked his path, like the loathsome version of Hansel and Gretel's breadcrumb trail.
With the situation resolved, Sonya turned to me with a smile.
"If the dean's calling, you should go quickly."
"Yes, got it."
Thanks to Sonya, I could head to meet the dean leisurely now.
..
..
Only the maid and I were around the dean's room.
No guards, not even maids wandering nearby.
The maid guided me to the door and bowed politely.
"I'll take my leave here. The dean ordered everyone around to be dismissed..."
I thanked her courteously.
"Thanks for escorting me."
"Ah... Th-thank you. Well then..."
The maid stammered and hurried off.
Had I done something wrong?
[She's probably tense because you were summoned directly by the dean.]
'Jeez... what a formidable guy.'
Every time something like this happened with the dean, I was reminded anew of his overwhelming presence.
With slightly trembling nerves, I knocked on the dean's door.
Knock, knock, knock.
(Come in.)
The immediate response felt like he'd been waiting.
As I opened the door, I cautioned Armonia.
'Don't worry too much if the connection cuts out.'
[...Understood.]
Hearing Armonia's hesitant reply, I stepped through the door and felt a magnetic field pass through my body.
And I knew.
'Connection's cut.'
Sure enough, no response from Armonia.
I entered and looked around the dean's room before speaking.
"You used that magic again?"
"Yes. It was too unstable during movement."
"Now we can talk calmly, just the two of us."
Even as I said it, calm conversation seemed unlikely.
The emotion I felt was like being dragged to dinner by a creditor.
The dean wasn't some loan shark pressuring me, but talk of our promise wouldn't sit easy.
I still had no idea how to kill him, after all.
Understanding my unease, the dean shook his head and spoke.
"As I've said many times, no need to be so hasty about the promise. I used the blocking magic because even I want to relax in this moment. Now... to the main topic."
The dean smiled reassuringly and drew a large magic circle in the air.
It was composed of pale white tendrils of light.
Once the magic circle was complete, he spoke.
"After disassembling and recombining it... it divides into a total of ten magic circles. The one I'm showing now has the ability to inflict [Poison]."
[Poison], [Bleeding], [Paralysis], [Blindness], [Sleep],
[Teleportation], [Hallucination], [Rampage], [Heat], [Mana Control Loss]
The ten magic circles' functions were [Poison], [Bleeding], [Paralysis], [Blindness], [Sleep], [Teleportation], [Hallucination], [Rampage], [Heat], and [Mana Control Loss].
The originally random Magic Trap had been split and refined into specifics.
Trap magic circles, each manifesting its own effect...
And the dean had perfectly reconstructed them.
"Wow... you actually pulled it off."
It wasn't empty flattery.
I was genuinely impressed.
Hearing my sincere admiration, the dean slumped into his chair.
"It's been ages since I lost track of time like this."
He might look exhausted, but his expression was that of a mathematician who had solved everything.
A person without desires to achieve has no goals, and without goals, they're as good as dead.
Having tasted accomplishment after so long, the dean lay back in his chair with a weary yet satisfied smile.
"Truly... it's been forever since I felt this. I thought I'd never experience it again... Thank you."
"If anything, I'm the one who should be grateful, so receiving thanks like this throws me off."
"Hahaha, thinking back, I must've called you in my excitement without realizing. Sorry."
"Haha... now you're even apologizing."
The dean beamed at my awkward laugh and asked,
"Were you resting?"
"I was at the banquet."
"Banquet?"
This guy... he didn't even know there was a banquet in his honor.
Sonya must've told him, but he'd probably let it go in one ear and out the other, uninterested.
"There's a welcome banquet for you happening right now."
"Oh no... I interrupted your enjoyment."
Hey... it's your banquet.
He had zero interest in his own banquet, focusing only on me leaving it.
On a whim, I asked if he'd attend.
"Won't you join the banquet, Dean?"
"Haha... Crowds are tough for me."
"Places with lots of people?"
"...Places with many strangers make me uncomfortable."
"Ah..."
The dean was still a man buried in the past.
One who cherished allies and mercilessly crushed enemies.
Time had softened him somewhat, holing up in Strata without emerging.
To him, this world was no different from the era of continental wars.
Though the world flowed differently across ages, in the dean's eyes, it remained unchanged.
He pondered briefly, then smiled and said,
"But I do enjoy gatherings with people I know... close ones, especially."
The dean fetched a bottle of fine liquor from the display cabinet and set it on the table.
"Explaining all ten magic circles in detail will take time. I'd like to do it over drinks."
"Haha... an honor."
When I first came to Strata, the dean I sensed then was worlds apart from now.
Having observed and heard about him in this world, his intimidating aura had seeped into me.
I couldn't help but tread carefully.
Noticing, the dean closed his eyes and shook his head.
"Disappointing. I liked how unabashed you were facing me. Treat me casually."
"Hm... Well..."
"Awkwardness and formality will hinder fulfilling my request. And it'll burden you for the next one."
"...Got it."
He won't flip out later yelling 'How dare you speak to me like that!' and clutch his neck, right?
As I sat at the table, the dean poured drinks with a smile.
"It's been ages since I passed on knowledge, so forgive any mistakes."
I replied in a playful tone matching his.
"Don't worry. I'll overlook that much."
"Hahaha."
The dean laughed brightly and raised his glass.
"Let's have one first, then start."
"Sure."
As our glasses clinked—
Clink.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Hm?"
A displeasing thud drowned out the pleasant ring, echoing through the room.
I knew the source immediately.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
(Come out! I said come out!)
The dean frowned at the pounding and gruff voice, muttering displeasedly.
"Looks like someone's here..."
"Wait. I'll check."
"You're the guest, Su-ho. I'll..."
"Let me handle this. If something happened to you here, I couldn't face Professor Sonya."
"Haha... Alright."
The dean gave a wry smile and sat back, watching me intently.
I headed slowly to the door.
The room was so vast that even crossing from the table took time.
And the commotion didn't stop.
Bang bang bang bang bang!
(You bastard! Come out! You know who I am!)
I flung the door open and demanded,
"Who the hell are you?"
"Hic? What? You the dean?"
Across the threshold stood a scrawny man about 160 cm tall, utterly wasted, slumped on the floor looking up at me.
He pointed accusingly as he stared.
"You... you the dean or what! You punk!"
"... "
How do I even respond?
Too flustered for words, he staggered to his feet and yelled at me.
"My name... hic! Jeff Pots! Hic! Grand Mage! I challenge you to a duel! I'll show you my manhood! Burp~"
"My god..."
Jeff Pots... the face I'd longed to see, but I never dreamed it'd be here.