Chapter 52
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Red Pill?
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Red Pill?
I bolted desperately in search of Chayuri, with Nayu trailing right behind me.
Just as Elrim had said, Chayuri was standing in front of the dormitory.
He must have just returned from his family home.
Chayuri stood there in a daze, staring up at the towering dormitory building.
"Chayuri! You okay?!"
"Chayuri, my lord!"
Nayu and I shouted his name at the top of our lungs.
I realized a bit too late that we'd been way too loud, but fortunately, there was no one around.
"Ian... Lady Nayu?"
"Chayuri. You good? What the hell happened yesterday... No, let's not talk out here. Come on inside."
"Ian?"
I grabbed Chayuri by the collar and dragged him toward the academy building.
"Wh-what's going on?! Aren't you kidnapping Lord Chayuri?!"
"I told you I'm not! Just... follow us for now."
At any rate, Nayu was clearly on Chayuri's side.
Better to have at least one person we could trust.
I led the two of them straight to Professor Jueri's lab.
"...This is Professor Jueri's lab? Why here of all places?"
"It's the safest spot."
The safest place was, naturally, Professor Jueri's lab.
I couldn't take him back to the dorm with Nayu being a woman and all.
I knocked on the lab door, and one of Professor Jueri's grad students answered.
Having popped in and out pretty frequently over the past week, we were on familiar terms.
"It's the weekend, though? Prof's not in."
"Oh, I have a meeting with her soon. She'll show up when it's time."
"Alright then. Wait inside."
Even on the weekend, the grad student let us in without any suspicion.
Professor Jueri had already given the okay for me to come and go as I pleased.
It was a precaution: if something happened, head to a safe spot and consult with her.
We slipped past the grad students deep in their research and entered Professor Jueri's private room.
"You really have a meeting with Professor Jueri? What the hell is going on..."
"Just wait and see. Chayuri, you okay? What happened yesterday?"
"Pardon? I just went back home briefly with Mother..."
Chayuri answered with a blank look on his face.
Did nothing really happen? No, that couldn't be right.
Because right now, I could feel it emanating from him intensely.
A filthy sensation, just like when the chancellor hit me with it. Entropy.
[Title: Yo, the Top Student came back out of nowhere]
Author: Kim Muggle
Was whittling my broom when the Top Student shows up
Apparently got into a scrap with some weird Lulu-chan little bro or whatever in the meantime, but that's a story for later
Anyway, Redhead tips me off that the Top Student is back, so I go check and this guy's just standing there blankly staring up at the dorm
Ask him if anything happened and he just says he went home
But I can definitely feel entropy coming off him
Feels like that gross shit from when the chancellor got me
Can I just purify it right away no problem?
Purify it right now! Use the spell I told you about before. It'll take some time but it's the gentlest purification magic, so no issues.
It's been almost a day, better hurry
Isn't that spell too slow?
If we could check the Top Student's status, we'd use the right purification spell immediately, but no choice. Kim Muggle can't distinguish taboo magic anyway. Trying an improper purification could be dangerous.
That's why you need to do it quick! Time is life!
Quit browsing the gallery and just do it already
That El guy's spell is super nature-friendly anyway
But what's this Lulu-chan little sis stuff
Hawawa?
"Shit."
Purifying the entropy first was apparently a must.
"Chayuri. This is gonna hurt like hell, so bear with it. No time to explain."
"Pardon?"
"What are you trying to do to Lord Chayuri?!"
"Hey, senior. Know any sound-blocking spells?"
"So what the hell are you saying?! Don't touch Lord Chayuri!"
Shit, maybe I shouldn't have brought her.
Nayu couldn't sense the taboo, so my actions must look insane to her.
But kicking her out now didn't seem likely.
Forcing her out would just waste time.
She was gonna find out anyway. Might as well tell her this much. Especially since time was short.
"He's been hit with taboo magic right now. So shut up and do as I say if you want to save your fiancé or whatever."
"T-taboo...? Huh?"
The word 'taboo' hit her like a brick, leaving her face slack.
Was that even a normal cadet's reaction? Most people never even encounter the word.
"So set up a sound barrier first. I need to purify him. If you don't believe me, drag him out yourself. He'll melt from the taboo though."
"O-okay."
I should've learned a sound barrier spell myself.
Too late now; it'd take too long to learn and practice. Had to rely on Nayu.
While Nayu computed her spell, I prepared for purification.
"Chayuri. Asking again. Nothing weird yesterday? How'd you even get in?"
"Yesterday, I followed Mother from the banquet hall. Somehow ended up going home. Rested well there... and came back early. Even though it's the weekend tomorrow, I had to prep for next week's field trip...?"
This guy's not right in the head.
He'd even forgotten his own mother was involved with taboo.
"This'll hurt like dying. Hang in there."
Nayu cast the sound barrier.
I immediately began computing [Lake Water's Self-Purification].
"⟨ Lake Water's Self-Purification ⟩"
I computed the three formulas, focusing entirely on the flow of natural mana and my own mana.
The crisp natural mana and the entropy flowing through Chayuri's body began to separate clearly.
And with that, the disgust grew stronger.
The entropy spread through Chayuri was thicker and more widespread than what I'd experienced.
Meaning he'd suffer more, for longer.
Entropy flowed backward, tainting his mana circuits.
What the hell was the goal here, pulling this vicious shit?
The completed [Lake Water's Self-Purification] rippled into the blackened entropy with a faint splash.
At the same moment, Chayuri let out a horrific scream and started thrashing.
"Kyyyaaaaaaaagh!!"
"Ch-Chayuri, my lord! What are you doing?!"
"It's supposed to hurt! Just keep the sound blocked!"
I pinned down the screaming Chayuri and kept computing [Lake Water's Self-Purification].
Like lake waves cleansing the water, the entropy slowly washed away.
Which meant his agony would drag on even longer.
"Kyaaaaaaaagh!!!!"
Late into the night. Professor Jueri's lab floor was a mess.
Stained with every bodily fluid Chayuri had spewed.
Still, Nayu had helped keep documents and artifacts clean.
"...I'll go grab him a change of clothes, some food, cleaning supplies for the floor, etc. Take care of Chayuri while I'm gone."
Nayu just nodded, no words.
She'd spent hours watching Chayuri scream.
It was like she was the one writhing in pain.
I stepped out of Professor Jueri's room into the still-lit lab.
The grad students were slumped over their desks like zombies, dozing off.
One sensed me and stirred groggily.
"Ugh... what time is it. Oh right, Prof still not back? It was so quiet I forgot you guys were here..."
"I ended up dozing off waiting too. Kids are still out, so I'll just hit the bathroom and take 'em out."
"Yeah... do what you gotta. We're pulling an all-nighter anyway. Weird though... Prof always swings by the lab on weekends... forgets her meeting with you or something...? Hmgn..."
The grad student mumbled and faceplanted back into his desk.
Come to think of it, that was odd.
Why hadn't Professor Jueri shown up yet?
As the grad student said, she always came to the lab on weekends.
No, she pretty much lived here regardless of the day.
She'd said she'd look into things. Did something happen?
But first things first: take care of Chayuri.
I dashed to the dorm for a change of clothes and rags to clean the floor.
Grabbed some food and drinks too.
He'd lost so many fluids, he'd need to shove anything edible in his mouth when he woke. I knew from experience.
I hurried back with everything.
The lab looked the same as before.
"Nothing happen?"
Nayu nodded again, silently.
How much did she like him to suffer this much vicariously?
She looked as wrecked as if she'd been the one purified.
"Let's clean up first. Air it out too."
Nayu and I scrubbed the filthy floor.
We even used water and wind magic to thoroughly clean the lab.
"What... exactly happened to Lord Chayuri. What was that ominous aura?"
Nayu finally asked in a hoarse whisper.
Not a hint of disgust on her face, even while cleaning the mess.
"That foul energy is tied to taboo magic. No idea what's going down. Hope we learn something when Chayuri wakes up."
"How do... you know about this stuff?"
"Happened to me too. Details when he wakes."
Nayu nodded faintly.
Now, the worry was tonight.
We had no clue what was up with Professor Jueri.
An uneasy feeling bubbled up that something might go down tonight.
[Title: Purification done, now...]
Author: Kim Muggle
Purification complete, Top Student screamed his lungs out and passed out
But now I'm stumped on what to do next
Handled it in the prof's lab but she hasn't come back late into the night
Said she'd look into stuff, wonder if something happened to her
Something feels off about tonight, what do I do? Feels like shit's gonna hit the fan
For now planning to clean up the mess, change Top Student's clothes, and get him outta here
Recommendations on what to do after?
I posted listlessly on the gallery.
Even if no attack came right away, not knowing Professor Jueri's whereabouts kept me on edge.
The archmages would think of better ideas than me.
Leave the follow-up to them for analysis.
Honestly, the long purification had worn me out.
Just change his clothes and I could rest too.
But the replies flooding in had some weird ones.
Prof hasn't come back? And you're changing the Top Student's clothes?
That's a problem worth thinking about but Top Student... lmao
This dude really has zero tact lol
(Dragon cackling kyokyokyo)
This okay?
Go off ooooooh!!
lolololol
Red pill time? lololol
What the fuck, situation's serious and they're cracking up.
Did the archmages not see this as a big deal?
But soon enough, they started analyzing the situation among themselves.
The red pill jokes were annoying, but whatever. I'd wrap up and rest.
"Just gotta change his clothes now. Step out for a sec."
"I can't leave Lord Chayuri alone. I must watch over him...!"
"So you wanna see a naked guy? I'm fine guy-on-guy, but..."
"Th-that's... But I can't leave his side. It'd make me anxious..."
"Then face the corner and don't turn around."
"Got it."
Nayu went to the corner and turned away.
I sighed deeply and grabbed Chayuri's clothes.
Drenched in sweat and filth, my hands got slick.
I got it since I'd been through the same hell, but it was still gross.
"You seriously owe me big time."
He better buy me pork ribs or something when he wakes.
Why didn't he listen back then and make me go through all this?
I started peeling off Chayuri's soaked clothes.