Chapter 58
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Going First
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“Cadet Ian! Cadet Ian! Please come to your senses!”
“Ugh…”
I opened my eyes amid violent shaking.
As I struggled to open my eyes, the first thing I saw was Professor Juri's face.
Professor Juri was shaking me awake with a desperate look on her face.
“Professor?”
“Is Cadet Ian conscious?”
I clutched my throbbing head and fully woke up.
Looking around, I found myself in a damp room covered in moss.
There were no windows, and a small light—likely conjured by Professor Juri's magic—illuminated the space.
“You took a major hit. Are you okay?”
“What about Chayuri and Senior Nayu…?”
“They're still out. I woke you first.”
Turning around, I saw Nayu and Chayuri Floridel passed out.
Professor Neyk had noticed I possessed some forbidden defense mechanism.
Fortunately, my bracelet was intact. It seemed he hadn't realized it was the source.
Professor Juri must have used various methods to rouse me.
“Thank you. But where are we? And what happened, Professor? I saw the message you left…”
“You found that recording. Thank goodness. What's the situation outside right now?”
Both Professor Juri and I had a ton of questions for each other.
For now, I explained everything that had happened first.
“Haa… That's a relief. You purified Chayuri Cadet's 'vessel' state.”
Professor Juri let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that the vessel aspect had been removed from us.
“But in exchange, Hisenna got captured.”
“You realized it and tried to stop them, only to get caught.”
“Yes. I was going to seek help from the Archmage Duke's direct lineage…”
After hearing the full story, she fell deep into thought for a moment.
“Then they're probably holding Cadet Hisenna captive right now and working on turning her into a 'vessel'.”
“How much time has passed since I entered?”
“A little over an hour.”
An hour since I'd entered this place.
That meant there was still time before Hisenna fully became a vessel.
“What happened to you, Professor?”
“As you saw in the recording, Professor Plma betrayed us, I got captured, and when I woke up, I was in this room. I'd prepared beforehand with pre-enchanted magic stones, so I was able to wake up.”
Professor Juri pulled out a handful of magic stones she'd personally engraved from her bosom.
Just like the recording stone I'd found, it seemed she'd prepared methods to purify taboos in advance.
This showed just how long she'd been preparing to fight taboo mages.
And it made me wonder why Professor Juri was going to such lengths.
But there was no time for that story now.
“So what do we do? Don't we need to get out of this room first?”
“Yes. But…”
Professor Juri stared at the solidly locked iron door.
An ominous aura emanated from it.
Not just there—the entire room's walls were shrouded in that aura.
“The lock and the whole room are covered in taboos. I tried purifying them, but it's a type of taboo magic I'm unfamiliar with. As you know, purifying or destroying taboos causes backlash on the purifier too.”
I knew that all too well. I'd experienced it myself.
That made taboo mages even more despicable bastards.
You already took massive damage from their taboo magic, and purifying it inflicted even more backlash.
“It's impossible to clear this room's taboos with the purification methods I've researched. I'd probably die first. Each taboo magic requires a specific safe purification method.”
“Can't we just blow the whole room away? Like before, with that lightning magic.”
“It's possible. But even then, we endured the backlash from destroying that space. It was… thanks to that pleasure magic that we survived it.”
[Zzzap Zzzap and Pssshhh Go Boom-!]
I see. Destroying that space back then must have had backlash too. The dissipation effect of that spell must have handled it.
That Orgasm guy's spell had considered way more than I thought.
Defense against lightning magic, taboo destruction backlash resolution—all of it.
“Then shall we do the same this time?”
Professor Juri didn't know the formula for [Zzzap Zzzap and Pssshhh Go Boom-!]. Orgasm had said not to share it.
If she did, she'd have escaped already.
We could just wrap ourselves in that formula and blast the taboo with lightning like before.
“It's one option, but… there's a problem. The taboo sealing this room is far denser than before. They're dead set on keeping us from escaping.”
“Then hit it with even stronger lightning?”
“Right. We'd just layer on more spells like [Cumulonimbus Launch]. But then the pleasure we'd feel would also…”
“Ah.”
Yeah. Got it.
To escape that way, we'd have to endure violent pleasure again, even more intense.
Last time it lasted nearly half a day. This time could be even longer.
And blowing this place up would alert them for sure.
If we couldn't flee immediately, we'd get recaptured.
They'd probably find us mid-electric orgasm blackout.
“That won't work. We have to escape right after destruction. Hmm…”
“If there were a purification spell that could handle any taboo without major damage…”
“Ah.”
I belatedly remembered [Lake Water's Self-Purification].
It was supposed to be one of the mildest purification spells.
“Hold on a second.”
I hadn't checked the gallery since waking up and talking with Professor Juri.
To confirm if it was suitable for purification, and to think about what came next—killing two birds with one stone.
Pretending to ponder, I opened the gallery.
The gallery after my capture was in absolute chaos, like it'd been bombed.
[Holy shit, where'd that bastard go after dropping the bomb]
[Open your eyes, Kim Muggle!]
[Save Mamma Tong!!!!!]
[Yeah, just do what we said]
[This guy's got that great affinity but won't trust his gut]
Title: Eyes Opened, Fuck
No time, short explanation
Wrote last post then whoosh, Snake Professor shows up
Got nabbed helplessly, woke up in some cell
Was the room where Jewel Professor was captured
Jewel Professor woke me
But room's covered head to toe in taboos, tough to escape
Gonna try opening and leaving with what Environmentalist told me, should be fine?
(Photo of narrow room covered in taboos)
Opened your eyes… fuck, you're alive!!
Save Mamma Tong!!!!!!
Whoa, thought you were dead for real! Situation looks urgent so I'll freak out later. Bottom line: use that one.
That purification spell? Just use it anywhere. It's the mildest one lol. Slow but steady.
Takes time so purify just the door area and GTFO. Gotta resolve before Mamma Tong becomes a vessel.
Get your head straight and get out, got it? Should've just followed orders from the start instead of waffling.
Anyway, got a way out once you're free?
Escape first. Can't be too far from the field trip site time-wise.
Too reliant on nobles was your mistake (angry teacher con). If there was a way, you should've done it without hesitation :(. Half-assing it is the most dangerous.
That's right. Mages don't rely on others.
Do some meditation before escaping at least.
Reading the gallery comments cleared my head a bit.
I'd gotten scared for no reason and relied on others, only to get caught.
I might've been avoiding the situation since Chayuri was fine.
I should've just used the method Environmentalist gave me right away.
Maybe I lacked the confidence to execute it.
Above all, I still hadn't located Gonik.
That led me to look for easier alternatives.
Looking back, it was pathetic.
*Slap— slap—*
To snap myself out of it, I slapped my cheeks hard.
My skin stung, but my mind felt lighter.
“I've got a method. But what after we get out?”
“We'll figure that out once we're out. One thing's certain: we have to escape. Of course, after that…”
“If we escape here, I have a way to stop them. Not certain, but…”
“…Let's do it. You're full of surprises, Cadet Ian. Just a freshman, yet you can purify, and you even have a way to resolve this. I'd love to ask how you know all this, but I'll hold off. We can talk after we fix this and save the academy.”
“Yes. Let's.”
This wasn't the time for long talks. Or explaining the gallery.
The priority was escape. We had to get out of this room, no question.
[Lake Water's Self-Purification]
I approached the door and computed the spell.
Szzzz— the taboo slowly washed away.
It was like peeling off long-stagnant grime.
I layered multiple [Lake Water's Self-Purifications] to strip it off.
While I worked, Professor Juri woke Chayuri and Nayu and explained the situation.
*Splash— splash—* The taboo receded, revealing the door.
A bit more time passed, and the door area was fully purified.
This much would let us exit through it no problem.
But,
“...The door's locked?”
The door was locked.
Just as I thought to smash it, Professor Juri spoke up.
“I can handle this much. Let's slip out quietly.”
She began computing a very small, precise spell.
Right, she was the precision magic professor. Handy application.
*Click—*
Professor Juri unlocked it swiftly.
She peeked out, then opened the door and stepped through.
“No one's here. Hurry out. Everyone, be ready for combat anytime.”
“Ch-Chayuri young master, I'll protect you.”
With the now-awake Chayuri Floridel and Nayu, the four of us left the prison room.
What appeared was a pure white corridor.
“This… definitely isn't the field trip site.”
This field trip was to the 'Ancient Ruins of the Azure Dragonfolk'.
A site where ancient magic mysteries were actively studied, nestled beside a dormant volcano, with ruins formed along it.
Preservation was key, so artificial buildings were rare.
Lodging was log cabins like mountain lodges.
“...Are we far from the Azure Dragonfolk Ancient Ruins?”
“I doubt it. I can still feel the volcano's vast mana flow. They probably made a secret underground space.”
“Stairs heading up that way!”
We spotted stairs just in time.
Stairs ascending. As Professor Juri said, they likely led to the surface.
But of course, things didn't go smoothly.
“Juri. Where you going?”
Professor Plma blocked the stairs.
Professor Plma wore his usual cheerful expression.
“...Professor Plma.”
“You wouldn't try to stop our great plan, would you? Get a grip, Juri.”
“Shut your mouth. You're not Professor Plma. You're just a disgusting taboo mage who stole his body.”
“No? I am him, Juri. Because I haven't touched taboos yet. Means I haven't been possessed by a taboo mage.”
“...What?”
Professor Plma's words rang true. No taboo aura emanated from him.
Of course, that didn't prove he wasn't a taboo mage.
He could've abstained from taboos for a long time and erased traces.
But judging by Professor Juri's reaction, probably not.
They seemed to have known each other for years.
“Plma. Have you gone mad? How after going through that…!”
“No. Precisely because I went through it, Juri. The real target we need to kill is someone else.”
“The Archmage Duke, you mean?”
“Exactly.”
We had no idea what they were talking about.
For now, escaping mattered most.
“You can't escape here, Juri. Once the 'vessel' is complete, it's over. And a new beginning.”
“Hm. Escaped all the way to that room, huh. More prepared than I thought, Professor Juri.”
Then another person descended the stairs.
Professor Neyk.
“Professor Juri. Dragging this out will bring more enemies. Right now—”
Professor Juri nodded.
One Professor Plma was annoying enough; now with Professor Neyk too.
More foes would make breakthrough harder.
“But breaking through there's tough. Only one exit.”
As Nayu said, only one path to the surface.
Could we do it? One thing was sure: surface access enabled everything.
“...I'll collapse this space.”
“Pardon?”
“Cadet Ian, you said you had a way if we escape? I'll bring it down—get out somehow and try your method.”
“But…”
“It's fine. Judging by the natural mana from the mountain range, it's not too deep. Even if it collapses, we won't be buried that badly.”
If not too deep underground, we could punch through the ceiling.
“But those two—”
“I'll handle Professors Plma and Neyk. Don't look back.”
I nodded without further argument.
I couldn't take on two professor-level foes.
All I could do was escape and wake that Gonik.
“……”
“Understood.”
Chayuri Floridel nodded.
Nayu bowed silently.
“Go back quietly, Juri. This is the right thing.”
“I can't.”
“Let's not waste time, Professor Plma. Just one professor and three cadets.”
Professor Neyk cut their conversation with a sinister smile.
Then he began computing a spell.
“Cadet Ian. Take this.”
Professor Juri handed me a finely engraved magic stone.
She too began computing a spell.
And when both professors' computations finished.
An enormous magical explosion erupted, unlike anything I'd seen.
“Now!”
Professor Juri's magic flared, shaking the space massively. Simultaneously, a gigantic dark serpent lunged from their side, jaws wide toward us.
*Rumble—* The ceiling began collapsing.
As the massive serpent neared, Professor Juri crushed a magic stone between her molars—*crunch*.
A huge barrier unfolded before us, shredding the serpent's jaws overhead.
“Run!”
As the ceiling crumbled, surface light filtered in sporadically.
Proving Professor Juri right—not too deep.
The stairs were blocked. We'd force through the collapse to the surface.
“Chayuri! Senior Nayu, this way!”
Risky, but I had a way to leap out.
I grabbed Chayuri Floridel under my arm and reached for Nayu.
But,
“I'm going first!”
Far from coming to me, Nayu computed a spell and headed toward Professor Juri's battlefield.
“What are you doing! We have to escape now!”
“Nayu!”
“Even Professor Juri can't handle two alone! She'd get caught quick! I'll buy time!”
“No! It's professors fighting! You can't do anything!”
“Buying time I can do! And if I don't here, Chayuri young master gets caught quick! My sacrifice lets Chayuri young master escape!”
“What…”
Falling debris from the collapsing ceiling piled between Nayu and us.
Through the gaps, Nayu's cute smile faded from view.
“Senior Nayu! No! If you stay there, you'll definitely—”
“Chayuri young master. Please… live.”
Amid horrific collapse noises, Nayu's voice grew faint.
At the same time, her computation finished, and a massive shock hit from below.
*Boom—*
The explosion propelled Chayuri Floridel and me through the collapse to the surface.
Flying debris scattered everywhere from the blast,
And for a brief moment amid it, I glimpsed Professor Juri and Nayu locked in combat.
“Senior Nayu—”