Chapter 59
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Professor Juuri
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Juuri's third year as a professor was drawing to a close.
The end of one seasonal cycle. The world, having burned through the year, now lay down to sleep in the cold.
The academy's third-year cadets were also preparing for the end of their long and short journey.
"Ah, I'm nervous. I really need to score well... huff huff!"
"That's why you should've managed your grades better, heh heh."
Among Merhen Magic Academy's exams, the graduation exam was by far the grandest.
A cadet's three years of grades mattered, of course, but so did this final test.
Because those scores heavily influenced what came after graduation.
"What are you all planning to do after graduating?"
"I'm joining the Imperial Mages. I've been prepping like mad to become a central noble."
"I'm just gonna be an adventurer. I'm a commoner anyway—might as well make some decent money and have fun."
"I've got a guild that's offered me a spot."
"I'd love to go to the Magic Tower, but right after graduation? Nah, I need some experience first."
"I'm heading to the Illimost family. I'm sick of being looked down on."
"Hey, Uto, what about you?"
The third-years, with graduation looming, chatted about their futures.
At this time of year, their conversations always turned to this.
Leaving the academy they'd grown attached to required a lot of mental preparation.
But among them, one cadet didn't need that preparation yet.
"Hey, Uto's going to grad school, right?"
Advancing to graduate school was one of the common paths for cadets.
Magic was a discipline that deepened the more you studied it.
There were research institutions besides the academy, but few matched its caliber.
If you were serious about scholarship, grad school was the most straightforward choice.
But Uto's case was a bit different.
"Oh yeah, he said he's staying at the academy because he's in love with his professor. Heh heh. Uto's the only one who'd go to grad school for a reason like that."
"Quiet, all of you. This is the path I'll dedicate my life to."
"Yeah, yeah, sure. Professor Juuri's not just pretty—she's got a big heart, and... other big assets... heh."
Uto's classmates loved teasing him, calling him a hopeless romantic and such.
After all, he was the only cadet going to grad school because he was smitten with his professor.
And then, the day of the graduation exam arrived.
The test was an evaluation in the active volcano field.
Three days of survival amid volcanic eruptions and rampaging beasts.
But after just one day, something unthinkable happened.
A Rank 2 beast, far beyond what cadets could handle, appeared in the field.
The creature, corrupted by forbidden magic, exuded an ominous aura as it slaughtered cadets indiscriminately.
And to make matters worse, the protective barriers failed.
Forbidden mages had exploited the exam's chaos to assault the control room.
The forbidden mages' attack was utterly cowardly and horrific.
Cadets on the cusp of graduation died in droves.
All professors were mobilized for suppression, and reinforcements were even requested from the nearby Imperial Palace.
The forbidden mages assaulted the academy as if they had nothing left to lose.
Juuri, in her third year as professor, was naturally deployed to the field as well.
"Professor Juuri! Professor Juuri!"
"Cadet Uto? Why aren't you following evacuation orders?!"
"I was looking for you! I was worried something might've happened..."
"I'm fine. Now, hurry and escape!"
Juuri grabbed Uto's hand and led him toward the exit.
Dealing with the beasts and forbidden mages was the professors' job.
Evacuating the cadets to minimize casualties came first.
But by the time they reached the evacuation point, things had worsened.
The professors guarding the cadets had been taken out.
All that remained were a few forbidden mages, slain professors, and the bodies of evacuating cadets.
"Professor Juuri, you need to run."
"What? What are you saying, Cadet Uto? I'll buy you time—go! There's another evacuation route on the opposite side—hurry!"
"...No. I'm fine."
It was only natural for Professor Juuri to protect Uto, yet Uto stepped in front of her instead.
And of all cadets, it was Uto.
The one who'd sworn to be her first grad student. The one she cherished most.
Abandoning him was unthinkable.
"Uto! Don't say silly things—go now! We don't have time for this!"
"No! I have to protect you, Professor!"
Suddenly, an immense surge of mana emanated from Uto.
It was a power no third-year cadet could possibly possess.
And considering Uto's grades so far, he hadn't been this strong.
"It was an honor to meet you, Professor. Please... live."
"Uto-!?"
A massive boom—and Juuri's body was hurled far away.
Uto had blasted her back.
But of course, she hadn't gone flying without resistance.
She halted midair with a spell and immediately turned back toward Uto.
Even so, she couldn't save him.
A gigantic dome-shaped space had formed there, trapping Uto inside with the forbidden mages as he fought desperately.
It was spatial isolation magic. How could a cadet fresh from graduation cast a barrier even professors couldn't breach?
Uto fought with strength unbelievable for a cadet.
But it didn't last. His power waned, and the forbidden mages' dark spells pierced his body.
She tried everything, but the spatial divide wouldn't break.
It held firm, just like Uto, who refused to kneel until the very end.
"Uto! Utooooo!!"
Juuri wailed as she watched Uto dying inside.
Her desperate cries only ended when other professors and family reinforcements arrived.
But Uto was already dead within the space he'd created.
And Juuri had become the pathetic professor who could only watch helplessly as her beloved disciple died before her eyes, from start to finish.
The chancellor suffered severe injuries in that graduation exam raid.
And sometime after, Professor Juuri began to sense something suspicious in the chancellor's behavior.
The crumbling ground's debris rained down from above.
Juuri wrapped herself in a protective spell and blocked the path in front of Professors Plma and Neyk.
"Have you lost your mind, Juuri?"
"What, worried the cadets might escape? That you won't get your fresh sacrifices?"
"This changes nothing, Professor Juuri. The dorms are close, but other professors are guarding them thoroughly. Any escapees will be caught soon enough."
"Trash like you aren't professors. Take off those filthy masks."
"That cadet does worry me a bit, though. We'll deal with you quickly and go after him."
Professors Neyk and Plma began calculating their spells.
Professor Juuri pulled a mana stone from her robes and did the same.
She'd prepared these mana stone crafts in anticipation of such situations.
That was her style: meticulously engraving mana stones with spells and functions to aid in battle.
In truth, using mana stones directly in combat was inefficient.
They shattered after one use, were expensive, and took time to craft.
Well-crafted stones had many uses,
but loading them with spells for battle made them one-shots, despite their power.
But for Professor Juuri, it was her best option.
A way to offset the weaknesses of her combat-unfriendly "precision" specialization.
That was just her forte, though.
Professors Plma and Neyk would have their own battle specializations.
She'd prepared extensively, but 2-on-1 was still disadvantageous.
Even so, Juuri gripped her mana stone tightly.
If she failed to hold them here, the same tragedy would repeat.
The helplessness of watching a cadet die was unbearable—better to die herself.
"Professor Juuri!"
"Cadet Nayu? Why are you here?!"
Nayu, whom she'd assumed had fled, appeared.
She too was shielding herself from falling debris with a protective spell.
"I sent Chayuri young master up! I'll help! Two against one is hard!"
"No, this is a professors' fight!"
"I can help!"
Cadets couldn't help in professors' battles.
It was obvious, yet Nayu showed no fear.
On the contrary, her mana fluctuations surpassed cadet levels.
"Professor can't hold alone. If you can't stall long enough, Chayuri young master won't have time to escape."
Nayu's eyes burned with resolve.
But Juuri felt an eerie sense of déjà vu in that gaze and those mana ripples.
She'd never taught Nayu's year or class.
So why did it feel like she'd seen Nayu's magic before...?
Clank—clank—
At that moment, a massive crossbow materialized beside Nayu.
Simultaneously, Professors Plma and Neyk finished their spells.
Seven mana bullets and a black serpent whipped toward them with a shrieeek.
Thududududu—
The professors' spells were powerful.
Juuri's and Nayu's barriers shook violently.
Debris shattered in the clash, scattering everywhere.
"How—"
Juuri was stunned by Nayu's magic.
It wasn't mere cadet-level defense.
Without it, they couldn't have blocked unscathed.
And then, Juuri remembered something.
"Nayu... Ronnight?"
"I protect Chayuri young master!!"
Ronnight. Same surname as Uto.
Throwing oneself into hell to protect someone—exactly the same.
Unleashing impossible power upon diving into hell—eerily identical to Uto.
"...Cadet Nayu! Can you buy us just a little time?!"
"I can!"
"Hold on just a moment!"
It was absurd. Leaving two professors to one cadet.
But somehow, Nayu seemed capable. Just like Uto back then.
Painful as that memory was, if Nayu could hold, a path opened.
Juuri scattered her mana stones one by one, preparing something.
And Nayu stood before her, burning her mana.
The giant crossbow fired bolts relentlessly.
She blocked the professors' spells and even counterattacked.
Impossible for a mere second-year cadet.
But Nayu now wielded power as if all her factors had skyrocketed, far beyond her level.
High-rank spells she'd only gawk at before,
she unleashed with a soul-burning fervor, holding off the two professors.
Of course, that alone couldn't defeat them.
Instead, trusting Professor Juuri would do something, Nayu fought to the death.
This wasn't magic for victory,
but for protecting that one most cherished person.
Usable only by those who inherited this unique bloodline.
Ronnights, sooner or later, met that one being they'd devote their lives to.
It could be love, loyalty, or some other bond.
Whatever it meant, they'd endure any pain for that being.
Their suffering hurt them tenfold more.
In danger's moment, they'd sacrifice without hesitation.
Some in family history called this blood a curse,
but in their final moments, all deemed it a blessing.
Not pain, but love. Not sacrifice, but desire.
Perhaps the world's stupidest act.
Nayu had lost her heart to Chayuri against her will.
Her blood demanded she act thus.
This was magic usable once in a Ronnight's life—only in the moment demanding total devotion.
"Iyaaaaah!!"
Feeling every circuit and factor expand, Nayu unleashed her spells.
Extreme focus turned her vision red.
But she grew stronger. For Chayuri's life, this was nothing...
Screeech—
Watching Nayu's slender back, Juuri recalled Uto.
That was unmistakably the same magic flowing through Uto back then.
The urgency prevented full analysis,
but at a glance, it was profoundly unique and great.
A magic that grew stronger to protect someone.
Its activation conditions seemed extraordinarily specific.
But its purpose—to protect—was clear.
-Professor, I have to protect you!
Uto's desperate cry echoed in her mind.
Back then, focused on protecting the cadet, she hadn't realized—but Uto had fought to shield her with everything.
She didn't know why he'd go that far.
Love wasn't something the mind could grasp.
-Please... live.
Uto's final words still haunted her nightmares.
The guilt of surviving while failing to save him tormented Juuri for years.
But now, understanding his actions,
that guilt slowly washed away, replaced by aching incomprehension at that love.
Love was always realized too late.
"What worth does a worthless professor like me have, to make you give your life...?"
She couldn't fathom it, but knew Uto hadn't either.
Neither giver nor receiver understood.
But one thing was certain.
The time had come to return the love her precious disciple had given.
She never wanted to lose another student.
This time, rather than...
Ding—ding—ding—ding—ding—
Exquisitely carved mana stones spread around Professor Juuri like a spiderweb.
All the stones she'd ever crafted. Each held different spells and effects.
Using them all could take out those two professors.
But the Juuri at their center wouldn't survive.
The mana output exceeded her capabilities.
That was fine.
In a hopeless fight, mutual destruction was rational.
Mages always calculated meticulously. Never at a loss.
Spending this many priceless stones demanded a big payoff.
"Cadet Nayu!"
That child with Uto's blood was the same.
Juuri didn't want her meeting the same end.
Nayu's eyes were bloodshot, frenziedly calculating spells.
No chance she'd flee.
Her body collapsed in exhaustion, spells wrung dry.
Fortunately, Juuri's preparation finished in time.
She cast a levitation spell, flinging the fainted Nayu far away.
"Even now, saving a cadet? Good—more sacrifices for the vessel."
"You'll never be forgiven."
"...Hm?"
Plma sensed something wrong too late—it had begun.
One stone exploded like a fuse.
Surrounding stones chain-reacted, blanketing everything in a torrent of magic.
"This madwoman...!"
"You'll die too, Professor Juuri!"
Neyk and Plma realized her intent and moved, but it was over.
Hundreds of spells stored in Juuri's mana stones erupted in brilliant light, engulfing the three.
Survival wasn't the goal.
This time, she simply trusted her precious disciple.
'Cadet Ian. Please.'
Morning sunlight scattered through the drifting mana stone dust.
It sparkled like jewels strewn across the sea.