Chapter 64
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Dragon Girl's 6th Circle Magic?
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"...So, is everything done now?"
After recovering Professor Juuri's body, we returned to the dorms.
The cadets were still fast asleep under Lia's spell.
We'd erased the forbidden mages' grand magic and rescued Hisenna too. Everything seemed settled for now.
"All done. But there's a problem."
"Still?"
"No matter what sparked it, you went this far to save the academy and your harem heroines, right?"
"I couldn't just stand by knowing over a thousand people would die. And they're not harem heroines."
"Either way, you wanted to get the academy back to normal, didn't you?"
He was right. Honestly, it'd be great if I could keep attending.
The gallery's teachings were invaluable, but the gallers' level was way too high.
For some reason, even though I brimmed with talent, I still lacked the absolute basics.
And the goniks never bothered with fundamentals like addition and subtraction.
The academy, on the other hand, let me build that foundational theory.
And after all this effort to protect it, I deserved a diploma at least.
I still knew so little about this world—I wasn't confident just bailing.
I'd grown fond of some people here too. And with the villains defeated, there was no reason not to stick around.
"For now... I want to keep going."
"Yeah. Like I always say, building basics matters. No galler in the gallery's teaching addition-level theory. Skip the foundations, and all that galling will turn toxic someday."
"Yep. That's why I want to handle basics here at the academy. Plus, people I've grown attached to."
"To do that, we need to normalize the academy. But there's a snag."
"That's what I asked about earlier—what is it?"
"Even swapping out the headmaster, the professors are the issue."
Oh, right. There'd be professors like Neyk, corrupted by the forbidden ones.
An outstanding faculty was essential to any academy.
"Of course, from what I've roughly gauged, we don't need to replace them all. Like I said about the headmaster, most professors didn't turn into forbidden mages themselves—the forbidden ones gradually took over their bodies. Plenty can snap back once we drive out the taboos."
"Then why'd you kill the headmaster grandma?"
"The headmaster had been possessed too long. Professors eroded that deeply can't be saved. But recent possessions? Those we can reverse."
"So, not that many professor spots opening up."
"Right. But we still need someone to clean up this mess."
I got it—no need for a full faculty purge.
But in this upended academy, we needed someone to restore order.
"Can't Lia do it?"
"Me? Handle these kids' playground games?"
Hm. Fair enough. If she crushed the headmaster that easily, Lia's level was beyond reach.
Honestly, expecting more from an archmage was pushing it.
"That's why—didn't you say there are these Archmage Dukes around? Prestigious families like that might back the academy, so I'll put in a word."
"Oh, you know the Archmage Dukes? Wait. Does that make them gallers too?"
Come to think of it, that was weird.
The Archmage Dukes seemed like great archmages. So, weren't they gallers?
If they were from this dimension, they'd have noticed the gallery.
"Dunno. I slept so long ago. No idea if these Archmage Dukes popped up after. But probably not gallers."
"Why?"
"If they were gallers, they'd never let their dimension's academy fall this far. They'd have spotted it from the posts ages ago. Gotta confirm, though."
Makes sense. So the Archmage Dukes were weaker than I thought?
Eight of them, and they couldn't even pass the gallery entrance? Lame.
"So no other gallers in this dimension? You were asleep, fine. But the others just watch while these 'Eight Archmage Dukes' run wild without gallery access?"
"True archmages don't sweat that stuff. More likely hermits. Probably ignore kids' games."
To gallers, Archmage Dukes were kids' play.
And to those dukes, the academy was kids' play.
So to them, I was kids' kid—sperm level.
"Not certain, of course. They might have their reasons. Best case, they're fluid-tier."
"No other gallers Lia knows in this dimension?"
"Digging identities in the gallery's bad manners. But I know one..."
Lia trailed off.
Her face was like dredging up ancient memories.
"...Nah. She's been gone from the gallery forever. Who knows."
"No one you're sure of."
"Anyway!"
Clap—
Lia clapped her hands.
Conversation dragged on. Cadets and professors still sprawled snoring on the cold floor.
"I'll call one of those Archmage Duke guys. Any with brains will rush right over."
"Right now?"
"They come when I call."
Lia's mana was so intense, just standing near her shook my guts.
If Archmage Dukes weren't galler-level, they couldn't ignore her.
"Be right back."
"W-Wait. You're calling now?"
And Lia really whooshed into the sky.
Minutes later, back.
"He'll be here soon."
"Huh? How?"
Lia zipped around in a flash, pulling off something insane.
Found an Archmage Duke and returned in that blink.
"Casually surveyed the world. Called one of the so-called Archmage Dukes. He'll show."
Lia dropped the bombshell like chatting lunch plans.
Goniks could survey whole worlds easy, huh.
"Not every gonik surveys worlds, mind. We all have some sight, but it's my specialty. Why I'm gonik-tier—thanks to these eyes."
Dragon Eyes, right? The eyes that survey worlds.
Fits—goniks were regular archmages plus a gimmick.
FlapFlap's gimmick was this.
Seemed weak next to Orgasm's, though.
Of course, I kept that thought zipped.
"You just thought my gimmick's weak compared to Orgasm's crew."
"No, ma'am."
"Weird gimmicks don't make a gonik better. Whatever, you don't need to get it."
Lia sidled up, slap-slap, draped an arm over my shoulder.
"Archmage Duke's coming soon—no time then. Ask what you want now. But..."
She fiddled with the air, yanked me close, flashed a V-sign.
Gallery photo function, I guessed.
"One pic okay? Heh heh heh."
"...Not posting to the gallery, right?"
"Just for me. Just me. When's Kim Muggle meeting again?"
"Same dimension—meet anytime if you want?"
"No hobby for that. I like lounging. Dragons don't meddle in human affairs anyway."
"Special case this time?"
"Yep. My seal, plus curiosity about the gallery muggle. Last time seeing you IRL."
Got it. Dragons thought different from humans.
Disappointing, but we met in the gallery anyway.
Gall next time—that's us.
"Ask away. No seal questions, repeat."
"That's the top one... Hm. Sidestepping: you said toss the bead loaded with destruction magic from my bracelet. Why?"
Excluding the jail question, this burned hottest.
Gallery said before: bracelet's gray bead needed massive mana.
"No mana input—how'd it work? Simple: fueled it with my seal's power."
"Poured the seal's mana into it. Got it... Next."
No point grilling seal-break details then.
Won't spill how a gonik got sealed by scrubs.
"No questions? Gallery's got everything."
"Argh. Once-in-a-lifetime meeting a gallery gonik IRL. No questions?"
"Nah, I'll post to the gallery."
"Seriously pathetic muggle vibes... Fine. Gimme that. Bracelet talk's up."
Lia pointed at my bracelet.
Handed it over; she inspected the twelve mystery blue beads.
Gallery flipped when they seemed dimension-magic related.
"Dimension travel thing, right? No archmage's succeeded."
"..."
Lia ignored me, laser-focused on the blue beads.
So immersed, my words didn't register.
Massive mana poured from her eyes.
"Hm... Seeing it myself reveals more... Kinda like gallery magic. Done."
"So, what is it?"
"Not sure exactly. But visual clues. Tell other gallers. Research ain't my jam."
Nothing immediate, huh.
Anyway, watching her sparked a thought.
"Thought of something."
"Oho, what?"
"Teach me some badass magic usable at my level now."
Prime chance for direct archmage lesson.
Gallery experience: archmage spells outclassed academy ones in design.
Most unusable at my level, sure.
But occasionally, low-circle archmage spells popped—like Zzt-Zzt (etc.) or [Lake Water Purification].
Lia or FlapFlap might have one or two low-circle bangers.
"My magic...? Could share one, but nothing you can use now."
"Why not? MagicIsNotHard shared easy ones!"
"That guy's a freakshow saying magic's easy... Anyway, normie gallers don't bother with low circles—or making 'em. Dragons like me ignore human limits."
Rare case then.
Lia was a dragon too, yeah.
"But... not nothing comes to mind."
I'd deflated, but Lia grinned.
"Ooh! Dragon Girl magic incoming?"
"Not usable yet, even the lowest. But one you might handle soonish. 6th circle."
"6th... circle?"
Never touched 6th circle.
But learning ahead was gold.
Archmage spells always crushed same-circle peers.
"Yep. Tough for humans all around. But for you, special. Practice slow."