Chapter 33
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 033
Chapter Title: The Contaminated Grove
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Elin froze at the sight before her, utterly speechless.
The other students in the practical session were no different, sinking into a heavy gloom upon learning a truth they hadn't even wanted to know.
"What in the world is this...?"
Elin unconsciously turned her head to look at Aiden.
That professor would have the answer to this.
No, he had to.
*There's no way he doesn't.*
This verdant expanse dyed in a deep violet hue.
Trees and plants rotting away as if swarming with insects, their branches stark and bare.
Countless small protrusions clinging grotesquely to every surface like barnacles.
It was all an amplified version of the contamination they'd seen on the back mountain.
Only worse, larger, and more nauseating than before.
"As you can see, this is the situation."
Before the students could demand an explanation from Aiden, the kindly voice of an elderly woman rang out.
Someone recognized her and gasped in surprise.
"The Tower Lord?"
At that, they all brightened and turned their eyes toward her.
The Tower Lord seemed quietly pleased by the attention, offering a subtle smile.
Aiden, however, remained utterly indifferent.
"Tower Lord, it would've been nice if the defenses on the first floor had been a bit better last time. Shame they weren't."
"...You go straight for the sore spot."
Her mouth smiled, but her eyes did not.
Elin tilted her head at the odd tension.
She understood immediately upon seeing Isel's expression.
That lost look.
It made sense if the professor had done something outrageous behind her back.
Then that conversation must be part of their bad blood.
But...
*Huh...?*
That sword Isel was holding looked pretty good somehow.
Hadn't it broken last time?
She remembered seeing Isel clutching just the hilt despairingly before Aiden saved her.
Elin stared openly at Isel, who fidgeted and mouthed something.
*'Pro... fessor?'*
Still clueless, Elin sank back into gloom.
The Tower Lord continued her explanation in a surprisingly casual tone, despite the jab.
"This is classified information, but since you've all followed Professor Aiden here for his class, I trust you'll keep it under wraps as an implicit agreement."
"No way... All this time, the Tower and the university have been silent because...?"
The Tower Lord gave her usual fresh smile.
In light of the dire situation, though, it felt awkwardly out of place.
That dissonance brought a sense of pressure.
"This sort of thing can't be allowed to leak, right?"
A roundabout affirmation phrased as a question.
Clever, making them nod along without spelling it out.
The students' throats bobbed.
Perhaps realizing the situation was graver than they'd thought.
I pulled out the setting details from a corner of my mind.
After the prior incident, the university had wanted to take external measures.
They had no intention of just covering it up half-heartedly, but the higher-ups had put it on hold.
*The Imperial Family issued a gag order.*
More precisely, it was the Empire's Intelligence Bureau's directive.
Rather than announcing it as the work of cultists and heretic mages and shutting down the academy, they'd chosen to investigate discreetly.
If they could fool the Magic Tower's eyes, similar terrorism could strike anywhere in the capital.
What if the next target was a major commercial district?
*It'd be a disaster.*
That's why they didn't want to provoke the culprits just yet.
Even if it meant failing to soothe the outraged public.
After quietly listening to the Tower Lord, I cut in.
"As you can see, that's the gist of it. The Tower's manpower has its limits, and bringing in outsiders means not knowing who to trust. So..."
"We are?"
I shifted my gaze to Elin.
As if I were handing them some grave responsibility—no way.
"Don't get ahead of yourselves. You're like a cat's paw at best. Sure, you might want to borrow one when things get busy, but that's just a figure of speech. Actually dragging in a cat would be a hassle."
I'd firmly nailed down that it was absolutely not the case.
The students, who'd been picturing some grand mission, shot me resentful glares.
But that's the truth—what can you do?
I wanted to remind them they were students who deserved protection.
"Then why are we here?"
Elin, instantly reduced to a mere stand-in, fired a sharp look.
"My justification for moving."
Still, knowing they'd be disappointed, I added a line.
"...Plus, your skill improvement."
Elin narrowed her eyes, unsatisfied even with that.
"That's it?"
"What more do you want? That's generous already."
A snickering chuckle came from the side, drawing all eyes.
As gazes converged, the Tower Lord coughed dryly in embarrassment and bowed her head.
"Then I'll leave the rest to Professor Aiden. I have my own duties."
"Go on, you're busy anyway."
Leaving the grumbling Elin behind, the Tower Lord slipped away quietly.
She'd finished the briefing—now it was up to us.
I preferred it that way.
"What do we do now?"
I stared squarely at Radia.
She was the most ambiguous one here.
As student council president, I couldn't exclude her, but I had no immediate use for her either.
Radia's big moments came a bit later than now.
*But that doesn't mean she's useless.*
The protagonists each had their triggers.
If Elin awakened upon meeting Elise, Radia had something equivalent.
Radia had inherited her family's secret sword art, the Vortex Blade.
A swirling sword.
Deep and profound, its cutting power and destructive force rivaled any martial school.
The one flaw: for that blade to shine sharply, the wielder had to stand firm and upright.
*'The one who commands the vortex must remain unmoved at its center, a single point of stillness.'*
Anything less, and it fell flat.
In other words, what Radia needed was to stand tall.
Unshakable self-confidence—that alone could produce power equal to Elin's awakening.
I looked at Radia again.
"You still have a long way to go."
"Pardon?"
She asked what I meant, but I didn't answer.
*'A way to gain that self-confidence.'*
Elin would roll herself given time, but for Radia...
"Are you good at prioritizing and focusing?"
"Prioritizing and focusing?"
She looked suspicious, like she wondered what I was getting at.
Radia pretended to ponder, then sighed and confessed.
"I think I do okay."
"I see."
No.
If she truly thought she was good, she wouldn't give such a vague answer...
*There is not a shred of regret on my path. Even if there were, I'd cast it aside.*
Something arrogant and domineering like that.
Her response was too late, and lacked conviction.
*'In the end, make her wander lost among countless choices.'*
I had a plan for that.
*But first things first. Time to do my part.*
"Elin, fire a fireball that way."
"Is that okay?"
It looked like a cluster of vegetation, after all.
Set it alight, and it'd go up in flames. Normally, anyway—this situation was different.
"Doesn't matter. Fire away."
Elin eyed me suspiciously, like she knew but was going along anyway, then turned.
What?
She promptly pursed her lips and chanted the fireball spell.
Unlike the disaster last time, she'd brought her oak staff, so the incantation flowed smoothly.
A massive fireball scorched the air.
Devouring vast mana, it warped space as it blazed fiercely.
The searing heat distorted everything around.
Elin hesitated a moment—should she really?—then shrugged and let it fly.
KABOOM.
The impact site flashed yellow.
Bubbles burst from the molten, sizzling liquid.
The explosion's heat rode the wind, sweeping heavily through the air.
But soon, everyone paled at the sight.
"What... the hell is that?"
Compared to a direct fireball hit, the forest retained its shape.
Before panic spread, I quelled the unrest at an appropriate level.
"As you see, this thicket resists fire, heat, and even physical force. And its regenerative power is exceptional."
The violet-tinged tree spat crackling embers as it slowly healed.
Stunned for a moment, I dismissed it.
"Won't get anywhere like that."
"That thing will gradually expand its territory in this state. Left alone, it'll escape even the Tower's control."
"Then what do we do?"
I trudged over casually and stomped a centipede crawling on the ground.
Before contamination, it'd been ordinary, but now, influenced by magic, it was a venomous magic beast.
Its bite force was impressive too—left alone, it'd have nipped someone.
"We need to purify this area."
"But we're..."
"I'm not telling you to purify it. Cleansing an environment this contaminated by magic isn't something students can handle."
Healing and purification spells were target-specific.
To decide how and to what state to change the target, you needed a clear eye and expert knowledge of its current state.
Not student level.
*Unless you're like Elise, innately attuned to those symbols.*
"So the Tower's specialist mages handle purification. Tricky for them, but they'll manage. Problem is, it takes time and complex calculations—no magic beasts allowed."
I kicked the squashed centipede toward the students.
"This is an artificial environment created by the Tower. One question: You've always gotten live magic beasts provided by the Tower for exams, right? Ones they raise here."
So what happens to the ones pastured in a place like this?
As I hinted subtly, the students fell silent.
Among them, only the higher-year Radia hardened her expression.
"...They'll turn ferocious."
"Right. Rush in to purify, and you risk getting mauled by hostility-packed beasts. Including them in the purification would complicate the calculations further."
Realizing my point, the students gripped their swords tighter.
"So our job is to make this area beast-free for easy purification. Eliminate every magic beast in sight. Once we push the front line..."
Radia cut in.
"The Tower mages come and purify the area."
Uh...
That was my line.
Stolen.
Oh well, enthusiasm is good.
"You get it."
With that, the practical took a new turn.
No longer just mock duels or showing off like in exams—it shifted to efficient, systematic group combat premised on ambushes.
Radia whipped her blue chitin... no, blue hair as she organized them briskly.
"Mages focus on detection, five per group—four groups total. Keep set distances between groups and advance slowly. Use my group as center and check spacing."
As expected of someone who'd led the security force—command came naturally.
Even as a fledgling, her admiral qualities for future navy command wouldn't vanish.
"How's this?"
Isel stepped back to stick by my side.
Less about the situation, more seeking reassurance for her anxiety.
Maybe because the practice disaster had a culprit, she couldn't relax.
*Normally I'd just watch from behind, but...*
"This is just the outskirts. If it were truly dangerous, I wouldn't have brought you. Think of it as rehearsal for what's ahead."
"Still... I'm anxious. Will it be okay?"
"That depends on how much you trust yourself."
Isel paused as our eyes met.
Then, as if finding an answer, her trembling eased.
"You're right. If I don't trust myself, I can't do anything."
Isel nodded faintly and steadied her breath.
Good answer.
Would've been better from Radia, though.
"Alright, off you go. Your group's moving."
"Got it."
Watching her scamper off, I glanced at the sky again.
The Tower's artificial environment—seemingly a perfect slice of nature, but no real sky.
Just the Tower's screen crafting an illusory one so the floor's creatures wouldn't realize they were indoors.
I gazed at the Tower's sky, emitting its regular static buzz.
The vast screen, meant to show an expansive sky, was cracked like tangled thread—surely some flying beast had smashed into the ceiling somewhere.
Picturing the scene vividly in my mind, I smiled.
"Finally, the real start."