Chapter 34
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: The Breaking Point
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From the sidelines, after watching the students struggle fiercely, he soon turned his head away.
Just the chaotic atmosphere alone made it clear they were considerably flustered, the signs leaking out plainly.
‘They definitely wouldn’t have encountered an environment like this anywhere before.’
The one silver lining was that the place where they were panicking now wasn’t some brutal enemy territory, but the safe confines of the magic tower.
Others might be different, but it was good for protagonists like Elin or Radia to experience this shock ahead of time.
They’d have to face it countless times in the future, after all.
After entrusting command to Radia, there wasn’t much left for him to do.
He understood Isel’s anxiety, but it was excessive worry.
No matter how recklessly he acted, he wasn’t the type to call the impossible possible, nor was he some motivational speaker relying on mental fortitude.
So he could confidently say it was all groundless fear.
‘If it had truly been a dangerous place, the magic tower wouldn’t have entrusted it to me, and I wouldn’t have brought the students here.’
He subtly turned his head, casting his gaze toward the forest.
Though there were none on this floor, it reminded him of the botany professor lurking in the deepest part of the contamination.
The botany professor had become a magi and was hiding deep within the magic tower.
Even now, as time passed, he was surely growing stronger without respite.
But Aiden’s leisure had its reasons.
‘Because I’ll handle it anyway.’
Entrusting the task to Elin, who was immature both mentally and in skill, was a distant prospect.
Using Elise’s power might make it barely feasible, but he could already picture her hesitating at the crucial moment.
If the defeated botany professor begged for mercy, she’d definitely falter once.
‘And then get counterattacked.’
Letting her experience that might be part of gaining experience, but not right now.
Elin wasn’t prepared to kill a person.
Nor was Radia.
In such a situation, giving them a few chances would yield the same result.
Better to handle it cleanly himself.
‘And I need to cover up the fact that the botany professor became a magi.’
Rummaging through his lab would reveal it easily, but there was no need to expose it immediately.
Yes, it would be just right if it came to light a month or two after he dealt with it.
‘If the Holy See learns that a perfectly fine person fell to become a magi, things will get messy.’
It could only be explained as the presence of something in the academy.
Someone capable of corrupting people into magi...
If the Holy See found out, they’d intervene, backlash be damned.
So he had to conceal the circumstances until it surfaced a month or two later.
By then, some other incident would erupt, and it would be hushed up.
‘When a bigger issue explodes right in front of them, the smaller past ones get buried as a matter of course...’
By that time, it wouldn’t cause much of a stir even if revealed.
It wasn’t like he planned to hide it forever; delaying by just three months wouldn’t be a big problem.
‘Professor Prezel will handle delaying the investigation on her own, so keeping my mouth shut should suffice.’
In that case, it might be better to leave the botany professor be and let him prepare fully.
The spore dolls he created weren’t that strong, but they were just the right level of threat to instill proper vigilance in Elin.
As a bonus, they’d plant some unease in Radia’s command abilities too.
“There’s also the fact that I can’t pinpoint where he’s hiding to dig him out.”
Either way, there was no rush at all.
If he waited, everything would flow as it should.
The predetermined downfall, the protagonists’ growth—all of it.
With a pleased smile, he stared intently at Radia directing things from the front lines.
Just before starting the practical in earnest, Radia had looked at him and declared confidently.
Her head held high, it came off as both bold and spirited.
“You called us mere justification for your actions, Professor, but we won’t settle for that.”
Radia took the lead, raising her voice.
Judging by their expressions, the others silently agreed, chiming in with their quiet assent.
“Hmm...”
His justification for moving. He knew provoking her like this would draw out a response.
‘At the very least, that honeybee obsessed with being the best wouldn’t stay silent.’
Elin wore a pouty expression, while Radia stared him straight on, as if pleading to believe her.
“We’ll prove we’re not just a cat’s paw that only moves when you do, Professor. If you grant me command, I will surely—”
Finishing his recollection, he savored Radia’s words deeply.
“I look forward to seeing what answer you find amid adversity.”
May your choices always be right.
* * *
Radia took a deep breath.
The soil, speckled with deep purple, was once vibrant with various colors; now gravel, stones, and boulders alike were uniformly purple.
It hadn’t deviated much from living things, but creatures dyed purple regardless of their original hue had twisted into filthy, nauseating forms.
“Disgusting...”
One female student slashed through a frog with six legs.
Radia inwardly agreed but didn’t voice it.
Birds with four eyes, insects with massive lumps on their backs, and more.
They had clearly deviated from biological norms.
That was why they were struggling.
‘And they’re all the same purple, so they’re hard to spot.’
A centipede clinging to a tree sprang off, latching onto the arm of a nearby male student.
The grotesque, hideous centipede writhed repeatedly, crawling up his forearm toward his throat.
“Damn it.”
He flung the centipede on his arm to the ground.
Then stomped it furiously; as it died, it wrapped around the sole of his shoe.
Squeeeeal.
Even as it trembled and went limp, the centipede’s desperate thrashing lingered in his mind.
“Phew...”
At first, the group members had freaked out, but they were gradually becoming unresponsive.
Such incidents kept happening in succession.
They didn’t have the spare energy to fuss over each one.
Hours of sustained peak tension had slowly numbed them in that state.
Radia glanced at the large centipede with its chitinous shell shattered.
It was at least two spans long.
Laden with venom, it lunged without hesitation.
‘And then these bizarre monsters on top of it.’
Individually, they weren’t hugely threatening.
They’d grown ferocious and strong, but they were still just bugs or small animals.
The occasional ambush or bite sent chills down the spine, but that was it.
The real issue was the stomach-turning sight of them.
“I got bit.”
“I’ll treat you, so hold still.”
While the mage performed simple first aid on the male student, Radia sank into thought.
Upset stomach—more precisely, stress.
The nonstop tension, the enemies’ horrific appearances, the muggy environment, the high humidity.
The revolting, incessant spores.
Each alone wasn’t much, but together they amplified the stress, gnawing at their minds.
“But the problem is, I’m feeling it too.”
Her head spun occasionally.
Witnessing a flood of unreal things in short order made it hard to discern normal from not.
When that happened, she’d look up at the sky to calm herself, but...
The screen sky on the ceiling was cracked in places, forcing her to dully confront its mechanical nature.
A single floor that seemed endlessly vast. The contaminated floors numbered at least a dozen to several dozen.
The path ahead was long.
“Senior Radia. First aid’s done.”
“...Let’s move again. Follow me.”
They’re just small animals and bugs, she repeated to herself, forcing down the rising nausea.
‘So this is reality.’
She’d hunted far stronger magic beasts countless times.
In the magic tower, under expert supervision, with medics and doctors on standby.
Radia let out a hollow chuckle inwardly.
Back then, she’d tensed up thinking it was real combat, but compared to today, it was nothing.
At least the tension hadn’t dragged on continuously like this.
The rigidity hadn’t repeated for hours, nor had she borne the burden of not knowing what might leap out from where.
‘Feels empty.’
Now she understood what Professor Aiden meant by greenhouse flowers.
“Keep a good lookout ahead. We don’t know what might jump out, so stay cautious. Don’t let your guard down.”
Mumbling words she wasn’t sure were for the others or herself, she pushed through the forest.
They were just small animals now, but active knights faced lumbering, threatening magic beasts like minotaurs in environments like this.
If she were there, what would happen?
The moment she loosened from prolonged tension would be the moment her life ended.
Hoo...
She was out of breath.
“Eek!”
Someone rummaging ahead yelped in terror and stumbled back.
They tripped over a rock, their palm smeared with purple dye-like substance.
‘Contaminant!’
“Fall back and disinfect!”
Slicing through the brush with her sword revealed snakes mashed together like clay into a single form.
“Ugh.”
One female student couldn’t hold back a faint groan.
The expressions of the others, who hadn’t made a sound, weren’t much different.
“What the hell is that?”
It completely ignored biological function.
Beyond grotesque, it posed no real threat.
Its tail ends knotted together, heads stretching in different directions—it was utterly repulsive.
“...Cover me from behind. Get magic ready in case.”
With enemies all in abnormal states, there was no telling what they’d do.
It frayed the nerves.
Ignoring the physiological revulsion, she slashed the snake with her sword.
Instead of blood, a sticky black smoke rose.
She quickly covered her mouth and stepped back.
Disgusting, but that was all.
As long as she didn’t inhale the smoke, it was fine. They could press on.
But the others didn’t see it that way; their faces had gone deathly pale.
“Senior Radia.”
“What.”
“We can’t push anymore. Let’s head back. To the professor.”
“What?!”
She’d said they could cover half the floor in half a day.
They’d reached only a third of the goal.
And they’d just rested.
Asking to rest again after less than an hour?
“More rest would hinder progress...”
Before Radia could refuse what sounded absurd, the others added.
“We’re not saying rest—we’re saying quit and go back.”
“Quit? Abandon midway?”
“That’s not...”
“Then what is it?!”
Radia snapped irritably.
As she tried to ignore them and keep walking, their faces caught her eye.
They looked haggard.
A pallid face could just mean an upset stomach and be dismissed, but this was unmistakably the look of someone worn to their limit.
Radia stammered, spitting out half-formed words.
“You guys, wait...”
Why?
She couldn’t accept this situation, feeling like a detached spectator.
“We can’t push anymore. Everyone’s lagging a bit.”
As if to prove it, they glanced side to side pointedly.
Radia’s gaze naturally followed.
At first, she’d told them to maintain proper distance from her group.
In case they needed support from another group in an emergency.
Now, it had devolved into watching her cues.
Radia sighed.
‘Just small animals and bugs?’
Ri Sete Academy’s entrance exam included fighting two goblins in real combat.
That was standard for first-year Knight Department.
In other words, they could all handle at least that much.
And quite a few were top scholars among them.
Elites who could seriously tangle with rock golems.
And now those elites wanted to turn tail because of bugs.
What, where had it gone wrong?
“...Fine, got it. Let’s head back.”
She chewed her lip and slowly turned around.
They hadn’t walked far, but she spotted the blond professor sitting on a rock, tending to the injured.
Spotting the returning group, he set down his book and carefully tucked his gold-rimmed glasses into his shirt pocket.
“Professor Aiden.”
“A break? You rested not long ago—you’re resting a lot.”
“Well...”
“Or is this the end for today?”
His casual words choked her up.
“I...”
“Rest. Can’t be helped if you’ve hit your limit.”
She bit her lip harder and had the students sit.
She was the one in command.
She’d demanded it that way.
The weight of resting or pushing on fell entirely on her.
Aiden surveyed the students all taking their break, then finally looked at her.
“You, come see me.”
“...Yes.”
Bracing herself for what the professor would say, Radia squeezed her eyes shut.