Chapter 145: Akensom (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 145: Akensom (3)
Aeryun - What on earth is the problem?
“He really is good at his job.”
The one who caught the first Dark Mage to infiltrate the Academy was, as expected, Adam Smith.
Of course, I had predicted the highest probability would be the Saintess, Daisy.
“Is it because he’s a mage himself, in name at least?”
The Dark Mages had been blatantly targeting Adam Smith.
That fact was truly sorrowful.
“To think a Dark Mage would even know about such insignificant internal Academy affairs…”
Just how far had we been compromised?
And how many spies were embedded within?
Still, thanks to this incident, we were able to narrow down the scope to some extent.
“There’s a very high probability they’re hiding among the Magic Department students.”
If so, they could attack Adam Smith while hiding right under his nose in the Magic Department.
“……But who could it be?”
However, that was as far as my deductions went.
Currently, Adam Smith was the common enemy of the entire Magic Department. Even if someone’s eyes rolled back in their head at the sight of him, you couldn't automatically assume they were a Dark Mage.
“…How did things end up like this?”
Thinking back, he wasn’t like this from the start.
Of course, the moment Fla—no, Marie—introduced herself as a fire mage from Dale, he immediately ruined the mood by saying, ‘So you’re a Fire Spammer.’
But after that, he had gotten along reasonably well with mages.
“What on earth is the problem?”
Did he develop a resentment toward mages because so many Dark Mages kept coming to the Academy?
Or was it because he received that special elixir from the Beastkin, the Yin-Yang Pill, which causes mana corruption?
If not that, perhaps after using the Saintess’s Magic Sword—no, Holy Sword—he became intoxicated by its power and decided that magic could never defeat the blade.
Or maybe it was something else…
“God, what is the problem?”
There were too many possibilities this time as well, making it difficult to pinpoint the cause.
“He does his job so well, though.”
When looking strictly at the results, he was the central figure who resolved most of the incidents.
That was why the Empire was providing him with appropriate compensation.
The problem was that I was starting to get the feeling this bastard was the one creating the incidents in the first place—but then again, we caught a Dark Mage as a result.
“…I don’t even know anymore.”
At least until last year, he knew how to show some restraint in front of high-ranking individuals.
Now, perhaps because he’s grown too accustomed to it, he’s gone as far as beating up the Prince and Princess of Dale.
“……Please, let Princess Nea not be in the Magic Department.”
It was a secret so classified that even I didn't know it; apparently, within the Imperial Family, only the Emperor and a few of Princess Nea’s own faction knew her true identity.
I have no idea why she’s hiding her identity and enrolling in the already chaotic Academy!
I could only pray fervently that the day would never come when Adam Smith beat the living daylights out of the Empire’s Princess.
“Lord Aeryun! We have a problem!”
“What is it now?!”
“Agent Adam Smith is currently…”
Seriously, please.
It is often said that a prepared mage is strong.
That statement is half right and half wrong.
While it’s true a prepared mage is strong, most people are strong if they prepare in advance.
Knights or archers can occupy advantageous terrain if they prepare.
Agents can pull off all sorts of schemes if they have time to prepare.
However, the reason mages are the representative example is simple.
It’s because, like the petty Magic Spammers they are, they can use magic to create all sorts of traps.
But who am I?
The Academy’s strongest mage and the Leon Kingdom’s most elite agent.
Therefore, I was capable of crafting all kinds of traps.
“…It feels a bit too focused on the physical side, but this should be enough.”
If I had to give a ratio, it would be about 100 to 0.
But since the preparations were solid, only one thing remained.
Waiting for the prey.
About two hours had passed.
Just as I was thinking that the students weren't moving much for the second day.
“Aaaaagh!”
I caught a scream from the distance and immediately set out to bag my prey.
I wondered: would it be a regular Magic Spammer this time? Or a Dark Mage?
“……Oh.”
“What is this?!”
Inside a primitive—to put it bluntly, just a stupidly large—pit.
On top of the net I’d laid out to hinder movement, a moron was thrashing around, only succeeding in tying himself up further.
He was neither a Magic Spammer nor a Dark Mage… he was a student from the Swordsmanship Department.
“…Well, I guess that happens.”
Come to think of it, this Academy is officially half swordsmen and half mages.
I’d beaten down quite a few mages the day before, and I’d moved enough to feel my own mana limits.
The average Magic Spammers might still be resting.
“Hmm.”
Well, you can’t expect to be full on the first bite.
That was what I thought as I finished off the trapped swordsmanship student. But then—
“Aaaagh!”
It seemed someone else had fallen into a trap not too far away.
I ran over diligently again.
“…Another one?”
This time, a swordsmanship student who looked like a freshman was dangling from a tree, a rope coiled around his ankle.
“…Sigh.”
If he’s from the Swordsmanship Department, he should just cut the rope and escape.
But his sword was lying uselessly on the ground.
To drop your sword just because you fell into a trap…
This guy was a disgrace to swordsmen, so I eliminated him quickly.
How much time had passed since then?
“Who the hell did this?!”
I ran toward the shout and found a senior from the Swordsmanship Department, likely a fourth-year, fuming with rage.
Looking at the destroyed traps around him, I thought he was indeed different from the first and second-years…
But upon closer inspection of the senior’s condition and the surroundings, it wasn't that he had avoided the traps; he had just stupidly bulldozed through them.
“Ugh…”
He just tanked it with his high-level stats.
“Was it you?!”
I took down the senior who came charging at me like a madman.
A significant amount of time passed after that.
“Seriously…”
I arrived at a trap, hoping for something different, only to sigh at the sight of yet another swordsmanship student struggling.
These ignorant sword-swinging bastards.
They’re all falling for it.
With that thought, I picked off the trapped students one by one.
By the time the afternoon of the second day arrived.
“Is this right?”
The tally of students caught in my traps was eight from the Swordsmanship Department.
And zero from the Magic Department.
“…Did I shout too loudly about being the Academy’s strongest mage?”
Is that why the Swordsmanship Department keeps sending ‘heroes’ to defeat the Academy’s strongest mage?
Otherwise, this situation made no sense.
“Is this how a Demon King feels while waiting for the Hero?”
The Magic Spammers and Dark Mages I want don't show up.
Only these random idiots keep getting caught.
So, for the sake of a wide-area provocation, I prepared a rather luxurious dinner.
I roasted a whole wild boar—the only thing besides swordsmanship students to fall into my traps.
As a bonus, I made a soup loaded with spicy spices that were hard to find in this world.
“Are they really not coming?”
Even in the night sky, the rising smoke is quite visible. If they aren't coming, is today a day off?
“Let’s just eat.”
I sliced into the boar meat, which was golden-brown on the outside even if the inside was questionable.
The moment I ladled out the soup meant to mask the gamey smell of the wild meat—
“Ah, shit.”
Sensing a sudden surge of killing intent, I shed tears of blood inwardly as I threw myself backward.
The spot where I had been standing… along with my perfectly finished meal… began to rot away into a greyish light.
“Kill him!”
Yesterday’s Dark Mages came while I was sleeping.
These bastards come while I’m eating.
Are they going to come while I’m taking a shit next time?
“Ugh… this Academy!”
Cursing the Academy for being breached yet again, I had no choice but to vent my resentment over my ruined dinner on the Dark Mages.
As the dawn of the third day broke, Demacia, who until recently held the title of the strongest in the Magic Department, spoke to the gathered mages.
“Magic is a discipline that seeks out mysteries.”
He closed his eyes briefly against the glare of the rising sun before continuing.
“But mages are not those who merely seek. They are those who prove.”
They prove the mystery of magic themselves.
Therefore.
“One must not deny what has happened before their very eyes.”
No matter how nonsensical it may seem.
If it has been proven before you, you must acknowledge it.
Magic itself was originally something nonsensical.
It was through the countless predecessor mages who studied, learned, and proved it that the concepts of magic we now take for granted could exist.
“Therefore, we must acknowledge Adam Smith.”
“Urgh…”
“How could we…”
Laments broke out here and there, but Demacia shook his head.
“I am not saying we should acknowledge his claim to be a mage. I am saying we must acknowledge that he calls himself the ‘Academy’s Strongest’ and that he has proven it with his own strength.”
His own defeat was only the beginning.
Even though numerous mages had cast aside their pride and banded together, they could not overcome a single swordsman.
“It might sound like an excuse coming from the one who provided the cause. But it was bound to happen eventually.”
Nang-jung-ji-chu.
A needle in a pouch. It means that a person of great talent will eventually stand out even if they try to hide.
There was no better phrase to describe this incident.
Though, the meaning was slightly different here.
“His hatred for mages was bound to be revealed sooner or later.”
The ‘needle’ in this case was his hatred for mages rather than talent!
Still, the fact that it was bound to be revealed was certainly not wrong!
“That is why we must be victorious.”
To that end, Demacia had calmed the Magic Department students who had wanted to go on a rampage even on the second day.
There was no way they could use proper magic when they hadn't fully recovered.
Of course, the opponent wouldn't be in perfect condition either.
As a rule, assuming everyone has exhausted their mana, a mage cannot defeat a knight.
Even if our numbers were dozens of times greater.
“But didn't we lose on the first day as well?”
A first-year student asked, eyes welling with tears of frustration.
Demacia felt that this sight was due to his own inadequacy, so he gritted his teeth, yet remained composed.
“That is why today, we stake everything.”
He could coolly guarantee victory.
“Do you know what today is?”
“Pardon?”
Is today some kind of special day?
Looking at the mages’ confused expressions, Demacia repeated exactly what McGregor, the Head Professor of the Magic Department, had said when they first entered Akensom.
“I’ve said it several times: those who have their badges stolen are primarily ‘eliminated.’ However, there are Losers' Revival Matches on the 3rd and 5th days. If you watch for your chance, you might even be able to eliminate the one who eliminated you.”
He hadn't specified what form those Losers' Revival Matches would take.
However.
“‘If you watch for your chance, you might even be able to eliminate the one who eliminated you.’ That means there is a very high probability that those who are revived will encounter the person who eliminated them.”
Although the Imperial Academy had shown remarkable progress since last year—and many strange things had happened simultaneously—before that, the Imperial Academy was, on average, the finest educational institution on the continent.
Its Swordsmanship Department was inferior to Leon’s, and its Magic Department was inferior to Dale’s.
But that only meant they hadn't reached the absolute pinnacle; on average, they possessed the overall know-how for all forms of education!
Demacia was a man who had reigned at the top of such a premier institution for four years.
That was possible not just through magic alone, but through numerous other factors.
Indeed, unlike what his name might suggest, he was quite quick-witted!
“Therefore, the Losers' Revival Match I anticipate involves reclaiming the stolen Badge of Survival. Which means…”
The eliminated Magic Department students would be revived.
Among them were many powerhouses commonly called ‘Named’ in the Magic Department, including Princess Ruelle.
“Today, we will eliminate Adam Smith.”
Demacia believed that if the living and the dead joined forces, the Magic Department would surely be victorious.