Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Things Money Can't Buy (2)
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Jake was triumphant. Behold, this was how adults fought. In the end, this world was won by the vicious, the dirty, and the cheap.
*‘Hehehe. Farewell, Amy. Even if I fall to hell, I’ll drag you down with me.’*
“Don’t be arrogant, Jake.”
Shina said, her eyes cold.
“I heard the story from Seriel before I came. You won’t be able to attend this school any longer.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions. You’re a teacher who instructs students, not part of the administration, are you?”
“What?”
“You must be aware of how much the Ardius family contributes, aren’t you? It’s more than the donations of ten first-class nobles combined. Do you still think you can expel me?”
Noble academies mostly operated on a donation system. This was to maintain and repair high-cost equipment. If the equipment became outdated, the students’ achievement levels would drop. If grades fell, the school would lose its prestigious title, leading to a vicious cycle where talented students would become reluctant to enroll.
An academy with history and tradition might endure, but Alpheas Magic Academy was a rising prestigious school, established only thirty years ago, and was in desperate need of donations from the nobility.
Thadd, an alumnus of Alpheas Magic Academy, knew this better than anyone. If the funds from Jake’s family disappeared, the school would undoubtedly suffer a financial blow.
“Professor Shina, I believe it’s too hasty to talk of expulsion already. Shouldn’t such matters be decided by a disciplinary committee?”
“No. Jake is expelled. If he isn’t, I won’t be able to face the students who were forced to withdraw. If Jake remains at this school, I will take responsibility and resign.”
Thadd imagined Shina taking off her clothes, then hastily erased the thought. He disliked her cold personality but had to admit her magical talent was extraordinary. Her leaving the school was a problem on an entirely different level from Jake’s expulsion.
Jake shrugged his shoulders and laughed.
“Hahaha! You’ll quit? Go ahead, try it! Let’s see who leaves first, you or me.”
Frost seemed to rise from Shina’s shoulders. Fitting for a mage of ice, her anger was as cold as ice itself.
“Where do you think your salary comes from? How do you think the library buys its books? The money for opening training grounds? The expensive magical devices? In the end, the world is about money! Money! There’s nothing in this world that money can’t do!”
In that moment, Shina swept her hand upward. Jake looked down at his feet, bewildered. Just as he felt a cold wind, a chill raced across the ground in a circle.
“Huk!”
Realizing it was an Ice Tornado that cooled even the surrounding air, Jake crouched down and covered his face.
Crack! Crackle!
The vortex of cold ascended, trapping Jake within. As the air froze, hundreds of long spikes jutted out.
“Ughhhh!”
Sharp icicles grazed Jake’s face, shoulders, side, and legs. Jake was trapped as if in a mold, unable to move even a finger.
*‘Wow! That’s amazing.’*
Shirone was genuinely impressed. Even if a mage were omnipotent, controlling a freezing phenomenon down to the molecular level was a difficult feat. The rumors of her being a genius mage coveted by the royal palace were no exaggeration.
“How dare a student lecture a teacher? There are plenty of things in this world that money can’t buy.”
Jake wrinkled his nose like a wolf. There was nothing in the world money couldn’t buy. He had grown up watching countless so-called noble people turn into beasts the moment gold was dangled before their eyes.
“Things money can’t buy? And what might those be?”
“Talent.”
Jake flinched. Shina had struck his most vulnerable spot with the coldest precision.
“Character. Integrity. Conviction. Intellect. Friendship. Effort. Spirit. Shall I go on?”
Jake wanted to scream. Why was this woman tormenting him? It felt like he would spend any amount of money if he could just shut her mouth.
Shina flicked her finger, and the Ice Tornado shattered into pieces. Ice fragments struck Jake’s face.
“Ughhhhh…”
Terrified, Jake couldn’t even open his eyes. The delusion that his face might have been shattered filled his mind.
“Do you understand now, Jake? You can’t buy anything with money. That’s why you have nothing.”
Shina grabbed Jake by the collar and pulled him up.
“Heuk!”
“Don’t misunderstand. A school isn’t a place that teaches you in exchange for money. A school is the only place that teaches you the things money can’t buy. You kicked away such a precious space with your own feet. Once you leave school, no one will ever teach you these things again.”
Jake’s heart sank. He had never once considered it. A situation where he truly couldn't attend school anymore.
Shina would definitely have him expelled. Then he wouldn’t be able to challenge anything. He would become a loser, and in the end, his life would be over.
*‘It’s over. I’m…’*
His face, pale with fear, gradually began to look like that of a young boy again. His face crumpled as if about to cry, Jake fell to his knees at Shina’s feet and sobbed sorrowfully.
“I was wrong, Professor. I was wrong. Please, just don’t expel me. Please give me one more chance. I’ll never do it again. I’ll study really hard from now on.”
Shirone and the others grew solemn. They knew how frightening it was to be cast out into the world as a student.
Shina bent her knees and helped Jake to his feet.
“When the disciplinary committee convenes, sincerely apologize for your wrongdoing. That’s the kind of resolve you’ll need to put everything back in its place. I’ll be on your side, so let’s take it one step at a time.”
“Thank you! Thank you!”
Shirone was reminded once again that there were so many things money couldn’t buy. All the students here, in the end, had to run on their own strength to achieve their goals.
What did it matter if one was a commoner or a noble?
Because the dreams we are all chasing are surely things that money can never buy.
* * *
The members of the Black Magicians were confined to the punishment room and received treatment.
A disciplinary committee was scheduled for the next day, and Shirone’s group had a separate meeting with the teachers.
While Thadd wrote up the report, Shirone explained in detail how he had subdued the Black Magicians. As expected, the teachers’ eyes widened.
“What? You suppressed their Anti-Magic with your Spirit Zone?”
“Yes. I heard it from Professor Etella. She said a mage’s Anti-Magic is a battle of mental strength, and casting it recklessly is dangerous. So I think I subconsciously tried to endure it defensively.”
Everyone except Amy was speechless with shock.
Of course, Anti-Magic wouldn’t be fully effective if it wasn't one’s major. But even considering that, it had been a simultaneous attack by five people.
It was an impossible outcome unless Shirone’s Spirit Zone was stronger than all of the Black Magicians’ combined.
Shina leaned in close to Shirone. She lifted his eyelids to examine his pupils, and let out a sigh of relief when she found nothing abnormal.
“Don’t you ever do that again. Anti-Magic is a far more dangerous magic than you think. You got through it safely this time, but if you’re not careful, you could lose your ability to use magic.”
Even the strong-hearted Shirone felt his chest tighten upon hearing that directly from Shina. It was true that at the time, all he could think about was protecting Amy.
Amy discreetly averted her gaze. As the one who had put Shirone in danger, it was only natural for her to feel a pang of guilt.
Shina rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought. In any case, suppressing Anti-Magic was a sign of incredible talent. She had known from the beginning that his endurance was exceptional, but she hadn’t expected it to be on this level.
Thadd, on the other hand, was displeased. His stomach churned at the thought that Shirone had succeeded where even Amy had not.
Voicing these feelings, Thadd spoke.
“Shirone, why didn’t you report this immediately? You should have reported such an incident to a teacher. I just can’t understand why you would go alone to rescue a senior who is several classes above you.”
Shirone and Amy thought that the inevitable had finally come.
This time, even Shina didn’t stop Thadd. With a student having withdrawn due to the Black Magicians’ misdeeds, even the smallest suspicion had to be addressed.
Shirone smiled and nodded at Amy, who was looking at him as if asking his intent. Even if his secret was revealed by her, he wouldn’t resent it.
Amy sighed as if she had no choice and spoke.
“Alright. I’ll tell you the truth.”
The person most curious about Shirone’s secret was Seriel. Just when had those two gotten to know each other? No, more importantly, why was Amy protecting Shirone?
“The truth is, Shirone is…”
As everyone in the room waited for her next words, Amy suddenly scratched her head with a bright smile.
“He’s my boyfriend.”
“Whaaaat?”
The unexpected answer made the room shake.
Thadd pressed on, finding it hard to believe.
“Since when? You never showed any interest in things like dating. Besides, Shirone is a new student who just entered the academy.”
“We met when we were young. Our paths crossed again here. Haha! It’s a common story, isn’t it?”
Amy deliberately played it off casually. This would do. She would be a graduating student soon anyway, and with different class schedules, she wouldn’t run into Shirone often.
The school would be abuzz for a while, but it wasn’t a bad thing. Once everyone knew she was taken, the number of boys annoyingly pursuing her would decrease.
Even she had to admit it was a brilliant improvisation.
On the other hand, Shirone, who was on the receiving end, felt his heart pound. Amy was a high-ranking senior and an object of admiration for the student body. He knew it was a lie to handle the immediate situation, but it was still immense pressure.
“Right, Shirone?”
Amy turned to him, her eyes smiling. The strain in her smile was obvious. It was as if he could hear her inner voice screaming, *Answer quickly or I’ll kill you.*
“Ah! Yes, that’s right.”
“Aaaah! How could this be? I’m totally shocked—no, moved!”
Seriel rapidly slapped her own cheeks as she spoke quickly.
“Hoho, I knew it all along! No wonder this one acted so coy whenever she saw Shirone. Since when have you been dating? Who confessed first?”
With even Amy’s friend Seriel believing it, the teachers could no longer doubt it. If they were a couple, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible that he would chase after the Black Magicians in a fit of youthful passion.
Thadd tore at his hair as he wrote the report.
“The victims of this incident, Shirone and Amy, are in a, uh, healthy dating relationship…”
* * *
The rumor spread like wildfire.
Soon, there wasn’t a single student at Alpheas Magic Academy who didn’t know that Shirone and Amy were a couple. This was partly due to the public notice about the Black Magicians’ misdeeds, but the heroic tale spun by the chatterbox Seriel was what truly captured the hearts of the female students.
Shirone, who infiltrated the enemy’s den alone to protect his lover. The Black Magicians retaliated with Anti-Magic, but he overcame it with the power of love and rescued Amy.
The villainous leader, Jake, was so overwhelmed by Shirone’s gaze that he begged for forgiveness with tears and snot. The gist of the story was that the two shared a deep kiss in the mountains under the pouring moonlight.
“Seriel! Do you have a death wish? What kind of rumors have you been spreading!”
“Hahaha! Why? It’s mostly true, isn’t it!”
“It’s not even mostly true! When did I ever kiss Shirone?”
“Oh, don’t be so coy. You’re dating, so you must have at least kissed, right? A little embellishment is necessary for a good story, don’t you think?”
“Are you some kind of playwright? Why are you dramatizing someone else’s story?”
“Well, it worked out, didn’t it? All those annoying boys don’t even come near you anymore.”