Academy's Savior
I crossed my arms and looked down at the ground below.
Down there, Shin Na-ri was attacking Kim Je-o. There was no opening for me to intervene.
Compatibility. Extreme compatibility, at that.
Kim Je-o couldn't even land a proper counterattack against her. And even if he had, it wouldn't have mattered. His curses were being absorbed by Shin Na-ri.
Shin Na-ri's stronger than last time… Has she figured out how to absorb curses with the Cursed Sacred Tree's Straw Rope I gave her?
I narrowed my eyes and watched her carefully. The evil spirit possessing her was visible. It was growing stronger as it drank in Kim Je-o's curses.
This is Shin Na-ri's growth event.
From her perspective, she'd stumbled into a stroke of fortune.
I kept my arms folded and simply watched. There was no reason to interrupt her growth.
"GRAAAAAAAH!"
Kim Je-o screamed and hurled a curse straight at me. I drifted lightly aside and let it sail past.
Shin Na-ri was the one tearing into his flesh, yet every last curse he threw was aimed at me from start to finish.
A hatred so blind it bordered on stupidity.
Well, that's probably exactly why his curses are this powerful.
After about three minutes, Shin Na-ri's movements slowed noticeably. More than seventy percent of Kim Je-o's strength had already been drained away.
Shin Na-ri and the evil spirit are hitting their limit.
I prepared to attack.
I gathered power in the sky. With a crackle of thunder, electric current began to converge overhead. Azure lightning coiled together and blazed bright. I felt the mana inside me drain at a ferocious rate as I waited for the right moment.
Having gleefully absorbed and spent Kim Je-o's curses to fuel her own growth, Shin Na-ri finally sensed her limit and fell back. The moment the nuisance was gone, Kim Je-o poured every remaining curse into his wings. He meant to take flight and kill me.
Now… no. A little longer.
KRRRRRRRRRUMBLE!
The thunder massed in the heavens roared and thrashed, begging to be unleashed at once. I gripped the leash of that savage beast tight. The lightning settled, if only a fraction.
Kim Je-o soared upward and stretched a hand toward me.
Now.
Thunder Bolt
A colossal bolt of lightning crashed down. Like a giant hammer slamming from the heavens, it drove the ascending Kim Je-o straight back into the dirt. His vast store of curses vanished in an instant under that ferocious strike. Even so, Kim Je-o did not disappear. With his body in tatters, he still tried to spew curses once more.
He staggered back to his feet.
I clicked my tongue.
I'm barely holding Spirit Conjuration together… Do I have to burn Full Recovery?
That was when it happened.
Shunk.
The sickening sound of steel piercing flesh rang out.
"About… here, I think?"
It was Callas. She had appeared behind Kim Je-o, and her dagger carved out his heart. A massive black heart dropped lifelessly to the ground. Her blade did not stop there; it continued to slice away chunks of flesh.
One by one, the cursed objects buried inside Kim Je-o's body tumbled free. They lost their power, crumbled into dust, and vanished.
Once every cursed object was gone, Kim Je-o's body shrank back to its original size. He looked ready to die at any second, yet a faint residual curse kept his breath clinging on.
I dropped swiftly to the ground.
"Khrrr… Seong Yujin…"
Kim Je-o called my name. It was different from before. The hatred was gone. I asked the dying man a question.
"Who helped you?"
The curse had spread through the entire academy. It had been strong enough to warp even the barrier protecting the place. Common sense said Kim Je-o could not have done it alone.
"I don't know…"
"Kim Je-o. Were you really that loyal a bastard?"
"……I don't know. I can't remember who it was."
"Is that the truth, or are you full of shit? Forget everything else—at least try to recall the voice."
"I don't know the voice, the gender, or the build. Nothing."
He coughed. Pitch-black blood spilled out. Necrosis began creeping from his fingertips and toes.
Feeling death close in, Kim Je-o's face twisted with fear.
"They're… they're inside the academy…"
Right after those words, the necrosis reached his face. The lifeless body twitched. Something inside him tried to burst free.
"No."
Shin Na-ri spoke with absolute finality. Whatever had been thrashing inside Kim Je-o went quiet at once and lost its presence. A pale, hazy something slipped out through his mouth. I opened my Spirit Eye on reflex.
A stray ghost.
Shin Na-ri's evil spirit chased it down and tore it apart on the spot.
I looked at Kim Je-o's corpse again and turned his final words over in my mind. Anyone else would have dismissed them as nonsense. I was not anyone else.
I have the original knowledge of Academy's Savior.
A suspect came to mind immediately.
I didn't think they'd move before the first semester was even over.
There was nothing I could do about it.
Even if I knew the culprit, I had no proof that would mark them as the culprit.
"Over here!!"
"Callas-sensei!! Did you find Kim Je-o?!"
"What the hell happened?!"
Teachers came running in a panic. I let out a sigh of pure annoyance. Tonight I would almost certainly be stuck explaining the whole mess to them until late.
The next day.
I paid a visit to the Magic Department.
"What is it?"
A blonde beauty in her mid-twenties greeted me. Her abundant golden hair was pinned up, and round glasses sat on her face. The blue eyes behind those lenses were as deep as the sea.
She wore a black suit skirt and jacket. Her chest and hips were full, her waist cinched tight. Those breasts were an overwhelming G-cup. The top of her blouse was left open, offering a clear view of the white valley between them.
Freltia.
Magic Department instructor, and a pharmacist who specialized in magical potions.
Her nickname was the Witch of Norway—called a witch simply because she was a woman who used magic.
For the record, she was the female teacher the academy's male students loved most. Her face could rival a Hollywood actress, her figure was outrageous, and her personality was decent on top of it.
"Sensei. Could you take a look at this?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
What I held out to her was Kim Je-o's necrotic right arm, which I had quietly spirited away.
"Kim Je-o's arm."
"……I heard academy staff already collected the body…"
"I found it by chance. I was planning to hand it over to the staff a little later."
"I'll deliver it for you."
She took out a cloth and carefully wrapped Kim Je-o's arm.
"Sensei. Doesn't it seem a little strange?"
"Well. A body necrotic from curses is rare, but not strange enough to call it special, is it?"
"I fought Kim Je-o myself."
"So I heard. Impressive for a first-year."
"His strength was beyond common sense. The curses he carried were strong enough to affect the entire academy."
"That was the power of the cursed objects, not Kim Je-o himself, wasn't it?"
"Even if they were cursed objects, the medium was still Kim Je-o. Given his actual capability, being completely consumed by those objects and left helpless would have been the far more natural outcome."
"…I see what you're wondering about. And why you came to me. You're trying to say Kim Je-o was enhanced by magical potions."
"Yes. Please tell me what kind of potions he took."
"Your reasoning has merit… but I have no reason to grant your request."
"Is it too much trouble?"
"No. Kim Je-o's body is scheduled for a separate autopsy by the Hero Association. Experts far better than I will handle it, so all you need to do is wait for the results. Whether you'll actually get to see those results is another matter."
"Ah, I see. I was being shortsighted."
"It's fine. That sort of thing happens. Now then—if you're finished, would you mind leaving? I have to prepare for the next class and I'm rather busy."
"Shall I help?"
"Do you know anything about magical potions?"
"Ah… I'd love to help, but it seems I don't have the ability."
"It's all right. I'm not so incompetent that I need a student's help."
"Sensei. One last thing."
"Go ahead. What else are you curious about?"
"Were you close with Kim Je-o?"
Freltia shook her head without the slightest hesitation.
"We ran into each other a few times at the academy, but we never once had a conversation. Why do you ask?"
"Ah, well—CCTV caught footage of you speaking with Kim Je-o."
"……What?"
The pretty smile on Freltia's face froze solid. Within a single second, though, the lovely smile returned.
"…Which CCTV was that?"
"It was a lie. No matter how many times I rewound the footage, you and Kim Je-o never appeared. Almost as if someone had tampered with the cameras."
"Coincidence, I'm sure. Someone of Kim Je-o's skill could easily avoid CCTV."
"Yes. That must be it."
I moved toward the door. Freltia watched me the entire way.
"Freltia-sensei. May I come again?"
"Of course. Next time I'll treat you to some magical tea."
"I'll look forward to it."
There had been only one reason I visited Freltia's workshop. A warning.
She was one of the women I intended to claim. If she moved carelessly and got her tail caught, the chances of me taking her would shrink.
Whether she partially controlled Kim Je-o's mind or handed him the cursed objects—none of my business.
To me, Freltia was worth several times more than Kim Je-o ever had been.
Shin Na-ri lay on my bed. Beside her, with Erogenous Amplification active, I kneaded every corner of her body.
At first she had shown no reaction at all. As time passed, she grew more and more sensitive.
"Haa… haa…"
Shin Na-ri stared into empty air with half-lidded eyes, breathing hard. I looked at her small lips, then shifted my gaze to her chest. Flat. Not a scrap of fat.
"Senpai. Earlier I saw you wearing a bra. Why bother? You don't even have breasts."
"The director said I had to wear one even if I don't have any."
"So that director didn't have breasts either. Ah—she wasn't a man, right?"
"She was a woman. She just didn't have any."
Even without breasts, she still had areolae and nipples. I flicked the stiff little peaks with my fingers for a while, then moved my attention lower. A smooth, bare pussy.
All those days spent developing her sensitivity had paid off. I hadn't even touched her cunt yet, and already slick fluid was dripping from it. I took both her legs, spread them wide, and settled between them. I rested the head of my cock against her entrance. Her pussy was so small that the glans alone covered it completely.
"Are we having sex?"
"You don't want to?"
I glanced to the right. The evil spirit, held fast by Mocha, thrashed and spat curses at me.
"I want to try. If it's with you… sex will definitely feel good."
"That's right. I'll teach you just how good sex can feel."
I spread her folds with my fingers. Beneath that clean pink pussy was a tiny hole that looked too small even for a finger. I aimed the head of my cock at it and pushed. My dick forced the little opening wider and sank inside. Both of Shin Na-ri's arms and legs began to tremble.
Her hymen tore.
My cock did not stop. It split her vaginal walls and drove all the way to the end.
I felt a twinge of regret. The grip of her walls was excellent, but the depth was short—barely half my length fit inside.
"Senpai. How does it feel right now?"
She squeezed her eyes shut and answered.
"Ah, aah…? I-I don't know…"