Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Academy Difficulty Ramp-Up
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Time until the first class—7 days.
About 30 minutes later, the Crimson Tower mage knocked politely three times and issued two warnings to please refrain if we were still engaged in any excessive displays of affection before finally opening the door and stepping inside.
The first thing he did upon entering was to slam a thick academy rulebook down on the table with a thud.
"That sort of thing is forbidden in the academy!"
"Forbidden?"
"Yes, it's prohibited. There have been three cases of local wars breaking out due to reckless 'that sort of thing.' And the smaller squabbles below that? Too many to count."
"And you know that, yet you still do it?!"
Thud thud thud! The Crimson Tower mage pounded the table in fury. I put on my most genuinely baffled expression and shot back. Beside me, Pingbalrez expressionlessly adjusted his glasses.
"What exactly do you think we were doing?"
At that, the Crimson Tower mage's voice shrank to the level of an ant crawling, while his stammering rate skyrocketed to 'Magic Tower Master speaking to a stranger' levels.
"W-Well, you know, SM... play..."
"What exactly is SM play?"
"Wh-Whipping, or hitting..."
"Sorry to shatter your expectations, but we weren't doing any SM play. We were just purely damaging each other's dignity in the most innocent sense."
"I didn't expect that in the first place, and isn't that even worse than SM?!"
When someone throws shade, you hit back—that's what friends do. Didn't this Crimson Tower mage know that basic rule? Maybe he didn't have any friends.
"Your perception is the weird one!"
"Then what do you think friends are?"
"Something you rely on, something that leads you. They grab you when you stumble, comfort you when you're sad, help you find meaning in life, and promise one day to leave the village together—"
The Crimson Tower mage's expression turned dreamy. Whoever he was thinking of, it was the exact face of a princess awaiting her prince on a white horse. From the vibe, it felt more like a real memory than a fantasy.
I gave my honest impression.
"That sounds more like looking for a lover than a friend."
"...It's a friend!"
Looking into the Crimson Tower mage's eyes, I was 120% sure it was full-on love. Whoever it was, they must've been some fairy-tale protagonist.
"Anyway, how the heck did you even get into the academy? They don't let outsiders in easily..."
"How? Because I'm a professor."
"At least put some effort into your lies. What makes you think that?"
The Crimson Tower mage even snorted. I felt a bit wronged. He'd been right there when Pingbalrez and I were tussling—he'd seen me reach the 3-star realm himself, yet here he was nitpicking?
"If you were a student, I'd get it. But academy professors—excluding auxiliary subjects like herbology—are all at the Transcendence realm. Plus, they have renowned expertise, fame, or achievements in their fields."
"Hm."
"For example, Professor Alekson, who teaches Everything About Close Combat, roamed fierce battlefields across the continent for 40 years, authored five books on military strategy, and was seen as the next Mercenary King before retiring."
If it hadn't been a surprise attack, I'd have torn him in half.
"And what about Professor Alejandro? His Alejandro's Spiral Stone Tower is the first spell mentioned in debates about the strongest defensive magic. Outsiders undervalue it as mere training ground maintenance, but consider how that field holds up despite all the academy members training and sparring on it—"
If it hadn't been a surprise attack, it would've been dangerous.
I stared at the Crimson Tower mage rattling off unsolicited trivia about someone I'd never asked about, recalling a famous saying: You're utterly hopeless.
Surprise attack, debate, Go, Othello—didn't matter, I won. What was the problem? No matter how strong or great he was, as long as we never fought again, I'd keep that 1-0 record forever.
I half-ignored the rest of the Crimson Tower mage's explanation and asked,
"Isn't there still some time before classes start?"
"We came early. Who arrives exactly on time? Bandits on the road can delay you a day or two. Everyone trickles in around now."
"Then you're free, right?"
"Huh?"
"Give us a tour of the academy."
He seemed to know a lot, so I hired him as our guide.
Of course, strolling the academy facilities leisurely with Pingbalrez wouldn't make much difference. But the real reason I roped in the Crimson Tower mage as our guide was to get a student's perspective.
Market research.
I'd agonized over what elective to teach. I was still agonizing, actually. If academy life was as regimented as military service and they needed mental breaks, something like Healing in a Peaceful Otherworld as an auxiliary course.
Or Learning High Society Etiquette in the Arms of Pretty Boy Butlers / Beautiful Maidens. Pingbalrez had enthusiastically approved of that one. He was already pitching himself, saying slender types were his preference.
Since he was sent by Second Prince Irid, Pingbalrez knew it wasn't illusion magic but dimensional travel. So he was probably thrilled at the idea of mingling freely with otherworldly beauties. Pervert.
The academy grounds were quite vast. With teleportation circles in each east, west, south, and north section for convenience, it was practically a city.
"Why do I have to be your guide?!"
The Crimson Tower mage, who'd been egging us on earlier, was now the most excited, leading the way once the tour actually started.
The first facility she introduced was the training grounds.
"This is the training grounds."
"There are already quite a few swinging swords around. Classes haven't started yet, right?"
The wide open field was littered with scarecrows and boulders for strength training. Students were madly swinging swords or cranking out squats. I could practically smell the sweat just looking.
How do they live so healthily? As I gazed in awe, the Crimson Tower mage's explanation followed.
"Even if classes haven't started, honing yourself is basic for academy students! No lazy slackers here."
"Still, don't they need breaks sometimes? You get tired from running nonstop."
"Don't underestimate academy students. Seeing themselves grow stronger day by day is rewarding enough! I'm sure the others think the same."
"Rea...lly?"
If a current academy student said so, this place must be full of upright youths living purposeful lives.
I crossed out Otherworld Healing and Maid Cafe in my notepad. And wrote above them: Otherworld Jungle Expedition: With Treasure Hunting.
Pingbalrez peeked at my notepad, and his expression darkened.
My legs started hurting from all the walking, so I asked Pingbalrez for a princess carry. It gave me an indirect taste of Second Prince Irid's feelings. Had I subjected him to too harsh a trial? Libido suppression magic... Thank you!
The Crimson Tower mage insisted with her whole body that 'I'm not with those people,' walking about three meters away at first, but soon got used to it and kept a proper distance.
The second place she showed us was the library.
"Half books, half students."
Students with dark circles under their eyes looking utterly exhausted were frantically reading and scribbling on parchment. Were students always such proactive, passionate creatures?
"Classes haven't even started, and this is impressive..."
"Heh, told you. The academy trains talents that are the empire's backbone!"
"But they don't look happy. More like faces being threatened at swordpoint to study than ones filled with joy and accomplishment."
Some had potions open beside them, chugging away while doing whatever. There couldn't be any insane professor assigning pre-term homework, so this was all... voluntary studying?
Pingbalrez saw my puzzled look, glanced at my notepad, and cautiously added,
"Teaching assistants, I suspect. Already getting ground down by the professors' schemes."
Aha.
Apparently, TAs suffered the same in the modern world or this one. Poor souls who'd abandoned human life for the path of beasts. In that case, shouldn't I at least provide a comfy, efficient rest spot like Otherworld Nap Room: Plush Dreamland Hills?
"Helping other students grow as a fellow student is truly rewarding, right? That's probably the excitement keeping them up."
"But they look genuinely exhausted..."
The Crimson Tower mage's credibility wavered a bit. Maybe she was just an insane model student out of touch with average ones.
I patted the shoulder of a nearby student with a suitably depressed face.
"...Who are you?"
"Does the professor work you too hard?"
"NoI'msohappyProfessorAlejandroisthebestprofessorI'mdoingthisallvoluntarilytohelphisherresearch!"
The Crimson Tower mage haughtily lifted her chin as if to say, See?
"Told you?"
"Definitely..."
If every student had this much zeal, fluffy healing stuff wouldn't even scratch the surface.
I scratched out the notes in my notepad and wrote Otherworld Heart-Pounding Nightmare Dungeon Exploration.
Pingbalrez glanced down, and his pupils trembled.
The third place she took us was the academy's north gate.
On the way, the Crimson Tower mage ranted about eleven reasons why academy students were superhuman.
At first, I thought commoners who made it to the academy got high on life success and had inflated fantasies. But after what we'd seen, it held water.
How were they so diligent before term even started?
Beyond the north gate stretched a vast forest managed by the academy, stocked with monsters tailored to student levels for practical experience.
Occasionally, students slipped up and died, she said. That's why Second Prince Irid sent me—illusion magic couldn't kill unless it was a heart attack.
Students with world-weary expressions were heading into the forest beyond the gate. They looked utterly drained. But from experience so far, I knew beneath those faces lay positive drive and accomplishment.
"Kill... me..."
That mumbling student's line was probably really 'If I don't shatter this wall and reach Transcendence right now, I'd rather die here' or 'A youth died here. It was yesterday's weak self.'
"L-Look, crazy mage. Selvia... er, the Crimson Tower mage is just a freshman whose admission is confirmed. Believing someone who hasn't even attended yet isn't a good attitude."
"But we've seen the evidence with our own eyes so far."
"We have. But there must be circumstances forcing them. For their sake, at least the Maid Cafe..."
I ignored Pingbalrez's sleazy plea laced with wicked greed.
Finally, I asked the Crimson Tower mage:
Q. If you had to provide academy students with experience, what kind would they need?
"Trials."
"Uh, maybe hold off on speaking..."
"They need trials—massive ones to reach Transcendence! If there's anything lacking in academy students, that's it!"
"No more, I mean..."
"Countless brushes with the boundary of life and death, hardships and adversities only overcome by surpassing your limits!"
"......"
Got it. That passion came through loud and clear.
If the academy was a gathering of students singing the hymn of humanity, then I had to provide the utmost trials and ordeals. I tore out a page from my notepad and wrote with firm resolve:
Otherworld Cthulhu: Centered on Vast Despair and Vast Suffering.
Pingbalrez saw my notepad and made a face like he'd witnessed something horrific—like seeing a professor yell 'Exam difficulty x100'...
Pingbalrez suddenly grabbed the Crimson Tower mage by the collar.
"Kyak?!"
"Do you, do you have any idea what you've done...!"
"Wh-What's with the sudden—?!"
"...You've, you've stolen the academy students' sanctuary...!"
"Wh-What are you even talking about?!"
I quietly brainstormed amid their bickering. How to realistically convey cosmic squid horror. What obstacles would make tough academy guys cheer, 'This is delightfully lukewarm!'
Rumors began circulating inside the academy about 'the Violet Tower mage wandering around in a maidservant's arms.'
According to one academy student heading out the north gate for material gathering, he'd witnessed a catfight between a maidservant and a female student with the Violet Tower mage in the middle...