Chapter 51
Chapter 51
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: The Price of Complacency
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Though I'd taken on the role of instructor at the Second Prince's request, honestly, I was far more interested in the post-ritual feast than the ritual itself. It wasn't teaching the students that had me excited—it was the thought of running TRPG sessions with them.
That made the first class all the more crucial.
Countering Illusion Magic was a mandatory course, so the students had no choice but to attend. But Otherworld Exploration (Actually TRPG) was an elective—they had to sign up for it. If I didn't put on a killer show in the required class, why would they flock to my elective?
What I really wanted was to give them a full-blown otherworld experience...
But that was impossible. My abilities had hard limits.
I was just a guy who hadn't reached Transcendence yet. Blanketing the entire academy—full of hot-blooded youths brimming with ambition—in illusion magic? That would drain my mana dry. I'd heard some students had already broken through to Transcendence. Sure, I could handle a 1v1 with finesse, but 1v-many while keeping the details sharp? No way.
Unless every single academy student decided to lie defenseless in a simulation magic circle. Fat chance.
If raw power wasn't an option, I'd have to win with spectacle.
That was the reason I was wandering the academy grounds. I was sure there had to be some cost-effective materials somewhere for pulling off a successful first class.
The academy had more sights than I'd expected.
The lecture facilities district housed all sorts of setups for professors' classes: towering spires so tall you had to crane your neck, massive king dragon golems, that sort of thing. My Simulation Unit No. 2 was slated to go up here too.
I glanced down at Pingbalrez, who was clinging to my arm with hers hooked through it.
"Any ideas?"
"Ideas for what?"
"How to make the first class a hit. Got anything?"
Pingbalrez pumped her fist in the air.
"Fight a student one-on-one. Pick out the cockiest one and say if they so much as scratch my collar, they get top marks."
"And if I lose?"
"Hand in your resignation."
The risk was high if I lost, but it was worth considering. As the Gold Rank Gold King or whatever, taking down the top dog among the students would make the rest fall in line out of respect.
I gave her a thumbs-up for the solid idea, and she leaned into me. Her soft melons pressed gently against my arm. I said carefully,
"Don't lean your weight on me like that. It's touching."
"What's touching?"
She looked up at me with those innocent eyes, like I'd said something wrong, so I averted my gaze.
Lately, Pingbalrez had been acting a little off. Ever since we entered the academy, she'd been doing things... slightly different from before. Burying that demon sword in secret? That was way too aggressive for a joke.
The morning "oppa-mu" routine was one thing, but this felt like full-on flirting.
If I'd saved her life or bought her that necklace with research funds or something, I might delude myself into thinking she liked me. But none of that had happened.
I cut straight to it.
"You've been getting awfully close lately, haven't you?"
"Even if I am a super attractive woman, aren't you being a bit too aware of it?"
"I'm serious. You're too close."
"Right, so just holding hands has you thinking marriage already? Two kids sound good?"
"Three's better. Two feels a little short for a session."
This was getting weird.
Even as I played along, my mind was a mess. It didn't feel like my imagination—the intensity of her advances was ramping up. It was scary.
I had a clear sign too. I was debating whether to layer on a double stack of Forbidden Libido Suppression. The spell was on the verge of breaking. I could dodge for now, but if this kept up, things between us would get awkward.
It hadn't been that long since we met, and no matter how I racked my brain, there was zero reason for it.
Seriously though... maybe some kind of magic influence?
But that didn't add up either. A mind spell subtle enough to fool me, piercing Pingbalrez's paranoia-hardened mental barriers, just to amp up lust? That made no sense.
Plus, Pingbalrez was a lesbian.
Was I about to lose a friend? My thoughts spiraled, leaving me unsettled, when Pingbalrez poked my side with her index finger and whispered softly.
"Crazy wizard, lend me your ear for a sec."
"Don't lick it."
"Am I the crazy one?"
Trembling with unease, I tilted my head down. Thankfully, it was serious business. Her breathy whisper came in low.
"We've got a tail. Three of them."
"Why would anyone tail a brand-new academy professor?"
I laughed in disbelief, but Pingbalrez drove the point home flatly.
"Put your hand on your chest and think about it. Any one of our late-night escapades getting caught would earn us a tail."
"You mean my chest, not yours, right...?"
"Are you nuts?"
"Oof."
She punched my side. I felt a little wronged. Who started it anyway...!
Anyway, a tail.
I had no idea what we'd been caught on. Burying the demon sword? Hiding the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon in that seaside cave? Setting up a simple secret dungeon? Which one? Witnesses?
Subjectively or objectively, my actions were shady as hell. My brain wasn't so fried that I'd deny it. What got me was how fast they'd caught on.
I thought I'd been sneaky.
"What do we do?"
What to do? Thinking it over, I was in the clear. The demon sword was fake, the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon was AI-generated real stuff but harmless, and the dungeon had no lethal traps.
The only potential issue was the demon sword. I'd heard the Church of the Goddess was super touchy about them. Made by trapping human souls and all.
It was fake, but proving the AI-and-illusion angle to the church would take time. That's why I'd asked Yuna to write the paper ages ago.
Why not do it myself? Name value. Proof from an unknown mage versus a renowned archmage? Worlds apart in credibility.
In a few days, a piping-hot paper stamped "Made by Magic Tower Master" would ship to the academy.
Meanwhile, I'd gotten the Second Prince's approval too. Pingbalrez had passed along the ops plan to lure dark mages with the demon sword. We'd gotten the green light via comm orb, and the official order would arrive with the paper.
Once both landed, I'd distribute treasure maps marking the demon sword's burial spot.
Even if the academy's saintess dug it up and came knocking, I'd be covered. No needless misunderstandings.
So for the tail, we'd go straight at it. Whatever the suspicion, play dumb and stall a few days. Problem solved. Against regular students, professor authority would hold them off easy.
But one of the tailers stood out like a sore thumb.
"Hey, Pingbalrez. Check that out."
"Oh."
We both let out admiring sighs. The outfit screamed surging faith.
Cleavage on full display, clinging skin-tight in ways that begged "how do you even wear this?", side slits running up to the navel—some kind of priestess getup.
Spotting the black lace panties sealed it; my inner self gave a standing ovation. But Pingbalrez's admiration seemed... different.
"That's the saintess."
"What?"
"Yeah, surprisingly, it's the saintess. Famous for her free-spirited style—looks like the rumors hold up..."
"Does 'saint' use different letters up front or something?"
Was dressing risky the otherworld norm for saintesses? As we ogled in a daze, Pingbalrez and I simultaneously spotted the demon sword dangling from her waist. Silence fell.
It was definitely the one we'd buried so carefully at night.
"......"
"......"
And we had no paper or orders yet.
Pingbalrez couldn't hold back and jabbed me.
"Told you, shoulda waited for the order."
"By order time, classes would've started ages ago—how many students you think wander at night...? You hide when no one's around, so you hide early!"
"But it got found."
"No way the academy saintess—who's famous for slacking off—is the one! She's a total shut-in who barely steps outside! You saying some fan dug up our buried demon sword and offered it to her...?!"
Maybe coincidence. Her path just overlapped ours, business elsewhere. We turned a corner slyly, but she beelined straight for us. She definitely had business with us.
"Run."
"Let's bolt."
Time to vanish. No way were we getting dragged to some church basement. There'd be no hard evidence we made and hid it. Medieval era—no CCTVs everywhere.
Even if there were, papers and orders would cover us. Just stall a few days.
I scooped Pingbalrez onto my back—fusion mode to patch my lacking mobility. Our weird moves tipped off the three tailers; they reacted sharply in unison.
Pingbalrez broke into a sprint. The three gave chase. Up till now they'd seemed casual, separate, but their encirclement felt coordinated now. They were in cahoots with the saintess...!
We had to survive. I unleashed illusion magic.