CHAPTER 133
CHAPTER 133
CPR Is a Basic Skill for Mages
“Rely on the scrolls until you can study this spell and make it your own. If you still haven’t mastered it by the time you use them all up, then I’ll start charging you Aka coins.”
It might sound stingy to demand money later, but honestly, Idnia was already grateful to Vuremhid just for giving her these sticker-scrolls for free.
Compared to Magram, how could this not feel reasonable?
Well, it was probably because she was the vice-captain of the Wizard Ball club.
“But this spell looks really difficult.”
“When you use the scroll, track the flow of mana as you learn it. Normally I mix in dummies so others can’t easily decipher my magic, but these scrolls contain only the effective components—no decoys, no paint. With your ability, you should be able to trace it easily.”
“Ah, I see. Thank you.”
After expressing her gratitude, Idnia left the classroom.
But as soon as she stepped outside, she found the elves waiting for her.
The elven Minister of Magic, Jeomrye, approached her.
“Duchess Betelgeuse. You’re the vice-captain of the Wizard Ball club, correct? You seem quite close to Professor Vuremhid.”
“I am the vice-captain, but I wouldn’t say we’re close.”
“Oh? Are you unaware? The Tyrant of Lancaster, Vuremhid, has wagered his life on the outcome of Wizard Ball matches. That’s not something one does without considerable trust.”
“…What?”
Idnia was startled.
But the emotion that crossed her face wasn’t joy at being trusted.
It was closer to disgust—like looking at a gambling addict.
‘No, seriously… how obsessed do you have to be with Wizard Ball to bet your life on it?’
Still, she quickly composed herself.
Given what she knew of Vuremhid, there was no way he was actually trusting the students. More likely, he’d ensure victory through other means—sending assistants, or even eliminating opposing players beforehand.
“So you didn’t know. That’s why we assumed you had a deep relationship with him.”
“That assumption would be inconvenient for me. If rumors spread that he favors someone, he’d absolutely lose his temper.”
“Haha, there’s no reason for us to spread such rumors. We simply wish to become acquainted with you. If it’s not too much trouble, we’d like to invite you for tea at our quarters during the lunch break. We would be honored by your presence.”
An invitation?
Were they trying to use her as a spy?
But that made no sense. She was the only daughter of a prince-elector family of the Holy Eldar Empire. Asking someone like her to spy would be absurd.
“…Very well. I accept.”
Idnia agreed to the elves’ invitation.
The next class was Defensive Magic, taught by the fallen angel Professor Rakias.
As the fog lifted, the path to his faculty building appeared—a broken church in the middle of a graveyard filled with tombstones.
“Is this really the way to his building?”
“I’ve never been here before…”
The students of Eurus followed Idnia cautiously.
But something was wrong.
No matter how far they walked, the distance didn’t shrink.
“Huh?”
“What is this?”
“…Hmm.”
Idnia took a breath and noticed the unusually dense mana in the air.
An illusion?
‘Did the professor cast this? What’s the intention?’
She decided to observe.
Then—
“I saw it! The statue moved!”
“The statue moved!”
Students began panicking.
At the cemetery entrance stood a statue holding incense, mourning the dead.
Some claimed it was moving.
“Nonsense. A statue like this is—”
Christian Dupont approached confidently and touched it.
“It’s just stone. Probably your imagination. It doesn’t even react to magic—”
He cast a detection spell, then frowned.
“Huh? It says the entire thing is magical.”
“That happens sometimes in the academy. Detection magic doesn’t always work properly here.”
Athos added.
“Is that so?”
Dupont shrugged and turned back—
And everyone screamed.
The moment he turned away, the statue revealed grotesque teeth and looked straight at his back.
“Eek! Basic magic bullet!”
Cendia fired a high-speed, high-penetration magic bullet at it.
But—
The attack reflected back at her.
“Ah?!”
Just as everyone panicked—
“Hmm. Seems you’re not familiar with magical creatures yet.”
A group of mages appeared and neutralized the reflected attack.
They were mages from the Blue Tower.
“Teacher?!”
“That statue is a gremlin. Creatures that live to harass mages and engineers. They’re good with illusions, but those weaken when there are multiple light sources.”
The Blue Tower mages conjured light in several directions.
The illusion flickered—
And revealed a goblin-like creature holding a wand.
“Kiik.”
“Other than illusions, they’re nothing special. Still… strange to see one roaming inside the academy.”
They immediately struck it down with a lightning spell.
“Well, you’re still first-years, so it’s understandable. Still, this academy is quite dangerous.”
They continued, almost like a sales pitch.
“Our Blue Tower teaches proper magic for the price you pay. We don’t throw students into dangerous environments and say ‘if they survive, they’re graduates; if they die, they were incompetent.’”
“…Basic division,” someone muttered.
“Ahem. There are good reasons why many transfer from the academy to the Blue Tower after completing the beginner course.”
They boasted their superiority.
But since they had genuinely helped, no one could argue.
‘Honestly… what they’re saying makes sense. This academy really is abnormal.’
From Idnia’s modern perspective, their logic was entirely reasonable.
“Thank you for your help. We’ll proceed to class now. Will you be auditing as well?”
“Yes, of course.”
And so, the Eurus students entered Rakias’s faculty building together with the Blue Tower mages.
Inside the broken church was a strange symbol.
Neither the Trinity of the Holy Eldar Empire…
Nor the Outer Gods worshipped by the demons of Garumhau.
Instead—
‘That’s a dollar sign.’
A towering “$” symbol stood like a divine statue.
Before it, Rakias prayed.
He looked elegant and divine—
But praying to a dollar sign…
Idnia was speechless.
The other students, however, were overwhelmed by the solemn atmosphere.
“Rest assured. This has nothing to do with your faith. I am here as a professor, not a missionary.”
“….”
“Now then, Eurus students and Blue Tower auditors—if everyone is present, we’ll begin.”
He gestured to the seats.
Once they sat, he began.
“I teach defensive magic. But due to the accelerated schedule, we’ll move straight into advanced material.”
“To survive the dangers you’ll soon face, you must learn the most fundamental form of defensive magic—healing magic.”
In other words:
You’re going to get hurt. A lot.
And he wasn’t exaggerating.
They had just encountered a gremlin on the way.
“Now, what is the most important thing in healing magic?”
“….”
Silence.
Healing magic was rare and valuable—hardly something beginners understood.
Then Marie raised her hand.
“Maintaining breathing.”
“Correct. More precisely, maintaining breathing and heartbeat.”
He continued:
“Many schools prioritize stopping blood loss. But this academy considers loss of breathing far more dangerous.”
The Blue Tower mages smiled awkwardly.
That was a direct contradiction of their teachings.
One of them stepped forward.
“That is incorrect. If bleeding is not controlled, healing becomes impossible, and eventually breathing fails.”
But Rakias shook his head.
“In this academy, deaths from suffocation far outnumber deaths from blood loss. Securing the airway takes priority.”
“….”
Even the Blue Tower mages unconsciously nodded.
The students felt chills run down their spines.
Just how dangerous was this place?
“Airway obstruction is often caused by vomit or internal bleeding. But targeting inside the body with magic is difficult due to anti-magic resistance.”
“So…”
“We’ll start with physical airway management.”
“…What?”
The students were confused.
Then—
Rakias cast a spell.
A human upper torso appeared on the floor.
“Gah?!”
Everyone panicked.
But Idnia stared, dumbfounded.
‘That’s a CPR dummy.’
A plastic mannequin lay on the ground.
“We will begin with artificial respiration and CPR.”
Safety training had suddenly begun in a magic academy.
‘Shouldn’t this have been the very first lesson?’
Idnia couldn’t help but think.