Chapter 29
Chapter 29
If you give and then take it away?
“I, too, was already capable of using the reading spell. Please revoke the unjustly granted points.”
Crown Prince Rudolf, knowing that Magram was deliberately giving and taking away points to break the students’ alliance, stepped forward himself and relinquished his own points.
It was a truly spirited act.
Hm. I thought he was just a pampered noble born into luxury with that pretty face, but he’s got some backbone.
Karl Gustav of Boreas, the northern dormitory head, admired Rudolf’s resolve and stepped forward as well.
“I also learned the reading spell beforehand, so I have no need for those points.”
As Karl stood up, many students of the northern dormitory followed suit.
“We already learned the spell in advance!”
“We can use it too! We don’t need points meant to divide us!”
All the Boreas students stood up, declaring they didn’t need the points.
Despite the fact that their dorm rooms were cramped and they lacked proper spaces to study, even more so with the rain, they cast aside their own benefits and chose pride instead.
The northerners’ spirit is remarkable. But I’ve seen this in the game… this won’t end well.
Idnia felt troubled.
This kind of action, meant to uphold the alliance, would ironically break it.
And just as she expected, it happened.
In Notos, the southern dormitory, no one stood up.
Even Lorenzo Medici, who had clearly studied magic beforehand, remained seated, as did all the other students. They had no intention of giving up their points.
“Alright, that’s enough. Understood. I’ll grant your wish.”
Magram snapped his fingers, forcing Rudolf back into his seat.
Then, from all the students who had stood up—excluding Notos—he reclaimed their points at once.
“…What?”
In an instant, Boreas fell to last place in the rankings.
This is a disaster.
The Boreas students’ hot blood cooled, and regret crept into their hearts.
But it was too late to turn back now. Doing so would only make them look even more foolish.
Damn it! The other dorms are just watching while we take this humiliation for the greater good?
Especially Notos! Those sly southerners!
In the end, Boreas alone looked like fools.
Yet they still stood firm, refusing the points.
Watching this, Idnia stood up as well.
“I did not learn it beforehand…
but I will stand with the students of Boreas.”
“Ah?”
“……”
The Boreas students looked at Idnia with gratitude.
Magram, watching this, smiled meaningfully.
“You chose your moment well. As expected of the Lady of Betelgeuse. On the other hand, I must say I’m disappointed in the Medici family.”
Hm? What does he mean?
The answer came soon enough.
A thick scent of blood suddenly filled the air.
From the ceiling of the lecture hall, droplets of blood began to fall.
Had someone been killed upstairs?
Everyone panicked.
“Eek?!”
“W-what?!”
What started as droplets soon became a torrent, pouring like a waterfall.
The blood pooled on the ground, then surged upward, forming the shape of a man.
He was tall, pale, with sunken, tired eyes, yet strikingly handsome.
“A vampire?!”
“My god?!”
Some students raised their wands and swords but hesitated to attack.
They had once attacked a dragon, only to discover it was a professor.
Surely not again?
Magram cleared their doubts.
“Ah, you’ve arrived. Principal Ludwig.”
“The principal?!”
All the students were stunned.
Not just a professor, but the principal… and a vampire?
It would certainly cause chaos if revealed to the public.
The principal, clearly irritated at being active during the day, charged at Magram.
“You’re at it again, Magram?!
Students’ points suddenly rising—this was your doing too, wasn’t it?”
“They simply mastered the reading spell perfectly, so I rewarded them.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. A reading spell?
It’s the easiest of all beginner spells. Anyone who passed the entrance exam should already know it!
And you’re giving points just for teaching magic at a magic academy?!
If you do that, you’ll hand out points constantly and kill their motivation!”
The furious principal turned to the students.
“The points Magram gave are revoked! Rewarding something so trivial will only hinder your growth.”
“What?! That’s absurd…!”
The students were horrified.
But as expected, Magram had anticipated this outcome from the start.
He had shattered their unity… and ensured no one kept the points.
The Notos students panicked.
If we knew this would happen, we should have stood up too.
Now we’ve gained nothing and made enemies.
It’s one thing to gain benefits and earn resentment. But to gain nothing and still earn resentment…
That’s the worst outcome.
He planned this…
He played us without giving a single point.
The southern students glared at Principal Ludwig, but he merely looked irritated, like a man deprived of sleep for days, and stepped back.
“I apologize for taking back what was given. Instead, I’ll provide Academy Coins. I’ll deduct them from your account, Magram.”
“I’ve already distributed them.”
“Hah. Of course you have. Fine.”
As if this wasn’t the first time, Ludwig snorted and waved his hand, drawing a circle in the air.
Blood-red magical symbols formed, creating a portal.
As he stepped through, his body dissolved into blood at the boundary.
It was clear that no ordinary person could pass through it.
Anyone who tried would likely be torn apart beyond recognition.
“Now, focus on the lesson.”
With that, the principal disappeared.
In the end, Magram succeeded in breaking the students’ unity without giving them a single point.
The students knew it and felt anger, but Magram simply shrugged.
“Now then, shall we continue the lesson? To be called a true mage, you must move beyond the reading spell.”
“The lesson I will teach you today is… basic summoning.
You will summon simple low-level spirits. These require no formal contract and will respond to your requests with just a bit of mana and vitality.
However, the higher the entity you summon, the more you will need to form contracts.
For that, I recommend taking Logic and Magical Contract Studies.”
Magram then taught the incantation.
“Burume ung-hara! This is the common incantation for summoning spirits.
Depending on the depth of your mental image, either low or high-level spirits will be summoned.
You’ll need dimensional studies and contract theory to strengthen this, but that’s not first-year material.
It’s a difficult incantation, but commonly used, so get used to it.”
“Respond to my call… huh.”
Idnia clicked her tongue at how familiar it sounded.
“Now then, since I am a fire spirit, let’s begin by summoning fire spirits.”
Magram explained the fire elemental realm, the nature of low-level spirits, why they form contracts with humans, and what they seek to gain.
“Spirits are manifested from elements through the human mind.
They crave human consciousness, and what delivers that is mana—the essence born from human spiritual activity.
In exchange for mana, spirits willingly serve humans.
However, some greedy spirits attempt to consume humans entirely to take all their mana.
So you must ensure they only consume the mana you allow.
If a low-level spirit latches onto your fingertip…
it may try to burn your entire body to consume you.”
At that, Isolde raised her hand.
“Yes, Miss Isolde Polzen?”
“Isn’t fire the most dangerous spirit to practice with? Why start with it?”
“Because I am here.
To summon other elemental spirits, we must go to suitable locations.
Of course, once you become skilled enough, you’ll be able to summon anywhere—but I don’t expect that yet.”
With a powerful Ifrit present, the environment was ideal for fire spirit summoning.
“Therefore, even if accidents occur, no penalty points will be given.
Don’t complain about fairness.
If you burn a finger or an arm, giving you penalties on top of that would be too harsh, wouldn’t it?”
Everyone shuddered.
Instilling fear before even beginning the summoning…
It perfectly showed Magram’s twisted nature.
As the students began chanting, most failed to summon anything.
However, Isolde Polzen succeeded with ease.
A beautiful flame butterfly appeared—its wings spanning 30 centimeters each, its body nearly 60 centimeters wide.
“Oh? Impressive.”
Even Magram praised her.
Other successes came from Zephiros, Boreas, and Notos.
Especially Boreas, where many had prior combat training.
Some had already mastered summoning, while others had practiced it extensively.
Good. Even if we embarrassed ourselves earlier, we have the most successful summons.
If summoning counts, we might recover our ranking.
The Boreas students hoped for points.
But Magram gave none.
The earlier rewards had only been to divide them.
Now that he had succeeded, such easy rewards were gone.
“With me present, summoning fire spirits is easy.
However, their forms reflect your inner nature. Be mindful.
Your spirit will reveal what kind of person you are.
Now then, assistants!”
At his call, smoke bombs suddenly exploded in the lecture hall.
And then…
“Ugh…”
“Ahh…”
“Hhh…”
Figures appeared through the smoke—mages standing hunched like zombies.
At first, they seemed like old men, but their faces were smooth and young.