The Hunt (6)

Eternal Mansion was abuzz with commotion.

Mihaden and Libiel, who had arrived first, had already reported the situation to Dean Panayul.

She burst out with a grim expression, only to stop short upon spotting me and Professor Rapens.

We had just returned using the escape magic circle.

"Professor Rapens!"

"I'll explain inside, Dean. We'll tell you everything that happened."

"……."

At the professor's calm words, the dean turned and headed back indoors.

We all gathered in the dean's office.

Libiel and Mihaden wore slightly tense expressions.

Lorang lay peacefully asleep under a blanket, a recovery spell evidently having taken effect.

"What on earth happened?"

"Well……."

Professor Rapens began his steady explanation in response to Dean Panayul's question.

He described assigning us the hunting exercise, how it started smoothly, but then uninvited monsters began appearing—

And finally, the ogre that showed up, which we hunted.

"Kirian took down the ogre."

"What do you mean?"

"He defeated the ogre that was drawn by the flow of mana—all by himself. Used ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠some very inventive magic, too."

"Kirian took down an ogre alone……?"

"Yes."

The dean's eyes widened, and Libiel and Mihaden gaped in shock.

An ogre was a bona fide mid-grade monster, after all. Their reaction was only natural.

Of course, Professor Rapens wasn't praising me without reservation.

"But charging ahead on his own was clear grounds for discipline. For disobeying orders, I'm issuing three days of confinement."

"No, I was just trying to preserve the traces of the Holy Hero, and before I knew it……."

"A mage moving 'before he knew it' is also disciplinable. Adding two more days. But subtracting one in consideration of his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠creative staff modification."

"Staff……?"

A curious glance flew my way from Dean Panayul.

I had no choice but to pull out the staff engraved with Wrath of Fire and hand it over.

"Hmm, a staff made from a unicorn horn. But engraved with a fire attack spell and modified into a consumable weapon……."

"I also applied an effect to improve mana efficiency when borrowing external mana. It was for emergencies."

"Oh ho."

Biat's eyes sparkled.

But she didn't return the staff to me.

"Pardon? Why? I modified it creatively."

"No, it's about to explode soon. You knew that, right?"

"……."

Damn, caught.

I averted my eyes sheepishly, while Hierniorn cackled.

It was a reflexive response of sorts.

A weapon unleashing firepower beyond a sorcerer's capabilities naturally eroded its durability with each use—

'Once its power as a weapon is spent, it's fated to explode.'

But I had planned to make even that explosive force useful.

What a shame.

Biat Panayul gave a small laugh, as if reading my regret.

"Don't worry. I'll stabilize it and return it. Not an easy task, so I can't promise 100% success."

"……Understood, Dean."

"Ah, and let's name it too. That way, it might gain a self-recovery effect."

I had deliberately avoided naming the staff, intending it solely as a weapon.

Unintended additional functions might emerge.

But this didn't seem so bad.

"Why don't you name it, Dean?"

"Me? Hmm……."

Truth be told, I was too lazy to think of one.

But as Dean Panayul pondered, she muttered,

"No, that has a weird ring to it……."

"Just kidding. Ananta it is. Meaning 'may it endure forever.'"

Having successfully teased me, the dean tucked the staff away and turned serious.

Her gaze toward Schud Rapens was far from casual.

"As you'd expect, the breakdown of the control magic in Sector 1 is a major issue, Professor Rapens. It'll affect Sector 2 too."

"Yes. Uncontrolled monsters will keep spawning. We need to address it quickly."

"Mm."

Biat nodded, picked up a memo pad from the table, and scribbled something.

The memo folded itself into a paper airplane, floated up, and sailed out of the office on the wind.

Probably a message summoning the professors.

The dean spoke again.

"We've known that magic was unstable for a while. But I figured it'd hold for another ten years at least."

"Is that so."

"You don't seem concerned. Don't you find it odd? That this happens right after the kids we cherish most head out on their practical?"

Dean Panayul was pointing out the suspicious timing of the incident.

Honestly, I thought it strange too.

That's why I'd suspected Professor Rapens at first.

But he wasn't the culprit.

'Does the dean suspect something similar?'

But she seemed focused on a slightly different angle.

Professor Rapens fell silent for some reason, and as Dean Panayul rose, she said gravely,

"Professor Rapens, I'll head to the Eternal Forest. I'd like you to tell the children the old story."

"Dean, that's……."

"If you judge it's completely unrelated to the incident from twenty years ago, you can skip it. Excuse me."

The "incident from twenty years ago" mentioned between them before resurfaced.

The dean left, and a heavy silence fell as Professor Rapens pressed his lips tight.

After deep thought, he opted to table it.

"We'll talk more tomorrow morning. I'll finalize the grades then. Dismissed."

At the professor's words, we all stood.

We were exhausted from expending so much stamina and mana, so no one objected.

But Libiel nudged me.

"Hand it over."

"What."

"The magic crystals. From the kobolds."

"Ah."

I handed over the pouch.

Unlike when I'd received it from Libiel, it was empty.

"Wh-what? What's this? Where are all the ones we collected?"

"Used them all fighting the orcs."

"No way. You're lying, right? We had tons! At least twenty! You used them all? Liar!"

"For real."

Libiel's eyes shook like there was an earthquake.

She clung to me, practically wailing.

"Say it's a lie! Quick!"

"It's true."

I'd consumed every low-grade magic crystal fueling Wrath of Fire.

Not a single one left—not even crumbs.

'But thanks to that, I got mid-grade ones.'

From the orcs and ogre I'd felled.

Thanks to collecting all their crystals.

Just one issue left to resolve before submission.

At any rate, my score would beat Mihaden and Lorang's for sure.

'But I'll keep quiet until tomorrow morning.'

To tease Libiel.

Opportunities to mess with the brat who pestered me daily were rare.

I started acting dramatic in reverse.

"Sorry, we're joint last place. Libiel. At least you won't be lonely?"

"No…… that can't be……."

Libiel denied reality with hollow eyes.

* * *

The next day.

Professor Rapens appeared with a slightly fatigued look.

He gestured to us as soon as he reached the podium.

"Pour the magic crystals you collected yesterday onto your tables."

"I'm done for……."

Libiel had moved past denial to resignation.

I ignored her and glanced at Mihaden and Lorang.

"I collected eight, Professor."

"I got six……."

Those two had hunted cooperatively too.

They'd taken down fourteen kobolds total, dividing by contribution.

Mihaden looked flushed with pride; Lorang a bit downcast.

'I see.'

Not particularly important.

I quietly set one pouch on the table.

Libiel shot me puzzled looks, but I ignored them.

"Once submitted, I'll check them."

The professor began meticulously ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠inspecting the crystals on the desks.

He verified Mihaden and Lorang's completely and nodded.

"No issues. All freshly obtained."

Our table's turn.

Libiel's eyes twitched wildly.

"Urgh……."

She was clutching a pouch under the table—probably low-grade crystals she'd sourced separately, hoping to sneak them in.

But with Professor Rapens checking so thoroughly, she couldn't bring them up.

The professor approached me and eyed my pouch.

"Regrettably, Kirian used up most of his crystals yesterday."

"Yes, Professor. I spent every one from the kobolds."

I'd poured Wrath of Fire on the orcs, exhausting all low-grades.

He'd seen it firsthand, so no need to explain.

He'd also seen me collect the mid-grades.

Time to resolve the issue here.

"Then why not bring out the mid-grade crystals from the orcs and ogre? Want me to fetch them?"

"Ownership needs settling first."

"Oh?"

"The low-grades came from monsters Libiel and I hunted, but the mid-grades from ones you and I took down together. Without your defense spells, I couldn't have stepped in."

Professor Rapens smiled faintly.

As if I'd given the right answer.

"What do you propose? Set a ratio?"

"9:1. Me getting 9, of course. I'll share 30% of mine with Libiel anyway."

"Not to my liking. 7:3. Counter."

What a bandit of a professor.

I shot back immediately.

"The preemptive fire magic on the orcs was mine. And the sensory disruption spell. Impossible without the low-grades I'd stockpiled."

"And I handled cleanup, remember?"

"Meanwhile, I faced the ogre. As you know."

"Hmm. 8:2 then?"

"……Agreed."

Truthfully, I'd aimed for 8:2 from the start.

9:1 was impossible once I dumped the orcs on him.

Hierniorn, watching, chuckled.

Professor Rapens upended the pouch, counting the mid-grade crystals.

Amused, a smile never left his lips.

"First, my share. Converted to low-grade equivalent, about fifty. So Kirian gets 35, Libiel 15."

The professor took 20%, but the value gap between mid- and low-grade crystals yielded massive scores.

The kids erupted in varied reactions.

"J-jackpot! Fifteen……! I'm second place?!"

"Professor, I can't accept this calculation! The hunt was for kobolds—pure low-grade only!"

"Mihaden, that's a bit dirty."

Ecstatic Libiel.

Lorang muttering like it was someone else's business.

Mihaden, bumped from top spot and protesting, got no sympathy from the professor.

"I thought no extra lessons needed on accepting results gracefully."

"……!"

"Or am I wrong, Mihaden?"

"N-no, Professor. I spoke ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out of turn."

Mihaden deflated instantly.

When Lorang patted his shoulder sympathetically, he shrugged it off irritably.

Then Libiel whispered in my ear.

"You were teasing me? But I'm glad anyway……."

"Crazy. Get off."

Her hot breath sent shivers down my spine.

Better not tease her anymore.

Professor Rapens stepped back a few paces, gazing at us intently.

His eyes held complex emotions.

"To be frank, no matter your scores, I planned to deem them below expectations. More basics training."

The professor paused.

He looked at me and sighed lightly.

"But you brought back orcs and an ogre from a kobold hunt. No words left. Your perfect victory. We'll cut basics, ramp up combat training."

"……!"

"And as discussed, the reward."

With a flick of his finger, the air split, revealing an elongated box.

It floated before me.

"Open it, Kirian."