Chapter 127
Translator: uly
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: Graduation Class Hunting Season (4)
I'm ignorant when it comes to magic.
I don't know the principles behind how mages come to harbor mana and karma within their bodies, nor how those transform into dazzling sparks that illuminate the world.
Even after acquiring Lo Karma, I've never succeeded in casting any magic beyond the innate spell etched into my body.
I simply assumed it was because I was unlearned, but Terra offered a different perspective.
—It might be because magic doesn't exist in your world, Louis.
In the end, she said magic is a matter of belief.
Just as Lehel had told the students in Skandal: only by believing that something nonexistent exists can one perform that miracle.
But I've already spent a lot of time on this continent, and I've seen magic with my own eyes, haven't I?
When I countered like that, Terra smiled faintly and stroked my head.
—It's not a matter of space. Take innate spells as an example—maybe that makes it easier? They're eyes that dissect the world. You simply don't have those eyes.
—To be precise, you don't need them, Louis. There's no need for you to use magic. Even with your eyes covered, the sword you wield is far too strong.
As a result, even now, when I can't fully wield the hero's power without holding the holy sword, I still haven't used magic.
That aside, I knew better than anyone how to deal with magic and mages.
Especially when it came to black magic, which I'd experienced countless times with my own body.
"Louis! Are you okay!?"
Before Caroline's sharp cry could finish, I closed my eyes and charged forward.
The stench of rotting flesh and searing pain burned my forehead.
A 3rd-order black magic that sprayed corrosive venom while leaping ahead: Corrosive Venom Spit.
It was perfect for holding off enemies in narrow passages.
The drawback was that the poison scattered along the trajectory inevitably revealed the caster's position.
A mage couldn't escape from me as I raced toward them, using the stinging flesh as my guidepost.
Maybe Whitelett was right after all.
That I could deal with them even without using magic myself.
Petty tricks meant nothing before overwhelming power.
"What are you doing! I told you to target the priest first…!"
"Damn, it failed."
"Huff…! B-block it!"
You shouldn't make a sound.
The panicked voices of the graduate students echoed loudly through the rusted sewer pipes.
Chasing the clearer markers, I accelerated, and behind me, Professor Roilen's spells began flying as well.
The water pooled at my ankles froze, trying to hinder my movement, but compared to Adella's innate spell, this ice wasn't even cold.
Boom—!
I grabbed the first guy my outstretched hand reached and slammed him into the sewer wall, producing a deafening crash that hurt my eardrums.
While the others floundered, they were struck by Professor Roilen's magic and collapsed.
As I lifted my head, washing my face with the sewer water, Caroline, who had hurried after me, reached out to me.
The warm light of healing was a sensation I hadn't felt in a long time.
"H-hey! Stay still! You maniac…!"
"Oh my god… We need to report this upstairs."
"That's black magic, right?"
"Yes. Not all innate black spells are classified as black magic, but Corrosive Venom Spit is definitely an attack spell used by black mages."
It was lamentable that the very talents meant to protect the nation's future had fallen this far.
On top of that, Darling was starting to worry me even more.
"We should head up first."
"Pardon? But…"
"Mr. Louis's injury is severe. And the sewers are too complex; it's hard to explore any deeper."
I was fine, but as Professor Roilen said, the maze-like structure and pitch-black narrow passages meant we could easily lose our bearings.
In places like this, a guide was crucial.
I missed Nova, who could unerringly find the path forward no matter the situation.
"Ugh…!"
At that moment, one of the graduate students I'd flung against the wall regained consciousness and let out a small groan.
As Professor Roilen helped him up, she said,
"Interrogating the captured students like this should make it much easier to find their main base. They seem heavily tainted by mental corruption, so we'll need to purify them too."
"Interrogation… Perfect."
"Saintess Caroline?"
Seeing Caroline roll up her sleeves and approach him with a smile, Professor Roilen let out a shriek.
I couldn't see it with my eyes bandaged—
"'Purification work,' leave it to me. I'll wring every bit of information out of his head."
Her voice was chilling, like the whisper of a devil.
After an exhausting day, Caroline returned to her residence at the temple.
The other teams were still deep in sewer exploration, so there were hardly any priests left.
In her single-room space about 10 square feet, she wiped her hands clean with a damp cloth before she even had a chance to lie down, then headed straight to the confessional.
Clunk! The door shut, and as always, when she lit her cigarette, Michelangelo opened the door from the other side and entered.
"You joined the search operation on your own accord."
"The holy sword could be buried underground, you know. Why, is that a problem?"
"No, not at all. It's amusing to see you scrambling to make up for your failure in Skandal."
It wouldn't reach him anyway, so Caroline blew cigarette smoke toward the other side instead of replying.
Seeing how he always harped on past incidents, the position of Sacré must be quite important.
Just as she thought she could use this as leverage in negotiations with the Church if needed, Michelangelo spoke first.
"It seems certain the hero is at Pharenchia Academy."
"Really?"
"Yes. In this incident, the academy's spatial design blueprints were leaked, and the designer was Terra Ernisten."
Terra Ernisten.
A woman shrouded in mystery, with titles like grand archmage and countless others, but one thing was certain.
She was the pinnacle of all living mages and the figure the Holy Kingdom watched most closely.
"There must be a reason she designed this place. The sewers' structure is suspiciously complex beyond necessity."
"So?"
"Keep exploring. Sometimes, to catch the spider, you have to entrust yourself to the web."
A small rustle came from the other side as he stood.
"By the way, regarding the wyvern board you requested through the last contact to the Church, we've received approval for loan. A package should arrive at the temple in a few days."
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Get some rest, senior."
Even after he left with that insincere farewell, she finished her cigarette.
Then, she noticed the dried blood under her nails.
'Was I too harsh?'
She'd interrogated the graduate student who used black magic, but learned only a few minor outposts in the sewers—not the location holding the captured students.
Regardless, as the public-facing saintess, there was no need for her to step up personally.
"Ugh, seriously! This is all that bastard's fault…!"
Caroline ruffled her red hair in self-mockery.
Targeting the priest first was basic combat tactics; the attack had been aimed at her from the start.
Why did she have to jump in and get hurt?
If she hadn't been holding his hand, she could have dodged easily.
"Annoying…"
She'd treated him hastily and sent him off, but wounds from black magic had greater aftereffects than simple injuries.
The image of Louis repeatedly suppressing his wound lingered in her mind, tormenting her for a long while.
"Are you okay, Teacher?"
"Yeah, feeling better now."
Adella, who had been minding the canteen, couldn't hide the smile playing on her lips.
After all, she finally had the chance to nurse Louis!
Half-forcing the "fine" man to lie on her lap melted away the lingering resentment from not being able to follow him to Skandal like snow in spring.
"Is the search not going well?"
"Hmm… Seems tough. The academy grounds are so vast, and the sewers below are all interconnected with uneven widths."
"Hehe, I see. Ah, want a snack?"
For some reason, she used her controllable hair like tentacles to pick up a snack and feed it to his mouth.
"There's hair in it… I'll sit up and eat."
"N-no, it's fine! Here, doesn't this feel nice? Just lie there."
"Mmph… Can't… breathe…"
As she bent down, pressing her chest to his forehead, Louis gradually drifted off to sleep.
Once he was fully asleep, Adella quietly called in the ice duckling from outside the window.
"Come here, ducky."
"Peep—."
"Come report, ducky. What happened?"
Hearing about the series of events in Skandal, Adella's mood improved even more.
Caroline, Lehel, Erzebet, and even Liv—the women around Louis apparently had no special connection with him.
Of course, there were plenty of other happenings behind the scenes that didn't reach her ears.
Adella poked the ice duckling's head affectionately.
"Very good, ducky. But why'd you get so big?"
"Peeep—."
"Really!?"
Adella heard from the ice duckling about the enormous mountain of bread in the empire.
She resolved to study linguistics next year and head to Skandal no matter what.
"That aside…"
Now, the remaining task was punishing the wicked graduate students who had harmed her teacher…
No matter how she thought about it, she had no clever plan.
From what Louis had told her, even the professors were debating strong measures due to the damage from black magic users.
Like blowing up the sewers or pumping in sleep gas.
But with regular students kidnapped by them, they couldn't act rashly.
What if she froze the ground and made them shiver with cold until they all fled out?
Her sister might manage that level of magic, but it was hard for her.
As Adella's worries deepened, someone lightly knocked on the second-floor window.
Knock knock.
"Who is it?"
The figure who revealed herself was a woman in a red hood.
She entered through the open window and knelt on one knee before Adella.
"You've awakened. We have been lurking in the shadows, awaiting only the moment Comrade Adella would rise again."
"Huh…?"
"The anguish in our comrade's heart when she couldn't reach the polling station due to the princess faction's vile schemes last spring…!"
"?"
In Adella's mind, the chairman election had been pushed behind a date with Louis.
However, her followers from back then had survived under the radar of the Church and school, nurturing the flames of resistance.
"With the academy plunged into such chaos, now is the time for us to rise again!"
They were the ones who had left the wreath at the aquarium park.
And the place they'd been hiding was none other than the underground sewers now occupied by the graduate students.
"You were there and got chased out?"
"Yes. Our seniors' forces were too strong; we couldn't mount any proper resistance."
"Then… you know the layout well?"
"Pardon? Yes, exactly. Like the back of my hand."
Adella's lips curved into a smooth arc.
If she played this right, she could help her teacher.
Then he'd love her even more.
She elongated an ice spear and slammed it down like a ruler on her throne.
"I'll lead you all."
The cold spread in an instant, and her blue hair writhed eerily in the moonlight.
Witnessing the sight, the follower trembled in ecstasy.
"We shall follow…!"