Chapter 196: The Grand Festival — Interlude (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 196: The Grand Festival — Interlude (3)
“Well, I was planning to ask you from the start.”
Professor Fernando turned his gaze back to the documents on his desk, his voice regaining its usual indifference.
“Let me be clear: it is not only a professor’s duty to assist passionate students, but a responsibility. At least, that is what I believe. Fortunately, the situation was resolved quickly.”
I was well-acquainted with Professor Fernando’s values. His earlier dismissal had been a test of sorts; now, his words carried the weight of sincerity.
“Like any teacher, she prefers disciples with exceptional magical talent. I may have lacked that spark—becoming her disciple only because she took a personal liking to me—but I believe she’ll find you quite fascinating.”
Recalling what had just happened, I seriously doubted whether Professor Fernando had become her disciple simply because she "favored" him. It seemed more like he had been put through a meat grinder.
But that was beside the point.
“Anyway, do you have any idea what the test will entail?”
“She will likely try to gauge your limits. From what I’ve heard, that is the core of every test she has ever given; it was the same for me. Be prepared to be pushed to the absolute brink.”
“Can’t you give me a hint?”
“My advice wouldn’t be of much help. It depends entirely on her whim. In my case, I had to memorize dozens of books in three days. I heard another disciple was tasked with decoding a magic circle consisting of over a hundred strokes within the same timeframe.”
“Were there many who failed?”
“Most did. They were all average. I suppose I might be considered average too, but I was lucky.”
In the world of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, there were no routes for the player to become a disciple of Aria Lilias.
Luce, unburdened by the constraints of game knowledge, had offered the solution of "becoming Aria’s disciple." It was a path I never would have considered on my own.
I had no idea what kind of trial I would face, but based on Professor Fernando’s examples, it was going to be grueling.
Three days…
Perhaps the only common thread was the three-day duration.
“…Thank you for this opportunity, Professor. We’ll be on our way now.”
I gave him a polite bow and prepared to leave the office with Luce.
“Isaac.”
“Yes?”
“I want to take this moment to say… your talent has bloomed magnificently. You are a disciple I can truly be proud of.”
“…”
I felt a slight lump in my throat. To think I’d receive such genuine, warm words from him.
Feeling a surge of pride, I flashed Professor Fernando a bright smile.
“With your abilities, you could contribute significantly to the advancement of magical technology. If you have such aspirations, I hope you’ll set aside some time for me next time—”
“I’ll see you in class next week!”
I grabbed Luce’s wrist and promptly bolted out the door.
Did you really think I wouldn’t notice that blatant attempt to recruit me as a teaching assistant?
The thought of becoming a graduate student hadn’t crossed my mind for even a second.
“Isaac.”
As we walked through the corridors of Orphin Hall, I stopped and turned to Luce.
Maintaining her usual poker face, Luce simply extended two fingers in a V-sign and held it next to her cheek.
“Ta-dah.”
She was clearly looking for credit for the success of our plan.
“Thanks, Luce. You’re the best.”
I gave her a big thumbs up, and a small, satisfied grin spread across her face.
I had finally met the requirements to learn the 7-star ice spells [Icebolt] and [Perennial Snow]. The prerequisite of being “Level 120 or higher” had been satisfied after I defeated Elmetona the Ethereal.
However, that didn’t mean I could cast them immediately. These were merely the prerequisites to begin learning.
Spells like [Ice Wall] and [Frost Explosion], which only required complex mana mastery and basic calculations, could be used almost instantly once the requirements were met. But the difficulty spiked exponentially from 6-star magic onward.
It felt like jumping from an undergraduate course straight into a doctoral program that demanded astronomical levels of calculation.
The only reason I had managed to master 6-star magic through self-study and occasional help was because I had maxed out my potential. But 7-star magic was a different beast entirely.
If only this were like a game where I could just click a button to learn a skill… but I’d finished complaining about that reality last year. I would just have to study.
Now, if the Tower Master of Hegel could help me bridge that gap, everything would be perfect.
As for passing the test? I’d find a way. Gritting my teeth and forcing my way through obstacles was my specialty, after all. I just had to hope the Tower Master’s teaching skills were on par with a top-tier instructor.
I need to master it before I have to confront Alice.
The final event of the second year’s first semester: 「Alice Subjugation」. Most of the enemies were human. There were too many for Dorothy to handle alone, so we would have to divide the labor.
It was impossible to predict what variables might arise. At the very least, I needed enough firepower to stand a chance against the Paladins. For that, 7-star magic was a necessity.
And then…
I have to prepare for The Abyss.
The boss of my third year. A demon that transcended the very laws of providence: The Abyss. Its shackles were already beginning to fray.
As I recalled, the appearance of the Abyss triggered the bad ending for 「Eternity」.
Those devoured by the Abyss were granted eternal life within its body, forced to live in solitude within an infinite prison. Eventually, as they lost their sense of self, their souls would be stripped away, and the Abyss would play with those souls like discarded toys for all eternity.
The soul would experience vivid, acute pain forever. Once it reached that point, there was no turning back.
Hence the name 「Eternity」. A fate far worse than death.
To defeat the Abyss, one had to unleash a power that transcended providence itself. In the original story, that was Ian Fairytale’s acquisition of the ultimate light-element weapon, the Luminous Sword, in the second semester of the second year.
But what if the Abyss appeared before Ian could claim the sword?
…I have to do something.
The one loosening the reins of the Abyss was the final boss of the third year’s first semester, Mephisto the Contractor. Or, more accurately, his power.
If Mephisto became aware of the Nameless Hero’s existence and decided to unleash the Abyss early…
I had to equip myself with enough firepower to take down the Abyss as soon as possible.
“What are you thinking about, Isaac?”
“Just… wondering what kind of test it might be.”
I quickly composed myself and smiled at Luce’s worried voice. I really needed to work on my poker face, though it might already be too late.
With her sharp intuition, Luce had already read my mood. The way she quietly drifted closer to me said it all.
“I’m glad I can go with you.”
I’ll protect you, Isaac.
Luce whispered the words as if to reassure me.
*
“Are you alright, Priestess?”
“I thought I told you not to enter without permission.”
“But you haven’t eaten a thing in three days.”
“I know that. I don’t care, so just leave.”
“…Understood.”
In a private room at the Academy Hospital, Mei growled as she sat on her bed, staring out the window. The escort wizard retreated from the room with a look of deep concern.
The room fell back into a lonely silence. Mei looked down at her body.
She was wrapped tightly in bandages, and every movement brought a surge of intense pain. She gritted her teeth, clutching the blanket until her knuckles turned white. She couldn't understand how everything had gone so wrong.
The Nine-tailed Fox was gone. The moment that magic beast revealed the truth or tracked down Miya, it would all be over. If the forces escorting her returned to the Eastern Nation, they would soon discover her lies as well.
The situation was catastrophic. Things might improve if Miya forgave her, but that was a pipe dream.
It was a certainty that the Eastern Nation would turn against her. Her only option was to run. To avoid the worst possible future, she had to escape to a foreign country and live in hiding. The sooner, the better.
“Damn it…”
A small, pathetic flame sparked and flickered in her palm.
During her fight with Isaac, her powers had been drained by a demon. It would take over a week for her condition to even begin to stabilize. For now, she was trapped in a broken body.
During the semester, the academy was an island fortress. There were only two ways off: the land bridge and the port.
To use the land bridge, she would have to bypass high-level security. Unless she officially dropped out or received a royal command, it was impossible. And since she was slated for disciplinary action after her treatment, any request to withdraw would be frozen until she served her punishment.
That left the port. But the port was only open to students during vacations. Sneaking onto a cargo ship was her only hope, but she would have to evade the detection networks spread across every vessel.
Every route was blocked.
At this rate, she could only sit and wait… until the Eastern Nation learned the truth and requested the Zelver Kingdom’s cooperation to extradite her.
“I’m sick of this…”
As Mei desperately searched for an escape, she trembled with frustration. A crushing sense of despair washed over her.
“I’m so sick of this…”
Outside the hospital door, the escort wizard lowered her head, listening quietly to the sound of Mei’s sobbing.
*
In the dead of night.
A middle-aged man staggered toward his home, reeking of alcohol. It was a small, quiet village on the outskirts of the Zelver Kingdom, surrounded by modest, low-rise houses.
The village was swallowed by darkness. With most houses unlit, the man had to rely on the dim moonlight to guide his steps. In his drunken stupor, however, the shadows didn't bother him.
He hiccuped, humming a tuneless song to himself. As he walked, he spotted a figure in a black cloak staggering toward him from the opposite direction. He wondered idly if she was as drunk as he was.
Even in the dark, the fluttering cloak and the woman’s silhouette caught his eye. Intoxication had stripped away his self-control. Giving in to a sudden surge of lecherous desire, the man called out to her.
“Hey, Miss… You’ve got a real nice body, hic!”
The woman in the black cloak stopped dead in her tracks. Her face was buried deep beneath her hood.
“Was there always such a fine woman in our village…?”
She turned her head toward him.
“Uh, uh…?”
The moment the man saw the face beneath the hood, his eyes bulged in horror. He froze, the blood draining from his face.
“Aaaack!!”
The alcohol vanished instantly. He let out a blood-curdling scream, stumbled backward, and bolted into the night in a blind panic.
She didn't bother to chase him.
The moonlight finally hit the woman’s face. Gnawed flesh, tattered eyelids, milky-white eyes, and skin the color of ash. She was a walking corpse.
She continued her staggered gait through the village, her black cloak billowing with an aura of dark magic.
She left the village behind, climbed a nearby mountain, and entered an abandoned, roofless church. Inside, rows of corpses dressed exactly like her stood in orderly lines, facing the altar like devout believers.
Upon the ancient altar sat a coffin oozing with thick, dark mana.
[Gwaaaah…!]
[Gueeeek!!]
A chilling aura radiated from the gathered corpses, converging toward the coffin.
Rattle.
The coffin, now saturated with power, creaked open, releasing a wave of heavy, suffocating mana.
Something rose from within. A skeleton nearly two meters tall, draped in an elegant black robe. It floated unnaturally from the coffin, its feet touching the ground softly as it scattered motes of dark energy.
Within its hollow eye sockets, a terrifying light burned like twin stars. In its right hand, dark mana condensed into the form of a massive staff, topped with a glowing purple mana stone.
[Arise.]
The voice was a strange, echoing rasp.
Kooooo—
The ground began to tremble. An entity that should have remained buried forever stirred to life, spreading a vile, corrupting mana across the mountain.
Countless human screams seemed to echo as something buried deep beneath the earth shattered the soil, erupting toward the night sky.
It was a black dragon, its massive form a grotesque tapestry of blackened human remains.
It was the Evil Dragon Orchis, the beast once defeated by the Great Witch of Heaven’s Wrath and the Thunderbird Galia.
[Praise him.]
The corpses bowed their heads in perfect unison to greet their master.
The Lord of Death. The demon, Calgart the Necromancer.
He… has awakened.