Chapter 67
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Laziness and the Mage (5)
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Gaius's sword rushed toward Lunaris.
He didn't stop.
No, he couldn't stop.
There wasn't a shred of hesitation in the thrust of his blade.
He trusted Lunaris.
He was certain that even if he went all out, this monstrous grand mage would handle it somehow.
...Truth be told, deep down, he also wanted to land one good hit on his cheeky junior as the senior he was.
He hadn't said it out loud, but it grated on him something fierce.
Last night, collapsing without even twitching a finger had bruised his pride more than he'd admit.
Of course, he acknowledged that Lunaris was superior. Still, he was... well, the senior here. Mm-hmm.
She didn't have to completely disregard her senior's dignity.
Couldn't she let him save a bit of face?
And so, with Gaius's stray thoughts(?) mixed in, his blade tip closed in on Lunaris's nape.
A distance she couldn't dodge.
Too late to deploy another spell.
Just as Dean Raymond and the other professors realized too late and moved to cast defensive magic on her—
"...?!"
The world slowed down.
At least, that's how it looked to Raymond.
Blink, yaaawn—crack!
Within a space where the laws of nature had gone awry.
A transparent ripple spread out in a circle from Lunaris at the center.
Like a stone tossed into a still lake.
As the waves rippled, the coordinates of space twisted.
Nature, the world itself, flipped upside down.
In the blink of an eye, Lunaris vanished.
At least, that's how it appeared to everyone except Dean Raymond.
Shiiik!
Gaius's sword sliced through empty air.
The blade, bereft of its target, scattered harmlessly.
"B-Blink?"
"She was right there just a second ago..."
As everyone rubbed their eyes in confusion.
Lunaris now stood behind Gaius.
As if she'd been there from the very start, perfectly natural.
Lunaris gently placed her palm on Gaius's back.
"That'll do."
With a drowsy, languid voice.
Thuuud!!
The arena floor caved in sharply.
Gaius's body slammed into the ground as if crushed by an invisible giant's palm.
"Guh, ack...!"
He couldn't even twitch a finger.
As if the gravity of space had multiplied hundreds of times over.
Or like the air itself had turned to solid iron.
The fierce duel ended in a single instant, anticlimactically simple.
Silence blanketed the arena.
The professors from the Magic Department, standing there dazed, were the first to break the long quiet.
"Hah, hahaha... Well, now..."
"What just happened?"
They were visibly baffled, unable to comprehend the scene before them.
"Telekinesis magic? That's her specialty, right?"
"Casting telekinesis over that wide an area doesn't make sense."
"It looked like simple crushing pressure... maybe some kind of gravity magic?"
The professors tried to analyze Lunaris's spell with their limited knowledge.
All wrong.
It wasn't telekinesis.
Definitely not gravity magic.
"Ha, haha..."
Raymond, the only grand mage here who could understand Lunaris, let out an incredulous chuckle.
"That's... world alteration."
A grand mage embodies natural phenomena through magic.
To do so, they contract with spirits, transforming their internal mana into the mana of nature.
To better grasp the essence of the natural world.
They dedicate their lives to assimilating with it.
But Lunaris was different.
She simply overwrote the surrounding space with her own "personal world."
Not adhering to nature's laws, but twisting the world's rules to bend nature to her will.
This was Lunaris's grand magic—her signature spell.
'Arrogantly ruthless and absurdly efficient.'
So very Lunaris, Raymond thought with an appreciative ohohoho laugh.
Finally, I'd managed to reset my days and nights to normal.
After stuffing myself silly and unleashing magic to my heart's content until I felt refreshed, I'd crashed for a solid thirty hours.
Stepping out of bed in high spirits, ready for a productive day.
"Let's head to the Mage Tower!"
Then Dean Raymond burst into my room out of nowhere, killing my vibe.
Everything suddenly felt like a hassle, so I crawled back into bed and pulled the covers over my head.
"I'll think about it after sleeping more... Yawwwn."
"Lunaris? Pretending to sleep won't work. You think I don't know you slept all day yesterday?!"
"How do you even know that, Dean?"
"Because I came by yesterday and you wasted half the day lounging! Time to get up!"
"...Ugh, fine."
I threw off the covers and stretched languidly.
Ignoring him like he wasn't there was impossible—he was too damn loud. Better to humor him and send him packing.
"Mage Tower in this heat? What a pain..."
"That's exactly why we're going! The Mage Tower maintains perfect temperature and humidity year-round, optimized for research. It's basically a resort!"
"I don't know about the Tower, but my room's plenty nice."
I pointed to the air-cooling magic device (a.k.a. AC) in the corner, running full tilt 24/7 like a hardworking slave.
Dean Raymond's gaze lingered on it for a moment.
Glare. Sharp as knives.
"Grr... Why did Lilliana have to help make that..."
His grumbling didn't last. Unfazed, he dragged over a chair and plopped down right by my bed.
"Fine. Straight to the point. Lunaris, let's go get you the title of grand mage."
"...Huh?"
"You qualify. Sure, no spirit contract, but that world-altering power is peak grand magic—no question."
"What's that got to do with the Mage Tower?"
"To claim the title, you need verification from the Mage Tower's elder council and imperial approval."
The dean clenched his fist, raving passionately.
"Think about it: youngest grand mage ever! What a title!"
"..."
"The perks are huge too. Elders' treatment at the Tower, noble rank equivalent to a frontier baron from the imperial court..."
"Not interested."
He still didn't get me.
I cut him off with a drawn-out yawwwn.
"Sounds like a bunch of hassle."
Honor, power—useless crap.
"W-Wait, Lunaris! Think it over!"
As I buried my face in the pillow to roll away, he grabbed my shoulder in a panic.
"Remember? Grand mage title gets you Thursdays off till graduation! Dean's authority—full class exemptions!"
"Hmm..."
"Tempted now?"
Finally, something halfway decent.
But it wasn't nearly enough.
"Dean Raymond."
"Yes! Name it!"
"If I recall, the Thursday exemption deal wasn't that."
I smirked, lip curling up.
"Wasn't it: beat you in an agreed magic duel, and no classes from then till graduation?"
Dean Raymond's face stiffened.
He coughed awkwardly, averting his eyes.
"Ahem! You think beating me is that easy? You've lost every time so far, Miss Lunaris."
"Yeah—so far."
I casually raised my arm and snapped my fingers.
A blue spark crackled from my fingertip—zzzt.
"Fancy a magic duel?"
The spar with Gaius-senior had me fully dialed in.
Ignoring the process and brute-forcing natural mana seemed like it'd work on the dean too.
"Body's still sluggish right now, but first Thursday after classes start?"
"..."
A tense staring contest ensued.
Reading the confidence in my eyes, the dean's pupils quivered faintly.
"...A-Anyway!"
He hurriedly changed the subject.
His wandering gaze locked back on the AC.
"M-Magitech! Right, you seemed into magitech!"
"...?"
"Know this? The Mage Tower's got piles of rare magitech materials. Any devices you couldn't make for lack of parts..."
"For materials, just ask Dean Lilliana. Faster that way."
"...What?!"
"She said whatever I need, she'll get it—even beg the chairman if she has to."
"Grr... That shady woman!"
He ground his teeth.
His head-clutching dilemma made me chuckle despite myself.
I pulled the covers back up and rolled over.
Mmm—that's it. Chilly enough for goosebumps, but the blanket hugs so warm.
"...Oh! Speaking of, you used some fascinating magic in that duel."
Suddenly, he clapped his hands with a smack.
Wait... he was still here?
"Twisting the laws of nature with world alteration—impressive. Perfect signature magic for you."
I scratched my head absently.
World alteration, twisting laws—who cares about that stuff.
Dreams mean more than interpretations, right? Something like that.
"Got me thinking, though. A slight tweak to that power, and creating your own personal space isn't a pipe dream..."
"What're you...?"
"Sub-space, y'know. Not just storage— a perfect workshop you could actually live in."
Dean Raymond eyed my reaction, voice sly and tempting.
"Picture it: twist space anytime, anywhere, step into your ideal room with the comfiest bed!"
"...!"
"Maids waking you every morning? Duck into sub-space and sleep forever."
"...Huh?"
"Attendance issues? Stamp your face in class, then back to bed!"
"Ooooh...?"
Okay, that was tempting.
So, go to the Mage Tower, snag that sub-space thing—got it.