Chapter 91
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: The Archmage of the New Semester (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The god worshipped by the vast majority of intelligent beings in this world was none other than 'nature' itself.
Of course, far away in the Holy Kingdom, they served a monotheistic deity, and in the shadows, there were black mages who worshipped the Demon God, as well as dark elves.
But even so, they didn't make up even a tenth of all intelligent beings.
And that made sense. Gods or angels supposedly up in the heavens somewhere were invisible to the eye.
The Demon God or witches were believed in based on ancient hearsay passed down through the ages.
Natural phenomena, on the other hand, were something you could feel right on your skin.
When you witnessed volcanoes erupting right before your eyes, typhoons raging, or the earth flipping over in an earthquake, anyone would have reverence drilled into them.
It was only natural for faith to sprout where none had existed before.
This was also why archmages commanded such respect from so many people.
They were walking calamities who embodied natural disasters themselves, seen as absolute existences.
However.
If those who mimicked natural phenomena were called archmages...
Then what should someone who redefined the laws of nature be called?
16 wins, 0 losses in 16 matches.
That was the official record of magic duels between the Head of the Magic Department, Raymond Cloud, and the mere student, Lunaris Evermoon.
Of course, these 16 victories were all against her as an upper mage.
This was the first time facing her as an archmage.
Raymond gulped dryly.
Honestly... I'm a bit scared.
If we go all out, I can't guarantee a win.
That's why I was so careful not to upset her throughout the entire break.
But now, there was truly nowhere left to retreat.
"Woooah! Go, Head Raymond!"
"Show us the power of the faculty!"
"Elterion Academy's number two!"
Cheers erupted from the pitch-black darkness surrounding Raymond.
'Why are they cheering for me like this... I don't know... I'm scared too!'
Of course, he couldn't show it.
Raymond, the Head of the Magic Department, pretended to be unfazed as he pulled four magic stones of different colors from his pocket.
Top-grade stones that cost dozens of gold coins each—a proper flex.
As he shattered the magic stones, the spirits of the four major elements appeared all at once.
Raymond's image might be a bit off, but he was undeniably a skilled mage.
His positions as elder in the Mage Tower, head of the academy's department, and archmage weren't won through politics and bluffing alone.
The moment Raymond swung his arm, raw mana from fire, water, wind, and earth crashed toward Lunaris without refinement.
An attack that was barely worthy of being called magic—pure inefficiency, just scattering mana wildly.
It was focused solely on speed of casting.
And for good reason: his opponent was the fastest mage alive.
"Hmm."
Lunaris lightly flicked her left hand, the one not holding Arke.
With that single tiny gesture.
Countless gray magic circles filled the night sky ceiling.
Myriad stars adorning the cosmos broke from their orbits.
Soon, hundreds, thousands of beams of light rained down like a meteor shower.
-KABOOM!!
The deafening explosion shook the dormitory room—no, the night sky itself.
Raymond's elemental storm collided with the meteor shower, mana and starlight exploding in all directions.
"Ngh...!"
Raymond let out a faint groan of pain but didn't let his arms rest.
He unraveled formulas and drew magic circles nonstop.
Upper fire magic, upper water magic, then top-grade earth magic, and top-grade wind magic.
Precise, fast, and above all, destructive.
He matched the casting speed of the fastest mage somehow.
Not content with shattering four top-grade stones, he poured out nearly half his internal mana—all to buy time.
But that was just barely keeping up.
Unlike Raymond, who was frantically busy, Lunaris looked utterly relaxed.
Meteor Fall
Still gripping Arke in her right hand, she merely wiggled her left—that was all.
Raymond's magic, his natural disasters, were repeatedly blocked by the pouring starlight.
The explosions only added scratches to the department head's body.
Finally, unable to endure, Raymond raised his voice.
"What are you all doing?!"
He couldn't handle it alone.
He needed the knights and maids to draw attention while he prepared a more powerful spell.
"Use this opening to get behind Lunaris quick...!"
But.
"...Huh?"
For some reason, he couldn't sense the presence of all those people.
As he puzzled over it and turned his gaze.
"Urgh..."
"M-my body... won't move...!"
They were all pinned flat to the floor by telekinesis magic.
No wonder she was only using one hand. Her staff hand had been handling the other side.
At that moment, Lunaris yawned widely and drawled.
"Head Raymond, aren't you taking this a bit too seriously?"
"Be quiet for a sec! Can't you see I'm focusing?!"
Raymond shrieked, veins bulging in his neck.
His head was already pounding from unraveling formulas and drawing circles, and now she was making him talk too—total overload.
"No, like... at this rate, you're gonna wreck the whole Linea Hall."
But that damn disciple was just lounging there, spouting nonsense—infuriatingly carefree.
"Planning to write another report?"
"This is your modified world anyway, right, Miss Lunaris? A little damage won't affect reality!"
"Well, technically, it wasn't me—it was this damn staff acting on its own... Yawwwn."
Lunaris scratched her head, then suddenly gripped Arke with both hands.
"It's been going on a while, so let's wrap this up."
The moment she declared she was getting serious.
The magic circles filling the night sky began glowing pure white.
"Nebula Collapse."
⟨ Nebula Collapse ⟩
With Lunaris's low murmur, the sky began crumbling down.
"Ah, damn it...!"
Raymond instinctively knew.
This can't be blocked.
No normal defensive magic can withstand it.
Then there was only one way.
To annihilate the collapsing world entirely with a powerful attack spell.
Raymond drew the power of the four spirits to their limit and cast the strongest magic he could wield.
Quaternity Burst!
He wouldn't be able to borrow the spirits' power for a while, but this wasn't the time to hold back.
...Come to think of it, this situation wasn't some black mage or Resistance invasion at Elterion Academy.
It was just trying to wake one lazy student.
If Raymond realized the reality, he'd surely suffer a severe wave of post-nut clarity.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—he hadn't noticed yet.
Soon, pure white light clashed head-on with the multicolored storm.
-KABOOM!!
With a deafening explosion, the world turned white.
In the blinding flash, Raymond's consciousness faded.
The light went out.
The starry sky cleared, revealing the familiar dormitory room once more.
The room was surprisingly intact.
Lunaris's world-altering magic had protected the dormitory building.
Raymond, the department head, was off the hook for any reports.
The building was fine, but the people weren't.
Raymond was folded in half, dangling from the window frame.
On the floor, knights and maids were strewn about haphazardly.
The fact that no one was seriously hurt in all this was nothing short of a miracle.
"L-Lunaris won...?"
"Even Head Raymond couldn't handle her...?"
"What the hell happened in that darkness?!"
The people gathered around Linea Hall muttered in shocked expressions.
Not seeing the process but only the result doubled the impact.
As everyone buzzed, Lunaris stretched languidly and yawned hugely.
"Finally, some quiet."
Of course, she could have gone to class and slept slumped over her desk.
But that hurt her back too much. Uncomfortable.
Sleep was best hugging her attachment pillow tight on an A-rank bed.
Lunaris stretched her legs out and lay back on the fluffy mattress.
At that moment.
-Poof.
The bed crumbled into pitch-black powder.
Simultaneously, Lunaris's body bounced onto the floor with a thud.
"...Ah."
The bed had gotten caught up in the starry sky too, of all things.
At least her attachment pillow, clutched tight, was safe... Well, what was safe about any of this.
"Ah, seriously..."
A curse slipped out automatically.
In the end, Lunaris dusted off her butt and stood up.
She slung Arke over her shoulder and hung the pillow on it.
She looked just like a refugee.
After trudging out of the room, she used telekinesis to float herself up to...
"...Lady Lunaris?"
The top floor of Linea Hall—Princess Celestina's room.
"H-how did you get up here...?"
The princess's guard captain guarding the door asked in alarm.
Unaware of the lower floor chaos, he was just bewildered.
They'd sent a bunch of subordinates to wake her, after all.
Had they all gotten taken out?
"Mind if I come in?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes. Her Highness would be pleased... Wait, how did you really get up here?"
"Stuff happened."
With that, Lunaris flung the door open.
During the break, Princess Celestina had told her to come by anytime, so no hesitation.
Lunaris wasn't one to turn down such perks.
Inside, Princess Celestina was in the middle of getting ready for morning classes.
"Eek—wh-who... Wait. Lu-Luna?!"
The princess's eyes widened upon spotting Lunaris in the mirror.
"How are you here..."
"The knights you sent turned my bed to dust."
Lunaris brazenly replied and flopped face-down on the bed.
"Hnnngh, this is it..."
The sinking cushion feel was perfection.
As expected, an A+—no, S-rank bed that transcended A-grade was something else.
"I'll crash here for a bit."
Princess Celestina watched Lunaris roll around on the bed, then let out a soft sigh.
She stood, walked to the bed, and gently shook Lunaris.
"Luna, get up. We have class."
"..."
"I'll lend you the bed tonight—no, this afternoon. Okay?"
"Don't wanna~"
Lunaris grumbled, pulling the covers over her head.
"Get up already?"
"Is that a royal decree?"
"...No. A friend's request."
With that, the princess placed her hands on her hips and looked down at Lunaris with a stern expression.
"...It's lonely going alone."
"..."
"Will you come to class with me?"
Lunaris turned her head and met Princess Celestina's gaze steadily.
"You have guards."
"And you took them all out."
"...Ah. True, that checks out."
Soon, Lunaris sighed deeply.
"Eh, I'm awake anyway."
Lunaris sluggishly got up.
"Just for today."
She left the attachment pillow on the bed.
A firm declaration that she'd be back right after class to crash.