Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 42
>Chapter Title: Sorry, but I'm a Student
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I followed behind Professor Pellina.
‘I wonder if things went well with Senior.’
The day before, Senior and I had discussed it.
How much information to share with Professor Pellina.
Since we had to entrust her with the artifact for constructing the Demonic Realm, sharing intel on the intruders in the Tower of Trials was essential.
But there was a problem.
—Junior, I may have agreed not to pry into your identity, but convincing Professor Pellina is tough even for me.
Black-White Slums urchin, lucky one who caught Blandoga’s eye, Academy undergrad, and so on.
‘None of those labels define me.’
Relationships require positions.
Your position, their position.
When positions clash, you become enemies; when they overlap, allies.
But what about me?
I have no such position.
To be precise...
‘I don’t have one in this life.’
To understand me, you have to understand my past life.
Foundation, purpose, beliefs, justice—all the things that define me were never there originally.
They were built over the course of my past life.
So, the solution we came up with was...
—Dragging in Blandoga to define you is dangerous. So let’s say you’re a descendant of an old war mage. Specifically, someone who holds a grudge against Decullan or Bimarr was your master.
There are many old war mages who hide their identities and wander the continent.
It wouldn’t erase all suspicions, but as a ‘position’ for building a relationship with Professor Pellina, it was sufficient.
It even aligned with some of my actual positions.
Anyway, we aligned our stories that way, but...
Creak, click.
We arrived at the consultation room following Professor Pellina.
“You know why I called you here, right?”
Professor Pellina’s gaze as she looked at me was quite sharp.
I scratched my head and nodded.
“I’m guessing it’s not for counseling.”
Earlier in the cafeteria, she’d summoned me under the pretext of counseling victims.
Of course, that was just the public excuse.
“Yeah, I heard the story. Descendant of an old war mage? The culprits behind this... Bimarr, was it?”
“Total scum.”
“Anyone who deals with Decullan is scum anyway.”
Professor Pellina nodded at my interjection.
She hadn’t fully dropped her guard against me, but our views on Decullan seemed to align.
“Anyway, there are more than a few suspicious things, but with the principal’s guarantee, I’ll let it slide for now. But first...”
Suddenly, Professor Pellina’s eyes gleamed.
Her pupils were chilling.
She seemed about to say something, her lips opening and closing three or four times.
Then, with a deep sigh, ‘Hoo,’ she forced her reluctant mouth open.
“For now, I’ll cover everything up. At least you don’t seem like a threat to the Academy. And, and...”
She tried to say something else, her lips flapping a couple more times.
I narrowed my eyes and watched.
Then, suddenly.
“Professor.”
“...What?”
“Sorry, but I’m a student, and you’re the professor...”
“Fucking what?”
I clamped my mouth shut.
The killing intent was no joke.
Professor Pellina glared at me like she wanted to devour me, then shook her head like she’d given up on everything.
But.
Her next action was something I couldn’t comprehend.
“Thank you.”
Professor Pellina bowed her head politely.
“Damn, trying to say something that doesn’t suit my personality makes my tongue stick. But I had to say it. Thank you, truly.”
I blinked.
“You know this already, but the principal told me everything. Thanks to you, the students are safe. And... the Tower of Trials wasn’t defiled.”
Professor Pellina was truly a peculiar person.
It looked like a grudging apology, but her actions and voice carried sincerity.
Her intensity and expression could pass for someone declaring a duel, yet somehow her feelings came across clearly.
Watching her, a thought suddenly struck me.
“Professor.”
“Spit it out.”
“......”
Maybe the earlier gratitude embarrassed her, as Professor Pellina’s word choice turned gruff.
When I stared blankly, at a loss for words, she cleared her throat awkwardly.
Anyway.
I’m bold by nature. If she hadn’t thanked me, I wouldn’t have said anything, but since she did, I wanted reciprocation.
And that reciprocation was, naturally, library sponsorship.
I cautiously asked if, as sponsorship for the library, I could receive her personal writings.
Not general books, but ones that could teach the roots of her magic through text alone, without a master.
Professor Pellina readily nodded.
“Come to think of it, you want to establish a library. Open to everyone... Not bad. Fine, I’ll write such a book.”
Senior must have mentioned the library part too.
There was no real secret about the library.
The more people who knew, the better.
‘Excluding the fact that I’ll stock Decullan and noble house secret tomes, that is.’
Of course, I hadn’t even told Senior about that.
Anyway.
“You said the principal’s books go on the top floor, so prepare the floor below for mine.”
I nodded at Professor Pellina’s words.
I’d originally planned that floor as my residence, but if the sponsor wished otherwise, I’d sleep on the street.
After that, we exchanged ideas on what elements her book should have.
It was far more detailed than with Parun or Senior.
Not bad, though.
After about thirty minutes of discussion.
“This part seems good enough. Now, time for the main topic.”
Professor Pellina brought up the real purpose of our meeting.
That purpose being, of course...
The Demonic Realm.
The artifact for constructing that cursed land.
“Researching the use of that ancient artifact for the Demonic Realm could take quite some time. The risks are significant, but not a big deal. However...”
It was obvious.
The artifact’s structure would be as complex as its dangers.
No matter how brilliant a magitech engineer Professor Pellina was, it wouldn’t be solved in a day or two.
And above all.
‘If it comes to it, just destroy it.’
If no usage method emerges, discard it without hesitation.
In other words, despite its unparalleled risks, its essence is just a shallow spark that can be extinguished anytime.
But.
“......”
I felt a sense of déjà vu.
Something off about Professor Pellina’s tone.
‘Saying it’s not a big problem means the real problem is something else?’
As I eyed her with that doubt, I realized my guess was right.
Her expression was slightly stiff.
Professor Pellina usually had a fierce look, but now it wasn’t ferocity—it was subdued, somehow sunken.
Like she was rolling around an unspeakable word in her mind.
Her mouth opened right then.
“However... the ones who’ll come after that artifact are the biggest danger.”
“The ones who’ll come after it...”
“Know of the Salvatium?”
I tilted my head.
First time hearing the name.
“The Golden Demon Society.”
Golden Demon suggested forbidden magic, but a society?
In my past life, I’d encountered forbidden magic users multiple times, but never heard of them forming an alliance.
Those who practiced forbidden magic usually acted alone, never grouping even among themselves.
Frizen too...
‘No, that might not be certain.’
I didn’t know everything about Frizen.
“As expected, you don’t know.”
I snapped out of my thoughts at Professor Pellina’s words.
It felt like discovering a rusty box from my past life I’d never opened.
And it was exactly that.
“The Golden Demon Society, or Salvatium, is an alliance of those who practice forbidden magic, as the name implies. But they share one common aspiration. And that aspiration is...”
To recreate the Demonic Realm.
No—to dye the entire continent in the Demonic Realm. That was their wish.
“I don’t know how far Frizen delved into forbidden magic, but given his handling of the Demonic Realm, he’s surely connected to the Golden Demon Society.”
In other words, this was Professor Pellina’s warning to me.
“He’s dead.”
And the artifact vanished.
So...
“They’ll definitely hunt you down to recover that artifact. And their persistence is on another level from Decullan.”
Since it happened inside the Tower of Trials, even a full investigation of victims wouldn’t take long.
No, according to Professor Pellina, they don’t move hastily.
Until the day they dye the continent in the Demonic Realm, they’ll work in the shadows, undetected.
But whenever that day comes...
‘I’ll have to clash with them anyway?’
I stared quietly at Professor Pellina.
A brief silence had settled between us.
If I hadn’t known, fine—but now that I did, unresolved bits from my past life surfaced one by one.
When I was pursuing Frizen.
‘How did he shake me off?’
I’d chalked it up to a miss and moved on, but Frizen evading me was nearly impossible.
So, in between—
‘They were there?’
“Choose.”
“Choose what?”
Professor Pellina looked at me with a hardened face.
“Whatever you’re hiding, whatever power you have—if you’re a target of the Golden Demon Society, staying safe will be hard. Someday...”
“I might die?”
Professor Pellina nodded.
Her expression was oddly filled with worry.
I wanted to ask how she knew of such a secretive group, but seeing her face quelled the urge.
She must have some history with the Golden Demon Society.
I looked at her and nodded.
“Yeah, whatever.”
“...?”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
Professor Pellina’s face filled with questions. I scratched my ear and continued.
“They’re coming after me anyway, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And I can’t shake them off?”
“Yeah.”
Forbidden magic—its utility is truly horrifying.
Being hunted by a collective of mages who wield it?
Depending on the listener, it might feel like the world’s end.
But.
“Then I’ll smash them when they come.”
“Smash them?”
I nodded.
“Forbidden magic or not. Dangerous or not. We clash, they break or I die—that’s it, right?”
That’s how I see it.
Who the opponent is doesn’t matter much.
If they come at me, I break them; if not, I die. End of story.
Nothing special.
And honestly...
‘I’ll just chew them all up.’
Their scale, their danger—irrelevant.
I walk my path, smashing any obstacles.
“...Hah.”
Professor Pellina let out a hollow laugh.
I shrugged at her reaction.
Anyway, my first meeting with Professor Pellina went smoother than expected.
Of course, she hadn’t dropped her guard completely.
If I ever bared fangs at the Academy, she’d stand in my way.
But that’s natural.
And this level of relationship was just right.
With that, I handed Frizen’s artifact to Professor Pellina and wrapped things up.
But then.
Bang!
The door flew open.
“Pant, pant...! P-Professor Pellina...! Y-You’re here.”
The assistant professor, who’d apparently been searching everywhere for her, was a mess.
His whole body was drenched in sweat, no exaggeration.
“...What is it?”
Professor Pellina subtly tucked the subspatial pocket holding the artifact into her bosom and asked.
A subtle displeasure on her face.
Normally, she’d have unleashed hell on the assistant professor, but...
“This is no time to be lounging here.”
The news the assistant professor brought next even surprised Professor Pellina.
And for good reason.
“The Decullan Patriarch has come to the Academy right now. Pahren—Pahren himself!”
The Decullan Patriarch.
The monster who’d become the strongest mage in history in the future.
In a way, the mastermind behind the Tower of Trials incident had arrived.
‘...Pahren?’
This was news I couldn’t ignore either.