Chapter 36
Chapter 36
There were a total of sixteen Celestial Bodies in the Prophetic Celestial Ark.
Probably the adversaries who would stand in Ouroboros’s way.
If it were up to me, I’d eliminate them all in advance.
Unfortunately, Ouroboros still did not know exactly who the sixteen Celestial Bodies referred to.
The only ones whose identities we know are the Sun, the Moon, and the Demon Blade.
Of those, the Demon Blade was someone even Ouroboros did not dare lay a hand on.
That was why they had tried to eliminate at least the Sun and the Moon, but they had failed.
Because a new Ascendant had appeared out of nowhere.
But Maestro kept having questions about this new Ascendant.
“Isn’t it far too convenient? A new Ascendant appears just as if they’d been waiting for us to make our move?”
“But if they weren’t an Ascendant, wouldn’t it be impossible to perform a Miracle like that? The Mysterious Star can’t possibly be an Ascendant, either. Judging by the brightness of the star, they must still be a novice.”
They said that the Celestial Bodies marked in the Prophetic Celestial Ark grew brighter as they grew stronger.
For now, all sixteen Celestial Bodies shone faintly.
Which meant all sixteen of them were still greenhorns.
The same went for the Mysterious Star that had caught Maestro’s attention.
But Maestro could not shake his suspicions.
“Even so, it continues to bother me. Rubiness Academy in particular is the most important place for our great undertaking.”
Each of the Four Great Academies played a different role in the great undertaking.
Of them, Rubiness Academy was at the very center.
This is troublesome. The Demon Blade said they were going to Rubiness Academy, too. The Sun, the Moon, the Demon Blade, and the Mysterious Star. I’ll have to do something.
Maestro brought up an unexpected name.
“Is Ban the one who’s stood out the most at Rubiness Academy recently?”
“That is our assessment.”
“Hmm. How curious. When I saw him before, he didn’t seem like he had that kind of potential at all. He was nothing but Ban Trash.”
A startling revelation.
It meant that Maestro and Ban had met in the past.
“Do you think Ban Trash is the Mysterious Star?”
“I don’t know. But he does concern me.”
Maestro recalled everything Ban had accomplished so far.
He had exposed Professor Balik as a Demon-Contracted Human and destroyed a Black Mage Branch.
On top of that, this time he had increased the security personnel as though he had predicted the incident in advance, ensuring that there were no casualties at all.
He had been overshadowed by the radiance of the newly appeared Ascendant, but he could perhaps be said to have made the greatest contribution of all.
“Whether or not Ban is the Mysterious Star, we can’t allow him to become any more of a wild card.”
A subordinate spoke cautiously.
“But Ban is of the Ecclesia Ducal House’s bloodline. Wouldn’t it be too risky to target him directly?”
They, Ouroboros, were not ready yet.
They needed to be especially cautious now, after the incident they had caused at Rubiness not long ago.
“There’s no need to take unnecessary risks. There are plenty of ways to get rid of him legally.”
“Maestro, surely you don’t mean—”
“Yes, that’s right. Have Marquis Maximum, the Minister of Education, summoned.”
It was a bewildering order.
The Minister of Education was one of the Empire’s most powerful figures. And yet Maestro had casually ordered him to be summoned?
Even more incomprehensible was the subordinate’s reaction.
“Understood. I’ll have him brought here at once.”
Before long, a middle-aged man appeared.
It really was Marquis Maximum, the Minister of Education!
Then something astonishing happened.
“Did you summon me, Your Highness?”
Your Highness.
It was a title granted in the Empire to only one class of people.
Maestro, the Apostle of Ouroboros.
And—
The one who had been born of the Empire’s most noble bloodline, the Second Prince Lenius, smiled and said,
“It’s good to see you, Marquis. I asked to meet with you because I have something to discuss regarding the education at Rubiness Academy.”
The identity of Maestro, the Apostle of Ouroboros, is the Second Prince. He’s treated as the Crown Prince in all but name.
My face went taut.
He’s clearly wary of me because of the things I’ve done lately.
The Second Prince, Lenius, was the reason I’d tried to avoid taking up an official post.
If I entered government service, I would have to engage in a horrific struggle with the degenerates of Ouroboros, led by the Second Prince.
But was the military any better?
Of course not.
As the title “Apostle” suggested, there were other Apostles besides the Second Prince.
As time passed, the other Apostles would stir as well.
If I joined the military, I would have to fight in a war that would be, quite literally, bloody.
There’s nowhere safe in this world. The Academy is the safest place, at least.
Absurdly enough, even after everything that had happened, the Academy was still the safest haven.
Even if it’s filthy and unfair, I have to cling to the Academy. If I go outside, I can forget about an easy life or anything else—I’ll have to worry about surviving.
The problem was whether I could manage it.
I had to compete against the other Temporary Professors and come in first.
The problem was that this wasn’t a fight that favored me.
The standard is the Temporary Professor Evaluation score.
When it came to academic achievement and magical talent alone, there was no way I would fall behind.
But the evaluation demanded plenty of other things.
-Student teaching evaluations.
-Reputation among colleagues and superiors.
-Contributions to society.
-Contributions to the Academy’s projects.
It was only natural, since being a professor wasn’t just about conducting research; it was also a job that involved teaching students and contributing to society. But for someone like me, who was still called Ban Trash, these criteria were extremely unfavorable.
In particular, the Ministry of Education is in charge of this selection. Maestro—the Second Prince—will have influence over the final decision.
It was obvious that he would find fault with me however he could, dock my points, and make me fail.
‘There’s only one way. I have to get perfect scores so he can’t find anything to criticize. And I have to do it in every category.’
Once I’d thought that far, I frowned hard.
‘Ugh. Why is becoming a professor so difficult?’
A sigh escaped me, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I had to do it.
‘Just get through the first semester. After that, I’ll really start taking it easy.’
There was one thing the Second Prince had overlooked.
That my ability wasn’t limited to being a “Grandmaster of Magic.”
‘I’m not Ban the Trash. I’m someone who was even a Sales King in my previous life. Taking first place in the Temporary Professor Evaluation is something I can manage any number of times.’
After getting my thoughts in order, I looked at another letter.
This one wasn’t from the Ministry of Education. It was an official notice from Rubiness Academy.
—Notice: Training for New Temporary Professors.
There was still a little time before the new semester began.
In the meantime, the new temporary professors would undergo training.
‘Like an orientation for new employees.’
Only, the atmosphere was rather different from what I knew on Earth.
‘It’s a dueling ground for the new temporary professors.’
In reality, the competition for selection began as early as the training.
‘The first impression matters. I’ll complete the training with the highest marks. With my Grandmaster of Magic Ability, it should be more than possible.’
That was what I thought as I read the next page of the notice.
Then my face went rigid.
There was one troublesome problem.
“Why does the training site have to be there of all places?”
The Ranchel Plateau.
It was a famous place.
The resting place of an Evil Dragon that had once filled the world with terror.
The problem was—
‘…Isn’t that where the Hidden Episode happens?’
Recent events flashed through my mind one after another, and a cold sweat streamed down my face.
‘No. It’ll be fine this time. The conditions for triggering the episode aren’t right.’
The timing wasn’t right, and, more importantly, the “Key” was missing.
There was no way the “Key” in the Demon Realm would suddenly appear at the Ranchel Plateau.
‘…Still, just in case, should I put at least some basic safeguards in place?’
With a sour feeling, I steeled myself.
‘No matter what obstacles get in my way, I’m going to live a life of leisure!’
But there was something Ban didn’t know.
Maestro of Ouroboros wasn’t the only one who had begun to take an interest in him.
Near the Empire’s capital,
there was a district filled with magnificent mansions.
It was where the capital’s high-ranking nobles lived, and the Ecclesia Ducal House’s residence was located there as well.
But the most splendid and imposing mansion in the district did not belong to the Ecclesia Ducal House.
The Klein Family.
One of the Empire’s four ducal houses, it was known as a Prestigious Magic Family.
A renowned house that held sway over the magical world.
And yet, something about the atmosphere in the Klein Ducal House was strange.
It felt as though a thin layer of ice had formed over everything.
The reason was that Duchess Beth, the matriarch, was in a foul mood.
“My daughter Joanna came in third? Not only did she lose to Katrinne, she was even beaten by some nameless beggar?”
Duchess Beth.
The mistress of the Klein Ducal House, the foremost house in the magical world, and a Master-class witch at Level Seven.
“…Yes, Duchess. The main house did lodge a protest, but Sir Randolf, the former president, had already finalized the scores…”
“How dare he! That senile old relic, shut away in the back rooms! He dares to make light of our house?”
Crash!!
The windows and glass around them shattered as the fury she unleashed surged through the room.
“P-Please don’t worry. Lady Joanna will come in first at Amethyst Academy.”
“That won’t do. Once a blemish has appeared, it can’t be erased. Ah, how disappointed he’ll be in Joanna when he returns from Sky Island and learns of this.”
“He” meant Duke Alfonso, the head of the Prestigious Magic Family.
At the End of the Eighth Level.
A great mage who had reached the realm of the Seeker, the one who gazed toward the heavens.
He was a cold-blooded man who viewed even his own children solely in terms of calculation; if Joanna showed any weakness, there was no telling when he might cast her aside.
“Did you say Joanna lost points because she was defeated by Ban of the Ecclesia family?”
“…Rather, the top two received major bonus points for fighting the Monsters.”
“Either way, wouldn’t Joanna have come in first if it weren’t for Ban?”
There were two reasons Joanna had failed to take first place.
The bonus points Katrinne and Libel had received.
And the deduction she’d incurred after losing miserably to Ban.
Together, they had overturned the final scores.
“How dare Ban the Trash.”
Duchess Beth ground her teeth.
She lived solely to make her own daughter, Joanna, the head of the Prestigious Magic Family.
She could not forgive Ban for leaving a blemish on Joanna’s record.
The problem was that Ban had powerful connections.
No matter how powerful the Klein Ducal House was, they couldn’t just lay a hand on someone of Ecclesia blood.
‘I need to find a way to do this without causing trouble.’
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Duchess, it’s Ballas. May I come in?”
At the name “Ballas,” a gleam flashed in Beth’s eyes.
“Come in. I have something to ask of you.”
The door opened, and a handsome man with a sharp expression and glasses entered.
“Is it true you’re going to become a temporary professor at Rubiness Academy?”
“Yes, Duchess. That is correct. But since Lady Joanna has decided to go to Amethyst Academy, what should I do?”
Ballas.
At a young age, he had published groundbreaking Magic Theory and been adopted into a Prestigious Magic Family.
He had originally been appointed to Rubiness Academy to assist Joanna, but now he had been left in limbo midway through the process.
“Go to Rubiness Academy as planned. Ballas, there’s something I need you to do.”
“What is it?”
“Make sure Ban Ecclesia fails the Temporary Professor selection.”
“!!”
Ballas understood what she meant, and the corners of his mouth curled upward.
“That’s wonderful news. I was already displeased by the ridiculous rumors that have been circulating in magical circles lately.”
Word had spread through the Magical Society that Ban had dismantled a Fractal Structure during the appointment examination.
Most people dismissed it as nonsense and thought little of it, but Ballas was deeply offended.
That was because the Magic Theory he had published was also about Fractal Structures.
For reference, this was what Ballas had written:
Therefore, Ban’s demonstration during the appointment examination was tantamount to a direct rejection of Ballas’s paper.
The trash doesn’t even know the F in Fractal.
Duchess Beth said to Ballas, who felt that way:
“As it happens, there’s a good opportunity coming up. New Professor Training will be held soon, so I’ll send reporters from the magical publications under my family’s control.”
She meant that if Ballas humiliated Ban, the magical press would report it on a grand scale.
Ballas smiled thinly.
“Do not worry. During this training, I’ll expose every last bit of his miserable incompetence and make sure he never even dares to show his face in the magical world again. Please look forward to it.”
And that was not all.
—Clang! Flash!
The training grounds.
A broad-shouldered man was demonstrating swordsmanship and magic.
The man’s name was Kansir.
He came from a Prestigious Swordsmanship Family and wielded a distinctive Sword-and-Magic Art that combined swordsmanship with magic.
“Your Sword-and-Magic Art is remarkable, as always, sir.”
“This much is nothing.”
“Just as I thought. I heard you’ll be joining Rubiness Academy’s Magic Faculty as a professor. Congratulations.”
A professorship at one of the Four Great Academies was an honorable position that anyone would envy.
But Kansir only frowned.
“What’s the matter?”
“I heard someone unworthy of my standing is going to take up a professorship alongside me.”
“Ah, you mean Ban the Trash. I don’t understand it either. How did he ever get appointed? And I’m sure the story about him defeating Puppet’s puppet is nothing but a lie.”
“I’ll see for myself when I get there.”
Kansir swung his sword with a sharp, forceful motion.
As if Ban were standing right in front of him.
“Kansir’s Sword-and-Magic Art will reveal his true colors, every last one of them.”
And then.
The last one.
At the northeastern border of the Empire, where it met the Seven Kingdoms.
It was a battlefield filled with gruesome devastation, the result of a conflict that had continued for more than a hundred years.
Caw.
The sound of a crow rang out.
Amid a great many corpses, a black-haired woman stood with a vacant expression.
The soldiers shuddered as they looked at her.
“Ugh, she killed that many again.”
“No wonder they call her the Black Bird.”