Chapter 241
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 241
Chapter Title: Whispers of Doubt
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If Lysia's words were true, it meant the mage girl they'd thought they could beat was drifting ever farther out of reach.
"Hmm. Well, even among the professors, there aren't many stories about Asuria. Seems like there aren't even many among them skilled enough to teach her."
"Does that... even make sense?"
Basara forced the words out.
"The world's a big place, full of powerhouses. That's probably why the dean sent her to Professor Leon. And speak of the devil—Melissa, Professor Leon's little sister, just showed up. Why not ask her yourself?"
Right on cue, the door flew open, and Melissa strolled into the student council room with a bored expression.
"What's up, Melissa?"
"Professor Rommel asked me to drop off these documents."
"Hehe, thanks."
Melissa handed over the papers and glanced around at the president's warm smile, her face etched with fatigue.
Then she turned to leave.
"I'm heading out. Gotta finish my training."
"Senior Melissa."
At that moment, the hitherto silent Lysia Hebilion called out to her.
"Hm? You're Galeon Alchemist Faction Leader's granddaughter, right? Lysia junior?"
"Yes, that's me. I've heard about you from the president."
"Oh yeah? The next student council president candidate? I'll root for you."
Emboldened by Melissa's casual reply, Lysia ventured carefully,
"I... heard that Asuria Abelgard is being taught by your big brother."
"Ah, that clueless junior? Yeah."
"Shouldn't you try to stop it? I know this might sound weird, but... I'm worried your brother could get seriously hurt."
She laid out her reasoning.
"I... overheard it in passing. One professor got badly injured trying to teach her..."
Melissa nodded.
"My brother mentioned the same thing. She's got talent, but the kid doesn't know how to control her power."
"Then it's dangerous..."
"Who? My brother? Or Asuria junior?"
Contrary to Lysia's intent, Melissa remained utterly nonchalant.
"It's fine."
"Huh?"
"My brother's everyday stunts are several times more dangerous than that."
Her smirk left the freshmen looking baffled. The student council president, however, tossed out a intrigued question.
"Oh my, Melissa. Have you sparred with that junior?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. A few times."
"How'd it go?"
"Her talent's top-notch... but it's hard to put into words when there's a freak like him right beside her."
Melissa sauntered out at an easy pace. Lysia Hebilion turned to the president.
"President... what did she mean? Melissa senior looks like she's just at the entry level of Sword Expert..."
Melissa wielded the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword, employing an aura circulation utterly unlike conventional methods.
No cadet could know she was actually upper Sword Expert level—strong enough to hold her own against the absolute elite purely on raw power.
"Juniors? Maybe think of it simply."
"What do you mean?"
"The Imperial Academy's a top academy. Countless people strive to join the faculty. But when Professor Rommel brought up temporary Professor Leon? Ninety percent of the professors approved on the spot. The other ten percent just abstained for unrelated reasons."
The three freshmen sat in stunned silence, utterly confused.
The promised month flew by in the blink of an eye.
In that time, my focus had been on overseeing the failing students' training and correcting problem child Asuria Abelgard's flaws.
Melissa could handle her own training for now.
Truth be told, their achievements—or fixing Asuria—weren't the top priority.
Saintess Nadia's mention of the rift was.
Cold assessment? Better to postpone or cancel the exam outright.
Greed could spark a catastrophe.
But over the past month, Luna, Saintess Nadia, and I had succeeded in pinpointing signs of a major rift at the exam site.
Of course, we'd also set up barriers to apply pressure, no matter what came from the other side.
Even if stopping the exam cold was logically sound, keep delaying or canceling everything, and you'd never get anything done.
Besides, I had another reason for letting the exam proceed.
The failing students had endured long months of grueling training regimens just for this test.
Asuria didn't seem to care much about the exam itself, but she'd diligently practiced and completed every assignment I gave her, for reasons of her own.
After seeing how desperately they'd poured themselves into it...
As their professor, it was my job to help them reap the rewards.
The day before the exam, the failing students wrapped up training—transformed into proper combat units.
One month. Honestly, I hadn't expected much.
But they'd exceeded my expectations, pushing to heights even I hadn't foreseen.
I took in the sight of them one by one: silent, exuding a feral fighting spirit like beasts.
"One month down. You all worked damn hard."
No replies came. None were needed.
"You think the rival freshmen are stronger than the guys you fought?"
"No, sir!"
"More vicious?"
"No, sir!!"
"Killing intent thicker?"
"No, sir!!!"
"Then don't pussy out."
Just fight the way we trained. The hellish regimen had thickened their malice two or three times beyond projections.
Plus, filling their former gaps meant their efforts were finally paying off—they were starting to hold their heads high.
The cadets could take the exam worry-free. The complicated, dangerous stuff? That's what professors like me were for.
"Your hard work hasn't vanished. Go in there and tear 'em apart like rabid dogs."
The exam began.
The placement test unfolded over two days and a night in the designated forest.
Monster-shaped golems swarmed the woods. Survive and collect specific markers.
Cadets could clash head-on or sneak around quietly to gather them.
Methods were free-form; scores based on markers collected and performance during.
The supervising professors deployed massive numbers, monitoring cadets in real-time via artifacts.
The failing students' primary goal: avoid failing.
But their efforts were genuine. Reassessing now, they had a real shot at high marks.
Asuria Abelgard was no different.
"You've picked up on something by now."
"Yes, Professor."
A faint orb of lightning flickered into existence on her fingertip, then vanished—repeating the cycle.
"Don't forget: raw output isn't everything. You've got other issues, sure, but controlling your power comes first."
"Yes."
"You're a genius. You can handle that much now."
"I'll keep it in mind, Professor."
I'd told her to respect the professor-cadet dynamic, and she'd flipped like a switch—suddenly polite as could be.
That Grand Mage Luteon... If you're gonna take on a feral kid as a disciple, start with basic common sense and how to live among people. What the hell—turning her into a wildling?
All her bizarre habits stemmed from Luteon's influence.
Learning that? Only thought was sheer absurdity.
I silently ruffled her hair. She bowed deeply and headed into the exam grounds.
"Leon, that girl's wagging her tail right now, ain't she?"
"No chance. Let's get ready ourselves."
Luna and I linked up with Saintess Nadia, who was waiting for us.
"Found one spot with seriously bad vibes. High chance a big rift opens there."
The location: forest outskirts for the exam. Far enough not to drag cadets in.
Several magic professors were already stationed at the suspected rift site.
"How's the situation?"
"Mana instability levels are off the charts. Signs of a rift are crystal clear."
"I've read the theory, but seeing it live like this is a first."
The professors traded grim opinions.
Sparks flew from the rift as it stealthily began revealing itself.
Born from the red moon's power, this one wouldn't be a pushover.
The blood-red fissure swelled to nearly five meters across.
Considering average rifts, this was massive.
A chilling ripple emanated as it reached full size and began to morph.
"What in the..."
Grotesque tentacles sprouted from the edges, writhing around.
The rift's form screamed danger on sight.
This was revelation-tier. Once it popped open, gods knew what horrors it'd unleash—which meant Luna, Saintess Nadia, and I had to deliver a fundamental fix.
No matter what lay inside, letting it fully open handed the enemy free rein.
So, jam foreign matter in during formation to choke the birth itself.
Kwajik!!!
Cracks spiderwebbed across the rift in tandem.
"Oh... ooh... The barrier's activating."
"It's only been theoretically proven—this is our first real-world look."
The professors gasped in awe at the rift-suppression magic circle and its supporting holy arrays.
Rifts didn't sprout willy-nilly or rampantly, after all.
Predicting them was impossible without a revelation like this—otherwise, spotting them early was like finding cancer in its infancy.