Chapter 24
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Lucia is Smiling (7)
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"Haa... haa..."
His breath came out in ragged gasps, white mist spilling from his mouth—perhaps from the temperature drop caused by the pouring rain.
His body and mind were finally reaching their limits.
'Fuck... why aren't they coming?!'
He felt like he'd endured as much as he could, but there was still no sign of the professors.
Krarung-!
At that moment, lightning flashed, turning the world stark white.
"Grrr!"
The wolf seized the opening and lunged, slashing with its claws.
He reflexively leaped back, but...
The tip of his nose was grazed.
...Even reacting instantly, that was the best he could do.
If his stats hadn't improved, he'd have died without even knowing what hit him.
Wind Blade
As the wolf moved to charge again, he sliced into its hide with Wind Blade.
"Grrr..."
Until now, the wolf had at least flinched when he chanted, but it wasn't even dodging anymore.
"Damn it..."
Even the wolf cub seemed to have figured out he never used Telekinesis consistently.
...Still, the World Tree's Blessing had kept him going this long, its recovery applying to his mental strength and mana as well.
'...But even that's running out.'
His usage had long outpaced the recovery rate.
At best, he had maybe two more casts before his mana and mental strength hit zero.
"Grrrng—"
Despite its overwhelming advantage, the wolf circled warily instead of charging in.
At first, he'd thought dragging things out was good, but now that his limit was approaching, it felt terrifying.
"Grraa—!"
Wind Blade
[Telekinesis (Rank E)]
The wolf howled, so he threw Telekinesis into the attack as well, but...
It had never intended to charge—it swiftly retreated.
'Fuck...'
He had to wonder if this thing was really just a beast cub.
It had faked a charge just to howl and waste his mana and mental strength.
...The animal had mimicked his own bluffing.
'This is bad...'
This game was ridiculously unfair.
He had to react to every attack or die in one hit, while the wolf could afford misses with just a little pain.
Wind Blade
[Telekinesis (Rank E)]
...Like right now.
"Grrr..."
The wolf inspected the wound on its hide and smirked.
Even with Telekinesis, it was just a shallow scratch.
...His mental strength was truly depleted now.
"Awooooooo—!"
The wolf let out a triumphant howl.
It seemed to instinctively sense he was at his limit.
"...Fuck, not yet."
If he was going down, at least he'd take that damned wolf with him one last time...
His vision blurred for a moment, his mind reeling.
A side effect of overusing his mana and mental strength.
"Kaaahhh!"
When he opened his eyes again, a massive maw filled his view—big enough to swallow him whole.
'...Is this it? Am I dying here?'
Nearly dying twice in one day... this was truly a shit game.
At least it was better than getting killed by goblins.
Maybe he could take some comfort in that.
And after dying like this, the survivors would remember him as the hero who stood against the wolf to protect the students...
'That ain't bad...'
That seemed pretty good, actually.
His life had been consumed by eroge anyway.
Dying to protect everyone as the expendable one? Sounded like a solid end.
As he rationalized it and accepted death...
"Pierce – Unbreakable – of the Earth – Spear"
⟨ Earth Spear ⟩
A familiar baritone voice rang out.
He swore he wasn't gay, but in that moment, no one in the world looked cooler than Loreos.
Kwakwakwakwakakaboom!
The spell Loreos unleashed made their entire fight look like child's play.
Dozens of spears erupted from the earth, impaling the charging wolf mid-air and pinning it like a specimen.
...Scratch that noble death.
What sacrifice? Screw that.
Surviving was always the best option.
"Good work."
Loreos said, lips curling into a smile.
"...Too... late..."
He wanted to complain about the late arrival and that smug smile, but...
As the tension released, overwhelming drowsiness hit.
...Whatever.
Time for a nap...
'...'
Loreos clenched his fist at the sight before him.
Shhkkk-!
The wolf's claw grazed Eugene's nose tip. He nearly jumped in but barely held back.
'Not yet...'
Loreos had been watching Eugene's battle with the wolf.
As a professor, he should have intervened immediately to save him, but as a mentor, he couldn't stop this moment.
'...He's growing.'
There are moments in real combat more valuable than a thousand training sessions.
It's through such trials that humans surpass insurmountable walls.
To Loreos, this was exactly that moment.
As a warrior himself, he knew how precious such opportunities were—he didn't want to ruin it by stepping in prematurely.
'As expected...'
Eugene truly possessed talent in a different direction.
He knew he shouldn't smile in a situation like this.
...But he couldn't hold back his grin.
Eugene's movements were utterly unlike the boy he'd known.
As he watched a little longer, Eugene staggered while preparing to cast.
'Oh no...!'
Dizziness from mana depletion.
No matter the awakening, without an elixir, one's absolute mana capacity couldn't skyrocket overnight.
'...A shame, but this is the end.'
The wolf lunged at the stumbling Eugene.
But Loreos's chant was faster.
"Pierce – Unbreakable – of the Earth – Spear"
⟨ Earth Spear ⟩
He'd only watched because he had absolute confidence he could act before the wolf.
The wolf was too steep a wall for first-year fledglings.
But to Loreos, who'd survived wars against countless magical beasts, it was a sandcastle he could shatter in an instant.
After instantly slaying the wolf, Loreos approached.
"Good work."
"...Too... late..."
He caught Eugene, who grumbled to the end before passing out.
He was proud.
Of the fighting spirit that battled a superior foe to the last.
Of the heroism that stayed behind to protect his comrades.
'Magnificent.'
Unable to voice it with Eugene unconscious, he smiled in satisfaction instead.
"Professor Loreos, are you alright?"
The follow-up team arrived soon after and began assessing the situation.
"Yes. Check this boy's condition first."
The medical staff rushed to Eugene and started emergency treatment.
"Minor injuries, nothing serious. A few days' rest and he'll be fully recovered."
"Good."
Loreos sighed in relief at the confirmation Eugene was safe.
'Well then...'
His time savoring Eugene's growth was over.
Now, back to professor mode—he needed to grasp the situation.
At that moment, an unfamiliar female assistant professor approached him.
"As expected of Professor Loreos. Taking down a mid-tier beast with one spell... The mana distribution was..."
"..."
Loreos frowned.
He knew she meant no harm, but flattery in this moment grated on him.
"If you have time later, how about tea sometime..."
Then, a man examining the wolf corpse spoke up.
"...Assistant Professor! These wounds are a bit unusual."
"What? What are you talking about? Can't you see I'm talking to Professor Loreos?!"
"Ah... sorry. But the wounds seem off... The only magic traces from the student are Wind Blade, but can a basic spell cut this sharply?"
"Is that important right now? We need to figure out where this beast came from!"
The assistant professor snapped at the man.
'...Hm?'
Loreos stepped forward, spotting something odd on the wolf's corpse.
"Mind if I take a look?"
"Pr-Professor Loreos himself? No need for..."
"I'll check."
Interrupting her, Loreos examined the corpse.
And let out a hollow laugh.
'Haha.'
Eugene's only spell was Wind Blade.
No reason to hide it, and in a life-or-death struggle, he wouldn't have.
But this?
The cuts pierced hide, muscle, and even bone.
Sharpness far beyond a basic spell.
'How...?'
Magic has "tiers."
No amount of training— even a century— on basic Wind Blade could surpass mid-tier Bayera: Wind Blade.
That's why when a third-rate and first-rate mage cast the same basic spell, differences showed in precision, chant speed, or mana control, but not raw power.
Thus, mages strive for higher-tier spells.
Superior magic.
But Eugene had obliterated that rule.
"Basic Magic Surpassing Mid-Tier"
This could rewrite magic history.
"...This is from my Bayera: Wind Blade. Sorry for the confusion."
After brief thought, Loreos decided to cover it up.
Many mages were obsessed maniacs with magic itself.
If word got out, they'd stop at nothing to claim Eugene.
Until Eugene could protect himself, he'd bury this secret.
"Ah, of course... Sorry."
"Idiot! Obviously! Why bother Professor Loreos? No way a basic wind spell leaves cuts like this!"
"...But the traces are clearly basic wind attribute and mid-tier earth magic... Ah! Not doubting Professor Loreos, of course."
"Shut up and go find more traces!"
"Yes, sir!"
Ignoring the chatter behind him, Loreos gazed proudly at Eugene.