This Is What They Call an Academy
“Guaaaaaaaah....”
Boom!!
The giant lumbered forward on fists swollen into legs, a mass of undead flesh stitched together until it looked like a gorilla sewn from rags. Bones jutted everywhere, turning its surface into something like white armor, and every inch of that hide shimmered with condensed curses that cast an unholy, oily light.
Everything else I could handle. Those curses, though—those were going to be a pain. Our party leaned hard on close combat, and in that state Ban Taewung would lose most of the skills tied to his job. Wiping the curses out completely would probably make the whole hulking body collapse, so what we needed was something that could coat the surface and smother them instead.
I floated a stream of mana toward Kallion, who was already circling in the air, and layered the image I wanted over it.
Plip. Plip-plip.
If the earlier attack had been a sudden downpour, this mana was a fine, steady drizzle. It didn’t simply fall and vanish; the moment it touched the curses it evaporated into a lingering mist, meant to keep the foul energy in check for as long as possible.
Controlling raw mana was usually harder than finishing a proper spell, but that was only true for ordinary mages. For a dragon who breathed mana the way the rest of us breathed air, it was nothing.
“This is...”
“Same weird mana from before.”
Riri answered Ban Taewung and immediately began weaving the mana into a spell. Because it was pure shape-shifting of mana rather than a complex construction, Kallion’s permission made it possible. Plenty of mages crushed mana stones when their own reserves ran dry, so I wasn’t particularly surprised she’d copied the trick after watching my shadow once.
Whoosh!
A milky-white magic circle bloomed from Riri’s hands and wrapped around us. She’d focused the Holy attribute on curses and anything unclean; the moment the spell sank into our bodies the tightness in our chests vanished completely. Cheon Jang-mi’s ragged breathing eased and color returned to her face. Lucia straightened as if her earlier staggering had been a lie and began gathering mana again.
“...Haa.”
The star-shaped light in her eyes flared. A massive surge of mana rolled out of her, strong enough to make the air tremble. Her job was Lord of Queen, one of the highest ranks in the Authority line. Authority jobs grew stronger the more influence they exerted; hers was Might. The more overwhelming power she displayed, the stronger she became. The curse had locked that away, and her body had weakened with it.
In a way this whole fight had been a perfect counter for her. That bastard god who loved putting protagonists through crises must have decided this was the ideal stage to power Ban Taewung up. If I hadn’t shown up, some dramatic epiphany or a last-second push from Riri and Onohara Erika would probably have broken the curse and let her join the battle in a blaze of glory.
That future was gone now. Still, knowing how the world treated its chosen one, Ban Taewung would almost certainly walk away with some form of curse resistance as a reward. As long as the protagonist came out ahead, the world was happy.
Even setting aside Cheon Jang-mi, who was only just getting her feet under her, and Onohara Erika who was protecting her, our combat strength had jumped from three to six.
“Who’s taking the first move?”
“...I’ll go.”
Shing!
Lucia drew the slender sword at her hip. Sword aura sharpened along the blade—clear platinum mana edged with cold blue light. If I had to name it, I’d call it white-azure. The aura glittered like a blue star forced into the shape of a blade.
“I’ll back you up.”
“Taewung...”
Black-gold mana rose to meet hers. Last time the two forces had sparked violently; this time they didn’t. Instead of forcing power through mutual repulsion, the two streams began to turn smoothly, the wilder black-gold guided by the flowing white-azure until they kneaded together into a brilliant silver.
“I’m going!”
Ban Taewung answered by adjusting his grip. I felt something like the link between me and my summons form between the two of them—a mutual exchange rather than one-sided feeding. They were probably sharing a wordless sense of unity right now.
The silver mana gathered around Ban Taewung. Lucia hopped lightly onto the flat of his blade. He wrenched every muscle in his body, channeling the power into his arms, and swung.
Thoom!
Lucia shot forward like a bullet, leaving a silver afterimage as she closed on the giant. White-azure light traced her slash and carved straight through the monster’s body.
“.....!!!!!”
Cursed bones snapped. Rotten flesh burst. Even linked as undead, the giant seemed to share pain; it screamed and thrashed, toppling backward while Lucia drifted down through the air.
Crash!!
Ban Taewung hit the ground rolling and sprinted after her so fast that even Combat Focus couldn’t keep up. I mounted Growl and gave chase, but by the time I arrived he had already deflected a sweeping arm and caught Lucia in a princess carry.
“Impressive.”
Pure admiration came first. The giant’s remaining hand split into hundreds of smaller ones that lunged at the pair.
“Hup!”
“Haa!”
Whoosh! Slash!
Ban Taewung’s heavy swings shredded most of the hands; Lucia’s rapid thrusts and cuts filled every gap. They couldn’t block everything, but Ban Taewung reset his stance and smashed the rest aside with a single crushing blow.
“Flash.”
Crack!!
Lucia’s condensed thrust became a silver beam that sheared the giant’s remaining arm clean off. Moving as one body, they filled each other’s openings in a seamless dance of blades that looked like it could go on forever.
“Haa... haa...”
“Hoo...!”
That kind of intensity burned mana just as fast. The link only let them pool what they already had; it wasn’t an infinite well.
I rode past them on Growl, settled my stance, and poured mana into the blade of my halberd. Target: the legs. Unbalance the thing. The lower body was pitifully weak compared to the torso.
Whoom! Thud!!!
“Guoooaah...?”
The strike landed just as the giant swung its last arm at Ban Taewung and Lucia. Flesh exploded, bone snapped, and the whole mass lurched. Echidna was already there, loading her own halberd with mana and holy power; I fed her more of mine to double the force.
“Ugh...!”
The sudden flood of power made her face twist, but her body only moved faster. The blade, now blazing with clearer light, smashed into the falling giant’s head.
Clang!!
“---------Guuuaaaaaaaaa!!!!!”
The skull snapped sideways with a sound that shook the sky. Whether the holy power or the sheer impact did it, the giant clutched its dangling jaw and howled. Its constant motion finally locked up.
“Done!”
Shaaaaang!!
A colossal magic circle unfolded overhead. Geometric runes inside it turned like clockwork gears, locking into rhythm. At the center formed a massive ice stake. The giant tried to block; the stake froze its hand solid and shattered it on the way through.
Craaack!!
“-------------!!!!!!!”
Ice spread from the stake driven through its chest. In a final thrash the giant shed unfrozen pieces as smaller undead, but Ban Taewung and Lucia—now recovered—and Echidna’s holy-charged strikes swept them away without mercy.
There were too many to pick off one by one. I rode straight into their midst, dropped from Growl’s back, and unleashed my shadow in a net that yanked every last one into a single clump.
“Kallion.”
Far above, light flared. A milky-white beam fell like a spotlight and melted the undead—and my shadow with them—into nothing.
Checkmate.
“Guoooooo....”
Every struggle had failed. Completely pinned, the giant let out a mournful cry as if it finally understood the end had come.
Onohara Erika arrived supporting Cheon Jang-mi and frowned at the half-melted, frozen hulk.
“...Let’s finish it.”
She wasn’t performing for anyone. From the heart she wanted to grant rest to something that had become a monster. The same kindness that had made her stop me earlier. She was one of the genuinely good ones. Growing up as the daughter of one of the world’s top conglomerates meant she couldn’t be pure naïveté, but she still looked reality in the eye, understood it, and chose the right path anyway. That was what made her a true good person.
I’d known people like her in my previous life—stubborn idealists who refused to bend even as the world burned, who charged ahead to save others and died first. I’d seen them, been helped by them, and learned the hard way that conviction was something you never surrendered. That didn’t mean I planned to live by their rules.
I called Kallion down. Part of me wanted to simply erase the giant with his mana, but this wasn’t my trophy alone. I intended to leave the final decision to Ban Taewung.
I spent half my remaining mana forging a blade of shadow, then layered Kallion’s Holy attribute and Echidna’s holy power into it. The condensed mass of energy was dense enough that even a living person would probably explode if stabbed. Everyone present drew a sharp breath.
I gripped the faintly vibrating edge and held the sword out to Ban Taewung. Properly it should have gone to Cheon Jang-mi, the one most involved, but she’d done nothing to bring the giant down and I simply didn’t feel like giving her the choice. She already hated me; so what? Handing it to her would only make her glance at Ban Taewung for permission. Better to give it to the protagonist from the start.
“You decide.”
“Me...?”
Clean kill for a peaceful end, or hand the thing over to the government so its last scraps of life could be wrung for information. Everything rested in his hands. He knew it. Of course he did—someone had taught him. He stared at the blade, face serious, until Lucia reached out and took it first.
“Lucia?”
“Taewung, if it’s hard for you, I’ll do it. No—please let me do it.”
The link between them was weaker now but still open. Ban Taewung’s thoughts must have flowed straight into her. She understood and took the sword, wanting to spare the man she loved any pain, ready to carry the burden herself.
So that’s how you’re playing it.
Even after hearing everything about me she had still said she loved him. No lies allowed there. She had changed, yet in the end she hadn’t. She had always put Ban Taewung first; now she simply moved more aggressively to be useful to him. Devoted love. She would do anything for him—even dirty her own hands and turn her back on the world. The woman she was now could absolutely do it.
“...No. I can’t let you.”
Clack.
Ban Taewung’s hand settled over hers on the hilt. Through the link he must have felt that fierce, unwavering love. Even in the middle of all this seriousness, his eyes were practically dripping honey when he looked at her.
“Together’s fine.”
“Riri’s right. Burdens get lighter the more people share them. I was planning this from the start anyway.”
Hummm!
Riri and Onohara Erika stepped in to complete the circle. Their hands joined the others; magic circles and formulas layered over the unstable blade and stabilized it at once.
“...Riri, Erika.”
Ban Taewung’s eyes grew moist with emotion. He swallowed it down and smiled softly.
Blech.
Suddenly we were filming a youth drama. I stuck my tongue out and spat the rising bile. How long were they going to stand there? The sun was going to set. Just stab the damn thing and be done. Was that so hard?
I glanced sideways and found one more person watching the group with open envy: the black-haired girl who still couldn’t lift her head even though the curse’s effects had completely faded. Cheon Jang-mi, the root of this whole mess. She stood like a cat that had wandered into someone else’s house, an outsider watching the warm smiles with a pitiful expression. Her hand half-rose and dropped again; at least she had enough conscience left to wonder whether she was allowed to join.
Did she even realize that kind of hesitation was a luxury? She had mountains of work waiting and was still dawdling. Watching her made my chest tighten with pure irritation. Once someone got on my bad side, nothing they did looked good. That saying existed for moments exactly like this.
“Hey.”
“Hiiik...?!”
I whispered right beside her ear. She jerked away, eyes trembling with the fear and dread my skill had planted so thoroughly.
“W-what is it... hic... sir...?”
“That idiot is an even bigger soft touch than you think. Stop the pathetic self-pity and just go finish it.”
“...!”
She flinched, then started probing for my real intent. My brow furrowed hard; that alone made her shake like she was about to cry. I sighed inwardly. The fact that this girl was the designated next boss made me seriously doubt the quality of her organization. I waved a hand dismissively.
“Don’t overthink it. Just apologize with everything you’ve got. He’s dumb enough that it’ll be enough.”
“Tae-Taewung isn’t dumb! ...sir.”
Even with rose-tinted glasses on, she still snapped the moment I insulted him while taking every insult to herself in silence. And what was with switching to honorifics halfway through a casual sentence?
I scowled. She bolted straight to Ban Taewung.
“Rose?”
“...That’s an alias. My real name is Cheon Jang-mi.”
“...Yeah? Then can I call you Jang-mi?”
She nodded. Ban Taewung smiled.
“Okay, Jang-mi. I’m glad you’re safe. When the curse hit you at the start I was really freaked out.”
“It was pure hell. Mana blocked, strength gone... worst weekend ever.”
“Yeah. Super tired.”
They were deliberately creating an atmosphere for an apology. Soft-hearted to a fault. If it had been me I would have used the opening to extract every scrap of leverage.
Cheon Jang-mi fidgeted under their ordinary kindness, glanced back at me once, squeezed her eyes shut, and bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.
“I-I’m sorry. Because of me you all got dragged into this. Really, sob, I’m so, so sorry...”
Moisture thickened her voice until she was sobbing the same words over and over like a broken recorder. Ban Taewung and the heroines exchanged startled looks, then smiled. Onohara Erika stepped forward as representative, reached out, and gently stroked her back.
The warmth only made the dam break harder. Full-on wailing.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry... hic, waaaah...”
“It’s all right. You know you did wrong, so next time you can do a little better. And what fault does the person who got attacked have? The ones who attacked are the bad ones.”
“Mm... I’ll do better. I’ll do better...”
While she patted Jang-mi’s back, Onohara Erika shot me a brief, bitter smile. Strictly speaking Jang-mi was at fault, and Erika had heard every word I’d said. She knew. But she also knew that gentle encouragement sometimes cut deeper than angry scolding, so she deliberately told the white lie.
Only then, still crying, was Jang-mi able to slip into the circle. Wanting to help even a little, she poured her own purple mana into the blade the way the others had.
I let out a long sigh.
...I really can’t watch this anymore.
My spine was itching with impatience. This was already more waiting than I usually allowed. Warm atmosphere was nice, but people were waiting. Finish this so everyone else could rest too. I kicked Ban Taewung squarely in the back.
“Whoa...!?”
“If you’ve decided, stop stalling and do it already, you bastard. The sun’s going down.”
Thanks to the mana Kallion had scattered, every last trace of the curse had been washed from the second arena. The sunset sky above us was crystal clear.
We ended up in the ridiculous position of all holding the sword together, but results were what mattered. Ban Taewung gave a wry smile, then his face turned serious as he raised the blade. Jang-mi’s purple mana stretched out like a thread, marking exactly where to strike.
“...Here we go, everyone.”
““Yes!””
“Mm~”
Thrust.
No resistance. The tip sank in as if through sponge. The moment it reached the giant’s core the mana inside began to erase the body outright.
Sssssss...
The giant crumbled into sand and vanished. I reclaimed every last drop of mana.
The battle was over. As if to prove it, the effect of Subjugator ended. Torture still lingered, but the sudden vacuum where that endless strength had been left a hollow emptiness words couldn’t describe.
“...Ah?”
In that instant a flood of information from the Hive slammed into my mind.
Incoming.
What? I moved before I even finished checking. Having completely shut off my mana and then wrapped it around myself again made my reaction sluggish. The shadow crows I’d stationed earlier tried to intercept and lasted less than a second—but that was fine. Subjugator stacked again.
I maxed Combat Focus and watched the world slow. Startled faces. Ban Taewung still holding the shadow blade. I seized the mana in that blade and reshaped it.
A shield? Too late.
I spread the shadow wide and thrust my hand into it. The darkness hardened into solid armor around my arm. As if to prove this was the true way to use it, cladding my body was several times faster than forging a weapon. Normally I’d have cursed the difference, but right now I was grateful.
I wasn’t about to hand back the case we’d just finished cleaning up.
Underworld ties were light as a midsummer night’s dream, yet sometimes thicker than blood. If Cheon Jang-mi died here, Cheon Muk-hwa—the big shot of the underworld—would have open justification to move. That could not be allowed. Even under the banner of investigating a daughter’s death, an outsider, an underworld figure, stirring up the inside of the so-called greatest academy would look terrible. Once it was permitted, the same thing would happen again. No precedents. Refusing, of course, meant war.
For a split second I wondered whether I really needed to stop this. The thought was immediately shoved aside by higher priorities.
It was going to hurt like hell. A deliberate assassination from this shitty world. Nothing ordinary. One wrong move and I’d die without even fighting back. Still, I had a chance to live. I trusted myself and I trusted my summons. They would handle it somehow.
The prize was immediate peace. The stake was my life. No gamble without a price. High risk, sweeter return. No reason to dodge a bet I was certain I’d win. Right?
Cra—
Even in the slowed world the black object streaked in fast. Too small for an arrow, too thick for a bullet. The instant it punched through the shadow and buried itself in my hand I clenched my teeth, crushed my fist shut, and tightened the shadow into a coffin-thick shell around my arm. Sensation raced up my spine until my brain felt ready to burn.
—Crack!!!
Whatever had fully embedded itself stopped unnaturally and activated something new. Lead separated. What sprayed out began devouring my mana and vomiting curses.
My heart hammered. If I let go, not only Cheon Jang-mi but everyone here would die. Maybe Ban Taewung would survive. What good would that do if the rest were gone?
Mana strengthened in real time by Subjugator began fighting the curse. Something clotted in my chest. The copper taste of blood surged up my throat.
As if its job was finished, the cold lump of lead in my palm vanished without a trace. Ghosts must be laughing. Not even leaving evidence of the assassination. I supposed I should be grateful the shooter had already disappeared.
If you’re third-rate, stay third-rate and end it cleanly. Don’t get meticulous in the realistic ways.
Through my steadily blurring vision I saw Echidna and Kallion rushing toward me. I couldn’t black out. I had to purge this damned curse as fast as possible if I wanted to live.
Hold on.
Just hold on.
The ground rushed up to meet my face. And then—
And then?
“...I told you, didn’t I? I don’t forgive.”
A voice cold as ice was the last thing I heard before consciousness fled.