Chapter 126
Professor Ernst was staring intently at me, his chin resting on his hand.
The usual gentle smile in Professor Ernst’s eyes had vanished. His lips twitched, as if he was struggling to find the right words to say.
“Han Siha.”
Breaking the silence, Professor Ernst finally spoke.
“I’ve heard rumors that you… sent a junior flying in the lecture hall.”
Instead of earning good grades, I ended up sending a junior flying.
My reputation, which included making Creek bark and bringing a royal to tears, now had the added infamy of launching a junior into the air!
Is my model student image still intact?
“Hmm… What was the reason?”
Professor Ernst rubbed his temples as he asked, his serious gaze fixed on me.
At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if he decided not to write my recommendation letter.
Should I just apologize profusely and plead for mercy?
If it’s Professor Ernst, he might forgive me…
But what if he really doesn’t write the recommendation letter?
In a panic, I opened my mouth.
“Well… I couldn’t control my strength….”
I didn’t know if that excuse would work, but I decided to gauge his reaction first.
As I swallowed nervously, waiting for Professor Ernst’s response, he suddenly spoke with enthusiasm.
“Of course! That first-year must have been behaving improperly.”
“…Pardon?”
Professor Ernst’s eyes gleamed.
“He should have been completely destroyed.”
Huh?
I had forgotten.
Professor Ernst is extremely protective of his students.
His face flushed red with anger.
“That little brat, I should’ve…!”
“Uh, P-Professor?”
No, wait a minute.
I’m the one who hit him.
Why is he acting like he’s the one who got punched?
With a rare burst of profanity, Professor Ernst clenched his fist and raised his voice.
“What if you can’t go to the academic conference because your grades suffer? Will he take responsibility for that?”
“Uh, well…”
“He should be fostering a positive academic atmosphere. Where did that first-year brat learn such rudeness? If he takes my class, I’ll fail him on the spot. Does he not take anatomy?”
“I’m not sure…”
“Tell me that kid’s name! I’ll make sure he doesn’t have a decent school life!”
The professor was casually spewing threats that would have made any first-year’s legs tremble.
Sure, being biased towards your students is one thing, but this seems a bit extreme.
I quickly grabbed the excited professor by the arm.
“I’ll handle it, so please don’t worry too much, Professor!”
I found myself in the position of calming him down instead.
Professor Ernst spun around to face me, his eyes wide.
“We even had a chat after the class.”
“Ahem.”
“Really, Professor. I think it’s all settled peacefully.”
Professor Ernst let out an awkward cough, seeming to realize he’d gotten too worked up. His expression grew sheepish.
“Han Siha… you always think things through.”
A senior who thinks things through, and then punches a junior.
The professor’s overwhelming concern for his students was confusing me.
“So exemplary.”
“….”
“No wonder you received the ‘Good Child Award.’”
“Ugh!”
Damn, the Good Child Award.
I had forgotten about that.
I think I did receive that ridiculous award once…
“Yes, the Good Child Award…”
“I’ll make sure you get it again next year by submitting a recommendation.”
Oh no, absolutely not.
If I receive something like that after advancing to the third year, I’ll be teased for a week straight!
I instinctively grabbed Professor Ernst’s arm.
“Please don’t do that, Professor!”
“Hmm?”
“I think… that award is too much for me!”
“Hmm, it doesn’t seem that way to me?”
No, it really is!
Just agree with me!
“Do you want a better award than the Good Child Award?”
The professor mentioned another award, one given by the Department of Magic.
“There’s also the All-Around Child Award…”
That’s just as embarrassing!
How can the name be All-Around Child?
“I just want to live quietly… I want to live quietly, Professor….”
Please, just leave me alone.
* * *
Ardel Academy’s underground training ground.
Usually, I’d come here with Adela, but today, I brought Basilus and Kloshti.
The Sensory Cube that sent a junior flying.
Today, I wanted to learn how to use it in actual combat.
“Basilus! Kloshti! Come here!”
Trotting over, Kloshti followed behind the now significantly grown Basilus.
“Paw.”
Kloshti’s big, bright eyes looked up at me.
Tap.
Although Kloshti had caused a lot of trouble when I first tamed him, he now obeyed me fairly well.
“Kloshti Dificil”
A cheerful Ptera. Very serious about ice cream.
He’s very friendly toward you.
Level: 10
Mana: 50
Strength: 30
Agility: 50
Intelligence: 20
[Ice Blast Lv 3] [Mana Shield Lv 1] [Freeze Lv 2]
Kloshti had already reached level 10. He seemed to be growing even faster than Basilus.
Kloshti’s ability to summon and sculpt ice storms at will, known as *Ice Blast,* was becoming more refined with time.
As a tamer, my role was to amplify that precision with power.
“Let’s try something.”
“Beep?”
A target was hanging at the far end of the wall.
Kloshti seemed to understand my command and darted forward.
Woooong—.
With each step Kloshti took, mana began to swirl around him.
Kloshti’s breath quickly formed an ice storm, as if conjuring a blizzard out of thin air.
*Ice Blast,* Kloshti’s basic skill.
Adding to that, Kloshti followed my command and started to shape the blast into a specific form. His breath transformed into sharp arrows of ice.
Humans would need to expend considerable mana to create an ice arrow, but Kloshti could produce them as easily as breathing.
The efficiency and versatility of his skill were beyond what any human could achieve.
Fwoosh.
Fwoosh.
Sharp ice arrows shot out, hitting the target with precision.
Dozens of arrows pierced through the target simultaneously.
This was Kloshti’s wide-area attack.
Though Kloshti couldn’t comprehend the complexity of the technique, it was enough that I understood it. Kloshti was able to embody my intentions and execute them perfectly.
“Impressive.”
I couldn’t help but marvel at how much more aggressive Kloshti’s attacks had become compared to before. Even Kloshti’s previous weakness—power—had improved dramatically.
And my perspective on Kloshti had shifted as well.
“Kloshti, let’s try to distribute your mana evenly.”
The Sensory Cube heightened my senses, allowing me to visualize the flow of mana paths that were previously invisible to me.
“Like this.”
Fwoosh.
Enhanced by the mana potion, my mana flowed out in a more refined manner than before.
This time, I channeled all my power into a single point—a technique I had honed when I sent that junior flying.
“Ice Arrow.”
Unlike Kloshti’s multi-shot attack, I fired a single arrow that struck the target dead center.
“Got it?”
“Beep?”
Kloshti might not understand my words, but he could grasp my intentions just by observing the mana trajectories.
His round eyes darted back and forth, processing the information.
“Beep! Beep! Beep!”
Kloshti’s eagerness to mimic even my smallest movements was clear.
“Let’s try it one more time.”
At my prompt, Kloshti darted forward once more.
* * *
Late at night, when all the dormitory lights had been turned off, familiar faces gathered in the underground club room of Ardel Academy.
“Everyone’s here?”
Ardel’s resistance group.
This group, which had yet to engage in any official activities, was gradually beginning to come together.
I locked the door and glanced at the faces seated around the room.
Seymour Parker, Yoon Haul, Adela Stevia, Solia Arkenent, and finally, Lee Han.
The entire group was present.
“Is something important happening?”
We rarely held meetings, mainly because frequent gatherings would attract too much attention.
Since everyone had been busy during the break, it was natural for them to be curious about this sudden meeting.
I nodded in response to Adela’s question.
“Before we start, I need a favor.”
I turned my gaze to Lee Han, who nodded readily.
“Do you need me to cast a Silence spell?”
Although I had chosen a time when no one would be around, it was still better to be cautious. You never know where their ears might be hiding.
However… I wasn’t planning on using a Silence spell.
“Not that, but is there a spell that filters our words into something different?”
“Filters?”
“You know, something that changes what we’re saying into completely different words.”
If we’re all huddled together in a suspicious-looking space, whispering amongst ourselves, and none of our words leak out?
That would look even more suspicious, drawing unwanted attention.
“Ah, I see.”
Lee Han nodded, understanding my point.
“Does it matter what the words change into?”
“Just make sure it sounds natural and not suspicious.”
“I can’t fully control that, but I’ll give it a try.”
Woooong.
As soon as Lee Han finished speaking, a magic circle enveloped the entire room.
“No one outside should be able to detect this. At least, not easily.”
Given his talent for stealth and infiltration, I felt reassured and nodded. The security seemed solid.
I smiled in satisfaction before starting the meeting.
“Alright, let’s get to the point.”
“Yeah!”
“I called you here because of the academic conference.”
After all, four of us—including myself—were set to attend the Maze Cavern academic conference.
Given the spectacular events that occurred in the original story, it was certain that something far more dangerous than the usual academic conference would happen.
First and foremost, the dark magician Azent was going to make an appearance.
I had to inform them of this indirectly.
But how?
“Hey everyone, a dark magician is going to show up at the conference.”
“They’re going to steal the Cube.”
“Of all the places, they’re coming to find us at the conference.”
—Even if I said that, who would believe it?
I’d sound like I was in league with the dark magician or had some sort of clairvoyance. Even I wouldn’t believe myself.
“Academic conference?”
“You mean the Maze Cavern event?”
But there was someone whose words would be trusted, unlike mine.
“Yoon Haul.”
“Hmm?”
Yoon Haul’s eyes widened as I suddenly called out to him.
He might be wondering why I called him, but I just needed him to wait for a moment.
I lowered my voice and spoke as seriously as possible.
“Listen carefully, everyone.”
The mood grew heavy, and I adopted a serious expression.
“Something is definitely going to happen at the Maze Cavern.”
“…!”
“Someone might die, or we might lose the Cube. I’m not sure what exactly will happen, but I’m certain that something will.”
“If Siha is calling us together like this, then it must be true.”
“It might be dangerous, but we knew this was risky from the start. Right?”
Adela, Lee Han, and Solia’s expressions darkened.
“That’s why we’re all going to attend the academic conference.”
Seymour instinctively gulped and nodded. I emphasized my point to everyone.
“Instead of letting it be taken from us, we’re going to take it.”
“If we can steal it, we will.”
And…
We must make sure Azent does not succeed.
“We absolutely must stop them.”
Adela’s eyes sparkled at my words.
Seymour hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“If… something’s going to happen, we have to stop it.”
“Exactly.”
“We have to stop it, no matter what!”
As the others agreed, the mood grew more intense, with everyone nodding vigorously.
Then, Lee Han furrowed his brow.
“Of course, we have to stop it. But… are you sure something’s going to happen there?”
“…!”
“Who told you that?”
I smiled and shifted my gaze.
There was one person who had been spacing out and rolling his eyes the entire time.
“Him.”
“Uh… right?”
“See? He said so.”
Yoon Haul’s mind seemed to catch up with reality belatedly.
“W-Wait a minute. Me?”
I told you, there’s always someone whose words carry more weight.
And here he is.
“When did I ever say that?!”
Yoon Haul jumped up in surprise.
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