C77
"Can you give me more details about the situation?"
"The incident happened a week ago. The escaped prisoner is a man named Lucas, who was the deputy leader of the Parrot Thieves' gang before being captured. The leader is currently wanted."
"Do you know anything about the appearance or characteristics of the person who attacked Inferno?"
"Um, well, I've only heard rumors. They say he was an old man with white hair. There seemed to be two accomplices with him. They used dark magic to free the prisoners. What was it called... something of darkness..."
"The Power of Darkness?"
"Yes, that's right! You're definitely a magic school teacher."
Reina raised her voice, but Thad did not listen. An old man who could cast dark magic, particularly the high-level skill Power of Darkness, had attacked Inferno.
'No way?'
Thad suddenly raised his head.
"I'm sorry. I have to go now."
"Yes? Ah, I see."
He barely maintained his manners until the end, which was close to instinct. In Thad's eyes, neither the party nor the beautiful woman were visible anymore.
'Damn it! Of all times, while I'm on a business trip!'
It was said the jailbreak was a week ago. If he had traveled non-stop from Bashuka, he would have had enough time to reach Creas.
"Carriage! Carriage!"
Upon leaving the mansion, Thad jumped onto any of the waiting carriages. He opened the window at the driver's seat and shouted.
"To Creas! As fast as possible!"
“G- Guest-nim, and carriages here are all reserved. We can't take anyone not on the list..."
It was a carriage meant to carry high-ranking officials, so it wouldn't be swayed by a small amount of money.
Thad searched his pockets and took out all the money he had.
"Here! Take it. Will you go or not?"
The coachman, who counted the gold coins scattered on the box seat, immediately changed his expression and prepared to leave.
"I'll take you there quickly. Will we be traveling through the night?"
"I don't need sleep or rest! Just go as fast as you can!"
The cheerful sound of horses hooves pounded the night air.
"Damn it! I can't afford to be late."
Thad leaned back against the backrest and touched his forehead. He wished he could leap through space using teleportation, but casting it repeatedly in an unfamiliar place with unknown coordinates and environment would be life-threatening, even if he had ten lives to spare.
The fact that he couldn't do anything actually helped him regain his composure. As he grasped the situation, questions arose.
With what intention did he reappear in the world?
Thad has never met him or seen his face. However, the terrible connection he heard from Alpheus was still vivid in his memory.
"Viltor Arcane..."
Thad's eyes burned as he stared straight ahead.
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Just past 4 in the morning, Canis and his group entered the training grounds located halfway up the mountain of Alpheus Magic Academy.
They had never attended a magic school, but they could see that it was a top-notch facility as a disciple of an archmage.
A sarcastic voice broke the silence.
"Wow, they really spared no expense. It's like they plastered the place with gold coins. I wonder how much the land is worth?"
Canis frowned and turned his head. Lucas, a B-class wanted criminal, had a pair of twin swords engraved with a parrot on his shoulders.
"Keep your voice down. There could be guards patrolling."
"What's there to worry about? We can just kill and bury them."
Canis's mood worsened. He was traveling with Lucas according to his master's wishes, but there wasn't a single aspect of the man that he liked.
"Don't get the wrong idea. You were hired by us. If there is a setback in the operation, we won't hesitate to deal with you first."
"Huh, scary. Kids these days have it good. They meet a great master and feel entitled to talk back to adults."
Lucas plopped down on the training ground. Canis suppressed his anger as Lucas didn't hinder the operation any further.
'The most important thing is Master's revenge. I have no choice but to endure him, even if I don't like it.'
Yawning, Lucas asked.
"Anyway, why are we waiting here? We have to go down to the school anyway, right?"
Arlin spoke with a disgusted expression.
"Master will cast a spell. It's a wide-area magic, so if we are within its range, we won't be safe either. If you're confident, you can go down first."
Lucas shrugged his shoulders. Honestly, he wanted to avoid Arcane's magic.
"Hehe, don't get so angry, little lady. Your pretty face looks ugly when you do that."
"Hmph, I don't care how others look at me."
"Why don't you try dating me instead? I can teach you something more fun than magic."
Canis cut off the conversation just as Arin, who was blushing, couldn't stand it and was about to yell.
"Quiet. It's starting now."
The gaze of Canis and his group turned towards the sky. Arcane was floating in the center of the moon, casting the Fly spell.
Fly is a fusion magic that simultaneously uses two branches of the Air element, Press and Blow. First, a solid air pressure is formed around the caster using Press magic, then wind is generated using Blow magic to create lift. Although it was classified as Over Power due to the advantage of flight, delicate senses were essential because the wind changed in real-time.
As darkness gathered and obscured the moon, Arcane's eyes suddenly opened, his focus unwavering. Combining Omniscience and Omnipotence, he spread his limbs and cast Abyss Nova, the masterpiece of his life.
There were no roars and no terrifying aftershocks, but the sight of darkness covering the school was spectacular.
As the effect of the Abyss Nova spread to the outskirts of the magic school and dissipated, the moon reappeared, and the surroundings brightened.
"Huff. Huff."
Arcane took a deep, ragged breath. Even for the great archmage, this massive spell required 90% of his mental strength.
'It'll be difficult to recover for a while.'
Arcane changed direction and headed for the mountain. Maintaining the flight spell was difficult, but his anger only grew stronger.
As long as Abyss Nova spreads, there is no one to disturb him. Moreover, hadn't he raised disciples to prepare for such situations?
"Hehehe, wait, Alpheas. I'll make you taste the humiliation of 40 years ago."
he dark night passed, and a faint light began to rise from the eastern mountainside.
The Uninvited Guest of Darkness (1)
It was the last day of the suspension. Shirone and his friends, who had been studying at the inn until dawn, didn't wake up until late morning. After making fun of each other for a while, they took a bath.
By the time they returned their books to the library and entered the school, lunchtime had already ended. Since it was class time, the campus was quiet, and janitors were sweeping the stone roads.
"This is the end of our vacation."
"What vacation? Is the suspension a vacation?"
"Well, we still had fun. What are we going to do now?"
Shirone turned toward the dormitory and spoke.
"I'll go in and clean the room first. Classes start tomorrow, so I need to clean today."
"Anyway, I have to admit you're a neat freak. Fine. We'll be at the study group, so come if you're bored."
"Okay. See you later."
After parting with his friends, Shirone returned to the dormitor. ue to the presentation preparation period, the room was a mess. He rolled up his sleeves, began cleaning, and finally dusted off his hands after arranging the textbooks in order on the bookshelf.
The unexpected week-long suspension had come and gone.
But there were things they had gained. In fact, it was a realization beyond what they had learned at school so far.
'Finally, normal classes. I wish tomorrow would come quickly.'
It was natural for the progress to be delayed, and for the time being, they planned to focus on classes even if it meant reducing study group activities.
'Nade and Iruki must be the same.'
The pupils of their friends they saw at the inn were burning with academic zeal. A clear goal had been set to advance to the Class Four before the end of the semester.
At the end of each semester, Alpheas Magic School decided on promotions based on the overall grades, with a terrifying difficulty level requiring 80 or more points in every subject. It wasn't an average of 80 points, but a score of 80 points or more in each subject.
Of course, it wasn't an impossible score, but it was difficult for any student. It was because there were inevitably weak subjects depending on individual aptitude.
Nevertheless, the school's educational policy was firm.
Before entering a major, they were to acquire a certain level of knowledge in all fields.
That's why graduates of magic schools were expected to be able to use all the basic magic of each branch. It was also the reason why graduates were given preferential treatment in the forefront of the magic society.
Not all current mages graduated from magic schools. The proportion of non-magic school graduates who became disciples of magicians, gained enlightenment, or learned magic through the dark route could not be ignored.
Their strengths were abundant field experience and the use of magic suitable for practical situations. However, compared to magic school graduates, they had a disadvantage of lacking understanding of magic and having less potential for development.
Who to hire varied depending on the nature of the job, but it was true that magic school graduates had an advantage in employment. Thus, the 80-point standard set by the school took into consideration the current social and political climate.
"Ha, so what? In my case, I need to raise my average by more than 30 points."
No matter what realization Shirone had, this was still a school. To advance, a score of 80 or more in all subjects was absolutely necessary.
It was not impossible if he utilized the framework of knowledge. Moreover, by supplementing the knowledge gained while preparing for the presentation and studying God Particles, his scores would significantly improve.
However, even considering that, he thought the probability of advancing was about 30 percent.
'No, isn't it rather great? Advancing to Class Four in just half a year with a 30% chance.'
Shirone thought positively. Rather, wasn't it a probability worth challenging? If Nade and Iruki are promoted and only him remain in Class 5... The thought alone was terrifying.
In addition, once he enter Class Four, he will be able to apply for the Graduation Class. In doing so, he would also be able to keep his promise with Amy.
"Ah! That's right! Amy!"
He hadn't seen her once since the presentation. At the time, he was so excited that he didn't even think about looking for her.
'Ah, I should have at least greeted her. I was too careless.'
Amy was a grateful friend who supported him whenever he faced a difficult challenge. This time, he would be the one to support her. With this thought in mind, Shirone left his dormitory with a mischievous gleam in his eye.
"Hehe! She'll be so surprised!"
---------------------
Shirone headed for the Graduation Class with two cups of coffee in each hand. One belonged to Amy, and the other belonged to Cerielle. Remembering the days when he used to run coffee errands for Amy, a bitter smile formed on his lips.
'Back then, I really thought the world was falling apart.'
In retrospect, it was a relationship that seemed fated for the worse.
Who would have known that the mischievous girl he met on a backstreet when he was twelve would become his friend now?
Shirone climbed the hill leading to the Graduation Class. An arch, referred to as the iron gate, stood at the entrance. It was a much larger structure than he had realized from a distance.
'This is the pinnacle of the magic school.'
As Shirone passed under the structure symbolizing a mage's spirit, his heart became somewhat solemn.
As the 6th-period class ended, the students of the Graduation Class came outside. Shirone shouted when he found Amy and Cerielle conversing on the main entrance.
"Amy! Amy!"
The Graduating Class students turned their heads, but Amy and Cerielle seemed not to hear as they were still engrossed in their conversatio. Then, with a mischievous intent, Shirone quietly went behind them and held out the coffee in front of Amy's eyes.
"Ta-da! A surprise gift!"
Amy opened her eyes wide in surprise. Shirone grinned and offered the coffee to Cerielle as well.
"Here, I have one for you too, senior. Drink this and cheer up!"
Cerielle tilted her head. Amy blinked her eyes as well, and she said with a frown.
"Who are you? Why are you giving us coffee?"
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Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
