Chapter 69: Planning and Interview

“….As you can see, when this Fluxus Potion encounters Kale Purification Solution, it produces a red precipitate and simultaneously, black bubbles…”

While listening to Kyle’s lecture, I recalled the story related to him.

Although there was still time before his scenario would begin, I needed to organize my thoughts in advance.

‘The problem arises when Kyle’s potion is stolen by his disciple and taken outside.’

The potion’s effects include temporary enhancement of physical abilities and mana efficiency.

Based on its effects alone, one might wonder why it’s a problem, but the issue lies in the side effects.

Instead of ordinary side effects that could be easily overlooked, it causes horrifying transformations in the body along with mana rampage.

‘The ingredients used and the magic employed in its manufacturing are all related to dark magic. Of course, this will only be revealed after everything is over.’

As the investigation progresses, the story eventually leads to Kyle as well, and the player ends up confronting him as the culprit.

Of course, during the early chapters, Kyle is not a formidable dark magician, but he is threatening enough to the level of the students.

‘…If it’s the current Dianne, she could probably defeat him alone, right?’

As I pondered over various thoughts, Kyle’s lecture proceeded smoothly without any issues.

Except for one time he called my name and praised the potion I made, he didn’t show any particular interest in me.

‘He must know who I am. Maybe he’s just keeping his distance.’

But what should I do?

I’m very interested in him.

There’s still time until his disciple triggers the event, so I didn’t need to worry about it just yet.

For now, I’ll just listen to his lectures and make preparations in advance.

“Senior, do you have time now?”

Lucia, who was sitting next to me, suddenly spoke up instead of leaving her seat like usual.

Normally, she would have rushed to the laboratory based on the clue I gave her last time.

“Why all of a sudden?”

“Well, senior mentioned it before. About accidentally creating that Slime Core.”

“Oh, did you try it?”

“Yes. I succeeded in making it as you said, but beyond that, it’s difficult.”

Oh, she already managed to do it?

Honestly, I didn’t expect her to achieve it so quickly.

If that’s the case, she’s about a quarter of the way there.

“I’m not sure what you want beyond that, but let’s try it together when we have time.”

“Later? Are you busy now?”

“Yeah, I have something to take care of first.”

“Where are you going?”

“To the principal’s office.”

Kyle, Lucia, and various unresolved issues were piling up, but first, I needed to meet the principal who summoned me.

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Louis Hartman, drenched in sweat from the morning lecture, was heading somewhere.

After days of deliberation, he couldn’t bear it any longer and decided to take action.

He got off the train and confidently walked towards his destination, disregarding the whispers of those who recognized him.

“He’s Monsa’s top student.”

“What’s going on for him to be involved with the Department of Magic?”

Ignoring the murmurs around him, he headed towards the lecture building of the Department of Magic.

Louis had his sights set on one person and nothing else mattered right now.

‘Ah, there you are.’

As the morning lecture ended, all eyes of the students poured onto one place, making it easy to find him.

‘Adrias Cromwell.’

He was wearing the typical robe of a wizard and had a slightly worn-out sword at his side.

If someone who didn’t know him saw him, they might laugh at his unbalanced appearance. But no one here could laugh at him.

‘A person who possesses the talents of both a knight and a wizard.’

It was the first time I actually saw someone with such a physique, even though I had only heard stories of their existence like ancient legends.

The founder of the Empire, Emperor Edmund, was said to have the same physique.

As Louis stood there with a fiery gaze, Adrias, who had been attracting the attention of passersby, stopped when his gaze met Louis. When his gaze fell on Louis, the gazes of other students naturally followed.

“What’s up? He’s the representative of the new students.”

“Look at him sweating. Must have come in a hurry. But why did he come here?”

The murmurs of the people reached Louis, and he clenched his fist.

This is perfect timing.

I have to take advantage of this opportunity.

“Senior Adrias Cromwell.”

As Louis called out his name, the students around eagerly watched the situation with anticipation in their eyes.

But Adrias, who was called, still had his cold and unresponsive expression as he stared at Louis.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but I finally came here. I know you haven’t fully recovered, but can you please teach me a thing or two?”

As Louis finished speaking, explosive reactions erupted from the surrounding area.

“Wow, insane!”

“What’s happening? Is the new student representative challenging him to a duel?”

“This is gonna be fun. Who do you think will win?”

People awaited Adrias’ response with hopeful eyes.

However, Adrias remained silent, maintaining his characteristic cold gaze on Louis before he moved on.

“Huh?”

A bewildered exclamation escaped from someone, but even so, Adrias quietly walked on, passing Louis without uttering a word.

His infuriatingly composed and cold demeanor froze everyone in their tracks.

As Adrias continued on his way and disappeared from sight, people finally started to open their mouths one by one.

“What was that?”

“He just left.”

“Get lost, rookie. Is that what it means?”

“Maybe it’s because his injuries haven’t fully healed yet?”

“What a shame. I don’t like the idea of a wizard wielding a sword.”

As the reactions of the people exploded, Louis remained rooted to the spot.

No, he couldn’t move.

‘Does no one… feel it?’

Was I the only one who felt this pressure?

Louis barely managed to exhale a breath.

Then, slowly, he turned his head to gaze at the empty street where Adrias had disappeared.

The vacant scenery felt just like his vanished determination.

‘I still have a long way to go. I need to become stronger.’

Confronting Adrias in person made Louis realize that.

While people around him were talking about him being the sacred prodigy of Monas, breaking all the records, the world was still vast, and there were many powerful individuals.

Moreover, Adrias Cromwell had spent three years at the academy without revealing his true capabilities.

There were likely hidden powerhouses apart from him as well.

‘The next time we meet, I will definitely stop your footsteps.’

His determination, which had disappeared, was now replaced with a new resolve in his heart.

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As he boarded the train heading towards the administrative district where the headmaster’s office was located, Adrias awkwardly scratched his head.

Surely, Louis wouldn’t come to find me, right?

I hadn’t even thought about it.

This situation felt like a superstar had come to personally find me.

‘Thanks to that, I was too nervous and couldn’t say anything as he passed by.’

I never imagined that I would have such a reaction.

Perhaps my subconscious regarded Louis much more highly than I realized.

‘It’s true that he’s remarkable. He’s practically the protagonist of this world.’

I should have at least responded.

In the sudden situation, I was both taken aback and tense, so I just let it pass.

Since I had to go to the headmaster’s office anyway, I couldn’t fulfill his request, which made me feel somewhat apologetic.

‘Moreover, I unintentionally emitted an aura due to my nervousness…’

But it’s Louis, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

While I was organizing my thoughts about Louis, the train quickly arrived at the central administrative district.

Honestly, with so much to do, it felt like my time was being stolen, but since it was the headmaster who called, I couldn’t refuse.

‘I don’t know what will happen, but I need to restore the undead first.’

Especially for Nickel, whose left arm had been severed, I needed to utilize the corpse of Hozan that I obtained.

In truth, as a powerful villain approaching the level of the Aura Master, I wanted to summon him as an undead, but ultimately, I decided to use his corpse to repair my own undead.

With no time to spare, I had delayed it, but now I had to fix them today due to the unexpected summon from the headmaster.

If I could finish my tasks quickly and return, maybe I could try the summoning.

‘I also need to deal with the swords I obtained from killing Hozan, and there’s a mountain of tasks to accomplish.’

There was a total of 11 swords, excluding the demonic sword Hwaran, which Nickel destroyed.

Honestly, apart from Hwaran and Sword Breaker, there weren’t any outstanding swords among them.

‘Fortunately, Benjamin came to watch the final match, so that’s a relief.’

The purpose of these swords was none other than to serve as food for Rubens, Benjamin’s signature demonic sword. Rubens was a growth-type demonic sword that devoured other swords and enhanced its performance.

Since I had made a separate appointment with Benjamin to meet later, I would hand them over to him then.

Lost in thought, I suddenly found myself at the main building where the headmaster’s office was located. It felt awkward to see no one despite the building’s immense size.

Fortunately, I saw Morgan waiting as if he had been waiting for my arrival, as he emerged from a magical elevator.

“Ah! Student Adrias!”

He approached me with a pleased expression.

“Thank you for coming. Allow me to guide you to the headmaster’s office.”

“Thank you.”

I followed him into the elevator and ascended.

How convenient it would be if the Rodren Magic Tower had such an elevator, ensuring one never got lost.

After a short while, the elevator stopped at our destination.

Morgan took the lead, and I followed, eventually arriving at the door that led to the headmaster’s office.

Smart.

“Morgan here. I have brought Student Adrias.”

“Yes, come in.”

Deos’ voice came from inside, and Morgan opened the door.

As I entered with Morgan, an ordinary-looking office came into view.

The headmaster, Deos Canian, was an elderly man with a luxurious beard and long white hair, resembling someone you would see in a movie. His kind appearance and easygoing personality earned him the respect of the students at the academy.

‘Though he appears this way on the surface, this gentleman has a bit of a mischievous side.’

Still, he wasn’t evil or anything, so there was no need to be overly cautious. However, it was important not to underestimate him.

And he had another hidden secret…

“Then I will take my leave to attend to my duties.”

“Thank you, Morgan. You’ve done well.”

As Morgan left, I finally spoke to Deos.

“I’m Adrias Cromwell. I heard you called for me.”

“Yes, Adrias. I’ve been waiting for you. Did you enjoy the lecture?”

He smiled calmly and gestured for me to take a seat.

Then he began to brew tea himself, showing his knack for earning goodwill through small actions.

“Yes, even as a fourth-year student, I still feel there is much to learn.”

“Haha, learning knows no end. Even at my age, there is always something new to learn.”

He held a cup of tea he had brewed himself and placed it in front of me.

I hope he will finally tell me the reason for summoning me.

“Are you busy by any chance?”

“No, I don’t have any afternoon lectures today, so I’m available.”

“Good to hear.”

With those words, he fell silent and stared at the teapot without saying anything.

A strange passage of time ensued.

‘He knows how to create psychological pressure.’

It’s a tactic often used in negotiations.

Since I was already here, I decided not to rush and let myself be consumed by impatience.

Regardless of the reason for summoning me, there was nothing for me to be called out for.

‘There’s no way he found out about my dark magic, and if he did, it wouldn’t be a meeting with the headmaster but an attack from the heads of the academy or Bart.’

After a bit of time passed, Deos finally started pouring tea into the cups.

“As for you, Adrias…”

While pouring tea, Deos opened his mouth and dragged the conversation in a peculiar way.

What is it?

“You’ve changed a lot. You don’t seem like an ordinary student.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Usually, students feel uneasy when they enter the headmaster’s office. Adrias, you used to be like that too. Hahaha.”

Did I have an encounter with the headmaster in the past?

Not all academy students had a meeting with the headmaster.

Recalling my memories, there was one instance when I had a meeting with him due to my father’s passing.

“I wasn’t in the right state of mind back then.”

Still, there’s no need to be shaken by it.

If anything, showing any signs of being unsettled will only give that cunning old man a chance to take hold of me.

Without saying a word, I simply took a sip of the tea provided by Deos.

Observing my response, Deos also took a sip and then began to speak.

“That aside, Adrias, are you satisfied with your current lifestyle?”

“Yes, there’s nothing more I could ask for.”

Hearing my answer, Deos cleared his throat and looked at the cup for a moment before speaking again.

“Adrias, by any chance…”

What is it with the suspense?

Is he trying to inquire about my dual core?

“By any chance, do you have any thoughts of changing your major?”

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