366 – The Academy and the Mad Mage’s Preparations

At the Academy, recruitment posters urged participation in the Eastern Front. The empire’s most pressing concern, the complete annihilation of the Eastern Front demons, to preserve the national power being drained by war, was advertised.

Thus, the participation of many Academy students was encouraged.

The Empire, overwhelming all kingdoms even with a constant war front, would undoubtedly reign as the continent’s overlord once the Eastern Front was settled.

But careful consideration was warranted.

If the imperial troops stationed at the Eastern Front became available for other duties, wouldn’t tightening the noose around previously neglected regional powers become a simple matter?

Already, the former Duke Redburn, a pillar of the noble faction, had been beheaded by the current Duke Redburn, Roderus. And Roderus walked a pro-imperial path.

In other words, once the Eastern Front was dealt with, the Empire’s central control would become terrifyingly strong, and the nobles wouldn’t even dare contemplate rebellion.

An era of peace would dawn.

Unless Emperor Irid, soon to be crowned, declared wars of conquest against the remaining kingdoms, an unshakable age of prosperity would arrive.

And in peaceful times, opportunities for social advancement are rare. A commoner student, oiling his katana, muttered to the gun-katana wielding friend beside him,

“Isn’t this practically the last chance to gain glory…?”

“Huh?”

“No, think about it. What are we gonna do after graduation? Become knights for some lord, elite adventurers, imperial soldiers… But if there’s no war, there’s no accolades.”

“That’s… true?”

No enemies, no rewards. Unless the Empire’s regional powers remained chaotic, causing constant territorial disputes, all that would come to mind as ways to earn money once the chaos subsided were… dungeon delving or monster hunting.

Neither paid well. Dungeon delving was too unpredictable, and monster hunting didn’t offer high enough payouts.

Because monsters dangerous enough to warrant hefty rewards were handled by knight orders. And the mid-tier ones, like goblins, were cheaply dealt with by lower-tier adventurers.

The leftovers were always the middling requests, the ones that hovered somewhere in the grey area. Mediocre elites could only ever hope for mediocre commissions.

Wizards, at least, had it better. They could retreat into their mage towers and earn a living through magical research. But those who wielded blades? There was no easy answer for them.

“So, what I’m saying is, shouldn’t we jump at this? Making a name for ourselves there could open doors.”

“A name… with my skills? Someone who can barely manage a double jump? All I’m good for is survival techniques, dungeon delving, battling tentacles, raising mental barriers, catching thrown daggers, and gun kata.”

“It’s all about how you package it these days. Sure, we’re bottom-tier students, but even a meager talent can shine if you present it right. Let’s go, let’s sign up.”

And so, a portion of the academy’s students threw themselves into the demon subjugation campaign. And on the Eastern Front, a ghastly hellscape where veteran mercenaries went to die, they dealt with the situation with a suspiciously professional flair, racking up impressive results.

Those heart-pounding lessons with the maniacal mage had, somewhere along the way, transformed them into survivalists.

—

Selvier was working a part-time job, processing applications from those volunteering for the Eastern Front. Everyone was caught up in preparations, and this was the only way she felt she could contribute.

If only she’d studied illusion magic instead of fire magic. Then, maybe she could have jumped in and helped while they were scrambling to get ready.

No. Raw firepower was always a necessity, no matter what the job.

Even if she wasn’t involved in crafting secret weapons or concocting poisons, her legend as one who could project overwhelming firepower would especially shine on the battlefield. That’s where she’d make a splash.

Maybe she should practice some, you know, cool poses. Or maybe figure out her makeup…

As Selvier shuffled papers, pondering ways to make herself more appealing, the White Lotus Heiress and her entourage of aristocratic followers swarmed in. The White Lotus Heiress approached with an elegant stride and picked up a pen.

Selvier slid the application form across the table, asking, “You’re going too?”

“Yes. My father… ahem. My father forbade it, but battlefield experience will greatly benefit our family’s and my father’s honor.”

“You’re risking your life for honor?”

“If you must put it that way… I’m risking my life for the honor of my beloved family.”

Only a couple more syllables, but the meaning behind the words had shifted quite a bit. Selvier nodded. It was a reason she could understand.

A cheer erupted from the White Lotus Heiress’s fan club, which trailed behind her.

“As expected of the Heiress!”

“I’ll follow you forever!”

The usual praise had begun. The White Lotus Heiress brought a hand to her cheek, letting out a soft sigh as she spoke.

“…forever might be difficult. Once we graduate, we’ll all be returning to our respective families…”

“Huuurk!!”

*Thump.*

A thunderbolt struck the followers’ minds. That was right. After graduating from the academy, they would return to where they belonged. Of course, they couldn’t follow the White Lotus Heiress forever.

Some of them cried out.

“No, I’m… the third son of my family. I don’t need to inherit the family estate. In that case, I shall become the Heiress’s knight! That way, I can serve her for life!”

“Kuh, kuheuk…!” I’m destined to inherit everything from my family, which means I can’t stay by the princess’s side…?!”

“Hahaha! Too bad you’re weighed down by so much to inherit. You should’ve been born blessed enough to count your inheritance ranking from the rear!”

Joy and sorrow intertwined. In this topsy-turvy world of envy, someone suffered while another rejoiced. And Princess Baek Ryeom was the former.

How long are you planning to follow me…?

*Click, clack.*

Once they finished signing the application and shuffled off as a group, next in line was Baek Seol. Baek Seol offered a greeting, emotionless, to Selbierre, who was reflexively growling.

“You look lovely, as always.”

“Praise out of the blue?”

“From me.”

“….Yeah, I figured. You’re always the same, aren’t you.”

With her usual composure, Baek Seol wrote her name on the application. And next to it, Selbierre’s name as well.

“Hey, why are you writing my name without permission?!”

Baek Seol’s aura casts slow on a wide area, while Selbierre’s aura unleashes a fearsome barrage, also on a wide area. It’s a simple but effective synergy, so being teamed up together is very efficient.

Moreover, the two have combined forces before, so the likelihood of discord is low, and most of all, it’d be nice to go with a friend…

Without explaining any of these inner thoughts, Baek Seol simply summarized with a single sentence.

“Don’t you need me anyway?”

“What?”

“Instead of slow-thinking Selbierre, I filled it out for you in advance.”

Selbierre was so furious she almost activated her Burning Heavenly Oath.

Suppressing her irritation and anger, the proposal itself was actually welcome. Her connection with Baek Seol allows her to effectively project firepower onto the battlefield. If they go together… it would be reassuring.

She rested her chin in her hand, pouting, and waved her hand dismissively.

“I’ll accept it, so leave now.”

“Yes. I look forward to it.”

*Click, clack.* Baek Seol disappeared coolly, enveloped in a chill.

It seemed that most people who wanted to apply had already done so. As for Luna, she seemed to have joined by being employed by the Redburn family, so she wouldn’t be coming here.

She organized the documents, carefully put them in an envelope, and sealed it, before starting to walk towards the laboratory of the mad mage. Every time she headed towards him, she could feel her heartbeat quickening.

Confessing to a man who doesn’t see her as a woman was, at times, a painful ache in her heart, but.

“…What can I do if I like him? I’ll advance as far as I can.”

More than that, the flames of her love burn brighter.

Even if they ultimately can’t be together, she must give it her all in this moment, so she won’t have any regrets later. Selbierre opened the door to the laboratory.

“I’m back. Thirty-two applicants today…”

*Thud.*

The lab door swung open halfway, then snagged. A quick peek through the gap revealed the obstacle: the professor, a raving mage crawling on the floor. He was muttering something, eyes like a frozen fish.

Selvier, spotting Yuri Lanster on the sofa, asked, “Yuri unnie, what’s up with the professor?”

“Session withdrawal. It happens when he can’t session for too long. Right now, he seems to think he’s a sad little caterpillar.”

“…Seriously.”

How can someone be so consistent? Selvier glanced around, then plopped herself down on the prone, raving mage’s back. Her butt cheeks squished.

“………”

She felt a little anxious.

It was her own brand of playful appeal, something like. She’d seen Yuri unnie joking around like this, so she was giving it a shot. As far as Selvier could tell, the raving mage didn’t seem to mind.

Selvier blurted, “Why, Professor? Is there some reason you can’t, even though you want to? Session, I mean.”

“…Well, you see? I *want* to session, but is the timing not quite right given the circumstances? Or maybe it’s just that I have a lot on my plate –”

And with that, the floodgates of his complaints burst open.

—

He was stressed.

Which was only natural. He was about to take down a world-class, insanely dangerous b*stard. The stakes were higher than any fight he’d had before.

He knew he had to do it. He believed that sharpening his blade and chopping his head off *now* was the timing to minimize losses.

But…

The thought that someone he knew might die clenched his heart and spiked his stress levels through the roof. That’s why he craved a session. A person gets stressed, they naturally want to play TRPGs.

He wanted to. That much was true. But it was also… complicated.

It was a question of morals, really. In this crucial time, when he had to behead a black dragon, would he throw everything aside to indulge and play because he was a little stressed? Wouldn’t that make him a scoundrel?

But then again, it was the last moment, so maybe he could just sneak in a quick session before things kicked off for good. But that felt a little wrong. And all the while, his brain was dual-core processing, trying to figure out the magic needed to defeat the black dragon.

It was like a student facing the college entrance exam, with the computer constantly beckoning him.

“Aren’t the preparations almost complete?”

“They are. Almost.”

To the point where there was almost nothing left to do.

“Then you can play for a little while, right?”

“But….”

“Then, don’t play.”

“Heeing…”

Selvier wore the face of someone looking at a nuisance. I knew, too. That deciding on one thing was better than wavering back and forth like this.

Thump.

“Ugh.”

The weight of another person landed on my back. Judging by the feel, it was Yuri Lanster. She sat beside Selvier and said,

“Or, lift the restrictions on wrestling in bed, Mima. Then I can drain your stress like a bursting water tank.”

“Wha…”

The word choice is frightening.

“Anyway, Professor. An older brother I know told me… that people can work more efficiently with proper rest. They say ‘look around before you leap’, which is a great saying.”

“……..”

“Just finish what you have to do today and then play a little. Board games are fine. Or like, that kind of thing Yuri unni was talking about…”

Then.

Bee-beep. Bee-beep.

Contact from Revision 3, the Holy City. Not a call, a text message. With psychokinesis, I pulled it closer and checked the message; the sender was Bennet.

The contents were as follows:

The Evil Dragon will surely be wary of the Goddess, so it might target and attack those connected to her. Since I’m fine with the Holy Sword, but the Pope and Hero-Ping have combat power near zero… shouldn’t we have some countermeasures?

Indeed. Just as I hacked into the Goddess through the Holy Sword, if that Black Dragon attacks the Goddess using external terminals, things could get twisted.

In other words, I can only feel relieved if I reinforce Hero-Ping and the Pope…

Isn’t this session material?

It struck me.

I have no intention of throwing Hero-Ping and the Pope into hell to be exploited. I have no intention of squeezing out their emotions to make them ascendants. Because they already possess immense power. Just learning how to use it makes them more than adequate ascendant-level personnel.

The Goddess’s authority.

Hero-Ping and the Pope are directly receiving free benefits from the Goddess. Just using these appropriately should yield considerable power. If I create a session for that…

“Whoa, suddenly your eyes are sparkling…”

“It will take time for troops to gather on the Eastern Front anyway. In the meantime, a little leisure is fine.”

Thump-thump.

“Kyaa!”

“Umm.”

I got up straight away, tossed the two women on top of me onto the bed… and hurriedly prepared for a business trip to the Holy City.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

“Now that we’re at it, let’s enjoy it, fast and intensely, then go fight the Black Dragon with a clear head!”

“Welcome, Hero-Ping, and Pope… to my cyberpunk world!”