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Three days had passed since the spar between groups 1 and 31.
In that time, all the group-based spars were finished, and only the team competition was left…
But the team competition lesson couldn’t proceed as planned.
The reason was simple.
“Is Maltive not coming today either?”
“Yes, Captain. When I saw him in the morning, he said he’s suffering a lot from the cold he got......”
“The day before it was hip pain, yesterday it was a headache, and now it's a cold? Shameful. What excuse will he bring tomorrow?”
“Th-that’s, I don’t......”
The members of Group 1, Maltive, Michael, and Jakil—people who could be said to be the backbone of their team—all skipped class.
Sir Coulter asked in frustration,
“Maltive has a cold...... then what about Michael and Jakil? Are these two sick as well?”
“Michael says he has a headache, and senior Jakil wasn’t in the dorms. From what I heard, he hasn’t been seen since last night…”
“They really aren’t pulling any stops. Are they taking turns to get sick? I should go right now and drag them out by the ear......”
“Just leave them be.”
“Pardon? Professor Hydel, did I hear you right?”
“If they choose to do this while knowing that it’ll reflect on their grades, it just means they have already given up. So just leave them be.”
“Alright, understood. Goodness, these punks. To scheme like this to skip class just because they lost a spar......”
On top of that, Jakil Galehill was the leader of Team A, being the representative of the graduates…
Since the team leader was not here, the team competition couldn’t proceed as planned.
The reason why they suddenly weren’t coming into class?
Well, it wasn’t hard to guess.
The overwhelming defeat of Group 1.
The people of power that should be leading the next generation of the kingdom had lost to a countryside noble and a commoner......
They were too ashamed to even lift their heads in public.
Having his pride shaken more than anyone, our lovely graduate, senior Jakil…
“P-Professor Hydel!”
“What is it?”
“It’s about senior Jakil. He’s not in his room. All his belongings have disappeared and it looks like he left the Academy at night.”
“......”
…had even packed up his bags and left during the night.
But, Professor Hydel, what’s with your expression?
I swear your lips wiggled a little bit trying to hold back laughter…
There’s no way I saw it wrong, right?
“R-really? Did Jakil really run away? That’s a lie, right?”
“No, it’s true. I was suspicious too, so I asked the guard, but he said a Galehill carriage arrived at the Academy in the early morning.”
“N-no way......”
The few students who fully trusted in the Galehill name couldn’t believe it and muttered in disbelief.
Thanks to this, the ones in high spirits were Jason and the ‘Ruin group’.
“I knew this would happen. What did I tell you? Those Galehill guys only know how to bluff and act mighty. In reality, they’re weak and spineless. He ran away in shame.”
“Who are you to talk after falling unconscious as soon as the spar started?”
“Hey! Th-that’s because I let my guard down just once...... Ehem. Anyway, don’t try to start acting chummy with Ruin. We won’t ever accept you.”
For Jakil to run away and leave behind his juniors that followed him wholeheartedly when he was the one to make the divide…
He was probably really ashamed.
Well, he did talk a lot of shit yet ended up losing even after using six artifacts…
I could understand him a bit, but it still wasn’t a mature response.
Running away was his own choice, but because of that, problems were created for the joint lessons.
I raised my hand and asked Sir Coulter,
“Team A doesn't have their leader now, so what happens to the team competition?”
“ We still need to do it. But with new team leaders.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Yeah, but you can rest.”
“......Huh?”
Sir Coulter pointed behind me.
“The Director is calling for you.”
As I turned around, I could see the Director gesturing to me.
“Go. Also, if you’re included, it won’t be balanced. It’s honestly better like this. Let’s choose the Team B leader now as well.”
“......”
Because of them, I also ended up missing out on a class.
* * *
The reason the Director called for me…
This wasn’t hard to guess either.
Hadn’t I revealed the ‘Ogre’ behind my back to the entire world during the spar against Group 1?
However, the whole time we were walking through the corridors, the Director didn’t ask a single question about the ogre.
He only started talking with a light-hearted joke.
“I wasn’t sure if you could do it, but you really did go and defeat a graduate senior too. How was it, having defeated the youngest court magician in the history of the kingdom?”
“You weren’t sure? Liar.”
“Hm?”
“The one who called senior Jakil Galehill to the academy was you, Director. Weren’t you expecting something like this from the start?”
Hearing my question, the edges of the Director’s lips wiggled a bit and he smiled jokingly.
“......Oh my, looks like I’ve been found out.”
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - Jreaming
Proofreader - Artethrax
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* * *
“Fufu. I could tell from the start.”
“Right, you’re correct. I thought it would be a good experience for you. But I wanted the Galehills to learn something from this as well.”
“Learn what?”
“I wanted to teach the Galehills about humility. However, that didn’t go how I wanted. They didn’t seem to learn about humility at all and have just festered their vengeful thoughts.”
“Vengeful thoughts?”
The Director took a pause and continued to talk.
“The news of this spar had already spread to the capital. Since you have defeated the eldest son of the Galehill family, the nobles have started to say that the Galehills have started to crumble.”
“......Is that so?”
I had predicted at least this much.
But the problem came from the next part.
“Josh Galehill will use whatever means necessary to maintain his family’s power. It’s likely to put you in danger in the future as well.”
“......”
By ‘in danger’, he implied that there would be assasination attempts.
After all, Ruin Ardell had to disappear for the Galehills to continue reigning supreme.
As I nodded in understanding, the Director removed his joking expression and talked in a serious manner.
“Since this situation arose because of my greed, I can’t just leave you in danger.”
“It’s not your fault, Director. You only suggested it. The one that accepted it was me. And… I was the one who pummeled him. It’s not your fault.”
“I can’t remove myself from responsibility just because of that. As the director, I cannot put my students in any situation that may bring them harm.”
“So that’s why we came here.”
“That’s right.”
After walking through the corridors for a while, the Director and I stood at our destination.
The place we arrived at was the place the Mana Guardian Spirits were protecting, the area where even approaching it was forbidden.
The stairs that lead to the ‘Academy Underground’.
What was under the academy?
The living artifact Kingram.
“Kingram woke up from his hibernation a few days ago, and he said this as soon as he woke up. ‘I smell my kin.’ Looks like it’s related to you.”
“......”
“Go on down. Kingram will be waiting for you with a gift.”
I hadn’t heard that name in a long time.
The ancient ogre that I met right after I gained my abilities.
The friend of Draka, Destroyer of Worlds.
As soon as he gave me the one and only score of 100, he went into hibernation and slept for a long while.
But he probably woke up because of me again.
Because I ‘smelled like his kin’......
I asked the Director,
“Why didn’t you ask me?”
“About what?”
“An ogre appeared behind me out of nowhere. An ogre from a human...... There isn’t a spell like that in the world. Aren’t you curious?”
“Of course I am curious. But at the same time, I’m not that curious.”
“What do you mean?”
“In this world where an ogre who can speak the human tongue exists, wouldn’t there be humans who call upon ogres as well?”
“......”
Ah, was that so?
However, I could understand the Director’s intentions more than anyone else.
“Whether you appear with an ogre behind you, or you appear with a goblin head...... the Ruin Ardell I know is someone I can trust without a doubt. That is my reason.”
“......Thank you.”
The Director could trust me completely.
“Go down quickly. Kingram is greatly looking forward to meeting you.”
“Ok.”
I bowed my head and went down the stairs to the underground.
* * *
The Academy Underground.
Kingram, who was sleeping in the Artifact Room, abruptly said something the moment he saw me, despite this being the first time I saw him in months.
[Small Destroyer. Just what happened?]
“......”
As I hesitated to answer, he came outside his platinum statue and appeared as his real self.
“A deep smell of strength can be smelt from you. You’ve become much stronger during the time I haven’t seen you. Unbelievably fast at that as well! Not even Draka could become this strong in such a short period of time.”
“It’s because I’m a human. We don’t have much time to spare. As such, I needed to get stronger faster. There are still many people who don’t like me.”
“Ehm, a full scent of strength… and then, this? The smell of my home, Sky Mountain. And finally......”
“......”
“My father. The smell of Chieftain Kunkhan’.”
Kingram’s eyes landed on my gloves, and he asked with a sparkle in his eyes,
“Where did you get that?”
“I received it from the magic tower in the Empire. The tooth of the first chieftain Kunkhan. I then took it to Sky Mountain, and with the help of the ogres there, it was crafted into the shape of a glove.”
“You went to Sky Mountain?!”
Asked Kingram, reacting to the name ‘Sky Mountain’.
“How was it? Is it still there?”
Although he was still alive as an artifact, he couldn’t take a step outside of the Academy.
As such, this was what he was most curious about.
I replied with a bright smile,
“Yes. It’s safe.”
Afterwards, I continued to talk about what happened on Sky Mountain.
The story of how it was contained within a barrier and became a sanctuary that couldn’t be reached by mankind.
The story of the lives of the ogres that lived there.
Even the story about how I arm wrestled over 100 ogres.
As Kingram silently listened to the story, he would sometimes have a somber expression on his face. It looked like he was on the verge of tears.
“......Dammit. Telling me to arm wrestle an ogre? Is that even possible for a human? The average one is 5 times my size. But what could I do? I needed to do it.”
“Uhahahahahaha!”
And sometimes, he laughed so greatly that he may have been the happiest one could be in the world.
As my story came to an end, Kingram talked to me as he wiped at the tears gathered in his eyes.
“I thought I would live my entire life as an artifact, and then disappear from this world, but I never expected to hear such welcoming news of my home like this. Small Destroyer, you are my blessing and my savior.”
“It’s nothing.”
It was then.
Ring!
Accompanying the sound, a status window appeared before my eyes.
You have attained an achievement.
Your title ‘Friend of the Ogre’ has been upgraded to ‘Ogre Sovereign’.
Kingram continued to talk to me.
“Ogres always repay their favors, even if they must suffer through pains greater than death.”
“......”
“I am indebted to you. I will give you a gift for telling me stories from my home.”
As soon as he finished talking…
Ring!
Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!
An incredible number of status windows appeared before me.