In fact, although the result seems simple, I put in a considerable amount of effort.
'Yeah, it was tough.'
How many times did I go undercover?
Not only did I work to uncover the list, but I also recorded all the meetings between the buyers and sellers with the video record modifier.
It was thanks to my relentless efforts that I could confirm the suspicion in just one day!
Of course, when I handed it over to Professor Jorbi, I edited out all the footage related to Evelyn.
Actually, there was no real editing needed.
I just stored everything separately in another record modifier, just in case.
Anyway, the following week flew by in a flash.
The professors slowed down their lectures to give the exhausted academy students a break, and the students relaxed and enjoyed their daily lives.
And so, the weekend arrived.
"Friend!"
"Aster."
Sitting on the sofa in the dormitory lobby, I stood up when I saw the two boys coming down the stairs.
They were Damian and Chenbi.
"Did you come? Let's go. I've already gotten the permission slips."
"Let's go out!"
I moved with them outside the academy.
The reason we gathered on the weekend... well, we usually hang out together, but today's gathering was a bit special.
What was it?
The "Damian Model Student Project"
To announce its success and receive the reward!
"Chenbi, you look really happy?"
"Haha! I've always been happy, though?"
"Hmm."
I looked at Chenbi, whose face was unusually bright, and burst out laughing.
Chenbi, looking embarrassed, scratched his head.
He knew it too.
During the exam period, his face was a mess.
'By the end, he almost didn't look human.'
Dark circles under his eyes.
After the Ordeal of Trials, Chenbi, who had gained a bit of weight from the elixirs given by his friends, had lost half his weight in just a month.
Of course, this was the same for Phurion.
No, Phurion, who had less resistance to Damian, was even worse.
But, it's amazing.
People are truly remarkable.
'He looked terrible just yesterday...'
To recover so much in just one day.
'Well, he did put in a lot of effort.'
Even after the exam, his expression didn't relax.
At first glance, it seemed they were more concerned about Damian's grades than their own.
They really did seem more worried about Damian's grades.
- Hey! The rankings are up on the bulletin board!
Right after school yesterday.
The rankings for this exam were posted in the lobby of the classroom building.
Chenbi and Phurion were the first to jump up and check the rankings.
But not their own...
'Damian's, of course.'
While Damian was bouncing around innocently behind them, the two were practically glaring.
But.
- Ah, ah, ah...!
- How can this be?
The two were screaming.
That's right.
Damian's initial ranking was...
<18. Damian von Brandt>
18th place.
Not 17th, not 19th, but exactly 18th.
What must they have felt at that moment?
'I don't know.'
But what's certain is that their screams echoed through the lobby, leaving even the students who had gathered to check their grades feeling exasperated.
However, there was a twist.
- Hey! That's not right! Look up there! It says Deminen!
Was it a computer error?
A wrong grade sheet.
The rankings should have excluded the students who had been expelled, but they hadn't.
When the manager came and corrected the rankings, Damian's grade was...
<16. Damian>
Exactly the 16th place we aimed for.
Of course, the roars of Chenbi and Phurion echoed through the lobby, no need to say more.
No, they didn't just roar.
I thought they were triumphant generals.
How dignified and proud they were.
Of course, it wasn't all good.
"Aster."
"Yeah."
"Do you think I might have a talent for teaching? After I graduate from the academy, maybe I'll aim to be an assistant professor in the advanced class?"
"Shut up."
Oops.
My true thoughts slipped out unintentionally.
"......?"
I smiled warmly at Chenbi, who looked at me with a puzzled expression, and said,
"Did you know that the assistant professor was involved this time?"
"......I do know?"
"Do you know why the assistant professor did it? Because he was short on money. He sold the entire academy exam paper for money."
"......Ah."
Chenbi's face stiffened for some reason.
I pressed on.
"Chenbi, look. How long do you think it takes for an assistant professor to become a full professor?"
"Um... I heard 3 to 4 years."
I frowned at his innocent question.
"Who said that?"
"......Professor Falun."
"Do you know how long it took him?"
"1 year... I heard?"
I sighed deeply at Chenbi's answer.
Then I pointed at the citizens walking on the streets of Hagen.
"Can you see?"
"What?"
"People."
"Um, sure?"
"That's you."
"......?"
Chenbi tilted his head, not understanding my meaning.
"See, that ordinary person is you. Then, what do you think Professor Falun is like?"
"Hmm... I don't know."
I pointed at the sky without hesitation.
"Can you see?"
"It's blinding."
"Right, that's the difference between Professor Falun and you."
"......Ah."
It might seem cruel, but the talent gap between Professor Falun and Chenbi is like the difference between heaven and earth.
If Chenbi is an ordinary person on this street, Professor Falun is like the sun in the sky.
Of course, it's a bit exaggerated, but the essence is the same.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"......Macaron."
I grabbed Damian's collar as he tried to slip away and continued walking.
Anyway.
"From up there, can you see any difference between that tall man and Damian?"
"Probably not?"
"Right, that's why Professor Falun said 3 to 4 years. He wasn't talking about the average person's standards."
Actually, 3 to 4 years is a remarkable talent.
But to a genius in magic, both geniuses and ordinary people are equally uncultivated.
That's why I said it.
"But still, the professor must have taught many students... Some of them must have become assistant professors. Maybe he was talking about that?"
What do you know.
"That guy doesn't care about his surroundings."
He only focuses on his research.
Well, the only thing he doesn't neglect is his responsibility as a professor.
His attitude as an educator, I guess.
"Then... he can't be an educator."
I shook my head at the dejected Chenbi.
"Do you really want to teach someone?"
"......It might be fulfilling."
"Then, there's a way."
I looked up at the street sign of Hagen.
Was it the perfect timing of my words and actions? Chenbi followed my gaze, asking, "Where?"
"......Not there. It's C-23 district. We need to go one more block."
"Ah, okay."
I set the direction and continued.
"The way to take on a disciple."
"Okay."
"Once you become a great mage, a grand mage."
"......"
"Think about it. What are all the grand mages active now like? They're all from noble families or old war mages, right?"
Chenbi nodded.
"But, what if you suddenly become a grand mage? Would there be people who want to learn from you or not?"
"......There would be?"
"They'd line up. Right?"
"......I guess so?"
Chenbi nodded, not fully understanding.
I told him calmly.
"If you want to take on disciples, become a grand mage. And teach them harshly, like Damian... No, teach them harshly like you taught Damian. Even those without talent."
Maybe, that would be quite fulfilling?
That's what I thought.
Of course, naturally...
'If Chenbi can become a grand mage, that is.'
But I think,
'Dream big.'
Even if it seems impossible right now, if you don't give up and keep running, you might get close.
Or, a miracle might happen...
'You might climb up like Dahlia.'
I imagined.
If Chenbi became a grand mage. And if he still had the same personality then...
It's a hypothetical, an uncertain future.
But if it could happen, I thought,
'Hmm, hmm.'
How great would the favor be that a grand mage repays to his benefactor?
'Want to be an assistant professor?'
No, you can't.
You need to think about becoming a goose that lays golden eggs, not rotting in the academy!
I won't let that happen until I'm in my grave.
Anyway.
"We're here."
I stopped in front of a rather grand restaurant.
This was where the blunt and clueless servant Lancy invited us.
'I wonder...'
How did he know Damian was exactly 16th place?
He informed the academy as soon as the rankings were posted.
He said he would treat us to a meal and discuss the reward.
Probably, he's the one who passed the news to Brandt...
No, that's a bit harsh.
Anyway, it seems he has a good relationship with someone.
"Let's go in."
"Um, okay."
Chenbi, looking a bit intimidated, nodded.
And Damian was still...
"......Macaron."
Held by the collar, he was looking at the macaron shop we passed earlier.
Seeing this, I thought,
'Chenbi, maybe you were meant to be an educator after all.'
Improving Damian's grades like this is something to be proud of anywhere.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that time.
In a nameless bar in the back alleys of Hagen City.
"Ha-ha! Drink, drink!"
"What are you doing, kid! You have to finish it in one go!"
In the space filled with drunkards even in broad daylight, a man in a black robe was sitting.
His face was completely hidden in the shadows, sipping cheap beer. The door opened at that moment.
Creak.
The old hinge sound echoed.
Suddenly, a chilling atmosphere enveloped the bar.
The noisy drunkards fell silent at that moment.
"......"
"......"
The drunkards, still in their standing positions, turned their heads.
Their eyes were already a mess, devoid of any rationality, but the moment they saw the man who entered, a primal instinct beyond reason rang out.
How to describe it.
Danger.
It felt like seeing something that was human in form but not human.
The man's appearance was ordinary.
A decently handsome face.
Average height, not particularly tall.
The only difference from ordinary people was his skin, pale beyond white, like a corpse.
The bar was suddenly quiet, as if doused with cold water, and footsteps echoed at that moment.
Creak, thud.
Creak, thud.
The pale man just walked, and everyone's eyes followed his movement.
The suffocating tension was released not long after.
"You're here."
"You still like these smelly places."
"Only you. A guy who digs in the ground."
The robed man greeted the pale man with a very casual attitude, but the only thought in the minds of those watching was:
Run.
"Go, go, let's go."
"Y-Yeah."
The bar was instantly empty. Even the owner abandoned the place, and the robed man shook his head.
"Solion, you're really advertising. 'I'm a mage who learned forbidden magic.'"
"Cut the crap."
Solion easily ignored the man's taunt.
If it were any other time, they might have exchanged a few more words, but now wasn't the time.
"Velok, I need your help."
"Help?"
Was Solion's request unexpected?
Velok's eyes widened.
But soon, he yawned and looked at Solion.
"Hmm, you needing my help. I'm curious... But, what can I do? I've already accepted the request from the Order."
For a highly individualistic person like Solion to ask for help means it's either very dangerous or a big job.
It's extremely intriguing.
But, he had already come to Hagen City to assist the Order...
He made a troubled expression, but Solion curled his lips at that moment.
"If you're talking about infiltrating the academy, cut the crap. What are you doing here then?"
"The academy's security has tightened recently."
"Ridiculous. Isn't it your laziness that's tightened?"
"Well, that's true too."
Velok readily admitted his laziness.
Even if the academy's security had tightened, he wasn't incapable of infiltrating.
Solion knew that too.
"Fine, fine. Listen. This is a personal request and a request for the Order's cooperation."
"Hmm. A request for the Order's cooperation?"
Velok raised an eyebrow.
The Order is fundamentally individualistic.
When the Order seeks cooperation as a group, there are only two cases.
One.
When it involves the Magic Realm.
A typical case was this academy.
A foolish mage named Preszen lost an artifact that could create the Magic Realm and died.
'No doubt it was useless trash. What could a half-penny Prohibitor create a Magic Realm for?'
So, he was just passing the time.
The other case is...
"Ancient ruins have been discovered."
Ancient heritage.
When the Prohibitors talk about ancient ruins or heritage, it's different from what ordinary, or common, mages refer to.
Ancient curses.
Or...
Remnants of the ancient era, too profane to even speak of.
"Which one?"
"......If I had confirmed, I wouldn't have come to ask for your help. It means the ruins have already been found."
"That makes sense."
Velok, a Prohibitor specialized in tracking, searching, and infiltration.
If the exact location of the ruins was known, his help wouldn't be necessary.
"Then, you must have a rough idea of where it is?"
"Of course."
Solion nodded.
Velok was already half-standing.
"Where?"
Solion answered the casual question.
"......The Great Forest of Hameln."
"Huh."
Velok let out a sigh.
"Damn, it's going to be a tough journey."
Velok shook his head, as if the path ahead was clear.
But, he didn't turn back, and Solion silently followed.
"By the way, did you know?"
"Know what?"
"There's an old war mage there. He's quite a big shot."
"What? What kind of old war mage is just sitting in the Great Forest? Damn, this could be dangerous. Hmm."
His words sounded scared, but his expression wasn't.
Rather, it was the look of a predator.
'Well... it won't be boring.'
His eyes were like those of a hunter.
Collecting the heads of great mages was one of Velok's hobbies.