Ep 25 - Academy’s Undercover Professor

EP.25 The Wizard Who Left the Courtyard The senior with the facial scar briefly explained the itinerary. "The journey will take about five days, including travel time. There's a pioneer dungeon nearby, or so I've heard. We'll cut across the forest, camp at the entrance of the dungeon, explore it, and then return." "Is there any change to our mission?" "No. The goal is to gain experience with illusion magic, so any monsters we encounter along the way should be dealt with accordingly. As per the contract, the more battles we engage in, the higher the incentive will be added to your payment…" Teary-Eye—clearly, he checked the contract's stipulations meticulously. Judging by how the archer and rogue were idly loitering behind, it seemed like Teary-Eye was handling all the troublesome matters. Just when I thought the negotiations were coming to an end, they started bickering over 'how much will be paid as mental damage compensation in case of personal insults during the exploration?' It appeared the discussion wouldn't be over in ten minutes, so I decided to empty my mind. The archer had elongated ears with many trinkets attached, revealing his elf race. The rogue's long tail was sticking through a hole in her hot pants and was coiled around her thigh, marking her as a beastkin. Other races… Born in a rural backwater where potato farming was the norm, and having spent my time in a Purple Tower with self-canned engrossments, I'd heard of other races and learned about their ecology and habits from encyclopedias, but this was my first time seeing them with my own eyes. I wonder if it's true that an elf's ears are their erogenous zones. I was burning with curiosity to ask, but refrained, lest an arrow sprout from my own forehead. While I was examining them as potential models, my gaze met with the beastkin rogue's. She lazily opened her eyes and sent me a simple hand signal. Pointing at herself. => Me. Pointing at Teary-Eye. => That guy's. Making a shape with her hand that would require censoring. => Girlfriend. (This is a significantly sanitized version). It was a clear message not to make a pass at her, as she was taken. I nodded to show my understanding and, curious, I gestured to ask if the elf archer was in the same situation. The affirmative hand signal came back. Could this party really be a harem party? I looked again at Teary-Eye—no, the teary guy—with fresh eyes. His face was pretty enough to seduce a lady, but I didn't realize he was such a ladies' man to have brought two into his fold. I wondered if love triangles were not an issue for them. Through hand signals, I asked if their relationship was harmonious. The answer came back that there was order within this troupe, with respect for one another and strict divisions of one's time with another, thereby avoiding conflict. My interest was further piqued. Just as I was about to ask whether the three of them ever…, I received a blow to the back of the head from the senior with the facial scar. The beastkin rogue too was subdued by the teary guy and received a scolding. The beastkin rogue seemed keen to boast about just how magnificent her male counterpart was, and I was quite eager to collect data on that account. Thwarted by the scar-faced senior for the moment, I was certain our conversation would resume in due time... --------------------------------------------------------------- Adventuring turned out to be more tedious and strenuous than expected. Walk through the forest, then rest. Walk, rest. Walk, rest... The elf archer served as our guide, leading the way while the rest of us trudged along. It would have been nice to gather data from encounters with monsters, but even they aren't fools. When a group of about five people wanders around, the chances of the monsters getting the better of them are slim—they knew it too. Surveying the scenery of the mountain ravines was interesting for a few hours, but seeing the same trees, the same stones, and the same butterflies flitting around me quickly became tiresome. Thus, the bulk of this adventure was spent walking… and cracking jokes as the main form of entertainment. Since the scar-faced senior told me to 'keep my mouth shut', I couldn't participate in the idle chatter. But it was somewhat fun to exchange covert hand signals with the beastkin rogue, looking on as Teary-Eye and the senior discussed matters with a veteran's air. By the time I had discovered Teary-Eye's underwear color (which I didn't want to know) and the elf archer's underwear color (which I did want to know) through the rogue, we had arrived at the dungeon entrance. An ogre was prowling at the entrance. With a stature of 3 meters, bristling with muscles, wielding a club crudely fashioned from a nearby log; it's the monster frequently tasked with blocking newcomers in many fantasy novels. It was no different here. In small villages without knights, an ogre was synonymous with a natural disaster. A single ogre could easily lay waste to an entire village. As a child, I too grew up hearing adults warn that 'if you don't work hard, the ogre will snatch you away!' However, for second-class adventurers hired from the imperial capital, he seemed to be an easy opponent. "Let me use this opportunity to warm up. Just stand by, and I'll finish this within ten minutes." "Ooooooohhhhhh—Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!" Teary-Eye readied his shield and longsword and stepped forward. The ogre let out a thunderous roar and charged towards him. I cast a motion tracking spell on Teary-Eye and began collecting data. "By the way, senior with the scar." "Yes, junior?" "How strong is a second-class adventurer?" "Just before the metamorphosis. If they succeed, they'll get the first-class title." When an unfamiliar term came up, I kept my composure, displaying a 'I have no idea what you're talking about' expression. Expecting the senior to kindly explain. "The tower lord hasn't explained it to you yet...? Maybe ignorance is bliss." "The two ways to truly infuriate someone are firstly…" "Every sentient creature has attainable realms. Through metamorphosis to transcendence. It's said the first princess has metamorphosed, and the tower lord has completed her transcendence." I decided to understand it in the way of martial world logic. From what I could gather, metamorphosis is somewhat akin to the pinnacle of grandmasters, and transcendence corresponds to the realm of sublime masters. To be honest, I didn't quite grasp it. I knew that the tower lord's ability to model was extraordinary, but I had no concept of the destructive power encapsulated within the title of a Grand Mage. That also went for the skirmish I witnessed in the Purple Tower... with the young knight. To my eyes, it appeared that the young knight was cutting at nothing in particular. It must've been the tower lord doing something, but I couldn’t comprehend what. Is this what the world looks like to a third-rate martial artist looking at the sublime realm? While I was lost in thought, Teary-Eye nearly finished off the ogre. He went about it like a professional butcher, methodically cutting the tendons in the legs to reduce its mobility, then bleeding it out to sap its strength. With just a bit of support, perhaps a swift strike to the neck would suffice. I thought it would be a good idea to cast an illusion spell on the ogre to cause it to flail aimlessly, so I raised my hand. Gathering mana, I twisted it twice and flicked it towards the ogre. Sparks flew in the ogre's mind. The spell I cast was "Blinding Mirage," a phantasmal spell that obfuscates the opponent’s sight with trivial illusions. "Wha—what the─Aaaaargh!" "Why suddenly can't it move...?!" The ogre began to thrash wildly, and Teary-Eye, who had been reading the ogre's movements, was caught off guard by the unexpected pattern change. Bang! Struck by the club, he was propelled five meters through the air. "Ro, Rowillen─en!!" ".......!!" The elf archer rushed to aid a flying Teary-Eye, while the beastkin rogue launched herself at the ogre. The scar-faced senior unsheathed his crossbow from his waist and began to provide cover fire. The well-managed battle instantly descended into chaos. As I observed the unraveling scene, I quietly knelt down and raised my hands. --------------------------------------------------------------- Tada, tada. The crackling of the campfire emitted a somehow soothing sound, relaxing both mind and body. Flickering flames pushed back the darkness of the night and tinged a part of the world with a rosy hue. How beautiful it all was. The rabbit meat roasting to a golden brown over the fire also contributed to the ambiance. There was romance in camping. And then... I had been kneeling with my hands raised for the third hour. My arms... were heavy. Is this what Atlas felt, bearing the weight of the heavens? So heavy is the weight of the world. I was drenched in sweat, making me feel chilled. Teary-Eye's arm was broken from the ogre's blow, now splinted and poured over with potion. Luckily, they said sleep would mend it by morning. Although he was injured due to a mischievous illusion magician's trolling, Teary-Eye’s expression remained bright. A few gems pulled from a letter from the first princess remained, compensating for the occupational injury. The scar-faced senior smiled bitterly. "Now you see why illusion magic is not mainstream, junior?" "Yes." Unless an illusion spell completely shatters the opponent's mind, it is rather problematic for party play. Instead of disabling the ogre, my spell had inadvertently caused Teary-Eye to get injured. If I had to use it, I would need to consider the application carefully. For example, if all party members possessed range attacks. Then, perhaps we could bind the ogre with illusion magic and strike from afar. "That won’t work well either. The large, fierce ones tend to charge toward the direction of incoming attacks." So what if we cast illusion magic on small and precious creatures to dominate them one-sidedly? "If they are small, precious, and weak, a single arrow would suffice. And if they're small but strong, illusion magic won't stick well, right?" ...What about using something like a "Madman's Fury" over a wide area like a goblin enclave? "That could be useful when there are no kidnapped victims in the goblin enclave." What exactly can I do with illusion magic? No matter how many applications I considered, I kept asking myself, 'Does this work better than a flame arrow?' and I'd run out of justifications. This feeling, the helplessness reminiscent of choosing a bottom-tier character in an RPG game... Does this mean I need to rise to the rank of a Grand Mage before I can stylishly sweep away enemies with illusion magic? "Indeed, breaking through the ogre’s mental barrier and casting an illusion spell is impressive... But junior, that's not how you use illusion magic." The scar-faced senior stepped forward, intent on restoring the Purple Tower's tarnished prestige. He made a solemn face and pointed to the hard jerky, crusty bread, and water flasks the party carried. "Please name your desired menu." ".......!!" The adventuring party took a moment to digest the senior’s words before trembling with realization of the entailed significance. To keep provisions cost-effective and space-efficient, one inevitably had to choose food that lacked culinary delights. If you pack kitchenware in pursuit of tasty cooking, that becomes a burden in itself. However, if there's an illusion magician... "The jerky... tastes like steak..." "Rowillen! This bread, it tastes like cake! Like the ones from Crownhall's dessert shop…" "…The taste of home." The illusion magician could significantly elevate the comfort level of an adventure party! That night, the scar-faced senior, who demonstrated spells like "Spell of Unfelt Mosquito Bites" and "Spell of Comfortable Pebble Bed", received cheers and applause from all. <fin>