17 – Crime of Favor (5)
Prina stepped forward and pulled back the hood that covered half of her face.
Although she had a spell of recognition interference, so there was no need to worry about revealing her identity, she still felt a bit embarrassed, as her ears turned slightly red.
After shaking her head, she untied the hairbands and pins that held her hair in two braids near the nape of her neck.
With those still hanging between her slender fingers, she made a pact with the supernatural beings and spoke.
“Well, fools who ignore everything except the magic they’ve learned can laugh and frolic in front of their opponents. Those idiots who don’t even know that the flower petals I scattered with my own hands still retain their fragrance even under their feet.”
Thud!
With a brilliant display of dexterity, one black hairband grabbed hold of the doll’s leg.
And then, as if they had made an agreement among themselves, the magicians of Fluvia who were entering the arena, engaged in a heated argument, slipped simultaneously as if they had made a promise.
A moment ago, they had slipped on the wet floor, which they themselves had scattered with water, and dived headfirst toward the ground.
With a thud, the spectators who had failed to grasp the situation began to murmur.
“Rainwater gathers in the swamp and causes anomalies for those with narrow vision. If it were me, I would have checked the soles of my shoes before entering. The floor of the magic tower is all bedrock, not just dirt.”
Even when trying to stand up, as soon as her hands left the ground, she lost her balance and fell again.
At that moment, when Prina pinned a hairpin to the doll’s nose, blood burst out of the noses of the magicians who had fallen backward.
The curse that adds misfortune to misfortune.
To those watching from afar, it might seem comical, as if they were shooting a comedy sketch, but my lips didn’t loosen.
“Encountering just one of the Three Calamities or the Eggshell Bones is enough to break a person’s legs. You don’t deserve to walk out of this arena.”
A curse refers to magic that catalyzes resentment and sorrow, causing disasters and calamities.
The power and effects vary greatly, but if used incorrectly, it could result in a lifetime of having to use an ice water dispenser and do push-ups as a punishment.
What’s even scarier is that if you abuse the curse, you might receive scout offers from specialists in that field.
I stared at the swirling pink symbol that took the form of ‘snow’ in the sky as the clouds cleared.
Witch.
The remnants of the Four Great Calamities that remained on the continent, along with the King of the Underworld and the Enemy of the Sun.
Aren’t they busy? I didn’t expect them to crawl all the way to the tower to find their comrade.
“Well, why are the two of you being all lovey-dovey in the sacred stadium! It’s raining, so if you hold hands, you’ll fall together!”
“Ahem, please stop, senior.”
“W-who are you to… at this age, I’ve never…!”
“I’ll hold your hand for you, so put that in for now. And wear the hood too.”
I sensed the curse’s energy and threw the tip of the spearhead towards the witch’s eyes, who was looking around.
Just before it touched the gum-stuck blade, the smoke scattered in surprise, and the judgment declared our forfeit victory.
“It seems like they surrendered. Good for us.”
“Please don’t abuse the curse. I’ll take care of it from now on.”
“Interference device? Well, I already told you. It’s only for defense. No matter how powerful it is, I don’t expect you to handle more than one person.”
With confidence soaring to the top of her head after just one victory, she couldn’t keep her mouth shut when the next match started.
*
“W-why are you still fine after getting hit by my fire…! M-monster!”
“You told me, didn’t you? Burn your colleague’s precious thesis with that magic, and he’s still suffering as a graduate student in the labyrinth.”
“No way!! I-I didn’t do that. I didn’t tell anyone! I-I definitely wrote it in a place where only I could see…!”
“Stupid, wake up! The magic is breaking!”
“aaah!”
Using the Location Note, activate the curse and disrupt the opponent’s magic with the interference device.
The flames, now colder, were nothing more than a dazzling spotlight that illuminated the grandeur of the spear descending above my head.
As the victories piled up one by one, the gallery was filled with stories about us.
The fortunes of those who failed in their bets and those who succeeded in reverse bets were reversed several times a day.
—–
“How many consecutive wins do those crazy bastards have?”
They’ve screwed me over again with my precious points!! You motherf*ckers!!!!
— Well, goodbye~ Enjoy your meal~
— hahahaha, who would have thought the Haesoo School would be this strong?
— You still don’t trust our favorite hidden gem, Princess Freinana? She’s venomous, venomous~
— You can’t predict victory by trusting the Haesoo School, and you can’t bet on victory without doubting the Haesoo School.
—–
—–
“So this is… the power of the Haesoo School?”
What on earth are those trash hybrids I’ve seen so far…?
— It’s surprisingly impressive, hahahaha.
— I thought the first match was just luck, but Haesoo’s magic is really effective against other wizards if used well.
ㄴ From the middle, other schools also realized it and never gave out any curses, but ironically, they couldn’t do anything themselves because of the interference devices.
But why does the GoNick side always win? Isn’t it advantageous to have more mana when it becomes a stalemate?
Ah, if you’re a Sutli, how can you win against a mage throwing a spear? LOL
—–
—–
[Pre-Nanana-nim, please reveal your face soon]
I don’t know if it’s a man or a woman, but at this rate, they could probably curse all the guys who were trying to snipe them.
– If it’s Pre-Nanana-nim, they must be a woman for sure.
– Well, judging by how they mockingly call me a man, I think they are a woman. If it were a man, they would’ve just called me a gay bastard.
ㄴ Pre-gay-gay…
– Whether it’s a man or a woman, the fact that they came out together holding hands is enough, damn it.
ㄴ Weren’t all the gallery users just pathetic nerds with no friends? Or was it just me being sincere?
—–
“Wow, you’re here? I saved a seat for you.”
“What have you been doing?”
“Oh, I was just looking at the gallery like I usually do.”
Pre-Na greeted me as I entered the cafeteria after finishing my usual dormitory patrol.
At some point, she stopped hiding the fact that she runs a gallery, perhaps having loosened her guard against me during the magic competition.
So, at one point, I was worried about what I would do if she asked for my username like Sien, and I carefully examined my 23rd alternate account that the gallery users still hadn’t discovered. Fortunately, it was safe.
Is curiosity a sin? Instead, a few of Pre-Nana’s posts were deleted.
“Look at this. They might think we’re a couple.”
“Like the Fluvia School? That could be possible.”
“But, please don’t suddenly confess like that!? It’s really disgusting to have such a misconception!”
“……”
I listened to the impenetrable wall of Gonic, who had written exactly 27,000 posts until yesterday, with one ear and let it flow.
In fact, I felt a slight sense of responsibility for what was happening in the gallery right now, to the point where I didn’t know if food was going into my mouth.
Rupert’s plan to change the perception of the Haeju School, and my thoughts of strengthening Freina’s curse name to secure victory, all fit well.
However, as the heat of the magic world intensified and the main bait in the gallery became us, one side effect emerged.
—–
From Noble mtl dot com
[Mom, I want to become a Haeju Mage!! Mom, I want to become a Haeju Mage!! Mom, I want to become a Haeju Mage!! Mom, I want to become a Haeju Mage!!]
Do I just have to go to the second floor counter to become a Haeju Mage?
I’m going to apply for membership now.
– No, that guy is obviously a cursed mage lololololololol
– Epic fail at raising children lololol
– I heard that if you ask there, the security guards will come after you?
ㄴ Then where the hell do you join?
—–
The skyrocketing popularity of the Haeju School, which first showed its presence, and the application rate of the Aether School, which is soaring without knowing the limits.
In the end, it is clear that most of them will not be able to resist the temptation to become cursed mages.
I didn’t hope for this kind of future.
It was like the feeling of a scientist who accidentally discovered the nuclear fission formula that would lead humanity to extinction.
“What, what is it? You… You’re not serious, are you?”
“What? Oh, I was just thinking about the next opponent.”
With an overwhelming performance already displayed, securing a place in the finals and only one victory away from advancing to the semifinals.
I have to stop them. I have to gracefully lose at this point.
The Haeju School is actually nothing, and everyone should know that if they choose it, they will end up climbing the tower with tears from the 3rd floor.
At that moment, as I was contemplating the match schedule, I saw the name of a familiar participant.
*
“Hoo, let’s not give up at this point.”
After achieving 7 consecutive victories, Lilybell put away the short sword she had been using with little enthusiasm.
The more she showed her prowess in such festive occasions, the more she would lose.
The prize for winning the Magic Contest was a high-grade spirit stone used in the production of high-level magical tools, including the Magic Circle.
It would certainly be a great reward for small schools, but it was not something that the information department members like them would be particularly interested in.
“Recently, the security department has been so busy that sparks have been flying our way. Why are these strange guys ringing the bell at the information desk? We’re in a complete paralysis because the dispatches from the 2nd floor keep getting caught.”
“….”
“Sien-senpai, are you listening?”
“No.”
Sien, who reluctantly dragged her along and made her participate in the Magic Contest, shook her head.
According to the location note, from the next round, there would be fewer people, increasing the likelihood of being matched with the desired opponent.
Lilybell couldn’t understand why Sien kept searching for that name in the gallery, making a commotion.
After returning from their late-night date, she was just staring at the location note as if she were possessed.
“Let’s stop, shall we? It’s good that we were lucky enough to qualify for participation due to the qualification restrictions set for the magic competition held after five years, but isn’t this enough?”
“Lilybell.”
“Yes?”
“I told you once before that there was a time when I was defeated by someone while wielding this sword.”
Five years ago, when Sian was an inexperienced apprentice.
Back then, she challenged the apprentice sitting next to her who spent all day just looking at her location notes.
It was because she was angry that he never paid attention to her, even though they were both commoners and sat next to each other.
The fight, which seemed like it would end with a squabble like any other, completely turned her life upside down.
“Lucky to qualify, you say?”
Five years later.
Since joining the information department, Sian, who hadn’t even set foot on the first floor, was once again aiming for a chance at the tournament.
“I’ve been waiting for him all this time.”
“No way…”
“I believed he would definitely come up.”
The final passage leading to the middle floor.
On the 39th floor.