66 – Battle of Wits 8 –
Cosmos Professor is not as strong as Maximilian Professor, but he is a formidable opponent in his own right.
He is a very powerful opponent who possesses his own magic power.
And he is a professor who can legally access records about me.
He also knows the fact that I won against Maximilian Professor.
‘Without using the Awakening Technique, there is no chance of winning… If I use the Awakening Technique, I might be able to win… But can I win?’
I can win.
But it is difficult to win.
Because that professor is not the end.
This place is heavily influenced by the evil faction.
If someone intervenes while I have lost an arm, it will be the end.
‘I can’t use the same strategy this time… What should I do?’
During the last festival, threatening with the princess’s life worked.
But that was because they didn’t prepare, there are surprisingly many ways to suppress in the same situation.
Just by spraying an odorless sleeping pill, they will easily fall asleep without any suspicion.
I simply wasn’t prepared for it.
“Is there no other way?”
Professor Cosmos was one of the people who granted me the teleportation magic circle.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the magic circle, but it might be possible to neutralize it.
If that happens, it would be meaningless for me.
“Should I take a gamble…?”
For now, there’s a high probability that my magic circle is still intact.
The people who created this magic circle are senior professors or professors of a similar level.
The reason they weren’t suspected is because they already held high positions and there were no suspicious elements.
But even after confirming everything, there’s a problem with my magic circle?
Of course, it would mean there is a traitor.
Whether it’s true or not, there will be an investigation.
I don’t know about anything else, but once the Saint gets involved, it’s over.
So let’s assume this is a normal situation.
Then the answer is clear.
We should go together.
“…This time, I’ll give it my all… I will definitely find out.”
“You’re obediently stepping back.”
“Even if you call us idiots, we’re not idiots enough to fall for the same operation twice.”
“Huh. Thanks for the compliment. But even so, you’ve been fooled two or three times, right?”
The reason I made this choice is simple.
Because I need to deceive him.
If I were to turn around, I would naturally call the professors.
Then the professors would soon come here.
Even if Cosmos is an academy professor, he’s an individual.
It’s impossible to escape from Maximillian, the next strongest after the principal in pure power, and other various professors.
That’s why I changed the plan.
To approach him in reverse.
He probably doesn’t know how strong I am, but if he at least has a chance of winning, he will think I’m weaker than him.
Then naturally, it would be better to incapacitate him to prevent witnesses.
In order to prevent my location from being detected because of me, he’ll attempt to manipulate magic.
Now is the perfect timing.
“Unfortunately… an Abraxas student? Are you not going to inform someone else?”
Perfect.
I’ve got him.
I was intentionally looking back, and he was moving far away.
Perhaps he felt some suspicion in this regard and decided to detain me.
If he attacks me now,
I can create an opening using the angel and perform spatial transition while in contact with the princess.
So, this time, my victory will be—
“I’ve thought of a better way.”
Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something.
He made a simple sound by crossing his thumb and forefinger.
Then the Academy’s spatial transition magic circle attached to my wrist began to react.
It hesitated for a moment due to the sudden change.
What’s happened?
“The magic circle inside your body… it’s not for moving to the Academy, but for moving to a specific location.”
Of course, that makes sense.
I could create a magic circle for moving to the Academy, but there’s no need to.
It’s better to create a magic circle that can take you anywhere by just inputting the coordinates.
“But why mention that?”
Could it be…
“You plan to escape using me?”
“You understand well.”
Ha. He stated the obvious so confidently that it sent shivers down my spine.
I may be a first-year student at the Lirep Academy, but I’ve reached the level of an Oro Master.
‘Actually, this works in my favor. If he’s targeting me… my odds are higher.’
At this moment, contrary to his expectations, I am among the top tier in the entire empire.
Of course, that means it’s within the top 100 among the population of an empire with over a hundred million people.
But it’s still far from being a true powerhouse.
At the very least, they say he can’t stall for time against a professor.
From Noble mtl dot com
– First, reveal your presence to the principal and let them know to come here.
[Huh? Is it okay if I’m exposed?]
– That gentleman, even if I were to be chosen by a deity to become a saint, he wouldn’t show any change in expression. So, it’s okay.
The reason I haven’t been able to defeat him until now is that I was worried about other enemies around. Even if I could potentially defeat him, if others intervened, I might defeat him but still lose the princess.
However, if he’s targeting me, all I need to do is hold my ground in the end.
It’s obvious that defense is more advantageous than offense.
Preventing an opponent and enduring their attacks are entirely different challenges.
“Slowly, extend the time as long as possible. The angel will inform the principal of the truth shortly, so the principal will come within three minutes. Three minutes. I just need to hold on for three minutes.”
Three minutes against a professor.
It will be tough, but I can endure it.
I’ve faced another bishop before.
And if I die, this magic circle will lose its purpose, so I can stop it.
Against a weaker Cosmos than Maximilian Professor—
Suddenly, something beyond my cognition attacks me.
I couldn’t grasp the situation.
Why is this happening?
Why has this occurred?
I still can’t fully comprehend the situation.
“Could it be a third party attack…?”
Countless thoughts race through my mind.
I consider numerous possibilities to understand the reality.
“A surprise attack? No, if it’s an attack that surpasses my cognition, there’s no reason to launch a surprise attack. A power beyond cognition? Where on earth can such a person be?”
However, at that moment, the image of a person flickers in my mind.
One person, unknown to others, but someone I had clashed with.
“Could it be?”
I looked at Professor Cosmos with a bewildered expression.
“Hiding one’s power… It’s not just you, you see,” he confessed.
Could it be? He really hid his strength.
With this level of power, he could have possibly taken Maxmillian’s position as a professor.
He had been here much longer than Professor Maxmillian.
But not doing so meant…
He had truly been waiting for this moment for a very long time.
All for the sake of gaining an advantage by concealing his power.
‘Betting… It’s a failure.’
The worst-case scenario.
My body was in a state where it was difficult to move.
There was still quite some time left until the angels arrived.
Naturally, if I could utilize the magic array embedded in my body, I could reach the headquarters of the Dark Cult right away.
Should I give up?
‘Give up?’
Huh.
Since when did I care about that?
I am someone who died.
This life was never meant for me, the original owner of this life.
The one who originally had this life.
God gave me a second chance.
A normal human life ends once.
My first and last life had already ended 18 years ago.
“It won’t go as you wish… I’m afraid…”
“Don’t worry… I can’t escape from here anyway.
My role is… just to move you to the headquarters. I am destined to be arrested by the Academy Professors now.”
He seemed to reassure me, as if telling me about his situation.
I, too, did not blame him.
“I don’t really have any particular thoughts about the Demon Cult.”
“Grrr.”
Eventually, my body reached its limit and my eyes slowly closed.
As I watched Professor Cosmos’ hand approach me, my consciousness faded.
—-
When I opened my eyes, my body was bound.
The surroundings were dim, and there was a woman lying next to me, presumably the princess.
It was easy to distinguish her.
It was because her figure was similar to that of the princess, confirmed through my senses.
Creak-creak-
When I poked her with my foot, I felt warmth rather than any other trick to deceive my senses.
There was no reason to tie up anyone other than the princess.
“Is this the headquarters of the Demon Cult or something similar…?”
I surveyed the surroundings through my senses, but there was nothing that could be detected.
A clear situation of being trapped.
Now, let’s calculate.
My failure was my own mistake, so I won’t blame anyone.
This place is the headquarters of the Demon Cult, or something similar.
Since they probably know about the princess’s abilities, there are likely to be many strong individuals.
“What should I do?”
There was no other way.
There might be a way, but with the information given to me now, there was nothing I could do.
What should I do?
When I continued to concentrate on my thoughts.
“Um… Is there a way?”
Petra’s voice echoed in my mind.
What? You could have followed me.
Then you should have spoken up earlier.
I immediately conveyed my intentions to my guardian angel.
-Petra. So roughly, how many people are around here?
First of all, what I need to do is assess the situation.
If there are a lot of bastards, I can just draw out the Heavenly Sword and unleash my unmatched skills.
[Um, well… there seem to be many strong-looking people… and a large number of them. Most of them are weaklings, but the numbers… it seems to be in the thousands?]
Judging by the numbers, it seems like the main force.
But I hoped for a slim possibility.
‘No. Just how powerful was the Holy Heavenly Empire that this chaos is happening only now?
After the fall of the Soviet Union, the difference between it and the United States in 2008 should be nothing, so are the people capable of such stupidity?’
Of course, one-on-one confrontation is impossible.
The United States was the most powerful country of its time, and the Holy Heavenly Empire was overwhelmingly powerful among religious organizations, but it always fell short when compared to major powers.
The fact that the Holy Heavenly Empire is within the territory of the Empire must be a significant factor.
But even if the Holy Heavenly Empire has weakened, it’s only for internal reasons.
The lower priests and believers, who boast of their power to the outside world, remain the same.
People are causing a frenzy over the Holy Heavenly Empire weakening.
I can’t relate to them.
‘Is there any other way? I don’t know how strong the enemies are, but it seems there is no way.’
As I continued to think that way, in the midst of idling away my time.
“What happened…?”
Alice Tantolata stood up and asked me.
“Are you Avraksas Yongsik…?”
I felt something strange.
How does she recognize me?
Is she trying to deceive me? It’s too strange for that.
So I didn’t say anything for a moment.
I didn’t say anything about anything.
Only silence echoed in this room.
That silence lasted quite a while.
However, due to the reaction the princess showed, I had no choice but to cancel that thought.
Because a woman’s sobbing voice shattered the silence.
“Please… please… somehow… anyone… please…”
She was begging.
Why is she acting like this?
It’s probably related to the incident where her mother, the queen, died.
“Would Ayoon have acted like this when I died?”
I don’t know for sure.
But one thing is certain, she is the princess. I need to answer.
“I… I’m here.”
A brief response.
But a response laden with meaning.
Naturally, she might not trust me.
With her personality, doubt would be her first reaction.
The reason she muttered to me was that I had rescued her from the danger of kidnapping.
But the princess exceeded my expectations.
“Do you really exist? Are you real?”
As soon as she heard my words, she twisted her body in any way she could to get closer to me.
Like a newborn baby trying to reach for something.
Once she reached me, burying her face in my body, she sobbed, a new side of her revealed.
“Do you want to live?”
Calculations were over as I looked at the princess.
I recalled past experiences that I had almost forgotten.
Life as a human is truly full of ironies, with significant twists and turns.
Disasters that an individual can never overcome.
There are times when such things happen.
It’s meaningless to resent the world when these things come your way.
Blaming the world can be done from the depths of despair, but when disaster strikes, it’s best to be prepared.
“Yes…”
Her agreement flowed from the princess’s lips.
I gathered my thoughts and spoke right away.
“Princess, I have one question for you. If a cat and a dog are stranded, and the cat has a lower basal metabolic rate, if the cat eats the dog, it can survive. That’s the only way.”
The premise for executing this plan is the princess’s will.
The success of the operation is separate from the princess, but what happens afterward depends on the princess.
“Even if the dog eats the cat, both will die without eating anything. So, is it a bad thing for the cat to eat the dog?
And if the dog accepts this fact, does the cat need to feel guilty?”
So I had to ask.
I had found a way, but there was a possibility she wouldn’t accept it.
But contrary to my thoughts, the princess remained silent for a while.
She had roughly figured it out.
“Are you saying you’ll sacrifice yourself?”
And the princess had truly discerned my hidden intent.
I didn’t want to reveal it.
“Why…?”
Why, indeed.
When I thought about it rationally, that was the answer.
I’m not afraid of death.
That’s why I could place my own death into the plan without hesitation.
And having done that, when thinking rationally, I believed it was better for at least the princess to survive, rather than both of us dying.
If I could survive, I might have left the princess behind and lived.
But it’s tough.
So, even if it’s the princess, it’s better for her to live.
Because that’s what benefits this world.
“Why are you like this…? Have you turned against me? It seems impolite to call it loyalty, and it seems selfish to call it knighthood.
But you’re not at all afraid of death, and you don’t hesitate in your actions… It feels like you have no honor, wealth, or any meaning. It just seems like it’s become more convenient for you to pursue it. How… How can you be like this…”
I couldn’t say anything in response to her words.
Because it was the truth.
In my past life, I had already experienced the fact that my honor, wealth, health, and relationships could easily shatter.
And what I had felt at the end was that those were just means.
Connections, money, honor? They are means.
Nice to have, but if they become the goal, the end won’t be good.
That’s why I’ll save the princess.
Because that’s the kind of person I am.
“Your Highness, there should be a notebook at the back of the second drawer of my desk in the dormitory. Please make sure to check it.”
“Do not write such strange things. Why can’t we both go out together? Or at least explain why I am the only one allowed to leave.”
“Because the next person who opens that notebook might not be me.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Can’t you hear me?”
“Ah! If it’s the words of a benefactor who begged for my life, then I will listen until the end and speak!”
That notebook contains future information.
If the weakest Third Princess were to obtain that notebook on her own, she could aim for the emperor’s position.
However, the princess remained indifferent.
An atmosphere that will never yield unless I give a proper explanation.
“Fine. Well, since it’s the end, it doesn’t matter.”
Someone once said that one way to persuade others is through sincere communication.
Therefore, I decided to reveal my secret.
Why I am displaying such peculiar behavior.
“Your Highness, why do you think death is terrifying?”
Even a passerby would laugh at such nonsense.
People know why death is terrifying without even having to say it.
But because of my age, those words became a genuine question rather than nonsense.
Since I have never shown fear of death.
The princess thought for a long time before answering.
“…Compared to everything else, it is the unknown. Just like someone who is swimming for the first time fears the water.”
“That’s right. But what if there was someone who had experienced death? If there was someone who already knew what it feels like to die, how would they act?”
“What… are you talking about…”
I am going to die anyway unless a miracle happens.
So I will at least leave behind the princess.
And in order for the surviving princess to not feel guilty and to minimize the mental shock.
“I am not afraid of death.”
If the fear that humans feel comes from the unknown.
“Because I have already endured the pain once… There is no need to be afraid anymore.”
I have no reason to fear death.
Because I have already died once.
However, the princess was not inclined to believe.
Naturally so.
Who could believe such a thing?
So, I must provide a story that can instill trust.
“Your Highness… this is the story of one person. It’s about someone who, after living in a different world, obtained a new life and continued living.”
And a story that no one in this world would know except for me.
I began to share this story for the first time in front of someone else.
Surely the angel had already called for reinforcements (he didn’t ask him so he didn’t say anything xd)