57
“Where are you talking from?”
“From the rooftop!”
“But isn’t that dangerous?”
Belatedly, citizens who spotted the man on the clock tower’s roof exclaimed.
“The initiation of the Eternity Academy, built with the bodies of those dying on the opposite side of the Earth, is today’s founding ceremony.”
The man was African American. Lean, clad in a black robe exuding an eerie atmosphere. However.
“What is he saying? Is he crazy?”
“Wow, the Eternity Festival is top-notch. It’s thrilling.”
People pulled out their smartphones, recording videos as the square buzzed with a mix of anxiety and excitement.
“It’s starting.”
“Did they pinpoint the exact location?”
“It’s a piece of cake.”
Han Seyun and I chatted at the edge of the square. And as Amelia and Elaine, along with a few other students, ran towards me from a distance.
From Noble mtl dot com
As I lightly chuckled while observing the puzzle coming together, the incessant chatter of someone named Scott or Skal continued.
“Someone get that guy down immediately!”
Eventually, unsuspecting agents rushed towards the clock tower to bring Skal down. And there, a massive crimson magic circle emanated from Skal.
Wheee…
It was meant to herald the onset of a great calamity.
The man, dulling the flow of all magic visible to Skal, was preventing people from preparing for the consecutive explosions.
That was the purpose of this magic, the “Large-scale Debuff Field,” an elaborate magic that interacted with Skal and the magic of eight comrades scattered throughout the square.
As I witnessed the activation of the Large-scale Debuff Field, I spoke up.
“Amelia.”
“Yes, everyone is starting.”
As Elaine and I, along with magic students Deoric and Kindle, watched, Amelia stepped forward holding a white staff.
Thus, as Amelia raised the staff to the sky.
Wooooo…
On one side of the square, the paper students sitting on the branches of the World Tree from Class 1 all took flight.
A cloudless, sunny afternoon in May. A thousand paper students soaring into the sky under the bright sunlight. Cheers erupted from the spectators. But for someone, it was a tragedy.
“Oh no!”
Startled by the procession of paper students blocking the square’s view, Skal, who was about to cast magic, was taken aback.
The activation condition of the Large-scale Debuff Field required space in sight. However, the sudden appearance of paper students blocked the view, disrupting the magical synchronization with comrades spread across the square. As the meticulously prepared magic circle dissipated like a mirage, Skal’s face contorted in dismay.
“These damn kids…!”
The square cleared as the students retreated. Still glaring fiercely at the reporters and citizens snapping photos with smartphones and cameras, Skal clenched his teeth in frustration.
***
“…We really blocked it.”
Amelia, who led the march of the Paper Guild, let out a surprised voice as she gazed at the vanished magic circle.
Pride swelled on the faces of the adepts, including Amelia and Elaine, who had orchestrated the march of the Paper Guild.
They had successfully averted the activation of an ominous magic amidst the crowded student square, turning it into a display of their prowess. It was an impressive feat that was enough to stir excitement.
And, as much as they were excited, I harbored doubts about foreseeing all of this.
“How did you manage to prevent it?”
Amelia’s question drew everyone’s attention towards me. At that moment, a scream erupted from the rooftop of the clock tower.
“Just die already!”
Standing on the rooftop, Scar poured magical energy into a red cube, which served as the detonation switch for a magical bomb. Yet, nothing happened.
“W-What is this…?”
Following Scar’s confusion, agents of Eternity rushed up to the rooftop of the clock tower. Scar, still writhing in agony, seemed to be preparing some magic.
“aaah!”
He suddenly clutched his head and collapsed to the ground.
“Phew, thankfully. It finally kicked in.”
Elaine, who had been watching quietly, wiped her chest in relief.
“I almost thought the curse immunity didn’t work. Seems like it kicked in late due to my strong resistance.”
“What kind of curse did you cast?”
I asked, watching Scar writhing in pain on the rooftop.
“Mental breakdown, distorted perception, vomiting, chills, itching.”
“That’s quite a list.”
“Well, I had plenty of time.”
Elaine chuckled proudly.
As I shuddered at the thought of what would have happened during the magical detection showdown without curse immunity, the events were far from over. Scar’s comrades were still around.
And by responding with a large-scale magic, they inadvertently revealed their own positions by emitting magical energy.
Knowing this beforehand, Cheon Woo-jin and Eun Ga-ye quickly rushed towards them as their positions were exposed, effortlessly subduing the two.
It seemed like the remaining ones would also be subdued by the agents, but…
“…They’re just gathering to die.”
As the mercenaries, who seemed prepared to escape, warped to the rooftop of the clock tower and gathered in one place, it appeared as if they were about to flee with Scar.
As I wondered how desperate one must be to pull such a crazy stunt against Eternity, the surroundings suddenly grew chaotic.
“Look over there!”
“Wow, a girl is floating up.”
“Check out her outfit, is it cosplay? So cute.”
Like something torn out of a medieval movie screen, a girl in a dress was floating up towards the top of the clock tower.
Realizing the girl’s identity, I muttered under my breath.
“…Noah.”
Of course, it had to be Noah. Couldn’t have been anyone else. Luck really isn’t on my side.
Engrossed in the festival, Noah Maxwell, with a mischievous expression and a pizza slice in hand, puffed up her cheeks.
Her hand gestured towards the clustered mercenaries who seemed ready to escape, but instead of fleeing, they stood there in bewilderment.
“…Did the clock tower’s magic stop?”
“Does that even make sense…?”
Elaine and Amelia were astonished.
Noah had frozen all the magic existing in the clock tower. It was something that transcended mere magic control.
Noah’s hand lightly waved, and the mercenaries, as if struck by an unknown force, lost consciousness and collapsed.
Following that, Eternity’s agents who climbed up the roof captured the unconscious mercenaries.
Wow!
Countless applause and cheers like a lion’s roar, flashes from the journalists showered down on Noah floating in mid-air.
“Well, this problem was resolved so easily… Ouch!”
While admiring, I grabbed Amelia’s ear, who was somewhat disappointed.
“What, what are you doing!?”
Surprised, Amelia stepped back and widened her eyes, to which I replied.
“Simple, didn’t we forget the red stones we found during the day? If we had left them alone, Noah would have blocked it, don’t you think?”
“I, I’m not sure…”
“What do you mean you’re not sure? Of course he wouldn’t have blocked it. People would’ve been in danger.”
No matter how great Noah was, it was impossible for him to block all the bombs that had spread throughout the vast academy grounds.
Even in games, if the player character doesn’t move, explosions occur throughout the academy except for the Student Square where Noah is.
Therefore, this was the result achieved by all of us in Class 1, including me and Amelia.
Right away, people were already talking about the “March of Wisdom” that had filled the sky of the square just moments ago.
Naturally, when the journalists asked if Noah had done it, he lowered his head, leaving everyone puzzled about who had actually moved the stones.
Well, it will soon be revealed that it was our class’s doing.
“…Alright, stop pinching my ear.”
Amelia, rubbing her pinched ear, blushed in embarrassment.
Amelia’s ears were currently elongated in an elf disguise.
And those were not just simple disguises; they were ‘real ears’ created through ‘shape-shifting magic’.
I was so fascinated by the way they stretched out that I involuntarily grabbed them.
Although I knew they were real, out of pure intellectual curiosity, I wondered if they could feel anything.
As expected, the reaction was more intense than I had anticipated.
“It’s all over now.”
“Yeah, for now.”
I nodded at Han Seyun’s words.
The mercenaries’ task was indeed finished. There was still one thing left unresolved.
But why is she like this?
Han Seyun was smiling brightly.
“See you at the performance later.”
“Uh, sure.”
As Amelia hurried off to prepare for the performance, Elaine, Derek, and Kindel dispersed one by one. Eventually, only Han Seyun and I were left. Scratching my neck, I suggested.
“Well, shall we have some fun together?”
But what should we do?
The worry about what to do for fun was nothing but needless anxiety.
The Academy Festival was filled with various amusements that were beyond imagination.
Aerial tightrope walking, bungee jumping without a rope, rooftop spinning swings…
The magically enhanced amusements were all so thrilling that they made one’s heart skip a beat.
Han Seyun enjoyed these stimulating activities with a smile.
“Ah, that was fun.”
“······.”
As I, who had ridden the Viking ride with her, pondered Han Seyun’s statement, I clicked my tongue.
I could maintain my composure since I had an unshakable mentality, but what about her? Finding joy in riding the Viking ride?
I lowered my head and muttered while gazing at the stage of the square.
“Was the first performance sword dance?”
“Yeah, sword dance, gunplay, fantasy, joint performance in that order.”
We soon took our seats in the auditorium with a good view of the stage.
Our class was scheduled to perform four different acts.
Sword dance, gunplay, fantasy, joint performance.
The first performance was a sword dance featuring Eungaye as the main performer.
─Ah, welcome! Thank you for coming to watch Class 1’s sword dance······
The one holding the microphone was Oh Jinhyuk.
“He’s clumsy, but ended up doing sword dance after all.”
“Well, so what. He’s just doing what he wants.”
Perhaps reminded of Oh Jinhyuk’s awkward sword dance, Han Seyun chuckled. It seemed she was unaware that her acting skills were at a similar level.
If I were to mention that, I might not even joke about what she might do.
“Wow, he’s a completely different person.”
As Oh Jinhyuk stepped down and Eungaye took the stage, I clicked my tongue.
A vivid, intense red and black hanbok that seemed fit for a historical drama. Accompanied by a cold demeanor.
Although I was worried about stage fright, Eungaye turned out to be strong in real performance.
Soon, with the fast-paced music resonating, Eungaye roamed the stage explosively like a wild pheasant.
Standing alone on the vast stage, she exuded a strong presence that filled the space.
Her dazzling dance moves played a significant role in Eungaye later earning the nickname Muhi (武姬).
Thus, starting with Eungaye’s sword dance, our classmates appeared on stage one by one, leading to a joint sword dance performance.
Clap clap clap clap!
As the sword dance concluded, thunderous applause echoed through the auditorium.
“You worried so much, but you did well.”
“Eungaye is naturally a bit dramatic.”
Han Seyun, subtly smiling like a parent watching over a well-behaved child, unintentionally muttered as I observed her.
“You’ve gotten plumper.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Did you gain weight?”
“Huh? Did I?”
“Ah. You’re here.”
Han Seyeon, tilting her head while looking at my white arm.
The white spirit that had surged within her was now clearer than before.
Han Seyeon, who had stopped looking at my skin, asked casually, “Should I walk more to get tanner?”
“Walk alone.”
Ignoring Han Seyeon’s pursed lips, I turned my gaze towards the stage.
– Attention, 1st-year Class 1 students, Lee Haesol, please come to the student counseling room immediately.
The announcement echoed through the square.
– Repeating. 1st-year Class 1 students, Lee Haesol, please come to the student counseling room immediately…
“Why are they calling you?”
“Well, there are so many caught that I can’t count.”
I scratched my nape.
Not only had I climbed the clock tower without permission, but I had also watched the performance from the roof, accidentally spilling popcorn and even forcibly breaking down the booth prizes to remove a bomb.
Moreover, perhaps it was due to some curse Elaine had cast on the roof. Anyway, it was definitely not for a good reason.
“I’ll watch the performance and be back.”
“Yeah, have a safe trip back.”
With a faint squeak of Han Seyeon’s farewell, I headed towards the student counseling room.
***
Meanwhile, on the stage, Class 1’s swordsmanship was unfolding.
When everything was executed flawlessly around Nikolai, Han Seyeon was chuckling at the movements that seemed like they were measured with a ruler (she had seen him practice with a real sword.)
Someone sat next to her while she was enjoying the performance alone. It was a man in a black coat with a fedora pressed down.
“Indeed, you got it right.”
“······?”
“Contractor.”
“!”
Removing his fedora, the cold face revealed was Yggdrasil’s Team 3 leader. Kim Dojun, the Massacre Executor.