Chapter 176
831BFLeBzzzt!OwC
R6UehDozens of lightning bolts struck simultaneously. The targets were destroyed in a single blow.qnfdE
8AxSDRNClap, clap, clap.87MCh
OWpUiN“Your lightning control has improved. I can tell you’ve learned a lot at the Academy.”E8LMVWe
R6qPEX3It was the sound of his father clapping.6jTyWh
EaXEj4“I still have a long way to go.”6GS1
P5a0BsFThe mage Carlo Deneb shook his head.bjBLU
icYgvGCLike anyone entering the Academy, he had arrived full of dreams about a bright future.UZarBnM
RY6kCarlo was no different.1Ht1kxq
PYRFrom the entrance exam, when he surpassed the prince himself and was crowned top of his class, he firmly believed he would become the greatest mage of all.xDCuHs0
t4N0ZAt least during the first year, that belief didn’t change. But by the second year, everything turned upside down.RdfOq
2hArNot only Ludger Schwaben, even Fernan Pellenberg, who had once ranked tenth, had surpassed him.4dh
hp4OHThe worst part was that he no longer felt confident he could take back the top spot.8bvV
c2a“I heard you lost your first place. But don’t rush things.”NAA
bC5jDRHis father gently waved his hand, and with the flow of mana, the shattered remains of the targets settled onto the ground.H0qZHi
6pN“At your age, it may seem like the Academy is everything. I used to think the same. But once you graduate, you’ll realize there’s a much wider world out there. Falling behind a bit there doesn’t mean you’re behind forever.”aQHLrOC
wsKLRrL“I’ll keep that in mind.”ezMK
FVK1Xwm“And stop relying so much on elixirs.”Rn7gC
ii09Ry“……”3ovE
Ytz8y“You already know they’re not always good.”pIT
GnPSu6b“Yes, I know.”LxCQpl7
Eo419OSCarlo nodded, though he wasn’t fully convinced deep down.WK3C6
1K9CRRo“Alright, that’s all. Are you ready to go?”MmJs0f7
ZpsJ“Yes.”3wo50
9WRGb“You requested this. It’s a personal tutor lesson. Make the most of it and learn without regrets.”lB8
1c5zqp“Yes.”BBxVq2
1ojgFThe personal tutor system was something unique to the Imperial Armian Academy.hyJ1T
50CoE5It wasn’t a big deal during vacation—a professor with free time would dedicate a whole month to training a single student.mOems
YT428mIt could include theoretical classes, practical training, and even research support. It was, literally, direct and constant supervision.iWUIS
BfK1i7The downside was that it required a massive donation to access, and the professor assigned was random.UqF4dG
L24That’s why few students applied. But Carlo had clung to that sliver of hope.mdi
UIf5gBIf he got a great professor, perfect. Even if not, all Academy professors were high-level mages, so it would still be worth something.UYgLm
Plvi1gDays later, upon arriving at the Academy, Carlo found himself seated in front of his designated professor for the month.WdVDqJ
duD“Long time no see, Carlo.”M2JB91n
89dbThe professor of “Illusion and Fantasy,” Dominique Colsner, adjusted his monocle.vtKW89R
wxFf“You’ll be my tutor?”3ojjk
nLhM“That’s right.”2RobU
xRC“I look forward to learning from you.”8NIGs
VQBpQUE“You don’t seem disappointed.”973Logt
v0P8k“Even if it’s a different specialty, I’m sure there’s always something valuable to learn from any Academy professor.”zK69XLa
SawmQv9“Wow, I didn’t expect that attitude from you.”XSDlE
CUlVLDominique softly closed the book he had been reading.xE1Wb2
xnykqE“But you look tired—are you sick?”7QN0d
rR7Dominique’s face was much more gaunt and pale than before the break.87NyOFq
qBYyJH3“I’m fine. It’s just that my research is in its final stage, and I haven’t been sleeping much.”upxOy
eN55“And yet you accepted to tutor me…”roVJl
aOiS03k“No point hiding it. I need the extra funds for my research, that’s all.”Gt1MZ
8IezVIt wasn’t uncommon—professors often used this system to raise money to fund their studies.2v4ttt
73tq7“But don’t worry. If I didn’t think I could teach you something useful, I wouldn’t have accepted.”rJOmW
An0ttDominique opened his palm. A soft sphere of light floated in the air.sTH
m0srFA“Do you know the essence of illusion and fantasy?”7rzi
O8r“To deceive the enemy, according to what I’ve learned.”dopkR
zi9“So you weren’t sleeping in my class, then.”QeWg
mXJvThe sphere took shape. Soon, it became the silhouette of a person.p8sTukr
R0IR“Humans perceive the world through several senses—sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. Illusion is about manipulating those senses.”IMHeZ
qMTlaTAAt advanced levels, illusions could even be materialized, but that wasn’t the focus for now.ZcFwi
euRnI“And of them all, the easiest to manipulate is sight, and the simplest way to disturb it is through light.”lifN
AuRXiBright light distorted vision. And since sight was the dominant sense, it became the best channel for illusion work.up0t0bH
hlceTaC“Lightning is also light, after all.”Slm6
ErSFn9“…I never thought of it that way.”pPKR
Cafow6“Most people don’t. That’s why illusion magic is considered niche.”vwpUIE
bB9eBThe dominant school was natural magic—fire, water, wind, earth—the manipulation of nature.owuVC
CoGB0PnNine out of ten mages only studied natural magic. To them, it was the only thing worth learning.FCb
9CvqzU“But I think differently. I’m not saying natural magic is bad. I’m just saying we don’t have to limit ourselves to it. By combining it with other branches, we can go even further.”BquLOHZ
7eRLurCarlo felt something ignite inside him.jEDm
WzEHHe couldn’t deny it—when he found out Dominique was his tutor, he had been somewhat disappointed.59QlcF
jmBaBut now… what if he could combine lightning with illusions? That would be worth it.gNCo7
FH47He didn’t need something as grand as his professor’s experiments. Just creating illusory lightning and hiding the real one among the fakes would be a huge advantage.FL5
DK4“What do you say? Do you really want to learn?”ByhQvcy
tRJF“Yes, absolutely.”csJobTV
9YPIf he could make Fernan block an illusion while the real bolt struck from behind—it was more than possible.nLD
iPe4vDF‘Just wait, Fernan.’Dy48
yLUqqqiI’ll take back the top spot, no matter what.TVY2
Wiks“That said, it won’t be easy. Lightning and illusion magic are from different schools.”zXbt5u
8FIL4“That doesn’t matter.”mEEVb7u
YkzCarlo never thought it would be something he could master in a day.enZx
EqaIn fact, he’d only signed up for the tutoring to try unlocking something in his stagnant magic.3Ld7L
8S7ELWmNow that he saw a path with such potential, he was more than satisfied.zEQJxj
ojkTzMMaybe in the next magic tournament, he wouldn’t shine—but that didn’t matter.cM0A5
BKCE9Dq‘If I can’t be first this semester, I’ll be first by graduation.’4Ek54s
TACHaIThat was his goal.Lqs
ZpXa85OAnd with that resolve, Carlo renewed his determination.Wv4S
JSvt***V0R6y
WHDa64The end of summer vacation.fh3Xdf2
Powea“We did it, it’s all open!”KuPB
sAwC“Woooooah!”ORW8
jDJ3L3“Finally!”6U4
cKJAlIiDuke Yvon, in cooperation with Count Baden, organized a month-long festival, and during that time the dwarves worked tirelessly until the underground tunnel was completely opened.efWRxa
BcuObThus, after a month, the gigantic engineering project finally came to an end.AqncF
UbJZD“Now all the effort is over. Since this is Pellenberg territory, there’ll be no need to worry about the elves.”K4ZMWU
LUHM3R0“I see.”X9n4
q3XlJ“There are regular trade routes between the Marquisate of Holtian and the continent of Pandrein.”nfwvuln
WOpCThe County of Baden was a land dedicated to large-scale livestock farming thanks to its fertile pastures.pUmrw0h
G4SRIts beef, milk, and cheeses were famous even within the Empire.ipmXhK
2Cf1The Golden Turtle Company regularly bought those products and distributed them throughout Pandrein.BBPXg
qg87eo“This time, large orders were added, so the trade fleets increased in size. They’ll be able to transport quite a few dwarves at once.”55Q43E
UlEQWThe excuse the duke had given for organizing the festival in Baden County also rested on those products.fF0UC
gTuWith a large sum of money as payment, what human would refuse a celebration?mfXupEl
ddYei“Thank you.”5xa
iQlUe“And once they arrive in Pandrein, they’ll be safely taken to Algot.”23J
Q5RK“Algot…? But wasn’t there already a count ruling that region?”V6SZvzP
WIGXXVj“That matter has been settled.”bX3To
yJzl“…Sounds ominous.”F1y
diGe“Don’t worry. It wasn’t anything negative. A friendly agreement was reached without problems.”0UiGR
7zyVnRIndeed, it had been a peaceful agreement, with no violence involved. His father had decided to give the former count a much higher position.ChN
8xpF“Then I’ll take my leave. See you later in Pandrein.”Wvw7
mEhc2OM“Alright, we’ll meet there. Thanks.”h2T
nOo“Algot County has many mines, they’ll be satisfied.”4Vw
IxrdpAfter saying goodbye to the dwarves, Fernan sent Gismond back to the Academy first.lfT
55S8fBG“I still have some matters to take care of. You go ahead and rest a bit, you’ve earned it. Anyway, wasn’t it worth it?”Z0K
BV30XZ2“Well, yes, it was in the end.”OAk
Uk6RGismond nodded halfheartedly.z19d
0iMwFyKEven though he ended up digging tunnels all day with the dwarves, before that he had the chance to fight monsters and improve his skills.CMddQO
6rbxnP“Then I’ll see you soon.”ffSRV
3GThvv“Yes, alright…”6Tszgy
0q6fAParting ways with Gismond, Fernan returned to the capital of Fridien.DrceIY
B2vzX“Senior? Why are you back?”4an7Er
ddDF“Aria, I need to talk to you. Can we go somewhere private?”NHpECYb
Xn0RSN“Sure, anytime.”bSle
sCSFernan took Aria to the Golden Turtle Company branch in Fridien, and suddenly dunked her head into a tub of water.N9PWQN
AStwGlub-glub-glub!SZfHSx
bpCQ2HAs her face writhed under the water, a nightmare came to Aria’s mind.9Tw
mmN4The memory of when the so-called Saint had tortured her with water. Why, at that moment, was that memory returning?9hq
BwBliSNo doubt—because she was going through the same thing.tEGNf
afZZj“What do you think, are you back to your senses?”f3jU
V8pvsJs“Ugh!”tVLvU
WLIuVelFernan removed the hand that held her under.DTOJ0
UKENgQAria lifted her head, gasping, coughing hard as she caught her breath.bCYVJuN
pukhw3At first, she wanted to scream, to ask why he was torturing her.F453l
u90j9But now, she didn’t.RlANJhK
6HdqB“…I got caught again, didn’t I?”oSp
yKTFTTm“Not just you. We all got caught.”R7OSV2K
hao“My older brother really was a corrupt.”uST4
4yA2i“You’re wrong. Adolf is not a corrupt. He just cooperates with them.”Tw971
gTRH“That doesn’t sound any better.”CRGaqV
nV3The fact remained that a direct family member was involved with the corrupt.iGP5OLx
eSAbDfp“Is he really planning to destroy the family?”ihEmS
htSyEnA“No, he’s not aiming to bring down the family.”ZCyEL
vOD“Then what?”SLHdpt2
blcPj“He’s after the Empire.”afk
aNoTa70“…That sounds even worse.”VYVnXKD
NRx0It wasn’t just serious—if things went badly, the name of Fridien could disappear entirely.6U13M
bKH“The problem is, we don’t have solid proof. All we have are a few records and the fact that they used hypnosis on us. And if they deny it, it’s over.”ZKAkTba
d9WCrd“…And those records aren’t enough?”eY0
1kiVn“No, they’re not.”G7MCJPA
QbQAlthough there was evidence of conversations between Count Daniel and Adolf about the corrupt, Fernan was looking for more.wTR
IO9xNot just proof, but a lead to tear out the entire conspiracy at its root.b6pu
3DNBVU“Is there any way?”pbS1FBW
HuzYR8“They think you’re still under hypnosis.”LRu
roT2“…Ah, that’s right.”D1H
STwQGHAria snapped her fingers lightly.EEVK
t1h3a“Then, if I approach my brother pretending I don’t know anything…”YQlUYB
wLp9U7“Can you do it?”j4VWHz
fV9KoN“I’m good at acting, believe me.”EDg
5C5SA“Good thing I freed you. I left the other one because I figured he could never fake it.”FJ2
GaScYZ“Senior Gismond shows everything on his face.”YL1DI
GHFdlFShe nodded, remembering Gismond.qcE
3EaugPv“Then if I manage to get important information from my brother, can I count on your support?”OenUkN
d5U“If it has to do with corrupts or demons, of course.”mTLJ5
YO7qkFernan didn’t want the Empire to fall into corrupt hands either.nomi
wyMty“Then from now on, I trust you.”1oCqz3g
QbUJLaT“Likewise. You handle the report to the marquis.”oZ5HHOX
GQtys1“Yes. I’m sure my father will be satisfied with the results.”i8FXK
2426AhAn elf and a human joined forces.okJjB
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