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chapter 50
“Unbelievable. The student council president engaging in such indecent behavior inside the academy.”
“Indecent?”
“Yes, indecent. When morality, order, or proper conduct are disturbed, we call that indecency. Ah, or to borrow the student council president’s own expression—perhaps moral corruption?”
As if telling me to speak if I had the guts, Izael widened his long eyes into circles.
Y-you…!
When I was struck speechless and could only move my lips, he leisurely brushed back his hair.
His faintly shining silver hair flowed smoothly, unlike the frustration clogging my chest.
“What do you mean moral corruption…?”
“You were clearly shocked after seeing that kind of scene between Lena and me. I wonder what Lena would say if she found out about this.”
As if he had no intention of giving me a chance to respond, Izael struck straight at my weak point.
“No.”
In my urgency, I bit the bait without thinking.
“No?”
Izael smiled in triumph.
Then, as if he had realized something, his mysterious purple eyes gleamed before he reached his own conclusion.
“Then let’s do this.”
Bang, bang, bang.
“I feel like I got tricked.”
I put down the hammer I had been swinging with all my strength and picked up a screwdriver.
Narrowing my eyes, I placed a small screw into a hole and mechanically turned it over and over.
“It’s really bothering me.”
I tightened it until it wouldn’t turn any further. After confirming it was perfectly secured, I picked up a new screw.
Pick it up, insert it, turn and tighten.
Pick it up, insert it, turn and tighten.
Whenever I tried to empty my mind with the repetitive work, Izael’s sly smile rose before my eyes like clouds.
It wasn’t even a big deal. Friends can hug each other, right?
‘It was an honest hug without any ulterior motives.’
But unlike my confident thoughts, I let out a short groan while rubbing my dry face.
Because it was true that I didn’t want Lena to find out.
The reason was simple.
First, because it was obvious that Izael would twist the story however he pleased.
I walked into the student council room and saw Aben and Archel overlapping bodies. Shocked by such an indecent scene, I froze. When they noticed me, they reluctantly separated while touching each other as if unwilling to let go. So I asked what they thought they were doing in this sacred academy, and Archel even got angry, asking what was so indecent about it!
‘He’d probably wear that meaningful expression of his and say to imagine for themselves just how explicit it was.’
No matter how hard I tried to tell the truth, there was a high chance I’d lose against Izael’s triple combo of meaningful expressions.
And second, because I didn’t want to plant even the slightest hesitation in Lena.
Lena Dicliffe.
She seemed cool to the world, but she was kind to her friends.
No matter what, she always looked indifferent—but when it came to what was hers, our Lena was a sly cat who took proper care of it.
The targets she wished to possess were very limited, but once she decided something was hers, she paid it obsessive attention.
And that was definitely…
‘Me?’
“Ahem.”
My face flushed with embarrassment and a bit of pride.
No, that’s not what’s important.
In conclusion, it was an undeniable fact that Lena considered me a precious friend.
So if I even gave off the faintest pink atmosphere with Aben?
There was a possibility Lena would completely exclude Aben from being a romantic candidate before any romantic feelings could even sprout.
‘I can’t call myself Cupid of love and then become an obstacle to it.’
That aside, why won’t this go in?
Even after turning and turning, the screw wouldn’t fit the screwdriver. I stared at it in my palm when an indifferent voice dropped from above my head.
“It’s a star-shaped screw.”
I flinched and leaned back, only to see Professor Wid standing with his hands behind his back, yawning.
Looking down again, the screw indeed had a star shape, like a lone mutant.
‘How did this get mixed in?’
Pretending not to be embarrassed, I casually moved the screw to the far end of the desk.
Let’s see, the screw—
But before I could find another one, my creation had already passed into Professor Wid’s hands.
It was practically complete anyway.
I quietly watched him examine the round object.
“What in the world is this strange thing for? I can see that a mana stone goes inside this round plastic, but…”
Professor Wid lifted the flat, tray-like circular plate and examined it from several angles with a suspicious expression.
It was a simple object—made of thin plastic you could almost see through, with a thick, sturdy groove in the center.
Perhaps because everyone else was nearing completion too, the other students glanced over, curious about the mysterious object in his hands.
“It’s a magic tool for escape.”
“Escape? From what?”
“Monsters.”
Apparently caught off guard by my answer, Professor Wid pushed up his glasses that had slipped down his nose.
“Monsters, you say…”
This was practical magic tool crafting class, where we created whatever magic tool we wanted.
Using the various materials provided by Judea and with Professor Wid’s guidance, we made our desired magic tools.
Out of the many possible options, the reason I chose to create something related to monsters was because of the recent performance assessment in Professor Lily’s class, <Basics and Understanding of Monsters>.
‘That was truly dizzying.’
If we hadn’t called the professor in time using the magic tool, Rihart might have been injured.
‘Though Professor Lily would never have let that happen.’
As proven by my one-of-a-kind A++ score, in a real situation facing monsters, the best we powerless students could do was only one thing:
Run away, call the knight order, and sound the alarm to warn others of the danger.
I clenched and unclenched my fist, recalling the sensation of shattering the glass that covered the knight-calling magic tool.
‘Our Department of Magical Engineering is the only one not prepared for monsters. We need a magic tool that can be used in situations where we can’t escape.’
The elemental department and swordsmanship department were said to learn defensive and offensive techniques using mana and sword aura.
So I decided to at least try making something related to monsters.
I inserted the final screw into the round disk and handed it to Professor Wid.
“Professor, when will we be able to make offensive magic tools?”
“When you obtain certification.”
“And when can we get that?”
“You should know better.”
Tch.
At his look that said Why ask when you already know?, I clicked my tongue.
Unfortunately, for safety reasons, offensive magic tools couldn’t be made by just anyone.
Whether they targeted people, monsters, or animals, it was the same.
Only after passing the exam and officially registering with the state as a certified magic tool maker could one create offensive tools.
‘The age limit is seventeen.’
I hadn’t even had my birthday yet, so I couldn’t even take the exam.
In the end, between defense or escape, and with limited information about monsters, escape was my only option.
Buuuuung—
“Gah!”
The moment the activation button was pressed, Professor Wid flew far into the distance and let out a shrill scream.
“Hm, it needs a lot of adjustments.”
Couldn’t the power be manually controlled? If I lowered the base strength and reduced the launch speed, it would put less strain on the body.
“Archel Nodovan!!”
While jotting down the necessary modifications one by one, I expressed silent gratitude to Professor Wid for volunteering as the test subject.
The fact that he ended up sprawled on the floor clutching his back while struggling not to fall was unavoidable.
Nothing can be perfect from the start.
And so, as the deadline to reach the charity event’s fundraising goal gradually approached—
“Archel, Archel!”
“Mmm… leave me alone…”
Whining at someone shaking me at the crack of dawn, I burrowed deeper under the blanket.
“Archel Nodovan! Get up!”
But the merciless someone snatched my blanket away. I was left curled up miserably.
“What is it, Janet…? Is it already time for class?”
Since when were you so punctual about going to school…?
Through my blurry vision, I recognized Janet in front of me and voiced my complaint, but she didn’t budge.
She even grabbed my collar and shook me vigorously.
“Get up, Archel!”
Like a doll with cut strings, I let my body droop before finally forcing my eyes open.
No matter how I looked at it, it was still the middle of the night.
But that thought lasted only a moment. Janet suddenly shoved a newspaper in front of me, rustling loudly.
In the dark room that clearly belonged to dawn, relying on the light Janet had turned on, I slowly read each word. My eyes grew wider and wider.
“What?”
I rubbed my eyes hard and focused on the now-clear text.
Great Monster Assault in Santaléa District 12
On April 23rd, Imperial Year 1492, monsters that appeared in Santaléa District 12 devastated the town. The confirmed number of monsters is six. As monsters of this scale have never simultaneously appeared in the capital before, experts are voicing concerns that there may have been a major change in the monster ecosystem. Currently, monster scholar Def Claim (36) and the 10th Knight Order under the Tersen Special Knights have been dispatched to the scene. As of this time, the 2nd Division of the Tersen Knight Order will be additionally deployed for complete extermination. So far, there are 15 confirmed deaths and 20 injured. However, as the Lartova Factory located at 3rd Street, District 12 has collapsed, it remains to be seen how many additional casualties may occur.
