༺ The Price of Complacency ༻
Although I became a Professor thanks to the Second Prince, in reality, I was more interested in the…feast after ancestral rites, so to speak. It meant I was more filled with the thoughts of playing TRPG with the students than teaching them.
That was why the first class was so important.
『Countermeasures to Illusion Magic』 was a mandatory subject, a core class, so students had to it even if they disliked it. But 『Otherworld Exploration (Actually TRPG)』 was an elective, thus requiring the students’ registration. Showing off an impressive display in a core course would surely draw students to the 『Otherworld Exploration』 lecture.
I wanted to take them on a full tour of an otherworld experience, but……
That was too much. There were limits to my abilities.
I was a man who had not yet reached Metamorphosis. Casting Illusion Magic on all students, burning with youth and ambition, was far beyond my mana capabilities. I heard there were already students who had broken through Metamorphosis, and while I might be able to bury myself into their psyche one-on-one, it was not easy to display detail when it was one against many.
Unless all the Academy students laid down in the Simulation Magic Circle without resistance, you know? Basically, it meant it was impossible.
So, if I couldn’t achieve it with ability, I just had to win with presentation and flair.
That was the reason why I was wandering the Academy. I believed that there must be some material here that could make my first class a cost-effective success.
The Academy had more to see than I thought.
The lecture facility area was filled with various equipment for Professors’ lectures. There were tall towers that would hurt one’s neck just to look up at, as well as some kinda huge Dinosaur1This references Tyrants in Last Origin (the game). Also, in Korea, they use “King Dragon”/”King Dinosaur” as a meme to “mock” dinosaurs. Golems. My Simulation Unit No. 2 was also scheduled to be placed in this area.
I asked Pink-Haired Lesbian, who was hanging onto my arm with her own arms folded.
“Isn’t there something?”
“What do you mean?”
“How should I conduct the first class? Do you have any ideas?”
Pink-Haired Lesbian spoke with her fist raised.
“Fight one-on-one with a student. Pick a boastful, arrogant one and say if they can even scratch your collar, they will get the highest grade.”
“And if I lose?”
“You can hand in your resignation.”
The risk when losing was high, but it was a method worth considering. After all, it was only right to confront the boss of the enemies first. If I hunted the leader among the students, wouldn’t the lower ranks naturally respect me?
When I gave her a thumbs-up as a reward for her good idea, Pink-Haired Lesbian leaned against me even further. Her watermelon pressed softly against my forearm. I spoke cautiously.
“Don’t lean your weight on me. It’s touching.”
“What do you mean?”
When she looked up at me, as if asking what she had done so wrong, I averted my gaze.
Lately, Pink-Haired Lesbian seemed to have gone a bit crazy. Since entering the Academy, she had shown some…slightly different behavior from before. After all, when we were burying a Demonic Sword in the ground, didn’t she appeal to me in a fairly…strong manner? A bit too strong for a joke, right?
WCPT2What is the color of your panties today? was practically a morning greeting so that was whatever, but weren’t these kinds of appeals slightly different?
If I had, well…….saved Pink-Haired Lesbian’s life or bought her a necklace with research funds, I might have mistakenly thought she liked me. But none of such events had happened.
I decided to ask bluntly.
“Haven’t you been a bit too close lately?”
“I know I’m a very attractive and charming woman, but aren’t you being a bit too conscious?”
“I’m serious. You’re really close.”
“Yes, I see you’re the type to think about marriage after just holding hands. Are two children okay with you?”
“Wouldn’t three be better? Two feels a bit lacking in number for Sessions.”
Things were getting weirder and weirder.
Even as I deflected and answered, my mind grew more and more troubled. It was a bit difficult to call it just my delusions. After all, the intensity of her seductions was indeed increasing. It was frightening.
There was a clear indicator as well. I was considering applying Double-Layered Sexual Desire Suppression Magic. It was because the original Single-Layer was on the verge of shattering. I tried to deflect her temptations in whatever way, but if this continued, things between us would become awkward.
Sure it was brief, but even considering that, a relationship seemed completely baseless no matter how I thought about it.
Seriously, there might be some magical influence at play here.
But that, too, was a bit strange. It was unlikely that a Mental Magic subtle enough for me not to notice could penetrate Pink-Haired Lesbian’s mental barrier. She had built them so sturdily that it was at the level of paranoia. And this was especially so, if it was to enhance sexual desire. Didn’t this kinda…not make sense at all?
Moreover, Pink-Haired Lesbian was…well, a lesbian.
Did I have to lose a friend like this? As I was troubled by one thought after another, Pink-Haired Lesbian poked my side with her finger and whispered softly.
“Mr. Crazy Wizard, lend me your ear for a moment.”
“Don’t lick.”
“Do you think I’m crazy?”
I bowed my head, trembling with anxiety. Fortunately, it was a serious topic of discussion. Pink-Haired Lesbian’s breathy whisper reached me softly.
“Someone is stalking us. Three people.”
“Why would three people be stalking a new Academy professor?”
I laughed incredulously, but Pink-Haired Lesbian calmly laid down the facts.
“Hand on chest. Swear on your honor that you haven’t done anything. Think. Considering the things we did at night, it’s only right for us to be stalked if even one of them was discovered.”
“Wait, you’re telling me to put my hand on my own chest, not yours, right……?”
“Are you crazy?”
“Uegh.”
I was punched in the side. I felt kinda wronged, though. You started it first…….!
Anyway, stalking, you say?
I wasn’t sure which act of mine got caught. Was it burying the Demonic Sword? Was it hiding the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon in a cave by the coast? Or was it perhaps creating a simple dungeon in secret? Which one was it? Was there a witness?
Whether looking at it subjectively or objectively, the things I did were definitely suspicious. My mind wasn’t so ruined that I would deny that part. The reason I was so dumbfounded was because I got caught way too quickly.
I thought I was being pretty sneaky, you know?
“What should we do?”
What to do? When thinking about it a bit more, I was technically in the clear. The Demonic Sword was fake, the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon was real but made by AI and wasn’t dangerous, and the dungeon had no life-threatening traps.
If there was any cause for concern, there would only be the Demonic Sword. I heard that the Church of the Goddess was quite sensitive about Demonic Swords. It was because they were made by capturing and stuffing in human souls.
Although the Demonic Sword was fake, proving to the Church of the Goddess that it was artificial intelligence blah blah blah and Illusion Magic yada yada yada would take some time. That was why I had already asked Yuna to write a thesis on it.
Why didn’t I write it myself and ask the Tower Master instead? Because of the name value. We were in different leagues. The proof provided by an unknown wizard versus a highly credible Archwizard held different weight.
In a few days, a Made in Tower Master3Made in China reference dissertation, hot out of the printer, would be delivered to the Academy.
I also got permission from the Second Prince. Through Pink-Haired Lesbian, I had submitted a strategy plan to lure Black Wizards with the Demonic Sword. The OK sign had already dropped through the communication orb and the official written directive would arrive around the time the paper was delivered.
Once both the thesis and the directive arrived, I planned to scatter a treasure map marking the location where the Demonic Sword was buried at the Academy.
Then, even if the Academy’s Saintess herself came questioning me with the Demonic Sword in hand, I would be able to defend myself well. There would be no unnecessary misunderstandings.
So, let’s make a light frontal breakthrough for these stalkers. Whatever the accusation. Even if they asked me if I hid this or that. Whatever it was. I just needed to play dumb and drag out time for a few days. A problem that would solve itself with time. If it was an ordinary student, I could even use my authority as a Professor.
But among those stalking us, there was one person who stood out.
“Hey, Pink-Haired Lesbian. Look at that.”
“Oooh.”
We admired in unison. It was because we witnessed an outfit that practically fostered faith to grow in us.
The cleavage was fully exposed, and when worn, it clung to the skin so tightly one would wonder how it was worn in the first place. Furthermore, it had a side slit drawn all the way up to the belly button line, something resembling a Priest’s robe.
After even witnessing black lace panties, I couldn’t help but give a standing ovation internally. But it seemed Pink-Haired Lesbian’s admiration had a slightly different meaning behind it.
“It’s the Saintess.”
“What?”
“Yes, surprisingly, it is the Saintess. I heard she was famous for her liberal attire, but she truly is living up to that reputation…….”
“Could it be that the ‘Saint’ part in her title actually refers to something different?”
Was it a universal order in an otherworld for Saintesses to wear such…dangerous outfits? In the midst of being distracted, Pink-Haired Lesbian and I simultaneously noticed the Demonic Sword hanging on the Saintess’s waist and fell into silence.
It was indeed the Demonic Sword we had buried in the dead of night.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
I didn’t even have the thesis or the directive right now, though.
Pink-Haired Lesbian couldn’t hold back and made a jab.
“We should’ve buried it after the directive arrived, ain’t that right?”
“If we waited until the directive arrived, the Academy would have already started! Also, realistically, how many students would actually wander around at night….! It was right to hide it when there were no people around!”
“But we got caught.”
“No, what in the world? Wasn’t the Academy’s Saintess famous for not doing any work?! Wasn’t she known as a homebody who hardly steps outside the building?! Who would dig up a Demonic Sword buried in the ground and present it to the Saintess……?!”
But you never know, right? Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe the Saintess’s path just happened to intersect with ours and she had business elsewhere. So, we tried to sneakily turn the corner, but the Saintess headed straight towards us. She indeed had business with us.
“Let’s make a run for it.”
“Let us run.”
Let’s go into hiding. We weren’t going to be dragged to the Church of the Goddess’s basement. There would be no evidence that we manufactured and concealed the Demonic Sword. It wasn’t like there were CCTVs in the medieval era.
Even if there were, as long as the thesis and the directive arrived, we could guard against any accusations. We just needed to hold out for a few days. It was all about buying time.
I immediately climbed onto Pink-Haired Lesbian in a piggy-back. I compensated for my lack of mobility in what I’d call Voltron mode. As soon as I made unusual actions, the three people stalking us seemed to notice the weird atmosphere and each showed a nimble response.
Pink-Haired Lesbian started to sprint. The three stalkers ran as well. What seemed like independent actions earlier now appeared as a coordinated effort to close in on us. Were they in league with the Saintess……?!
I had to live. I cast Illusion Magic.
“『Illusion Swamp』……!”
