Chapter 43 — Studies Continue

1

The Chairman remained silent for a while.

Dawn was breaking, and the sounds of people bustling about could be heard, but time seemed to stand still in this place.

Aden and Veronica.

Ceaser and Manus.

It was impossible to know exactly what had transpired between them.

However, both Manus and Aden were essential to the Academy.

Some might say they’re just one or two people.

‘But they are also the breakwater protecting the Academy from external pressures.’

The Chairman had protected Mythos Academy for over a decade.

While several principals had come and gone, only the Chairman remained steadfast in maintaining this Academy.

Professors are important, but what truly matters are the students.

“I’ll help you. I’ll have this matter concealed from the Imperial Palace.”

“Then I suppose I should answer you.”

Manus had prepared what to say to the Chairman.

He had only told Aden to go to the Chairman’s office and explain the situation.

True to her nature as an assassin who needs to accurately grasp what her employer wants, she had carried out exactly what Manus desired.

“A powerful enemy has appeared.”

“A powerful enemy…”

“I believe you saw it too, Chairman. The Drake.”

Chairman Nyx nodded.

Though he was unable to use magic and was a novice in combat, he could feel it sufficiently.

The monstrous roar that shook the air.

The trembling walls and the thunderous noise.

How could he not have heard it?

He had originally assumed there would be unprocessed corpses left here.

But looking back, it was a monster that appeared between moments in time.

At that time, only demons inside the Tower and the Chosen Ones could move.

“Are you saying an outsider controlled the Drake?”

“That’s right. I believe I mentioned it before. That we need to be well-prepared.”

“Hmm… Yes. You certainly did.”

So this is what he meant.

The Chairman wanted to hear more details.

Manus spoke about Eresis and the undead they control.

He explained that this was why they needed to bolster their forces, and how he had figured out he was being followed while in Veronica’s identity.

This was the first time Aden was hearing this information as well, so she stared at Manus with wide eyes.

The more Manus unfolded the story, the more astonishing it became.

‘How could he think of all this… It’s as if he knew everything from the start.’

He had known about her surveillance, Veronica’s true identity, and the relationship with the Chairman from the beginning.

Each of his actions made her reflect on herself.

What kind of existence had she been to Manus in the past?

“Did you plan all of this from the start?”

“If what Vero… no, Aden says is true, then Manus, you truly are destined to become an unparalleled magician.”

“It’s not that impressive. I can just see a little more than others.”

Haha-.

It was unclear whether this was humility or arrogance.

The Chairman could only nod with a chuckle.

This must be what it means to be a Ceaser.

“Aden will become an essential force. She must have already known about the anomalies.”

“I was just about to bring that up. It seems she can also move in the gaps.”

“Regarding the anomalies, I’m aware of them too. I’ve accidentally entered that space before, though I came out quickly.”

Aden confirmed.

Though she hadn’t entered the Tower, she had long known that the space was not ordinary.

She also knew there were students who frequently entered there.

The reason she hadn’t gone in herself was because there was no specific information about suspicious places.

She had too many things to do to step into a place with unknown dangers.

Aden gazed at Manus intently.

‘So you’ve been constantly entering such a place to build your skills. Even in that recent battle, you used tools obtained from there.’

She thought that perhaps she could be helpful in other ways as well.

While Aden was thinking about the Tower, the Chairman was also looking at her, considering various possibilities.

She was a master-level assassin, after all.

“Very well. I’ll actively support both of you. We’re in this together now.”

“Understood.”

“Thank you, Chairman.”

In the Chairman’s eyes, the two seemed to make quite a good pair.

Aden, who had perfectly succeeded in her transformation.

Ceaser Manus, who had taken in the now homeless Aden.

They would need to climb the Tower and prepare for attacks from these Eresis fellows.

Sharing secrets increases the force, though it also increases the risk.

The Chairman thought it was time to build up their strength.

‘We can climb even higher now. And…’

Eresis.

They needed to gather information on these suddenly appearing individuals.

For hundreds of years.

Since the emergence of Mythos Academy, such an organization had never been heard of.

His temples throbbed with pain.

Why did all these problems have to arise during his tenure…

But what could he do?

“There are many issues, but that’s actually good.”

“That’s right, Chairman. If the roots are exposed, we can see exactly where to pull them out.”

Hearing the words of these two, he found himself nodding involuntarily.

They were right.

Having a clear target meant knowing exactly where to aim.

“I won’t hold back on support. The rest is up to you.”

In the end, what he could do was limited.

The Chairman decided to do what he could.

2

Quite a lot was happening within the Academy.

They had to tend to the injured and repair various damaged areas.

There had been some damage, though not complete devastation.

There were simply no fatalities.

At the center of it all stood Alano.

The one who had single-handedly, without any professors’ help, completely sealed off one side of the castle walls.

Her reputation was soaring to unprecedented heights.

“…It’s embarrassing.”

“Come on, it just means you did a great job, doesn’t it?”

“The one who really made a difference at the crucial moment was that friend over there.”

The tyrant, standing with arms folded, facing the wind.

A true comrade who had prepared so thoroughly behind the scenes yet never sought credit.

“Do you think we can reach that level too?”

“We’ll have to work hard. Manus must have put in a lot of secret effort during times we didn’t know about.”

“I suppose so. Ugh-. It makes me want to scold my past self.”

Anais grumbled beside Alano.

Her competitive spirit seemed to be burning fiercely as she clenched her fists tightly.

Just one year.

While a year is truly a long time during school days, when looking at the years of growth, well…

No one would consider that single year as particularly significant.

Nevertheless, Manus was looking down from those great heights.

A figure both admirable and one they urgently wanted to catch up to.

As long as he was around, their growth wouldn’t stop.

Their motivation burned brightly.

“Let’s finish this quickly. I need to study during the day. Surely the potion shop wasn’t destroyed, right?”

“Hehe, that’s good to see. I’m sure it’s fine. It’s good to work hard, but don’t exhaust yourself. Understood?”

Anais nodded vigorously.

Following behind her, Kael, Pearson, and Melanie moved to help with the cleanup.

After directing the Alano students to finish tidying up, they returned to the dormitory.

They were given consideration to rest well for the day.

Even the continent’s top educational institution wasn’t cruel enough to hold classes on a day like this.

A peaceful campus.

The sight of returning to normalcy, as if nothing had happened, was particularly precious to Alano.

To become like Manus, she too couldn’t rest.

She hoped that someday, she could also appear heroically in moments of crisis.

‘Eresis. An enemy has appeared that only we can respond to. So…’

She needed to prepare to break through the formidable wall of 5th-Class magic.

There’s no reason she can’t break through 5th-Class magic just because she’s not an adult.

If she keeps pushing forward relentlessly, she’ll reach it soon.

She firmly believed this and hadn’t given up yet.

Busy days would continue.

Having to grasp both studies and peace-.

“Wait for me there.”

Alano said, looking at the place where Manus had been standing.

She recalled what Manus had said in the Tower.

His words about having to do as much as him when he’s not around.

That must have been referring to situations like today.

‘Because I felt it too.’

She had felt it as well.

Alano’s steps quickened.

She realized how precious every moment of movement was.

3

Manus went up to the rooftop to have some time to himself.

He had instructed Aden to act as usual.

In a place where only the wind blew, he was intently staring at something.

‘What should I choose?’

While the passing time was extremely important, it was equally necessary to ponder deeply.

He had now mastered all the essential skills.

His 1st-Class magic spells were beginning to have power similar to others’ 3rd-Class spells.

Having laid a solid foundation, it was now time to erect the framework for a grand structure.

He had realized something during his battle with the assassin Veronica.

“My body is too weak, so I need to strengthen that aspect.”

In this game, mages basically needed to have excellent athleticism.

But that was only by Earth standards. In this world, mages were still considered weak in terms of stamina and defense.

Manus had an interesting thought.

What if you approached an excellent mage but couldn’t land a hit?

What if you finally managed to get close after dodging the mage’s barrage of spells, only for the mage to punch you?

“It’s definitely worth investing in.”

Since ancient times, the strength-mage has been someone’s dream and the ultimate entertainment.

He wanted to create an all-around mage in this world too.

Not anyone else, but himself.

[Buckley’s Mindset: 70 years]

[The Buckleys. They were people with exceptional talent in protecting others. Starting from a small merchant group, their unique bulk and solid muscles were enough to make them the strongest shields.]

[Protecting and guarding someone. The first family head made this the creed of the Buckley family.]

While the Harrison family was one that excluded to protect, the Buckley family physically protected others.

The pinnacle of guardians.

The will of a family praised as an iron wall that blocks everything.

[All damage reduced by 50%]
[Maximum HP increased by 30%]
[Recover 10% HP every turn]
[Recover from any status effect after 2 turns]

It took a long time, but the effects were indeed extraordinary.

Manus chose without hesitation.

70 years.

The pressure of such an enormous number was felt, but it was fine.

‘I’ve learned that numbers are ultimately just an illusion.’

As time passed, he realized that time becomes meaningless if he acts and intervenes.

He could keep one running and find a way to increase skill slots.

What should he do with the other one?

His joyful contemplation continued.

Then suddenly, a skill caught his eye.

A special skill.

However, it was a skill he could never use when he was a player.

‘This could be even more fun.’

His smile deepened.

–TL Notes–
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