Chapter 85

Duma had been blessed with exceptional talents since childhood.

There was a time when a monstrous creature called Kraken appeared in the sea, causing merchants to halt their trade.

While everyone was despairing over this sudden disaster, Duma found a navigational route in an old book and successfully imported eastern tea and spices.

This event brought him great fame and profit, making him a rising star among merchants.

With his success as a merchant, he proposed to his childhood friend, Mercedes, who kissed him with tears in her eyes.

However, just as he achieved success as a merchant and became engaged to his first love, misfortune struck Duma without any sign, like a sudden downpour.

Duma lived in the western part of the Empire, in the Stolvar territory.

The lord of Stolvar was Count Haxen, who had a son named Schwain.

Schwain, the lord’s son, despised Duma greatly, and the reason was none other than a girl.

Not only the women of the territory but even the noble ladies around showed favor to the handsome Duma, which made Schwain feel inferior.

If Duma were just an ordinary territory inhabitant, Schwain could vent his frustrations, but he couldn’t easily mess with the successful merchant.

As Schwain continued to harbor resentment, he overheard the news that Duma had promised to marry Mercedes, the very girl he had long wanted as his mistress.

Overcome with jealousy, he crossed an unbridgeable line.

– “The perpetrator has colluded with Sylvania! Here’s the clear evidence!”

Those who envied Duma were not only Schwain but also other merchants whose profits had diminished due to Duma’s growth.

Schwain conspired with them to trap Duma.

Taking advantage of the ongoing war between the Borus Empire and the Kingdom of Sylvania, Schwain and his accomplices framed Duma.

Since Duma had been trading not only in the east but also with the neighboring Kingdom of Sylvania, they constructed false evidence and produced false witnesses to accuse him of collusion.

Duma vehemently denied it, but during wartime, no one paid attention to his false accusations and grievances.

It was only a few years later, after the war ended, that Duma could be released upon proving his innocence.

However, when he returned home, nothing remained.

His family had fallen into ruin while he was imprisoned.

The wealth of the merchant association had long since fallen into the hands of those working under him and the noblemen and rival merchants who were eyeing his assets.

Above all, his fiancée, who had endured the dreadful prison life that kept him going, Mercedes, was no longer in this world.

“Mercedes? How unfortunate. Schwain’s gang had been threatening her every day to become his mistress.”

Even after Duma’s disappearance, Schwain, angry at being rejected by Mercedes, had horrifically ended her life.

And when Duma heard the story that the murderer Schwain had escaped punishment by offering generous compensation to Mercedes’ family, he wept blood and howled like a beast.

Afterward, he dragged Schwain and his accomplices to court to wage a long battle against them.

But too much time had passed for evidence to remain, and no one came to help Duma against Schwain, who had money and power.

Having lost everything and unable to punish the guilty, Duma decided to kill Schwain.

He believed he could not live under the same sky without slitting the throat of that gluttonous pig.

Just when he resolved to take Schwain—even in death—as company, something caught his eye: a book.

[Iron-Blooded Alchemist], by Rupert Somerset.

One of Duma’s few remaining acquaintances, who had been holed up drinking at home, handed him the book, saying he should read it, rekindling his spirit.

Before he knew it, having finished the comic book, he went out for a stroll in the village instead of just buying drinks in broad daylight, and there he happened to notice a notice.

‘Ultimate Comic Contest?’

It was a miraculous announcement stating that the grand prize would be 100 gold and a chance to become a comic book author.

In that moment, Duma realized that the trials he faced now would only make him stronger as long as they couldn’t kill him.

He wouldn’t give up until he seized this opportunity to succeed again and devour Schwain and all who betrayed him, down to their last bone fragment.

With that, his hands were already grasping a pen and paper.

*

“First group, please bring out your items.”

The first midterm exam period had swiftly arrived at the Imperial Academy.

The students were despaired at having to take an exam when they felt they didn’t learn anything properly.

Yet, among those students, a few displayed outstanding marks as if they had prepared.

In the Military Department, rumors circulated that Third Prince Edric received overwhelming scores on both practical and written exams.

Meanwhile, in the Magic Department, Ioleen was standing out dazzlingly.

And Ioleen was now waiting for the exam in Magic Engineering, the only subject left for the midterms.

Magic Engineering’s only assignment was to create a single work by the end of the semester, so the midterm was more of a check-up than a test.

The midterm consisted of presenting a draft plan and directly getting feedback from professors about how well the item had been completed.

However,

‘Is she really strict?’

‘Be careful, didn’t you hear about the student who got taken away last time for carelessly talking?’

Since the usual instructor, Professor Nikola Howard, was absent on a business trip, the teaching assistant, Jenia, evaluated the students’ items during the midterm.

At first, the students were skeptical whether Jenia, though a disciple of Yustaf, could properly evaluate the items they’d crafted with great care because she was just a young assistant.

But she seemed to breeze through such levels of work and left critiques so sharp they nearly broke the students’ mental states.

“Next, group six, please bring out your items,”

As group five, who had been pointed out about circuits, entered feeling down, it was finally time for Amelia’s group.

“A magic pen?”

Jenia’s expression grew ambiguous as she received the items and plans from group six.

Watching Jenia examine the prototype pen, other students couldn’t help but feel wronged.

After glancing quickly at their works, the first item to catch her interest was a small pen like that?

“What an interesting concept. However, it seems like you’re trying to use illusion magic.”

“Yes, Professor Jenia. I plan to connect and use both illusion magic and telekinesis.”

When Amelia, the group’s representative, answered, Jenia shook her head in disagreement.

“While it might be possible to use illusion magic, it would be extremely burdensome for the user.”

– “That would be something only a master or the headmaster could manage.”

Using illusion magic to connect the user’s mind with the pen’s device was indeed a risky endeavor.

The human brain is the most delicate organ needing control.

If even a single signal is misaligned, actions could completely differ, so forcing synchronization with devices using illusion magic could possibly ruin the user’s mind.

Amelia and her group felt disheartened by Jenia’s explanation.

Since they had solely focused on connecting the magic, they hadn’t anticipated such side effects, and now a sense of despair settled over needing to change their approach completely.

At this late stage, it was too late to switch projects, so they had to make improvements, but ideas didn’t come easily.

Amelia, who suggested the work, felt sorry for her group members and simultaneously regretted.

“I thought it would be a huge help for that person.”

“That person?”

Curious about Amelia’s murmur, Jenia asked back.

“Oh, Professor Rupert. He always struggles while drawing, so I wanted to help him.”

Upon hearing Amelia’s response, Jenia’s eyes suddenly widened.

Jenia, reacting to her response, was left wondering if she had said something wrong, but there was nothing to warrant it.

“Do you know Professor Rupert… I mean, are you familiar with him?”

Jenia’s voice trembled slightly.

However, it was such a subtle tremble that Amelia didn’t pick up on the difference.

“Yes, I’ve met him a few times since he was working on a fairy tale book a while back.”

– “After coming to the academy, we keep running into each other since I’ve joined his class and club.”

In fact, it wasn’t just happenstance. It was thanks to Amelia applying to the classes Rupert taught, but aside from that, her words weren’t untruthful.

Rupert was indeed the nobleman, or rather the same-age noble, with whom she had spent the most private time.

“…I see.”

After stopping briefly at Amelia’s answer, Jenia responded quietly and completed her evaluation.

Later, the remaining group evaluations felt more intense than before, but the students didn’t know why.

*

– “Jenia, emotional turbulence can bring great danger upon you.”

Jenia recalled Yustaf’s words as he had noticed her changes from earlier in the headmaster’s office.

Remembering the student who had insulted her benefactor, Rupert, the anger that surged within her arose.

Unbeknownst to her, Yustaf, her master, could immediately discern that Jenia’s appearance had changed at that moment.

It was also Yustaf’s first time witnessing such a case, and he merely guessed that the dragon’s blood flowing within Jenia could have caused that change.

‘Rapid growth can lead to physical collapse, so you must never let your emotions take over.’

After hearing that, Jenia stood before the mirror to inspect her reflection.

She could distinctly see how much she had grown compared to the first time she met Yustaf.

At first, she thought the growth was merely due to good meals and plenty of rest, but upon reflection, it couldn’t explain this rapid development.

Jenia, who was originally smaller than her peers, had now grown almost to the stature of an adult woman.

‘If you saw me now, I doubt you would mistake me for a boy.’

As she recalled Amelia Bluewell’s figure from earlier in class, the air around Jenia started to ripple with mana.

A dazzlingly beautiful person.

She had blue hair, unlike Jenia’s red hair, and was undeniably stunning.

Unable to help but express her feelings towards Amelia, who seemed to speak intimately of Rupert, Jenia nearly lost control.

‘If I grow a bit more, surely…’

In a moment of dangerous thinking, Jenia quickly shook herself back to reality and slapped her cheek to suppress any improper feelings.

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