She is the Spirit of Truth, yet the world cannot accept Her, for they neither see nor know Her. But you know Her, for She dwells with you and will be in you.
New Testament, Wackfa Gospel 14:17
“Luke. Hang in there.”
“Uh… Go Luke! You got this! It’s Pulsreino, after all!”
Sunny and Andre cheering him on.
Hah. I can’t believe I have to duel Cronia’s golem on the first day.
Vroooooom
As I stepped down from my seat to right in front of the podium, the classroom began to transform.
“Uh-oh?”
“The seats are moving!”
The podium sank below, and the seats turned into a circular arena surrounding it.
Oh, so that’s how it changes into a battlefield every time there’s a duel in [Deus Ex Machina]. So there’s this mechanism that allows it.
This is Magic Engineering. A technology that could rival the cutting-edge science of my past life.
“Pulsreino. You probably just enrolled, so the academy’s duel format might feel strange to you.”
As the classroom transformed into a complete coliseum, Cronia spoke.
“The purpose of the duel at the academy is education. We keenly avoid injuries that could ruin a student’s future. So if you feel you’re in a dangerous situation, shout surrender. The duel will stop immediately. Also, top-tier healers are always on standby. I will control my strength as well, so show us your full power without fear.”
Whoooosh
As she finished, her golem clenched its fist and readied for battle.
“I will concede the first move.”
Concede the first move?
Honestly, I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit.
My full strength, which I’ve never shown anyone yet. When would be the right time to reveal it at the academy?
I didn’t want to hide my power like the typical creators in stories.
But using my strength recklessly wouldn’t pack any punch either.
I wanted to leave a big impact on the main characters of the academy and engrave my existence into their minds.
If I beat that golem… they would definitely remember me. But…
That’s not the vibe I was going for.
Still, acting a little weak and then suddenly showing off my strength would be much more impressive and grab their attention.
Something feels off, though.
“Hehe… Are you scared?”
Cronia, standing behind the golem, flashed me a sly smile.
“Who wouldn’t be scared? The golem before you is the pinnacle of Magic Engineering, built with lost technologies. You won’t easily pierce it with foolish swordsmanship or lowly combat magic. Now, young Pulsreino, what will you show us!”
Ugh, she’s annoying. That smug smile makes it seem like she’s sure I won’t be able to handle it. Confidence. Sure, any ordinary academy student would struggle against that thing, but…
Here I am, possessed by a former hero, who recently took down the final boss of part one. Losing to this early tutorial boss would sting my pride.
Ugh, what to do…
“Why isn’t anything happening?”
“He must be scared. Would you be calm in front of that golem?”
“That’s true, but he’s Pulsreino! He’s the sister of Seiren and Meiru. How could Pulsreino be scared of just one golem?”
“Not every Pulsreino is a monster. I’ve heard the third one is known for avoiding public activities. Likely weaker compared to the others.”
“Unlucky…”
So, just lose? Just get beaten?
If I lose, it’ll look really pathetic. Plus, getting hit by that fist would hurt a lot.
Hmm…
“…Are you not coming? You’re a rookie with no experience, but I’m rather disappointed. I thought Pulsreino would be different, yet you’re just like these commoners. Born of noble blood, yet you can’t utilize it. You’re no different from worthless bloodlines.”
Vroom
The golem before me swung its fist down.
“You’re not even worth my time. Go back up. I need to find a new opponent.”
What? Go back up like this?
Without even facing off?
“No.”
Hah. It seems I’ve been thinking wrong.
What? Wanting to leave a bigger impact with a grand reveal?
This kind of opportunity to show off my power doesn’t come often. It’s foolish to back down.
If I turn tail now, Cronia would think I’m worthless.
Even if I have another chance to show myself later, I can’t stand being dismissed by those I care about.
“Hmm…? What did you just say?”
“Running away? That sounds strange. I was just shocked to see the so-called pinnacle of Magic Engineering be so pathetic. This kind of metal chunk is the pinnacle? Hah, I should have skipped this class if I knew this was all Magic Engineering was.”
Well, if I’ve decided to show off my power, there’s no more hesitation needed. I’ll draw Cronia’s attention and engrave myself into her mind.
“Ohhh… You called my ‘Magic Engineering’ pathetic? So you really are Pulsreino.”
Suddenly, the magical density around me surged.
Vroooooom
The gears of the golem before me began spinning frantically.
Uh oh. Did I provoke too much? Thinking about it, Cronia carries a strong pride in the Magic Engineering that’s been passed down her family line.
This was a bit of a mistake.
“It seems you’re confident in your skills. Just like that girl. Fine. Show me your power—the strength of ‘Magic Engineering’ you so casually dismiss!”
As Cronia finished, the golem lunged straight at me.
The speed was astonishing considering its appearance!
Boom!
The golem’s fist came crashing down from above.
I quickly deployed my shield, but…
If I hadn’t had the shield, I would’ve been flattened! Hey, Cronia, this is a life-or-death situation here!
Vroooom
The golem’s fist, pressing down on my shield, began spinning.
Crash!
The hastily deployed shield was weak and began to crack under the rotating fist.
That shield… it was supposed to reflect ‘some’ of the damage taken, but the golem showed no signs of wear.
Probably due to the golem’s traits—complete immunity to physical damage below a certain threshold. It was a literal recipe for slaughter.
Thus, unless you have overwhelming strength, facing her golem becomes incredibly tricky.
With no magic and no impressive swordsmanship, I can’t handle that golem in any ordinary way.
Bang!
Clang!
Finally, the shield couldn’t withstand any longer and shattered.
The fist loomed closer.
However, even without sword skills or magic, I had one method.
“Summon. Salamander.”
A small dimensional portal opened above, and flames erupted.
The flames engulfed the golem completely.
Right! Spirit Magic.
Spirits are the purest beings in this world; thus, they are incapable of opposing ‘Chaos.’ Yet, they possess overwhelming strength against any other beings in this world. It’s the most useful power I have.
Though I couldn’t use it when I first met Saula, now I have no issues using it.
The golem of Cronia began to melt in the flames unleashed by the Salamander.
…Melt? Huh?
Wait. The golem is actually melting away.
This is strange. The Salamander’s power shouldn’t be this strong.
I was just trying to negate its punch, and somehow now it’s completely melted?
-Luke! Long time no see! Did I do well?
-You’ve done great, Salamander! I’m sorry for summoning you later than planned. How’ve you been?
None of them know I made a contract with the Salamander—not my father, mother, sisters, or even Hans.
I saved this power for dramatic moments.
Of course, only the contractor can see the spirit’s form. But simply summoning it creates intense flames, making it impossible to hide the summoning.
So, I didn’t summon it usually, except when I was alone.
During travel, I couldn’t due to Hans and the other knights, and when I arrived at the academy, Io was around too.
Now, for the first time since leaving home, I managed to summon it… but why has it become so strong?
Hmm…? Now that I think about it, the Salamander looks a bit different than before. Last time, it was just a tiny newt…
I enhanced my vision with mana and peered through the flames to see a little girl instead.
Why… did it become human-like?
“Impossible! You melted my golem in one go! I didn’t feel any traces of magic at all! What trick did you use?”
Oh, Cronia. I forgot about the Salamander’s transformation in shock.
Spirits are universally forgotten beings. Aside from me, there might be just… one spirit user left. Regardless, spirits are incredibly rare.
Thus, no one will know I used a spirit. Because aside from the contractor, no one can see the spirit’s form.
“…So, you really are Pulsreino. This is unexpected. I didn’t think a student would force me to use this twice.”
Vroooom
Behind Cronia, a grotesquely large spatial portal opened, towering five stories high.
Boom!
And a massive hand emerged, filling the dimensional hole.
You’ve got to be kidding.
Cronia’s true intent. Model Golem.
She didn’t even pull it out when she lost to Dia in [Deus Ex Machina], yet she brings it out now?
Did I provoke her that badly? Or is it because of Seiren sister again?
Though the Salamander became unexpectedly strong, that thing is going to be hard to face.
Boom, boom, bang!
No, it’s too big! The classroom walls are cracking!
This insane professor is bringing out a war machine against a student!
“Come! Show me, Pulsreino! This is ‘Magic Engineering’!”
I don’t care about your Magic Engineering! The building’s gonna collapse, you lunatic!
Click
In that moment, Cronia lost her balance and collapsed like a puppet whose string had been cut.
…Huh?
The holes that filled the back wall and the golem disappeared in smoke.
And a little girl appeared in its place.
“Phew. That was close; I almost had to rebuild the school like last time.”
The principal, Wackfa.
*
I could definitely feel Her power.
The flame of the Holy Spirit.
The moment I sensed her energy nearby, I momentarily forgot my communication with the Emperor and dashed out to chase that power.
Upon arriving at the scene, I saw Cronia, much like when she went wild during Seiren’s time.
I first knocked her out to prevent any disasters like buildings collapsing again.
And there stood a boy who was in a standoff with her.
The boy from the entrance ceremony?
And beside him was something I could barely feel.
Amid the divine and intense flames.
The sacred spirit of the savior.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.