The Day of Decisive Battle has arrived.
The Day of Magic.
A day to commemorate the divine blessing of magic bestowed upon the continent.
It seems the Imperial University is also holding its own event, as I could hear a lively commotion from afar.
I woke up early in the morning to check my condition and dressed up right away.
“Are you attending the Day of Magic event?”
“Yes. I’m planning to head to the plaza.”
“Shall I accompany you?”
“No. Emilia, please guard the mansion. You can attend the event at the Imperial University if you wish.”
“······Understood.”
Emilia lowered her head with a bit of a gloomy face.
Is she acting, or is she sincere?
It’s probably a mix of both.
After all, Emilia would want to track me down while keeping an eye on me.
But there’s no guarantee she won’t secretly follow me.
So, I set a trap.
I pretended to disable the barrier in the training room by mistake.
Curious about what I was up to after being cooped up all day, Emilia would probably rummage through the training room as soon as I leave.
I threw in a bunch of miscellaneous items to kill some time.
Like books on spells or folk remedies… and flyers on how to summon demons.
She would likely come up with all sorts of wild guesses while examining them.
Thinking of Emilia in a fluster made me chuckle.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because it’s amusing.”
“······?”
“Well then, I shall be on my way.”
Passing through the path filled with the scent of grass, I exited the dormitory.
And the moment I passed through the entrance of the Imperial University—
“Wow.”
I was overwhelmed by the crowd stretched out before me.
The place usually has a ridiculously high foot traffic.
But with the Day of Magic coinciding, the street, wide enough to rival a six-lane road, was already packed with people.
“This is just chaos.”
Booths selling trinkets and snacks lined the streets.
As I considered grabbing a cotton candy, the price was…
“Yikes.”
50 Tyrelion.
5,000 won… have people really gone mad?
I figured it was better not to think about buying anything today.
I shook my head and headed straight toward the plaza.
“Please hold for a moment.”
“We can’t allow any weapons. We will keep them secure.”
As expected, the guards were tight.
A sign that an important person was attending.
Roman von Byrne.
A general who would become the Commander in Chief of the Empire in the future.
And today, he would be the target of terrorism.
“Phew.”
The moment I entered the plaza, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
It was a very spacious plaza, but even then, there were too many people.
Just looking around, there were over 3,000 folks at least.
Considering the onlookers from the hotel balconies, it’s safe to say there would be around 5,000 people.
The problem was, the event hadn’t even started yet.
Once the most popular academic presentations kick off, I wouldn’t be surprised if it crossed 10,000.
If a spell were to go off at that moment…
“Shit. I’m super anxious.”
I didn’t even want to imagine it.
What the hell was I thinking? Setting up the Intelligence Agency as this bunch of lunatics.
Complaining wouldn’t change anything.
I had no choice but to find a way to destroy that spell.
I wondered if there was somewhere less crowded where I could focus.
As I walked while looking around, I casually glanced up.
“There!”
On the rooftop.
A place with nobody around, quiet and with a great view.
I immediately dashed inside the building.
Then, I climbed up to the roof by grabbing the drainage pipe through the window.
If I sat, I’d be hidden behind the sharp rooftops.
If I stood, I could overlook the entire plaza.
Moreover, it was close to the sky, where their spell was about to be inscribed, making it the perfect position to prevent terrorism.
“Greetings, everyone. Thank you all for gathering. Today is a day to express gratitude to the god who bestowed magic upon mankind and to collectively vow to uphold the true way of magic…”
The event has already started.
As I listened to the booming voice of the host, I lounged comfortably.
The Intelligence Agency folks would likely activate the spell the moment Roman stepped onto the podium. That’s probably the most certain time.
So, all I had to do was wait it out.
The sunlight was just right, and the breeze was cool, making me drowsy.
If I wasn’t careful, I might even fall asleep.
“······Huh?”
In that instant, an unsettling feeling suddenly overwhelmed me, and my nerves were on edge.
It wasn’t just my imagination.
Schlus’s sensitive instincts were reacting.
I turned off all my vision and hearing and focused entirely on the mana waves.
Amidst the usual wave patterns, something alien was hidden.
It was such a subtle wave that even with my mana sensitivity of 75, it was hard to notice unless I concentrated.
Someone was casting a spell.
[Quest: Ensure no one in the event venue dies.]
[Difficulty: ★★★★★]
[Reward: 10 shop coins]
As soon as I sensed the spell, a quest popped up.
A five-star difficulty quest had shown up for the first time.
In line with its difficulty, the reward was an impressive 10 coins.
‘It’s begun.’
I could genuinely feel that they had started to move.
Sleep had long since vanished, and my whole body was governed by tension.
But I couldn’t be scared.
Only I could save them.
I needed to keep my wits about me.
*
“Om nom nom…”
“Chairwoman.”
“Om nom nom nom…”
“Chairwoman.”
“Huh? Yes? What is it, Professor Ludwig?”
When Alexia turned around, Ludwig let out a deep sigh.
In her hand, Alexia held a cotton candy whose origin he could not determine.
Her mouth was smeared with colorful dyes.
“You’re up next.”
“Am I giving a speech or something?!”
“Yes. As the Grand Magician, you are supposed to encourage your juniors.”
“Was I? I think I remember that vaguely!”
“Sigh…”
How is such a person revered as a Grand Magician?
Actually, she’s not even human; she’s a Majin.
Most people believe Alexia reached the level of Grand Magician through immense effort…
But what if they knew she was just strong from the moment she was born?
“Then! I’ll start preparing!”
“Please wipe your mouth.”
“Handkerchief! Thanks!”
It would be a disaster.
In reality, there are a good number of Majin living among humans besides Alexia.
Do they all live so carefree like Alexia?
Ludwig suddenly became curious.
“Hmm…?”
As Alexia wiped her mouth with the handkerchief, an uneasy feeling arose.
The atmosphere in the event venue seemed slightly off.
She looked around at the guards, but they just yawned widely, as if it were an undetectable change for a human.
Alexia closed her eyes tightly, focusing on detecting the slightly altered mana flow.
It was impossible to read everything, but she could at least grasp one thing.
‘Someone’s up to mischief.’
A spell was unfolding in the sky above the venue.
A massive spell at that.
It was clear to see what kind of intention was behind such a large spell.
Terrorism. Indiscriminate terrorism against civilians.
‘Oh dear. I might not be able to nullify it.’
A bitter smile crept across Alexia’s lips.
The waves were too minute for her to even decipher the shape of the spell.
Someone was intentionally trying to conceal the spell.
‘What should I do… Should I evacuate everyone?’
Alexia tilted her head in dilemma.
Should she lead an evacuation?
Using her authority as the chairwoman of the Imperial University, it would be easy to evacuate people even without a solid reason.
But doing so would cause problems.
‘If I get found out, that kid will be furious with me.’
A pact among Majins.
They wouldn’t interfere in human conflicts regardless of what happened.
If violated, the punishment from Tiltitz would be imposed.
That was something she couldn’t even bear to imagine.
‘Huh?’
Just then, another unsettling feeling washed over her.
The waves were slightly changing again.
This time, it seemed directed toward dismantling the spell.
A confident yet cautious approach.
She felt like she knew who it was.
‘That’s! The same style that broke my barrier!’
Schlus Hainkel.
He was undoubtedly meddling with the spell.
It was the same artistic touch that smashed her Barrier of Fear, after all.
If it was Schlus, then she could rest assured.
This spell, though large, was far less complicated than the Barrier of Fear.
So Schlus would be able to pull it off.
Alexia felt relieved and smiled.
“Is there something wrong, Chairwoman?”
“Oh, nothing at all!”
“That makes me more worried.”
“Absolutely no need to worry! I promise!”
“······.”
Seeing Alexia smiling brightly, Ludwig couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.
It was always when things were about to go terribly wrong that she behaved like this.
Should he run away now?
“······Next, we will have the Chairwoman of the Imperial University, Alexia von dem Kloistere.”
“That’s me! I’ll be right back!”
“Have a safe trip.”
After sending off Alexia, Ludwig felt the tension in his shoulders ease.
Somehow, he felt his lifespan depleting whenever he was around Alexia.
“The next is General Roman, right?”
As Ludwig recalled the schedule in his mind, he muttered.
Why had the general, who hadn’t shown his face even once in two years, decided to attend such an event?
“This feels ominous.”
A sense of foreboding continued to loom over him.
*
“This is Alexia! If the conversation drags on, I feel like everyone will get bored! I cheer for all the wizards walking the path of magic!”
“Is that all you have to say, Chairwoman?”
“Yes! It’s over!”
“That’s not enough! Please say at least one more encouraging word…”
The voice from the plaza broke through the window.
Hertlocker, peeking outside the curtain, turned back.
“It seems the Chairwoman’s turn will end soon. Roman will be up next.”
“Is that so? It really is soon…”
Erik lowered his head.
The lives of so many people depended on his trembling fingertips.
Their fate rested on just a single finger.
He was aware of the inhumane act he was committing.
But there was no other way. For the sake of the kingdom’s survival, he had to…
“Is there still no reaction from the guards?”
“No. They’re just yawning lazily.”
After hearing the response, Erik turned back.
There, three agents sat with their eyes tightly shut, sweating profusely.
They were all performing the role of minimizing the mana waves leaking from the spell.
Thanks to that, even the sensitive magic users from the Imperial Police failed to notice the spell overhead.
“The Chairwoman is leaving. Next up is Roman.”
“It’s almost time to activate it.”
Now was the time.
It was the moment for the most disastrous terrorism to commence.
Once the spell in the sky activates, columns of fire will surge. No, they will pour down.
From the sky to the ground.
There’s no way to escape.
They would have to face the columns of fire head-on, which would break through any barrier.
In that way, the people would turn to charred remains almost instantaneously.
Without a moment to feel pain, they would burn right where they stood, frozen in that moment.
“Hey, Hertlocker. Do you think gods exist?”
“Why do you ask all of a sudden?”
“Just wondering.”
“Gods are long dead.”
“I guess so… yeah.”
There probably are none.
Looking at the fact that trash like us are still alive.
Erik, with a self-deprecating smile, manipulated the core of the spell.
“Roman. Has arrived on the podium.”
“Okay. Activating it now.”
With his eyes wide open, Erik activated the spell.
He wanted to see the spectacle of the fire rain.
He intended to engrave the carnage into his eyes, promising never to forget his sins.
But…
“What the hell? Why isn’t anything happening?”
Nothing occurred.
He had poured mana into the core to activate the spell.
The moment he sensed something odd was when Erik looked back at the spell.
“What the f…?”
The encryption of the spell had been undone.
To put it differently, the control had shifted to someone else.
The moment he realized this—
“Director! The spell!”
“I know!”
The spell shattered into pieces.
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