“Whoa! Who is this?!”
“Ugh…”
I just stepped out for a bit and ended up running into an unwelcome face.
Professor Relic.
That sneaky-looking guy never changes.
“Hey, I heard the news! We almost lost our school’s treasure!”
“Could you keep it down…?”
Is he out of his mind? He’s going to spread rumors all over town.
Anyway, why is this guy sucking up to me today?
Back when I started, he was ready to eat me alive.
What’s he got up his sleeve this time?
“What do you want?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“You didn’t come to find me just to chat, did you?”
“Eh? No way! I just happened to see you! I couldn’t just walk by! Hahaha!”
“I don’t have time for this. Just tell me what you want. Unless you want to be turned down before I even hear it.”
“Why the long face?! Do I look like someone who needs something from my cute disciple?”
“…”
Honestly, that’s exactly how it looked.
But wait, is he really just pretending to be friendly…?
Relic, to a commoner?
Is the world ending?
With the characters being so different from the original, it’s downright scary.
“Oh dear, I said I don’t have time. I’m sorry to hold you up like this! I hope you keep working hard! It would be great if, when you get famous, you mentioned Relic Professor every now and then!”
“Uhhh…?”
With a slightly uncomfortable smile, Professor Relic left.
Is the world really going to end?
I was getting goosebumps.
Ainz’s awakening left a gap for mindless admiration, didn’t it?
Looks like Relic is trying to fill that spot.
‘Is that guy not attending meetings?’
Sergey, Ludwig, even Alexia disappeared for some urgent meeting.
Why wasn’t he invited?
Thinking about it, I could understand.
If I had an important meeting, I would surely skip out on Relic.
“Schlus!”
“….”
I shut my eyes tight.
Speak of the devil!
Turning around, Ainz came panting toward me.
“I heard you left home! Where are you off to this time? What’s going on now?!”
“I’m just going to the post office to send a letter…?”
“Don’t lie! You’re planning something weird again while we’re in the dark!”
“….”
That wasn’t entirely untrue, so I had no retort.
If planning something strange counts, then yeah, I am plotting quite a bit.
“Schlus! As of today, I’m withdrawing my support for you!”
“…..?”
What is he talking about all of a sudden?
“From today, we shall be brothers! Even if we were born on different days, we shall die on the same day!”
This guy’s dialogue seems off.
How many dramatic lines is he mixing in?
“Wait a second. Just calm down. I don’t get what you’re saying.”
“Do you really not understand?! I heard it all, Schlus! After Team One escaped, I jumped in without a second thought when I heard someone was still around!”
“That’s not—”
“And I saw it! You shooting that white light! Just to save me! Damn it, Schlus! The debt I owe you is so huge, I could never repay it even if I became your servant for life!”
“….”
Ainz was sobbing ridiculously.
Did this guy really awaken, or is he just acting like a weirdo?
“I didn’t save you. You saved yourself.”
“What?”
“If Team One hadn’t made it out, I would have given up on you. But your self-sacrifice, the will to stay behind and save your teammates called out to me. You can be proud. The one who saved Team One and yourself was none other than you, Ainz.”
“Schlus…!”
Oh boy.
When Ainz tried to hug me, I lightly dodged him and tossed him onto the ground.
“Fuhuhuhuh…”
“…..?”
Worried I might have cracked his skull, I crouched down, but Ainz buried his head in the ground and laughed.
Is he out of his mind?
He soon flipped over and laughed toward the sky as if Sergey possessed him.
Watching him, I couldn’t help but laugh.
I don’t even know why.
You know that moment in sports shonen anime where they finish a match and everyone hugs each other, grinning like fools?
It was kind of like that vibe.
“Hahaha… It feels like I haven’t laughed like this in ages.”
“I’m seeing this side of you for the first time.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You’re so robotic. You don’t laugh, your tone is stiff, and you always have that blank expression. Some people are still scared of you.”
“Who would fear a commoner at the Imperial University?”
“A commoner who kills crows and crushes magical beasts, maybe?”
“….”
“Anyway, Schlus, you need a bit of image-making. Seems a bit rich coming from me, but…”
Self-awareness was strong with this one.
The guy with the bad reputation is telling me about image-making? Come on.
“You might need my help soon, Ainz.”
“Call me anytime. I owe you my life, Schlus. If you die, I’ll follow you.”
“Uh, don’t do that….”
It felt like he got dumber instead of awakening.
This is way too much pressure.
“That was a joke. Do you have any plans?”
“….”
Ainz took my hand and stood up, speaking with confidence.
I was itching to say something but couldn’t.
If things keep going this way, the world is bound to end, and I want to stop it…
“Don’t feel like talking? No problem. Every plan you come up with is messed up anyway. It’s obvious you’ll come up with some crazy idea.”
“….”
What’s up with this guy? He seems to understand me to the max now.
How does he know me so well?
“And I’m part of that plan, right?”
“….”
I nodded silently.
“That’s good enough. That’s all I need to hear for now…”
Ainz gazed up at the sky, murmuring.
I patted Ainz on the shoulder.
It felt like I met the first person who understands me since coming to this world, after Mary.
With everyone else having different genders and ulterior motives when approaching me…
But this guy is different.
Knowing the original story, I realize Ainz just lives life how he wants without malice.
So here I am, stuck with this incredibly talented yet ridiculous idiot…
“Brother?”
“Who’s your brother?”
“Ugh. How about classmate?”
“That feels too distant.”
“…..Friend?”
“Yeah. That sounds good.”
We became friends.
*
In the Imperial University conference room.
An emergency meeting was dragging on for nearly eight hours.
“Then about the civil war in the south…”
“Chairwoman, please call it a rebellion.”
“Ahem. I expect the rebellion will minimally impact the operation of the Imperial University. There are no subhuman students, nor any family members of students that are subhumans. Therefore, in the worst-case scenario, if the royal family officially requests support from the Imperial University, we shall dispatch Professor Sergey von Freust.”
“Then let’s move on to the next agenda.”
With Ludwig’s signal, papers were distributed to the professors and chairwoman.
These were analyses of a certain magic that took place in Whist Forest on practical magic day.
Reworking the teaching assistants for two days and nights allowed us to finish the analysis just in time for the meeting.
“What is this? Mind giving an explanation, Chief Professor?”
With an air of disinterest, Alexia waved the paper.
Ludwig sighed and began to speak.
“First, we should hear Professor Sergey’s testimony.”
“Yes, yes. It was the second day of practice. A mana surge caused mana mist to hit the village. I’ll skip the details on the chaos that ensued. The important thing is, trouble began once Schlus Hainkel entered the inner forest.”
Another mention of Schlus Hainkel.
Sighs escaped the professors’ lips.
Once Sergey took his seat, Ludwig stood up to continue.
“After that, a magic that emitted a white flash was triggered in the forest. We discovered that the interior contained a high concentration of mana.”
“The magical beasts that witnessed it lose their senses and rush toward the light.”
“Thank you for the extra info, Professor Sergey. Four minutes after the flash, another mana reaction was detected in the center of Whist Forest. The estimate for the mobilized mana is 500,000.”
“500,000?!”
The professors’ eyes widened.
Even Alexia looked intrigued.
However, this was a conservative estimate.
If we went max, the value could shoot up to 1,200,000.
“What kind of magic could do such a thing?”
“We have yet to grasp the exact structure of the spell. But there’s no doubt about a single circuit in the electrical system, and it took the form of a discharge.”
“So what kind of power caused 500,000…?”
“It enveloped the entire Whist Forest.”
“……!”
The conference room fell into a complete silence.
Everyone was too stunned to speak.
“Aren’t you serious, Professor Sergey? You were there, right? Is this really true?”
“Yes. It’s true. One student barely made it out in time and almost ended up roasted.”
No matter how you look at it, this was hard to believe.
But considering both Professor Sergey, a former general, and the proud Ludwig spoke in unison, I had no choice but to accept.
“The power at the forest’s edge was enough to incinerate a black hound.”
“It only charred the outside while leaving the inside nice and juicy—a perfect roast! Hahaha!”
“……”
Even in Sergey’s joke, the atmosphere in the meeting room felt chilling.
“The center was… there wasn’t even a trace of the magical beasts left.”
“What do you mean by that, Chief Professor? There should at least be some bones left, right?”
“Every bone was white ash before crumbling to dust. On page five, there should be photos of the magical beast carcasses at varying distances from the casting site.”
“……”
The sound of the report fluttering filled the conference room as silence descended once more.
The professors, even Alexia, couldn’t hide their grave expressions.
It was real.
The photo marked as the center of the magic displayed a field of pure white snow.
No one realized that it was actually the ashes of magical beast corpses and incinerated greenery.
“What’s your take on this, Chairwoman?”
“I’m seeing it with my own eyes?”
“No, Chairwoman… what I mean is, what do you think of this situation?”
“Oh! Aha! I was joking!”
“Yes. I’ll believe that. It was quite entertaining.”
“Ahem! In my view…”
With Alexia blushing shyly, all eyes focused on her.
“Even if Schlus Hainkel is not an ordinary student! This has crossed the line! Don’t you all agree?”
“Yes. It doesn’t make sense no matter how you slice it.”
“I could say Henderson was lucky or caught off-guard, but this is too much…”
“It seems we all share the same thoughts! I believe there was a mastermind behind this incident!”
“A mastermind? Who could possibly…”
“Someone who could invade Whist Forest! Without getting caught by the Empire’s scholars! And capable of casting such absurd magic! There are few candidates!”
“Chairwoman, don’t tell me…”
“Yes! I’m suspecting that a Majin was present in Whist Forest that day!”
The professors’ jaws dropped.
