With a whoosh, a golden figure appeared as if waiting for the professors to scatter before making its escape. The girl, who was the root cause of destruction in Frill City, emerged, mentioned in hushed tones among the professors. Professor Riventrop and Professor Momondo unleashed a merciless assault.
“Giant, hand!”
With a flash, a line of tattoos on Riventrop’s body vanished, and a massive hand mercilessly crushed the golden girl. The ground collapsed beneath her, and life was smashed flat in a moment of brutal impact.
In the midst of the calamity, the giant’s hand shook, revealing the tormenting scream from beyond the dimensional tear.
Golden Magical Girl
Summoning Magic – Avalon’s Treasury
Unique Level Relic – Thorn Armor
As the palm opened wide, red blood rained down like a torrent. The blade of the sword, forged through countless overlaps of elite swords, burst forth from the Thorn Armor. The giant’s hand, feeling the heavy losses as if struck by a direct hit, hurriedly retreated through the dimensional gate.
“Didn’t we say it would be a convenient massacre without pain? You fraud. Our contract is now void!”
Riventrop was unable to hide his dismay. The cause of the dimensional disaster, the director’s secret weapon, referred to as the ‘next generation substitute’ of Oknodie, was far stronger than anyone could have imagined.
“Should we push it back long-distance?”
“Let’s lift the restrictions.”
Professor Momondo regained the right to use the magic he had offered to the God of Training.
Prayer Magic – God of Training
Training Contract – The power of the specified magic increases in proportion to the time it has not been used.
The authority of the God of Training bestowed power for those who cultivate strength with self-imposed limits. At the moment he unleashed a magic he had suppressed for 2,085 days, a powerful grand magic repeatedly manifested, pushing the luminous strong enemy deep into the ground.
“Magic tool, giant explosion.”
With repeated bangs, the mana response from the pit vanished.
“Have we taken it down?”
“…I think it simply retreated on its own. Considering how it tricked our detection before, hiding like that shouldn’t have been too difficult.”
“Indeed, the Foundation’s traps are fearsome. They seized the opportunity when the professors were in disarray and scattered.”
“But we evaded them.”
“Haha. Right. Let’s make sure to establish a barrier this time and escape.”
The two professors, under Riventrop’s lead, gathered more professors needed for the escape, and through Momondo’s freed restrictions, they activated the escape magic circle with newfound power and output.
“To reinforce the inadequate dimensional gravity, we need a powerful medium. Bring out a relic that carries the essence of at least a thousand years!”
Professor Walpurgis, in charge of the “All Things Witch” lecture, sought to replace the lack of power and magic with mystic energy. While the professors rummaged for various magic tools, Walpurgis evaluated them with a cold expression.
“This is the ancestral lineage book of the World Tree from our family’s backyard. As you can see, it has been passed down since two thousand years before the establishment of the empire, having grown from stolen branches of the World Tree…”
“150 years. Your tree lineage book is fake.”
“What?!”
“Hehe. This is why those without foundations are so.”
Walpurgis, please have a look at my splendid teapot. This teapot has been passed down since my ancestor…”
“2790 years. It’s trash that was put in and taken out of a metallic predator’s mouth.”
“Lies!! If you put water in it, it truly brews divine water!!”
“If you drink it, it aids digestion?”
“Exactly!!”
“Metallic predator crumbs are alive inside the teapot. Your family must have drunk the metallic predator’s digestive fluid.”
The professors were speechless in shock! Even the one incredulous about the fake lineage book gave a pitiful look of sympathy.
“C-Come on. Don’t look at me like that! Stop it!”
“It got complicated. Unfortunately, the magic tool I possess was used for the previously generated magic circle, and Professor Bronze has long since taken it.”
Trying to lift the mood for the fallen professor, Riventrop spoke up.
“I wish it were a relic that has smoothly outlived a thousand years.”
“2790 years.”
“What? What did you just say?”
“It’s an artifact from the ancient era. Though the blade is broken, it possesses the ability to cut through the great floods invading the earth. Many treasures have stacked up to retain power.”
“Then… we can return?!”
When Walpurgis nodded, everyone erupted in cheers, savoring the moment of joy.
“Escape.”
“We can leave alive…”
“Farewell to the hellish Goblin World.”
“Empire Faction, you shady bastards, let’s wipe them all out!”
“Haha, when we return to the academy, I’ll ensure all of this friend’s research lab is cleared out.”
“I’m fine with people but leave a few assistants.”
“The inside’s all yours. I’m planning to search for hidden funds I’ve stashed outside.”
Already dreaming of a rosy post-escape future, the professors made their plans. Today, no matter what foolish excitement spread among them, Riventrop shared their sentiments, not scolding or blaming their antics.
It felt like escaping a horror movie set, as jubilant professors moved toward the radiant gateway beyond the dimension.
Whoosh!
As the dazzling light faded, Riventrop was overjoyed to breathe in the familiar mana density and fresh air of the Middle Realm. He luxuriated in the attention pouring onto him, ready to slowly open his eyes to check where the dimensional door had opened.
“?”
In front of him stood men in butler robes, weapons drawn, scowling and shouting something.
“It’s an attack from the academy professors!”
“Hands up!”
“Stand down or we will engage!”
As the dimensional pressure dulled his hearing, the situation gradually became clear.
“How on earth did you discover the secret base, which was found in the ocean floor thousands of years ago and was managed by the Foundation? Truly, Gift Academy has caught me off guard this time.”
“Oh no. I’ve now paid the price for using items that are not meant to be used as coordinates…”
The blade relic from 2790 years ago, which had been used as a dimensional coordinate. The next generation chief scholarship student of the foundation and the substitute of Oknodie—he had walked right into the trap of the director’s secret weapon. The following professors couldn’t hide their disappointment.
Exhausted from crossing the dimensional door, they felt they had no chance of defeating the fully armed foundation forces. In the end, the professors attempted escape, only to be captured by the butlers.
“I thought the resistance was weak. We’ve been fooled properly.”
“My apologies, Professor Momondo. I should have been more astute.”
“No, the desperate act you displayed and those glistening tears were indeed remarkable acting. I forgot the fact that the foundation raises killing machines that have lost their human heart!”
Riventrop and Momondo swore they would no longer be deceived by the tears of foundation personnel!
Of course, that promise could only be discussed after they safely exited this place, now that they had walked into the foundation’s embrace.
“What on earth was the foundation doing here?”
“Do you think we would willingly share that information?”
The housekeeper’s cynical laughter made Walpurgis glance at the mural.
“It’s the lair of the giant monster Leviathan, rival to the Kraken. It has notes on how to tame and utilize the giant monster through human sacrifice. They must have recently been sacrificing merfolk instead.”
“No way, you can read that? That was a rune I wasn’t even taught as leader of the organization?!”
“The academy has many spirits. If you don’t read storybooks, you won’t have your hair pulled. If you don’t know spirit language, the students suffer.”
Recalling Dobi, who had been thoroughly beaten because he awakened the spirits from their deep sleep and even foresaw the apocalypse, Walpurgis realized he had been making a significant contribution to the students in secret.
Momondo, perplexed, asked Riventrop, unable to understand.
“Why did that professor end up being hated by us? From the actions, one might think they should be in the list of excellent professors for ten years without incidents.”
“That person isn’t managing spirits for purely innocent reasons either. The essence must remain hidden; the spirits have much knowledge from the age of mysticism. It’s a sort of gag order or containment.”
“Is that why that professor has no apprentices and few students?”
“Because even the students attending the lecture shouldn’t grasp the principles of mysticism, they gather docile and kind-hearted students to teach them how hysterical and nasty spirits can be, effectively warning them not to study the advanced course.”
“Still, there could be a few who would be interested, right? Every professor has at least one subject that grabs attention.”
“Actually, the decisive reason for the Mahabharata Professor joining the roster is a different tale altogether.”
Seeing the butlers transporting the professors take an interest, they pretended not to while focusing their awareness on Riventrop.
“Mandragora, scream!”
Riventrop pooled the consciousness and summoned a sound sphere monster by sacrificing the twelve lines of tattoo on his body.
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”
“AHHHH!”
“My head!”
Riventrop realized that his plan had only half succeeded. The housekeeper, the primary target, picked up on something amiss and swiftly freed their awareness from the binding as soon as the butlers’ consciousness was entwined.
If they teamed up with the professors to corner the housekeeper, there was still a chance to turn things around. Preparing for hope, Riventrop turned around only to see the professors all clutching their heads, collapsed.
“No! Why are you all collapsed when the connection isn’t even made?!”
Professor Momondo cast resentful glances from the floor.
“How could we not hear when you are sharing such ridiculously amusing stories?!”
“Oh.”
He picked a topic that was simply too engaging.
