Loose Ends

Loose Ends

Wanting to focus on researching ancient magic before proceeding with the group practical performance evaluation, I temporarily stopped the ongoing work and devoted all my time to this.

‘Even if I can acquire it in 30 minutes of studying, it’s difficult to apply or utilize it.’

As with all magic, it required work to transform it to suit me after acquisition.

So I decided to take some time to modify these things for a while.

‘First of all, the ancient magic book contained three main categories of magic.’

The first was magic specialized in space.

The second was magic specialized in time.

The last, the third, was celestial magic related to stars and the universe itself.

While space and time were understandable, celestial magic was quite ambiguous.

I had memorized it, but it was essentially sealed off because it was difficult to decipher accurately.

‘Based on what’s written in the ancient magic book, it seems that celestial magic is a higher-level magic that can only be used after mastering space magic and time magic.’

So I decided to focus on space magic for now, lifting the magic book with mana.

‘In space magic, there are three spells to pay attention to.’

Space compression, space expansion, and space transformation.

Since it would be difficult to fully grasp all of these before the group practical assessment.

I decided to focus only on the space compression magic.

‘Space compression is literally a magic that compresses space itself… if used well, it could allow for something like the blink ability often seen in games.’

Of course, not just this, but when attacking, you could compress the distance with the opponent to hit them with magic at a speed they never expected.

‘Furthermore, you could just warp space itself.’

Since it was possible to directly attack the opponent, the applications were incredibly diverse.

I decided to think about how to use this magic later and began to research it.

* * * * *

As I was immersed in ancient magic all day long, time flew by incredibly fast.

I was shocked to realize that I had been absorbed in this magic right up until the day of the group practical assessment.

‘… Was I this engrossed?’

I lost track of time, which is an accurate way to describe how engrossed I was. I chuckled when I realized how focused I had been.

This was the first time I had shown such a level of concentration.

‘Even when I first started playing games, it wasn’t to this extent.’

As I pondered how magic had achieved this, I stared blankly at the ancient magic that had accomplished such a significant achievement.

The maids knocked on the door to inform me that it was time to go to school.

‘Well, I guess I’ll go then.’

I got up, deciding to proceed with the group practical assessment, fully expecting an attack from the Heaven God Cult.

*

Upon arriving at the Academy, I saw numerous people divided into various groups.

It seems they’ve gathered in the schoolyard for convenience, as they’ll be leaving the Academy soon.

I looked around at them while heading to the previously announced location.

‘It doesn’t seem like there’s anyone particularly suspicious.’

Of course, there wouldn’t be anyone advertising themselves as members of the Heaven God Cult.

I was puzzled by the absence of people exuding the characteristic eeriness of the Heaven God Cult followers.

As I was wondering why they weren’t present, someone waved at me from afar.

“Over here, over here.”

Thinking it might be someone I knew, I checked, but it was definitely a stranger.

I wondered if it might be an acquaintance of Deren’s from before I possessed him.

‘Given that they’re not properly greeting me, it doesn’t seem like that’s the case.’

Moreover, if it were a first meeting, the normal flow would be to introduce oneself or ask questions, but they’re not doing that, which is quite suspicious.

Observing this situation, I came up with one hypothesis.

A speculation that this might be a situation where we must meet and accompany each other, but don’t need to become close.

‘Moreover, considering how they artificially formed groups.’

The two in front of me now likely have high probability of being plants from the Heaven God cult.

‘It’s unexpected they planted them for me too, not just Rumi.’

Even the Heaven God cult would find it difficult to touch the Lercier family, so I found it quite interesting that they would come out so openly like this.

‘Of course since this is just speculation I shouldn’t hastily be certain but…’

It’s also true that the probability of them being Heaven God cult pawns is extremely high.

Deciding to try using the ancient magic I’ve been honing if they really are members of the Heaven God cult.

I grabbed my mace and smiled inside.

“Then I will now start the group practical performance evaluation. The practical evaluation content is collecting purification flowers and arriving at the designated location. Please refer to the notice for details.”

Along with those words, various precautions made of mana appear in the center of the field.

After briefly checking these, I spoke shortly while looking at the two focusing on me.

“Then let’s go.”

At those words, the two nodded and followed me.

What is the method to distinguish Heaven God cult members ‘mixed among people’?

That question could be answered more easily than expected.

The method was simply that there ‘isn’t one’.

‘As a result of reading thoroughly until the middle-latter part of the novel. It was described that unless those belonging to the Heaven God cult say “I am a believer of the Heaven God cult,” there’s almost no chance of noticing it first.’

The only way to identify Heaven God cult believers was tattoos but.

When they mix among people hiding their tattoos with clothes, there was absolutely no way to distinguish them.

‘So the only way to distinguish them is to judge by the unique eerie aura emanating from the Heaven God Cult followers.’

… This being so abstract, it’s not an accurate method of identification, so it couldn’t be used as a reliable criterion.

‘As a result, in the novel, Rumi couldn’t recognize them in most cases until she was about to be victimized.’

I let out a hollow laugh as I recalled how Rumi had been betrayed and suffered countless times.

If I didn’t step in to do something, it was highly likely that things would unfold in a similar way.

So, as I decided to think of a way to find definitive evidence, I moved forward.

“How about going this way? I think there might be a lot of purification flowers blooming over there.”

Pointing to a place that anyone would find suspicious, they spoke to me.

“You know, rare flowers are usually found in places where people don’t often go. So I think it’s best to look for places where no one has set foot before.”

It was a plausible logic, but there was one flaw.

The fact that the direction they were pointing to was exactly opposite to our destination.

Realizing this, I gave a brief reply to the male student nodding beside me, saying we should do that.

“Let’s do that.”

At those words, the two of them, exuding an air of accomplishment, hurriedly said to me.

“Then follow us. We’ll guide you.”

Whether it was because they were excited or because they were not used to this kind of thing.

Quite stupidly, they kept dropping information that revealed they were from the Heaven God Cult.

I sneered when I heard them say ‘we’ll guide you’.

‘They’re speaking as if they already know where it is. At this point, I can consider it confirmed.’

Thinking that I no longer needed to find any more information.

As soon as that judgment came to mind, I raised the mace and struck the back of the head of the guy in front of me.

– Crack!

The sound of something being crushed.

Along with that sound, I stepped on the back of the man who had fallen to the ground and said.

“Guide me.”

“……”

At those words, the boy standing next to me had a blank expression, seemingly unable to grasp what had just happened.

Seeing his suddenly frozen expression, I smiled with satisfaction, then swung the mace once more.

Whack!

This time, I deliberately struck his shoulder instead of his head.

Even for someone like me, it would be difficult to find the Heaven God Cult members hiding in this vast forest.

That’s why I needed someone to guide me along the way.

“Aaaagh! Ugh!”

As he was hit by the mace, he screamed in pain, clutching his now limp arm.

I grabbed his head, lifted it, and spoke briefly.

“Let’s go then.”

“… Y-you!”

He seemed to have a lot to say, his mouth opening and closing.

But when I swung the mace again and shattered his other arm, he stopped talking and only screamed.

Looking at him, I ordered, ‘If you don’t want to be hit again, start guiding,’ and he began to flee quickly in one direction with a trembling face.

‘Well then, shall we go?’

Ah, by the way, it didn’t matter much if that guy or the one below wasn’t from the Heaven God Cult.

As long as they didn’t die, most could be silenced with a large amount of gold coins.

So, deciding not to kill them, I grabbed the head of the unconscious guy and slowly walked forward.

*

“P-please, spare me! Save me!”

The place where the guide led me while screaming was quite a large clearing.

As I looked around, thinking I didn’t know such a place existed in the forest.

I could see quite a number of people slowly crawling out.

Seeing this, I looked ahead, sensing that among the professors supervising this group practical assessment, there were quite a few puppets of the Heaven God Cult hidden.

‘Roughly a dozen or so.’

Judging by the fact that some were wearing white robes instead of Academy uniforms.

I could tell that non-student external personnel were also mixed in here.

‘It’s rotten to the core.’

Wondering what Rumi’s existence meant to the Heaven God Cult, I gripped my mace tightly.