Chapter 48 : The Magic Stone of Baron Squid

When Instructor Han Seongryeong, who had personally escorted Han Hyeryeong to the door, returned to the bed, I felt a slight sense of incongruity.

It was because there wasn’t a hint of emotion on Instructor Han Seongryeong’s face.

Sure enough, her frame suddenly twisted and shifted—transforming into the appearance of Park Minwoo.

“So you weren’t Instructor Han Seongryeong… You were Agent Green!”

“I was enjoying some time off. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important.”

“Not at all. Your help came at just the right time. But what brings you here?”

“Before heading back to Pantheon Academy, I wanted to give you a heads-up. I’m sure you saw Iris Lunai take down a Lieutenant-class Devil Doll.”

“Yes.

She was already amazing to the point it was hard to believe we were in the same Junior Division, but at that moment, she felt like someone on a completely different level.

And with my homeworld under invasion, I felt so powerless for not being able to do anything.”

“Don’t dwell on that.

In that situation, no one from the Junior Division could have done anything.

In fact, I respect your composure for not recklessly jumping in and staying in your place.

That’s why I ask—would you be interested in helping me with some intelligence operations?”

“Excuse me? Intelligence operations?”

At Agent Green’s sudden mention of intelligence work, I immediately sensed a flag had been set for the Dragon Knight route.

Since the Dragon Knights were Headmaster Lyn Dragos’s personal guard, they were naturally linked in some way to the Heaven-Slaying Dragon constellation route, which could overturn the heavens.

It was just a bit awkward that the beginning of this long journey started with Agent Green—real name Chameleus.

Agent Green was the weakest among the Dragon Knights (though obviously much stronger than any student), but he was a Draconian specialized in disguise and espionage.

Meanwhile, I had F-rank talent across the board when it came to those kinds of missions.

“It may sound like intelligence operations, but it’s not anything that grand.

I just want complete silence about everything that happened on Earth.

We’re planning to conceal the fact that Iris took down a Lieutenant-class Devil Doll.”

“Why would you hide that? Isn’t that something to be proud of?”

“Because a protruding nail gets hammered down.

And I’m not just talking about envy or jealousy from classmates.

Iris Lunai isn’t the kind of sapling to be shaken by a passing breeze.

The real problem is that the Devil Dolls might deliberately target her with precision operations.

Of course, Iris didn’t defeat Baron Squid with her own power alone—she probably had full support from a constellation—but even so, this is not something we can let slip.

The public version will be that Instructor Han Seongryeong, Lieutenant Colonel Anderson, and Iris together defeated a Grade 1 Devil Doll, the Vulcanic Turtle.

That’s the level of achievement people can realistically accept.

If we want to protect Iris Lunai, we need to keep certain facts hidden.”

“Understood. No matter who asks, I won’t say a word.”

“Thank you. I’ll also make sure not to carelessly speak of anything related to you, Kim Sunghoon. Now then, get some rest—we’ll be returning to Pantheon Academy first thing tomorrow morning.”

I flinched for a moment at Agent Green’s cryptic remark.

Could it be… he saw future Iris handing me the Moonglaive and Baron Squid’s magic stone?

It happened during such a hectic battle that I thought we had glossed over it, but it did make sense that someone like Agent Green wouldn’t miss something like that.

Anyway, with Agent Green gone, I was now truly, completely alone.

I collapsed onto the bed like I was falling.

The life-threatening incident had finally come to an end—for now—but once I returned to the academy, there was a mountain of work waiting for me.

***

“Instructor Han Seongryeong, I told you—if you put students in danger, there would be consequences.”

“I’m sorry, Headmaster Dragos. As of today, I resign from my instructor position and will return all the magic guns I was issued.”

“What a foolish thing to say.

Do you think that kind of escapist repentance will work on me?

Instructor Han Seongryeong, you will continue working at Pantheon Academy as a professor—for the rest of your life.

Consider it a lifetime sentence.

And don’t misunderstand—I’m not promoting you because I like you.

I’m doing it to squeeze every last drop of effort out of you.

So forget about retiring and going back to your homeworld.”

After our field mission, we returned to Pantheon Academy from Earth and were honored—if you could call it that—with a personal greeting from Headmaster Lyn Dragos.

Of course, Dragos hadn’t come to greet us out of goodwill.

He had already been fully briefed about everything that happened on Earth and had come to reprimand us.

And truthfully, the reason he promoted Instructor Han Seongryeong wasn’t because he was a soft-hearted tsundere—it was pure retaliation.

It might’ve sounded weird to call it “retaliation promotion,” but there really were a few old professors at the academy who, despite reaching retirement age, continued serving endlessly like loyal ministers.

What was amusing was that even those old professors were actually quite a bit younger compared to Headmaster Lyn Dragos.

“I hear the rest of your group didn’t exactly perform admirably either.

If fighting Devil Dolls is so enjoyable to you all, should I send you off to the Red Belt region?

If you can recapture a planet that’s already fallen into the Devil Dolls’ hands and turn it into a Green Belt region again, then I’ll acknowledge your determination.”

“I’m sorry, Headmaster Dragos. The other students did nothing wrong. Everything was my fault.”

“Hmph! Quiet. All of you are grounded until the end of summer break. You’re allowed to visit areas outside the academy grounds, but if you cross into another dimension, expect severe consequences.”

After giving his short but intense punishment, Headmaster Lyn Dragos shot a look at Agent Green, who was still disguised as Park Minsoo.

It seemed the two of them had something to discuss in private, so I quietly slipped away.

Not that it mattered—unlike someone like Iris, no one was going to invite me anywhere anyway.

So being grounded didn’t really affect me at all.

With that in mind, I decided to take care of the most pressing matter first: Baron Squid’s magic stone.

Outside the academy, there were all kinds of businesses catering to students—restaurants, blacksmiths, and more—thriving in mutual coexistence.

Each and every one of them had been thoroughly vetted and certified by Dragos himself, so you could trust their products and services without worry.

‘As long as you had the money, that is.’

Pantheon Academy was ruthlessly merit-based, and students at the very bottom only received enough allowance to barely survive.

Buying a parfait during a casual outing to the outskirts of the academy?

That kind of luxury was beyond even a dream for me.

In fact, this was my first time ever visiting the academy’s outer district—but even so, I skillfully navigated the narrow alleyways to find the fastest shortcut.

And finally, I arrived at my destination: the Shadowsmith Forge.

There, I carefully shook awake a black-faced dwarf who was sprawled out drunk in broad daylight.

“Hey, mister, could you get up for a second? You have a customer…”

“Ughhh. Shut it, kid. What customer? No one’s come to this forge in months. Don’t mess with me and get lost!”

“I’m a real customer. Colonel Anderson recommended this place, said you’re the top expert in magic gear crafting.”

“What? That old geezer sent you?”

As soon as I mentioned Colonel Anderson’s name, Grimrock Shadowsmith shot up and grabbed a nearby barrel, chugging the entire thing of water like his life depended on it.

Only then could I properly see his face—he looked just like a vicious bandit, and I couldn’t help but let out a grim chuckle at his rough appearance.

It might sound a bit racially insensitive, but aside from the beard color (white for Anderson, black for this guy), the resemblance between the two was uncanny—though this guy somehow looked even nastier.

Still, he was undeniably the top expert when it came to crafting magi (magic-mechanical artifacts), which was why I had rushed over here even before unpacking my things.

“You do know what a magi is, right? You’re not just here blindly?”

“I heard it’s a special kind of artifact made by processing the remains of Devil Dolls. It’s a bit unstable, but supposedly way more powerful than artifacts of the same grade.”

“Hmph.

At least you’ve heard something worthwhile.

But if you’ve just brought me some random bones from a third-rate Devil Doll you found lying around, turn around and go back.

That kind of junk won’t ignite the soul of a true craftsman.

Even if I made a magi out of it, the performance would be mediocre at best.”

“Ah, the material I want you to work on is this.”

I carefully took out the Squid Baron’s magic stone, which I had been keeping safe in my subspace pouch.

But the moment Grimrock Shadowsmith saw the stone, he was visibly shocked and quickly covered it with the barrel he had just been drinking water from.

Whoa, what’s with this guy all of a sudden?