Episode 286. Contract to Summon a Hellish Scoundrel

Even though the atmosphere became a bit sticky for a moment, now that two mages were gathered, the topic of conversation inevitably led back to magic.

Of course, I would have been fine with continuing the suggestive atmosphere. No, I wanted it.

However, Professor Im Sol smiled playfully, gave a small opening, and then immediately got up from her seat.

“Alright then, shall we review the recent sparring match?”

“… Yes. Sounds good.”

I hurriedly gathered my clothes and got dressed.

It’s a shame it ended here, but the motivation is certainly there.

Looking at Professor Im Sol’s expression, it wasn’t the kind that suggested she’d give in, even if I threw a tantrum.

I have no choice but to tackle it head-on…!

And I came to my senses a bit.

Indeed, compared to the powerhouses, I still have a long way to go.

Of course, the relationship with the heroines is important… I need to strike a balance.

“For starters, the beginning part wasn’t bad. The important part is the end, though.”

Im Sol muttered to herself and started writing something down.

Glancing over, I saw she was writing something like strange calculations.

I don’t know anything about that.

There are no calculations in my magic.

I’m a hack mage, relying on talent, perks, and intuition.

Im Sol inputted the spells they exchanged into the hologram monitor, much like reviewing a Go game.

Honestly, the beginning part of the sparring match doesn’t matter much.

I was just blocking or dodging the incoming spells as much as possible while waiting for Im Sol’s mental attack magic.

“Professor, honestly, the ending was good, right? Aside from the difference in weight class.”

Even I thought the final gambit was good.

“Hmm, that’s true. But the finishing power was lacking. If it were me, I think I would have pulled water, not earth. And I would have finished it with Blizzard or Chain Lightning.”

“Really? Aren’t Reverse Ground and Compression also decent?”

The spells the Professor mentioned are good, but I feel this way has better destructive power.

But Im Sol shook her head.

“No. Against an opponent stronger than me, if you seize an opening, you should have attacked faster. Reverse Ground and Compression give the opponent too much time.”

“Ah… I see.”

“Yeah. If you had attacked differently, the possibility of inflicting even a little damage would have increased.”

“… That isn’t a sure thing either, I guess.”

“Of course. I’m your teacher, after all.”

Im Sol nodded.

In any case, trying to take them down in one hit was the problem.

Indeed, fighting someone stronger than me allows me to grow more.

I could feel my skills improving in real-time, even with just one short sparring match.

“Speaking of which, how did you do that?”

As I was replaying the sparring match in my mind, Im Sol asked, looking at the monitor.

“Which part?”

“Getting past Nightmare. I couldn’t sense your mana, so I was late to prepare. And also how you nullified my shield with Bind. If it weren’t for those two things, I wouldn’t have left an opening.”

I had used all my hidden moves; if no opening appeared, that would also be a problem.

Otherwise, how would I survive in this harsh world?

‘But can I really tell you all this?’

This was a truly all-out sparring match.

If I tell you my secrets, I’m revealing all my hidden moves.

‘It should be okay.’

It’s not just anyone, it’s our Professor.

I didn’t think long. If I can’t trust the Professor, who else can I trust?

I immediately spoke up.

“Um. That’s just like my ultimate move. I have a skill that ignores mental magic unconditionally. And Bind… it’s a reconstruction of magic.”

“Reconstruction…? Did you perhaps reverse-engineer the magic and then manifest it again? But the speed was too fast for that.”

Professor Im Sol frowned upon hearing my words.

Naturally. Because that’s not it.

“Hmph. It’s similar, but… If I did it that way, it would be too slow, making it impractical, right?”

“That’s true.”

“So I transform the structure of the magic itself… It’s similar to reverse-engineering a magic circle, but…”

I created a magic circle in my hand.

A very simple Fireball magic circle.

But that magic circle soon began to change slowly, starting from the edges.

[Combat Senses] wasn’t activated, and without any doping skills like [Awakening] or [Blood Beat], the speed was quite slow, but it was enough for Professor Im Sol to perceive the change.

Seeing the magic circle transformed into a Lightning Bolt before long, Im Sol tilted her head.

“… Huh?”

Blink. Blink.

Im Sol, who was blinking blankly, soon grabbed my arm.

“What the…? Show me again. Again!”

“I’ll show you as many times as you want. Calm down.”

I smiled and moved my mana again.

After watching the magic circle change over and over again, the Professor seemed satisfied and let go of me.

Then, covering her mouth with her hand, she muttered.

“… I can’t understand it.”

“Really?”

I thought she let go because she was satisfied, but it turns out she couldn’t understand it at all, so she gave up.

Then again, what I just did is like bending a pickaxe with bare hands to make a sword.

It’s my ultimate move, after all.

“Professor, can’t you also teach me that? The large magic circle that appears behind your body.”

Just like during the last terror attack, and this time too, the moment that huge magic circle appears, the very dignity felt from Im Sol changes.

“That… is my unique magic. I pressure the surrounding area with the mana emanating from the magic circle. I’ll teach you later.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to use it… but I’d love to learn.”

That’s magic only possible because of Im Sol’s overwhelming mana pool.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to use it well, even if I learn it.

“Hmm… That’s fascinating. How did you change the magic?”

I spoke to Im Sol, who was still preoccupied with my magic circle reconstruction.

She seemed a bit down. Sorry about that.

“Professor, aren’t you afraid of things like mana-blocking barriers?”

It was something I’d always wondered about.

Like me, whose combat relies entirely on magic, Im Sol must surely feel uneasy too, but this person is just so carefree.

“Well. In my life so far, there hasn’t been anything I couldn’t overcome with magic. I’ve heard such warnings many times, but they’ve never come true.”

“… But what if you suddenly fail? It’s a disaster, right? You could really be in big trouble, Professor.”

I recalled memories from the original work.

Since Im Sol had a minor role in the original work, her appearances were rare, but she was often mentioned in passing.

Especially the bad endings.

Routes where the protagonist dies or a heroine dies.

Some of those routes definitely included Im Sol dying.

She was a pretty character, and since the strongest mage in the world died, I remember her being mentioned in the communities too.

Of course, I have no intention of causing a bad ending, but the possibility of Professor Im Sol dying is not 0%.

But Im Sol, unaware of my thoughts, just smiled and stroked the back of my hand.

“Aren’t you the one who’s in danger? What you used in the sparring match just now was your ultimate move, right? Is it okay to tell me? What if I betray you?”

Seeing that mischievous smile, it’s obviously a joke, but I also have something in mind, of course.

“If the Professor betrays me, I’ll have to die. What else can I do?”

I’ll have to die.

It’s not a joke. I really have to die.

There’s a reason I trust Professor Im Sol this much.

Her favorability is 92, and in the original work, she’s a character who never committed betrayal.

If Im Sol were to betray me, all the information I know would be useless.

Then I’ll just have to die. What can I do?

Of course, my trust in Professor Im Sol herself, based on what I’ve seen so far, is also very strong.

“…”

“Anyway. Be careful, Professor. The world is so dangerous these days. Especially pretty professors are even more at risk.”

I said this seriously, making eye contact, but Professor Im Sol’s face had become redder than when she saw my magic earlier.

“… You’re quite the talker. Sigh.”

Im Sol smiled, patted my shoulder, and continued speaking.

“Then you protect me. Got it?”

“… Of course.”

As long as I’m here, the Professor will never die.

*

“I should get going.”

“Yeah. Contact me again. I want to see more of your magic.”

We even had lunch together before saying our goodbyes.

Somehow, my magic seemed to have ignited the Professor’s passion even more.

“Oh, are you free during the break?”

We’d already said goodbye, so I was about to leave, but Im Sol’s words stopped me.

“Huh?”

Break.

After the final exams end, the break starts before the second semester begins.

I didn’t have any particular plans, so I was planning to relax, do some magic research, and hang out with the heroines…

“You said your research was finished.”

“Ah, right.”

“Then you have to present it.”

“… Where?”

“America. To the Wizard Association.”

America after France, huh. The scale is really big.

*

Leaving the lab, I walked outside.

“Why is my schedule so packed.”

Seriously, why am I so busy?

What’s this Wizard Association anyway? That’s just something in the lore.

Can’t I also live a normal life flirting and cuddling with girls?

Everyone in the novels I’ve transmigrated into seems to do that. It feels like only I’m always getting roughed up.

‘What should I do now?’

I have a lot on my schedule, but today, actually, I had nothing to do.

There was still quite some time left until I go see Alice.

‘Should I just stay in the dorm?’

Going back and forth is annoying, so I wanted to stay out as much as possible, but there’s really nothing to do.

It’s the weekend, so it’s hard to find someone to meet.

I should buy something to eat before going home.

If I buy chicken, she’ll probably like it.

I walked through the Academy shopping street, looking around.

‘There definitely used to be a chicken place around here. Did it go out of business?’

My memory isn’t wrong, so maybe the surrounding area has changed.

I walked, checking even the alleys, when I heard a strange sound.

Thump. Thump.

The unpleasant sound of hard fists hitting skin.

I could even feel a bit of wetness, suggesting the person being hit was bleeding.

– P-please, save me…

– Hey, you son of a bitch! How many times have I told you to pay the money! The money…!

Looking closely into the alley where the sounds came from, I saw a man kicking a man lying on the ground.

“Tch…”

Seriously? They’re extorting money in a shabby alley like that?

It’s not far from the main road, is it?

Tsk.

I walked into the alley.

Although I had never met the man being beaten below, he caught my eye, and I couldn’t just leave him because my nature is too kind.

‘Interesting.’

I had only walked a little, but the air itself was different.

Unlike the main street, where I felt the vibrancy of people, the back alley had a gloomy atmosphere lingering.

Is this life in the back alleys?

Thump- Thump-

As I got closer to the unpleasant sounds, I could clearly see their faces.

A bald man with a shaved head stood with his hands in his pockets, kicking the gaunt man with his foot.

Even though I came closer, he didn’t stop, so although it was annoying, I spoke to him.

“Hey. Stop it. You’re going to kill him.”

“What the? This brat…”

Ptooey-

The bald man spat towards me.

“Hmph.”

Right. I expected this.

I knew talking wouldn’t work.

I slowly approached the men.

Seeing they didn’t know I was a mage, there was no need to use mana on these lowlifes.

It wasn’t necessary to deliberately raise my mana.

Wham –

And in an instant, I drove my fist into the man’s stomach.

Even though I’m a mage, an Academy student wouldn’t lose to local thugs.

“Gah, cough! Eek! Eeeeeek!”

And the man who took a punch to the stomach immediately scrambled away in panic and fled.

“… What the hell is that guy?”

I let out a hollow laugh out of anticlimax.

Maybe because he’s a thug, he has no guts.

“Sir. Are you okay? Did you get into debt…?”

Swish-

As I tried to turn around, I felt a chilling sensation from my neck.

“Hehehe. This is why naive student brats are so easy to exploit.”

“…”

“Hey. I know you’re stiff, but if you don’t want a hole in your stomach, let’s go deeper into the alley. I’ll spare your life.”

Thump- Thump-

The man hidden under the rags was suddenly behind me, holding a knife to my neck.

While doing so, he kicked my calf and pushed me forward.

It probably meant to go forward.

“… I really get caught up in the strangest things.”

A pair of thugs?

Even scum like these are trying to pick a fight.

“Hey. Do you not understand what I’m saying? Now…”

Snap-

I snapped my fingers with an annoyed expression.

*

The man, dripping blood, was kneeling face down before me, and I looked down at the sight.

“Guh… cough… S-sorry…”

“You shouldn’t live like that from now on. Got it?”

“S-sorry…”

“Sigh.”

I didn’t intend to go this hard on local thugs, but thinking about it, he was holding a knife.

If I had been only moderately strong, I might have died.

So I hit him quite a bit.

“Hey, what kind of nerve do you have to be doing this in the Academy shopping area?”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”

The man didn’t answer my question; instead, he kept bowing deeply while face down.

It must have hurt.

Thump-

Just then, something fell from the man’s pocket.

A somewhat familiar purple cloth…

“Huh?”

I lowered my gaze without much thought, but seeing the cloth, I was surprised and bent down to pick it up.

“Hey. Why does scum like you have this?”