The Overpowered Cult Leader at the Academy Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Operating Funds (1)

The matter had co to an end. The mont the Core of the Barrier that Canis had brought was destroyed, gravity returned to normal.

At the sa ti, the Imperial Knight Order arrived. They quickly grasped the situation and, together with the academy staff, focused on rescuing the students.

“Davide.”

“Oh, Vice-Commander.”

I was sitting next to Winter, who was completely exhausted after the tension had faded, when I heard a familiar voice.

I stood up from my seat and gave a polite bow. Vice-Commander Sheila greeted , holding a blue magic sword in her left hand and a magic staff in her right.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Fortunately, no.”

The Vice-Commander gave a gentle smile. As she looked over, her eyes briefly lit up with interest.

“You must be tired. Please rest a bit more. And thank you for your efforts. I feel ashad on behalf of the Imperial Knight Order.”

“Not at all.”

It wasn’t sothing even the Imperial Knight Order could have prevented. Even though Vice-Commander Sheila was highly skilled, the barrier cast over the school was grand-scale magic.

After the brief greeting, the Vice-Commander disappeared into the crowd of people moving busily.

***

“Th-they’re calling !”

“Calm down. You're not going to die.”

It had been an unprecedented invasion in the history of the academy. Considering the scale of the attack, the loss of life had been surprisingly minor.

But the real problem lay elsewhere. Several artifacts cherished by the academy had been stolen.

As a result, the academy was in turmoil. They needed even the smallest clue about the incident.

Which ant that every student had to undergo an interview.

I tried to comfort Winter.

“Hoo! Hoo!”

“Yeah, deep breathing helps relieve tension… No, seriously, why are you even nervous? It’s nothing major.”

“But still! Hoo!”

Winter was unusually frantic. I had no idea why she was getting so worked up over the upcoming interview.

“Just ring the bell or sothing.”

“Oh! Right!”

Only after pulling out the Silent Bell and shaking it did Winter manage to calm down. I shook my head and tried to get so sleep.

Only two days had passed since the end of Episode 1. In that short ti, construction had already begun at Victoria Hall, and security had been significantly reinforced.

Classes were canceled for a week, and interviews about the incident were conducted swiftly.

“I can ring the bell during the interview, right?”

“Are you seriously asking that?”

“…”

Winter’s panic had kicked in after a day had passed. She showed up with a grim expression, having apparently heard sothing sowhere.

When I asked, what she said was unbelievable.

‘Senior Soloven is being disciplined.’

I tilted my head slightly. All Soloven had done was take the lead and guide the students with command and composure.

I didn’t think much of it. It’s not like she was soone I’d be deeply involved with, and maybe she had done sothing behind the scenes that we didn’t know about.

But Winter seed to think differently.

[Winter Seraphist. Winter Seraphist. Student Winter Seraphist, please report to the Holy Departnt Year 1 counseling room.]

“I’ll be back!”

“Uh, yeah. Go safely.”

“I’ll definitely! Co back victorious—!”

Screaming as if she were going to war, Winter rushed out of the chapel. I slumped down. I didn’t even have the energy to react.

“Why am I so damn skinny.”

I touched my altered body, courtesy of the Adaptive Body. Before, it had felt solid and strong, sothing I was quite satisfied with—but now, not so much.

The word “scrawny” fit better than anything else, and I didn’t like it as much as I’d thought I would. Yet despite the form, my strength had increased, turning it all into nothing but a spoiled complaint.

“Sigh.”

These two days, which should have been filled with all sorts of chaos, had actually been peaceful for . I used the ti to test out my newly acquired abilities.

The permanent engraving I called the Lightning Armor consud roughly 1% of my current health per second. Its damage probably scaled similarly.

The key point was that it was a sustained lee-type status skill. Just activating it was enough to keep most lee classes from even thinking of getting close.

My physical abilities had also increased to a level that couldn't even be compared to before. I hadn't taken any hits, so I couldn’t comnt on the defense, but every other aspect had improved.

“At this rate, the Sea Temple shouldn’t be a problem.”

With proper preparation, it should be doable. Even if it wasn’t, I’d be going with the Imperial Knight Order. It was better to start thinking ahead.

‘I need to start preparing for Episode 2. The Sanctuary won’t be accessible until after Episode 2, and I want to get the Obelisk Sword too—but that’s still a ways off.’

There were plenty of things to do and just as many things I needed to acquire. Even so, I wanted to rest just a little longer.

“Maybe I’ll go outside for the first ti in a while.”

I’d been holed up in the chapel, sleeping the days away. My body was itching to move. I needed so air. It felt like a decent enough idea, so I stood up.

The tattoos that had once covered my entire face were gone. More precisely, they had been absorbed into the stigma on my chest. I stepped out wearing just the academy uniform pants and a short-sleeved shirt.

“This really is the best spot.”

The place I first opened my eyes—the bench where Bereninche had smacked the back of my head. I let myself sink into the bench, with the sound of the fountain water playing nearby.

The breeze rustled the leaves, water droplets splashed from the fountain, and warm sunlight gently covered my body.

It was paradise.

“…What the.”

I blinked, and suddenly the sun was setting. Surprised by the near-magical shift, I jumped up. I could’ve sworn it was still midday when I got here.

“Senior!”

“Uh? What? Why are you here?”

“I’ve been looking for you! Where have you been?”

I was rubbing the sleep from my eyes and wiping off the gunk when Winter appeared. She called out to in an urgent voice.

“Here! Tie your hair up first!”

“My hair? Oh, right. I need to cut this too.”

The mont I reached for the hair tie, she snatched it back.

Was this so kind of give-and-take ga?

When I looked at her with a blank expression, there stood Winter with a rather fearso look on her face. She quickly pushed down onto the bench and moved behind .

Judging by the tugging on my scalp, she was tying my hair herself. I let her do as she pleased and opened my mouth.

“What’s going on?”

“What do you an, what’s going on! The academy called you in for counseling, and you didn’t go!”

That’s true. I had just experienced the incredible phenonon known as ti slip.

“Do you know how mad the faculty is? Hurry up and go! I think you’re the only one who hasn’t shown up yet!”

“Ah~ Yeah, yeah.”

I touched the neatly tied-up hair and started walking. Behind , I heard Winter sigh.

“Don’t walk so slow. You realize this is kind of serious, right? If you get disciplinary action on top of this, you’ll really get expelled!”

“Even if I walk sideways, I’d still be faster than you. My stride is—”

“Aagh! Aaaagh!”

Winter shoved with all her might. Her strength was pathetically weak. I let myself be pushed, but her desperate efforts weren’t exactly aningful.

“Fine, just go wait sowhere. Or head back to the dorms.”

“I’ll stay at the chapel……”

“Sure, do whatever.”

Only after sending Winter off did I finally arrive at the counseling room. I checked the sign and knocked on the door a few tis.

—Co in.

A deep, firm voice responded. A voice I didn’t recognize. I opened the door without hesitation and stepped inside.

Inside, I saw a gorilla buried in a mountain of paperwork. And next to it, the Vice-Commander, sipping tea with elegance.

“Davide!”

“Oh, Vice-Commander.”

What was the Vice-Commander doing here? I gave her a polite bow. She greeted in a rather cheerful tone.

“So I must be invisible, huh.”

“…Hello, sir.”

The gorilla spoke. Given that it was wearing glasses and working through paperwork, it had to be human—but I couldn’t help being surprised.

The gorilla adjusted its glasses and glared at . I bowed again.

At first glance, it looked like a gorilla in clothes, but on closer inspection, it did resemble a person. The fur didn’t completely cover the face. Oh—maybe a balding gorilla?

“Sit down.”

“Yes, sir.”

“……”

At the gorilla’s command, I headed to the table where the Vice-Commander was already seated. From the way he spoke, it seed he already knew Davide.

He was probably the dorm supervisor or a professor in the second-year combat departnt.

I obediently answered and sat down, and an awkward silence followed.

Wondering what was going on, I glanced behind —and saw the gorilla with a face like he’d just eaten crap.

“You were always this obedient?”

“It’s thanks to the Goddess’ love.”

“Oh really? And yet you showed up two hours late?”

I deliberately turned my head away. I didn’t say it out loud, but if they didn’t like it, maybe they should install a speaker in the park too.

Sorry, but his face was just… really scary.

The Vice-Commander stifled a giggle and handed a teacup. I gratefully accepted it and took a sip.

“You understand why you were called, right?”

“Yes. More or less.”

“Good. I’ve already heard a lot before you ca. So I’ll keep it brief.”

The gorilla sitting at the head of the table looked exhausted. It was the expression of a weary office worker, pure and simple.

“The mage who was in the Combat Departnt dormitory supervisor’s office. Do you rember him?”

“Yes.”

How could I forget? That thug had the audacity to go by the cutesy na ‘Coco’ with that face.

The kind of guy that Bereninche would’ve spit at and called disgusting if I told her about him.

“According to Soloven’s testimony, you killed him. Is that true?”

“Yes. Though to be precise, I did it with Canis.”

“Canis… That sassy little mage brat.”

The gorilla scribbled sothing down. I stayed still, sinking into the sofa as I waited for the next question. Up to that point, the Vice-Commander still hadn’t said a word.

“Then you must also rember the monster in the training hall.”

“Of course. A repulsive creature.”

“I’ve heard you killed that too?”

“That’s a bit misleading. That one was entirely Bereninche’s doing.”

Coco—honestly, I did about 80% of the work. Canis helped, but she didn’t do all that much.

But the fiendbeast was different. That was mostly Bereninche’s work. Sure, I’d launched the Lightning Spike, but I wouldn’t go as far as to call it the decisive blow.

“Damn Duhein bastards are nothing but headaches.”

Calling a student a bastard, seriously? I wondered if that was allowed. When I glanced at his face, the gorilla looked like he was about to cry, so I pretended not to see it.

He must be having a rough ti.

“Technically, I’m not a Duhein…”

“Don’t start. I’m about to drop dead from stress-induced hypertension.”

“Yes, sir.”

The gorilla sighed like his head was splitting.

“Do you know anything about what happened in this incident?”

I fell silent for a mont. If the question was whether I knew anything, then of course.

I knew exactly who was behind it, why they launched the attack, and even which artifacts they took.

But I couldn’t say any of that.

“I don’t know anything.”

Their gazes pierced into . One was soft, filled with curiosity; the other was firm, filled with suspicion. I stroked my chin a few tis. Suspicion, huh.

“Don’t know if you’ve heard, but the magic cast was grand-scale magic.”

“I’m aware.”

“Then you’d also know this—there aren’t many who can use grand-scale magic in this era.”

“…Of course I know.”

“And I’m sure you’re also aware—there aren’t any grand magicians specialized in barriers currently active.”

The point was simple—

The enemy was unknown.

And the gorilla, who clearly understood that much, let out a troubled groan.

“Grand-scale barrier magic requires a long preparation process. It’s not an activation-type but a maintenance-type spell. Yet this place is filled with professors—not to ntion the Imperial Knight Order.”

“Hm.”

Only then did the gorilla nod.

Barrier magic was different from regular magic. Constructing one took a considerable amount of ti.

Pulling that off in secret wasn’t sothing even a grand magician could easily manage.

Not here, of all places—where skilled professors and the ever-watchful eyes of the Imperial Knight Order were stationed.

“So you’re saying there’s a traitor.”

“I’m saying it’s possible.”

“Which is the sa thing.”

I shrugged.

I had the image of soone who only knew brute force, but it wasn’t bad to flex my brain a bit once in a while.

“There’s nothing more to gain from this, I suppose. We’re aware that you played a significant role in resolving the incident.”

“You flatter .”

“Which is why I plan to bring up lifting your suspension with the academy.”

There it was.

I figured this would co up. Though I wasn’t convinced sothing like this would be enough to cancel a suspension, I let it go.

“So make sure you show up when summoned.”

“Ah, about that—there’s sothing I need to ntion.”

“…What?”

The gorilla’s eyes twisted strangely, probably not expecting a response like that.

Honestly, I flinched a little.

I swallowed dryly and pointed at the Vice-Commander with my palm.

“I’ve been assigned a request from the Imperial Knight Order. I might be away for quite so ti.”

“Yes, that’s correct. The Imperial Knight Order has entrusted Davide with a personal request.”

“Hm. I see.”

It was a well-tid assist.

As I nodded absentmindedly, my eyes t the Vice-Commander’s—and she was smiling in satisfaction.

“The suspension might not get lifted, you know?”

“That’s fine.”

“……”

“……”

At my calm response, both adults fell completely silent.

A suspension was quite a significant risk.

It was the kind of blemish that could easily be held against you in future careers.

But I didn’t care.

There wasn’t a single upcoming episode I couldn’t participate in while under suspension.

If it got lifted, great. If not, no big deal.

The gorilla let out a long, deep sigh.

“I’ll make sure to get that suspension lifted, no matter what.”

“…Sorry?”

“I’ll definitely bring you under my wing and set you on a bright future, Duhein.”

“……”

Had I touched so strange nerve?

A chill ran down the back of my neck.