Episode 80. Is that the power wizard I’ve only heard of?
After the A-3 group meeting, we each went about our own business.
Trisha and I were working on the newspaper club, Jenny and Mary were researching materials for the mission, and Ruska was running errands for the department head.
Both of us were busy.
As soon as my newspaper club activities were over, I went to the 1-star building instead of returning to the 3-star building.
According to Jenny, a certain magical ring is needed to cross the snowfield. Crona has that magical ring.
Jenny, of all people, said she would be quite late and asked me to go and get it for her in advance.
That doesn’t mean I had to listen unconditionally.
Jenny will be back before the sun sets, so you can ask her to do it yourself then. It’s not far, since it’s the same 1-star building.
But I didn’t necessarily refuse the request.
The reason is because of Crona’s creepy nature.
I had forgotten about it for a moment because I had only been paying attention to other characters, including Lyman, up until now.
Crona’s obsession with Jenny is so intense that even the Joker is shocked.
“Are you in your right mind?”
“ah….”
As soon as I opened the door and went in, Crona, who had been foaming at the mouth and collapsed, finally opened his eyes after about 20 minutes.
It was a pretty quick time for someone to faint, but it was actually just because he was too excited.
Crona’s eyelids, which had been swollen, seemed to be closing slowly, but then suddenly began to sparkle.
And then I jumped up and stepped back from the bed I was lying on.
“Radon Crawler!”
“hi.”
“What do you mean hello! Why are you here….”
thud!-
“Ouch, oh, oh, oh!”
Crona, who was retreating, forgot that there was a wall behind him and ended up hitting his head.
I looked at Crona, who was groaning and holding the back of his head with both hands, with a pitiful expression.
“Ugh…! What on earth does that expression mean! Radon Crowler!”
“No, I don’t mean it in a bad way.”
“Oh my… How can you show such a humiliating appearance? I can’t get married anymore!”
Crona was someone who pursued a refined and perfect appearance. It would be natural for him to want to hide something dirty.
I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed when he fell down foaming at the mouth and I laid him down on the bed myself.
“Why on earth did you come here? You weren’t here to provoke me, were you?”
“I just knocked, opened the door, and came in. What kind of provocation is this? Are you delusional?”
“Don’t be so ignorant! Then why are you looking for the ring?”
“A ring? Oh, right.”
I almost forgot because I was taking care of it for 20 minutes.
In order to pass through the crevasse during the mission, you need a magic tool that increases heat, and it happens to be shaped like a ring.
I came here because I was told that I could get it if I asked Crona.
“I heard from Jenny that you wear your ring a lot.”
“Yes! Are you trying to take it away and seduce Miss Jenny? Who cares!”
Suddenly, magical power was drawn from his body, and steam rose from Crona’s body like a hot potato. It was an overreaction that was excessive for a state of alert.
‘It’s a delusion of persecution.’
The reason for this restlessness may be dissatisfaction with the group composition.
Because I couldn’t be in a group like Jennie.
Her specialness towards Jenny is creepy.
“This is what Jenny asked for.”
“What did you say?”
“We have to cross a crevasse field on this mission. So I’d like to borrow about five of the rings you’re wearing.”
“….”
The frown that looked like it might explode at any moment suddenly softened.
Calming her down was surprisingly easy.
“Then you really… aren’t planning on using it for coupling purposes?”
Exactly!-
“Ouch!”
“That’s not it, so stop talking nonsense. Okay?”
“Ugh….”
After being hit in the back of the head, this time he hit me in the crown of my head with a hammer.
I wanted to hit him one more time, but I had to hold back because of the magic tool.
-Honestly, it’s foolish to expect a sane mindset from Crona right now.
Although he may be different from Ruska, Crona is also not an honest person. He is naturally shy, so he tends to say things indirectly and difficultly when he says he likes someone.
An example of this is showing off in front of people you like or respect. This is clearly evident when dealing with Jenny.
So, instead of honestly saying that I want to be in a group like Jennie, I twist it and say, ‘Huh! I’m going to be in a group with someone I respect.’
‘The only student I respect is Jenny.’
He must have been really looking forward to it. He kept telling himself that the artificial golem wouldn’t recognize his and Jenny’s friendship… but the bigger his expectations, the greater the sense of loss.
“Is it that frustrating that you can’t be in the same group as Jennie?”
“you….”
Crona’s eyes widened as if he had been hit with a nail in the head.
There’s no way I didn’t know that Jenny has been keeping an eye on me lately.
I naturally thought that the time I spent with Crona would decrease, and I also worried that I would eventually suffer from extreme loneliness.
“I kind of noticed how much you care about Jenny. That’s why I’m saying this: Jenny would never abandon you.”
“yes?”
“As you may know by hearsay, I stayed at Jenny’s mansion during the holidays. Do you know what she said about you then?”
“….”
[+ 300 Credits]
I haven’t really heard anything about Crona.
But I need to make up a story to calm her down.
She is currently the leader of a group. If she messes up her mission because of her unstable mental state, it could hinder her future progress.
“He said you were his one and only friend. And he never spared himself from praising you when he talked to me.”
“…!”
[+1500 Credits]
Crona’s eyes trembled greatly when he heard my words.
Although she didn’t actually say that, it’s true that Jenny has feelings for Crona. When lying, you need to mix in at least 1% of the truth to make it work.
“But you won’t meet me at all….”
“Honestly, you probably thought I neglected you because I cared about a new friend like you. But you know what?”
“…?”
“He had all kinds of stuff related to you. He showed me a necklace and kissed it, saying it was something you gave him when he was little.”
“Is this really true!?”
[+2500 Credits]
Crona’s body convulsed as if he had suddenly been given a tremendous stimulus.
Then, his expression brightened greatly and he looked like he had welcomed a savior.
Most of it is made up though.
However, the necklace actually existed. It was the necklace that young Crona gave to Jenny, saying that she wouldn’t wear anything that got dirt on it.
Jenny, who received it as a gift from a friend, still keeps it in her room.
Of course, he never introduced it to me.
“I see… So you didn’t abandon me after all.”
This time, he clasps his hands together and makes a gesture that seems to indicate a prayer.
It was like seeing a pseudo-believer who was hallucinating from some false god.
“I’ve been worrying for nothing.”
“….”
“I’m really sorry for showing you such a poor appearance. By the way, what was it that you asked me to do?”
“Can I borrow five of the rings you always wear?”
“That’s right! This is so un-noble. Hahahaha.”
The girl who had been crying and complaining earlier was nowhere to be found, and a dignified young lady had taken her place.
It was like I had changed the mask to a different color on the spot. It was scary, scary.
“But unfortunately, we don’t have enough for five people right now. If you ask your family to make it, you can easily get it, but it will take about six days.”
“It took that long?”
“The ring I’m wearing isn’t an ordinary ring. It’s a type of magical tool called ‘Artilife’ that increases sensitivity to heat attributes.”
She wears it primarily to increase her sensitivity with Sunred.
So I thought there would be more than 10.
“I’ll contact the top right away, so please wait a few days. And! Please keep what I saw a little while ago a secret! Got it?”
“Okay, I got it.”
“And also, thank you for letting me know.”
I left the room, seeing Crona’s face bashfully expressing her gratitude.
Crona, now alone, suddenly lowered his head under the bed and reached inside.
A large bag is dragged from under the bed in her hands.
Crona’s expression as he looked at it while laying it on the floor was unusual.
She slowly opened the bag with a look of rapture and drool.
“Hoo hoo hoo.”
Despite the meaningful laughter, the contents inside were not very interesting.
An old sweaty gym uniform, a pen, a broken wooden sword, a handkerchief, and a water bottle.
It seemed like nothing more than a collection of useless items discarded by a combat cadet, but their original owner was…
“I’m so glad, Miss Jenny.”
* * * * *
“Hmm….”
“Jenny, what’s wrong? Do you have a cold?”
“That’s not it. My body suddenly started shaking….”
The first class the next day was a joint class between the combat and magic departments.
During the crucial time of learning how to coordinate and fight among different fields, Jenny suddenly felt goosebumps.
“Is it because I was out for a long time yesterday?”
“It doesn’t mean you have a cold. It’s probably just a temporary phenomenon that happens often.”
I focused on this class to reassure Jenny like that.
Today is a joint class with the second-year magic cadets. It is also a chance to practice sparring with them on your own, and among them, there is one senior that you should keep an eye on.
“Hi, little brother. Did you have a good dream last night?”
“When I see your face, the good feeling I had just had hits rock bottom.”
Students from each department sat in a large circle.
In the circle surrounded by cadets, a first-year junior and a second-year senior were facing each other one-on-one.
It was a sparring field, needless to say.
Ruska, the junior, had a puzzled expression, while Trisha, the senior, still looked at Ruska cutely.
That’s why the former felt disgusted.
The first-year students arbitrarily chose their opponents for the sparring. Since they were in the same group, Trisha’s skills need to be assessed.
“I’ll tell you this, if your skills can’t keep up with ours, you will be eliminated without mercy.”
“You’ll know once you try it.”
At the same time as Trisha’s witty answer, the professor shouted, “Start!”
It was Ruska who struck first.
[Break Arrow]
An arrow that was supposed to be fired only once multiplied into more than ten in an instant and was fired in multiple directions.
The arrow’s flight speed was amazing, so it was a difficult situation for the magician and the students. They had to quickly cast defensive magic, but the arrow came right up to their noses before they had time to do so.
I have no intention of letting you off.
There may be some animosity that annoyed them when they lived together as roommates, but the mission they had to complete was top-notch.
There will be no circumstances to take care of the cadets who fall behind.
“Our junior is quite a good one, isn’t he?”
“…uh?”
Trisha was still smiling. And Ruska doubted her eyes.
Even if they weren’t necessarily cadets, most magicians were physically weak. However, the opposing magician standing across from me was noisily catching all the arrows with his hands.
“Is it my turn now?”
Trisha, who showed off a skill that a normal magician would not be able to perform… threw the arrows one by one while smoothly rotating her body as if dancing.
And they weren’t just given back, each arrow had an elemental spell engraved on it.
Even in the brief moment of throwing, it was quickly enchanted!
“What!”
Ruska was greatly taken aback by her opponent’s unexpected movements.
Even Jenny and I were so shocked that we opened our eyes wide and lost our minds.
You did help me out once when I was a lycanthrope by using water magic.
But since that was something anyone could do in magic, I thought of him as just an ordinary senior, except that he was the leader of the newspaper club.
[Blood Wind]
An arrow that flies faster than the arrow you shot. With the elemental magic added, its destructive power is beyond words.
Since it was more advantageous to avoid it than to block it, Ruska dodged it by accelerating.
Swish!-
Even though she had run out of arrows to throw… Trisha threw something again.
Ruska, who had excellent kinetic vision, was surprised to see what it was. It was a staff that was important for magic.
Throwing away your gear. What’s wrong with your head?
Ruska, who had avoided even that, soon approached Trisha. The moment he changed his bow into a double-edged sword and was about to aim for her neck…
“It’s a pity.”
Suddenly, Ruska’s nerves were on edge when she heard Trisha’s voice from behind her.
I don’t know from Ruska’s perspective, but Jenny and I, as third parties, saw it.
The staff he had thrown was also engraved with a spell, and as soon as Ruska dodged it, the magic contained within it was activated.
A magic that teleports you to the exact spot where the staff is.
The staff was floating on the back of Ruska’s head, so Trisha was able to move to that spot easily, and eventually reached the point where the match was about to end.
Because a blade of wind had already been created from the staff and was aimed at Ruska’s nape.
Most of the first years were astonished by the wondrous tactics that combined physical agility and magic.
‘What the heck, that’s class B?’
Of course I did that too.
Surviving as an Academy Fraudster
