Chapter 120
If he cannot have it, he shall destroy it.
At the Crown Prince’s stern reply, Fire King Teron’s discomforted expression slowly mellowed.
“Yes, you must.”
Teron was still getting over his surprise over Ruin’s success.
He was the ultimate being, a one-of-a-kind entity who one would struggle to find an equal for.
As the king of all magicians, no one had ever made him worry this much.
He was always the best, the king.
However, he was feeling wary of Ruin Ardell right now.
Very wary.
There was a reason for this.
Kunkhan’s Tooth.
An artifact that would only react to someone capable of becoming the King of Magicians had reacted to Ruin.
Therefore, Ruin had the potential to grow and challenge his position.
He could be a threat to Teron sitting up on his throne.
On top of that, his growth rate was unbelievably fast.
“What is he doing right now?”
Asked the Crown Prince, who wasn’t quite as knowledgeable in magic, while pointing at Ruin Ardell.
The Fire King answered, baffled,
“He is running while holding a Fireball.”
“……What?”
“To be precise, he’s not just holding it. His entire body is on fire.”
“He looks like a maniac.”
“……”
Yeah.
It was an insane method that couldn’t even be attempted by anyone but a highly skilled magician.
I was running through glacier fields cold enough to freeze the sweat on my brow while carrying a Fireball on my body. It was an insane situation where spectators could do nothing but laugh out of confusion.
“Can that method work?”
“……”
But the Fire King remained silent.
Because, just like what the Crown Prince said, this was an impossible method.
This battle prowess of facing the extreme cold with fire and dispatching the hidden traps instantly while slashing the necks of the glacier monsters that were appearing here and there…
Compared to him, Teron, an 8th-class who had exceeded the limit of humanity and had entered into the realm of gods, Ruin was still but a small thorn in his side.
However, even a small thorn can kill you if it pricks the right spot.
Looking at Ruin Ardell’s growth rate…
At first it was curiosity.
Second, it was favor and wonder.
Third, it was wariness.
He had reached a point where it felt wrong to just leave him be.
“R-Ruin Ardell has blazed through Glacier! 2… 2 minutes and 11 seconds! I can’t even begin to describe this shocking outcome!”
“……”
It was hard to gauge how much Ruin Ardell would grow in the future.
That was why…
‘I need to destroy him.’
He couldn’t deceive the eyes of Fire King Teron.
Ruin Ardell had arrived at the doorstep of 6th-class at the age of 16.
He had grown at a similar speed to Teron, who was also an extraordinary and unparalleled genius.
5th-class and 6th-class.
Although this was simply the difference of a single circle drawn around a magician’s mana heart, creating this one circle was said to take 10, 20, or even 30 years.
No.
Becoming 6th-class was a level of achievement some people could never reach, even chasing after it their entire lives.
Profound wisdom, ceaseless effort, endless research, and on top of all this, a level of enlightenment that not everyone could understand.
Also, as it was sometimes referred to as ‘the starting point of high-ranking magicians’, most people who did end up reaching 6th-class were at least in their 40s…
Well, in any case, a thought came to mind.
“……”
A formula that I had only known in theory.
I knew of the way the 6th-class spells activated, but I had never been able to succeed even once.
A thought came into my mind that… maybe I would be able to do it this time.
Yeah.
Although it was only a thought, ‘Death Knell’, which was called the first spell a 6th-class could cast, was being drawn in my head and realized by my hands.
“Wh-what is that!”
Death Knell.
The chiming of bells that signify death.
As an invisible and formless spell, it created a sound wave that was so fast that most people would fail to notice it until they had already been ripped apart.
After blasting through Glacier, I faced the huge stone wall in front of me.
There were many methods one could use to ‘destroy’ that thing.
But in front of everyone watching, I tried to cast Death Knell.
As a symbol, maybe.
“I-I can’t even believe my eyes! 6th-class! Ruin Ardell has reached 6th-class! At 16 years old! The youngest in the history of the Kingdom! He’s just like the magician at the boundary, Fire King Teron!”
To everyone who had come here to watch me.
To all my friends who were cheering for me.
And to even the Fire King and the Crown Prince, who were glaring at me in discomfort.
I completely controlled the formless Death Knell that was struggling to break free and approached the stone wall that was blocking my way.
And then, I just gave it a light tap with a finger.
Tap…
Dooooooonnnggg!
A damning sound was heard from the tip of the finger and flowed outwards, reverberating through the stone wall and ravaging it.
Crrrrack!
The wall was split in an instant, and it had only taken 5 seconds for the entire thing to crumble into dust.
“……”
“……”
Only silence filled the graduation test’s grounds.
The commentator that was casting the challenges was finally able to squeeze a few words out from his state of shock.
“……2 minutes and 57 seconds.”
Even after he said it, he seemed to still be in a daze, as it took him a few seconds before he shouted,
“2 minutes and 57 seconds! Ruin Ardell of group 7 has finished the challenges in only 2 minutes and 57 seconds!”
“Huzzah! The future of the Kingdom! Three cheers for Sir Ruin!”
The one who shouted huzzah, breaking the silence, was none other than the First Prince.
At this, not wanting to lose, the Second Prince also stood up and shouted as if competing,
“Huzzah! No, hurray!”
“Huzzah to a miracle!”
“Hurray, hurray, hurray!”
“……”
Since the two princes were standing up and shouting like this with their arms flailing in the air, what could the nobles who were sitting around them do but…
Clap clap clap clap!
…but cheer as well while clapping.
“Begin!”
The First Prince gave a signal to the musicians he had prepared beforehand, and as if announcing the arrival of a hero, a grand song started to play.
He leaped down to the front row in a single go and started to talk to me.
“Sir Ruin! I truly congratulate you on your graduation.”
“Your Highness, getting musicians here is a bit—”
“Ahahaha! Don’t worry. It’s my small gift to congratulate you on entering adulthood and to your new start for your new future.”
“……”
Ah, was that so?
But students other than me were still trying to finish their graduation tests.
The Second Prince looked quite peeved and like he regretted not also thinking about getting musicians.
“Damn it! I didn’t even think about it. How could I lose to my elder brother like this?!”
“……”
What were you regretting??
In any case…
“Ruin!”
Coming out after finishing the challenge, I waved at Ruina, who was waving back at me.
And then, I went and looked for the Crown Prince and Fire King Teron, who were sitting in the spectator seats.
However, they had already disappeared off to somewhere, and were nowhere to be seen.
Translator – Jreaming
Proofreader – Artethrax
Ruin would be the top student anyway.
The outcome hadn’t changed.
As the student representative, and as the valedictorian, I would be the one to stand tallest on the graduation podium tomorrow.
The attention that I received like this was still a bit too much for me, but I told myself that I would at least enjoy it for today.
“Ruin! When did you reach 6th-class?”
“My friend is already a high-ranking magician!”
“……”
Well, who cares, right?
Since this was the end.
Yeah.
With this, the graduation tests were done.
“Fuah… The graduation ceremony is already tomorrow?”
“I can’t believe it. 6 years of my life flew by just like that. What did I even do the past 6 years? Sob sob.”
“Hey, hey. It’s too late to regret it now.”
As this test was the one that would determine one’s path in the future after graduating, everyone tried harder than any test before it.
However, everyone had started looking carefree, whether they scored high or low.
Well…
“I thought it would be super refreshing after I graduate, but why do I feel weird?”
“Yeah… Are you feeling it too?”
It was refreshing but bitter. Carefree but weirdly sad. And this complicated emotion wasn’t something only I was feeling.
After all, just as this was the end, this was also the beginning.
“For a poor mood like this, alcohol would be the perfect company.”
For the first time, I agreed with Jason’s remark.
A thought entered my mind that a cool glass of beer would be the best right now.
Yeah.
We needed alcohol.
Everyone was wanting it, and the Director, who understood the student’s feelings better than anyone, had prepared a small banquet for us.
Meaning…
“It’s a party!”
A graduation party.
Lots of food and drink was prepared for the students that would soon be graduating and for the guests that had visited the Academy to see those students.
More than that, there was a second reason the students were excited.
“Oh! There’s alcohol!”
Now that they were adults, ‘drinks’ were also prepared for the graduating students.
Of course, this would also be the place students would receive offers from nobles.
As everyone went to eat food and drink alcohol while strengthening their relationships with people of note…
I quietly left the party hall and headed away from the princes and the nobles.
The people I looked for were none other than the Director and Professor Hydel.
“Ruin? What is it?”
“I wanted to say my farewells now. I think it’ll be pretty chaotic tomorrow.”
“A farewell… Thank you. Now, I don’t think I’ll be able to see you tomorrow even if I wanted to.”
“Thank you for everything, Director, Professor.”
If I didn’t have them…
If the Director and Professor Hydel didn’t believe in me…
I probably wouldn’t have been able to survive this long.
The me of today may have never existed.
I didn’t know if he did or didn’t know how emotional I was feeling right now, but the Director replied in a joking tone,
“I want to invite you to be next year’s special lecturer. Will you accept?”
“Yes, of course. Just call me.”
“I have received your confirmation. Professor Hydel here will be our witness. You can’t ignore us just because you graduated.”
“Pfft. Ok.”
I could confirm.
He did indeed fully understand how I was feeling, and he made such a joke on purpose.
“Ah, ah…”
Maybe because I had a mug of beer,
No, maybe because this time tomorrow, I would leave the Academy…
It was the exact same academy grounds I always walked, always saw.
But why did it make me so emotional today?
Wanting some time to myself, I walked outside in the bright moonlight into the Academy’s spring garden.
‘The entrance ceremony took place here.’
6 years ago.
This was the place where my 10-year-old self entered the Academy on that bright, spring day.
After indulging in my memories for a split second, I quickly turned and looked behind me.
“……”
I could instinctively tell that I wasn’t alone in this spring garden.
I could even be certain as to the identities of the people who came to find me.
Behind me were the two men who had Disguised their true forms.
Among them, the young man asked me,
“Ruin Ardell, right?”
“……”
“So I am right. I asked just in case, but your performance in the test before was quite memorable.”
The Crown Prince.
However, he still completely hid his identity as he approached me.
“I am Raika. I operate a small shop in the east. I want to have a quick chat with you.”
A brightly smiling face.
However, I could sense the discomfort in his eyes.
I faced the Crown Prince head on and said,
“Do ask, Your Highness, Prince Chaurmetan Raynac.”
“……Uh?”
Seemingly not ever expecting me to answer like this, the Crown Prince quickly touched his face.
I pressed forward, saying,
“Since I am not a citizen of the Empire, I cannot kneel for you. I ask for your understanding.”
“……”
“How did you know?”
The one who asked wasn’t the Crown Prince, but the magician standing behind him.
Fire King Teron.
This question was insinuating that his magic was so close to perfection that it never should’ve been seen through.
He wasn’t wrong.
I replied while shrugging,
“Even if you can hide your face, you can’t seem to hide your character. I just guessed, since you had the same piercing eyes as the Crown Prince’s when he talks to me. But looks like my guess was right.”
“……”
“Then, the one who just spoke should be the Fire King. It’s been a while.”
I smiled as I bowed my head.
Then, the Crown Prince muttered in surprise,
“You recognised me just by my gaze? I can’t do anything but laugh at that. You are truly a masterpiece, Ruin Ardell.”
But his gaze quickly changed as he continued.
“Since I waited for you till your graduation, my patience has reached its limit. I will never give this offer again. Come with me to the Empire.”
“……”
“I’ll refuse your refusal.”
My opponent was a person of immense power who refused refusals and needed everything to go according as he wished to be satisfied.
But I, too, was stubborn.
I smiled softly and answered,
“I refuse.”
“……”
Then, a short laugh escaped the Crown Prince’s mouth.
——
