Chapter 22

One hour has come~~~

—————————————————————

The campus under the night sky emitted a slight chill. Apart from the late summer breeze, a bustling large space suddenly fell silent. This stark change made Fuyuki Rin, standing at the school gate, feel very uncomfortable.

As for why she was alone, feeling the difference between day and night, the reason was very simple. Levi, the teacher who had apologized to the students at noon for his disgraceful behavior, was late again...

Boredom, helplessness, and anger resulted in her brown leather shoes suffering. The toe of her shoe repeatedly kicked the innocent stone pillar at the school gate, and even though the force was not great, small scratches were already visible on the toe.

"Oh, I'm very sorry, very sorry. There was a bit of a commotion during dinner."

"Ahhh!!!"

Rin's eyes had been fixed on the slope in front of the school gate, and she was startled by the sudden voice from behind, emitting a scream that rivaled a soprano opera singer.

"Shh, keep it down. This is supposed to be a secret mission, right? If we attract the students from the dormitory, wouldn't all the effort of choosing the night be wasted?"

The one who appeared behind Rin was none other than Levi, who was nearly half an hour late.

He had originally planned to use a small prank to divert Rin's attention and cover up his tardiness, so he deliberately used instant teleportation to appear behind her.

Unfortunately, he had underestimated the lung capacity of a teenage girl, and his eardrums were still slightly painful.

"You, how could you be behind me! Did you hide in the school all this time just to scare me?"

As the saying goes, one cannot judge a person by their appearance. The student council president, who usually appeared serious and excelled in both studies and work, was unexpectedly timid. When she turned around, Levi noticed that her large eyes were noticeably more moist than usual.

It seemed that girls of this age were afraid of supernatural events, regardless of whether they themselves were supernatural beings.

"To scare you, I hid in the school and skipped dinner? I'm not that bored. You were just staring at your toes and didn't notice me."

Levi had no time to explain the principles and applications of spatial laws to her at this moment, let alone whether he himself understood them. Anyway, the two would inevitably have to work together in the future, and it would be more convenient to let her see the reality then.

However, Levi did not know that his thoughts would be realized so quickly. Fate, it seems, is always beyond anyone's comprehension.

After venting her dissatisfaction, Rin finally remembered that she had returned to school after school was not to argue with this detestable teacher. She followed Levi, heading toward the gymnasium, which was just across the sports field.

The gymnasium under the night sky appeared like a dormant giant beast before the two. Of course, there were no lights inside, and nothing could be seen through the glass. The two arrived at the central entrance, where a "No Entry" sign hung. It was unknown what reason Levi had used, but he had convinced the principal to approve the hanging of this sign before the afternoon classes.

"Destroy all the curse marks, right?"

Levi sighed at the troubles of integrating into society. If he were still the lone wanderer he once was, he would have chosen the convenient and quick method of blowing up the entire gymnasium in this situation.

Unfortunately, Ewen's curse had not yet been lifted, and even if he wanted to flee far away, it was not practically feasible. Besides, he did not dislike his current life; in fact, he genuinely enjoyed these peaceful days.

"Right, let's get started."

"Okay, then the first curse mark should be here."

Levi reached out and removed the wooden sign hanging on the door lock, throwing it to the ground.

"Huh? So simple... This..."

Rin approached the door, half-believing and half-doubting, and touched the lock.

A white pattern faintly appeared.

"Abzugbedienugmittelstand"

Rin chanted the magic incantation in a low voice, and a dark red light flashed. The pattern on the lock then dissipated like a burst bubble.

"Is this a curse mark?"

"Right, it seems you are quite useful. This makes things easier! Let's quickly destroy the curse marks on the outer walls first."

Rin excitedly pulled Levi, running lightly. The two held hands, as if they had returned to a few years ago. Back then, she was still a child, and Levi had taken her to the amusement park for the first time, just like now.

——————————————————

"Hehe, it would be interesting to see the expression of the master whose curse marks were suddenly destroyed. It must have been quite a struggle for a novice to create such a barrier."

The two had already cleared all the curse marks hidden on the front of the gymnasium.

Since the progress was very smooth, Rin's bad mood due to Levi's tardiness had improved.

Leaning against the wall and sitting on the ground, the girl took out two cans of coffee from her bag. She threw one to Levi and opened her own, taking a sip.

"Actually, there's an even simpler way, right? I know a few magicians, and they would probably handle this barrier faster."

"Hmph! Are you doubting my abilities? Not to brag, but you know I'm considered a genius in any field. Besides, the magic teachers you mentioned are from Mahou no Tenshi. A physicist can never be a good doctor; different systems have different rules. If they were to handle it, they would probably just blow up the gymnasium."

Like the Academy City, which ostensibly promotes mental development but actually conducts research on superpowers, Mahou no Tenshi has a significant number of magic teachers, a fact that can only fool the simple-minded people whose lives revolve around their immediate surroundings.

As a resident of a magical family, Rin, of course, knew this not-so-secret secret. Although her understanding was not deep, she was clear about the differences between the two. Although both use supernatural abilities to cause supernatural phenomena, magic and the magic of Mahou no Tenshi have fundamental differences.

Just as science has classifications like physics and chemistry, magic has distinct systems. Just the existence of magicians is divided into two major schools: one represented by the current Roman Pope and the other by Mahou no Tenshi, which comes from the magical world. Not to mention the various schools within these two major schools that follow different beliefs.

The girl, who had been called a genius since childhood, had absolute confidence in her knowledge in her field.

"Um~"

Leaning against the wall, she stretched and stood up, brushing off the dust on her skirt.

"I've rested enough. Let's quickly finish the work and go home to sleep. Lack of sleep is the enemy of the skin."

The two moved to the side of the gymnasium and continued their unfinished work.

Since the gymnasium was a rectangular building, there were fewer places to set up curse marks on the side compared to the front. It didn't take long for the two to clear all the curse marks on the outer walls and move to the back of the gymnasium, a small path between the school walls.