Chapter 35

### Chapter 34: How to Steal a Wizard's Woman (1-19)

"I thought I was going to die…."

An hour.

That's how long it took for me to collapse from exhaustion and fall silent.

Just one use, and it felt like all my mana was being sucked out, turning me into a mummy.

I accepted that an incurable situation meant death.

While I was exhausted and silent, Armonia gave me a stern lecture.

For a whole hour...

I couldn't respond and could only listen in my exhausted state.

I propped myself up with my left arm, lifting my upper body.

The gray dust covering my body scattered in all directions.

I could clearly feel my mana refilling, but the shock to my body from earlier still lingered.

I sat down, using the pile of dust as a cushion, and looked at the perforated metal plate while speaking to Armonia.

"Would it be okay if I modified this magic circle a bit and used it?"

[If you improve the necessary parts as you suggest, it will be a helpful magic. However, there are more improvements needed than you might think.]

The improvements Armonia mentioned were as follows:

First, the magic circle.

The disadvantage was that I couldn't use this magic circle in front of others on this continent. Creating multiple magic circles at once would cause a commotion.

Ultimately, the magic circle needed to be made smaller.

But that was easier said than done.

"Is this good enough?"

[...You are truly remarkable. Even if the magic circle is in your mind, being able to think of it in such a reduced size is a whole different level...]

I managed to reduce the magic circle to the size of a coin, maintaining the same shape as the original.

Even at this size, there was no difference in performance.

The key to a magic circle isn't its size but the proper inscription of the runes inside.

I couldn't draw such a small magic circle by hand.

This was only possible thanks to the [Imagination Projection] skill.

At this size, it would be hard to recognize it as a magic circle from a distance.

Armonia had never spoken in such a commanding tone before.

I took it to mean that I must follow her instructions.

The magic circle the professor had written had an infinite input, which was too much for me to handle.

For now, I decided to use the weaker but stable one I had used in the club activity.

Second, the projectile.

But it was worth the price.

According to Armonia, if my mana capacity increased in the future, I could create more magic circles to exponentially increase the power.

She explained that adding two more magic circles on each side would significantly boost the destructive power and range.

For now, I would practice with iron balls and create superconductor projectiles with Enel when needed.

Third, mana depletion.

I felt like I was really dying as my vitality was being drained.

I couldn't use more than 50% of my mana, but in my case, using a large number of magic circles was like a paper cup with a hole in it.

In other words, it leaked out uncontrollably.

Especially in my case, using a large amount of mana in an instant caused a greater shock.

Looking at the perforated metal plate, a sense of pride welled up inside me.

The first class in the brain was a great success.

***

"Are you okay?"

"Huh? Why?"

"You look tired."

Luna said this as she saw me in the lecture hall.

After collapsing once, I couldn't regain my composure.

The other students didn't talk to me at all, but Luna, who had been watching me closely, must have noticed.

I scratched my temple and said,

"Ah, I inhaled too much dust, so I feel stuffy."

"...? Dust?"

"There is such a thing."

"..."

Luna pouted and was about to say something when a woman with ample breasts entered the lecture hall.

...The assistant professor who taught the magic circle casting class.

The assistant professor walked to the podium as soon as she entered, glaring at me.

'...Damn, she really has it in for me.'

[You won't be able to forget this.]

'I wouldn't be able to forget either.'

The assistant professor didn't have her usual composed expression.

She was looking at me with a truly menacing look, as if she wanted to eat me alive.

Once at the podium, she looked around with a dirty expression.

All the students were looking at her as if she were a bug.

If it were just one or two students, she could have intimidated them with a point deduction, but she couldn't treat all the students that way.

The assistant professor gritted her teeth and said,

"...I remember I said we would have a test today. I will call students from the front row to the podium to perform."

The assistant professor sat in a chair next to the podium and called out the first student in the front row.

"Lewis Brandtlopf."

"Yes."

Lewis was in the front row and came to stand in front of the podium.

The assistant professor confirmed Lewis was in position and gave the signal.

"Start."

Lewis began drawing the magic circle with his fingers without a word.

"Wow!"

All the students in the lecture hall gasped in amazement.

Red light beams traced the intricate pattern.

Lewis drew the magic circle in just 10 seconds.

Although it wasn't a complex or difficult magic circle, drawing it so accurately and at such speed was incredible.

Even the assistant professor, who was sitting next to him, looked surprised.

If judged by magic circle drawing skills alone, he was far superior to her.

I mocked through the communication.

'Filthy pay-to-win scum...'

[He probably doesn't realize it himself.]

'That's the problem, he'll think it's his talent.'

He would definitely mistake this for his own achievement.

I would have done the same.

I wasn't sure what his exact magic circle casting level was, but it was definitely higher than mine.

I would take at least 15-20 seconds to draw it, no matter how fast I tried.

But I wasn't too concerned.

As long as I wasn't in the bottom tier, it was fine.

'Well, I can probably be second in the class.'

[Guardian, I'm worried about a variable.]

'...? What variable?'

[It's questionable whether the assistant professor will give a fair score.]

'...Damn!!'

I had been so relaxed, but then I remembered that the assistant professor was the one giving the scores.

She seemed like the type who could give me a zero just because she didn't like me.

'Ha... Fine. I'll just give up on the magic circle casting class.'

[But there are people watching, so she probably won't give the lowest score openly.]

'I hope so...'

To me, it seemed she would just give me a zero.

Seriously, a person like her would act on her whims if she didn't have a higher authority to answer to.

The assistant professor was in charge here, and if she could act as she pleased without consequences, she wouldn't care about anyone's feelings.

She might even use me to intimidate the other students.

The test took longer than expected.

Except for Lewis, the other students took a long time to draw their magic circles.

The fastest took about a minute, and the slowest took up to five minutes.

Time passed, and we reached the middle of the class.

"Luna Strassfeld."

"Yes."

Luna walked to the podium calmly and expressionlessly.

Looking closely, she seemed much better than when she had rushed in earlier.

Her hair was neatly combed, and her clothes were well-arranged.

But compared to her usual self, she still looked a bit disheveled.

Luna stood at the podium and was about to draw the magic circle.

"Wait."

"...Yes?"

But just as Luna was about to draw, the assistant professor, who had been sitting next to her, stood up and started staring at her body in a lecherous manner.

Not just me, but the other students also looked at the assistant professor with incredulous expressions.

Although she hadn't done anything particularly inappropriate yet, her actions were already making Luna uncomfortable.

Luna, who met my eyes, immediately turned her head to avoid my gaze.

'Is she crazy?'

[It seems she acts this way because no one stops her, as if she has the right to do so.]

'She's insane.'

Before, I didn't care if she did such things.

I just didn't want her to harm me.

But after a week of interacting with Luna, one important fact had taken root in my heart.

-Luna is mine.-

I didn't want anyone to touch even a single hair on her head.

I was filled with the desire to make her a woman who would serve me for life.

As I tried to contain the boiling anger in my chest, the assistant professor gently pulled Luna's clothes and smiled lecherously.

"Your clothes are not neat. Let me fix them..."

"Ugh..."

I couldn't take it anymore.

'You bastard!'

[Guardian! You must hold back!]

At that moment,

Bang!

Before I could act, Lewis slammed his desk and stood up.

"Assistant Professor!"

Lewis looked like he was about to scold her, clearly angry.

He didn't want to just watch and do nothing like last time.

The assistant professor, along with the students, turned to look at Lewis.

'Okay, now!'

Taking advantage of everyone's attention on Lewis, I created and activated a magic circle near the assistant professor's buttocks from a distance.

I increased the output a bit more than the one I had used on the bully.

Zap!

"Ah!"

The assistant professor screamed, clutching her buttocks and falling over.

Luna, startled by her fall, quickly avoided her hand and went down to the floor.

Bang!

The lecture hall echoed as the assistant professor fell on her buttocks.

"Ah! You, what did you do!"

"It, it wasn't me!"

The assistant professor, with tears in her eyes, pointed at Lewis.

The other students also looked at Lewis, the most likely suspect.

The only one not looking at him was...

Luna.

She was staring at me intently.

When our eyes met, I felt embarrassed and turned my gaze to Lewis.

It was satisfying to see the bully babbling incoherently.

'What good is your ability if you can't time it right? Stupid kid. Haha.'

[You must be careful. If you're caught, it will be a big problem.]

'I know, I'll be careful.'

Because it involved Luna, I had acted without thinking in the heat of the moment.

If the bully had stayed quiet, I would have stood up and said something.

Originally, I planned to draw attention to myself and secretly zap the assistant professor with electricity, but I got lucky.

The assistant professor, with tears streaming down her face, clutched her buttocks and stood up.

She started yelling at Lewis.

"You're expelled!! How dare you attack a professor!?"

"It, it wasn't me!"

The assistant professor might not be able to expel him.

What evidence did she have to expel him? All the students here saw that Lewis didn't draw a magic circle.

But her anger didn't subside.

"You're not just expelled! I will personally reprimand your king!"

It was absurd.

No matter how powerful a professor was, she was just an assistant professor.

The assistant professor seemed to be spouting off anything that came to mind.

Suddenly, a voice came from the entrance of the lecture hall.

"Even if you're angry, you can't treat a king who rules a country so casually."

"You! Who are you?!"

The assistant professor turned around with a furious expression.

All the students turned to look at the entrance.

There stood a person I had seen once before.

Seeing him, the assistant professor started trembling.

"H, H, Headmaster!"

The Grand Mage and head of the Schutra Magic School, Ludwig Riffenstein, stood there.