Chapter 49

### Chapter 48: How to Steal a Wizard's Woman (1-33)

What do all gamers in this world obsess over?

An interesting story? Good gameplay? Attractive characters? A gacha with a low drop rate?

...Let's exclude the last one.

I can confidently say one thing:

It's a game with a "one-shot" moment.

A hint that turns the tide in the protagonist's moment of crisis.

A 1% critical hit that triggers in a desperate situation during a boss battle.

A character who can defeat everyone with a single move.

A card with a 0.0001% drop rate that never appears...

...Let's exclude the last one again.

I believe that a game with a "one-shot" moment is a game that makes a big splash.

Gamers are always addicted to that one-shot and can't tear themselves away from the game.

And I was no exception.

Even when faced with a life-threatening situation, I found myself hoping for that one-shot.

But if that were reality, things would be different.

In a game, if you die, you can just start over.

Even in hardcore games, you can restart the game even if your character is deleted.

But not in life.

Still, I was a gamer.

Even though I only played NTL genre games...

I could once again feel how deeply I was immersed in the possibility of a one-shot.

***

"..."

When I opened my eyes, I saw two women talking in my field of vision.

Even though I had seen these women before, it took me a while to remember who they were.

It was clearly night.

I just kept staring blankly.

My mouth wouldn't open, and no words entered my ears.

As I continued to stare at the two women, one of them suddenly noticed my gaze and quickly left, while the other rushed to me.

She buried her face in my arm and kept saying something.

"———."

I couldn't hear what she was saying at all.

But gradually, the sound started to seep into my ears.

"Huuu... Hiiu..."

She wasn't speaking.

She was just crying, soaking my arm with her tears.

"..."

I wanted to say something, but I didn't have the strength to move my lips.

However, I focused all my strength on my other arm, lifted it, and placed it on her head.

Gathering all my strength, I finally spoke.

"Are you okay?"

"Huuuuu!"

The first time we met, she didn't seem like the type to shed tears.

She wasn't cold-hearted, but she was a person disconnected from the world.

And now, she was crying her heart out in front of me.

"Thank you... Thank you for being alive... Hiiu..."

She spoke with difficulty, but her response was off-topic.

But I was satisfied.

The answer I wanted was her voice.

Someone entered the room.

It was Sonia and an old woman.

The old woman with white hair looked like a professor at this school.

The professor quickly approached me, stared at my face intently, and said:

"Wow... I didn't think you'd wake up."

"Is he okay? His condition..."

"Once he's awake, there shouldn't be any problems."

Sonia and the old woman were having a serious conversation.

The old woman approached me again and put something in my mouth.

"Ah!"

"Eat, you brat!"

"Chok... Chok...!"

It felt like my throat was going to close up and I would die.

'No, damn it, I really might die!'

If she just put it in my mouth, I would have eaten it on my own.

But she was shoving it in.

After the object was pushed into my stomach, my body slowly started to relax.

"Ha... Ha..."

"It's a mana purification potion. It's still experimental, but after a while, you should be able to talk. I'll leave now."

"Yes, thank you. Professor Margot."

As the white-haired professor left, the room fell silent again.

Luna seemed to have calmed down a bit and was holding my arm, her head bowed.

The silence was broken by Sonia.

She approached me, placed her hand on my forehead, and asked:

"Are you okay?"

"...Yes."

I could feel my body slowly recovering, but it was still difficult to answer.

Sonia hesitated for a moment and then continued:

"The principal will be here soon. You must pretend you don't know anything."

"...? What do you mean?"

Sonia explained everything.

The destruction of the mana golem, the unauthorized entry into the forest training ground... and...

The death of the assistant professor.

The assistant professor, who had dried up like a mummy, was so decayed that some people who arrived at the scene vomited.

The problem was that even the principal couldn't determine how such a death occurred.

Fortunately, there were no known cases of death by mana drain, so the exact cause couldn't be determined.

"Whatever happened, you must pretend you don't know. Especially about the assistant professor's death, you must say you don't remember..."

"But that guy..."

"Listen to me!"

Sonia shouted urgently.

"If the guardian student was even 1% involved in the assistant professor's death, you won't be able to leave here alive!"

"..."

"Strutha Academy may seem full of light and grandeur on the surface, but in reality, it's completely different!"

Sonia started to tell me about the principal.

I recalled for a moment.

The words the principal had said to the students...

(I will be the first to punish any student who raises a blade against a professor. Do you understand?)

I could never forget those words.

And a person suddenly came to mind.

'Armonia?'

[...]

'Ah, did the communication have a problem? Damn it.'

[...Did you know that if a problem occurs, you should act accordingly?]

'Huh?'

Armonia's voice was the same as usual, but it carried a weight.

'...Are you angry?'

[Why didn't you follow my advice? If you had sought help from the outside, this situation wouldn't have happened.]

'No, then Luna would...'

[Luna Strathfeld's death would be a simple accident.]

'What?'

I was so astonished by Armonia's words that I couldn't even respond.

But her next words changed my mind.

No response came.

Initially, Armonia had told me that it cost a lot to summon me, and she had to dispose of everything...

Armonia had purely recognized the value of my existence.

'Sorry. I'll be more careful next time.'

[That's not enough.]

'...I'll be more cautious from now on.'

[That's still not enough.]

Armonia was firm.

There is no perfect situation in this world. In dangerous situations, you need to take risks.

'No, I didn't know how the situation would turn out...'

[Is that all I am to you, Guardian? Just a hidden card or a colleague?]

'...'

I thought deeply about Armonia's words.

When I first met Armonia, she was alone.

Thinking about it, she couldn't have always been alone.

I don't know who was with her before, but now I exist.

I don't know exactly how she perceives me.

I might be just a well-drawn hidden card or a colleague to her.

But in her outburst, there was definitely more than just a common emotion.

I can't pinpoint exactly what emotion it was, but that's what I felt.

'Sorry, from now on, I'll prioritize my life in dangerous situations.'

[That's a sufficient answer.]

Only then did Armonia relax.

After finally calming Armonia, I turned my attention back to Sonia and Luna.

Sonia had been repeating the same thing to me in different ways.

The message was simple:

Avoid any involvement in the assistant professor's death.

She was saying this not only to me but also to Luna.

"Do you understand, Luna? Just say you fainted because of the mana golem."

"Yes..."

Luna, who was holding my arm, said something similar to what Sonia had said.

"Whatever happens, say you fainted with me."

"...Yeah, I got it."

Click.

As I answered, someone carefully opened the door and entered.

It was the principal.

Two old professors stood on either side of him.

One was the professor who had shoved the potion into my mouth, and the other was a man I hadn't seen before.

The principal looked at me and said:

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes... I'm sorry, I can't get up right now..."

"Hehe, it's fine. You can stay in bed."

The principal walked over to the bed with his usual casual smile.

He got straight to the point.

"I want to ask you about what happened today."

"...Yes."

"Why did you enter the forest training ground?"

He started the conversation by pointing out the rule violation.

I calmly explained.

I had heard about Luna while leaving the cafeteria and rushed to the forest training ground.

I also mentioned that I had asked the girls who told me about Luna to inform Professor Sonia.

"Why Professor Sonia?"

"...She was the professor I trusted the most."

"Hmm..."

The principal glanced at Sonia and then looked back at me, as if urging me to continue.

After that, I explained that I heard a loud noise in the forest and had to enter the training ground.

I also said that I couldn't remember anything after being attacked by the golem.

The principal looked at me with a puzzled expression.

The pressure was intense.

"Why didn't you seek help from the outside?"

"...Because Luna was there. That's all."

"Hmm..."

Luna started to fidget, embarrassed by my words.

But the principal still didn't seem convinced.

He turned to the two professors on either side of him.

"Have you found anything about today's incident?"

"Hmm... I'm sorry. All we found were traces of mana drain. It's strange because the assistant professor shouldn't have been at a level where he could be absorbed by the golem."

"We also found traces of brain mana, but they were from the golem."

"Hmm..."

The principal closed his eyes and thought deeply.

Fortunately, the superconductor bullets were designed to disappear after use.

But the iron balls I used must have been floating around, and there was no mention of them.

'Maybe they were too small to draw attention?'

[While you were unconscious, I moved them outside. Fortunately, they were just simple iron balls, so there was no major issue.]

'Oh! Our CEO, as always.'

While I was marveling, the principal looked at me intently and spoke.

"So, you did use magic on the golem, right?"

"Yes..."

...I felt uneasy.

'I feel like I'm being caught...'

[Still, he won't do anything harmful. However, he's not purely a character from the Zodiac, so you need to be careful. There are beings who refuse even the commands of the divine agents.]

He was the type who fiercely protected his own.

There was no law against being upset and leaving.

The protagonist of this world would be himself.

The principal had been thinking with his eyes closed for a long time.

Sonia and Luna, usually calm, were also tense and sweating slightly.

After 10 minutes of silence, the principal's voice, with a smile, echoed in the room.

"I will investigate today's incident further, but I will let it go for now."

Sonia and Luna, avoiding the principal's gaze, let out a sigh of relief.

However...

"But, you trespassed on school property and damaged a golem, which is school property..."

As the principal continued, Sonia's face tensed up, and Luna looked at him with a "you can't be serious" expression.

Finally, the principal looked at me and concluded:

"You will have to vacate your dormitory by tomorrow."