“Graaaah…!”
As his skull cracked, Abydos let out a pitiful scream.
“This is impossible! I, a glorious Lich Priest entrusted with leading the undead legion, brought down by a bunch of brats like you…!”
Abydos’s wailing didn’t last long.
Deathvice swung its fist, completely shattering his skull.
Spiritual energy scattered from the broken fragments, and soon, not a trace of presence could be felt.
“Eriol! The mummies stopped moving!”
“That’s a relief.”
The legion of mummies that had been attacking others came to a halt.
They had been moving in coordination with the Lich Priest, their commanding unit, but once the Lich Priest was destroyed, they returned to being nothing more than corpses.
‘If they had been set to attack autonomously, we all would’ve died.’
None of the mages here had enough firepower to wipe out a four-digit number of mummy soldiers.
We survived only because we were lucky enough to successfully engage the Lich Priest in close combat.
“……”
My gaze naturally shifted to Deathvice.
The dragon fang warrior stood proudly with his sword, right in front of Abydos’s shattered skull.
He looked like a hero who had just vanquished an evil sorcerer.
“Good job.”
Grateful, I dismissed Deathvice.
If it weren’t for Deathvice and his incredible close-combat skills, we never would’ve been able to push the lich into a corner like that.
I wonder what kind of person he had been in life.
“Eriol!”
Just then, Senia ran up to me.
“We won, right? We actually defeated the lich…!”
“Yeah. You played a big part, Senia. Thank you.”
“No, it was thanks to your strategy, Eriol!”
Senia beamed as she took my hand.
“I can’t believe it! It’s like something out of a novel!”
“Ah, Senia…”
“U-um, aren’t you getting a little too excited?”
Startled by Senia’s sudden action, I didn’t know how to respond. Then Charlotte approached, clearing her throat.
“Grabbing a boy’s hand out of nowhere. I didn’t think you were the type to be so forward, Senia Artian.”
“Ah…!”
Flustered by Charlotte’s remark, Senia quickly let go of my hand.
Blushing furiously, she bowed her head again and again.
“S-sorry, Eriol. I didn’t mean anything special by it…”
“No, no need to apologize.”
“Anyway, Eriol Valencia. Don’t you think I deserve at least a word of thanks too? I helped out as well, didn’t I?”
Charlotte spoke with her arms crossed. I smiled and nodded.
“Of course. If you hadn’t frozen the mummy trying to press the switch, we’d have been in serious trouble. Thanks for coming.”
“Ah. As long as you know.”
Charlotte turned her head with a quick flick, brushing her hair.
For some reason, the tips of her ears were red.
“Eriol Valencia.”
That’s when Professor Sylvia came over to me.
“You don’t look well. Must be from being exposed to the lich’s dark energy up close for so long.”
“Huh? But Senia seems fine…”
“Probably just a difference in basic stamina. I’ll cast a healing spell on you.”
She raised her hand, and a bluish light surrounded my body.
I instantly felt much better.
“I feel a lot better now. Thank you.”
“I should be the one thanking you. If you hadn’t stepped up, things could’ve turned out very badly. Honestly, you’re just…”
“Hey, hey, Eriol Valencia!”
Just then, Sylvia was pushed aside as Murselt popped in.
“How did you end up in a mess like this?! When I heard about it from Charlotte Strasbourg earlier, I never imagined it’d be anything like this!”
The professors must’ve rushed down after hearing from Charlotte, who I’d sent ahead earlier.
“Well, at least everyone’s okay! I almost died myself, ha ha ha!”
“This isn’t something to laugh about, you musclehead.”
Sylvia sighed deeply.
“There was a serious incident during a dungeon survival we organized. This is a major problem.”
“Haha. We’ll just take responsibility! If it means a disciplinary hearing or whatever, so be it!”
“Always so carefree…”
“Well, in any case, the dungeon survival will have to be halted here! We can’t keep going after an incident like this!”
“Yeah, that can’t be helped.”
Hearing that, I carefully spoke up.
“Um, professor.”
“Yes?”
“About the dungeon survival…”
I paused to organize my thoughts before continuing.
“Could we keep going as planned?”
“……!”
The professors stared at me in surprise.
“Mr. Helios, is this enough for the campfire?”
“Yeah, any more would be overkill—hey! Cain! What are you doing?!”
“Come on, if we’re doing this, let’s go big. Heave-ho.”
“C-Cain Trigger. Isn’t the fire getting a bit too strong?”
That night.
We settled into the dungeon’s deeper area and lit a campfire.
It was to mark the final night of the dungeon survival.
“I really didn’t think we’d be able to continue the dungeon survival.”
“The last conquest tournament got canceled halfway, too. I didn’t want that to happen again.”
Considering such a major incident happened during a practical exam, it would’ve made sense to call it off and return to the academy.
But I wasn’t too keen on that. We’d come this far—I wanted to see the full three-day dungeon survival through to the end.
So I asked the professors to let us keep going.
“There weren’t any casualties, after all.”
“That’s true.”
Unlike the last tournament, this time it was mostly just us who were involved.
The other students probably didn’t even realize anything had happened.
If the professors had issued an evacuation order, it all would’ve been over. But they hadn’t even grasped the situation until they reached the chamber below.
“This incident was resolved safely thanks to you, Eriol, so the professors had no choice but to grant your request.”
Just like Senia said, in the end, the professors agreed to my plea.
It wasn’t like we could leave the island immediately anyway, so we decided to continue the dungeon survival.
By now, the professors were probably busy contacting the academy and handling the aftermath.
“Besides, I heard our scores are way higher than the other students’… We can relax tonight.”
“Yeah.”
We all sat around a large campfire.
Helios, Charlotte, and Ingrid were there too.
Thanks to Cain’s fire-building efforts, it felt more like a giant campfire than a simple cooking fire.
“Tch, then I guess it’s time to grill some meat. Ingrid, get the skewers ready.”
“Yes! I love it when Mr. Helios cooks—it’s always delicious!”
“Ooh, let’s see what you’ve got!”
“Never thought I’d be roasting meat over a fire like a caveman after entering the academy.”
Maybe it was because it was the final night, but everyone seemed excited.
To be honest, I was starting to miss the peace and quiet of my room at the academy… wanted to read in bed again.
‘Still, this isn’t so bad.’
With that thought, I gazed into the flickering flames.
Countless fire spirits danced, lighting up the darkness.
“……”
While others were busy preparing a late-night meal, Senia and I simply sat and waited.
That was because Professor Sylvia had told us it would be best to rest after being exposed so closely to the sinister waves of the Lich Priest.
Honestly, I didn’t think light activity would be a problem, but Helios had scolded me and told me to just sit still—so here I was, resting with Senia.
“But Senia, are you really okay?”
“Yes, I don’t think I’ve been affected at all. Probably because I have good stamina, just like the professor said.”
“You were the one who fought up close, too.”
Senia had engaged the Lich Priest in close combat with her Progressive Blade.
And yet, she looked completely unshaken.
“You’re really amazing.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve always known it, but today you were incredible. Especially that sneak attack on the lich from behind at the start… That’s not something just anyone could pull off.”
“Ah, no. If we’re talking about contributions, you did more, Eriol…”
“I’m not talking about who contributed more. I’m just saying you were really amazing, plain and simple.”
“…”
Senia lowered her head, blushing.
“Th-Thank you for the compliment.”
“Oh, it’s nothing…”
“I-I feel a bit embarrassed.”
She murmured, fiddling with the hair near her ear.
“Come to think of it, Senia.”
“Yes?”
“You’re incredibly skilled—have you never thought about pursuing swordsmanship?”
“Well… no, I haven’t.”
Senia was from the renowned swordsman family, the Artian household.
But she was trying to break away from them.
Her dream was to become independent and live a life completely unrelated to Artian.
“So what path are you planning to take after graduating from the academy? Do you have something in mind?”
“Oh, um…”
There are many paths for an academy graduate.
One could stay on the island as a researcher, head out into the world to find a job, or live as a ranger.
“I haven’t really thought that far ahead yet. I’m sorry.”
“No, I was just asking because I’m in the same boat.”
“Huh?”
“I haven’t decided what I’m going to do after graduation either.”
“R-Really? I thought you would’ve already had your future planned out, Eriol.”
“I didn’t even originally plan on becoming a mage. I only came to the academy because my family went bankrupt.”
“Oh, you mentioned that before.”
“So, I often find myself wondering what path to take after I graduate.”
It was still a long way off, though.
“I… I kind of assumed you’d stay at the academy and become a professor, like Professor Kaisel.”
“That doesn’t sound bad. How about you become a professor, too?”
“M-Me? I don’t think I have what it takes… I doubt I have the talent.”
“Well, that’s something you’ll only find out with time.”
I said, turning my gaze to the campfire.
“We just need to keep exploring what we’re capable of.”
“Eriol…”
“While we’re still living our academy life.”
Senia fell silent, lost in thought.
Then, she looked up at me again.
“Yes. Let’s search for it together, Eriol.”
She spoke in a voice full of trust, with a shy smile.
“If I’m with you… I think I’ll be able to find the path I’m meant to take.”
After everyone had fallen asleep.
While I was keeping watch and reading a book, a voice came out of the darkness.
“Everything quiet?”
“Oh, Professor.”
It was Professor Klein, looking weary.
He had probably been underground all this time, checking on the mummy soldiers to make sure there were no issues.
“You’re working hard, even at this hour.”
“It’s part of the job for the Transcendental Department.”
After saying that, Klein glanced at the spot next to me.
“Mind if I sit here for a bit?”
“Go ahead.”
I made space, and Klein plopped down beside me.
“Eriol.”
“Yes, Professor.”
“Once again, it’s thanks to you that we were able to prevent a disaster. I keep ending up in your debt.”
He looked into the campfire and spoke in a solemn tone.
“Really… thank you.”
“It just kind of happened that way.”
“No, this is your talent. When incidents like this occur, the average person just gets caught up in them and suffers. Very few can resolve them with the kind of quick thinking you have.”
Then he gave a wry smile.
“You’re like Professor Kaisel.”
“…”
“Oh, I don’t mean you’re talented just because you’re his nephew. You’re your own person.”
I had noticed this before, but Klein seemed to be quite conscious of Kaisel.
“But still… I’m a little worried.”
“Worried?”
“Professor Kaisel stood out a lot even as a freshman, and that led to him getting caught up in all kinds of things. I fear the same might happen to you.”
“Hm…”
“Especially this time—it involved an ancient, evil religion. There’s a high chance that your name will spread beyond the academy.”
“My name?”
“Yes. Ars Magna Academy isn’t the only place interested in magical incidents.”
Klein sounded genuinely concerned.
“You’ve heard of the exchange match, right?”
“Yes, I have.”
Before the end of the first semester, there’s one more major practical assessment.
It’s the “Exchange Match,” where students compete in magical ability against people from outside the academy.
“There are other institutions that teach magic besides Ars Magna. Especially the Obsidian Tower—it’s the one place that could truly threaten the academy.”
“…”
“The Obsidian Tower will likely use the exchange match as an opportunity to evaluate you.”
He locked eyes with me as he mentioned the academy’s rival magic organization.
“If they judge that you have talent on par with Professor Kaisel, they’ll probably act just like they did back then.”
“Like with my uncle…”
“Yes, Eriol.”
Klein’s voice was grave.
“They’ll try to recruit you to the Tower. And if that doesn’t work… they’ll try to eliminate you.”