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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 124
“Will we even be able to take the exam properly at this rate? We're all colleagues here, and we should help each other.”
“It’s fine.”
Even in a bad situation, he had no intention of telling her the truth.
Many cadets had already prepared for the exam.
It was crucial to prevent an unfair test or a postponement due to Professor Rommel’s lack of preparation.
He knew all too well that taking Professor Viviane’s hand would likely lead to the former scenario.
“Well, if you refuse, there's nothing I can do. However, Professor Rommel, the academy’s higher-ups are concerned. If the exam gets delayed or turns into a disaster, you'll have to handle the flood of complaints yourself.”
With a sly smile, she left, telling him to contact her anytime.
“Damn it…”
Frustrated, Professor Rommel crumpled the papers on his desk.
“At this rate… should I request help from a skilled guild?”
The issue was that outsiders weren’t entirely trustworthy.
Just then—
Vrrrr... Vrrr!
His personal communication artifact buzzed.
“This is Professor Bismark Rommel. Who is this…”
As he activated the artifact, the voice on the other end made him flinch.
The caller was once his student—one with excellent grades, fairness, and a kind heart despite their eccentricities.
However, for Rommel, this student was somewhat burdensome to deal with.
— Professor, you need help, don’t you? But I have a favor to ask in return.
“…I don’t accept bribes.”
— It’s not a bribe. There’s a student on the verge of expulsion, and they can only stay at the academy if you intervene.
Should he take the hand of this troublemaking former student…?
Based on the words alone, it seemed like a reasonable request.
Rommel furrowed his brows.
* * *
“The Imperial Academy really has an atmosphere, doesn’t it?”
“Of course. The imperial family spares no expense in supporting it. Please follow me this way. That path is for students only—outsiders like us need to take this one.”
Through the grand entrance, students in academy uniforms were coming and going.
Their ages ranged from mid to late teens.
The Imperial Academy allowed admission at any age within a certain limit.
From what I knew, Aurora, Melissa, and Melissa’s friend, Lilia Berner, had all entered slightly earlier than average.
“The Countess of Cascadia was an honors student. She was respected by seniors and juniors alike.”
There were many geniuses in the world like Melissa.
But even among those gathered at the academy, she stood out through sheer effort.
“Of course, she had a professor who helped her a lot during that time.”
“Oh, I think I’ve heard about him.”
“Professor Bismark Rommel. He’s a bit strict… but he’s honest and a good person.”
Speaking calmly, Isna led Luna and me to a small building.
“Melissa’s leave of absence is currently under Professor Rommel’s discretion.”
“Then let’s go see him right away.”
“Would you like to? You could take a quick tour first—”
“It’s better to finish what we need to do before anything else.”
At my response, she clicked her tongue and guided us to a research building.
Professor Rommel’s private office was located a bit away from the main academic hall.
There was no sense of extravagance, nor did it seem like a place bustling with visitors.
“Professor~ I’m here. It’s been a while.”
Had she informed him of our visit in advance?
When Isna knocked, the door creaked open, revealing a weary-looking man.
“Haa… Lady Isna…”
“Oh, come on. You say that like I’m here to eat you alive. And please, call me like you used to. We’re still teacher and student.”
“…Of all my students, you’re the last one I want to hear that from. Do you have any idea how much trouble you caused? The day you graduated early, I popped open a bottle of champagne—a grand one.”
While he sighed deeply, Isna just smiled brightly.
That’s pure chaos incarnate.
She truly had no distinction between good and bad—completely unaware of any wrongdoing.
Still, despite his words, a faint smile lingered on Rommel’s face.
Come to think of it, despite her eccentricities, I hadn’t seen many people dislike her.
“And who are these two?”
“Oh! I forgot to introduce them. This is Leon Cascadia, Melissa Cascadia’s older brother. And this is her healer, Luna Basilin Raphaelia.”
At my introduction, his eyes widened.
He looked slightly surprised at me, but when Luna lowered her hood, his expression shifted to outright shock.
Indeed, Luna’s appearance, whether in a good or bad way, had an element that forcefully drew people's attention.
Especially her eyes—they affected people regardless of gender or age.
"Ahem! Ahem."
Of course, knowing that staring at a woman in such a way was impolite, he deliberately cleared his throat and turned his gaze away.
However, Luna paid no attention to that and simply grabbed a handful of cookies in front of her and stuffed them into her mouth.
"Cadet Melissa’s older brother? Ah, so that’s why you mentioned that!"
As he turned to Isna with sharp eyes, she averted her gaze slightly, feigning distraction.
"Did… I say something?"
"It’s nothing major. I just thought it’d be best to inform you first so there wouldn’t be any scheduling conflicts."
Ah.
That was, of course, the proper thing to do.
"I’ve heard about it. That Cadet Melissa has inherited the title of Count. Then, she won’t be attending the academy anymore…?"
"Normally, she would be focusing entirely on managing her territory, but since it has stabilized and there was a message left by my father before he passed, I’d like to arrange for her to continue her studies if possible."
At my response, his expression grew complicated.
A younger sister who became a Count, and her older brother.
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At first glance, it could look like the brother was envious of his sister and trying to oust her to take over the family.
In fact, the professor also seemed to have considered that possibility, as he wore a slightly doubtful expression.
"But… with a Count’s responsibilities, she must be extremely busy… And considering the teleportation gate regulations here…"
"We’ve already found a solution for that. And it’s not something that would cause trouble for anyone else."
Rommel gave me a look that seemed to ask if that was really the case, and Isna nodded in response.
"You can trust him. He’s quite resourceful. Though, he does tend to do things that are a bit far from ordinary."
"Hmm… But this kind of matter requires her to come in person for me to help."
"Just so you know, for the record, I have no interest in the title of Count. If anything, I prefer it this way—Melissa taking the title makes things much easier for a carefree person like me."
"I apologize. I didn’t mean to doubt you."
"It’s fine. If you handle the paperwork, I’ll tell Melissa to visit here as soon as possible."
Eventually, having reached some level of understanding, Professor Rommel stood up.
"It should take about a day to process the paperwork, so don’t worry. If Cadet Melissa can resume her studies, that would be good news for me as well."
"Is there anything I can help with?"
Since I wasn’t oblivious, I asked just in case, but he shook his head.
"No. As an educator, I can’t accept personal favors. If you’ll excuse me."
He ended the conversation cleanly and walked out of the office.
"Hmm…"
"Is something wrong?"
"Ah, no. Let’s head to the dormitory first. I’ll explain there."
* * *
The Imperial Academy had numerous dormitories.
And each dormitory had many staff members who meticulously managed the rooms.
Normally, most dormitories operated on a system where, once a student left, another would move in.
However, certain special first-class rooms rarely changed occupants unless the assigned student withdrew, was expelled, or graduated.
[Student Council] [Melissa Cascadia]
Melissa’s dorm room was one such case.
Her name was still prominently displayed on the door.
There weren’t many first-class rooms, as they were assigned only to a select few who had received numerous commendations, meaning that vacant rooms were actually more common.
"Our junior was more of a model student than expected. At first, people looked down on her because she came from a small country, but before long, they couldn’t ignore her anymore."
This wasn’t just about talent—it showed how relentlessly Melissa had worked.
Indeed, even though she hadn’t mentioned it, the fact that she was currently learning the Heavenly Demon Sword—a skill that was nearly impossible to master without extreme dedication—said it all.
Since the dormitory was still officially assigned to Melissa, the key was managed by the administration office and was only given to her personally.
As Luna casually reached for the door handle, I pulled her back.
Crash!!
A loud breaking sound echoed as Luna stared blankly at the shattered door handle in her hand.
"That door was supposed to have numerous security enchantments, so it shouldn’t open so easily… Oh? It opened?"
Isna, who was holding the dormitory key from who-knows-where, looked at the door in surprise.
Did that really look like "opening" to her?
Finding the situation ridiculous, I extended my hand, and Luna handed me the broken door handle.
"Can you even control your strength?"
"I can."
That’s what she said, but she didn’t seem very confident.
In my experience, controlling strength was harder than increasing it.
Placing the broken door handle back against the door, I activated Heart of the Machine God.
An overwhelming amount of information surged into my mind, circulating rapidly, as if constructing a digital blueprint.
Creak…
In response to my power, the broken handle and door seamlessly returned to their original state, as if nothing had ever happened.
There might be slight differences in the details, but it should function properly.
"Let’s go."
Since there was no need to re-lock the door after restoring it, I easily pushed it open, and Isna grinned before slipping the key back into her pocket.
"Let’s head in."
The dormitory interior was spacious and impeccably clean.
It was large enough to be comparable to the rooms of high-ranking noble heirs.
"Well, this is one of the best rooms in the Academy. Of course, the very best are reserved for the top-ranked students. But… what exactly do you plan to do here?"
"Hmm… Where would be best?"
I thought it over, but there were many factors to consider.
Eventually, I approached a wide, flat wall.
"If it’s not there, we’ll just have to make it. Luna, take out some wood and iron ingots from your pocket."
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HELHEIM SCANS
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