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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 125
At my request, Luna pulled out massive logs from her pocket one after another.
The sheer size of them was at least three times her height, yet she handled them with one hand as if she were pulling out mere straws.
I stretched one hand toward the wall and the other toward the materials Luna had laid out.
Then, I manifested my heart once more.
At the same time, the empty wall began to cave in as if it were being carved, and the newly formed gap was filled with an elegantly engraved, luxurious wooden door.
“Wow… That’s amazing.”
Isna seemed genuinely fascinated by the power I was manifesting through the Heart of the Machine God.
Creaaak…
Once the door was completed, I opened it, revealing a narrow gap just big enough for a person to squeeze through.
Hmm, this should do.
After that, I slowly activated the necromantic mana I had been preparing.
Whoooosh!!!
A black mist started to rise from my feet, quickly enveloping the newly created door.
Creeeak… Crack…
Before long, eerie sounds of distortion echoed as some of the wraiths lurking in the shadows seeped into the door and the entire hidden space behind it.
“Are those undead?”
“Yes. Unlike elemental magic, necromancy has some restrictions when it comes to spatial abilities.”
Once the wraiths had fully merged with the door, a faint ominous aura radiated from it.
However, after carefully layering it with necromantic mana, any traces of magic were erased.
With this level of concealment, no one would notice unless a high-ranking official from the Holy Kingdom came.
Having completed the wraith-infused door, I cast another spell on it.
This time, it was a 7th-circle spell: Shadow Transfer.
However, if I merely applied a basic shadow transfer spell, I would have to open the door manually every time.
So instead, I intended to engrave the shadow transfer directly into the door itself as a medium.
Naturally, inscribing a 7th-circle shadow transfer spell required 8th-circle proficiency.
But that didn’t matter.
After all, my goal was to fully master 8th-circle magic, and I already had a method to use it even at the 7th-circle level.
[Overcharge (Circle Overload)]
By forcibly expending an excessive amount of mana, I could momentarily cast magic from the next stage beyond my current level.
A phantom eighth ring flickered above the seven visible rings before vanishing.
At the same time, the dormant power of death, Thanatos, stirred restlessly.
But thanks to my training, I suppressed it with ease.
Soon, the two wraith-infused spaces I had prepared in different locations began to link together.
“There, it's done.”
As a test, I swung the door open.
Beyond it lay nothing but an empty space.
I stepped inside, shut the door, and then reopened it.
This time, an entirely different scene greeted my eyes.
“Okay. It works.”
When I opened the door again, I was standing inside the Count Cascadia’s mansion.
The mechanism was simple: closing the door triggered the switch, swapping the positions of the two wraiths, just like stepping into an elevator.
Although this method was significantly less efficient than a teleportation gate and constantly consumed necromantic mana, it had its own unique advantages.
“Uh… This is Cascadia County… right?”
Isna, who had followed me, peeked out cautiously beyond the door, looking around in slight bewilderment.
“A teleportation gate?”
“Similar, but a little different. Each method has its pros and cons, but this is the best I can do for now.”
If I had mastered elemental magic, I would have simply engraved an 8th-circle warp spell, but since that wasn’t an option, I didn’t dwell on it.
“How does this work exactly?”
“It’s an application of a spell that swaps the positions of an undead and its contractor. The entire space beyond the door is enveloped by a wraith. When someone enters and closes the door, the wraiths swap places, and reopening the door reveals the new location.”
This method was relatively free from the inherent risks of teleportation magic.
The structure was more complex than simple teleportation, meaning that even someone like Melissa could use it without my presence.
But at its core, that was how it functioned.
Creak! Clack!
After confirming that the door successfully linked Cascadia and the Academy, I returned to the dormitory and settled comfortably onto the empty sofa.
“With this setup, commuting won’t be an issue. You can enter through this door in the morning and return whenever there’s no class.”
“Exactly.”
“Things are going smoothly. The leave-of-absence issue, the commuting problem… Now, all that’s left is convincing our junior, right?”
“If it’s Melissa, she’ll choose to graduate as long as she has a way to do so.”
Melissa had refused to return for a simple reason: her duty to lead her family.
But if she could attend classes and immediately return afterward to handle her responsibilities, she would undoubtedly take that option.
Of course, if she truly had no remaining attachment to the Academy, I would respect her decision.
“Well then, let’s talk about something else—Melissa’s mentor.”
Since I was here anyway, I figured I might as well get a grasp of the situation.
From what I could tell, even when Melissa was looked down upon for being from a small country, Professor Rommel had helped her a lot.
Ignoring his troubles now would be rude.
"Hmm... But Professor Rommel himself seems reluctant to talk about it..."
"Lady Isna. Since when do you care about others' opinions?"
"...Just because the academy is prestigious and the professors are highly skilled doesn't mean there's no corruption."
She spoke calmly.
"To put it simply, some professors who didn't think highly of him tried to hinder Professor Rommel’s career by pulling out or injuring personnel who were supposed to assist with exam supervision. Thanks to that, his influence weakened, creating an opportunity for misconduct."
"What happens if things go wrong?"
I already knew the answer, but I asked anyway to confirm.
"It'll just be a mess, delayed at best. Either way, it would be seen as the professor's mistake. He wouldn’t be able to avoid disciplinary action, but more than that, it would completely go against his principles."
People like Professor Rommel tend to have many enemies.
After hearing her explanation, I had a rough understanding of the situation.
Professor Rommel taught Swordsmanship Theory and Introduction to Monster Studies.
Both were important subjects, so they couldn’t be taken lightly, and many students attended his classes.
However, among them were children from high-ranking noble families who wanted good grades.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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Since Professor Rommel refused to falsify their scores, they decided to take him down.
"Doesn't the academy intervene?"
"These accidents happened too suddenly. They were probably planned long in advance. The written exam isn't too difficult, but the practical exam requires a proper supervisor, which complicates things."
At this point, changing or adjusting the exam was against academy regulations.
As things stood, having the exam postponed would be the best possible outcome.
The problem was that some students would inevitably suffer because of it.
"Helping doesn't seem too difficult. But it seems Professor Rommel is reluctant to accept our assistance."
"Kuhuhu. Don't worry and wait. I know the professor well. I'll handle the persuasion."
She waved her family's insignia with a smirk.
Ah, so she was going to use authority.
She returned about two hours later with the permit and Professor Rommel.
* * *
In the end, Professor Rommel accepted the help.
He provided the necessary information for the supervisors and explained what needed to be done.
Like Isna, he wasn't too concerned about the written exam; he just needed someone to monitor for cheating.
But once you accept the job, you have to do it properly.
Three days passed, and it was the day of the exam.
During that time, Leon remained silent, not mentioning anything to Melissa about the academy.
Professor Rommel also did not apply for a delay.
The exams for Swordsmanship Theory and Introduction to Monster Studies were held in four separate testing halls, each with two sessions.
Naturally, given the importance of these subjects, they were crucial for students in the swordsmanship and related academies.
Though practical skills were important, the written portion of Professor Rommel’s class also had a considerable weight in grading.
"Is this certain?"
"Don’t worry. Everything is in place."
At Professor Viviane’s words, Buren, a young noble from a well-known family, nodded.
Professor Viviane had nothing to do with Swordsmanship Theory or Monster Studies, but that didn’t matter.
What mattered was whether she could deliver the results.
Professor Rommel was someone who couldn’t be bribed or threatened with power, making it nearly impossible to manipulate grades.
Buren’s grades in those two subjects were already weak, and his family had warned him to handle it himself.
Since he had used dishonest means to enter the academy in the first place, keeping up with studies was no easy task.
Besides, his family’s power was there to be used.
Grades, prestigious academies—it was all about competition.
There was no reason to give up an advantage.
This semester, there was even an imperial princess enrolled.
Though she was still young, maintaining high grades and establishing connections with her could one day benefit his family.
And Buren wasn’t the only one thinking this way.
Many high-ranking noble students were plotting the same thing, and rumors had already spread among graduates and current students alike.
In fact, they had only found Professor Viviane through careful information gathering from higher-ups.
No matter how prestigious the academy was, not everyone could be honest.
Buren smiled in satisfaction as he walked into the exam hall without any preparation.
Studying for a written exam?
It was more efficient to build connections and eliminate competition.
Why bother opening a book?
Knowledge was for the lower class to handle.
Buren exchanged glances with a few like-minded students and grinned before entering Exam Hall 2.
Then, he froze.
Was that the assistant Professor Viviane mentioned?
He looked too young.
Was he perhaps an early graduate?
Visually, he seemed about seventeen.
Honestly, he didn’t look much older than the academy students.
No, compared to some of the older students who had delayed their graduation, he looked even younger.
Tap, tap.
"Is that the assistant Professor Viviane told us about?"
Buren cautiously asked another student in the same position as him.
"No, he’s different from the person I saw. It seems like Professor Rommel really did bring in someone."
"What should we do?"
"What do you mean? The assistants under Professor Rommel or his associate professors aren't particularly skilled. If we do what we planned, they'll never notice."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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