excel三国杀

Chapter 202: Teacher — Interlude (1)

As Luce and I were about to climb onto Professor Fernando’s carriage, Aria Lilias pouted her lips, visibly upset.

Professor Fernando was taken aback as he tried to greet his mentor.

“Master, what do you mean…?”

“I had hoped those two would have made history last night. Such boring kids… Fernando, even your students are like you, they’re no fun.”

“…?”

Professor Fernando had no idea what Aria was grumbling about. I felt the same. I couldn’t understand what she was thinking, even after using [Psychological Insight].

Luce’s ears turned incredibly red. As soon as she sat down in the carriage, she immediately turned her head to the other side, hiding her face. She looked extremely embarrassed.

“Anyway, Isaac, Luce… take care of yourselves.”

“You too, Teacher!”

Aria waved her hand. Her youthful appearance made it look like a child waving goodbye, which made me smile. I waved back to her.

Professor Fernando also bowed before climbing onto the carriage and sitting across from me.

The coachman started to drive away, and Aria watched us for a moment before returning to Hegel Tower.

“Did something happen yesterday?”

Professor Fernando asked, crossing his arms and legs, looking at Luce and me.

Beside me, Luce flinched and kept her mouth shut. It seemed it was better for me to answer on our behalf.

“I guess it’s because we fell asleep without saying goodbye, even though it’s our last day. Sorry, we were just too tired.”

I answered with a gentle smile typical of Isaac.

Such a thing wouldn’t upset Aria. Professor Fernando looked at Luce and me alternately with a suspicious gaze but soon closed his eyes and gave up. He decided it wasn’t important enough to dig deeper.

“Well, that’s fine then. How was the ten days of training?”

Professor Fernando opened his eyes again and asked.

Until yesterday, we had spent a total of ten days at Hegel Tower.

I trained diligently to learn [Icebolt], but thanks to the time I spent at the tower, I was able to tie up loose ends much earlier. Aria helped me a lot.

From a commoner’s perspective, it was an incredible achievement.

For most elite wizards, it usually took an average of 30 years to learn basic 7-star magic.

Even the genius Tower Master of Hegel, Aria Lilias, took years to learn it.

And yet, despite still being an academy student, I have successfully learned it.

How should I express what I was feeling? I don’t really know how to explain it…

“It was fun.”

To put it simply, I felt a sense of accomplishment, like I had just solved an exceedingly difficult problem.

Throughout the 10 days, I felt chills running up and down my spine. I couldn’t sleep because I was so excited.

And the thrill of finally finding the solution to the problem was indescribable.

Moreover, Luce was with me. The word “fun” seemed quite fitting.

“For me too…”

Luce replied in a hushed voice, her gaze fixed on the window. It appeared as though she had a sensitive discussion during our individual interview, considering she had been shy ever since we left.

Professor Fernando and I stared at Luce.

Time passed and we arrived at the academy. After spending each day barely sleeping and living on the edge, it felt like we had been gone for a long time. The scenery of the academy seemed nostalgic.

“Well done. Get some rest today.”

“Thanks to you, we had a great opportunity. Thank you, Professor.”

Luce and I gathered our belongings and got off, bowing our heads to Professor Fernando.

Professor Fernando smiled softly as he rode away in the carriage.

“Let’s head back, Lu—”

Swish.

As soon as I faced her, Luce whipped her head away so fast it created a breeze. Her ears were still blazing red.

I kept a smile on my face, but I was sweating nervously.

I didn’t know what exactly happened during her individual interview. I had already figured out Aria’s sinister intentions, but still…

What kind of indecent talk took place for Luce to end up in such a state?

“Yeah, let’s go…”

Luce replied timidly with her head down. It seemed like a good idea to give her some space to gather her thoughts.

Today was a day off, so fewer students were roaming the academy grounds than usual. Those who were out and about were all in casual clothes.

Luce decided to go back to her dorm to rest since she hadn’t fully recovered from our stay yet.

We reached the crossroad leading to the dorms. Luce had to go to Charles Hall, the dorm for the top-ranked students, and I had to go to Elma Hall, a dormitory for the middle-high-ranked students, so we parted ways there.

I expressed my gratitude one last time. Thanks to her, I was able to sleep soundly last night. Since I didn’t get a lot of opportunities to rest properly, I felt that my thanks could not be enough no matter how many times I expressed it.

Luce simply responded with a “yeah” and refrained from saying anything else. Her ears were red, still seemingly very conscious of me. It was cute.

Then, we parted ways.

I need to head out as soon as I get to my dorm.

I should start training right away.

I was in peak condition, and I was full of motivation because I had just learned [Icebolt] yesterday. I couldn’t wait to master it.

I walked briskly toward Elma Hall, organizing my thoughts.

Now that I had learned [Icebolt], I needed to move on to [Perennial Snow] and then advance to [Abyssal Glacier].

Especially [Abyssal Glacier], I want to learn it before the vacation ends.

In Semester 2 Year 2, I would also need to prepare for heavenly beings and fairies.

Preparing for both races in a single semester would leave little room for stat distribution. Therefore, having magic that could neutralize attacks or protective magic that could serve as a sturdy shield would become crucial.

Like the 7-star ice spells [Abyssal Glacier], optimized for neutralizing attacks, or the unique skill of the Obsidian Blade [Eclipse], providing the ultimate defense.

Also.

When my unique trait [Hunter] was activated, I would be able to use the ultimate ice spell.

The 9-star ice spell, [Cocytus].

Although it wouldn’t be as powerful as the one I used against Leafa the Illusive during the first-year duel evaluation, I would certainly be able to deliver a devastating offense.

As I was organizing my thoughts, Aria’s words crossed my mind.

Transcendental state…

There were only two people who have reached the transcendental realms according to Aria, and they were both entwined with me.

One was my ultimate goal and the final destination of this journey, the Evil God Nephid.

The other was the Candy House Witch who took in Hansel and Gretel.

The Witch died in Luce’s arms. Since then, she seemed to have ascended to a transcendental state, though the details were beyond my knowledge.

To become such a being… does one need to die first?

…It was too big of a question to be answered by the single case of the Candy House Witch. Since I couldn’t find the answers, I had to set it aside for now.

What needed immediate attention was the upcoming scenario.

The Alice Subjugation.

The scripture told the story of the Lord Manhalla scattering seeds of blessing in order to make the land of the Zelver Empire abundant. It was the origin of the holiday known as “Red Day”.

It wasn’t long until the day arrived. An annual ceremony would be held that evening.

As the atmosphere was reaching its peak, Alice’s familiar, the Nightmare Dragon, Jabberwock, suddenly appeared over Bartos Hall and roared, signaling the start of the final event of Semester 2 Year 2, 「Act 9, Alice Subjugation」.

I was terrified when Alice brought the paladins so I was grateful that everything had progressed smoothly so far.

Well, I didn’t expect things to proceed exactly as they did in the original scenario. My knowledge of the game was merely a guide. Predictions had become meaningless long ago.

My goal was to get through the scenario without anyone dying. With Dorothy alive, our forces were strong.

Still, what bothered me was…

Why did Alice commit suicide?

Despite going on multiple dates with Alice, laughing and talking together, I still couldn’t guess why she would choose to commit suicide after losing a battle.

I arrived at Elma Hall. I decided to set my worries aside for now. It was time to focus on mastering [Icebolt]. I needed to change and head out for training as soon as possible.

As I reached for the doorknob with that thought, a strange sensation swept through my entire body.

I froze in my tracks.

[Master.]

The voice of Hilde, who was hiding inside my collar in the form of mana, echoed in my head.

My eyes narrowed.

The doorknob felt cold as if it had been left out in a blizzard.

Someone has been in my room.

Can you sense Cheshire’s or any of the Paladins’ mana?

[If it were their mana… No, not at all. I only sense a somewhat ominous aura.]

I removed my glasses and tucked them inside my pocket, preparing for a potential confrontation.

Hilde, go in and check it out first.

[Understood.]

Hilde’s tiny form slipped through the crack in the door.

Soon after, she spoke.

[It is safe to enter, Master. It does not seem to be an intruder.]

Not an intruder after invading my room? What does that mean?

If it wasn’t an enemy, then it was something I could confront directly.

I opened the door and entered my room, only to be greeted by an entity I had never seen before.

Standing before the window was a giant, seemingly over 3 meters tall, standing quietly.

Wrapped in what appeared to be a black cloak, his elongated body was tightly bound. His bizarre face was hidden behind the brim of a wizard’s hat. Not even the morning sun could hide his ominous aura.

I was met with his pale blue gaze. He had been waiting for me.

“...Who are you?”

He looked monstrous. Given that [Demon Detection] wasn’t triggered, he wasn’t a demon.

I opened its status window.

[Frost Spirit Merphil]

Lv: 180 Race: Magic Beast Elements: Ice Danger: X Psychology: [Wants to serve you as its master.]

[He is an old comrade of mine.]

Hilde, the Frost Dragon, spoke in a faint /genesisforsaken