I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Episode 49 Intrusion

Wherever you go, parachutes are never welcome.

So, I assumed the faculty here wouldn’t be too thrilled about me either… But surprisingly, that was not the case.

‘That is the bigger problem.’

“Interruption? It’s still a bit early for first-year students to learn that concept. Was there a particular reason you tackled it during the first summoning magic class?”

“Is it by any chance the unique ability of that familiar?”

“You seem to favor quite practical magic, despite being self-taught.”

They showed too much interest in me.

“I aimed to draw the students’ interest. Besides, it’s one way to utilize a familiar…”

“No, Tako specializes in telekinesis. Enhancements are specifically tailored to water elemental magic…”

“Yes, considering the frequent battles…”

Pretending to be a magic professor, something I had never envisioned for myself, gave me a splitting headache.

‘The attention is too overwhelming.’

It was unavoidable. While everyone was troubled due to an unprecedented intrusion of an Outer God priest, a Great Mage brought me here, deeming me essential to resolving the incident. Just the fact that Cernun gave someone a special position as a magic professor was unprecedented in itself.

‘Receiving significant attention because of that, the storyline I concocted was faulty.’

No matter how high Cernun’s credibility was, there needed to be a reason for him to have scouted someone who wasn’t notable until now. So I created a plausible background where I could utilize my knowledge to the fullest.

‘Simon Magus. A self-taught mage who explored ruins and acquired various knowledge in the process.’

I thought it was a moderately safe background. Yet, the problem was…

‘I ended up becoming someone who contracted a unique familiar nobody has ever seen, that possesses knowledge related to Outer Gods, and attracted the attention of the Great Mage.’

It made it impossible for the professors not to be intrigued. Something I overlooked was…

Professors, often so busy they rarely left Academia, had a deep yearning for ruin exploration and discovering hidden knowledge.

‘Thanks to that, I get bombarded with questions every time I meet a professor.’

“… Teaching is important, but.”

A well-built professor with neatly combed hair opened his mouth.

“It’s about time we begin the official discussion on the pressing issue.”

‘Eldia Elrave. A combat magic professor who emphasizes practical experience with multiple combat participation.’

Three out of the four victims in this incident were his students.

“That’s right… As for one of the five main suspects, we’ve gathered some information about Lia Ephyr.”

‘Lia Ephyr…’

Recalling the student… nothing particularly stood out. She had tied blonde hair, a slightly gloomy appearance, and sharp eyes. She was a quiet student throughout my classes, so there was nothing noteworthy I could comment on.

“She cited visiting relatives as the reason for her external permit request, but it was actually for another purpose.”

“What purpose?”

“It seems she took a brief leave to rest due to a chronic illness. She tried to hide it but perhaps it worsened.”

Come to think of it, there were reports of her being frail.

“That student… really should avoid overexertion.”

“Why did she give a different reason for her leave?”

When I asked, an elderly-looking mage responded.

“Her condition is very serious. We’ve advised her to take a 1-2 year break for treatment… but she is in such a hurry for some reason, always rejecting and focusing on her studies.”

“She’s a student who seldom shares her circumstances. Though we are keeping an eye on her, there are no notable points aside from her poor health.”

Normally, one might find it pitiable. However, I suspected it was Sharl’s ploy to lower our guard by pretending to be a frail student.

Now, should I share the results of my investigation?

“According to my investigations, there was nothing suspicious about Dominic and Sinia. As for Lilybel…”

“Hmm… If that student were the culprit, it would be truly shocking.”

“Regardless of this incident, I believe that student should be expelled.”

As expected, the professors’ reactions towards Lilybel were negative.

“Letting her sleep during class can only be tolerated so many times…”

“Despite all my efforts, she doesn’t seem to grasp even half the lessons.”

“Now, now, calm down. That’s not the matter at hand.”

The professors managed to cool down before things got too heated and returned to the main topic.

“Professor Elrave, what about student Caelo?”

“I’ve mentioned multiple times that he cannot be the culprit.”

Elrave responded calmly, but I silently disagreed.

There was something suspicious about him. Since I couldn’t explain the dice theory, I couldn’t bring up the interruption…

“Do you have a reason for your certainty?”

“As you know, it is extremely rare for someone to use both magic and miracles. Moreover, the culprit this time is an Outer God priest.”

“Right, so you suggested that the culprit is merely ‘pretending’ to use magic through enchanted items.”

It seemed like this was a topic from a previous meeting.

Hearing the word “pretending” to use magic caused an uneasy feeling within me.

‘But certainly…’

Balancing magic and miracles was nearly impossible.

The professors nodded, aware of this fact.

“But isn’t Caelo in possession of various enchanted items? He could cleverly-”

“I have personally observed him using magic multiple times without any enchanted items. Caelo can perform magic excellently even without them.”

Her words left me deep in thought.

‘No matter how much one dislikes their disciple being accused, they wouldn’t lie…’

It was still a mystery why Caelo had canceled the spell at that time, but Elrave’s words did have merit.

“Therefore, Caelo cannot be an Outer God priest. If anything, the incompetent students struggling with magic are more suspi-”

“You can’t make such a sweeping statement!”

Hands clasped to ears and faces wrinkled, all the professors, including myself, turned towards the familiar voice.

“How did you enter despite the sealing spell?”

Looking towards the source of the abrupt entrance by Arian, the door seemed somewhat broken.

“This is a meeting for the Academy’s magic professors! Regardless of your status as a Luminaries Officer, such interference-”

“I apologize for the unannounced entry! However, I believe critical misunderstandings might arise due to lack of information!”

“Alright, but please speak quietly! You’ve broken the door’s seal, and now the sounds are leaking outside!”

As one of the professors expressed intense frustration, I felt puzzled.

‘Arian broke in for such a trivial reason?’

Arian was someone who meticulously adhered to regulations; such rude behavior was out of character for her.

“According to the information obtained by Luminaries, Sharl is a mage.”

Arian began speaking in a quieter, more composed voice.

“But…”

“There is no direct evidence that she is an Outer God priest. She merely attempted a related ritual.”

Arian pulled out a scroll from her waist and presented it to the professors.

One of the professors received it and his expression darkened as he read.

“It’s a record from Ferdinand.”

“A hard-to-find document. Most records of his teachings were destroyed, but this one was found tucked under a bookshelf, left untreated.”

“Hmm… Showing remarkable talent in magic, huh?”

“Although there are not many records, if what is written here is true, it seems quite a talent.”

According to the records, it was stated that she had succeeded in the Awakening Ritual only half a year after she started learning magic.

“Then, does this mean that even though she is a mage, she is dabbling in rituals related to an Outer God?”

“Isn’t it due to the negative influence of her teacher, Ferdinand? She is likely trying to become stronger by harnessing the power related to an Outer God. Such a foolish endeavor…..”

The magic professors were furious at Ferdinand, who had ruined a talent.

Meanwhile, I had different thoughts.

‘Arian… She must have been eavesdropping outside and intervened hastily to prevent them from reaching strange conclusions.’

According to my speculation, she was supposed to wait outside until the meeting ended to share the information she had brought. Although magic was cast to prevent the sound from leaking out, Arian was part of the Luminaries military. She would surely have an item that could neutralize such magic.

“It doesn’t seem like a strong enough reason to break down the door, though…”

“Damn necromancer. Not only did he steal something as dangerous as the Necronomicon for his silly acts, but also ruined such a precious talent…”

Upon hearing this, Arian quietly added.

“Regarding the Necronomicon, it was not found no matter how thoroughly we searched the scene.”

“You mean it disappeared?”

“I suspect that he might have taken special magical measures to send it to his disciple, Sharl.”

If they were under such a misconception, it was good for me.

“Damn… That makes it even harder to track down.”

“This is troublesome. It turns out she was a mage…”

Arian nodded and mentioned that there was another significant discovery.

“Moreover, we succeeded in finding very suspicious evidence related to Sinia Purcell.”

“Sinia Purcell?”

“Yes, that’s correct. We found this near her residence.”

Arian took out a piece of blackened paper. Although it was torn and burnt, some strange symbols were visible.

“This is…”

“It’s not a magic-related symbol.”

“It doesn’t seem to be a foreign language either…”

Arian nodded.

“Yes, that’s correct. Its identity is unknown, but it is extremely suspicious, and it is questionable why she urgently burned it during her last outing. However, there’s an even more suspicious point.”

“An even more suspicious point?”

“A report just came in. Someone saw Sinia Purcell putting something that looked like a book into the incinerator.”

Upon hearing that, the professors expressed their concerns, wondering if she had burned the Necronomicon or some other record related to an Outer God.

“There was mention that her parents died when she was young… Sharl was also separated from her family to be trained by Ferdinand.”

“Could it be that Sinia Purcell is…”

In a calm voice, Arian spoke.

“The investigative authority of Luminaries has been excessively reduced at Academia, and we missed significant opportunities to obtain crucial evidence. This is extremely regretful.”

Uncharacteristically, Arian frowned.

“This was an act of disregarding the investigation regulations of Luminaries.”

“Th-That is…”

While the professors were bewildered, I finally understood. They were angry because they couldn’t follow the regulations. That’s why they resorted to such measures.

“Therefore, I believe we need to take prompt action!”

Arian spoke calmly and unwaveringly.

“We must interrogate all students, prioritizing Sinia Purcell!”