Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

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100th Chapter. Heidern (1)

Dying might be better.

Enviel’s heart was described as that desolate throughout the game.

There’s no need to elaborate on what happened to him.

So people say:

– Why are you so sad when you haven’t done anything good?

– You’re just as complicit for following such a trash human.

Heidern himself had no particular explanation.

Since he hadn’t misspoken, he had to endure curses, whether out of evil or sheer grit.

Others who believed and followed the Elder must be in the same situation.

But every time he heard someone insult that person, bad feelings surged within him.

An indescribable rage erupted, and when he regained his senses, he found himself casting a spell to blow that person up.

Heidern knew better. He had already lost his mind.

He needed someone to stop or control him. But the people around him were overly kind, soothing rather than restraining.

What he needed right now was a heavy chain. He might lose his reason and rampage at any moment.

For work, he frequently glanced at the Archive Mirror.

But the face reflected in the mirror felt more like that of a monster than a human.

His body and mind felt desolate, resembling a thirsty beast starved of its true nature.

‘Someone like that would easily turn dark if provoked.’

Mosria’s facts are razor-sharp accurate. Having reinterpreted an artificial spirit in SF into a fantasy context, it boasts tremendous capabilities in that regard.

It could possibly break down a human mind and control it, and the game might not show it due to lack of circumstances.

‘Conditions might not be favorable there, but maybe it can be different here.’

As we were lax, Mosria might also be lax. Neither side has a reason to conserve their full power.

Thanks to that, Heidern’s mental state, which would have been broken into pieces in the main story, was now ground to dust like a blender.

“I heard the voice of God…”

A weary voice came from Heidern as he weakly waved his staff.

“If you complete the mission given to you… I’ll tell you who your real family is…”

Enviel, whom he had regarded as his father for his entire life, was in such dire straits. He needed a new refuge to be the pillar of his heart.

“And that mission is… your deaths!”

With a jerk, Heidern straightened his shoulders and lifted his head.

His bloodshot eyes looked like someone who hadn’t slept in a lifetime, and his white, withered face resembled a corpse devoid of blood circulation.

Just by looking at that face, one could tell he was not someone with whom to have a conversation.

‘A request for help wouldn’t work either!’

The magic infusion had already neutralized his spells. Only I knew this position.

I had managed to communicate slightly with Professor Radian a little while ago, but I had no idea when he would arrive.

No matter how much Jenny and Crona were in the same underground space, it wasn’t a place you could easily find.

I had no choice but to buy time until they arrived.

“The end shall begin…”

A round black cloud appeared beneath the ceiling where he stood.

Lightning sparkled, proclaiming it was thunder magic, but a purple light began to glow in the middle of the cloud.

As I saw the light reminiscent of an eye… I held my breath, realizing what that magic was.

In the main game, there indeed exists a mass slaughter spell. It is a high-level magic that can only be wielded by those who have reached at least 7th circle, capable of altering a map upon successful casting.

Not only would the shrine above be reduced to nothing, but the surrounding area would also be dust.

“That crazy old bastard!”

The only fortunate thing was that the magic needed about 10 minutes to activate. This was because Heidern was still stuck at the 7th circle.

That meant it was not an area where he could freely barrage like a normal attack.

But during those 10 minutes, he certainly wouldn’t just sit still… and there was no way that old bastard wouldn’t know that.

As I summoned Leviathan, Heidern pointed his staff at me as well.

Zing! – The staff shining as if ready to attack.

A flash exploded around Heidern, forming into a massive curtain.

If he fell, his high-level magic would naturally be canceled. He had protected himself with a barrier to prevent that from happening.

“Please… comfort my heart…”

What the hell?

If everyone dies, will there be anyone left to comfort?

—————-

[Secret Mission: An Impenetrable Wall]

– Everything is about to vanish. At other times, it would be hard to hope for anyone’s help, but now you must navigate through this unprecedented crisis on your own. Can you truly overcome it?

[Clear Time: New Magical Device Creation Added.]

—————-

Secret mission. It’s been ages.

How can it only pop up at moments destined to be forgotten?

Thinking about the current situation makes me uninterested in rewards or anything else.

Yet, there’s still a way out. It’s because I possess Enviel’s memories.

Moreover, currently, Heidern had completely lost sight. He was just moving on instinct.

I rifled through my memories to acquire information to catch him off guard.

‘That bastard Enviel… didn’t properly train his disciple’s mental fortitude.’

Not just Heidern, but all of Enviel’s disciples had undergone training that was almost like brainwashing.

Furthermore, the concept of the artificial spirit Mosria and the Yellow Stamp all came from this person’s mind.

The title of source of all evil was well-deserved.

‘Hey Muto, it’s your turn to step up this time.’

『What are you trying to make me do now?』

‘What else? Just mimic a voice. It’s a piece of cake to imitate the voice of someone you devoured, right?’

『Hahaha! Finally, you recognize my abilities.』

‘Stop laughing and hurry up already.’

Heidern was preparing an attack spell right in front of me.

Even amidst all this, this serpent was merrily laughing.

I barely held back the urge to whack him one, and suddenly, a middle-aged man’s voice came from my throat.

“How about we stop here, Heidern?”

“Th-that voice…!”

Heidern’s hollow eyes widened.

I hastily activated ‘Phantasm Summon’ and transformed my appearance into that of Enviel.

Before Heidern’s gradually recovering sight stood the longed-for mentor and father, Elder Enviel.

“Elder… no, Sensei! Where have you been all this time? I’ve searched for you everywhere.”

Heidern suddenly broke down the barrier he had erected like a fortress. Then he hurriedly ran to me and knelt.

“I truly… truly… Ugh…”

Heidern clung to my ankles, sobbing. Seeing his childlike demeanor made him seem pitiful, yet on the other hand, quite disgusting.

Was it okay for the vice-principal of the Empire’s greatest academy to act like this? No matter how tough the situation, it was hard to bear seeing him wide-eyed.

It felt like the foul odor of a collaboration dish by Jenny and Mary was rising.

“Have you been well all this time, my dear disciple? And my son.”

[Consumption Rate Decreased: -10%]

[+1000 Credits]

“Y-yes! I’m just fine.”

Excuse me. Before saying that, shouldn’t you take a look in the mirror first?

“I couldn’t possibly show myself in a disgraceful state after seeing my father.”

Disgraceful?

How can you lie better than I do?

“And I have so many questions. No matter how much I ponder, I cannot find the answers. Please, tell me those answers!”

You want me to reveal them?

This gentleman is mentally too young and delicate.

You are, in essence, just a coward.

“Were you truly… an accomplice of Doomsday?”

“….”

“Please tell me.”

Even though I wore Enviel’s face, I got straight to the point.

“It’s true.”

“Y-yes?”

“I’ll say it again and again, it’s all true. How long do you plan to live while escaping reality?”

“….”

Heidern, whose mental world had completely crumbled, loosened his grip on the hems of my garment.

He felt an overwhelming sense of despair, as if even the thin thread of hope he harbored was gone.

“Y-you are really… my father, aren’t you?”

How could such delusions come from him?

To prove it, I raised a fishing rod high above the ceiling.

As lightning struck the rod, it initiated a change of properties, causing black lightning to flicker around it.

This technique was developed based on Enviel’s past actions, but in reality, it was a type of magic taught to children as a part of education.

“What do you think, Heidern? You used to enjoy this a lot, right?”

“….”

Seeing that moment, memories from the past came flooding back to Heidern. For someone so dazed he would believe anything, it was the ultimate proof.

“But…”

“…?”

“The vice-principal has disappointed us.”

However, as he dispelled the illusion and revealed his true form, his face twitched.

[Consumption Rate Decreased: -150%]

[+15000 Credits]

[Skill Mastery reached maximum.]

[Acquired 1 Stat Point.]

[Due to the additional effect, various skill levels are rising.]

– Magic Lv2

[The additional effect raises ‘Leviathan’’s mastery.]

– 56%/100%

Setting aside the sudden improvement of my abilities, I concentrated all my strength into the Leviathan I held.

Wham!-

A clash of black lightning engulfed Leviathan as I swung it, sending Heidern flying.

As he crashed against the wall, the gloomy storm that had been ominously hanging above vanished.

[Radon! Can you hear me?]

“Professor Stella!”

[Thank goodness I can hear you.]

Thanks to Heidern collapsing, I could begin to apply the binding magic again. I could finally send out a rescue request.

[Until a moment ago, I felt an absurd amount of mana; who’s there?]

“Yes, the vice-principal was rampaging and lost his senses.”

[No wonder I sensed the energy of high-level magic… I managed to locate it with the sensed mana, so just a little longer…]

“That’s all pointless!!”

[Ah!]

Heidern, who had been knocked down, rose again. Like a cockroach, he seemed unaffected by the blow.

It seemed he still had vigor even when rotten. This time he was directly intervening with the binding magic.

[Vice-principal…?]

“No one tries to understand me. How could they? I’ve been modified for a long time. Even if I want to shake it off, I can’t. I can never escape the shackles of my teacher!”

[Please calm down…]

“Everything’s useless! I never deserved to be here in the first place! I was just a puppet, acting on my Master’s commands! You all know what happens to a puppet that loses its master!”

[….]

No one dared to interrupt Heidern’s ramblings.

Everyone listening felt nothing but chills.

“Ugh!”

At that moment, a mana bullet flew toward me with incredible speed, striking my fishing rod.

The powerful force knocked me flat without giving me a chance to brace myself.

Indeed, I stood no chance in a direct confrontation with Heidern.

“Radon Crawler, impersonating my mentor with hallucination magic and deceiving me is a serious crime, but… I don’t want to kill you. I watched your practical exam duel. That mana swordsmanship you just used reminded me of my mentor every time I see you!”

“So you plan to live with that regret for life? Aren’t you ashamed being under binding magic right now?”

“Shame? What good is that in this state?”

Right, I’ve already crossed the river I can’t return from.

“How pathetic. You became a vice-principal only to be deceived by a student’s hallucination magic.”

“….”

“I had planned to treat you well… but I thought you would understand me since we share similar childhoods…”

Several flowers bloomed behind Heidern. Magic-formed flowers aimed at me, firing lasers that melted the ground.

If I hadn’t stood up immediately to evade, my lower half would have disappeared.

“After all, there was no one who understood me.”

“It wasn’t that others didn’t understand you but that you dodged them. Your mental age is less mature than a child, after all.”

“I’ll dispose of you first. Without pain.”

A massive flower bloomed, aiming at me likewise.

I couldn’t even block the mana bullet previously; there was no way I could stop that.

Think. Let’s pull out Enviel’s memories. Remember where this is.

There has to be a way. I’m certain I’m overlooking something.

That must be…!

“Goodbye, Radon Crawler!”

A beam of light several times larger than before engulfed me.

Just barely recalling a thought, I threw the mirror part of my student ID so that it faced the light directly.

The mirror, on the verge of being incinerated by the beam, flickered with a yellow glow.

The yellow light shining like a flashlight… sliced the beam in two.

“What the…”

As he became momentarily flustered, I rushed forward between the split beams grasping Leviathan again.

The Yellow Stamp that nullifies all mana. Especially in this void space, even a 7th circle magician would be useless.

Finally reaching right in front of Heidern, I shouted internally.

‘This is the fishing rod that killed your mentor, you bastard!’

Once again, the Leviathan, wrapped in black lightning, struck him again.

While he might have reduced damage earlier with his magical protection, now he was exposed to the yellow light.

Deprived of any means of defense, Heidern took the blow to his head with the fishing rod and went flying once more.

And he lost consciousness.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.