Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

97th Episode. Magic Fight vs Agari Fight (1)

“Um… Professor?”

“….”

“Professor Stella? Are you really angry?”

“No.”

Professor Stella, speaking with an extremely sour expression.

Her words were calm, but her face clearly radiated a vibe that said ‘don’t bother me anymore.’

Currently, I was walking somewhere after treating Mary, who had collapsed from eating pesticide.

Mary, who had fallen asleep in the warm aura of Sacred Magic, was on my back.

“Hehehe… let’s play, kitty.”

If one only saw Mary sleep-talking, she’d be cute enough to hug.

But let’s not forget, she’s the one who mistook a bug silhouette for a drink and started drinking it.

And it wasn’t even a fruit drink, but a bug drink?

What is this, a fart or something?

“Don’t you find it curious too?”

“What do you mean, Radon?”

Jenny responded to my question first, and I spoke to her.

“How is this little one’s mental world structured?”

“….”

It’s the kind of unknown territory that makes you curious but would never want to peek into.

Even Jenny was left speechless, unable to describe it.

“Where in the world is there a bug drink? Can you understand, Jenny?”

“Well… I can’t say it definitely doesn’t exist. Sometimes, bug fluids are used in making high-end drugs.”

“Our syndicate sells them often too. My father’s teaching is that there’s no such thing as useless things in this world.”

Crona chimed in with an additional explanation. It’s not just that we get a hefty sum for eradicating monsters for no reason.

Sure, let’s say such medicine exists. But does Mary really lack the ability to distinguish between good medicine and bad?

I’m going crazy wondering how she’s managed to live 16 years with that brain.

Will she still be like this by 20?

“Don’t be too harsh on her, though. She’s not a bad kid. Plus, she’s someone with high potential in controlling all spells, so it’s good to befriend her.”

Professor Stella, who was leading us, spoke.

As she said, Mary had a high potential to control all spells.

When you think of who managed to control the Silver Age, the answer comes up, and that strength makes her an important figure later.

“Um, Professor…”

“What is it, Radon?”

When I cautiously asked, Professor Stella’s reaction turned cold. I should calm her down, even though it’s a bit of a headache.

“I’m sorry for earlier. I truly didn’t know that pajamas were made by a family member.”

I thought it was just some unique pajamas bought from a clothing store.

It wasn’t intentional at all.

“I understand. I’ve never said it was made by family. However, Radon, you should learn to respect people’s tastes. You need to understand that from now on.”

Respect people’s tastes? Is that what?

Is someone in their late twenties really saying their taste is bunnies that kids wouldn’t wear?

It would actually seem more normal to participate in a department MT wearing a t-shirt with a moé character on it than in those.

‘I think I’ll get a clear understanding of why I’ve had no girlfriend until the end this time.’

The place Professor Stella guided us to was the entrance of the sanctuary in an alien village. There, we could meet Professor Radian and several students.

“Looks like you all fell here too.”

Professor Radian spoke to us with a mix of emotions. Since he had duty, he was prepared to lose sleep, so he didn’t look tired at all.

And with him were Kent Egist, the representative of the first-year students, and Baimon Dreadnote, the chief of the Alchemy Department.

There was no need to search for Baimon anymore.

What amazing timing.

But leaving Baimon aside…

“Kent, why do you look like that?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you completely covered in plate armor?”

Jenny asked, and Kent seemed embarrassed and shrank back. The sight of him wearing heavy armor upside down was strange even to me.

No matter how much his family is a knightly house, that appearance was very unnatural.

“T-that’s none of your business! I’m still a knight in this situation… uh…”

“I see. So you were summoned here in the nude.”

When I pointed that out, he exploded with excitement.

“You jerk! Do you think I wanted to be summoned like this! I was happily enjoying a bath after training at night, and in the blink of an eye, I ended up like this!”

It looked like he haphazardly put on some armor that was lying around in this sanctuary.

Honestly, I would have done the same. Thinking about how many eyes from ladies would be watching made me tear up.

In the main story, he was the one who contributed significantly to protecting students alongside Professor Radian.

He looks down on weaker people but doesn’t want to be like them. That’s why he humbly knelt before me instead of making a spectacle.

“But does everyone know where we are?”

“It’s probably a void space used as an exam site. The culprit is suspected to be Mosria.”

“Mosria is the artificial spirit that controls all golems.”

Radian explained everything he had figured out before coming here.

While wandering through the school at night, he noticed the golems behaving strangely and that they had suddenly started talking nonsense before moving us here.

“Come to think of it, I think I heard something strange during my bath too. The golem from my dorm was mumbling something weird, and suddenly this happened.”

Kent explained that he had a similar experience. The part about golems suddenly acting weird matched the main story.

In that story as well, they gathered like this, and suddenly the golems summoned and surrounded the students.

A tale of struggling in a situation where mana was sealed and they were completely defenseless unfolded.

“I’ve been observing the artificial golems all this time… Aside from practicality, there were numerous communication issues. They provoke anger with words that scratch the students’ insides and willingly get destroyed. Because of that, I could see heaps of golems piled up in the scrap yard.”

“But it’s strange no matter how you think about it. As long as the Yellow Stamp is near Mosria, unnecessary actions wouldn’t be taken.”

When Baimon said that, I couldn’t help but smirk subtly. That Yellow Stamp is currently in my possession.

Those opinions were rather obvious. With the proposal for language missing, naturally, if they insult students, they’ll be punished much more severely than in the main story.

Then Mosria’s wrath would also be greater compared to the main story, so if the plan was pushed forward because of that, then…

‘So it was because of me.’

But since I had already taken precautions, it’s fine. Since I had sneakily swiped the Yellow Stamp, the mana seal wouldn’t occur, and it wouldn’t be that threatening.

So, there’s nothing bad about it.

“Anyway, to get out of here, we need to find the hidden ‘core’ somewhere in this void space. Since it might have been created directly by Mosria, it will surely take the form of a teal moth. Let’s split up and search.”

“Okay.”

Professor Radian, leading the students effortlessly. There was no need for lengthy explanations, so my body felt light, and my mouth was easy.

“But shouldn’t we look for Vice Principal Heidern too? He was on duty just like me.”

“….”

At Stella’s question, Radian thought deeply for a moment. They were currently trying to resolve the situation with the students, but what was he doing?

“The Vice Principal is someone who contributed to the creation of Mosria. He might know something.”

“But you know, right? I would have trusted him in the past, but I can’t trust the current Vice Principal at all.”

The reputation of Heidern had long fallen to the ground. Perhaps even those under him, who had been sending him glances for survival, were slowly starting to turn their backs.

“Anyway, let’s all split up…”

Clank! Clank!—

Suddenly, Radian’s sentence was cut off.

Then, the clattering sound of metal rang out, and golems began to appear all around.

The students felt an overwhelming sense of alienation from the menacing red eyes of the golems. Because of that, they could firmly believe these were not the helper golems that always obeyed their requests.

-…BEEP.

“Radon, be careful! Something feels off.”

One of the golems came towards me. Radian, tense, warns me, but all I could do was scoff.

Go on, give it your all.

What can you fight with when you can’t even throw a punch?

Are you begging for a verbal showdown because a brawl won’t work?

-Target, Mary Ryudshiel. Securing algorithm.

“Huh?”

The golem pointed a finger at the girl resting against my shoulder.

The target wasn’t me but Mary herself.

“Umm…?”

Mary, who was on my back, sleepily opened her eyes and met the gaze of the golem.

She was about to hear something horrifying as soon as she woke up.

-Shorty.

“What…?”

Mary murmured in a chilling manner and tilted her head.

At that moment, Jenny, Luska, and my face all twitched.

Even as Mary shot a ghostly glare, the golem paid no heed and continued…

-Why do you look like that?

-Are you secretly a primary school dropout who disguised themselves to enroll?

-If kids are lining up together, they won’t recognize you as an Aligieri student.

-It’s still too early for those under 16 to enter Aligieri.

“….”

Each word pierced my heart like a knife.

I cautiously glanced at Mary’s face, which was resting on my back…

“Gah…!”

It was no longer a human face.

With a face twisted like a monster, Mary used my shoulder as a springboard to leap. In mid-air, she unleashed a mid-tier elemental magic ‘Jet Burn’ to incinerate them all.

Magic that couldn’t normally appear in the main story was being activated freely here. From this standpoint, we seemed to have the upper hand.

-Mary Ryudshiel. Anger Management Disorder.

-How embarrassing to already be hot-tempered at such a young age.

-Your peers are all above average height, but you alone are below 140cm.

-Don’t harbor unnecessary inferiority complex. That’s your reality.

-At this rate, you’ll get mistaken for a midget when trying to buy adult genres because of your height. I recommend being reborn.

“Shut up!!”

Ka-boom!—

The mid-tier magic rained down, annihilating the golems. Among them was Mary, who was angrier than ever.

It was a twisted face I had never seen even in the main story.

The setup stated that if you hear unpleasant words in succession, you would faint from high blood pressure.

-For a shorty, when pointed out with facts, they will wildly rampage and injure others. Abuse of power and violence are standard fare.

-Though you keep your mouth shut at the academy, everyone is now doubting if you truly are the daughter of the prestigious Master White Tower.

“Stop it!”

Ka-boom!—

-Your body is that of a child. Your actions are those of a child. You’ll remain a child for years to come.

-There’s a 100% chance that when you’re 20, you’ll still be an uneducated kid under 140cm.

“Ugh! Please stop…!”

No matter how much they were destroyed, they would regenerate again and again.

Even if thousands upon thousands of golems gathered, they couldn’t defeat Mary, but just like in the main story, their numbers were endless.

What can one do if they all collectively attack and strike a nerve?

-A creature that substitutes meals with bugs.

-Are you really a human? Madmen should just stay locked up in the psychiatric ward of the Astrological Medical Society.

“No…”

With continuous fact violence, Mary’s insides twisted. Mentally repressed, she was unable to use any magic, and her eyes began to spin.

Before long, she began frothing at the mouth and collapsed again.

“This can’t be…”

Everyone, including Jenny, was left gaping.

It was the first time witnessing the once untouchable madwoman, Mary Ryudshiel, being so incapacitated. But this was no time for admiration.

-Target, Jenny Chain Silver. Securing algorithm.

-Target, Luska Mad Eye. Securing algorithm.

-Target, Stella Vermillion. Securing algorithm.

The creatures that had torn their prey apart were now choosing their next target to devour.

-Target, Radon Crawler. Securing algorithm.

It seemed trivial at first glance, but one had to be on their toes.

The Heidern from the main story also turned into a wreck because of their fangs.

Survive as the Academy Scammer.