novelraw Chapter 20 : Chapter 20
Chapter 20 : Chapter 20
Chapter 20: You Got Me
Joffrey had still not left the locker room.
I could see he was completely out of his mind.
He looked absolutely desperate.
“Get up.”
“Hieeek!”
At Stiny’s command, Joffrey scurried toward him and knelt before him like a dog.
“I, I was wrong. It’ll never happen again. So please…!”
Joffrey implored.
If other students had seen this, they wouldn't have been able to hide their astonishment.
“Joffrey?”
“Y-yes…?”
“Shut up and follow me. Got it?”
Stiny smiled brightly.
He was clearly smiling, yet it felt bone-chilling.
“What do you plan to do with Joffrey?”
“I need this guy to get to the secret hideout.”
The secret hideout and Joffrey?
I wondered what the connection could be.
I stepped outside along with the despairing Joffrey.
The Academy, past curfew, was silent.
Within that silence, only the sound of footsteps echoed softly.
I walked behind, staring at the back of Spark’s head.
He said he surrendered, but I couldn't let my guard down yet.
There’s no telling what kind of scheme that snake-like bastard might be hiding.
-I will continue to keep a close watch.
Isel’s calm voice was heard through the in-ear monitor.
By now, she must have occupied a suitable sniping point.
“Come on in.”
Spark smirked and looked back.
It was the Main Building.
The place with the most foot traffic.
I found it unexpected that a secret hideout was hidden in a place like this.
It was exactly as the saying goes: It’s darkest under the lamp.
The front gate of the Main Building was locked, but Spark pulled out a key from somewhere and unlocked it.
He comes and goes as he pleases, like it’s his own house.
Passing the lobby of the Main Building, we reached a hallway.
Classrooms categorized by grade levels stretched out in a row.
Class A, where the three of them belonged, was also here.
“The secret hideout is in here.”
Spark, who was passing through the hallway, stopped his steps.
It was right in front of Class A.
During my time performing the undercover mission, I had roamed every corner of the Academy.
By now, I could find any desired location with my eyes closed.
Among them, Class A was the place where I spent the most time in this Academy.
Yet, a secret hideout was hidden inside there?
“Don't you believe your friend?”
When I stared with a suspicious look, Spark put on a feigned look of disappointment.
“Friend, my foot.”
“How cold. I truly considered you a friend.”
The guy entered Class A with a dejected voice.
He’s a fellow whose words and actions make it difficult to distinguish truth from lies.
I figured he must have been trained, no doubt.
Such training also existed in the Prominence basic curriculum.
“I'll say it again, the secret hideout is in Class A. Joffrey, am I right?”
“…It’s true.”
Joffrey glanced at Stiny and gave a small nod.
I read his emotions.
His words were the truth.
“Do you know? A deep secret exists in Neustadt Academy that even the school officials don't know about.”
Spark laughed playfully, bringing his index finger to his lips.
“Do you happen to know about the family that designed Neustadt Academy?”
“It’s the Wiga family.”
I answered Spark’s question.
Joffrey, who accompanied them, is a member of the Wiga family.
It was information I had heard through Isel’s report previously.
“Correct. That’s exactly why I brought Joffrey along.”
At Spark’s gesture, Joffrey walked forward hesitantly.
The point where he stopped was in front of a wall where artworks were hung.
He fumbled through his pockets and pulled something out.
I wondered if it was a needle.
Joffrey pricked his thumb with the needle.
He didn't even hesitate, as if he was accustomed to it.
A bead of blood formed on his thumb.
He smeared his blood on the frame of a specific painting.
I recalled the memory of when I first came to Class A.
The object Joffrey smeared his blood on was a painting of a solitary door without any background.
I had questioned why such a lazy painting was considered a work of art.
I doubted my eyes.
Joffrey’s blood was absorbed into the frame.
It was an abnormal phenomenon by any standard.
The closed door in the painting slowly opened.
It wasn't an ordinary painting?
“This device only reacts to the blood of the Wiga family. But old blood doesn't work? If it weren't for that, there would have been no reason to keep Joffrey alive.”
In contrast to the snickering Spark, Joffrey’s complexion turned rapidly pale.
“Shall we go?”
At Spark’s chin gesture, Joffrey placed his hand on the painting of the open door.
Swoosh-
His whole body seemed to blur before being sucked into the painting.
I realized it was a portal.
I finally saw why Spark treated Joffrey like a servant; Joffrey was a kind of key.
-This is… a space that didn't even exist in the blueprints of Neustadt Academy.
Even the calm Isel couldn't hide her surprise.
“Aren't you going?”
Spark turned back to me and urged me.
-This point is outside the sniping range, but….
Concern was mixed in Isel’s voice.
“Please request backup.”
-Understood.
There’s no telling what might be lurking beyond that space.
Entering alone was a foolish act.
“Oh? Ered. Could it be you’re scared? Worried that I might have dug a trap inside?”
Spark tilted his head exaggeratedly as if acting.
“If you want to provoke me, please be more creative. It feels a bit too blatant.”
“If that’s what a friend wants, I should.”
Spark shrugged and stood before the painting.
“This portal closes in 1 minute. There’s a time limit. To open it again, you need the key. But what should we do? The key has disappeared?”
Joffrey, the key, had already moved beyond the portal.
“What could be beyond that space? Just as you fear, a trap might be lurking. Or maybe there's another portal that teleports you to a place you can't even imagine? You might lose the culprit you finally caught right before your eyes?”
“…You bastard.”
“Are you going to arrest me here? That won't do.”
Spark reached his hand toward the painting.
It was a precarious distance, as if he might touch it at any moment.
At this point, I had no choice but to admit it.
The guy's provocation worked this time.
I shouldn't have sent Joffrey first.
“You said you're requesting backup? No matter how fast they are, it’ll be impossible to arrive within 1 minute, right?”
Spark threw a question with a relaxed attitude.
“What will you do? Will you watch the portal close while waiting for backup? Or will you enter with me and start the real game?”
Spark winked while beckoning with his finger toward this side.
“Then, I’ll be looking forward to your choice.”
The guy's hand finally touched the frame.
He vanished beyond the portal.
Damn it.
Staring at the portal, I calculated all variables in a short moment.
I wondered if the portal would really close soon, or if the guy’s word was a lie.
There was no way to know for now.
I couldn't just wait around to confirm that.
If the portal truly closed, I won't be able to do anything anymore.
As long as there was even a slight possibility that Spark might escape, I couldn't leave him alone.
I knew a portal was magic that consumed a significant amount of mana.
The further the location to be teleported, the mana consumption increases in proportion to the square of the distance.
In other words, it’s inefficient.
In the first place, portals are not a technology used for the purpose of moving long distances.
If such a thing were possible, there would be no reason to build airships at great expense.
It’s a useful technology only when moving beyond blocked paths or passing through high ground.
Which meant the teleportation location of the portal won't escape the Academy, no matter how far it is.
It didn't matter even if the space beyond the portal was a sealed room with no exit.
If necessary, I could just break the wall and leave.
With the help of the Red Magic Stone, it didn't seem impossible to escape by my own strength.
In the end, there was only one choice.
“Lieutenant. I leave the back to you.”
I placed my hand on the painting without delay.
-Ered. Wait….
Isel’s urgent voice faded far away.
A bizarre sensation, as if a strong gravity were pulling me, wrapped around my entire body.
When I opened my eyes, I was standing in an unfamiliar space.
I wondered if it was underground.
A cool draft brushed against my skin.
It was a well-polished flat floor, and the scale was quite large.
I estimated it was about the size of a small athletic field.
The space was empty compared to its scale.
It felt like a secret training ground.
“Isel.”
I called her, but there was no reply.
I wondered if it was a communication-outage zone.
“Wow. You really came!”
Spark welcomed me while waving his hand.
Fortunately, the guy had not run away yet.
There were others besides him.
Not just one or two.
Roughly around twenty, and they were all students of the Academy.
I had no personal acquaintance with them.
Still, I was familiar with their faces, names, and simple characteristics.
It was thanks to having closely examined the profiles of all students to uncover subversive elements.
“Spark!”
“We’ve been waiting!”
Students gathered in clusters around Spark.
It was an attitude as if they were receiving a religious leader, not a student of the same age.
“Did you lure all those students in?”
I asked, glaring at Spark.
“Well. I just showed them the possibility.”
Spark generated a small bit of electricity on his finger.
“Ohhh!”
“Me too, someday like that….”
A strong desire rose in the eyes of the students watching that.
“There is no human without greed in this world. Murder and war also happen because of that, right? Is there any human who would refuse a chance to gain special power?”
Well, he wasn't wrong.
I too had struggled my whole life to gain special power.
And I became a Prominence at the end of that effort.
“Get back to what you were doing. I have to chat with a guest.”
“Understood!”
Spark made the students scatter.
As the students moved away, the guy whispered softly to me.
“Well, strictly speaking, the abilities of Unnormals and magic are on different tracks. Still, it’s a special power all the same.”
If someone ignorant of magic witnessed the abilities of an Unnormal, anyone would consider it magic.
I was like that at first too.
I only knew that they were different beings from wizards after knowing that mana is not detected from an Unnormal.
I surveyed the surroundings without a word.
Students were engaged in magic research in their own different ways.
While there were guys with their eyes closed in a cross-legged position, there were also types who constantly muttered to themselves while reading books.
I noted there wasn't a single one who knew how to handle magic.
A snort came out naturally.
They were said to be a group that believes in magic, and it seems they literally only know how to believe.
Crack-!
On one side, the sound of a whip echoed loudly.
A student whose eyes were covered by a blindfold was being whipped while his whole body was bound.
“Uuuugh!!”
He seemed to be trying to suppress the scream in his own way, but every time the whip was applied, a painful groan leaked through his clenched lips.
Snap!
Regardless, the whipping never stopped.
I could not understand the intention.
“What the hell is that doing?”
I couldn't hold back anymore and questioned Spark.
“It’s an awakening method using the fight-or-flight response. They say that all animals, including humans, gain extrasensory perception when they feel extreme fear or something like that.”
The detailed theory regarding the magic of the Republic is not well known to the public.
However, what is clear is that only those born with talent can become wizards.
“To forcibly pull up senses through the means of fear to awaken magical talent? It’s a primitive method. Does it even work?”
“I don't know. Actually, I’m not interested.”
It was around that time.
“Ohhh?”
Students let out exclamations.
A faint aura began to bloom from the student who was being whipped repeatedly.
It was a raw red color.
It was mana.
I wondered if that kind of simple and ignorant method really worked.
However, the miracle did not last long.
“…Ugh, no!”
A regretful death cry leaked from the student who had emitted red mana.
“Just a little more… if I feel just a little more, I think I’ll know…. Please hit me more! Make me suffer!!”
The student shouted as if having a fit.
It was a scene where even madness was felt.
I wondered why it had to be red.
I was seized by a creepy feeling.
It was a color sickeningly similar to the Red Magic Stone embedded in my chest.
“Wow. That kind of method really does work?”
Spark let out a short impression.
He said so, but his tone was still indifferent.
Watching that, I couldn't help but have a natural doubt.
“Why did you lure students into this if you’re not even interested in magic? For what?”
“Ered, you still don't know?”
The guy tapped his chest as if frustrated.
“Who do you think you came to this Academy because of?”
“That’s obviously—”
In an instant, it felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck my head.
I realized Obsidian had obtained information that a group believing in magic exists in this Academy.
That was the beginning of the mission.
In the Empire, acts associated with magic constitute treason.
It means the nature of the crime is heavy.
A wizard is a being with power transcending human limits.
Within the Empire, the only adversary for such a wizard is a Prominence.
Therefore, for magical crimes occurring within the Empire, a Prominence has no choice but to intervene.
Spark knew that fact.
So he purposely leaked information to the outside to lure in a Prominence.
“Prominence… it’s a word that makes the heart race just by hearing it. I, you see, have had a lot of interest in you guys for a long time.”
Spark leisurely raised his hand and lightly tapped his temple.
“The symbol of a powerful Empire. Receiving the awe of all imperial citizens, and becoming the object of admiration for children.”
A strange light dwelled in his eyes.
A leisureliness was felt as if he were reciting a script prepared for a long time.
“But on the other hand, this kind of thought also occurred. The reason you can run wild as if you’re so great is thanks to that grand Red Magic Stone in your chest, right? Take that away, and you’re just an ordinary human.”
“Do you think that privilege is given to just anyone?”
I gave a cold laugh.
“Of course, it’s true that the Red Magic Stone is the source of power. But without it, just an ordinary human? Don't make me laugh. We didn't just sit still and receive power. We put in effort to become strong enough to handle this power. The Red Magic Stone doesn't handle me; I handle the Red Magic Stone.”
“Hmm. You have quite the pride.”
A smile slowly spread across Spark’s lips.
Deep mischief was mixed within it.
“So, even without the Red Magic Stone, you’re saying you’re not an ordinary human?”
Snap.
Snap.
Spark snapped his fingers in succession.
A faint light seeped out from the floor.
Not just the floor, but the ceiling and even the walls surrounding all four sides.
It was a mana circuit.
It was light generated in the process of the mana circuits engraved throughout this entire space being activated.
A Prominence has no choice but to be knowledgeable about mana circuits.
Naturally, as we are beings with mana circuits contained throughout our whole body.
Just by reading the formulas contained in the circuits, I could tell at once what kind of function was contained there.
I realized he had got me.
It was an Anti-Magic Field.
It’s magic that freezes all mana within range.
It was the worst compatibility for a wizard and a Prominence.
All mana was cut off.
I felt the loss of mana that had overflowed throughout my body.
The mana circuits that had lost mana turned off one by one.
I knew an Anti-Magic Field that cuts off mana is also, in the end, magic that uses mana.
Because of that paradox, it boasts extremely sophisticated and complex formulas.
To have designed such an Anti-Magic Field throughout this vast place?
Even if I didn't know, an enormous amount of time and capital must have been invested.
I saw they had prepared very thoroughly.
Only for the moment of luring a Prominence to this spot.
“Now, it’s time to prove your ability.”
Spark’s mouth tore as if it would reach his ears.