༺ Crazy Wizard…….? ༻
What would the wizard tell us?
Would he give us a word of recognition of our effort? Based on what he showed in the classroom, that wizard seemed like a quite practical person. Rather than spending time on such words, it seemed like he would just directly state his business.
Therefore, words of recognition or comfort were off the list. He would rather say something like, ‘Did you secure the Shining Trapezohedron?’, or ‘Quit dawdling, we’re already busy with the next task.’ It would probably be exhortations along those lines.
And if it wasn’t that either…
If he was a very vicious individual… Even words of reprimand could be expected. He could rebuke how disappointed he was, seeing as there was no progress despite having 6 days to do so. That was usually what arrogant wizards would do.
However, the first words the wizard uttered after entering the room were completely unexpected, even after considering all the possibilities.
“Uh, um… You’re awake, everyone. Did you have fun?”
…It was a question far removed from the general sentiment.
==========================================================================The wizard had an unusually pale complexion and was passively wiggling his fingers. It was completely different from the attitude he displayed in the classroom. Bennett and Niolle became more and more nervous, gradually raising their guards.
After all, it was a dangerous sign for a wizard who seemed mentally unstable to behave differently than usual.
However, Tara didn’t seem to notice the wizard’s state because she was enraged at words the wizard uttered.
Tara blinked. It was a conscious act to hide her bafflement, as she never expected such words and behavior in this situation. She even had to ask herself if she heard correctly.
“…Did… we have…fun?”
“Ah, yes. Eh…?”
The wizard tilted his head as if he was questioning why she was reacting like that. At a glance, some may actually mistake him for being genuinely curious. Tara’s temper rose to new heights upon seeing that shameless attitude.
She looked around. Swirling slowly within Niolle’s eyes was a dark pessimism instead of her usual bright sense of innocent justice. Bennett, too, pretended that he was unfazed, yet his face was far from alright.
Considering that she had lost Abraham and was even losing her divine power, she was far from being in good shape herself. Yet, was that man truly oblivious to the heavy atmosphere enveloping all of them?
It was like entering the barracks of defeated soldiers and asking them if they enjoyed being defeated. She would’ve taken those bitter words if it had been a rebuke for incompetence, but such remarks of extreme sarcasm was unbearable.
Tara shouted with veins on her neck popping out.
“HOW COULD THAT HAVE POSSIBLY BEEN ENJOYABLE-?!!”
In response, the wizard brought his index finger to his lips and let out a short shush. Unlike before, when he stuttered, he spoke his lines with confidence.
“T-….. Saintess Tara. This is just Illusion Magic.”
“⋯⋯WHAT?!”
Tara clenched her trembling fists. That absurd statement, which rendered all her experiences thus far meaningless in an instant, truly infuriated her. Bennett and Niolle, who also observed the wizard’s transformation from behind, could not help but be angered by those words as well.
This was an insult with an obvious intent. Over the past six days, exactly how many had died? By describing that as a mere illusion the wizard was blatantly belittling the journey of the three.
The wizard seemed taken aback, as if he hadn’t expected such a fierce response.
“Uh, huh? B-By any chance, did he not tel…?!”
“I would rather be cursed and mocked! What kind of nonsense is this supposed to be?! Do you only feel satisfied if you screw us over and play around with us?!
“Did he really not tell them it’s an Illusion…?! No, t-that’s not wha-!”
“YOU BASTARD—!!”
Tara grabbed the wizard by the collar and pushed him against the wall. The wizard pretended to be taken aback for a moment, then quickly faked a smile, looking as if he was nailed.
“I, I think there’s quite a misunderstanding here. Hahaha!”
Like that, he ridiculed her until the very end.
Meanwhile…
The Purple Magic Tower Master, Yuna Yurensto Violetiris, who was currently acting as a stand-in while donning the Crazy Wizard Avatar, thought as follows.
…I must fix this!
==============================================================================================
You crazy bastard, how could you not even give them any prior notice?
Yuna screamed loudly in her heart, but there was no one around to hear her. This resentment had to be buried deep inside, to be repaid later with a Yuna Death Beam. WIth that, the output of a future Yuna Death Beam just went up a stage.
She had devised a strategy to heal at least part of her beloved disciple’s mind. Up until that point, it was all good. The operation was proceeding smoothly and the Crazy Wizard was half-asleep within the simulation world.
Now, all that was left was for the players participating in the session to defeat the wicked Outer God, but…
“YOU CAN MOCK ME, BUT I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO INSULT ABRAHAM’S DEATH-!!”
Shake shake shake
Being grabbed by the collar and shaken like a reed by the Saintess was completely unforeseen.
Hadn’t he always managed to slip past situations with his bizarre eloquence? He had survived after quarreling with the Prince and continued to live nonchalantly even after doing the same with the Princess. Not to mention, the victims in this session were nothing but green sprouts who had just begun to grow by attending the Academy.
So I thought if I talked like he usually did, borrowing the lines he usually used, they would be mistaken on their own and let it slide, but…….!
Seeing how the Saintess had her eyes practically rolling back in rage, it seemed she was about to start smashing heads regardless of whatever she said about the session.
Moreover, he hadn’t even laid the groundwork this time, suggesting that all of it was just Illusion Magic. Not even a single hint! The three of them were firmly convinced it was Dimensional Magic instead of the illusion that it was.
Then, it wasn’t a matter of asking, ‘Since you’re already having a safe Illusion Magic tour, would you mind helping me out in the process?’…
Instead, it turned into a matter of persuading them by asking, ‘Could you venture into a dimension inhabited by a terrifying Outer God to save a person?’. The level of difficulty had practically skyrocketed by tens of times.
But… But, she just said it was an insult, right? The Saintess, that is.
Then, perhaps the next line she used might resolve everything. Yuna switched the expression of the Wizard Avatar to a sigh and followed the script.
“W-What can you p-ppossibly earn from avoiding the fact that it was just an I-Illusion Mag…N-No. I’m sorry!”
Oh my goodness. She felt like she would be killed by the Saintess if she continued, so she stopped.
What should I do? Seriously, what should I do?
Yuna’s plan required the participation of players. There wasn’t enough time to find people separately and these three people already had outstanding abilities. She had to think of something, anything to make them continue the session…
Think, Yuna. Think…!
At that moment, a fleeting memory passed through the young Archwizard’s mind. It was of the time when they had roamed modern civilization, lounging in a comic cafe. To be more specific, it was regarding the contents of the comic she had read.
It was too late to politely say, ‘Please save the world, Hero’. Just look at the eyes of the trio. They were positively burning. Since the first step had been taken incorrectly, she had to completely flip the board over its head. She had to adopt an entirely new concept, albeit a bit twisted.
I am……I am the Crazy Archwizard who saves the world!
===============================================================================
Fshhhh.
“Wh…….What the?!”
The wizard, who was shaking like a reed in Tara’s grasp, suddenly turned into dust and disappeared. Then, as if reassembling in a corner of the room, he appeared with a bright smile.
It was an exaggerated smile that was reminiscent of a clown’s makeup.
“Well, then……Have you calmed down a bit?”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“It seemed like you needed a place to vent your emotions, you see.”
“…Are you saying that that was intentional?”
The wizard lightly shook his head to Tara’s question.
“Half of it was. Actually, it’s not wrong to say it was Illusion Magic. Truly.”
“…Explain in more detail, Wizard.”
“Sure, Bennett. Mm. I wanted to say that if you guys can’t save the world… that world would disappear like a fleeting illusion. Swallowed whole by an Outer God.”
The wizard raised an image of a blue planet into the air, as well as a huge bubble that churned endlessly. After the bubble brushed past the planet, nothing was left behind.
“The old man, Abraham, is dead. All that remains are works of his research which he hoped would benefit the world. But now, it’ll soon be used to bring about the world’s destruction. Unless you are there, that is.”
[Are you… asking us to save the otherworld?]
“Even if you didn’t say anything, of cour-!”
“Wait, Tara, Niolle.”
Bennett stepped forward, cutting off the two. Then, as if trying to see beyond his expression, he looked intently at the wizard’s face and asked.
“Why us? And… Why?”
“Because you’ve been tracking the Demonic Sword. Didn’t you want to……. save people? Because you thought the Demonic Sword is dangerous?”
“You left out the ‘Why’. Wizard.”
“What… do you mean by that?”
Niolle grabbed Bennett by the collar. Tara was also looking at him with anxious eyes. ‘Could it be that Bennett is trying to leave the group?’ That seemed to be what they were thinking.
Bennett looked behind and gestured with his eyes. He, too, had no intention of backing down. However, he thought it was an opportunity to find out what that wizard’s scheme was. He patted Niolle’s hand as if telling her to trust and leave it to him.
He returned his gaze to the wizard and continued asking questions.
“I’m asking why you’re so obsessed with saving another world. Is this object called the Shining Trapezohedron really that necessary?”
“No, it does not matter even if I do not get it.”
“Then, I find it even more difficult to understand. It is a different world that has nothing to do with our’s. It should not matter even if it perishes or becomes a living hell.”
“That is… because I deem human lives, even in another world, as importa…”
“Don’t make me laugh, Wizard. If you truly valued lives, you wouldn’t have released a Dream Demon or even turned a classroom into a Dungeon.”
“…D-Dun? Ahem. So, uh, about that….”
The wizard thought for a while, then lowered his gaze as if making a difficult decision.
“…Do you really think that this is solely a matter of other worlds?”
“What?! W-What is that supposed to mean?!”
“Exactly as I said. Do you really think all of this is something that only happens in another world?”
“…Does that mean…. it might be able to come over to our world as well?”
The wizard seemed to be nodding in affirmation, yet also not; basically, it was a non-committal, ambiguous gesture. But that of itself was enough. It was hard to believe, but it was not without reason.
“Of course, I am sure you will have many questions. But the undeniable truth is that this will benefit our world, so… See you next week. Then.”
“Wai…!”
The wizard disappeared in thin air as if erased.
Silence fell among the three left in the room. After all, it was a hard and heavy truth to believe. Niolle wrote carefully.
[…Could it be real?]
“There is……no reason to lie. At least, if the Second Prince dispatched the wizard to the Academy and decided to back him were…… due to those reasons.”
[Then, are we……Bennett?]
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Bennett fell silent, as if something was bothering him. After a long while, he carefully opened his mouth.
“I think……. what the wizard said is true. There is something I need to check. See you later.”
“Wait. What is it, Bennett!”
After leaving only those words behind, Bennett dashed off somewhere.
===============================================================
Bennett Hilton was aware of the malevolent plans of the Black Wizards at the Academy. They were trying to amplify and gather the negative emotions of the Academy students to cast── 『Nightmare Summon』
He didn’t know what exactly was being summoned. Only that merely witnessing it could drive a person mad.
If what the wizard had said was true…
The nightmare that the Black Wizards intended to summon── It could be the Evil God of the otherworld.
If the Crazy Wizard’s goal was to prevent this, then it made sense why he weeded out the Black Wizards from his very first lecture day. The chaos caused by hiding the Demonic Sword was to find talent capable of diving into the otherworld. Every action of the wizard had a purpose.
And now, Bennett was on his way to confirm the last piece of the puzzle.
He ran. His destination was the basement of the Academy’s abandoned building. In that place was the core of the summoning plan; a magic circle designed to amplify emotions was installed.
If the Crazy Wizard had somehow obtained information about the 『Nightmare Summon』, he would have taken measures in this place, the core of the plan, as well.
He lifted the carpet. A door leading to the basement was revealed.
After descending the ladder, Bennett discovered the remains of an obliterated golem, as well as a modified magic circle, now producing a completely different effect from what it was supposed to.
***
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