Entrance Ceremony (3)
—
I messed up.
What did I mess up, you ask? Honestly, I’m not sure myself.
“Grrrrrrr……”
Out of nowhere, three drakes appeared and blocked my way to school.
They didn’t seem like the iron drakes I occasionally saw in the mountains behind the academy. Judging by their gold-colored bodies, they were likely mutants. Should I call them gold drakes?
Anyway, they looked like mech-dinosaurs straight out of some sci-fi movies. Quantum-mechanically created armored dinosaurs—it’s the ultimate dream, right?
“What in the world is that…?”
“It’s a beast! Where on earth did it come from?!”
“Miss, it’s dangerous! Run away!!”
It didn’t seem like a dream.
I told the citizens to keep a safe distance and stood in the middle of the road. I could hear distant shouts telling me to run away. Once I pulled out my staff, those shouts died down.
It was a bit too relaxed to be described as an unprecedented situation. These beasts were blocking the way to the academy, but that was it. They weren’t being aggressive or anything.
In fact, they were just wagging their tails while staring at me. They didn’t show any signs of charging. Since I had hunted a few drakes from the mountains, I knew their behavior patterns well enough to tell they weren’t planning to attack.
[Wow, there are three mutant drakes? Those things don’t occur naturally.]
“So what? Do you think it’s normal for them to be here?”
My retort made the hardcover book flutter angrily.
[Who said it was normal? What I mean is, these things don’t occur naturally, so they must have an owner!]
In simple terms, someone created them.
If that’s true, it makes sense why these friends from the Cretaceous period aren’t attacking and just blocking the path. Without a leash, these creatures would typically act wild.
[In such cases, there are three main responses. First, you can eliminate the beasts in front of you. Second, find and destroy the summoning array that created them. Third…]
“I know. You mean catch and deal with the owner directly.”
I knew the last option would be difficult. How could I catch someone when I didn’t even know who or where they were?
Handling drakes, which are mid-level beasts, means the controller is at least an advanced-level beast tamer. A pretty intelligent one at that.
[Judging by the direction the drakes came from, it seems they originated from the academy.]
“Looks that way.”
Catching the owner is unrealistic. The best option is to find and destroy the summoning array as soon as possible.
This too is difficult. There are hundreds of types of summoning arrays. The method of dismantling them varies depending on how they’re constructed.
Of course, the summoning array would also be made of magic power…
[Top-grade innate magic ─ Element Operation]
“The key is where to use this.”
If I can’t find the core of the summoning array, I can’t destroy the spell. As long as I can’t pinpoint that part’s location, these creatures will keep appearing.
While I was thinking, two more drakes emerged from the ground. The source is definitely in the ley lines.
“In the end, all I can do is symptomatic treatment.”
If I can’t find the source immediately, I need to at least deal with the ones coming out. That’s all I can do.
I told the people watching to evacuate far away and bit into a magic herb.
I was about to bite into it.
[Wait, wait a moment.]
“What now?”
[They seem to want to say something.]
Thud─.
One of them stomped its foot and started taking steps toward me.
“Does that look like a posture for talking? It looks like it’s about to attack.”
[If they were going to attack, they would have destroyed everything on their way here.]
The hardcover book had a point. That made it even more problematic.
If the controller gave the command, these drakes could rampage at any moment. Just thinking about these creatures causing havoc in the middle of the capital made my head spin.
Thud─. Thud─. Thud─.
They were approaching slowly, like a child sneaking up to catch a bug. But their size was far from child-like. Each step they took made the road cave in.
I felt an instinctive contraction. My lungs felt like they were shrinking and wouldn’t expand again.
I had faced several drakes before, so I knew this fear wasn’t coming from the drakes themselves. Their behavior patterns were simple enough to understand.
I wasn’t afraid of the dinosaurs.
I was afraid of the one behind them.
My ominous premonition was right.
<Hello. Can you hear me?>
The leading drake brought its face close to mine. I took out an emergency scroll from my waist pouch, ready to activate it at any moment.
Looking closely, I noticed small, thin holes near the drake’s jaw joint. An unidentified voice came from those holes.
<Sorry, I found you later than I expected. I thought you’d be at the academy entrance ceremony, playing with the others. So, I caused a bit of a scene.>
The voice was distorted, making it hard to determine the gender. But even through the distortion, I couldn’t detect any hint of playfulness.
<You seem pretty lucky. How did you even think of taking the entrance exam there? I’m envious. I could never do something like that.>
“What are you talking about…?”
<I didn’t come to chat. I’m just here to say hello.>
“To say hello…?”
A chill ran down my spine. Was it because I could predict what was coming next?
<Yes. The Empire might not know, but half of the capital is already in our hands. There’s no need to cause more trouble.>
“What the…”
<But the underlings keep whining about being bored. Reviving the Demon King isn’t child’s play, but I don’t get why they seek so much entertainment.>
Even without using my intuition, it was clear. Assuming anything else was foolish.
This person is─.
<Anyway, you know it, right? The country’s in a complete mess, whether it’s the royal family or whatever.>
This person is…
<It’s all going according to plan.>
A catastrophe, beyond anything imaginable.
<We don’t have anything else to discuss.>
As soon as I heard that voice, I reflexively stepped back.
<I hope you enjoy your time at the academy. Oh, by the way, the core of the summoning array is engraved on the fountain in the central plaza of the school. You can dismantle it now, or use the area as a hunting ground until the wave ends if you want to gather mana stones.>
My intuition wasn’t wrong.
“Roarrrrr─!!”
There was a ‘click’ sound as the speaker cut off, followed by the collective loss of reason in the beasts before me. The other side had given up control and fully released them.
[Quite the hellish welcome gift, isn’t it?]
“That’s what I’m saying.”
[Knowing this might happen, the goddess upgraded me. From now on, you don’t have to carry scrolls around. You can cast spells using me as a medium.]
“What?”
[You can use any spell you know, whether it’s fire magic or water magic. The circuits are all built into my body.]
The book’s words were so shocking that I found them hard to believe. It practically ignored the penalties of my species.
[But only three times a day.]
Of course, it wasn’t unlimited.
[My body can store up to 100 sieverts of mana a day. Think of using 30 sieverts for each spell you cast. Naturally, higher-level spells will consume more mana.]
If I were to think of this place as a VR game world, there would be quests and developers providing useful items at appropriate times and locations, right?
If the game master of this Arenz continent is the goddess, then this hardcover book is like a gift to adjust the game difficulty at the right time. The problem was that the game’s name was “Life.”
Why can’t I save and reload? No wonder players who quit never come back.
Anyway, gaining new abilities meant the difficulty level would also rise.
“So, I can store three spells without the magic herb?”
Then I know what to use.
[Top-grade innate magic ─ Element Operation]
[Ah, you can only use that once. It’s a top-grade spell.]
How picky.
The situation was urgent. I had already wasted several seconds thinking.
Once those monsters were unleashed, they didn’t attack me but started demolishing the nearby buildings. Since I had stepped back, they aimed for the closest structures.
“Here we go.”
I grabbed the book with one hand. I could feel mana flowing into me from the book.
Monsters created by summoning arrays are strange creatures powered by magic. They are different from naturally occurring beasts.
In other words, they have separate magic circuits. Just like in the practical exam, I could short-circuit them.
I prepared for a short circuit.
I was about to.
“Ether!”
From a distance, I heard rapid footsteps, followed by a large burst of flames. It was like the crossfire I faced during the combat magic test, but more refined and larger.
The flames flew toward the beasts, not where I stood.
[Advanced Fire Magic ─ Advanced Bullet X 20]
[That amount of mana at her age… She’s incredibly talented.]
I knew who it was immediately. The girl running toward me.
“No time for greetings. Follow me!”
Lotte, who had swiftly taken down five mid-level beasts, grabbed my wrist without any time for
pleasantries. She turned around and dashed toward the academy, pulling me along.
As we ran, Lotte asked me.
“Why didn’t you come to the entrance ceremony today?”
“…I didn’t feel like it.”
“Really, just because of that…! Never mind. This isn’t the time for that! The school is a mess!”
I figured it would be.
So, there was no time for small talk with Lotte.
We had to get to the central plaza and resolve this situation as soon as possible.
