1-Second Invincible Player in the Game

125. Emergency (2)

In the principal’s office, Akandric fiddled with a black pebble, his face clouded with gloom.

Rockefeller, who had been observing him for days, began to worry.

‘It seems he is still deeply troubled by Luon al Banas.’

The order to execute the fugitive as an example had come down from headquarters.

It was an unprecedented act, meant to instill a sense of urgency in the other students from the very beginning.

Akandric was well aware of this, so he said nothing, but…

‘Indeed, he must be quite upset.’

Rockefeller pondered for a moment.

What could he say to lighten Akandric’s mood, even just a little?

However, the grimoire of Hongok had been stolen, and the fortress was still under repair.

To soothe his heart, a stronger topic was needed.

“Ahem, the seven who went out for fieldwork will be returning soon. If you commend them, I’m sure they would be very pleased.”

These were the seven who had passed the stringent criteria and been selected.

Of course, they were promising candidates, from the first to the seventh round.

Even now, commanders were eyeing them to join their own ranks.

“Oh, those kids? It has been quite a while since I last saw them. They left right as the first semester began.”

“They must have learned a great deal. This year, they should show us something remarkable.”

“Ha ha, I’m looking forward to that.”

There was a hint of forced cheerfulness in Akandric’s smile.

—

Even with tenfold effort, it feels insufficient to fill the void left by a supernova like Luon al Banass.

Moreover, every training session, I poured special care and affection into Luon, so it would be utterly inadequate to satisfy any emotional longing.

“This is why I don’t get attached to my students. No matter how well I treat them, they’re just the sort to send a few letters and then vanish. Not that I’ve ever received one, anyway…”

Rockefeller, feeling deflated, drew forth his ultimate move as he watched Akandric fiddling with pebbles.

“And you see, Headmaster, soon there will be rewards coming from the royal court and the headquarters. It seems quite an unusual occurrence, and everyone is paying attention to Frost Heart.”

This was something to stand tall about.

At the next gathering of headmasters, it would be a chance to finally release the grievances that had been ignored for so long.

As the corners of Akandric’s mouth slowly lifted, Rockefeller’s face brightened.

Yet, from his lips came a shocking revelation.

“Oh, by the way, I heard Arental is coming.”

Rockefeller, momentarily thinking he must have misheard, asked again.

“Excuse me?”

“You know, that elder from the headquarters. I received a letter saying he would arrive today.”

Arental, the one and only Drayonn.

One of the elders from the Pathfinder headquarters.

Rockefeller’s eyes widened, and he pressed his lips together.

‘That man is coming here?’

In a state of emergency, Rockefeller’s pupils trembled.

The thought of such a figure arriving in a place that had yet to recover from disaster was terrifying enough to conjure nightmares.

‘Could it be that he’s caught wind of the stolen grimoire of the crimson gem?!’

No, that couldn’t be possible.

After all, it had been thoroughly concealed, and a convincing counterfeit had been crafted to fill the gap.

He rarely visited the forbidden archives, so even if he did, it shouldn’t pose a problem. Yet, the mere thought sent a shiver of fear through him.

Perhaps sensing Rockefeller’s unease, Akandric offered a few comforting words.

“You needn’t worry too much. He merely wishes to deliver the medal on behalf of someone else. It seems he’s already got his eye on Hursel Ben Tenest.”

“That’s a relief, but… there’s so much to prepare.”

Though the worry over the grimoire had lessened, the situation remained dire.

First, he needed to hasten the repairs, then prepare materials for the procession, tidy up the view, and ensure the students were perfectly controlled.

If even a hint of discomfort arose, they might face budget cuts.

“Well, the academy is a mess, that’s for sure. But with Arental, it should be fine. He may lack perception, but his heart is kind. He won’t be overly strict.”

Akandrik spoke as if it were of little consequence, yet to Rockefeller’s ears, it rang as nothing short of a fortunate jest.

“That is because the principal is a former elder.”

Those who once stood on equal ground might find it acceptable, but for those beneath, it was a matter of life and death.

* * *

It goes without saying that classes had been suspended until now.

The professors, who were meant to teach the students, had all taken to the search.

Many of the textbooks lay in tatters, necessitating the procurement of replacements, and the students were too busy laboring to find any time for lessons.

I settled into a chair by the broken fountain.

Today, the students had been leveling the ground in the parade square with shovels, and they had been busy patching the cracks in the fortress with concrete.

What made this situation peculiar was that not only the workers from Shulafe Hall were involved, but also those from Adel Hall, and even the professors were laboring in droves.

The cause of all this chaos could be traced back to what I heard from Professor Gomon.

– It’s an emergency.

– What’s happened? Have you perhaps unearthed an unknown tunnel while digging?

– Huh? Nothing like that. Well, you see, an elder is coming here.

How to describe the current situation?

It brought to mind memories of military service.

During my time as a sergeant, we had to relocate the pavilion at the order of the battalion commander because news had come that a three-star general would be visiting.

It was summer.

And now, the gravity of the situation was even greater than back then.

To put it in a fitting metaphor, it felt as if a four-star general were arriving at the basic training camp.

It was only natural that the academy would be turned upside down.

Thus, I too was compelled to labor.

I voiced my discontent, but the response was as follows.

– They say it’s all to award you a medal.

– Are you implying it’s all because of me? Ah, how vexing. Perhaps I should just desert like Luon.

When I pressed a little harder, this was the position I was offered.

– Please, don’t say such things. Let’s make a deal, okay? Professor Rockefeller insisted that no one be left out of the work. Ah, how about being a supervisor? Just pretend to do it half-heartedly. Sounds good, right?

– But what will the other students say? Is that really alright?

I was still a first-year in Shulafe Hall.

There would be plenty of people frowning upon me for taking the easy way out while they toiled.

Especially those upperclassmen from Adel Hall.

But Professor Gomon had replied with a laugh.

— Discontent? You? Now that’s a funny thing to say.

Thus, the position I obtained was that of a supervisor.

Once I got into it, it wasn’t so bad after all.

There was a certain thrill to it.

“Hey, upperclassman. You look like you’re carrying a featherweight?”

“…Just give me a break. Do you know how hard it is to haul a sack up and down the stairs?”

“That’s proof of lacking stamina. Well, good for you. Think of it as exercise and double your efforts.”

The upperclassman from Adel Hall approached the fortress with a sullen face.

Still, I wasn’t too keen on just sitting around giving orders.

I rose from my seat and stepped into the fortress.

Perhaps I should keep an eye on how things are being done.

I spotted Schluafe Hall’s upperclassman standing awkwardly in front of the statue of the Grand Sorcerer.

Regrettably, the founder’s statue had a broken arm and a cracked leg, making it look precarious even standing there.

“Ah, how do we fix this?”

“Better to make a new one, I’d say.”

“Make it? Just like this one?”

“Wait a moment. Asley is bringing a boulder the size of a small car.”

Just then, Asley was hauling a medium-sized boulder from the back mountain.

It was a fitting size, more than enough to create a statue.

“Upperclassman, remember that guy who made my ice statue in front of our dorm? He seemed skilled. Go fetch him. Asley, sorry, but you’ll have to make one more trip. We need that rock right now.”

“Got it, boss.”

Having given those instructions, I now saw Reyana precariously patching the cracks on the fortress wall, hanging from a rope.

True to her Adel Hall upbringing, she was clumsy with her work.

Every time she dropped her trowel, the upperclassman from the Magic Department below would levitate it back up with telekinesis.

“Reyana, what a waste of that good stamina. How about you go chop some firewood over there? We need to make some furniture.”

Reyana nodded and slipped through the window into the room.

Indeed, such tasks were best suited for the Schluafe Hall folks.

“People from Bürger Hall and Adel Hall learn by watching the Schluafe Hall folks. If they can’t do it, they should at least ask for help.”

After saying that, I stepped into the fortress and surveyed the first floor.

The faded carpet was littered with broken pots and shattered windows, while the furniture—chairs and tables—was marred with numerous scars.

Rix, who was in charge, waved his hand.

Behind him were his gang.

“Ah, Hursel. Can you take a look at the furniture? I’m thinking of arranging it like this.”

Rix showcased the interior restoration he envisioned through shape-manipulation magic.

Whose taste it reflected, I couldn’t quite tell, but the antiquated style felt unsettling, as if it were inviting ghosts to emerge.

“…It’s too dark and dreary.”

“Isn’t it? Actually, Professor Rockefeller instructed me to do it this way…”

“Forget what that man says; try to match the colors with the walls as harmoniously as possible.”

Rix conferred with his gang a few times, altering the interior with shape-manipulation magic.

The women’s opinions held the most sway.

Then, something suitable began to catch their eyes, and they lit up with excitement.

“Oh, this one’s nice! There’s a furniture-making club, right? Go ask them to tweak the design quickly. They should be getting their wood by now, so they’ll probably help.”

Next, issues arose about the worn hinges of the doors, or that the scales and metal models meant for study were damaged.

I instructed them to request the blacksmith club for this part, assuring them that the academy would cover all costs.

“Don’t worry about the budget. Rockefeller will take care of it all.”

In the midst of this, there were students from the Burger and Adele dorms who had injured themselves while doing unfamiliar tasks, mostly from hammering and fracturing fingers or falling from heights.

“The infirmary is so crowded right now that even simple treatments can’t be administered. Tell them to go to the alchemy club and fetch some herbs. And you, come here. I’ll fix up the simple stuff.”

I continued my supervisory role, healing the minor injuries with restoration magic.

After a few rounds of work, the pace picked up, and the end of the construction began to come into view. Everyone seemed to have adapted, moving along with a newfound efficiency.

With nothing much left to do, I sat beside the broken fountain, where I originally belonged, watching Belman.

He was trying to persuade Edina not to discard the neatly severed fountain but to repair it instead.

“If it’s a change of state, it might be restored to its original form.”

“Hmm, but I think we might be short on mana. I’ll give it a try, though, Belman.”

“Then, we should at least shape it first.”

Belman attempted to piece the shattered fountain back together like a jigsaw puzzle, but it looked daunting.

Unable to just stand by, Emeric and Harmon, who had been watching from a distance, approached to lend their strength.

Especially Emeric, who meticulously tolerated not even the slightest error.

“Harmon, tilt it a bit more to the right. This isn’t perfectly horizontal.”

“What does it matter? It’s just a trivial difference.”

Somehow, through collaboration, Edina had succeeded in merging the fountain back into one with her transformation magic.

I clapped my hands, offering them a word of encouragement for their hard work.

“Well done. At this pace, we might just barely meet the deadline.”

Emmerich took a sip of water and turned to me.

“By the way, have you heard the news?”

“What news?”

“They say the ones who went to the cursed lands will be returning soon.”

Hamon, who had been nearby, perked up his ears and stepped closer to answer in his stead.

“Oh, from the Seventh to the First? Well, that’s fortunate. Hursel, those folks have quite the pleasant demeanor. It’d be good to mingle with them this time. What do you say? Should I set up a gathering? Getting to know them could make life at the Academy a lot easier.”

Those personality-disordered miscreants are pleasant? What nonsense.

“Best not to think of entangling me with those people. I have no interest in the First or any of that.”

What could be said about the value of the First?

Yes, it could be likened to the duo that had nurtured the Rix gang through the antagonistic relationships of the protagonists.

After all, they were bound to leave the First behind for the main characters, so I didn’t need to worry too much.

“But the way you keep bringing it up suggests you have some ulterior motive. Am I wrong?”

As I spoke with a sharp tone, Hamon broke into a cold sweat, avoiding my gaze.

These fools must be planning another gambling scheme like they did with Emmerich, thinking I’d be easily used again?

* * *

On the castle stairs, Professor Gomon seemed tense, glancing furtively at the main gate of Frost Heart.

Today was the day, after all, so it was understandable.

Even though the work was nearly complete, there were still a few things left to do.

“Ah, that curtain is wrinkled. Hursel, I’ll just fix that for a moment. You need to tell me the instant the carriage arrives, understood?”

“Of course, sir.”

Gomon hurried inside the castle to adjust the curtain.

Still, he seemed restless, peeking out at intervals from the window.

Meanwhile, Hursel, sitting by the fountain, looked down at the students organizing the tools they had used to repair the training grounds.

Then, three carriages crossed through the main gate.

‘Oh no!’

For a moment, I was startled. But upon seeing the figures disembarking, I let out a sigh of relief.

—

“What is it, were they the Ten?”

With astonished faces, they questioned the students pulling the cart, asking various things.

There were a few scuffles, but soon they seemed to understand and walked across the parade ground.

Then, as they passed by the chair where Hershel sat, one of the Ten halted his steps.

“Hmm?”

The others, perhaps weary, yawned repeatedly as they climbed the stairs.

The man, indifferent to their departure, blinked his eyes.

“I don’t recognize your face; who are you?”

“First-year student, came in this year.”

At Hershel’s calm reply, the man frowned.

“Let’s overlook the shortness of your words. While the seniors are out there suffering, what are you doing here, enjoying yourself as a first-year?”

“I’m on duty. It may look easy, but it’s quite tiring in its own way.”

The man let out a scoff, as if in disbelief, and approached Hershel.

“How the hell did you get educated? Not from Adel Hall, I assume. Is it Bürger Hall?”

“No? It’s Schlaffe.”

Hershel rose from his seat.

The man abruptly cut off his laughter, glaring with eyes wide, as if preparing to kick a ball.

His foot was aimed at the chair where Hershel had just been sitting.

Crack!

The wooden chair splintered and flew apart in an instant.

The man stood with his back straight, seemingly unimpressed by the chaos, his face reddening as he shouted loudly.

“Stand at attention properly!!”

At that moment, Professor Gomun, who had been peering out the window towards the main gate, reflected a face of horror.

The workers on the parade ground halted their tasks, mouths agape.

In the air lingered whispers of “That, that crazy b*stard.”