Academy's Gumiho is a Magic Genius

First, I borrowed the books under my name.

Since the librarian was about to leave, it was better for me, as a teaching assistant, to borrow them rather than a student who might have borrowing limits.

Of course, it was still undecided who would take these books.

"I found that book first."

"But I was the one who grabbed it first and borrowed it, wasn't I? I'll read it overnight and lend it to you tomorrow. Why don't you go get some sleep?"

"No. I'll read it and lend it to you tomorrow."

Neither of us was willing to back down.

In my case, since I had borrowed so many books, I didn't necessarily need to read it today.

But the memory of what happened a few days ago made me reluctant to let it go.

"That's a book by our Healing Magic professor. You need to read it to understand the lecture."

"Is it a required reading for students? I thought books related to assessments or coursework were set aside in advance."

"...It's not that. It's just a book I want to read."

Ah, I thought it was a book you absolutely needed for class.

If it were, I would have handed it over, but since it's not, well... I don't think I need to give it up, especially since I'm not trying to get along with her.

"Anyway, I borrowed it under my name, so I should read it first."

"...If that's the case, return it now. I'll borrow it instead."

"It's already time for the librarian to be preparing to leave. How do you plan to return and borrow it now?"

"Ugh... You knew that and deliberately borrowed it under your name."

The girl looked defeated.

I felt a sense of triumph seeing her like that. It wasn't intentional, but「Bluffing」had activated.

She glared at me, clearly frustrated.

"...I'll remember this."

She took off the coat she was wearing over her uniform and slung it over her shoulder.

Even though it was spring, the night breeze was chilly, but she seemed quite heated. As she did so, the name tag on her left chest caught my eye.

Curious, I tried to read her name.

But she turned away too quickly, heading toward the student dorm, so I couldn't see it clearly.

'...I think it said Seo Yerin.'

Seo Yerin or Seo Yerim. It was definitely one of the two.

If my eyes weren't mistaken, it was probably Seo Yerin.

I think there was a character with a similar name among the main cast in the original story.

What a coincidence.

"...?"

The same age and name as a main character, and even attending the same academy.

The only difference was the original story's description of her appearance.

Only then did I realize something was off and turned to look back.

But she was already gone.

I muttered, thinking of the worst possible conclusion.

"...Wait."

Seo Yerin and the spear.

These two things pointed to a certain supporting character.

How did I miss something so important?

'...Come to think of it, there aren't many people who train with a spear at dawn.'

"In academy genre stories, there should be multiple heroines, right? It's nice to have heroines who rely on the protagonist, but heroines who can solve problems on their own are also appealing. Hmm, but maybe a heroine stronger than the protagonist is too much. Ah, whatever, I'll just go with this setting."

Eve had said.

A martial goddess with long, flowing hair, wielding a spear.

The Divine Spear, Seo Yerin.

In the early parts of the novel, she was stronger than the protagonist.

In the distant future, she would carve mountains with a single spear and effortlessly crush armies of monsters. A monster among monsters, ranked within the top five in terms of pure talent in the story's world.

And I had a squabble with someone like that?

"I'm screwed..."

Right now, she's just a fresh-faced first-year, but in just a year, she'll become a hunter who can easily surpass most active professionals.

No, even now, her skills are already impressive.

To have a falling out with such a student over a book...

I must have been out of my mind.

No matter how much I regretted it, time had already passed.

Feeling sick to my stomach, I skipped dinner and read the books. The first one I read was, of course, the green book.

The one I fought over with Seo Yerin.

I hoped it was worth it.

"Nothing special."

It was a typical textbook-style book, without any of the professor's personal tips or advice.

If it's going to be like this, I might as well just read the textbook.

The main story hasn't even started yet, and I've already ruined my relationship with a main character over something worthless.

I grabbed my head in despair.

Really, if I had known this would happen, I should have asked Eve more about Seo Yerin.

Unsurprisingly, I couldn't sleep again tonight.

How can I sleep in this situation?

***

A vast, empty cavern.

There were clear signs that people had been here, but no living beings remained.

No, there was one person left.

"Ugh, I thought it would be useful. Turns out it's not that great."

A man drenched in flowing blood, as if he had showered in it.

He looked at the gem in his hand, muttered that it was a waste, and threw it to the ground.

It could fetch a high price on the market, but that wasn't his concern. He was just annoyed at getting covered in blood for nothing.

The blood on his skin and clothes had long since dried.

Ah, this won't come off even if I wash it. Do I have to buy new clothes?

"Buying new ones is a hassle. Maybe I'll just raid a nearby store."

It was a good idea.

No need to spend money, and he could take whatever clothes or equipment he wanted. While raiding, he thought he might as well grab some gifts, so he picked up a bag lying on the ground.

I can fill this with gifts.

Shaking out the bag, a bunch of disposable items like potions and bombs fell out.

It seemed the bag's owner had really wanted to live. Not that it mattered, since he had just killed everyone in sight.

As the potions shattered and the bombs fell to the ground.

──Clang!

Something completely different fell out.

Something shiny and golden.

"Huh? What's this? It looks different."

Curious, he picked it up and examined it. It was a small locket. Pressing a tiny button, a photo inside was revealed.

A middle-aged man and woman.

Between them was a young child.

"Did they have a kid? But whose is this?"

The man's gaze turned to one side of the cavern.

The wall was piled high with all kinds of corpses.

In the heap of human and monster flesh and bones, it was impossible to identify anyone.

In that pile, there might be a middle-aged man, or a middle-aged woman. Or maybe the couple died side by side.

A couple is one body. They promised to be together forever.

──Clang!

The man threw the locket away.

If it were an artifact, maybe. But this trash was useless.

He had plenty of loot from today anyway.

As he sorted through the usable items.

He sensed a presence behind him.

Familiar footsteps. Familiar breathing. Familiar heartbeat.

All the sounds pointed to someone he knew.

"Ah, the horned guy's here?"

"...You're always so rude."

"Nothing new there."

The blood-soaked man turned his head to see a man in a suit. Outwardly, he looked like a gentleman, but on his head were unnatural horns.

Not a Halloween costume or anime cosplay.

Those horns were part of his body.

A genuine physical organ with physiological functions.

"But can a Demon come to a place like this? This is Nine-Tails Guild territory."

"Of course, all the information has been manipulated. You're the one who should be worried, committing mass murder in an S-rank guild's territory. It won't be easy to survive."

"It's fine. I'll just avoid and run from anyone I see."

The two casually exchanged chilling words.

Words like "Demon" and "murder" would make any passerby shudder.

The only saving grace was that they were in a closed dungeon.

At least there was no chance of a third party overhearing.

"So why did you come all the way here? Another job?"

"Of course. Do you think I'd come all this way to meet a lowly mercenary like you for anything else?"

"So, what's the job?"

The horned man pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket.

The blood-soaked man took it and unfolded it. The bloodstains smudged the writing, but it was still readable.

──Slash!

The blood-soaked man drew a sword from his waist and pressed it against the horned man's neck.

A fluid, natural motion.

"...Are you in your right mind?"

The blood-soaked man asked.

Unlike his usual flippant tone, his voice was grave and chilling.

"Attack an academy? And the Seven Stars Academy at that?"

It was madness.

It would be easier to infiltrate the headquarters of an S-rank guild and commit terrorism.

Attacking any academy is no small feat, but to attack one of the top five academies in the world?

It's not even worth considering.

Survival chance: 0%. His instincts, honed through decades of mercenary work and contract killings, screamed at him.

"Do you want to fight me?"

A sticky, murderous intent, like the fresh blood he had just spilled, enveloped the man.

But the other was no ordinary being either. A Demon, a monster who had forsaken humanity. This level of murderous intent was nothing to him.

"Haha, don't worry. The academy's professors will be leaving within a week."

"...Are you serious?"

The professors are the academy's greatest strength.

Each one is a dangerous individual to be wary of, but without them, attacking the academy might be feasible.

"Of course. Have I ever lied to you before?"

"...What about the guards and the upperclassmen? Even without the professors, they're a significant variable."

"I'll lend you some monsters. The Viscount said to spare no expense in supporting this operation."

"The Viscount? That lazy noble actually moved? This must be a big deal."

The man's tone remained flippant.

The horned Demon tried to endure it, but he couldn't tolerate the disrespect toward the nobility.

This time, it was the Demon who exuded a thick murderous aura.

"I won't ask for manners from a vulgar man like you, but if you keep flapping that loose tongue of yours, your life won't last much longer."

"Don't worry. I can still see plenty of life left in me."

"Ha! Can we really entrust such a major operation to this guy...?"

The Demon felt a headache coming on.

This flippant man was always like this.

Despite appearing foolish and incompetent, his abilities were exceptional, earning the attention of even the great nobles.

Not the type he liked, but this was a major operation directly ordered by the Viscount. Personal feelings couldn't interfere with such a grand undertaking.

To end this conversation, the Demon made an offer the man couldn't refuse.

"If you successfully complete this mission, I'll give you the reward you've been singing about."

"What is it?"

"Whatever you want."

"Alright, deal."

As the Demon was about to leave.

The man spoke up.

"...Oh, right."

"What is it? Something else to say?"

"No, I accepted the job, but I didn't hear the exact completion conditions."

Blinded by the reward, he had accepted without hearing the details.

It's not just about attacking the Seven Stars Academy, right?

"Didn't I tell you?"

"Yeah, you said to attack, but you didn't mention the conditions."

"There are two main conditions."

The Demon held up two fingers.

Hmm, fewer conditions than I thought.

The man thought it wasn't bad.

"The first is to retrieve a book from the library's basement level 1."

"A book? Any book? Should I grab a dirty book?"

"A black book. One bound in black leather with black pages. Bring that."

"And? You said there were two conditions."

The Demon's lips twisted into a grotesque smile.

As if imagining it brought him joy, he licked his lips.

"The massacre of the first-years."

The Demon savored the words.

"Crushing the budding heroes called the next generation will create quite a spectacle."

The man thought to himself at the Demon's insane reply.

He really is a Demon, a madman.

"Okay, no take-backs later."

Of course, the fact that he accepted the offer without hesitation made him realize he was a madman too.