The Academy Regressor is Obsessed

Nori-um inhaled cigarette smoke for the first time in a very long while as he looked down out the window. As always, the beautiful and mysterious city of magicians came into full view.

When work became too arduous, he would occasionally enjoy the cityscape like this. Then the past and present of the city that had undergone drastic changes over a long period would overlap, and a smile would naturally bloom on his lips.

But now, no such smile was on his face. He let out a small groan and stroked his long-grown beard.

He recalled his thoughts about Asel.

‘I’d like to directly invade the Academy if I could.’

But reality isn’t so accommodating.

He had heard news about Asel long ago. Not long after, he was able to hear about why he had returned in a half-dead state. At that moment, Nori-um felt a violent anger that even he couldn’t control.

Asel’s enrollment in the Academy couldn’t be said to be entirely his own will. The suggestion itself was made by Nori-um, and that suggestion was a result of tradition and contract continuing from the past. Although Asel accepted it readily, he was originally a talent with enough potential to grow through other paths even if he hadn’t gone to the Academy.

It’s not for nothing that the fussy magicians of the witch council flock around him. Even in the federation, everyone says he’s the most likely candidate for the next great magician position, so how much more so for the witch council he belongs to?

A decent personality for a magician, and for Ena’s disciple. A gentle and soft attitude. Yet with clear self-opinions, and ambition aiming for higher places instead of being satisfied with his own talent. Asel possessed all the characteristics magicians like. There’s a reason why more people in Weiheim view him favorably than dislike him.

Just Nori-um alone held deep goodwill towards Asel. So when sending him to the Academy, he left words with the headmaster to please take good care of him, and this was the result that came back.

He wouldn’t be human if he wasn’t angry. Nori-um had long since transcended the limits of species, but that didn’t mean he had reached enlightenment. Rather, that boiling blood and fighting spirit, academic enthusiasm from when he was young remained the same. And the personality of smashing everything he didn’t like was still there too.

He just hides it. He had to hide his anger even at the reality where a junior he cherished returned as a corpse, and no apology came from the place he had trusted and entrusted.

As mentioned earlier, reality isn’t so accommodating.

The position of alliance leader brought him many benefits, but it also came with no less shackles. It was now impossible to cause a ruckus just because he didn’t like something like in the past. If he did, checks would come from all directions.

Politics isn’t done with strength and violence. It’s done with tongue and pen. As the alliance leader and master of Weiheim, Nori-um had a duty to protect this land with pen and tongue. The time for youthfully causing a ruckus had long since passed.

So he couldn’t recklessly invade the Academy. To confront them, he had to go through proper procedures.

And during the period of thoroughly preparing for that, word came from Ena that she would smash the Academy.

It was good fortune. Ena had both justification and power. Moreover, she wasn’t tied to any position so she didn’t need to take responsibility for anything. It was more than enough to make those noble bugs who had only read about the majesty of great magicians in books feel a sense of crisis. Rather, it was overflowing.

So he told her to do it. After Ena rampages and the matter regarding Asel is publicized, it would be easier for this side to move as well.

‘From the moment the truth is ascertained, it should be fine to step in directly. Even if we mobilize some magicians to visit, they won’t be able to say anything.’

He felt sorry for Frida who couldn’t even give a proper apology due to being bound by the position of headmaster, but still, what needed to be done had to be done. Until there was a proper apology as well as handling of this and legitimate compensation, Nori-um planned to keep gnawing at the Academy.

The past contract had already been fulfilled.

There was no need to be considerate at all.

Thinking that, he read the letter contained in the returned messenger bird.

[It’s a very good plan. Let’s shake them down thoroughly.]

Grin.

Nori-um smiled wickedly.

Crackle!!!

Lightning fired in a fan shape envelops Fernan’s upper body. Though she had no intention to kill so she partly reduced the lethality, the power of the lightning was still sufficiently threatening. Fernan realized her words about knocking him out weren’t a lie and gritted his teeth.

“Kuuugh…!!”

He hastily overlays aura on his skin to partially block the magic. Nevertheless, Ena’s magic forcibly opened Fernan’s magic resistance and drove the power of lightning into it. Every time the pure white light writhed, his skin turned bright red, burst, and tore.

Magic so powerful it couldn’t be blocked even by a Master’s aura. He already knew she was strong, but he never dreamed it would be to this extent.

No matter how much of a novice Fernan was, having only recently reached Master, a Master is still a Master. The value of that name doesn’t go anywhere.

Yet he was no match.

That’s reality. Even after crossing one wall, there’s still an insurmountably high wall waiting.

“Kuk!”

Fernan ground his molars and leapt backwards to put as much distance as possible between himself and Ena. Each individual magic is as powerful as an average magician’s dagger. The moment he’s hit directly, he won’t last long.

Avoiding as much as possible is the best strategy.

“Professor Fernan!”

Though he had leapt, Fernan is basically a swordsman. He couldn’t maintain flight for long. As a result, he fell towards the ground at high speed. Another professor caught him.

Aila, the oddball who teaches alchemy despite being an aura user, stood beside him and looked up at Ena.

“What are we going to do? Did you talk as planned?”
“Yes. But she says there’s still some resentment left so she’s going to beat me to a pulp.”
“That’s possible for Professor Fernan.”
“…?”
“So what are we going to do now? Pretend to fight moderately? Or charge in seriously?”

Aila whispered as she sensed the presence of other professors stealthily approaching.

Only those supporting the headmaster knew in advance about Ena’s attack. Other professors and staff thought Ena had really come to destroy the Academy. So they needed to be careful with their words in front of others.

But this much needed to be clarified accurately. Because that’s how they would know what attitude to take towards Ena. To avoid being discovered that this was a prearranged match, they couldn’t show an ambiguous attitude.

However, Fernan answered with a dry laugh, as if Aila’s question was asking something obvious:

“Moderately against that? If that’s possible, go ahead. For now, I don’t think I can.”
“…I understand.”
“Then could you give me one potion? My entire upper body is smash- Watch out!”

Fernan, who had been holding out his hand with a glib attitude, shouted urgently. Aila also quickly rolled to the side at the chilling magical power felt from the sky.

Kwaaaang!!

A giant thunderbolt struck down centered on where the two had been standing.

Even though they had distanced themselves, their skin tingled from the aftermath of the lightning. All the cells in their bodies stood on end, and survival instinct resounding in their heads told them to leave this place immediately. Aila suppressed all those instincts and stood up.

She raised her head. An indomitable noble great magician was looking down here with indifferent eyes. Though she must have heard they were on the same side, her gaze was far from normal, rather cold.

But she doesn’t try to understand. She knew that woman was the master of the missing student Asel. Perhaps personal emotions were influencing the current destruction besides official reasons. If so, it had to be humbly accepted.

After all, his disappearance was a result of the Academy’s incompetence.

“Let’s go, Professor Fernan. Let’s break through.”

Aila said as she threw a potion towards Fernan. Fernan caught it and immediately opened the cap to drink the contents.

A type of potion that amplifies bodily regeneration. Feeling the vitality immediately rising, Fernan grinned.

“What’s this suddenly? You’re overflowing with enthusiasm?”
“I have to play my role. Let’s go get refreshingly knocked down.”
“I quite like that.”

The moment he said that, other faculty members revealed themselves from beyond the bushes. Fernan shouted loudly towards them, then rushed towards the clearing where Ena had landed.

“Draw your weapons everyone! We need to hold out until Lady Gaebyeok calms down!”

Those words were the catalyst. The professors all hardened their faces as if resolved, then drew their weapons and began glaring at Ena. However, Ena’s expression remained nonchalant as she looked at them. She slightly tilted her head to the side as she watched Fernan and Aila running towards her.

Just that is enough for incantation. Lightning condensed beside her head is fired like an arrow.

[Lightning Bow]

Kwarrrrr!!

Lightning that grazed the ground creates a hole in the mountainside. Power enough to vaporize soil and rocks. The professors gritted their teeth and moved to environments that suited them best. Beck, the survival skills professor, sat on a tree and immediately drew his bowstring.

At the same time, lightning struck the tree he was sitting on. Beck fainted without being able to do anything.

“Monster…!”

One of the chivalry department professors gripped his spear shaft and threw the spear towards Ena. Ena gladly played along.

[Lightning Spear]

The formed lightning spear crushed the professor’s magic spear and flew at a speed beyond cognition to tear apart the professor’s chest. He coughed up blood and was pinned to a tree.

That much with controlled power. If she had used full power, he would have turned to ashes and disappeared the moment the lightning touched his body.

Controlling the output of magic was as easy as breathing for Ena. She turned her gaze from the professor who had fallen with one magic, and strongly stomped the ground. Lightning raced through space from her feet, then began blooming flowers here and there.

[Lightning Flower Resonance]

It was arcane magic Asel had created and taught her. His arcane that he had racked his brains to modify for practical use.

Crackle!!!

The bloomed flowers resonate with each other and scatter lightning around. Just from that, a radiance bright enough to blind erupts centered on where Ena is standing. Lightning stems rise from the ground to split the sky, and new lightning is born between the resonating flowers.

Lightning Flower Resonance isn’t simply magic to occupy space. Rather, that is just a new effect created through repeated modifications. The real reason Asel created this magic was to reduce the amount of magical power consumed in the process of converting magical power to lightning.

The amount of magical power consumed in casting magic is never small, but once consumed that way, the bloomed lightning flowers resonate with each other and form lightning on their own. If that blooming lightning is used as the driving force for magic, there’s no need for the magician to directly produce lightning, so overall magical power consumption is reduced exponentially.

High-level magic that even Ena, who had created numerous magics, had to marvel at. As complex as the effect is, the difficulty of the formula ranks high even within lightning formulas, but it wasn’t a big burden for her.

Even Ena is using it in actual combat for the first time. And the effect wasn’t much different from theory.

Clang!!!

The blooming lightning spreads in all directions and shatters the professors’ shields. Whether made of magic or aura, it was meaningless. The moment lightning touches, it breaks the foundation and tears apart the soft flesh sleeping inside.

“Aaaagh…!!”
“Ah, the artifact was instantly shattered. What the hell is this…!”
“Kyaa, uwaaaah! Save me, please save me!!”

Even those haughty professors couldn’t endure the momentary intense pain and screamed. Students who had come to this place to assess the situation or overcome the Academy’s crisis all saw that scene.

They saw one magician facing them.

“I’m not asking for much.”

She opened her mouth. She walked towards Fernan who had fallen to the ground, treading on the dirt.

“But if you don’t listen, I don’t know what I’ll do either.”

Ena crouched in front of Fernan with an expressionless face. Then she briefly scanned the fallen professors around. She took in the students who had gathered at some point.

Soon, she drew up magical power.

“What happened in the 1st year 1st assignment.”

[Falling Thunder]

Lightning falls on Fernan’s back.

“What happened to my disciple.”

[Falling Thunder]

Head.

“The full story of everything that happened that day.”

[Falling Thunder]

Back again.

“Organize it all and announce it officially. If there’s any content I don’t like, I’ll come back.”

[Falling Thunder]

Kwaaaang!!

Lightning even larger than the consecutive uses struck Fernan’s entire body. Not long after the lightning cleared.

She stepped on Fernan’s head, his whole body covered in pure white lightning as he lay unconscious, and looked up towards where the Academy’s main building was.

“I believe you understood. Frida.”
“…I acknowledge it.”

At that moment, as if fog was clearing, Frida revealed herself in midair. She swallowed hard at the chilling radiance of lightning striking her skin and nodded.

“I’ll do as you wish. So for today…”
“Withdraw at this point? No. I haven’t achieved my goal yet.”
“Huh?”

Frida asked back in a stupid voice. She immediately sent a telepathic message to Ena so others couldn’t hear.

-You should withdraw at this point. Honestly, it’s already too much. It was hard to gauge the timing to appear.

“I must have looked really funny. Knowing whose disciple Asel is, yet trying to bury this incident. I definitely couldn’t have done that in the past.”

-Ena? Ena? I know you can hear me. You need to stop now. Isn’t the atmosphere getting overheated?

“So, I’m going to leave just one trace.”

-Wait! I haven’t done well in this incident either, but I’m politely asking! Please withdraw here!

Ena stretched her hand towards the sky.

Frida shouted inwardly.

-Don’t!!! Do!!! It!!!

“I’ll show you clearly who you messed with.”

A small condensed ball of lightning floated above her hand. But despite its size, the power contained within far surpassed the sum of all the magic Ena had used so far. Just by existing it causes lightning around it, and unstable lightning swirls inside the sphere.

Ena crushed it without hesitation.

Magic even higher than high-level magic. Transcendent authority allowed only to some among great magicians. Extreme magic that leaves one’s own trace in the world or causes phenomena, manifesting mental images. Magical power manipulated to maximize destructive power while not taking lives dances according to her will and draws the formula.

Soon.

[Lightning Jade Destroying Heaven]

Kwaaaaaaang!!!!!

The world was dyed pure white.