Chapter 80

Chapter 80

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 80: Second Betrayal (6)

“Hey, Cairn. Do you have a partner yet?”

“Yeah, I already do.”

“Ah, okay. Thanks.”

The offers came flooding in.

It was no surprise—every mage would want a skilled frontline warrior by their side.

Even Dolores, the one whose hair had been cut off by Cairn just a day earlier, was trying to team up with him.

“Hey.”

“What’s up?”

“Do you have a partner yet?”

“Wow, you’re bold.”

The nerve of her to ask that after what happened yesterday.

He couldn’t help but be impressed by her audacity.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, you did cut my hair, but... let’s just say, teaming up with me could be good for you too.”

An ordinary student would probably be flattered to partner with the top-ranked mage from the Magic Faculty, but Cairn had other plans.

“Sorry, can’t do it. I already have a partner.”

“Is it... her?”

Dolores pointed at Merhen, the girl Cairn had chosen.

“Yep.”

“Why? There’s nothing in it for you! She’s the worst at magic and even failed the last test. You need to get your scores up!”

“I don’t need anyone else to come in first place.”

“So... you really like her, huh?”

“Hey, Dolores.”

Cairn’s voice dropped a tone, making her flinch.

“What?”

“When did we start speaking on a first-name basis? You never used to talk to me like that.”

“Well, you’re using first names too, and we’re the same age, so...”

“True, but if you’re gonna use first names, then stick to it. Don’t mix it up.”

“...I will.”

“Great. Anyway, I can’t partner with you—I already have a team.”

“But... so, are you and her, like... a thing?”

“Is that important?”

“Yeah, it’s important! I kinda... like you.”

“...What?”

Now that was out of left field.

Even Merhen, sitting nearby, seemed confused by Dolores’ sudden outburst.

“Why?”

“Do you really need a reason to like someone? You were the first person who treated me like that, and it kind of... made my heart skip a beat.”

Dolores’ face turned bright red as she spoke, attracting even more attention.

The whispers among the surrounding students grew louder.

This was escalating quickly.

“Sorry, I’ve already decided on my partner.”

“So... are you two... dating or what?”

“No, not really.”

“...So, you’re saying I still have a chance?”

“Dolores, maybe think about other people’s feelings instead of just your own.”

“You don’t like me?”

“Take a moment and think about the way you’ve been acting. Then ask yourself if this is how you want to come across.”

“But... I’m still pretty, even with short hair!”

Was she really interpreting “the way you present yourself” as solely about appearances? The way her eyes trembled suggested that she knew what Cairn meant.

She might just be charging ahead despite the shame she felt.

Cairn chuckled quietly to himself.

At least when it came to romance, Dolores seemed very proactive.

It was admirable in its own way.

People who give their all, no matter the context, are always a refreshing sight.

With that in mind, Cairn knew he had to be honest with her.

“I don’t dislike you, but I don’t think we can be together. Sorry.”

“......”

“I’ve gotta go.”

He signaled to Merhen, and they headed outside.

Naturally, he asked her,

“So, you’re in for being partners, right?”

“If you don’t mind, yeah.”

Their last conversation must have left an impression.

Other magicians might not care, but to death mages, it would be a groundbreaking achievement.

That opened up opportunities. Showing off even a simple skeleton summon could win over the mages and gain access to their knowledge. Given the versatility of the necromancy spells, that could be a significant advantage.

Using corpse-based magic.

Magic that uses bones for both attack and defense.

Poison-based magic.

All of these were upper-level spells with considerable utility.

‘These would be perfect for my skeleton Mages,’

The skeleton Mages could use a few spells, but they were mostly basic-level.

Against high-level monsters, their attacks would often just bounce off.

He needed some beefier spells that could really pack a punch, using more mana to deliver a solid hit.

“Professor, I can summon undead.”

“W-what?”

Cairn snapped his fingers, summoning a single Skeleton Mage.

In that instant, Wellington’s expression went from shock to awe.

“That’s impossible! H-how did you do it?”

He grabbed the Mage’s skull, his hands trembling with disbelief.

“I just imagined it.”

“Y-you mean to say that just thinking about it made it happen?”

Wellington’s eyes sharpened with intense focus.

“Tell me the exact process. How did you do it?”

“I just visualized the undead and reached out my hand. The mana flowed on its own.”

“Hmm... Given your extraordinary aptitude, it’s plausible that you might achieve what others can’t,”

Wellington said, nodding slowly.

His eyes then widened with urgency.

“You must let us study it! This could be a breakthrough! I’ll give you anything you want, but please, let us study this Mage!”

“Professor, wouldn’t it be better to have more subjects for research?”

“Of course!”

“I can summon a lot of these skeleton Mages. You can study them all you like.”

“Really? Thank you, thank you! You’re the savior of our School of Death!”

“I just need you to do me one favor.”

“Whatever you want!”

“Teach the Death magic to the skeleton Mages, as much as possible.”

“Done. I’ll gather all the professors in the department, and we’ll start teaching right away. But... will they be able to learn the spells?”

“Well, we won’t know until we try.”

“Just wait here!”

Wellington scrambled to summon the other professors from the Death magic department.

Within minutes, he returned with four others.

They all gasped in astonishment at the sight of the Skeleton Mage.

“Oh, undead summoning!”

“Is this really possible?”

“So, if you just teach us the magic, we can really study these undead?”

He nodded.

“Maybe our School of Death will be brilliantly revived.”

“Haha! That’s right! If we can summon undead like this, it’s really possible!”

The professors’ eyes lit up.

If undead summoning became possible, the potential of the School of Death would be much greater than before.

Skeletons were just the beginning.

If they could just figure out the summoning mechanism, there was no reason why they couldn’t summon higher-level summons.

This would open up a world of possibilities for all the magicians of the School of Death.

They might even jump from the lowest rank to the middle rank or higher in one fell swoop.

The five professors’ eyes gleamed.

“Summon more!”

[Summoning 1,628 Skeleton Mages!]

Rattling bones filled the enormous hall as the new Skeleton Mages appeared.

The professors were beside themselves with joy, seeing an entire sea of undead in front of them.

“Ahh... is this heaven?”

“Teach the spells! This is crucial for our research!”

“Alright! Let’s make history! This is going to be our biggest research project of the year!”

The five professors immediately dove into an intense lecture, teaching various spells to the Skeleton Mages, while Cairn observed the rapidly growing list of messages.

[Miley learned ‘Corpse Explosion’ from Professor Hammerson...]

[523 Skeleton Mages learned ‘Bone Shield’ from Professor Stal...]

[1,102 Skeleton Mages learned ‘Magic Circle Formation’ from Professor Milennol...]

A deluge of messages streamed in, signaling a cascade of new knowledge being shared among the Skeleton Mages.

Cairn’s gamble had paid off.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Gun]