Surviving at the Magic Academy

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I casually tidied up the Magical Circle and stepped out of the room.

The building was now impressively massive, unlike when I first arrived.

It had come to the point that there was a separate room prepared just for summoning.

I guess the sheer number of summons increased to warrant such expansion.

As I slowly walked, I noticed a lively commotion coming from somewhere.

It seemed everyone had gathered over there. Following the sound, I made my way through the corridor.

Eventually, I arrived at a somewhat spacious room, which was the source of that noise.

As I entered, I was immediately struck by a large table and the Professors sitting around it.

They were chattering animatedly around that table. I slowly made my way towards them.

“Massacre, massacre!”

On one side of the table, a Rabbit, axe in hand, was shaking it around excitedly.

It seemed she was reenacting a battle scene we had experienced before.

The other treasures barely seemed to notice her as she swung the axe with such flair.

The Professors gathered around her were giving off a vibe somewhat similar to the Rabbit.

They felt relaxed, as if lost in their own world.

There they were, each taking their own rest and spouting only the stories they wanted to tell.

Most of the clamor in the room was emanating from them.

I watched them with a bemused smile.

Perhaps because they took the form of a Professor, I found it hard to despise them. More like, it felt cute.

Over there, however, was a somewhat different atmosphere. I glanced towards the direction where the Sister sat.

If the Rabbit’s side was free-spirited and rowdy, the Professors gathered near the Sister exuded calmness and maturity.

Even in similar appearances, they expressed distinctly different personalities.

And these traits seemed to stem from the treasures they were based on.

The Rabbit had taken on the mannerisms shown by the blood axe, while the Sister resembled Mira quite a bit in her demeanor.

Listening to the Sister talk sometimes felt as if I was with Mira.

These treasures were greatly influenced by the magic contained in their forms.

But why was the Sister wearing that lovely habit? I rubbed my chin, pondering.

Curiosity tickled me. Was it perhaps due to the treasure’s magic?

I shook my head lightly. No, that couldn’t be it. I had never seen Mira in a habit.

I placed my hand lightly on my chest. The answer likely lay within.

Through consistent summoning, I had realized something. These beings were more directly connected to me than other items.

So, I kept narrowing the scope of my summons. Reducing their connection, ultimately today, I summoned only my own tree.

And these beings slipped easily through the narrow gaps of the Magical Circle. The significance of that was quite clear.

They were directly linked to my soul. In other words, they were beings born from my soul.

A wry smile crossed my face.

Then their appearances might be a reflection of my tastes. My soul had layered such forms onto them.

Yeah. The Rabbit’s outfit, the Sister’s habit, and the clothes worn by the other Professors were all to my liking.

I scratched my head slightly.

Even though they were my soul, it felt somewhat sinister. Dressing them all in the form of Professors, I chuckled a little mischievously.

However, despite that lighthearted thought, their existence made me ponder deeply.

It was clear their appearances were heavily influenced by the treasure’s magic. And if my soul had crafted these Professor-like forms, it could be a manifestation of my obsession.

My obsession stemmed from the power of that treasure.

I studied the lively scene at the table while stroking my chin.

Those unique forms might be something resembling the Dolls that contained Rumira’s Magical Heart.

In other words, they might be the origin of the problem I had been hunting for. The root of my obsession.

Once suspicions arose, everything began to feel dubious. Why had they eagerly accepted my proposals?

No matter how much they pushed me towards reality, that promise remained exceedingly uncertain.

Still, they showed no hesitation in fulfilling my requests. That point gnawed at me a little.

Were they perhaps trying to use me?

I regarded them with somewhat suspecting eyes, then slightly shook my head.

This was merely a notion on my part. One thing was undeniably clear in this situation.

I could not reach the end alone, and thus, I needed their help.

So, for now, I needed to set aside my suspicions. My doubts were not yet definitive.

This was merely speculation. Getting caught up in suspicions and doubting those around me was not the demeanor of a Mage.

And if they were indeed using me, I could just use them in return. With that in mind, I approached them and clapped my hands lightly.

“Shall we get moving? It looks like everyone has rested enough. I’ll guide you on our way.”

With a broad smile, I gestured towards them. The Rabbit quickly jumped to her feet, clutching her axe.

From her face, I could sense her excitement for the events ahead. She must have been thinking of swinging that axe around joyfully.

Thus, the group of Professors began to noisily exit the room, and I followed suit.

At that moment, the Sister stepped from the crowd of Professors and approached me, offering a light smile.

As we locked eyes, I managed a faint smile in return.

“Not much time left now.”

“Indeed.”

I nodded. And gazing silently out of the window, I noticed the Sun shining brightly.

That Sun, invisible to their eyes, sent forth a distinct dark light, illuminating the path I was to take.

The trail it created was incredibly clear. It meant that the end was genuinely not far off. The Sun was getting quite close too.

As I slowly stepped outside, the Wasteland came into view.

That land bore a strange distortion, as if indicating that the end of my dreams was approaching.

There were even spaces half-upturned, and it was evident that the ground rose and fell as if time was mixed up.

Leading my group of Professors, we ascended onto the path created by the Sun.

And at the end of this path, we spotted an awfully thick Iron Curtain.

I regarded that cluster of soldiers in silence. They emanated a chilling aura and a strong iron scent.

It seemed they had noticed us, starting to approach slowly.

“Let’s dispatch them quickly and move on.”

With that, I took out the Doll. The Doll lightly signaled and began to unleash threads of magic toward the Professors.

The Dolls they held began to vibrate lightly as they connected with those threads.

Nodding lightly, I sent them the signal.

At the sign, the Professors began to move.

There was the fruit of our training. I stroked my chin, chuckling in satisfaction.

These individuals were incredibly unique beings. Hence, there were sometimes disputes.

But if I could somehow unite their individual strengths, then we could produce greater power.

With that thought, I aimed to connect their movements as cohesively as I could. And it appeared my attempt was quite successful.

Under my control, each Professor unified their movements.

And like a single sharp spear, they began to tear through that thick Iron Curtain.

It didn’t take long for the thousands of soldiers to disappear.

Given that our numbers were significantly higher than before, this was to be expected. Gathering up the Orbs, we continued forward.

We encountered similar barriers multiple times.

With each one, their numbers grew denser and thicker. But the group of Professors crashed through the Iron Curtain without hesitation, pressing on rapidly.

“Massacre, massacre!”

The Rabbit swung her axe with glee once more.

It seemed another squad had blocked our path, and she was intent on smashing through it in one go.

However, unlike her wishes, we couldn’t move straight away this time. It was the sheer number.

I stroked my chin. Then I looked at the lengthy curtain before me.

The scale was incomparably massive compared to before.

I could see what appeared to be tens of thousands of soldiers packed closely together. And just as many Steel Machines.

That dense army was clearly difficult for even the Professors to face.

Well, it would still be manageable if we fought somehow.

To tackle that efficiently, I needed to formulate a proper strategy.

Otherwise, it would surely become a tough fight for the Professors.

With that thought, I began to get a vague sense of the enormous flow of that military.

Before long, I had to tilt my head slightly, raising my body up.

I had detected something strange. Infusing some magic into my eyes, I scrutinized their forms.

The grand Iron Curtain comprised many Steel Machines. And they were pointing their cannons at us.

Those Steel Machines looked poised to unleash their shells at any moment, terrifying indeed.

But they remained still, just waiting idly.

The other soldiers were similar. They simply watched us, standing their ground.

I couldn’t detect the intense malice that I had before. No, it was there, but that malice had calmed down significantly.

It was a far cry from before when they had always rampaged the moment they discovered us.

Why were they lying in wait like this? Tension gripped me as I surveyed them.

Just then, after a brief standoff, I noticed slight movements occurring among the soldiers.

Some were breaking out from the mass, beginning to approach us.

They had white fabric draped over their backs. The significance of that was crystal clear. A request for ceasing hostilities.

This clearly different attitude had the Professors murmuring amongst themselves.

The group of soldiers stopped before us.

They raised both hands skyward, while the barrels of their weapons pointed to the ground. Among them, one soldier began to speak slowly.

“General, speak, you.”

The slow-speaking soldier pointed at me with a hand that had lowered.

Curiosity piqued, I watched him quietly.

“Is that directed at me?”

I tilted my head slightly, asking the soldier. He stared blankly, nodding.

I crossed my arms and scrutinized the soldier. I could find no gleam of reason in his visage.

He seemed only to recognize commands.

I shook my head. It seemed I wouldn’t be able to extract any information from him.

This was merely a puppet here to summon me. Still, I found it fascinating. I pulled my arms back, sinking into thought.

The ‘General’ clearly referred to the being uniting them all.

What that entity was remained unknown, but this situation was certainly intriguing.

I never expected a request to converse like this. I thought they would only show hostility like before.

Glancing at the group of Professors, I sensed a bit of commotion among them.

They seemed just as perplexed by this situation. And from out of their ranks, the Sister slowly stepped forward.

She gazed at the soldier before looking at me.

“What do you plan to do? We will respect your intentions.”

Her words made me pause. I didn’t know why they were calling me. This could be a trap.

Yet, I quickly steeled my resolve. Nodding slowly, I prepared to move.

Actually, I was quite curious about what this army truly was.

This path led to my soul. They were definitively blocking it.

In that respect, they seemed far too vivid to simply be my memories.

Moreover, they were the ones who spat forth the Wish Orbs, a thing I couldn’t find among other dream entities.

Thus, it felt odd to treat them just as mere components of a dream.

For that reason, I needed to find out what this army truly was.

Following my lead, the Professors began to move, only for the soldiers to raise their hands high to block our path.

It seemed they were not allowing anyone through.

I stroked my chin, carefully observing them. It appeared they couldn’t take everyone.

Yet, I couldn’t just go in unaccompanied. How would I know what lay inside?

Some form of protection was necessary.

Scanning the group of Professors, I soon locked eyes with the Rabbit.

“Massacre!”

She waved at me, clutching her axe. It was a plea to take her along. I met her gaze and stole a glance at the Sister.

The Rabbit and the Sister had been my longest companions throughout this journey in the dream.

Having synchronized from the outset, I had a good grasp of their strengths.

They would certainly serve as capable guards. Maybe I should move forward with just them. If I had these two, I could most likely return alive.

“Will you two come with me? If anything happens to the others, I will signal.”

As I spoke, I gave the Doll a light shake. It began to send out signals of magic, connecting with the other Dolls.

“Massacre!”

The Rabbit raised her axe, approaching my side. The Sister smiled lightly and moved alongside her.

The soldiers made no attempt to obstruct their movements.

Even foggy-minded as they were, it appeared they recognized that these two were accompanying me.

As we resumed our movements, the soldiers naturally raised their hands to halt our progress.

They were attempting to restrict our approach.

Gently stroking my chin, I surveyed them. It seemed they would not allow a single individual to move closer.

Suddenly, they turned away, blocking the passage for any others.

My hand grasped the Orbs once more.

Upon sensing something, I took a moment to analyze it. It felt solid enough, seeming to cherish its form with conviction.

“Massacre?”

The soldiers demanded I come forth, their eyes glued to me.

“Indeed,” I replied, stroking my chin thoughtfully once more.

In this moment, I recognized their hidden power.

They weren’t just going to watch idly and merely pose. I sensed their strategy readied to spring into action.

In this curious instance, I might just need to rely on the strength of the other treasures…

And that was when the Rabbit burst forth, cutting through the thick wall formed by the soldiers.

They erupted in chaos and confusion, struggling and wrestling against the horde.

Sweat trickled down my brow. It was indeed as I expected. The Rabbit, clad in her formidable power, was leading the charge.

What a curious pair they made; the Rabbit and the Sister were full of surprises.

I noticed the Sister carefully creating a field of Mist as she stood closely beside me.

They were truly contrasting entities. As they’d expertly raised havoc while I observed, I should capitalize on this window as well.

A wave of excitement surged through me.

The true combat had begun.

The world had started to unravel itself before me.

I could hear the rumbles of battle from afar.

The night was long, and with it came the promises of glory!

 

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