The Academy is Doomed

Chapter 73

Magic is a dangerous and uncertain concept.

Nevertheless, it has been established as an ‘academic discipline’ through the grueling efforts of past magicians who have since passed and the present talents who sacrificed greatly.

Because of this, magicians strive for asceticism.

Since magic is a perilous field of study, it must be handled in a calm and stable state.

But

“Drinking alcohol?”

“……”

“In this sacred magic tower, no less?”

At the sharp rebuke of the Tower Lord, Marion hesitated and scratched his head.

Pointing at Amon, he said,
“He told me to drink it!”

The treacherous drunkard strikes again!

Amon gasped and vehemently shook his head.

“Senior Marion drank it on his own!”

“What!? You’re the one who gave it to me!”

“When did I ever do that!?”

As the two bickered childishly like children, the Tower Lord raised a single finger.

From the tip of the Tower Lord’s finger, a blue flame burst forth.

It was Hellfire, an 8th-circle offensive spell.

“Go on, keep talking.”

“……”

“……”

“I prefer silence. I hope you’ll respect my preference.”

When silence descended, the Tower Lord extinguished the Hellfire and turned his gaze to Marion.

“Marion Rumdom.”

“……”

“Do you think such discourtesy can be tolerated, even though you’re no longer part of the Tower but were once a magician affiliated with it?”

“……”

“Answer.”

“No, sir.”

“Good that you understand. And yet you still did it?”

Marion cast a sidelong glance at Amon.

He wanted to pin the blame on him again, saying, “He told me to drink it,” but seeing the Tower Lord forming hand signs as if ready to cast Hellfire again, he quickly changed his answer.

“I apologize, Tower Lord.”

“Correct.”

Now, the Tower Lord turned his gaze to Amon.

“Amon Drake.”

“Yes, Tower Lord.”

“Were you unaware that drinking is forbidden in the Tower?”

Faced with the sharp words of the Tower Lord, Amon immediately adopted an extremely humble demeanor, bowing low and speaking respectfully.

“I deeply apologize. I cannot express how sorry I am for this lapse that has brought shame to the Tower. I promise this will never happen again.”

Marion whipped his head around to glare at Amon, as if he’d just been slapped in the face.

Seeing the same guy who smuggled alcohol inside a hollowed-out wooden club now acting this apologetically made Marion’s blood boil.

But since Amon’s apology was sufficiently polite, the Tower Lord nodded, apparently satisfied.

“Very well. Since you’re not well-acquainted with the rules of the Tower, I’ll let it slide this one time. But this must not happen again. Understood?”

Having no intention of ever setting foot in the Tower again, Amon answered immediately.

“I understand, Tower Lord!”

“Good, good.”

With his pardon secured, Amon began to slink away.

“Then I’ll be taking my leave now.”

His purpose for coming here had been to pacify Marion’s wrath.

And since that goal was achieved, there was no reason to remain any longer.

‘Besides, the Tower’s just another madhouse.’

A Tower Lord who used Hellfire for intimidation!

This implied he was at least an 8th-circle grand magician, and if Amon had that kind of power, he’d be living in a grand mansion, lording over others.

Yet the man was devoted to “studying magic” and spouting ascetic ideals. How pathetic.

‘Look at those shabby robes. No way I’m ending up like that.’

Amon was about to hurry out of the Tower when Marion spoke.

“I was about to leave soon as well, so wait a moment. There’s something you need to hear.”

“But—”

“If you leave with me, the Warp Circle fare is free.”

“I’ll wait.”

The steep cost of using the Warp Circle to get here had already left emotional scars on Amon, so Marion’s persuasion was more than enough.

“So, what is it I need to hear?”

What could there be for him to learn in the Tower?

Amon tilted his head in confusion, but the Tower Lord fixed him with a steady gaze and said,

“You, are you really from the Drake family?”

“Yes? I am, but…my father is Kaim Drake.”

“……Kaim Drake, you say.”

Hearing his father’s name, Amon narrowed his eyes.

‘Come to think of it, Father was quite the accomplished magician.’

The magical theories his father claimed were “basic knowledge” were regarded as “high-level theories” by others.

The fact that the Tower Lord of the illustrious Ignis Tower would mention his father by name brightened Amon’s mood.

‘The famous Ignis Tower’s Tower Lord knows my father’s name… That must mean he’s been keeping an eye on him!’

Could it be that the Tower Lord intended to recruit his father?

‘This is definitely a good sign! My father’s career path is about to open up!’

Of course, his father would have to wear those shabby Tower robes, but as his son, Amon was certain he’d reap the benefits of the name recognition.

‘Besides, Ignis Tower is pro-Empire but operates independently. It’s unlikely they’d abandon recruiting my father just to appease the Emperor!’

Feeling assured, Amon eagerly awaited the Tower Lord’s next words.

“I see. Then…”

‘Yes! You want to recruit my father, right? Just say it!’

“Let’s get to the main point.”

‘…Huh?’

“First, regarding the current state of the continent…”

‘Wait! What about my father’s career?’

Amon wanted to interject, but by then the Tower Lord was already immersed in discussing the state of the continent, his face grave with contemplation.

Though Amon clamped his mouth shut, that was the moment he should have spoken up.

Because at that moment, the Tower Lord was thinking about Amon’s father.

Kaim Drake…Wasn’t it around last year? The man who suddenly appeared, submitted improvements to the Mana Enhancement Magic Circle to the academic world, and then vanished.

That’s right! The very magic circle Amon had critiqued Marion about!

The same circle Marion had tried to claim as his own contribution, only to be rebuked by the Tower Lord, who pointed out it was an idea someone else had already proposed.

That “someone” was none other than Amon’s father, Kaim Drake.

‘It was a theory deserving of a top-tier medal, but when I reported it to the Imperial Court, they simply asked me to keep quiet.’

The reason? The Imperial Court’s fraught history with the Drake family!

Because of that, Kaim Drake had received no recognition or reward and was left empty-handed.

If Kaim Drake’s theory had been about anything other than the “insignificant” Mana Enhancement Magic Circle, the Imperial Court might have ignored their grudge and awarded him, but for something so minor, they didn’t want to risk tarnishing their pride.

‘Such a pity. Truly a pity. So this young man is the son of Kaim Drake.’

The Tower Lord couldn’t give Amon any formal recognition because of the Court’s stance, but he found himself favorably inclined toward the young man.

So he decided to extend a significant courtesy to him.

“Ahem! As I was saying, it would be good for you to be familiar with the current state of the continent. This is the consensus reached by many magicians and scholars after lengthy discussions, so you’d do well to remember it.”

While it was a gesture of goodwill, Amon wasn’t particularly interested.

‘I don’t really care.’

If Amon were a merchant, he might have considered profiting from the chaotic state of affairs, but that wasn’t the case.

‘Besides, I don’t even have the resources to pull that off. Selling gold might earn me a bit of money, but big companies like Gold Road Trading would already have the market locked down. Why bother…?’

Unless he wanted to become a street vendor, entering the business world was out of the question.

But the Tower Lord, feeling pleased with his “courtesy,” was visibly enthusiastic.

Amon forced a smile and said,
“……Thank you!”

“Haha, I knew you’d be interested. Come, have a seat.”

The Tower Lord burst into hearty laughter and gestured for him to sit.

Watching this, Marion frowned.

‘The cold-hearted Tower Lord is laughing like that? Why?’

Unaware of the context, Marion harbored doubts but decided to ignore them.

Once Amon sat down, the Tower Lord began his lengthy explanation.

“Phew, my head…”After hearing so much in such a short time, Amon’s head throbbed.

As he tapped his forehead lightly, Marion spoke.

“I’m about ready to leave. Are you?”

“Hold on. If I use the Warp Circle now, I’ll definitely throw up.”

“Hmm. That might happen. Alright, take your time.”

While waiting in the lounge, Marion glanced at Amon and asked,
“So, what do you think?”

“……About what I just heard?”

“What else would I mean?”

“Hmm.”

Amon recalled the Tower Lord’s discussion of the continent’s state.

To be honest, most of it had little to do with him, so he’d nodded along without much thought.

But there were a few points he couldn’t ignore.

‘It seems the repercussions of this incident are serious…’

The Emperor’s sudden illness!

The disastrous failure of the Velslime Wasteland Development Project!

The unprecedented calamity where the Empire’s elite forces were utterly annihilated by a meteor that fell without warning!

‘An entire legion wiped out, the heavy armored cavalry obliterated, an entire mage tower’s worth of magicians gone, and several battalions erased…Even for a massive empire, this is no trivial loss.’

The Empire’s active military forces had been drastically reduced.

The real issue lay in the fact that, while the continent might appear peaceful on the surface, it wasn’t entirely so underneath.

‘It’s been only a few years since the Great War ended. Sure, the Empire orchestrated a continent-wide non-aggression pact lasting a century, but if the linchpin—the Empire—starts to waver…’

Amon clicked his tongue.

Ultimately, the main point was this:

“Bottom line is, spies might start sneaking into the Empire, right?”

“Exactly. Among the possible targets, educational institutions might be a primary focus. The Imperial Palace is nearly impossible for spies to infiltrate, and the military and knight orders, already on high alert from recent events, will undoubtedly tighten their security. That leaves state institutions.”

“Hm… That does make sense. Among them, educational institutions would be the most likely targets.”

They’re perfect grounds for either brainwashing or crushing budding talents!

Moreover, since these institutions naturally gather information from various regions, they’d be a prime playground for spies to operate.

That was why the Tower Master thought it crucial for Amon to be aware of the situation, though there was a bit of a hitch.

“By the way, senior.”

“Yeah?”

“Honestly, do you think any spies would even bother with our academy?”

“……”

“If I were a spy, I wouldn’t even glance back at it and would find somewhere else instead.”

“Honestly, I think so too.”

Total number of students: three. Total faculty, including the management team and janitors: seven.

Even with two incoming students, the ratio was still abysmal.

That’s why Amon thought:

“Well… I guess we’re fine, then?”

Marion chuckled softly.

“Yeah, probably. There are far better places for espionage.”

“Exactly, exactly.”

“Anyway, how’s your head now?”

“Oh, it’s fine now. Let’s head out.”

Amon and Marion stepped into the warp magic circle together.

And at that very moment—

The principal, Anar’el, was grinning brightly as she faced a middle-aged man.

“You’re hired, Professor Phais!”

At Anar’el’s words, the middle-aged man, Phais, gave a sly smile and replied:

“Thank you, Principal!”

Phais had officially been hired by Amonis Academy!