I Became the Academy’s War Hero-Chapter 30 : Things Are Getting Interesting? (3)

Chapter 30: Things Are Getting Interesting? (3)
The next morning.
As soon as I woke up, I quickly finished my meal and headed straight to the Mage Studies Hall.
When there were no classes, Rubia, who was practically glued to the library, was there as usual. After reuniting with her, I got straight to the point.
“Purification of an artifact?”
“You remember the time when I almost used Lukezax’s replica, right?”
“Ah, that assassination….”
The word slipped out of her mouth before she realized it, and she hurriedly covered it with her hand.
“……”
Luckily, it was Monday morning, so there wasn’t a single student in the library.
Still, since there were a couple of teachers around, we needed to watch what we said.
“…Should we talk somewhere else?”
“Let’s.”
We rose from our seats at the same time.
Our conversation continued at the edge of the terrace overlooking the outside, on the rooftop of the Mage Studies Hall.
“You really got the real Lukezax?!”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“I got it from a beast nest.”
Rubia’s face went blank, completely lost as I had skipped over all the middle parts of the story.
I didn’t think there was any need to explain everything, so I went straight to the main point.
“The artifact I obtained was severely contaminated.”
“…So you’re wondering how to purify a corrupted artifact, right?”
As expected of Rubia, she quickly grasped the point.
I nodded and added, “I’ve been thinking if there’s a way other than using a purification stone.”
“Well, yeah… these days purification stones are hard to come by. It’s not just about having money.”
Rubia began counting on her fingers, listing alternatives.
“Using the Elixir of Purification instead of a stone is one option, but it’s inefficient and even harder to get than a purification stone, so that’d be tough….”
“I see.”
Even though I already knew, I pretended not to and nodded.
“The most reliable method would be to cast magic directly on the artifact.”
“But purification magic is….”
Rubia nodded, already aware of the problem.
“Right. First, it’s hard to find someone who can use it. And most of those who can belong to the Magic Tower, so it’s difficult for individuals to interact with them.”
“……”
“Of course, if I accompanied you, that might increase the chances a little…!”
“No. That won’t be necessary.”
Of course, contact with the Magic Tower would be inevitable eventually.
No matter how closed-off the Tower was, my existence was probably known to them. If I visited with Rubia, I wouldn’t be turned away at the door.
Still, it never hurt to be cautious.
‘Contacting the Magic Tower is the same as stirring the Ribenia Orthodox Church.’
The greatest powder keg in the Empire—and the organization that commanded the Empire’s strongest military group, the Inquisition.
Moreover, I had already mentioned their city, Dellowell, once before at the Dean’s Office.
If that news reached Dellowell, Karbenna would be swept up in a wave of ideological inspections for a while.
Above all…
The Inquisition included that Karen Rosefield.
The final main character—a walking bundle of variables.
Until all my preparations were complete, I couldn’t afford to summon her to Karbenna.
As I was thinking that, Rubia spoke up, almost as if reading my thoughts.
“Sir Eugene, have you ever heard of the Fountain of Purification?”
Now even the Fountain of Purification was being brought up.
I tilted my head slightly.
“I’ve heard of it… but isn’t it just a legend? I don’t want to rely on something that uncertain.”
“…I figured you’d say that.”
The Fountain of Purification.
A place that supposedly purified all status ailments, even curses, just by entering it—a literal cheat location.
Since the base difficulty of MAGA was brutal, such places sometimes appeared as a sort of mercy from the developers.
I remembered visiting it quite often in the normal mode.
Of course, it wasn’t even mentioned in the highest difficulty—Apocalypse Mode.
Hunting for the Fountain of Purification would be less efficient than simply stealing a purification stone from a church warehouse.
Once I’d finished my questions, Rubia, as if waiting for that moment, began to ask about what had happened over the weekend.
She wasn’t the type to spread rumors, but it was still better to be careful.
“It wasn’t anything special….”
I answered briefly, recalling the past two days.
I deliberately left out the fact that I’d begun cooperating with the Special Task Force.
When I mentioned the battle with the werebeast in the operation zone, Rubia’s eyes sparkled.
By the time our conversation ended and we went back down from the rooftop to the library, she kept glancing at me with a look full of admiration.
“As expected, Sir Eugene, you’re amazing.”
She sighed and waved her hands around.
“Ah~ I wish I had talent for combat magic too!”
Hearing her muttering to herself, I said firmly, “You do have talent, Professor Rubia.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yes.”
“Ahaha, you’re joking, right?”
She waved her hands dismissively, insisting that couldn’t be true.
But since my expression didn’t change at all, a faint hope began to bloom on her face.
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you think so?”
Avoiding Rubia’s clear, expectant gaze, I replied vaguely, “No special reason. Just… the intuition of someone who’s spent a long time on the battlefield.”
You’re a character I’ve trained nearly a thousand times. Of course I’d know.
…but I couldn’t exactly say that.
“Ah… so that’s what you meant.”
For some reason, she seemed much more dejected than before.
Was it because my answer wasn’t what she expected?
As I thought, she gave a bitter smile and reached out into the air.
“I kept hearing, ‘You have zero talent for actual combat, so stop daydreaming and stick to theory!’ over and over again.”
“From who?”
“Senior Agent. I heard it so many times that I could still recite it word for word.”
You’ve got to be kidding me….
Rubia pretended to sniffle as she said that.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her act.
She was frail by nature and lacked hostility toward beasts, so she wasn’t suited for combat magic. However, she had a strong will to learn, great focus, and remarkable patience—making her exceptionally gifted in theoretical magic.
…That was the general evaluation of Rubia Magnus. But MAGA was, at its core, a training simulation game.
Humans had many sides to them, and what brought those sides out was the environment.
Depending on the training approach and methods, a character’s destination could change at any time.
“Let’s try a simple test together sometime.”
“A test?”
“I’m confident when it comes to identifying aptitude.”
It wasn’t a lie.
I had watched nearly a thousand endings for the trainable characters in this game.
“If that’s what you want, I don’t mind, but… don’t expect too much. Even in the Magic Tower, my combat magic grades were always an F. For eight straight years.”
Though Rubia said that, her expression still couldn’t hide the flicker of hope.
Before I knew it, we had reached the library lobby while chatting.
As we descended the last few steps, a familiar face appeared ahead.
“There you are, Instructor Carter.”
A middle-aged servant, neatly dressed in a worn tailcoat, bowed politely.
“That person is….”
“I see Professor Rubia is with you as well. It’s been a while, ma’am.”
The servant, Oliver, gave Rubia a small nod before turning slightly toward me.
“The Chairwoman is looking for you, Instructor Carter. Please come with me.”
After exchanging a brief farewell with Rubia, I followed behind Oliver.
He didn’t turn his head even once, yet I could still feel the sharp hostility directed at me.
“Did you have a pleasant weekend?”
Oliver asked, his tone dripping with hostility, as if he didn’t even intend to hide it.
I couldn’t help but smile at his bluntness.
‘Well, I suppose he must be dying of curiosity.’
Since I also had a few things I wanted to test, maybe I could entertain him for a bit.
Feigning exhaustion, I rolled my neck lightly.
“I’m not sure if I’d call it pleasant… There were some results, but it was tiring.”
“Ah, did you perhaps go somewhere?”
“Go somewhere? How would you know that?”
He flinched.
“…Actually, I saw you leaving campus by carriage early this morning. So I just wondered.”
Though he hesitated for a moment, he didn’t try to change the subject.
So he wasn’t even planning to hide it, huh.
Well, people like him would’ve found out soon enough anyway. And I did have a few things I wanted to pry out of him.
Maybe I’d toss him some bait.
“I had to visit the Special Task Force for class-related matters. There was a lot to discuss.”
“I see, so that’s what happened.”
“You seem unusually interested in me lately. Is that just my imagination?”
“My apologies. It wasn’t intentional….”
Oliver stammered and offered a flimsy excuse.
“The Master—the Chairwoman—has taken quite an interest in you, Instructor Carter.”
“…So I’ve noticed. She even treated me far too generously the other day.”
“Too generously? What do you mean by that?”
“I think you’d know that matter better than I do.”
“……”
At that, Oliver fell completely silent.
I spoke again, my tone sly and mocking.
“Compared to her prime, she’s a washed-up relic, sure. But she’s not so frail that she’s about to drop dead.”
“…Forgive me, but I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Whether you do or not.”
I murmured coldly, my voice firm.
“Whether it’s your true master’s orders or your own pathetic decision… you’d better think carefully, servant of Bernhardt.”
At those words, Oliver finally turned to look at me for the first—and last—time.
His once calm expression stiffened completely, devoid of any composure.
“I don’t know what kind of fools you’ve dealt with until now, but the man you’ve made an enemy of—Eugene Carter—isn’t someone so easy to handle.”
“……”
“Did you understand that?”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
After that, we walked the rest of the way to the Chairwoman’s office without another word.
Knock, knock—
“As you requested, I’ve brought Instructor Carter, Chairwoman.”
A voice came from within, and Oliver opened the door before bowing slightly toward me.
His cold eyes perfectly matched the icy sneer on his lips.
Leaving him behind, I stepped inside, and the door shut firmly behind me.
At the desk before me sat the Chairwoman, Michel Bernhardt, absorbed in signing a mountain of documents.
Without even looking up, she said,
“Sorry for making you wait, Colonel Carter.”
“Not at all, ma’am.”
“Sit wherever. I’ll be done soon, and then we’ll leave.”
There were several chair-shaped works of art around the room, but none actually seemed meant for sitting.
So I simply took a few steps back and stood still with my hands behind my back.
Then, remembering what she’d said last, I carefully asked,
“Pardon me, but what did you mean by ‘leave’?”
Her silver hair swayed gently with each movement of her hand.
Michel continued signing without answering.
When she finally reached the last document, she lifted her head and looked straight at me for the first time.
“It’s almost time for the Faculty Meeting. You’re coming with me, of course.”
Her smile, faintly seductive, came as a playful afterthought.