Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy

Chapter 489

Arthur felt a strange sense of déjà vu as he looked into the corridor revealed beyond the collapsed wall.

Have I seen this before?

Ah, right. The underground of the royal palace. The place I visited when my eldest brother had his coming-of-age ceremony.

The view beyond the wall looks strikingly similar to that place.

It was Lucy who answered the question that formed in his mind. She explained that this was something prepared by the great wizard Erginnus.

If you think about how Erginnus is tied to the establishment of the royal palace, it's not surprising that the two places are so similar.

Arthur, following Lucy, walked through the wall and quickly realized that this was not a normal passageway.

Had Erginnus created a shortcut in the same bizarre way as he did in the desert before?

If Erginnus saw this, he’d probably be horrified.

...I’ll have to ask him about it once everything is over.

Perhaps this place is an important facility within the kingdom.

As Arthur tilted his head, considering the surprisingly clean corridor despite the long passage of time, he lifted his gaze upon hearing Lucy Alrn’s words.

And then, he came face to face with it.

The magic circle beyond the door.

Having recently received some teachings next to Erginnus, Arthur had a vague understanding of the meaning behind the magic circle.

Purification of energy, transformation, and connection.

He wasn’t sure exactly how it worked, but it seemed to be a magic circle meant to purify some evil force and transfer it somewhere else.

So that’s why Lucy Alrn brought me here.

By severing this connection, the barrier itself should stop.

“If that’s the case, we should have brought Joy along as well.”

Though he had also received teachings alongside Joy, Arthur had not fully internalized them, unlike her. Even now, after being given extra explanations from Joy several times.

So to control this perfectly, he would need to bring Joy...

Huh? Why am I not getting a response?

At this point, I should have heard some sarcastic remark by now.

Feeling a sense of unease, Arthur looked around and was startled by the completely different surroundings.

Is this another trap set by the Evil God? If Lucy Alrn is going to give me a blessing, she should at least do it properly.

Using something sloppy like this... is this the result?

...

Damn it. Once I wake up, I’ll probably be stuck listening to sarcastic remarks for a while.

Grumbling and scanning the surroundings, Arthur suddenly realized that the current scene didn’t match what the Evil God had shown him.

What was it... The place the Evil God showed me was a hellish scene, devoid of any life, but this place seemed perfectly fine.

“Don’t mistake me for the Evil God.”

Arthur, startled by the voice from behind, quickly turned around and found a child floating in the air, looking at him with a grumpy expression.

The child appeared to be no older than ten, studying Arthur's face before furrowing their brows.

“What’s this? You don’t look like someone who should be here.”

“Rather, I’d like to ask you the same thing. Who are you?”

“You really came here without knowing anything? How?”

The child crossed their arms, looking as if they couldn’t understand the situation at all.

There’s an unexpected depth to this child. Are they just a kid in appearance?

“I don’t have anything to say about how I came. I’m just following the guidance of a friend.”

“A friend? Is that friend from Soladin’s bloodline?”

“What nonsense is this? This child has nothing to do with the royal family.”

“Hm? Hmm?”

Hmm... Is there even a reason to continue this conversation?

Maybe this is another trap set by the Evil God. It’s a little unsettling, but for now, I’ll just commit suicide and wake up from this dream.

“Wait! What are you trying to do?”

“I’m going to wake up from this dream.”

“This isn’t a dream! This is a place of trials!”

“Aah, I suppose so. The nightmares the Evil God brings can indeed be called trials.”

“I told you earlier! I have nothing to do with the Evil God! Don’t connect me to those insignificant pests who don’t even know what they’re doing! Even though I’m old, I have no connection to those scoundrels!”

The child raised their voice at Arthur’s mention of the Evil God’s schemes.

Seeing the child express such insulting words, Arthur couldn’t help but wonder if this child might be a follower of the Evil God. After all, they wouldn’t be able to speak ill of their own god.

“Then what about you?”

“I am the fragment left behind by Soladin, the founder! I am the one who carries his legacy on this land! I am the heir of Soladin’s blood! Bow down and worship!”

The child puffed out their chest and shouted, but Arthur’s attitude didn’t change much.

“You certainly resemble the legend.”

“You!”

“You want respect? Then show me clear evidence. The situation right now isn’t one where I can simply believe everything you say.”

If Lucy Alrn brought me here because of this kid, she must have said something about him beforehand.

But she didn’t say a word to me. This child’s existence is outside of Lucy Alrn’s knowledge.

To think that someone using a method that even Erginnus didn’t foresee would be unknown to her... How can I trust that?

“...You say the situation isn’t good? What do you mean by that?”

“The filthy trash that you referred to as a mere rat has taken control of the barrier.”

Arthur intentionally used an aggressive tone, but the child’s expression wasn’t filled with anger; rather, it was filled with confusion.

“This is insane. What the hell is going on?”

“If you really are the incarnation left by the founder, then let me out of here. I still have a lot to do.”

“Wait just a moment. Let me think.”

“Otherwise, I’ll just get myself out.”

As Arthur drew his sword again and pointed it toward the child’s neck, the child snapped their fingers.

With a sharp sound, the sword Arthur was holding vanished as if it were nothing but a mirage.

“You want to interfere with the magic circle?”

“...Yes.”

“Well, I have no choice. Normally, this shouldn’t be allowed for someone without the proper authority, but given the situation…”

Before the words could finish, the child snapped their fingers again, and the surroundings shifted once more.

This time, the scenery resembled Erginnus’s residence beneath the desert not long ago.

“Heir of Soladin’s blood, if you wish to involve yourself in magic, prove your qualifications. If you truly have the qualifications, magic will naturally follow your will!”

Arthur, listening to the child speak in a solemn tone as if delivering a trial from the heavens, did not respond. Instead, he began composing a spell on his finger.

“Are you deaf or something?”

Hmm. I was planning to commit suicide using magic, but is this child already aware of it? I thought I was being discreet.

“If you want to interfere with the magic circle, prove your qualifications! Not by committing suicide!”

“Why should I prove my qualifications?”

“That’s because only those with qualifications can have the great wizard Erginnus’s magic permit them!”

“Even without qualifications, I can still interfere with that magic circle.”

“What? No. Uh... Huh?”

“Purification. Transformation. Transmission. That’s the role of the magic inscribed on that circle. Am I wrong?”

“How do you know that?”

“Erginnus himself taught me.”

“…What?! Is he still alive!?”

For the first time, a trace of excitement appeared on the child’s face, which had been grumpy up until now.

The child’s previously sullen expression was replaced with a flicker of surprise.

<Don’t worry. It seems like you haven’t fallen into the Evil God’s trap.>

Arthur’s sudden loss of consciousness made the old man’s voice fill his mind.

‘What’s going on now?’

<It must be something Erginnus left behind. It’s likely a mechanism that draws his spirit in, responding to specific conditions.>

Hearing the old man’s words, Arthur recalled distant memories buried deep within him.

Didn’t Erginnus conduct some kind of trial in the story?

Did he?

Damn it, it’s been so long since I skipped over most of the story that I can’t remember the details!

<Considering his eccentric temperament, it’s probably something for a trial.>

At least it seems my memory isn’t wrong.

‘Does that mean we have to wait until the trial ends?’

<Most likely.>

While it was only a brief moment in the game, the reality felt much different. Even after a few minutes, Arthur was still staring blankly into space.

“Hey, you dumb sword. What are you trying to do with that sword?”

Arthur snapped out of his daze at the voice and quickly saw Freya, who was raising her sword in its sheath, looking at him in confusion.

“Should I smack you awake? Won’t that work?”

“Smack me awake? No, if you’re planning to put me to sleep forever, then I guess that might work.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

Arthur was pulled from eternal slumber as Freya gave him a long sigh, and with it, he crossed his arms in relief.

This is an unexpected variable. I had planned to wait for the Evil God’s followers to stir things up, but now I have to deal with this.

What if Arthur doesn’t wake up in time for the critical moment?

Feeling uneasy, Arthur absentmindedly tapped his arms when suddenly, a translucent Adria appeared through the wall.

“Old man. Did you come to excitedly let me know that you’re ready?”

That’s true, but right now, there’s an intruder trying to get in.
An intruder? Does that mean Luca himself is coming?

It’s probably him. Only someone with access to the tablet or someone who has visited this place before could enter.

I guess the ruckus caused by Dragon’s Breath caught his attention.

It was unbearably loud. It’s strange if he didn’t notice it.

I thought you’d be panicking, but you seem so calm.
“Well, they’re just a bunch of trash who can’t even crawl on the ground. Why would I panic?”

I had already expected that Luca would come chasing me with the Void Followers. Naturally, I’ve prepared for it.

But now, the situation is even better than I thought.

Thanks to Adria’s magic, we have many more options now.

I recalled what I had asked Adria to do earlier and couldn’t help but grin.

Heh. Since it seems like Arthur will take a little longer to wake up, maybe I’ll have some fun until then.

If I make the Void Followers scream in agony, their plans will be delayed.