Chapter 6: The Reason My Motivation Was Completely Nonexistent as a Jobless NEET

Let’s talk about a man named Glenn Radars.

More than a decade ago, when Celica was still active as a member of the Imperial Court Mage Corps, she whimsically took in a young child who had lost their family in a certain incident. That child was Glenn.

As a means of survival, Celica taught the young Glenn the basics of magic. Glenn, in turn, found himself utterly captivated by the mysterious world of magic. Though he lacked any remarkable talent as a mage, he was incredibly studious and loved magic with all his heart. Celica came to cherish Glenn like family.

Eventually, Glenn enrolled at the Alzano Imperial Magic Academy. It was around this time that his peculiar talent came to light. For some reason, Glenn had an exceptional affinity for spell formulas that induced stagnation or cessation of change. Stagnation and cessation—these were the defining traits of Glenn’s magical disposition. However, for a mage whose purpose was to bring about change, this talent was utterly useless.

As Glenn’s graduation drew near, he struggled with his thesis for the magical degree. Using his unique magical disposition, he created a specific [Original Magic]. This was the birth of [Fool’s World]. Glenn, an otherwise unremarkable mage with no notable achievements, compiled this spell into his thesis and presented it.

But the mages of the world ridiculed the spell for its sheer uselessness. Cruel professors burned his thesis, and the fact that Glenn had created the spell was never even recorded.

Yet, one organization saw unparalleled value in this seemingly useless spell: the prestigious Imperial Court Mage Corps, one of Her Majesty’s most trusted blades, a gathering of the empire’s mightiest mages.

After graduation, Glenn was secretly recruited by the Imperial Court Mage Corps. Celica shed tears of joy, proudly supporting and blessing Glenn’s rise to prominence. Glenn, too, took pride in knowing his abilities could serve others.

And then.

Hell began for Glenn—

“Ugh… guh…”

Glenn suddenly stirred awake. He felt awful, his head spinning, his entire body aching as if cracks had formed in his bones. But feeling pain was proof he was still alive.

“Where… am I…?”

It seemed he was lying on a bed. The smell of disinfectant filled the air. Judging by the white ceiling and walls, this was likely the academy’s infirmary.

“Oh… you’re awake…?”

Sistine was seated on a chair beside the bed, her outstretched palms pressed against Glenn’s body. A warm light glowed from her hands, the healing magic of [White Magic [Life Up]].

“…Thank goodness… I thought you were done for…”

Tears welled up in the corners of Sistine’s eyes.

“Idiot… you’re such an idiot… doing something so reckless…”

Apparently, Sistine had carried him here and administered first aid. When Glenn looked down at his body, he saw blood-soaked bandages wrapped around the deep wounds scattered across it.

Sistine, on the other hand, was in rough shape herself. Having carried a bloodied Glenn, her face and hair were smeared with his blood, ruining her beautiful features. She had likely been casting [Life Up] continuously while Glenn was unconscious. Her face was etched with deep fatigue, her complexion pale with cold sweat—a telltale sign of the onset of mana deficiency.

“Stop… that’s enough… I’m fine…”

As Glenn tried to sit up, Sistine hurriedly pushed him back down.

“There’s no way you’re fine! The bleeding’s stopped, but your wounds haven’t even begun to close!”

“You already used up a ton of mana with [Dispel Force]… If you keep pushing yourself, you’ll die…”

“You’ll die before I do! Please, just stay still!”

“But…”

“Ugh… I’m still fine. This pendant’s magic crystal has some reserve mana I’ve been storing up bit by bit.”

With that, Sistine showed Glenn the crystal pendant she was clutching.

“Right now, you’re the priority. There’s still at least one enemy out there… We need to get you back on your feet as soon as possible…”

Realizing Sistine was right, Glenn averted his gaze with a sulky expression.

“Sorry… I’m counting on you for the healing… Thanks…”

“Hmph… If only you were this cooperative all the time…”

Sighing, Sistine resumed her [Life Up] treatment.

But how long could they stay like this? At any moment, the enemy could launch a follow-up attack. If Glenn were the enemy, he’d definitely seize this opportunity.

Amid the tense silence, Glenn muttered, breaking the quiet.

“By the way… how’d you figure out my plan…?”

“You mean the layered dispel? Unfortunately, it seems I’ve gotten used to reading your reckless thought patterns, Sensei.”

Another sigh escaped her lips—how many times had she sighed since meeting this man?

“If your plan was really just to let me escape, you wouldn’t have bothered asking about my remaining mana or said ‘Alright, good’ before pushing me off.”

“Haha… I figured there was, like… a seventy percent chance it wouldn’t work…”

“And of course, you’d never say something like ‘I believed in you.’ That’s so like you, Sensei…”

“You’re really… something else, you know…”

“Cheeky, aren’t I?”

“Don’t steal my lines…”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Sistine felt a sliver of relief. If he could still banter like this, he wasn’t in immediate danger. Of course, he’d need a proper doctor or a white magic specialist as soon as possible, not just this makeshift treatment.

“How’re you feeling, Sensei?”

“It hurts… My whole body hurts like crazy… I wanna cry.”

“This is already a huge improvement, you know? I’ve adjusted the effects of [Sleep Sound] to act as an anesthetic.”

“It hurts, so I’m gonna sleep. I’m useless right now anyway…”

“Wow, talk about giving up.”

“If… the enemy comes while I’m out… leave me and run… Got it?”

“There’s no way I could do that, Sensei…!”

When Sistine looked over, she heard soft breathing.

Glenn’s consciousness had slipped away again.

Time passed slowly.

Please, don’t let the enemy attack now. Praying to a god she rarely invoked, Sistine maintained [Life Up] endlessly. She kept her mind balanced, regulating her breathing and releasing mana steadily.

How much time had passed?

“…I wanted… to be a hero… of justice…”

“Huh?”

A faint voice snapped Sistine’s balanced focus back to reality.

When she looked, Glenn’s eyes were slightly open.

But his consciousness seemed to be in a haze. His eyes weren’t focused.

“That’s why… back then… I thought my dream had come true…”

“…Sensei?”

“The first one… I was proud…”

Was he seeing a dream?

Glenn was mumbling incoherently to no one in particular.

“But… the second one… something felt… off…”

“…?”

“By the third… I knew… for sure…”

Sistine listened quietly to Glenn’s murmurs.

“Everyone… called me a hero… Sure… I saved a lot of people… But… I… I’m not… cut out for this…”

With that, Glenn’s muttering stopped. He seemed to have fallen back into a deep sleep.

“Sensei…?”

Sistine didn’t understand the meaning behind the words spilling from Glenn’s lips. She could only piece together guesses from fragmented clues. Glenn had apparently served in the imperial military. His [Original Magic] was specialized for fighting other mages. His excessive disdain for magic. His biased view that magic was a tool for killing. And now… these murmurs.

“Glenn-sensei, huh…”

While maintaining her healing magic, Sistine vaguely reflected on Glenn—a man she’d once thought was just a lazy, irresponsible slacker.

How long had he been asleep?

A sound, like something tapping at the edge of his consciousness, echoed somewhere in the pitch-black world.

A sharp, metallic resonance, like metal being struck.

What was that sound?

Slowly, as if dragging it up from the mire of memory, he realized what it was.

In an instant, his consciousness snapped awake, and Glenn leapt out of bed.

“—!? How many hours have passed!?”

No response. Sistine was slumped against the bed, her face etched with exhaustion, fast asleep. The only sound was the sharp, metallic ringing that echoed through the room.

“Tch—”

He’d deal with the situation later.

Glenn pulled a ringing gem from his pocket and held it to his ear.

“Celica?”

“—Glenn!?”

A tense, breathless voice came through from the other side of the gem.

“Thank goodness… I was so worried, you idiot.”

Her voice trembled slightly.

“You didn’t answer no matter how many times I called… I thought something had happened…”

“Sorry. Got caught up in some trouble. But I’m still kicking.”

“…You didn’t… fight the enemy, did you?”

Celica’s voice hardened as she asked.

“…Yeah. Thanks to that, we made some progress. I took out one of their mages.”

“…I see.”

A flat, dejected voice responded, but Glenn ignored it and pressed on.

“That takes care of all the confirmed enemy mages. The only one left is the unconfirmed one—probably the mastermind behind this. The student they specifically took is likely with them. Any progress on your end?”

“For now, I tried teleporting. No dice. As expected, the teleportation array in the academy’s already been disabled. Honestly… do they have any idea how much time, money, materials, and catalysts it takes to build one of those arrays? It’s a national asset, for crying out loud. You’d think they’d treat it with more respect… but I guess that’s pointless to say to terrorists.”

“…Got it. That’s a shame. Having you here would’ve been worth more than a hundred men.”

“Also, the Imperial Court Mage Corps has finally mobilized. They’ve assembled an anti-magic terrorism unit at the local branch, and they’re currently struggling to break the barrier’s lockdown at the academy’s main gate. It’ll take a while before they can breach.”

“They’re here already? …And even the Court Mage Corps can’t break the barrier easily?”

“Yeah, to be blunt, the mastermind behind this incident is a rare genius in the field of spatial magic. I’ve been reminded of my own shortcomings.”

“Seriously? You’re giving them that much credit?”

“Well, you know my specialty is warfare. I could slaughter a god or two no problem, but this finicky stuff? Not my forte. Even at the Seventh Rank… even after abandoning humanity, magic’s depths aren’t so shallow that you can master every field.”

Hearing Celica’s bitter muttering, Glenn grimaced. Had he acted too rashly? Should he have kept that broken talisman? A flicker of doubt crossed his mind.

But his reckless charge had saved Sistine. If he hadn’t neutralized those two dangerous mages—especially that thug with no shred of human decency—early on, who knows what would’ve happened to the nearly fifty hostage students by now.

No point dwelling on the past. The question was what to do next.

Glenn pulled himself together and continued questioning Celica.

“By the way, any leads on the possible traitor in the academy?”

“Nothing. I checked the attendance of the professors and lecturers at the conference. No one’s suspiciously missing. Everyone’s accounted for.”

“Seriously?”

“Well, we haven’t completely ruled out the possibility of a traitor. They could’ve cooperated in other ways—like stealing the academy’s magical security formulas and passing them to the enemy.”

“So, either way, the unidentified enemy hiding somewhere in the academy is a complete unknown.”

“…Yeah.”

Glenn’s head throbbed. An enemy with unknown motives and identity. How was he supposed to deal with them? Where were they even hiding? The academy was vast. Beyond the school buildings, the grounds included the Forest of Mists, ancient ruins, and an underground labyrinth. Searching blindly would take days.

“Damn it… What the hell is their goal!?”

As Glenn cursed, Celica spoke up.

“By the way, there’s something odd…”

“What’s that?”

“I checked the barrier’s details through the mana network using the capital’s monolith-type magical processor, and I found something strange.”

“Strange?”

“The barrier sealing the academy—it seems like there’s no way to get from the inside to the outside, no matter what you do. There’s no mechanism for it.”

“Huh? No way. They had a key to get in from the outside, didn’t they? So, there’s gotta be a key to get from the inside out.”

“Normally, yeah. But this lockdown barrier? Once you’re in, you’re not getting out. Not unless you forcibly destroy the barrier itself from the ground up.”

“Then how do they plan to get out after achieving their goal?”

“No idea.”

“No idea, you say—”

At that moment, a possibility flashed through Glenn’s mind like lightning.

“Wait a sec…”

Glenn pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. But it must’ve been damaged in the fight with the dark-coated man—the hands were stuck just past twelve.

“Celica, what time is it?”

“Huh?”

“Just tell me. My watch is busted.”

“…It’s just past five p.m. Why?”

So, he’d been out for nearly five hours. That was clearly unnatural. The dark-coated man had attacked right after the fight with Jin, leaving no time to breathe. It was possible the enemy had lost track of them, but being left alone for this long was too convenient to chalk up to not being found.

“Hey, Celica. Are you sure the teleportation array is destroyed?”

“What? If it’s unusable, it’s destroyed, right? I activated the array from here, but there’s no response from your side. Besides, it’s standard for barricade terrorists to destroy the teleportation array first—”

“What if it’s not destroyed, but the destination’s been altered? Instead of linking the academy to the capital, what if it’s been recalibrated to connect to another array set up somewhere else—”

“Haha, that’s impossible. Teleportation arrays are built specifically to connect two predetermined locations. Destroying one is one thing, but changing the settings of a fully constructed array? Even I couldn’t do that—”

“What about the mastermind who tampered with the academy’s barrier? The spatial magic genius you respect? Would it be impossible for them?”

Glenn’s question left Celica momentarily speechless.

“No way… that’s… impossible… but… maybe, just maybe, if it’s them…”

“Celica, give me a rough estimate. Pretend you’re the mastermind. Assume you can use any means necessary. If you were told to change the array’s settings, how long would it take?”

“Hmm… If I knew the formula inside out and had all the tools and materials prepared… and assuming their skill matches mine… five hours… no, maybe six.”

“—That settles it!”

“Hey, wait!? What’s—”

Cutting off the communication abruptly, Glenn shoved the gem into his pocket. Spotting the Fool’s Arcane card on the desk beside the bed, he grabbed it and leapt off the bed.

He checked his condition. His body ached all over, and every movement was agonizing. He could barely move. Pushing himself would likely reopen his wounds. But being in this condition at all was a miracle.

“Thanks, Sistine. I’m really glad you were here.”

Glenn roughly ruffled the sleeping Sistine’s hair and bolted out of the infirmary.

“This is probably the current scenario.”

Glenn sprinted across the academy grounds as fast as his battered body could manage.

Each step tore at his wounds, blood seeping out, but he couldn’t afford to care.

“The mastermind was already hiding somewhere on campus yesterday—probably the underground labyrinth. Last night, Celica and the other professors used the teleportation array to head to the capital. In the empty night campus, the mastermind began their work, tampering with the academy’s barrier overnight.”

He rounded a corner. The courtyard flashed by like a rushing stream at the edge of his vision.

“Next was altering the teleportation array. That requires expensive materials and specialized tools, which likely couldn’t be smuggled in beforehand. Any movement of such specific magical tools would’ve tipped off the academy. So, on the day of the plan, the dark-coated man and the thug brought them in. They restrained the students and secured Rumia as planned, while the mastermind began altering the array.”

Crossing the courtyard, he charged down a tree-lined path, his destination drawing closer.

“The mastermind’s miscalculation was that I took out all three of their allies so quickly. They were too busy altering the array. They didn’t come after me while I was incapacitated for hours—not because they couldn’t find me, but because they didn’t have the time. Once the array’s complete, the mastermind escapes with Rumia. While the outside forces struggle to break the lockdown barrier, they slip away leisurely. No… that’s not all. They’d probably blow up the hostages with explosive crystals or something, turning them to dust. That’d delay identification of the bodies, making it even harder to track Rumia. Sounds like something they’d do.”

In other words, this was a kidnapping targeting Rumia specifically.

A brilliantly misdirected ploy disguised as a barricade bombing terrorism.

“No, it’s too early to conclude. There are still two things in this scenario that don’t add up.”

First, Rumia. If they wanted to kidnap her, they didn’t need to go through this elaborate scheme. They could’ve just abducted her normally. They might’ve been cautious about leaving traces, but this plan is still overly complex. The specific reason for targeting Rumia also remains a mystery.

Second, the traitor within the academy. This plan requires an insider—not just a collaborator, but a true traitor. Without one, the mastermind couldn’t have hidden on campus to begin with. Yet Celica said there’s no traitor among the academy’s staff.

“Did I jump the gun again…?”

He started to feel like his judgment might’ve been off. But either way, the most suspicious place right now was the teleportation array’s location—the Teleportation Tower. It was worth checking out.

And then, his hunch turned to certainty.

The moment the towering white spire came into view. At the end of the tree-lined path leading to the tower, countless golems were unnaturally patrolling.

Golems, looking like humanoid giants built from stacked stones.

They were Guardian Golems, protectors of the academy. Normally, they existed as scattered stone fragments, blending into the campus scenery. But when an anomaly occurs, those fragments automatically assemble into giant forms to intercept intruders—that was the system.

For golems assigned only that role to be gathered so unnaturally around the tower, as if guarding it—

“Hell yeah, jackpot! But… talk about a tough final hurdle…”

Glenn wanted to cry.

The swarm of formidable-looking Guardian Golems noticed Glenn’s approach and began preparing to intercept. Naturally, they seemed to be on the enemy’s side. This was what it meant to have the academy’s magical security completely compromised.

“Tch, I knew it’d come to this!? Get out of my way, you small fry!”

Steeling himself, Glenn charged toward the golem swarm, chanting a spell.

“《O crimson lion, roar in your fury》—!”

First, he’d seize the initiative.

Black Magic [Blaze Burst].

He hurled a fireball conjured in his left hand into the center of the golem swarm.

The fireball arced through the air at high speed impact.

A deafening explosion erupted, flames and shockwaves raged like a storm from the point of impact.

One golem caught in the direct hit shattered into pieces—

“Gah—!? I knew it, these things are tough!? Heavy!? And a total pain!?”

The surrounding golems were barely scorched, their surfaces only slightly singed. Even in the raging blast, they didn’t lose their balance.

A direct hit could take one down, but [Blaze Burst] was an indiscriminate area-of-effect spell. Its power came at the cost of high mana consumption.

If he had to take on this many golems with [Blaze Burst], Glenn would run out of mana first.

“C’mon, what do I do!? Hey, what do I do, Glenn!? W-Wait, if [Blaze Burst] won’t cut it, maybe [Lightning Pierce] to take them all out at once—wait, what am I gonna do with a tiny hole, you idiot!? Alright, time for my ultimate [Extinction Ray]—except I don’t have it!? No more catalysts! No more mana! Argh, what the hell am I supposed to do—!?”

In a slight panic, shouting frantically, Glenn kept charging toward the golem swarm.

The distance between Glenn and the golems closed rapidly.

“Calm down… Think… There’s gotta be a spell to get through this if I just think calmly… Calm down… Think… Except I don’t have time to think—!”

Before he knew it, the golems were already right in front of him.

The golems, two to three times the size of a human, had Glenn within the range of their massive arms.

The golems simultaneously raised their fists toward Glenn below—and brought them crashing down.

A single hit would guarantee death by crushing or pulverization; a barrage of lethal, overwhelming attacks rained down on Glenn from above like a storm.

“Kyaaaaah—! Screw it! I’m pushing through! Whatever happens, happens!”

Letting out a shrill scream, Glenn dodged a fist plummeting from above by rolling diagonally forward, leaped to evade a massive arm swinging from the front, and slid under a horizontal strike.

There was no room for tricks anymore.

As Glenn darted through the golems, he weaved through the storm of gigantic fists with nothing but his physical finesse, dodging nimbly and pressing forward.

The intuition and reflexes honed through years of training were the only things driving Glenn’s body now.

Boom! Boom! Boom!—

The intermittent sound of stone fists smashing the ground echoed through the academy grounds.

The cobblestones were ripped up, pillars of earth shot into the air, and countless craters opened in the ground.

The debris and stone fragments scattered by the impacts mercilessly pelted Glenn’s body from all directions.

Occasionally, a stone fist grazed him, and each time, he felt cracks forming in his bones.

Covered in blood and dust—Glenn refused to stop.

Like threading a needle, he danced through the gaps in the overwhelming mass of the stone army, moving with breathtaking precision.

“Daaaaaaaah—!”

The tower’s entrance was now tantalizingly close.

But the short distance felt impossibly far.

And then—

“Ugh, I’m definitely milking the academy for workers’ comp after this, damn it…”

Clack, clack. Glenn trudged up the spiral staircase inside the teleportation tower, each step echoing.

Despite the race against time, his body refused to cooperate, and the frustration was maddening.

“Damn it… Why am I the one stuck with this crap…? This is why I hated working… Once this fight’s over, I’m going back to being a shut-in… I’ll mooch off Celica and live the good life…”

He had to keep muttering complaints, or he’d lose consciousness.

Miraculously, Glenn had broken through the golems’ defensive line and infiltrated the teleportation tower.

But the wounds that had started to close were now torn open again. New bruises and gashes had joined them. Blood dripped, leaving smears of crimson on the stone floor and the walls he leaned against.

Finally, Glenn reached the top of the dim, spiraling stone staircase.

Ahead lay the top floor’s grand hall—the room with the teleportation circle.

“Alright, here we go!”

Bang! He kicked open the door. The interior was dimly lit.

“I’m here! Oi, you’re in there, right? Time to put an end to this nonsense!”

“…Sensei!? That voice—it’s Sensei!”

Rumia’s voice came from somewhere in the darkness.

“Oh, thank goodness… You’re safe!”

“If this looks ‘safe’ to you, get your eyes checked…”

Spitting out a sarcastic retort, Glenn staggered into the room.

His eyes gradually adjusted to the dark.

Eventually, a figure emerged from the shadows—a refined young man in his mid-twenties. Soft blond hair, cool and handsome features, and deep blue eyes. A strikingly beautiful youth.

An unfamiliar face. At least since Glenn started working part-time at the academy, he’d never seen this man around. It seemed there really wasn’t a traitor within the academy after all. Not that it mattered now.

“You the mastermind?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The young man replied calmly, unfazed.

“…Tch, being that good-looking is a crime in itself, and now you’ve got all this crap piled on top? Even a kind-hearted teacher like Glenn-sensei’s got his patience worn thin. Time for some iron-fisted justice—brace yourself!”

“Haha, corporal punishment isn’t exactly admirable. As a fellow educator, I must object.”

Glenn scanned the area around the youth. No active magical devices—nothing.

The young man simply stood there, staring Glenn down, doing nothing else.

First strike wins, Glenn decided. Without hesitation, he drew The Fool’s Arcane Tarot.

“—Gotcha.”

It felt a bit anticlimactic, but his Original Magic [The Fool’s World] had undeniably activated. Whatever secret techniques this youth might have, they were useless now. He couldn’t activate anything.

“Too bad for you, I wi—”

“—I win.”

But it was the young man who declared victory first.

“What?”

“Truly a divine prank, isn’t it? To think such a game would come together at the very end.”

“Oi, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Finally, Glenn’s eyes fully adjusted, and he took in the room’s situation.

On the other side, beyond the youth, was Rumia. She was magically restrained on a teleportation circle, her magic sealed, crouching on an active circle with altered settings. The circle appeared to be time-based, set to automatically teleport whoever stood on it to specific coordinates after a certain period. The glowing runes on the circle were steadily counting down toward zero.

This was fine. Still within expectations.

The problem was the youth. At his feet was another circle, identical to Rumia’s. But for some reason, the mana pathways—lines of light—ran across the floor, directly connecting to Rumia’s teleportation circle. When Glenn deciphered the nature of the circle at the youth’s feet, he was stunned. This formula was—

“White Magic Ritual [Sacrifice]—a soul-swapping ritual!?”

“Yes.”

The youth smiled gently.

“Soon, Rumia-san will be teleported to our organization via the circle’s power. That will trigger this circle, linked directly to my soul, to activate. It will consume my soul to generate an immense amount of mana—and blow this entire academy to smithereens. My soul has been magically tuned for this purpose, so there’s no doubt it’ll have the power to do it.”

“Wha—”

“That’s right. I’m a bomb.”

“What the hell are you doing!?”

Glenn couldn’t suppress a shudder at the youth’s matter-of-fact tone.

“You planned to die like this from the start!?”

“Yes. That’s the meaning of my existence.”

At that moment, Rumia cried out in anguish.

“Please… stop this! Huey-sensei!”

“Huey?”

The name rang a bell.

“Wait, you’re my predecessor… The one who went missing… Oh, I get it now!”

“Why are you doing this, Huey-sensei!? You were an amazing teacher! You’re not the kind of person who’d do something like this…!”

“I’m sorry, Rumia-san. Unfortunately, this is who I’ve always been.”

Huey lowered his eyes apologetically.

“A member of royalty or a government official’s family. If someone like that enrolled in this academy, I was to kill them in a suicide bombing. I’ve been planted here as a human bomb, posing as a staff member, for over a decade.”

“That’s insane… Preparing for something that might not even happen, all that time in advance!?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Tch… Right. I forgot. You Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom… You’re just a bunch of lunatics who’d pull something like this without batting an eye.”

Glenn spat in disgust.

“Precisely. If Rumia-san hadn’t been here, I could’ve kept living quietly as a lecturer at this academy. But unfortunately, the organization set their sights on her.”

“So, what, is Rumia some kind of noble lady or something?”

“Sensei… Um…”

“Don’t bother. I don’t care. You’re you.”

Glenn cut off Rumia before she could say anything, her expression pained.

“But that’s weird. You’re planning to kidnap Rumia, right? Wasn’t your original goal to kill her?”

“Yes, that was the plan. But Rumia-san’s status and characteristics are… somewhat unique. The organization’s higher-ups took a great interest in her. So, the plan was changed at the last minute. That’s also why this operation feels a bit sloppy and understaffed. Blowing up the academy is just a bonus, likely because it’ll cause significant long-term damage to the imperial government. Now, shall we get to the main event?”

The youth—Huey—stared straight at Glenn, as if testing him.

“If you dispel the teleportation circle holding Rumia-san, my self-destruct circle won’t activate. In other words, this is a game to see if you can dispel her circle in time. Just to be clear, killing me is off the table. If I die, everything activates instantly. Keep that in mind.”

“…Like I’d fall for such a basic magical trap.”

“If you hadn’t used [Fool’s World], you would’ve had plenty of time to dispel Rumia-san’s circle. But you did use it. While its effect is active, you can’t work on dispelling the circle. As a result, you’ll only be able to start dispelling after [Fool’s World] wears off… losing a significant amount of time.”

Glenn had already realized his mistake. This was just a confirmation of the rules.

“I don’t know your dispelling skills, nor how much longer [Fool’s World] will last. But… the teleportation circle will activate in about ten minutes. From my experience, even starting now, dispelling it would be a close call…”

“…”

“You have a choice. Knowing time is short, will you try to save Rumia-san and everyone else, only to die in the explosion? Or will you abandon everything and flee? There’s a massive labyrinth beneath the academy. If you escape there, you’d likely survive… if you go alone.”

Indeed, there wasn’t nearly enough time to evacuate the hostage students and Sistine to the underground labyrinth. To survive, he’d have to abandon them all and head straight for the labyrinth alone. But that option was never on the table.

Glenn closed his eyes, furrowing his brow. Cold sweat dripped as he maintained his silence. Every second wasted by his useless [Fool’s World] felt excruciating.

“Sensei… Please, escape.”

Rumia pleaded.

“If we all die together… at least you should survive…”

“…”

Glenn remained silent. The room was so quiet, it felt like their heartbeats echoed.

“Sensei… Please… I beg you…”

No matter what Rumia said, Glenn didn’t respond. He didn’t even flinch.

And then.

After what felt like an eternity, several minutes passed.

In an instant, Glenn’s eyes snapped open.

Just now, [Fool’s World]’s effect had expired.

Crunch. Biting his right wrist to draw blood, Glenn immediately dove toward the teleportation circle at Rumia’s feet.

“No hesitation. Impressive.”

Ignoring Huey’s words of admiration, Glenn focused on the circle before him. It was a five-layered circular array surrounding Rumia. All layers had to be broken to save her. The circle brimmed with visibly immense mana, and it even had a mana amplification circuit. Neutralizing the target’s mana with his own using [Dispel Force] was impossible.

As expected, the only way to break it was to destroy the magical structure itself—dispelling.

“《O primal force, flow through my blood and pave the way》!”

Chanting Black Magic [Blood Catalyze], he processed the blood dripping from his wrist into mana, creating a makeshift magical catalyst. Glenn couldn’t perform advanced mana manipulation like writing runes with pure mana. So, he used his blood to directly inscribe the dispelling formula onto the outermost layer of the circle.

He swung his arm, squeezing out blood that flowed to his fingertips, then traced the floor with swift, practiced movements.

“Fast. You visualized the dispelling route during those few minutes, didn’t you?”

Huey murmured, seemingly impressed by Glenn’s efficiency.

As Glenn worked on the dispelling with ferocious intensity, Rumia desperately pleaded.

“Sensei, no! Escape! There’s no time!”

“Shut it, you’re too loud!”

Glenn brushed off Rumia’s pleas, focusing solely on weaving the formula with his blood.

And then.

“《End, celestial chains; the foundation of silence, the yoke of reason, shall be released here》!”

Squeezing out every ounce of mana from his body, he activated Black Magic Ritual [Erase]—the dispelling magic. With a metallic clang, mana surged, and the outermost first layer shattered into particles of light.

Next, the second layer. Time elapsed: about one minute—

“Sensei! Please, don’t worry about me and escape!”

“Don’t say whatever you want, idiot!”

Stepping forward to begin dispelling the second layer, Glenn roared.

“It’s not just you! That white cat girl, the students… There are tons of people still in the academy! You think I could just abandon them and run!?”

While shouting, Glenn glanced at the second layer’s array and froze for a moment, gritting his teeth.

“Damn it, the structure’s gotten way more complex…”

In other words, the deeper the layers, the more time-consuming the dispelling would be.

“Huey, was it? I’m definitely punching you later.”

“Understood. I’ll brace myself.”

Even as he traded barbs, Glenn kept moving his fingers, writing the formula.

Squeezing out blood, mana, and life itself, he pressed on.

“No, Sensei… If you keep going, you’ll… You’ll…!”

Rumia looked at Glenn’s face as he worked tirelessly on the dispelling. Severe mana deficiency. His skin was devoid of color or warmth. This was already in the realm of death.

“If you keep using magic, you’ll die!”

“Yeah, well, that white cat would love that!”

“Why…? Why are you doing this…? No one would blame you if you escaped… You haven’t done anything wrong…”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying! I told you to shut up, I’m losing focus!”

There was something in Rumia’s question that made Glenn pause.

He fell silent for a moment, continuing his work.

“…I remembered.”

“Huh?”

“Until I had that weird dream earlier, I’d completely forgotten. Why I was so obsessed with magic in the first place!”

Finishing the final blood-written word, he chanted [Erase].

The second layer was dispelled successfully. It shattered into fragments of light.

Crawling forward to the third layer… Glenn coughed up blood.

“—S-Sensei!?”

Rumia screamed.

Ignoring her, Glenn began the dispelling with trembling hands, weaving words.

“Geh, hah… It’s no big deal, just a childish story! A floating castle, a Mage of Justice defeating the demon king, saving the princess… There was some kids’ picture book like that, right!? I was totally obsessed with that Mage of Justice and started learning magic because of it!”

“…A picture book? Wait… You mean The Magician of Melgalius…?”

Glenn twisted his lips into a sardonic grin.

“Hah! Pretty stupid, right!? Yeah, I’m stupid too! How many years of my life did I waste on that childish fairy tale!? What a complete waste of a life!”

But with a visceral effort, spitting blood both figuratively and literally, Glenn poured out his heart.

“Geh… cough… But I just can’t give it up! My dream’s been shattered for ages! That Mage of Justice from the picture book? Total nonsense! The world of magic is just a filthy, blood-soaked reality! But I still can’t let it go! That stupid fantasy of a Mage of Justice—I just can’t shake it, no matter how long it’s been!”

And then, Glenn glared at the infuriating array.

“If I can’t save anyone here, what kind of Mage of Justice am I!? If I escape now… what was my life even for!? I know the life I poured into being a Mage of Justice was meaningless! But I won’t let it be worthless!”

“S-Sensei…”

“So shut up! This isn’t for you or the students or anything! I’m doing this for myself, got a problem with that, damn it!?”

Make it in time, make it in time, make it in time. Desperately controlling his frantic heart, he methodically built the formula, squeezing out every bit of mana to chant [Erase]—third layer, dispelled successfully.

Yes! Glenn felt a surge of triumph at the critical success. He was moving faster than he’d expected.

He couldn’t believe he’d managed this much at the eleventh hour.

Just two layers left. Brimming with determination, he moved to the fourth layer—

It came out of nowhere. He hadn’t anticipated it, caught up in his string of successes.

Suddenly, he felt something inside him snap.

“Guh—!?”

The next moment, Glenn coughed up a massive amount of blood.

“Kyaa!? S-Sensei!?”

Rumia screamed as Glenn collapsed onto the floor.

“…Agh…? Gah… cough, hack!?”

His body wouldn’t move. His fingers wouldn’t budge. His strength was draining. His consciousness was fading fast. His focus shattered—try as he might to continue the dispelling, the formulas wouldn’t come. What he was doing, what he needed to do—it all became hazy, like mist.

What the hell? To think he’d run out of time before the circle.

In hindsight, he’d long surpassed his limits. How many times had he pushed himself to the brink, shaving years off his life?

The moment he realized it, it was over. He couldn’t even move a finger.

It’s over, Glenn understood clearly. In this state, there was no way he’d make it in time.

“I… couldn’t… do it, huh? Hah… Yeah… Figures…”

A deep despair, like the one he’d felt when he learned the harsh reality of the magical world, consumed him.

“…Sorry… Rumia…”

He thought it was impossible. He realized he couldn’t save her.

But even then, he couldn’t give up.

Back then, and now, nothing had changed.

No matter how pathetic or disgraceful, he just couldn’t give up.

It wasn’t about conviction or righteous anger anymore. It was just Glenn’s stubbornness as a person.

And so, driven by an unyielding force despite his broken body, Glenn crawled toward the fourth layer’s array… That’s when it happened.

“…It reached.”

Rumia’s outstretched hand just barely touched Glenn’s cheek.

“Because you didn’t give up… It reached.”

“…Rumia…?”

“Sensei… Please, accept it.”

That very moment.

Suddenly, Rumia’s body glowed brilliantly, and the spot where she touched grew warm—

“Wha—!?”

Light overflowed, swirling winds tousled her golden hair, and particles danced through the air.

Rumia’s figure, smiling as she gazes straight at me, is almost like an angel’s—

And then, the next moment.

Thump. An immense surge of magical power floods through Glenn’s body.

All the pain that had gripped him vanished as if they were a lie, and his senses sharpened acutely. His entire body was briming with a heat that he’s never experienced, as though enveloped in scorching flames.

And the overwhelming sense of omnipotence born from that heat begins to dominate Glenn—

“This… is…?”

His body and mind are recovering. His body, which should’ve long since given out, moves again. There’s no sign that Rumia used any magic. Besides, Rumia’s magic was supposed to be sealed.

If so, there’s only one explanation for this miraculous phenomenon.

An Adept. In rare cases, there are individuals born with special abilities to manifest miraculous powers without relying on magic. However, such people are considered reincarnations of demons and are still persecuted as objects of superstition. There are even fanatical groups whose sole purpose is to hunt down and kill Adepts.

“Rumia… you… could it be… you’re an Adept!?”

Moreover, this ability is something that he’s only ever heard rumors of. The power to amplify the magical power or magic of anyone she touches by dozens of times, at her own will. The world’s greatest living magical amplification circuit.

A Sympathetic Amplifier.

An extraordinary individual capable of surpassing dozens of complex magical rituals single-handedly—

“Oooohhh—!”

Forcing his fraying consciousness back together with sheer willpower, hammering his faltering spirit back into shape, Glenn resumes the dispelling process. At a terrifying speed, even to himself, he constructs the dispelling formula and chants [Erase]. As expected, the fourth layer is successfully dispelled.

At that moment, the teleportation array begins to glow, humming as it activates. The transfer has begun.

“S-Sensei…”

“Damn it, damn it, damn it! I’ve got to make it in time!”

Even if it kills me once this is over—

Pushing his magic to the point where his brain and organs feel like they’re grinding to dust, moving his fingers until his muscles tear, squeezing out every drop of blood in his body, Glenn makes his final sprint—

“Make it in tiiiime—!”

As he completes the final word in blood, Glenn roars—

“《End, celestial chains・the foundation of silence・the yoke of reason shall here be released》—!”

…………

……

And then, silence.

The light, the wind, the sound—all vanish as if they were a lie.

The runes on the teleportation array, indicating the time until transfer, have reached zero.

At the same time—the teleportation array has been completely dispelled.

“Sensei…”

Rumia—is still here.

“Haa—haa—haa—haa—…”

In the silence that follows the end of it all, only Glenn’s fiery breathing echoes.

“…I guess I lost.”

Breaking the silence, Huey lets out a small sigh.

“It’s strange. Even though the plan has failed… there’s a part of me that feels relieved.”

“…Hmph. So, you were scared of dying after all?”

“No, that’s part of it, but… more than anything, I’m just glad the students are safe. That’s what I think.”

Glenn, breathing heavily, staggers to his feet and stands before Huey.

“So? Got any last words?”

“…Just one thing.”

“What is it? Spit it out.”

Prompted by Glenn, Huey hesitantly voices the thoughts in his heart.

“What should I have done? Should I have followed the organization’s orders and died… or defied them and died? Even now, I don’t know.”

“Hell, if I know. It’s your fault for not choosing your own path and just going along with the organization.”

“Choose… my own path?”

“It means you clean up your own messes. Sure, I feel some sympathy for your situation… but don’t go blaming everything you tried to pull on the organization.”

“…Harsh. But… you’re absolutely right. I wish I’d met you sooner. I feel that strongly now.”

“Is that so? Grit your teeth.”

Glenn swings his arm with force, landing a powerful punch on Huey’s cheek.

The impact sends Huey flying, tumbling across the floor before he collapses, unconscious.

“…What a mess.”

And then, with a swaying sense of weightlessness, the floor rushes up to fill Glenn’s vision.

With that final scene, Glenn’s consciousness abruptly cuts out.

……

…………

“Your dream wasn’t meaningless.”

Lying in pitch-black darkness, It feels like someone’s voice is reaching out to me.

I don’t really understand.

“It’s true… the dream you once envisioned with such longing might not have taken the shape you imagined. But your dream has undeniably saved many people.”

I don’t even know whose voice it is.

It just feels like it might be someone I know.

“I’m one of the many you saved. It’s a lonely thing… but it’s no surprise you don’t remember me. Still, ever since that moment three years ago when you saved me… I’ve admired you.”

A presence draws near my face. A sweet fragrance tickles my nose.

A soft, warm and gentle sensation touches my forehead… or so it feels.

I still don’t understand. I don’t remember.

“Sensei… thank you.”

…………

……