Chapter 163 (1/2)

Chapter 163: I’ll Have to Rely on Myself, Then

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Oh, by the way,” said Herrera, “this is your reward from the dean.”

Upon returning to the Mage Tower, Herrera took out her storage bracelet and handed Link his reward. Link immediately gasped after catching sight of the reward.

“Why is the dean so generous with me?” asked Link. “He’d just given me a golden ore, and now I get 20,000 gold coins as well?”

By rough estimations, Link discovered that the gold in the ring and all its other components and the fragments of the Dark Elves’ weapon would wipe out his funding problems immediately.

“The dean thinks highly of you,” said Herrera with a smile. “You mustn’t let him down.”

“Of course,” said Link.

Link had defeated and killed three mighty Dark Elves, plus he’d even brought back the important information about the Black Moon Conspiracy, so Link felt that he had indeed made a great contribution to the academy. Thus, he accepted the rewards and kept them in his storage pendant with good conscience as he knew that he had earned them.

“What did the dean say about the Black Moon Conspiracy and the demon, Tarviss?” asked Link.

“The dean said that the academy’s defense is impenetrable,” answered Herrera immediately. “Besides, the location of the seal of the demon, Tarviss has long been forgotten, so even though he will keep an eye out for the Dark Elves, there was really no need to be too worried about the Black Moon Conspiracy.”

Link’s eyebrows creased intensely as he heard Herrera’s reply.

The incident of the demon, Tarviss’ escape had really happened in the game, so it was obvious that the Dark Elves knew of his location. Even though things were slightly different now in this world, the Dark Elves’ ability to release Tarviss was unquestionable.

The demon’s destructive power was unparalleled and not to be trifled with. In the game, even Anthony’s powerful spell that he cast by burning parts of his soul had only managed to injure the demon and force it to flee. Now with the information in his hands, he chose to ignore the threat of the Dark Elves’ plot and say that the defense of the academy was perfect and impenetrable?

That is just a tad too ridiculous!

Seeing Link’s reactions, Herrera felt the need to say something in her mentor’s defense.

“The dean is very busy lately,” she said. “He’s fully preoccupied with the matter of the war going on in the North. He’s always in the academy anyway, surely the Dark Elves wouldn’t attempt anything too bold as they would be facing him.”

Herrera was extremely respectful of the dean. She fully trusted his wisdom and strength, so if he told her that there should be no reason to worry too much about the Dark Elves’ secret plot, then that meant that they really didn’t pose that much threat. Her own fear and anxiety over the matter had reduced accordingly as well.

Link was a little worried with how relaxed Herrera seemed about the dangerous plot, yet he stopped himself from trying to argue about it with her.

Both Herrera and Anthony were natives of the Firuman continent, so their perspectives were radically different from Link’s. Herrera and Anthony had never received any external information other than what they’d seen and heard in their lives, and they’d spent most of their lives in this academy after all, so it was no wonder that they would regard the academy as the safest place in the kingdom. If Link had been in their shoes, he was sure that he would agree with them too. The only reason Link knew any better was because he’d witnessed the catastrophic release of the demon himself in the game.

When he thought of it that way, Link completely gave up his urge to persuade Herrera otherwise. The lines of worry on his face gradually faded as well, and he finally managed to nod at Herrera’s remarks.

“If that’s how the dean sees it, it must be no problem then,” said Link. “Excuse me, tutor, but I’ve just remembered that there are some things I must go deal with now.”

“Go ahead,” replied Herrera, relieved that Link didn’t try to press the matter of the Dark Elves.

Link then turned around and walked away from Herrera.

Link and Herrera had met in the corridor on the third floor of the Mage Tower, so Link continued walking down the corridor while he mused about the next course of action that he should take.

Tutor and the dean both can’t see just how much danger we are in right now, he thought. But how should I convince them? I must find evidence… but where could I find such a thing?

Just as Link was still deep in his thoughts, trouble arose.

Link came to the East Cove Magic Academy often in the game in his previous life, so he used to be very familiar with this place. Even so, the game and reality were different. The real East Cove Magic Academy was many times bigger than the one in the game, not to mention that there were many more minute details here as well. Link hadn’t been here for more than a few months, and he spent most of his time studying in the Mage Tower, so he was still quite unfamiliar with the real East Cove Magic Academy at this point.

Not only was the place still quite foreign to him, he hadn’t even known many Magicians in the academy as well.

Still, he walked on while thinking about the problem. He walked all the way from the third floor to the first floor, then out of the Mage Tower, walking aimlessly through the academy.

Just take a walk if you feel you’re at a dead end about something – that was the habit he developed when was working on his thesis.

Without knowing it, Link had been walking for ten minutes now and he’d reached Bryant’s Inspiration Courtyard. Although it was still winter now and the snow still blanketed the ground, the flowers in the courtyard were still in bloom under the influence of a magic seal.

Link walked up to the willow tree where he often discussed magic with Eliard and sat down on a stone bench there. He looked at the leaves wafting in the wind idly for quite some time while he brooded about the problem. Yet, after half a day’s time had passed and he made no progress at all. He even started to feel discouraged for the first time.

There are just too many things that I don’t know, he thought. Must the academy embark on its old path to destruction? Can it be that it is fate and I can’t do anything about it?

Link caught himself mere seconds after the idea arose in his head. He stamped out such a frustrating and fatalist thought out of his head immediately.

I’ve become hotheaded, he thought. There’s no point in brooding about this now, the Black Moon Conspiracy is going to happen on April 15, so I still have nearly three months. Even if I can’t find out the exact details of the plan, I can still muster up enough power to fight the demon Tarviss in three months’ time, can’t I?