Episode 715
“What am I going to do?”
Richmond was in a state of turmoil, pacing back and forth in his eerie laboratory filled with various bones. The headmistress, Arina, had tasked him with finding the reincarnation of the archdemon Astaroth hidden within the school. Failure was not an option, as it could mean becoming a test subject for the entire student body of Pannotia.
“But how on earth am I supposed to find the reincarnation of an archdemon?”
Astaroth, a demon so powerful he once vied for the throne of the underworld, was known for his cunning and mastery of both demonic and human magic. Unlike other demons who recklessly burst into the mortal realm, Astaroth had chosen to reincarnate as a human and had audaciously infiltrated Pannotia as a student.
Richmond rubbed his pale face with his hands, trying to devise a plan. “If an archdemon reincarnates as a human, what traits would they have…?”
He needed to gather evidence carefully, as Astaroth was known for his sharp instincts. Just as Richmond was deep in thought, someone kicked open his door.
“Hey! You damn lich!”
The voice belonged to none other than Clone, a former member of the Rose Knights. Covered in tattoos and wielding a mace, Clone stormed towards Richmond, looking every bit like a thug out to collect a debt. In reality, he was a retired captain of the prestigious Midland Federation Knights, who had returned to Pannotia to train the next generation.
Richmond flinched and stammered, “W-what brings you here, Dean?”
Clone, the head of the Pannotia Knight Faculty, brandished his mace, which glowed with a holy light. “You creepy lich! Did you sneak in more monster bones using our students again?”
Richmond waved his hands frantically. “N-no, it wasn’t me!”
Clone swung his mace, stopping just above Richmond’s head. “Grrr!”
The holy energy radiated from the mace as Clone glared at Richmond with his one good eye. “Really? Wasn’t it you who paid the knight students to hunt monsters in the back hills last time?”
Richmond shook his head vigorously. “N-no, it must have been Professor Vane or maybe Professor Michelle from the summoning department. They were complaining about the monsters wrecking the spirit enclosures.”
Clone pondered for a moment before lowering his mace. “Hmm, I was sure it was you, Richmond, the bone-obsessed lich.”
Richmond’s heart nearly stopped, knowing full well he was guilty. He had indeed bribed the knight students to smuggle in bones, a habit he couldn’t shake since his days in Nirvana, where he resorted to grave robbing for experimental materials.
Clone, still suspicious, warned him, “Alright, I’ll let it slide this time. But don’t even think about pulling something like this again. I’m watching you, Professor Richmond.”
“Y-yes, of course, Dean.”
As Clone turned to leave, something clicked in Richmond’s mind. “Dean!”
He approached Clone with a forced smile. “Actually, it was me. I did it.”
Clone’s eye blazed with fury as he raised his mace again. “I knew it! You bone-obsessed lich! But since you confessed, I’ll go easy on you.”
Seeing the mace coming, Richmond waved his hands desperately. “W-wait, Dean! Please, calm down! Aaaah!”
The eerie lab was soon filled with holy light and Richmond’s screams.
After a thorough beating from Clone, Richmond lay sprawled on the floor, wondering if he might actually die. He managed to speak, “D-Dean… I have a request.”
“Is it your last words? A lich’s final words would be quite rare. Go ahead, I’ll hang them in the hallway.”
“No, it’s not that. I need the help of the Knight Faculty.”
Clone looked down at him with a skeptical eye. “You’re not planning to take the students on a rare monster hunt, are you?”
“N-no, of course not.”
Richmond sent a magical message to Clone. After reading it, Clone’s expression shifted slightly, and he nodded. “Hmm… if that’s the case, I know just the person.”
“One!”
With a loud shout, the trainees of the Pannotia Knight Faculty practiced their footwork and swung their swords. Leading the training was Luther Zembe, a swordmaster from the Eastern Continent.
Luther had been an instructor since the Knight Faculty’s inception, alongside the wooden sword master Owl. As the trainees trained in the practice yard, Richmond, cloaked in a robe, approached Luther.
“Professor Luther, how have you been?”
Luther looked at Richmond, surprised. “Hmm? Professor Richmond, did someone hit you?”
Luther, now fluent in the common language, nodded knowingly as Richmond awkwardly rubbed his bruised eye. “Ah, you got on the wrong side of Dean Clone again. I told you to stop paying the knight students for shady deals.”
Most of Pannotia’s students were from common backgrounds rather than nobility. While the generous scholarships covered tuition, students had to earn their own living expenses. The academy provided various quests for students to earn money, but the pay for these official quests was often less than the clandestine “black quests,” which were well-known among the students.
Richmond was a major client for these black quests, paying handsomely for smuggling monster bones or assisting in dangerous experiments. This tradition, rooted in Nirvana, had become a part of Pannotia’s culture. While the faculty was aware of these black quests, they turned a blind eye as long as they weren’t too dangerous. However, Richmond’s risky requests were closely monitored by Dean Clone.
Luther, aware of all this, commented, “I warned you about this, didn’t I?”
Richmond chuckled awkwardly. “Ha, ha, ha… Actually, I have a favor to ask, Professor Luther.”
Luther nodded. “Dean Clone mentioned you might come by. Training is almost over, so let’s head to my office. I have some fine tea from the East.”
“What? You want to replace the final exams with an all-department battle tournament? A martial arts battle?”
Luther was taken aback by Richmond’s sudden proposal. Martial arts tournaments were already popular, held under the name of league matches. The grand tournaments at Atlas’s Grand Stadium had once captivated the entire continent. Recently, “battles” between mages had also gained popularity, starting in Nirvana and spreading rapidly.
Combining the knights’ martial arts tournaments with the mages’ battles into a unified competition was an unusual idea. Luther, concerned, asked Richmond, “We can adjust the finals, but will the headmistress approve? And what about the headmaster…?”
At the mention of the headmaster, the room seemed to grow colder. Richmond, sensing Luther’s fear, reassured him, “Dean Clone thought it sounded fun. As for the headmaster… I’ll convince them.”
Luther’s expression shifted to one of admiration. “Professor Richmond, I didn’t expect such courage from you.”
Richmond’s boldness in planning to face the headmaster alone earned him Luther’s respect. Richmond continued, “Professor, it’s crucial that everyone participates in the tournament. I’ve heard you have great influence within the Knight Faculty. Please, I need your help.”
“Understood. I don’t know what this is about, but if it goes through, I’ll make sure everything’s ready.”
With that, Richmond relayed the message to Luther and left the lab.
His next stop was the office of Jason, the head of the Magic Department.
“What? A combat tournament?”
Jason, who was quite close to Richmond, looked at him with a mix of disbelief and amusement.
He clicked his tongue at Richmond.
“You troublemaker. What kind of mess have you gotten into this time?”
Richmond shook his head at Jason’s words.
“It’s not trouble! I’ve got a plan!”
“Yeah, right. Does the principal know about this?”
Richmond nodded confidently, though he hadn’t actually gotten permission yet.
“Of course. This is all under the principal’s approval.”
Jason raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical.
“If the principal’s backing this, there must be something to it… Well, in that case, it sounds fun. A combat tournament could be interesting.”
The Magic Department and the Knight Department had always been in a subtle rivalry. Magic students claimed it was the age of wizards, while the knight students insisted the world still needed knights more than ever.
A platform where these rivals could face off promised to be quite entertaining.
Then Richmond added, “It’s not just the Knight and Magic Departments. I want all the disciplines involved.”
“What? Even Alchemy and Summoning? How are the alchemy students supposed to fight? Throw acid around?”
Richmond chuckled. “Jason, it’s a wonder you’re the head of the Magic Department. Think back to your adventurer days.”
Jason pondered for a moment before clapping his hands in realization.
“A team battle?”
“Exactly. Alchemists shine in team battles. And sure, some might throw acid, just like you said.”
Jason frowned slightly. “If it’s Al and Jeff’s students, I wouldn’t put it past them… A team combat tournament, huh? That does sound more exciting.”
Jason, the head of the Magic Department, surprisingly agreed with Richmond’s idea without much resistance.
Al and Jeff, who led the Alchemy Specialization, were eager to join in on the fun, and Zion, who handled the Special Abilities Specialization, was so enthusiastic about participating that he got a scolding from Serena.
Claire, in charge of Weaponry, and Shadia, who taught Assassination Defense, didn’t oppose Richmond’s proposal either.
However, Michelle, the Summoning Department head, seemed indifferent until Richmond made her an enticing offer, which quickly changed her mind.
But not everything went smoothly.
“So, you want to make a mockery of the warriors I’ve trained?”
Himmel, a former captain of Ishtar’s Raven Brigade and now a professor of Martial Arts, glared at Richmond with sharp eyes.
“Leave, Professor Richmond. My warriors won’t be part of some childish game.”