Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 234 The Professor's Gift

"They actually cut off here? This slice should at least have some context! Why didn't they record the most crucial part—the physical examination—afterwards?"

As night fell, the white disc, who had spent the night away from home, returned to Ritas's room.

The goddess of bathing, curious about what Ritas had done during her absence, opened the slice and saw images of Ritas and Langna in contact.

"I'd like to know why something like this would be recorded."

Ritas couldn't help but shake his head.

As the Goddess of Bathing spent increasingly longer periods in the bath, her efforts to uncover the patterns of the "slices" remained stagnant. Ritas only made rough guesses, which were inextricably linked to the holders of the star-patterns.

"Furthermore, I simply checked whether Langna's inability to use magic was due to some external force. I also checked whether there were any items around her that prevented the use of magic. The scenario imagined by the Goddess of Bath definitely did not occur."

"Xiao Li, how could you presume to assume I was imagining something risqué!"

"."

Why don't you just confess?

"But even mentioning their name triggers their 'hysteria.' It sounds a bit like the 'Impia' that athletes sometimes experience. Apparently, in crucial situations, their muscles suddenly tense up, causing them to underperform or even be unable to compete. Uh, don't look at me like that, I just know about 'Impia,' it doesn't mean I can cure it!"

So what exactly can our goddess do?
"Ah, these kinds of psychological problems are really troublesome. Do you have professional psychologists or anything like that where you are? Hmm... even if you might, it probably wouldn't be very effective. There's always been a lot of controversy surrounding these kinds of psychological issues. On one hand, the tests aren't accurate enough, and on the other hand, even if a mental illness is cured one day, it's impossible to tell whether it was thanks to the doctor, the medication, or the spontaneous healing process."

"These problems do indeed exist."

Ritas nodded and also explained the situation on their side to the goddess of bathing.

Since "mana loss syndrome" is a dreaded ailment in the magical world, there are naturally healers and organizations that specialize in treating it. Among them, the most famous is dream therapy. Simply put, it involves using methods such as hypnosis to induce dream states and thus providing treatment through dreams.

However, even the most famous dream interpreters have a very low chance of successfully treating patients and seeing results in the short term.

"Hey~ Hypnosis? Sounds really suspicious. Come to think of it, you hardly ever sleep, so this treatment definitely wouldn't work for you. Is that why you haven't been cured yet?"

"maybe."

Ritas casually agreed.

"Speaking of which, your mistake this time was quite outrageous. How could you be caught pretending to be a fairy? No, did you get caught on purpose?"

Although Ritas occasionally does pranks, he never goes so far as to mess things up to this extent.

“Yes, I realized that the connection between ‘accomplices’ is much closer than I thought. So, after I discovered Langna’s secret, I made up a secret to exchange with her.”

Ritas answered calmly.

"Tsk, you've even learned to manipulate emotions now. I don't know whether to say you've improved or regressed. But, even though you already know Langna's little secret that she doesn't want to reveal, the fact that you still need to approach her in such a roundabout way is making that 'abnormal' behavior more and more like 'Yip syndrome'."

Throughout his negotiations with Langna, Ritas maintained his position as the administrator of the special dormitory area, stating his intention to ensure all students in the area could participate in the competition safely. He also used this as a pretext to conduct a simple check-up on Langna. Throughout the entire process, he never mentioned the words "maniac disorder."

According to rumors known to the Bathing Goddess, it is said that hearing the word "Ipsy" will worsen the symptoms of those suffering from Ipsy.

"You're putting in so much effort, do you really want to cure Langna? Hmm."

Suddenly, the goddess of bathing seemed to understand some of the thoughts in Ritas's heart.

In the game "Star Mark," Langna undoubtedly did not suffer from the Maniac Loss Syndrome. Therefore, it was only natural that she would steal the show and win first place at the academy exchange meeting, and then be recruited into the team normally after meeting the subsequent conditions. Her personal storyline also makes no mention of the Maniac Loss Syndrome.

What are the differences between Langna in the game and Langna in real life?
The goddess of the bath and Ritas, who had only recently come into contact with Langna, had no way of knowing anything about her.

However, they are certain that the environment surrounding Langna is very different from that in the game.

On one hand, while the goddess of the bath isn't 100% certain, it's highly likely that Langna in the game didn't become a candidate for the "Star People" chosen by the Star Citizens.

On the other hand, in the game, Principal Livis left early on and didn't establish any special dormitory area. In other words, in the game world, Erles Academy, which was already in chaos due to internal and external troubles, was completely indifferent to the results of the exchange meeting.

So, was it the pressure from Livis or the "Star Dwellers" in the game that overwhelmed Langna?
The reason for these changes lies largely in the huge variable that is Ritas.

As a true genius, the goddess of the bath felt that Ritas was hardly humble. He was probably much more arrogant than he realized, only this arrogance often manifested in some strange ways.

For example, the things that his "survival" affected.

He doesn't attribute the positive changes brought about by his survival to himself, nor does he boast about them or feel complacent about them. However, if his existence brings about changes he considers negative, he will take responsibility for them, seeing them as problems he needs to solve and responsibilities he must shoulder.

"If possible, I really want to resolve the troubles that Langna is facing."

Unaware that the goddess of bathing was profoundly analyzing his Ritas, he simply continued speaking in accordance with her words.

"Becoming a Grand Mage during one's time at the academy is an extraordinary achievement. Therefore, both personally and professionally, I hope to see Langna achieve this. I don't want her incredibly promising future to be cut short by this incurable illness."

Besides what he said, Ritas's reasons for wanting Langna to become an archmage were also somewhat related to the "Star People".

Unlike the Latras sisters, carefully selected by the Latras family, and Engri and others from the training institute, the Star People have significantly less control over the Star Chosen.

If Langna were to possess the identity of an archmage, she would certainly be able to further counter the influence of the "Star People".

Both for public and private reasons, Ritas hopes that the "Star People" and their chosen Star Chosen will not have a superior-subordinate relationship, but rather a more equal cooperative relationship.

"Little Li, if you hadn't skipped a grade, could you have become a Grand Mage during your time at the academy? Uh, don't say 'if'!"

After listening to the goddess of bathing's question, Ritas thought for a moment and then shook his head.

“I received my professorship and my archmage title at the same time. So even if I had entered the academy at the normal age and spent four years there, I would still only have received the most basic mage title before graduation.”

"Hey~"

Hearing Ritas say this, the Goddess of Bath realized for the first time the true value of the Grand Mage's title.

"Then we really should help out, Sister Langna!"

Big sister?

"Sigh, I can only say that you're still a bit lacking, Xiao Li. If it were any other genius, they would have glanced at Langna from afar and casually remarked, 'This person is ill.' Langna would have just scoffed and dismissed him as a madman, but sure enough, she fell ill as soon as she got home. Then, Langna would have rushed to him, hoping he could help cure her. And then, he would have miraculously cured her with a few strokes of his hand. In the end, Langna would have bowed down in reverence."

"."

If such a person truly existed, they would be more like a god than a genius. No, if all gods were like the goddess of bathing, then they wouldn't even qualify as gods.

Knowing that the goddess of bathing was just joking, Ritas didn't really care about those words. However, the fact that Langna's matter couldn't be resolved quickly was indeed making his problems increasingly numerous.

I wonder if there's a way to solve all these headaches at once.
Thinking of Erles Academy, which could explode at any moment, Ritas sighed softly.

However, now that I've already made contact with Langna today and have a general understanding of her predicament, I can at least hand in a "task" tomorrow.

time flies.

The third day of the college exchange meeting.

Early morning, at the headquarters of the Latras Merchant Guild in Spring City.

Platina Latras, the fourth daughter of the Latras family, suddenly opened her eyes, which were surrounded by obvious dark circles.

Step, step, step, step
She barely slept all night.

The cause of this can be traced back to the night before.

As always, Platina closed several deals at the dinner party. When she returned to her base manor, she saw a long-lost figure.

Sylvie.

It's unclear whether it was after that family dinner that Sylvie completely dropped her pretense. Forget about the usual "sisterly affection"; since the new semester started, she hasn't even returned to Latras's base.

"Ha, I thought it was some blind thief who dared to sneak into Latras's mansion."

When Platina saw Sylvie, he naturally saw her too.

So, after their eyes met, Platina brandished her iron fan and made a sarcastic remark.

In the past, Sylvie would most likely ignore Platina, or at least maintain a facade of peace. But this day, she turned around and faced Platina directly, squinting her eyes and staring at her for a moment.

"Professor Ritas seems to be visiting tomorrow, Platina?"

"While entertaining VIPs is none of your business, it's true that the professor will be coming tomorrow to discuss some matters—some personal business."

Platina didn't know why Sylvie suddenly brought up Ritas, but she still answered in response.

"If I remember correctly, the professor gave you a metronome as a gift at the family banquet last time. And you promised the professor that you would keep it in your room forever."

"What exactly are you trying to say, my dear sister? I don't have much time left."

Platina said somewhat impatiently.

"Don't rush, I'm just reminding you. Although it's only a unilateral agreement on your part, as the current face of the Latras family in this city, failing to uphold even this level of agreement will undoubtedly severely damage your credibility as a businessman. Therefore, I will be keeping an eye on you."

Sylvie pointed to her own eyes with two fingers of her right hand, then pointed to Platina's eyes.
"I hope you can uphold our family's honor in front of the professor. My dear sister."

"."

Platina frowned slightly as she watched Sylvie smile, nod, and turn to leave.

With a somewhat confused expression, Platina opened the door and returned to her room. There, she saw the metronome that she had asked the housekeeper to put away earlier, now sitting on her bedside table.

Without a doubt, this was Sylvie's doing.

Come to think of it, when she made the agreement with Ritas, it seems that only the two of them were nearby, and she habitually covered her mouth with an iron fan. How did Sylvie know all of this?
Did Ritas say that?
Although she had some doubts and felt that Sylvie's behavior was strange, Platina was already quite tired and didn't think too much about it. She simply took off her clothes, changed into her pajamas, washed up, and lay down on the bed.

One hour, two hours.
Step, step
Three hours. Four hours.
Step, step, step, step
"!"

Platina sat up in bed.

Why is this metronome so noisy!

Moreover, this appears to be a homemade metronome, with no stop switch at all.

Platina, with bloodshot eyes, couldn't sleep at all.

This was partly due to her neuroticism, but more so because the metronome was unbearably noisy.

To make matters worse, as fatigue accumulated, Platina's senses became more sensitive. As a result, the sound of the metronome was exceptionally clear and loud in her ears.

At some point, her heartbeat even seemed to resonate with the metronome.

I already have a hard time falling asleep if I can feel my heartbeat, let alone having that damn duet playing.

On the bed, Platina covered her ears with a pillow and tossed and turned.

Except for a few times when she was so exhausted that she seemed to faint and her consciousness faded, Platina remained in a semi-conscious state until dawn.

Step, step, step, step
"Ahhhh!"

Platina jumped out of bed, holding the metronome high in the air. After taking a few deep breaths, she calmed down and put it back down.

"Good morning, Platina. How did you sleep last night? By the way, I slept very well. Only with enough sleep can your skin be smoother."

At dawn, Platina stepped out of her room and saw Sylvie waiting for her in the hallway, a smile playing on her lips.

"So... you knew it would turn out this way, Sylvie?"

Platina, who was severely sleep-deprived, stared at Sylvie with a dangerous look and questioned her in a low voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just urging you to uphold the family's reputation. And also..."

Sylvie met Platina's gaze without flinching.

"I also don't know what you were emphasizing or highlighting last night. However, it seems I'm the one who's Professor Ritas's student. Finally, have a nice day. I'll come back to urge you again tonight."

After speaking, Sylvie nodded with slightly exaggerated gestures and turned to leave.

As Platina watched Sylvie's retreating figure for a long time, a smile began to appear on her lips, a smile that had previously been somewhat fierce.

Although it was somewhat naive, it was indeed this unyielding "sharpness" that was what made "Latras" graduate from that incubation institute.

Her younger sister, who used to seem to have no idea what she was worried about, has finally become "interesting".

(End of this chapter)