Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 259 The Thorns of Genius

"Does the professor care a lot about the people over there?"

Looking at Ritas, who had been staring intently at them ever since Him and Mord appeared, Ann asked.

"I do care a little."

Ritas responded, suddenly becoming interested as he recalled Anne's rather unconventional behavior.

"I'm thinking about how to get the old man to the treatment center without attracting the girl's attention."

Upon hearing Ritas's words, Ann observed the duo carefully for a moment.

Although, at first glance, the duo seemed to have quite a few problems. For example, their visibly thinness, the old man's relatively presentable formal attire, and the girl's tattered clothes. Also, although the girl was trying her best to help the old man, he was still very dissatisfied and kept shouting and cursing.

However, this level is clearly not enough to warrant meddling in other people's business.

But since it was a "question" raised by the professor, then
"It's easy to handle."

An said with great confidence.

Shortly after, in the exhibition hall.

A man with the air of a street thug staggered arrogantly toward Him and Mord.

Blake Hepburn, Grand Master of the Knights of the Guard.

Sometimes, Ritas was also very curious about how Blake, who came from a prestigious family and was not abandoned by his family, had developed such a "proper" hoodlum vibe.

"Are you alright, sir? You look like you're not feeling well."

Even though Black was wearing the Knights' uniform, Him and Mord still appeared very wary.

Seeing that his plan to play the role of a helpful and vigilant knight was not going to work, and feeling two sharp eyes staring at his back, Blake gritted his teeth and continued to try to get closer to Him.

When Blake pretended to recognize the old man before him as the famous painter who had disappeared from public view several years ago, claiming to be a ten-year fan, he even revealed his identity as the Grand Master of the Knights. Furthermore, he went on to boast that he chose Spring City as his base because he was moved by the paintings of Sir Himm.

As Him's tightly furrowed face relaxed like a chrysanthemum, and a joyful blush appeared on his pale face, he finally lowered his guard against Blake.

What evil intentions could the Grand Master of a knightly order possibly have?
Then, taking advantage of Mord's inattention, Black, who was not very good at fighting but was very good at small tricks, gave Sir Him a lightning-fast abdominal strike.

"Master Him! Master, what's wrong! Sigh... I told you before that you didn't look well. Where is he? Someone, quick, take Master Him to the treatment center."

Blake, pretending to help, gave Sir Him another nudge from an angle where Maud couldn't see him. Then, the guards rushed forward, grabbed Him, and carried him away from the exhibition hall in an instant.

"."

Is this the plan devised by the country's third princess?
Looking at Anne, who was making a peace sign in their direction not far away, Ritas and the Goddess of Bath were both speechless.

After a moment of stunned silence, Ritas remembered Mord, who was still left behind.

With her only support gone, Maud was overwhelmed by a flood of negative emotions, including panic, fear, and confusion. Already rarely interacting with others, she suddenly became photophobic and even felt like she was drowning.

It was at this moment that Ritas, who had already come to Mord's side, spoke softly.
"Miss."

Following the sound, Maud raised her head blankly. Her unfocused eyes gradually focused, and she saw clearly the person who was talking to her.

Seeing someone with wide-open eyes all of a sudden can be quite frightening. However, Mord, whose forehead was already covered in a fine layer of sweat, actually breathed a sigh of relief after looking Ritas over a few times.

"Ah, he's a friend of the teacher."

"?"

Ritas paused for a moment, then asked a few more simple questions.

Then, before Maud could utter the words "White Pope," he placed his hand in front of Maud's mouth.

"Huh? How did Maud recognize you?"

The goddess of bathing was also somewhat surprised.

Although Ritas's disguise as the "White Pope" was somewhat hasty and lacked effort, this haste was relative to the effort Ritas put in. Therefore, in the eyes of the Goddess of Bath, unless one was extremely familiar with Ritas, the "White Pope," whose voice, appearance, and even some aspects of his physique had been altered, should not have been recognized by ordinary people.

“You’ve already passed away, this isn’t the time to talk about this. Miss Maud, there’s no need to worry about Sir Himm; Earls Academy has some of the continent’s best physicians. As for Miss Maud, if you don’t mind, you can come with me to rest somewhere else and wait for your treatment to finish.”

Being recognized by Maud wasn't entirely a bad thing. At least, Maud wouldn't suddenly start making a scene and let the rumor that "Professor Elson openly abducted a girl" spread throughout the academy again.

"But the preliminary rounds."

Maud was not very willing.

Next, Ritas tried to persuade Maud, only to find the girl surprisingly stubborn. Professor Ritas, usually so adept at persuasion, had unexpectedly run into a wall with a young girl.

Just as Ritas was at a loss, Ann came to his side.

"Professor, leave the rest to me."

"no no."

Ritas, who couldn't possibly allow Captain Black to hit a young girl twice more, repeatedly refused.

"I only plan to accompany her to the preliminary rounds of the judging panel."

And so, Ritas also went to the academy's treatment center. Inside the exhibition hall, Ann and Mord were now holding hands, lining up to participate in the preliminary rounds.

Maud, who was in a daze, had no idea how things had turned out this way.

However, she looked up and glanced at the mask on An's face. She figured that since this older sister was the "White Pope," a friend of her teacher's friend, there shouldn't be any problems.

The older sister's hands were much warmer than the teacher's.

Moreover, she could also participate in the preliminary selection for the judging panel, which her teacher had instructed her to pass.

That's enough.

Inside the college's treatment center.

Ritas, who had been waiting for a long time in the empty corridor, watched as an inhuman figure in the ward gradually disappeared, and then a letter was pushed out from under the door.

Dr. Tree still doesn't like seeing people.

After opening the envelope and quickly reading the contents, Ritas fell into a deep thought.

"Indeed, Sir Himm is suffering from 'crystal lung disease'."

"Cryptospirosis?" The bath goddess, who could only ask the question as it came up, felt that she was ignorant and stupid.

She felt a pang of nostalgia for the days when Ritas would explain everything in scientific terms.

So, why did Xiaoli start slacking off?

Oh. It seems it's because she found it annoying.

"Simply put, it's a disease that occurs after inhaling excessive amounts of dust made from magic crystals. Patients with this disease will gradually develop crystals inside their bodies, and in the most severe cases, their entire lungs will become crystallized. Therefore, it is commonly known as 'crystal lung disease'. In fact, it's not just the lungs that will crystallize. Moreover, patients often don't even reach the stage of crystallized lung; when crystals appear in the blood vessels and cause blockages, it's basically already too late to save them."

"Whoa. Isn't magic crystal the energy source for those magical tools? So it's this dangerous?"

The goddess of bathing asked in surprise.

"If consumed in excess, most things in the world would be quite dangerous."

"That makes sense. But Professor Li, why did that old man consume an excessive amount of magic crystals?"

"You'd probably have to ask the person in question to know."

Ritas shook his head.
"Perhaps it's because there has always been a rumor that consuming magic crystals can grant the ability to use magic. In the past, when the modern magic system was not as perfect or complete, there were often people who would do anything to kill themselves in order to gain magical abilities. But now, 'crystal lung disease' is actually quite rare."

As Ritas continued to explain, the goddess of bathing fell silent.

If you were to ask Sir Heim, a traditional painter, why he suddenly desired magical abilities, even to the point of ruining his health by believing superstitious rumors, the answer would be obvious, judging from his resentment towards "Oddities."

"Xiao Li, you wouldn't be thinking of curing him, would you?"

After his first meeting with Sir Him, Ritas went to the infirmary to inquire about the symptoms from Doctor Tree. Previously, one could say Ritas was merely curious and wanted to verify his judgment. Now that the answer was clear, Ritas was still contemplating what to do next, and his intended actions were self-evident.

"Ah."

"So your way of thinking is really weird! He himself wants you to kill him, our goal is to find a way to rescue Maud, but... you're thinking about treating his illness?"

For a moment, the goddess of the bath was experiencing incredibly complex emotions. On one hand, Ritas was practically going against everyone. But on the other hand, she seemed to understand why Ritas was doing what he was doing.

"Well... although what I'm saying might not be of much use, the fact that this old man has become like this really isn't 'Yicai's' fault."

"Of course, that was entirely his own responsibility."

Ritas shook his head.
"I've probably said similar things before. My talent didn't just suddenly emerge in the last few days. So, similar things have been commonplace throughout my life. I won't take responsibility for other people's vulnerabilities."

As he spoke, some vivid scenes flashed through Ritas's mind.

For example, during his student years, the year he skipped a grade and transferred to the senior division.

One evening, by chance, Ritas discovered a girl crying in the almost empty classroom.

She was his classmate at the time, the top student in the advanced class. She was exceptionally talented, well-mannered, kind-hearted, and highly respected—imperfect in every way. She was almost unrealistically perfect. She also took good care of Ritas, hoping to help the skipped-grade student quickly integrate into the class.

The reason she was crying at that time was simply because of a magic practice class not long ago.

That student who skipped a grade did something she could never do with ease.

Despite the significant age difference between them, and the fact that the student who skipped a grade was encountering such complex magic for the first time, the other person had managed to do it, and further demonstrated a talent that she felt she could never achieve in her entire life.

That chief is not perfect either; he has flaws and a vulnerable side.

On this side, she ran headlong into a high wall that had never appeared in her knowledge before.

It was precisely because she had always set high standards for herself and devoted a great deal of effort to her studies that she was able to break down so completely at that moment.

"There's no need to compare yourself to him; he's a monster in human skin."

Beside the weeping CEO, her friend could only offer helpless comfort.

Ritas simply left silently.

From that moment on, he understood that even if he didn't actively touch others, what he possessed could still hurt those around him.

Since the chief's accusatory cries, the never-ending "monster" title, and the inexplicable "Elson phenomenon" did not truly hurt Ritas.

Therefore, the unchecked self-aggrandizement and self-destruction of a disillusioned painter are naturally even less likely to affect him.

While the goddess of bathing was lost in thought, Ritas simply produced two items that he had already prepared.

One thing is the blood mark of sin from the "Darkborn".

The other item is his research findings, which he has been working on since last semester.

From Melcy to Noah, Tabasha, White Cat, and most recently Seren.

In addition, there's the "two-way" observation, the "Dr. Elson," and the one-winged princess, which were only superficially observed.

Unbeknownst to him, Ritas had already come into contact with many Star Mark holders, and his theory had been completed to a certain extent.

However, one crucial step has always been missing.

Now, Ritas can be said to have finally waited for this moment.

He was a perfect experimental subject who, no matter how much he messed around, would not be complained about by anyone, and the goddess of bathing would not consider him out of line.

"To ensure the 'treatment' succeeds, besides asking Dr. Tree for help, we might also need to consult Chef Kenny. Even though they're colleagues at the academy, it's not appropriate to ask for their help without paying something in return. What we gain is merely the opportunity to 'behold' Sir Him's unbridled face after he's cured, a chance that feels somewhat underwhelming. Therefore, to make it more valuable..."

Ritas turned his gaze to the disc in his hand.
"Goddess of Bathing, could you invite that special 'believer' to come and observe?"

Late at night.

A stealthy figure appeared near the treatment center of Erles Academy.

"I'm sorry, Misri, I had to make you come over so late."

"Such words fill me with trepidation, Goddess of Bathing. I am willing to come to your aid at any time, whenever you call."

Misri Latras said with a smile.

It is unclear whether it was because of the human skin-like mask that covered the "Martyr" mark on her face, or for some other reason.

Misri, holding the white disc in both hands, looked rather like she was forcing a smile.

(End of this chapter)