Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 381 The Legend of the Holy Sword

As the teleportation magic circle lit up, the few remaining people in the fairy tale world gathered on the last piece of "paradise".

Ignoring the immediate cries of "Whoa! What's going on now!", Ritas merely stared warily at the dark void surrounding them.

The fairytale world as a whole isn't very large. Even if you add up all six areas, it's probably only about the size of the entire Western Region.

Even so, the fact that it has been destroyed to the point where only a courtyard remains is truly an exaggeration.

Apart from that snow-capped mountain area, almost all other areas were destroyed by Cortrienne, or rather, by the "Tin Man".

"."

Ritas's expression was extremely solemn.

Although there were many twists and turns in the process, and the course of events differed greatly from what was expected, the outcome of obtaining the remaining access to the fairy tale world was not much different from what Ritas had predicted.

Once, in order to save her seriously ill mother, Wayne signed a contract with the "Wanderers".

The specific details of the contract are unknown, but its actual effect is that the wanderer can live on Wayne like a parasite, constantly drawing power from her.

This phenomenon is also fully reflected in the fairy tale world created by Wayne. As a result, wanderers also possess powerful authority in this world.

Furthermore, because such events occurred in the past, and were "outside the world," Ritas and others within the world had absolutely no way to change these already manifested outcomes.

However, the person being parasitized was only Wayne, not her power itself.

Therefore, as long as we can find a way to obtain all the power about the fairy tale world from Wayne, we can use a rather roundabout method to kick the wanderers out of the game.

The biggest obstacle to completing this circuitous route is that, theoretically, Ritas cannot acquire the corresponding power without completing the "script" of the fairy tale world. However, completing the script would lead to contamination and parasitism by the Wanderers, potentially replacing Vain as they continue to be controlled by them.

Moreover, the fairytale world might disappear the moment the script is completed, having fulfilled its mission. If Ritas's prediction comes true, as a manifestation of "primordial power," they, in a world where the "primordial" is not allowed to exist, might face annihilation.

In other words, Ritas needs a delicate balance, keeping the script somewhere between "complete" and "incomplete." Then, he needs to gain Wayne's approval to obtain her power.

Ritas's focus in this delicate balance is on the initial one hundred golden apples.

In fairy tales, the golden apple is the greatest asset to the "protagonist." Possessing immense power, it can even reshape the world to some extent.

Therefore, although a hundred apples is a lot, people who rely on the power of the golden apples will inevitably think, "What will we do when we run out of apples?"

Ritas felt the same way, but unlike his concern about running out of golden apples, he was simply curious about what would happen after they were used up.

Imagine giving a hunter ten arrows and asking him to go hunting. If he runs out of arrows and still hasn't reached his initial goal, there are roughly two possible outcomes.

One method requires hunters to venture deep into the dense forest, even unarmed, to continue hunting and achieve their objective.

The other is "settlement".

Regardless of the hunter's outcome or whether the objective was achieved, the hunting activity comes to a close. Furthermore, appropriate scores and evaluations are given.

Ritas couldn't accurately predict the final outcome once all one hundred golden apples were consumed.

The only possible reference point is to apply it to the previous "hunting" scenario. If the golden apple part is due to the wanderer's will, she would undoubtedly be the "first type." But if it's due to Wayne's will, then this fairytale world might have a third ending—a "settlement"—beyond "completion" and "failure."

So Ritas began to consume the golden apples.

In reality, it's not a big deal if the golden apples are all used up. Because they are an "external force," they are extra gifts that don't come with you and won't leave with you.

However, the difficulty lies in the fact that once people learn of the immense power of the golden apple and understand that it can be used to save their lives, it's hard for them to view this power objectively. They simply believe that the depletion of the golden apple signifies the end of the world.

Furthermore, Ritas needed to reserve a sufficient number of Golden Apples for the Bathing Goddess and others who lacked the ability to protect themselves. Also, some of the Golden Apples had been taken by the Wanderers.

So, it wasn't until the golden apple tree fell and the goddess of the bath and the others were taken to safety that Ritas, who was also on the tower, saw the wanderer who had shown himself. He judged that the wanderer had run out of tricks and had exhausted the golden apples he had picked before he began his final action.

Although the goal is to settle accounts midway, it's still impossible to completely skip completing any "tasks." Otherwise, there's no way to expect "evaluation" and corresponding rewards.

Fortunately, the goddess of bathing, using Ritas's body, conquered the "Pigeon" area. From the perspective of the fairy tale storyline, she released a quarter of Vain's soul.

With this achievement as a foundation, combined with Wayne's recognition of Ritas, and the "oath" they exchanged, and the fact that the world's scale is constantly shrinking, the overall power is decreasing, but the corresponding resistance is also decreasing.

With all these factors combined, at the moment when the golden apple was completely exhausted, Ritas officially obtained the "script" that could rewrite the fairy tale world.

Having finally gained the power to control everything, Ritas originally intended to bypass Cortelene and bring the entire fairy tale world to an end in a unique way that was neither a success nor a failure.

But now it seems he has to face the biggest variable in this incident for all parties involved.

It wasn't out of moral considerations.

However, Ritas could not simply bring Cortriene, who was completely out of control and like a walking calamity, back to her original world.

"Hehehehehehehehe—It's come to this. None of you can escape this hell!!!"

The long-lost roar once again echoed in the fairy tale world that could now be seen in its entirety at a glance.

"You're still here."

The goddess of bathing, floating in the sky, raised her head and looked at the wanderer staring intently into the world. Even her previous annoyance subsided a little, and she began to feel sorry for him.

In fact, the wanderers weren't exactly quiet before.

However, everyone in the fairy tale world has more important things to focus on and no time to pay attention to her.

At the time, the Wanderer was filled with impotent rage as she watched Wayne completely hand over all the power of the fairy tale world to Ritas. But if anger were useful, she wouldn't look so ridiculous now.

"At least in these final moments, let me offer my sincere prayers for you all!"

A pious expression appeared on the wanderer's face, but the ferocity could not be completely concealed for the time being.

"."

Ritas frowned and looked up at the sky.

The Wanderer is clearly doing something, but what means does she have left to interfere with the fairy tale world?

Before Ritas could remain puzzled for long, the answer was presented to him.

Suddenly, the void surrounding the ultimate paradise shrank, and the outline of the entire world was rapidly distorted and reduced.

Then, with a loud roar.

Cortriene, who was originally in the outer void, was "spinned" along with her greatsword into the last remaining space of the fairy tale world. Although the wanderer could no longer reach the fairy tale world itself, the "outer" space remained accessible.

"It was truly repulsive until the very end."

Ritas couldn't help but stare at the wanderer who was still far away in the sky.

On the wanderer's enormous face, his bright red lips curved into a cruel arc.

"Although you've always been a disobedient child, I will never abandon you—so, unleash the darkness within you! Devour everything you see!"

The wanderer, already convinced of his inevitable "failure," roared fervently at Cortriene.

In this final moment, the "Tin Man" finally did what she had always hoped for!

"Hey! Are you even listening, Kurt?! She's saying things like that! How long are you going to let herself be manipulated like that?!"

Charlotte roared at Corteline in a fit of rage.

But Cortrienne simply straightened up and walked to where her swords lay scattered.

"Kurt!"

Amid Charlotte's cries of pain and indignation, Ritas was assessing the remaining strength of his forces.

Among the powerful forces, Sophia transformed into a butterfly, while only half of Little Ritas remained, barely clinging to life.

As for the others, Wayne, who had entrusted her power to him, was already unreliable, and the Goddess of Bath had transformed into a white snake flying in the sky. As for Charlotte, she was ultimately just Charlotte.

Taking a deep breath, Ritas placed his hand on Millie's shoulder.

"."

Turning her head, Millie's gaze towards her "teacher," who stood to her side, was clearer, purer, and more sincere than ever before. But...
"As I said before, you are already a reliable companion outside the academy. Therefore, I will entrust all my strength to you."

However, it is clearly ineffective.

"Eh--?"

Millie couldn't help but let out a sound of extreme panic.

The professor can't use offensive magic, right? Not all offensive methods!
In the final moments of the battle, Millie, who was secretly cursing Ritas, didn't feel much tension.

Shaking her head to clear her mind of unnecessary thoughts, Millie focused on facing her opponent not far away.

Perhaps because she had so many companions behind her, Millie's breathing remained steady even when facing an opponent whose fear was deeply ingrained in her heart.

She was even a little distracted.

Because she seemed to realize that the power Ritas had been using in the fairy tale world was actually something similar to magic. That's why he couldn't use offensive methods.

In a way, this characteristic of the professor is practically a testing instrument!
Although Millie still doesn't quite understand what the commonalities between different forces in different worlds represent, and what she can learn from them, after nearly a year of training, Millie, who can now think like a mage, has planted this information as a seed in her sea of ​​knowledge.

On the other side, Xia Luoluo was also fighting hard.

Although the greatsword itself cannot be made heavier, other things can be piled on top of it.

Therefore, Charlotte tried her best to use her ice elemental magic to freeze the greatsword and its surroundings firmly to the ground.

The reason she didn't directly attack Cortriene with magic wasn't because she couldn't bring herself to do it. Rather, attacking Cortriene with magic of this level in her current state wouldn't even make her flinch, and wouldn't even buy her any time.

During the time Charlotte bought him, Ritas calmly gathered all the golden particles from the fairy tale world, which then coalesced into a golden anvil and several hammers of varying sizes in front of him.

"Millie, do you remember why you came to the West with us?"

Millie paused slightly at Ritas's somewhat untimely question.

To be honest, this is indeed an unsolved mystery.

When Ritas and others went home to visit their families, why did Miriam end up among them?
Millie, who had completely overlooked this seemingly good thing because so much had happened, began to seriously recall it.

Her mind was still shrouded in a mist. But within that haze, she was gradually able to see things clearly.

That was back when Erles Higher Magic Academy was still in session, before the winter break had officially begun.

In reality, because the entire academy had become like that, those who remained after the academy's exchange meeting basically adopted a laissez-faire attitude.

During this time, Miriam was constantly troubled and conflicted, and even had trouble sleeping at night.

Then, one day, as if he had made up his mind, he went to Ritas's office.

"The Holy Sword, Kaom?"

After some rather pointless conversation, Miriam got straight to the point.

Ritas looked at the ancient longsword on his desk with a slightly surprised expression.

Ritas wasn't unfamiliar with holy swords. In his previous antique collection, he had at least ten holy swords whose names he could name.

Although they are all fakes.

"cough"

In short, what surprised Ritas was not the Holy Sword Kaom itself. Rather, it was that the student, who had always preferred to act alone, tried to solve everything on his own, and kept a lot of things from him, was now actually asking him for help.

After a moment's thought, Ritas didn't say anything sarcastic or mocking. Instead, he earnestly began to recount what he knew about the "Holy Sword."

"Do you know the legend of 'Saint Marenu,' Miriam student? If we limit it to the western region of the Holy Kingdom of Libera, it's a story that practically everyone knows."

In the fairy tale world, Millie snaps out of her brief daze.

She remembered almost everything.

The reason she came to the Westerlands in the first place was not because Ritas insisted on taking her, but because she took the initiative to ask the professor to take her with him.

Because she wanted to learn about the deeds of the first owner of the legendary holy sword Kaum, the "Saint Marenu".

(End of this chapter)