Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 384 The Method of Leaving

"According to your analogy, that woman was like someone who opened a book and had words flying out of it, piercing her eyes and nearly piercing her brain?"

After a short while, the golden butterflies that had been surrounding Ritas gradually coalesced into the shape of Sophia.

"How did she do it?"

Sophia asked, puzzled.

She referred to "she" rather than "you." In other words, it was a leader of the "Darkborn" who created a puzzle that even the witch's disciple couldn't solve.

"A metaphor is a metaphor precisely because its content cannot be completely substituted into reality."

He glanced briefly at the sky, at the now-closed "peeping window." Ritas, with more pressing matters to attend to in the fairytale world, had no interest in continuing to satirize those who had already "left the stage."

He then glanced around at his surroundings.

It was already incredible that Little Ritas had managed to hold on until now, but he finally burned out completely. Having received some of the enhancement from the Golden Apple, his already damaged body was gradually dissipating into golden particles.

Despite the many strong factors influencing him, at the last moment, Little Ritas still chose the most correct option.

Therefore, Ritas also had to admit that the "Little Ritas" created by various circumstances was also "Ritas Elson".

As Ritas was lost in thought, Sophia arrived beside the dissipating little Ritas.

With her fingers, she seemed to be guiding the scattered golden particles, slowly tracing their paths in mid-air.

Under her guidance, the golden particles gradually coalesced into the shape of a butterfly. However, unlike the gold color when it was formed, the palm-sized butterfly quickly turned completely black.

"My magic is very compatible with this world."

Under Ritas's gaze, Sophia explained simply. The magic she spoke of was, of course, "recording magic."

Sophia poked the completely motionless black butterfly in her palm and handed it to Ritas.

Ritas, though unconvinced that his actions were pointless, didn't want to engage in a pointless argument with Sophia. So, as if using the black butterfly as a bookmark, he tucked it into the "Dorothy Bedtime Stories" he was holding.

He then turned his gaze to Cortrienne, who was also lying to the side, or rather, who had finally collapsed.

Recalling Cortriene's truly desperate attack, Ritas couldn't help but frown.

At that moment, Cortrienne, who had completely broken free from the constraints of the "Tin Man," no longer possessed the special powers that originated from the fairy tale world.

In other words, that attack, which had already crossed the boundaries of the world, was purely Cortrinie's own doing.
"What kind of logic or reason is it that you gain power simply by killing others?"

Sophia simply shrugged when faced with Ritas's questioning.

"In this day and age, where it is not allowed to carry weapons on the streets in many places, we are probably destined to be unable to understand those who still cling to the 'sword' so desperately."

"I don't think this is a matter of understanding or not."

Ritas shook his head, and after confirming that Cortriene had only lost consciousness, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"In short, since there are no other problems and we've gotten rid of the people who would have been in the way, let's take the final step and bring this fairytale world to a close."

"Ah."

With a calm smile, Sofia responded without the slightest wavering.

Instantly, the illusory book in Ritas's hand began to flip through its pages violently once more. Then, the book, about to unleash its remaining power, emitted a dazzling light.

But it was precisely at this moment
"Stop! No! Wait a minute! I told you to wait, you little bastard!!!"

With a hurried sound, the figures of the Goddess of Bath and others appeared in Ritas and Sophia's field of vision.

"This world is so small."

Soon after, seeing the Bathing Goddess and the others who had gathered, Ritas couldn't help but sigh.

It can only be said that after the "Wanderers" forcibly shrank the outer part of the void, the overall size of the fairy tale world has indeed become so small that Ritas has nowhere to escape or hide.

Looking at Millie, who was perched on the other side of a small island that seemed to float in the void, using her remaining strength to propel the "flatboat" to bring everyone before her, Ritas frowned and stared at her intently.

Normally, being glared at like that by the professor would have made Millie tremble with fear. But now, she simply glared back sharply.

"."

After an awkward silence, Ritas spoke again.
"As you can see, the final obstacle has been removed. So, all you need to do now is wait for this world to dissipate, and then return to your own worlds."

At this point, Ritas seemed to realize that his earlier act of deliberately teleporting to the edge of the world was somewhat suspicious, and added,

"Since you want to witness it with your own eyes, I have no objection. After all, you've been trapped here for so long, you must want to see the end of this world clearly."

".Xiao Li".

Looking at Ritas, who seemed no different from usual, the Goddess of Bath merely shifted slightly, her soul-form body... well, that long, cloud-like shape...

"Based on my experience, you're definitely telling the truth. Or rather, there's no point in lying to us now. However, you seem to have omitted some information. So, can you tell me how you plan to leave here?"

Although the goddess of the bath now has a somewhat ridiculous appearance, everyone present could sense the seriousness in her tone.

"."

Ritas fell silent again and slowly closed his eyes.

The moment Ritas opened his eyes again, he resolutely made the book in his hand shine brightly once more, shaking away Millie, Charlotte, and the Goddess of Bath who had surrounded him, and creating a golden protective barrier that completely separated him, Sophia, and the others.

It is clear that Ritas intends to forcefully carry out the "final step".

"Huh?" "Xiao Li! You, you, you, you!"

At this critical moment, unlike the other two, Xia Luoluo turned to persuade Sophia.

"Mother!!!"

A cry, more powerful than anything else, rang out.
"Come here! Don't turn around, don't look at that guy Ritas, just come here!"

Listening to Xia Luoluo's words, it seemed less like she was speaking to her mother and more like she was speaking to a child who was standing next to a bad guy or a wild beast that she couldn't provoke.

This child is really interesting.
Sophia, her face beaming with delight, took a few steps to the side and stepped out of the golden protective barrier.

"Dragging it out will only increase the sadness!"

Seeing Sophia's actions, Ritas's face flashed with disbelief for a moment, and then he tried to call Sophia back with a stern voice.

"But at least we should listen to see if they have any better ideas. Besides, I prefer a child who calls me 'Mom' directly to a child who isn't honest. Of course, it's not too late now; you can call her more often than she does. Maybe then I'll change my mind."

Sofia said this with a hint of sarcasm.

She looked at Xia Luoluo, whose face was full of anxiety, and felt a mix of emotions.

Although her only biological daughter is now speaking to her in every way, those words are less for her and more for the person still inside the protective barrier.

"tsk"

Seeing that Sofia had "betrayed" him, Ritas, unable to continue his plan, could only helplessly close the book in his hands.

Facing the pairs of eyes staring at him with annoyance, Ritas simply sighed. "Finally, I've resigned myself to my fate. Little Ritas, stop thinking about all that nonsense and honestly tell me from beginning to end what exactly is happening in this fairy tale world!"

They had finally "caught" Ritas's girls, who "surrounded" Ritas to prevent him from doing anything suspicious.

Ritas didn't know why he had ended up being treated like a suspect.

But at this moment, feeling somewhat exhausted, he casually used some of his carefully stored power to expand the ground beneath his feet.

In the pavilion-like building that Ritas casually built, everyone who had been drawn into the fairy tale world gathered together.

"To explain the current situation clearly, we would have to go back a long time and talk about it for a long time."

"If you're so capable, start your explanation from the Big Bang!"

The goddess of bathing said viciously, wishing she could grow a bunch of arms and legs on her soul so she could give Ritas a back throw.

Nearby, Charlotte and Sophia were also talking.

"So, you're finally willing to admit that you're Sofia Elson?"

"No, I'm just a Butterfly Mask passing by."

"You'd better hurry up."

Charlotte, who had previously reacted strongly to the term "Mom" and whose mask had disappeared, seemed quite exhausted as she spoke, wondering what Sophia was still stubbornly clinging to.

Charlotte, who was standing there, suddenly sensed that Sophia was getting restless.

Although Xia Luoluo has some shortcomings, her figure is quite upright. She has already surpassed her mother.

So she found a seat in the pavilion and sat down. Sophia's eyes lit up immediately, and she successfully went around behind Charlotte and began to fidget with Charlotte's perpetually messy golden curls.

"Let's leave the Big Bang aside. However, we might indeed need to start by telling the story from the essence of the world. Xia Luoluo, please cover your ears for now."

"Why!"

While Sophia was combing her hair, Xia Luoluo felt a mix of nostalgia, shyness, unease, and reassurance. When her name was called, she protested rather discontentedly.

Ritas didn't mean to exclude Xia Luoluo, but he felt that there were some things that Xia Luoluo should not know.

Regarding matters related to the "Primordial," the Goddess of Bath is, frankly, beyond saving. Considering Millie's unique circumstances and future, she is destined not to avoid these issues. As for Wayne, she herself is incredibly close to the "Primordial."

So, really!

It really wasn't exclusion.

Unfortunately, Ritas's good intentions were not appreciated.

"Since you insist on listening, and you end up in danger because you've futilely acquired some untouchable knowledge, don't blame me for it."

"What nonsense are you spouting? It's all your fault! It's all your fault!!!"

"Alright, whatever. Before we begin the formal explanation, let me ask you a question. What you saw in the snow-capped mountains—whether real or unreal—do you think those things happened in the past or the future?"

Following a mentor's habit, Ritas chose a question-and-answer format to get to the point.

Aside from Wayne, who was completely clueless about what Ritas was asking and therefore unable to answer, and Sophia, who didn't need to answer, the other three "girls" all thought carefully before answering "the future."

After all, that world has Alan and Sylvie, who have grown up and are now middle-aged. So, it must be a future world no matter how you look at it.

"If we consider it from the perspective of absolute time, those scenes are actually 'the past'."

In the following time, Ritas slowly recounted the hidden "truth" of this world.

"It's like the reset or reincarnation you've experienced. Our real world, after being destroyed at one point, reset back to a certain point in time. And we can't consider this a special phenomenon, or a first or last time. So, essentially, the real world we live in is a world that constantly cycles within a certain timeframe."

"!"

Of all those present, only Xia Luoluo showed an expression of utter shock.

As for the goddess of bathing, she was not surprised by such a "setting" and also thought of the "Star Pattern" game that could be restarted repeatedly.

Millie and Wayne, on the other hand, had a vague sense of these things.

"And perhaps it wasn't intentional. But the power of 'originality' has the ability to reveal the essence of the world. Like the fairy tale world we are in now, it is not actually generated out of thin air, but is formed by taking a part of the real world. Therefore, the various rules that are effective in the real world, except for those that have been deliberately modified or affected, will basically still work in the fairy tale world."

"At the same time, although the events that happened in the past cycles have now been reset, it seems that things that have happened cannot be easily and completely erased. Therefore, the world itself also has 'memory'. Then, after the primordial power intercepted a part of the world, the memories that it carried, which did not belong to this cycle, could also be reproduced to some extent."

In the world of fairy tales, including Little Ritas, there are many fantastical beings who are virtually indistinguishable from "real people".

The reason why Sofia, who is merely a "record," can come alive in this world is because of this.

The scene of the previous cycle that should never have existed, that has already been destroyed.

All of this is because the world itself records what has truly happened under this sky and on this earth.

"But perhaps it's because they don't want the true nature of the world to be exposed, or perhaps it's for other reasons."

For example, with repeated cycles of reincarnation, the same events could become incredibly solidified, accumulating like energy. The "primordial" entity, capable of directly capturing a portion of the world, would gain more power due to the world's inherent "high quality."

"In short, there are clearly some forces that do not wish for the existence of the 'Primordial One.' This has led to the 'Primordial One' having to hide itself in an extremely drastic way in the world."

"The power of the 'Primordial Ones' is beyond doubt. Legend has it that even the endless magical particles that permeate the world originated from the body of a primordial being who perished. And the existence that even the mighty Primordial Ones fear must be an absolute power that is utterly insurmountable."

Unlike when he still needed to organize his thoughts, Ritas only needed to state the conclusions he had already deduced, and in a short time he basically explained the situation they were facing.

"And the 'Fairy Tale World,' which is Wayne's original power, is probably a kind of 'nurturing' power. Its purpose is to 'condense' a reliable being from it, who can protect her and is the complete embodiment of her original power."

"In other words, once the 'script' of the fairy tale world is completed and the 'nurturing' ends, the beings who embody the primordial power will be directly exposed in a world that absolutely forbids the existence of the primordial, and will face the annihilation of absolute power. And we, who are related to it, may also face annihilation."

"However, if the 'script' is never completed, this world certainly cannot last long. And with the destruction of the fairy tale world, those of us who did not have time to leave it will probably perish along with it."

"Therefore, from the moment we were drawn into this world, we faced a deadly situation where, whether we moved forward or backward, there were bottomless cliffs on both sides."

At this point, it wasn't just Xia Luoluo who had already looked unwell. Everyone's expression was either solemn or worried.

"Xiao Li, you must have a way, right!"

At this moment, the Goddess of Bath and the others finally understood. Why, ever since they woke up in the fairy tale world, Ritas had been doing things that were incomprehensible and unrelated to the fairy tale world itself, always remaining detached from the whole, in such a strange state.

Compared to being directly erased by an indescribable, terrifying being, that blood-red, foolish woman was nothing more than a minor ailment.

"So, Xiao Li, how exactly did you plan to get out of this situation?!"

Seeing that Ritas had fallen silent again, the goddess of bathing pressed for an answer.

Meanwhile, Sophia, who had successfully combed Charlotte's hair neatly while speaking, responded with a smile, replacing the somewhat speechless Ritas.

"No, it's us. We intend to concentrate all the power related to the primordial into me. And, as far as possible, sever all ties with you. Then, at the moment of leaving the fairy tale world, let me unleash an even brighter 'light' to trigger and unleash those destructive means against the 'primordial.' So that we can cover up and hide the things that truly need protection."

In an instant, everyone except Ritas turned their gaze to Sophia.

Then, along with her gaze, he slowly shifted back to Ritas, whose inner world was anything but as calm as his outward appearance.

(End of this chapter)