Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 424 The Stone Whisperer

"'The Stone Whisperer'? Really?"

Faith, who was maintaining the prism barrier, couldn't help but let out a surprised sound.

At this point, the light red-haired youth, whose true nature had been almost completely revealed, didn't seem to be questioning the veracity of Ritas's words. Rather, he was surprised by the sheer magnitude of the other party's background.

The "Stone Whisperers" that Ritas and Faith mentioned are a special, secretive organization known only to those with considerable influence in the magical world.

The origin of the Stone Whisperer is the "labyrinth".

Currently, almost all the labyrinths on the mainland have been confirmed to be a special kind of giant life form. Because of the inherent nature of labyrinths, they ultimately provoke the desires of those who enter, leading them to hunt them. Therefore, due to their inherent danger, only beginner and intermediate labyrinths are openly permitted to exist on the mainland.

If we exclude the first semester, which John forcibly created the maze, the records of the Maze Management Council indicate that no advanced mazes have appeared on the continent for fifty years.

But this is only what's on the surface.

In fact, there exists a unique, specially designed maze in the world that is permitted to exist.

One of the ten labyrinths that the "Thoroughbred" Ominas cultivated for his research, named the "Secret Path," is now a top-tier labyrinth located underground in the far north of the continent.

Legend has it that the interior of the Secret Path Maze is like an independent world.

The first and second levels of the Secret Path Maze, open to those who know about it, are jointly managed by the "Thoroughbreds," the "Adventurers' Guild," and the "Maze Management Council," which spans the entire continent and encompasses almost all countries.

As for the third level and above, it is rumored that the people responsible for guarding those areas are the "Stone Whispers".

It is precisely because of the Stone Whisperers' unique nature that they almost never appear outside the Secret Path Labyrinth. Furthermore, although not definitively confirmed, the Stone Whisperers are generally believed to be the guard force of the "Thoroughbreds," one of the Four Sages.

"Hey, what did you do to provoke the 'Stone Whisperer'? Did you go tomb raiding in the Secret Path Maze?"

With an expression still of disbelief, Faith asked again.

As he asked his question, the Stone Whisperer, wielding twin hammers, continued to frantically pound on his Prism Barrier. The violent shockwaves had already knocked down the outer wall of the Ritas mansion and created huge cracks in the ground. However, the Prism Barrier remained completely unmoved.

Faith's protective magic appears to consist of only one layer of shield. However, its actual method is quite similar to Ritas's protective magic, and its complexity far surpasses that of Ritas's.

Both of their protective spells are based on a system where the most basic protective spell is constructed using magical particles, and then a larger amount of protective spells are used to build up a more robust protective spell.

However, Faith incorporated an astonishing amount of "compression" into these magical processes. This resulted in the basic spells being compressed to a level similar to magical particles, practically invisible to the naked eye. Furthermore, he used these extremely compressed protective spells as if they were magical particles, constructing a shield of unimaginable strength.

Moreover, Faith's protective magic, like Ritas's, can be quickly repaired even if several layers are broken. However, these processes are also completed in a miniature world that is basically imperceptible to the naked eye. Therefore, his purple prism remains completely undamaged no matter what kind of impact it encounters.

While calling her "the last practical mage of peacetime" might be an exaggeration, there's no doubt that Faith was an extremely powerful mage.

"I haven't provoked them."

Perhaps because Faith was putting in a lot of effort to activate his shield, Ritas, who initially seemed reluctant to engage with him, gave a brief reply.

"It wasn't you. Then it must be the director who went out and caused trouble again."

The "director" Faith refers to is clearly Ritas's teacher, Livis.

Ritas, however, remained perplexed. Since the academy exchange meeting, in order to maintain the World Tree space that had already descended, Livis had to remain at the academy and hadn't had time to provoke the "Stone Whisperers." Furthermore, if the "Stone Whisperers" were truly the guards of the "Thoroughbred," they shouldn't have stooped so low as to seek revenge on their disciple when they couldn't gain an advantage over their teacher.

However, his teacher was like that. So he wasn't quite sure whether what he was experiencing could be explained by logic and common sense.

The conversation between the two did not last long. In other words, the Stone Speaker, wielding two hammers, did not linger for long with the Prism Barrier.

In that brief moment, the Twin Thresh Stone Speaker realized that he couldn't break his opponent's shield on his own in a short time.

So, after jumping back several times and creating distance between himself and Ritas and Faith, he put his finger to his lips and whistled a few times.

Shadowy figures gradually appeared around the Ritas mansion after the whistle sounded.

The flying stones, which had stopped for a moment, started coming from all directions again.

However, this time, only six stone pillars flew in. Moreover, these pillars did not seem to be targeting Ritas and Faith; they were far removed from their intended targets.

The stone pillar was inserted diagonally into the ground, and its slightly shattered outer layer revealed the jet-black ore.

After the stone pillars were quickly erected, two stone whisperers, also dressed in gray, followed each pillar and began chanting.

A series of obscure and incomprehensible sounds quickly echoed throughout the area. Only at this moment did Ritas and Faith realize what the other was trying to do.

Based on and encompassing six stone pillars, the Stone Whisperers are conducting something akin to a ritual.

In an instant, a "sizzling" sound filled the stone pillar formation.

Meanwhile, Faith's solid prism barrier gradually dissipated with a tremor.

"This is... a magic-suppressing magnetic field? The Stone Speaker is actually using something like this? This is bad, Ritas!"

Faith, who had been so composed just moments before, immediately panicked.
"Even if I'm a practical mage, what can I do if I can't use magic? I've got it! Let's kneel down and beg for mercy together! Today, as a senior, I'll teach you another trick. My kneeling is absolutely the most standard in the whole world, so follow me, and you'll definitely be able to perfectly resolve this crisis!"

As Faith spoke, she prepared to throw down her wand and leap to the ground.

Although he already knew the other person had this kind of personality, hearing such words in this situation still made Ritas feel a long-lost itch in his back teeth.
"Don't worry about the magic ban, use the protective spell again!"

Ritas shouted as he swiftly drew a lantern from his waist.

As the lantern began to emit wisps of white mist, filling the surrounding area, Faith, who had sensed the complete disruption of the surrounding magical particles, felt a surge of energy and immediately activated the purple prism shield again.

Meanwhile, the Twin Hammer Stone Speaker, who had just finished presiding over the anti-magic stone array and was about to rush over to attack, had his attack land squarely on the indestructible shield.

"!"

Besides the ferocity, anger, and hatred that had always been on the young man's face, Ritas also saw a hint of madness on his face at this moment.

"What's going on! First the ban on magic, then the anti-ban on magic? I've only been away from Ers for a few years. No, no, leaving Ers doesn't mean I've left civilized society or the magical world. How come I'm completely unable to understand these technological changes?"

Faith, who had raised her shield again, tilted her head slightly, looking confused. It was unclear whether she was asking Ritas or talking to herself.

"Wait a minute. It seems like our responsibilities are reversed?"

Although Faith's mouth was a bit big, it wasn't enough to expose Ritas's magical weaknesses in front of a clear opponent. So, she simply asked in a rather vague way whether Ritas should raise his shield so she could retaliate.

"Wasn't it you who insisted on activating the shield!" "Aha... I think that's how it happened."

"."

As always, the goddess of the bath, who would not disturb Ritas in crucial moments, is still in a state of confusion.

She didn't know why Faith suddenly appeared around the Ritas mansion, why she knew Ritas, or why she had turned into a man!
They had no idea what this "Stone Whisperer" was.

However, she could sense that Faith seemed to be very special to Ritas.

Ritas's obvious excitement might be commonplace in Faith's eyes, but it was quite novel to the goddess of the bath.

On the other side, the expression of the Twin Hammer Stone Speaker became even more ferocious.

Two unknown mages actually managed to withstand their "Stone Whisperers".
Rather than being surprised, he seemed to have become even more determined about something. After stepping back a distance, he began to direct the other Stone Speakers with his whistle.

"Now's the time, let's switch formations! They look like they're serious!"

Faith, who seemed nonchalant but was actually taking the battle very seriously, gave instructions.

As the purple prism barrier disappeared, Ritas's magical barrier took its place as their protective measure.

Meanwhile, Ritas, who had already drawn a wand resembling an ancient vine from his waist, had an uncertain expression.

He was unsure whether he should use this special "magic" on the Stone Whisperer.

It wasn't that he was concerned about the Stone Speakers' power, or that he was soft-hearted. No matter who the opponent was, from the moment they attacked him, he had no intention of holding back.

However, this is different from using it against an opponent like the Doomsday Organization, who lies beneath the surface. Using it on the Stone Whisperer, if not handled properly, could very well result in him being exiled by the magical world, or even the world above the surface.

Just as the two sides were about to clash again, a figure arrived late, saving Ritas from further trouble.

"Little Li! That's in the sky!"

Reminded by the goddess of bathing, Ritas looked up at the sky and his expression tightened.

In the sky, a rather enormous outline was visible.

It has six jet-black wings, which flutter slowly in a slightly strange manner, like seaweed in an ocean current.

At the center of the six black wings, on the back of the body, was a rather young-looking black-haired woman.

The black-haired woman, who completely obscured the full moon in the sky, was also dressed in the gray robes of a "Stone Whisperer." Moreover, the design of the emblems on her gray robes was noticeably more complex and exquisite than those of other Stone Whisperers, such as the Twin Hammer Stone Whisperers.

Ritas had never actually met this woman. However, based on her physical characteristics and rumors, he could basically guess her identity.

As the maze evolves, powerful individuals will emerge within it.

The leader-level monsters that can be born in advanced dungeons are a catastrophe for the world once they leave the dungeon. Not to mention the supreme-level individuals, the "King of the Dungeon," which can only be bred in special-grade dungeons and has even nearly changed the history of the continent.

As the only special-grade maze in the world, the Secret Path Maze naturally has its own "King of Mazes".

Although the "Thoroughbreds" have never publicly revealed the existence and identity of the Labyrinth King, based on the testimony of a tree witch who visited the Secret Path Labyrinth, it can be almost certainly determined that the Labyrinth King is none other than Chloe, the "Abyss Gatekeeper" among the "Stone Whisperers" responsible for guarding the deepest part of the Secret Path.

"That is."

Looking up at the sky, as if she had become the only gatekeeper of the abyss in the Milky Way, Faith couldn't help but be slightly lost in thought.

"She is not an opponent we can handle."

Ritas, whose expression instantly returned to complete composure, said this.

Faith and Ritas exchanged a glance, knowing each other's intentions in unison.

In the next instant, both above and below the sky began to move simultaneously.

Countless black feathers appeared around the gatekeeper of the abyss, and then those black feathers transformed into thin, long black needles shaped like sewing needles, which poured down like a torrential rain.

At the same moment, the white mist from the lanterns suddenly burst and spread, and Faith caused a large amount of ice crystals to fill the inside. At the same time, a white disc under their feet was spinning and lit up with white fluorescence.

After a moment of outburst, silence followed.

The black-winged girl Chloe, who was slowly descending from the sky, frowned and looked at the thirteen Stone Speakers who were pinned to the ground like hedgehogs with sharp quills.

"I'm very sorry, Coach Elson."

Throughout the entire ordeal, Chloe, who hadn't allowed a single black feather to strike Ritas and Faith, expressed her apologies to the area where the ice mist was gradually dissipating.

But before she could finish speaking, she discovered that the place was already empty.

"?"

Just as Chloe was confused, a series of chaotic noises suddenly arose around her.

Then, Blake Hepburn, the captain of the Spring City Guard Knights, arrived at the scene with a group of knights, looking quite menacing.

Although he was obviously late, to be fair, his arrival was actually quite timely.

Normally, given the Knights Guard's lax work ethic, Captain Black wouldn't have cared much about an explosion anywhere in Spring City. However, upon discovering that the commotion originated in the northern suburbs, and seemingly in the home of a powerful figure the Knights Guard absolutely couldn't afford to offend, his face nearly turned green, and he immediately led his men over.

If they don't act quickly, and wait until their ancestors send out the signal flare, they'll be facing a court case!
"Guardian Knights! What on earth is going on here?!"

In front of the Ritas mansion, Blake introduced himself and looked around at the current situation, scratching his head in bewilderment.

The good news is that our ancestor is no longer here; the bad news is that the walls of his residence have been demolished.

Feeling his head was about to explode, he turned around and could only focus his gaze on Chloe, the only person standing there.

"Alright, let's talk about this back at the Knights' headquarters! Although I don't know if you're at a masquerade ball or what, I'm warning you, confess and you'll be treated leniently, resist and you'll be punished severely! Take me away!"

""

And so, not long after, Chloe, her wrists handcuffed and looking bewildered, was led back to the knights' camp by the group of knights who muttered, "Your wings are pretty realistic."
(End of this chapter)