Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 54-Awakening
"I know that the inside of that thorn maze must be very dangerous. I also know that if it were just me, I would not be able to do anything and would not be able to do anything well."

"But, I can really feel the feeling of drowning. That senior student definitely doesn't want that. But all she has now is loneliness and helplessness. Even though she knows she is losing control, she can't do anything. In the end, she can only let herself slide into the abyss."

"She really, really needs a little light in the darkness, just a little help, so she can stop hurting others and stop turning the place she is in into a hell."

"I, I also want to say that to her."

"'You didn't do anything wrong'."

Merci expressed her wishes to Ritas and the Bathing Goddess intermittently.

The green-haired girl who seemed to be destroying everything around her was actually feeling fear more deeply than anything else.

Because she had experienced similar things, Mercy could personally understand her feelings and her situation.

Similarly, only Merci knew best what kind of redemption she would get when her star pattern was stopped from running wild.

However, all Mercy got in response to her words was a long silence.

On the way to the academy, Ritas stopped, holding the disc in his hand and listening to the goddess of bathing's retelling.

For Ritas, the answer to what Merci should do next is really simple.

Just hide.

Things will be resolved on their own.

Just as he always believed that even if there was a crisis that really concerned the destruction of the world, it was not the turn of Miriam and other students to solve it. Now, what Mercy was facing was also not a situation that needed to be solved by one student.

But when will the “adults” who can solve the problem arrive?

"Um. Professor Kosato?"

In fact, the Bathing Goddess understood the atmosphere and knew that now was not the time to rush.

However, time waits for no one, so she could only bite the bullet and speak carefully.

"Bath Goddess, I am not a qualified mentor."

Ritas said in a low voice.

Although he has always been self-aware, this is the first time he has confided such words to others.

"So now I don't know how to make a decision. Should I support my student and do something that is right but involves risks? Or should I ignore her will and just let her do what I think is reasonable, driving her to make a choice that she may regret in the future?"

No matter how strong Merci's will was, as long as Ritas persuaded her, she would most likely obey. Therefore, Merci actually gave her right to choose to Ritas.

This is an absolute trust.

Only after truly shouldering this trust did Ritas feel how heavy it was.

If the person standing in front of the thorn maze was Ritas, not to mention being troubled, there would be no so-called options in front of him. A few months ago, Ritas probably never dreamed that he would be stumped by such a simple question.

"What? So that's what you're thinking about. Is there any need to think about it? 'Just do it! Merci! Professor, I will always support you!'"

"you"

Just when Ritas's face darkened and he began to think that he had gone to the Bathing Goddess to discuss things, because he was too busy at night and had a problem with his brain, the Bathing Goddess' voice rang out again.

"Just like your duty is to guide the students of Yew Wood School. When you feel lost and confused, it is my duty as a, uh, goddess to help you make a decision."

"I don't know why, but I'm bound to you. But now that things have come to this, you can worry as much as you want. No, it's better to say that you should have worried more a long time ago, otherwise my experience as a 'goddess' wouldn't have been so bad."

The voice of the Bathing Goddess did not sound as noisy as usual, nor as artificial as when she was facing Cecilia.

As he listened to her voice, although Ritas's brows were still furrowed, the tension in his expression was gradually fading.

"Just do it! Merci! Professor, I will always support you!"

Around the thorn maze.

Mercy listened to these words that seemed to be supporting her, but her expression was full of doubt.

She was sure that these words were definitely not said by Professor Ritas.

Just when Merci's trust in the voice claiming to be a goddess dropped sharply, the other party's voice sounded again.

"'Student Mercy, if you really want to do something, then I need you to provide accurate and clear information about the scene. And as a prerequisite for everything, do you have the cloth used to suppress the star pattern in an emergency?'"

"Yes, yes!"

Merci fumbled in the package around her waist for a while, and then took out nearly ten pieces of cloth coated with special medicine.

The inhibitor on the cloth had a limited duration of effect, so Ritas would give Merci a new one regularly and told her to destroy the expired ones.

But obviously, Merci, who had long regarded these suppressing cloth pieces as amulets, did not destroy or throw away any of them.

"'Why are there so many? Well, this is not the time to dwell on this. Anyway, the most basic conditions have been met. Next, we will open the way to the center of the maze step by step.'"

"Yes!"

Under the night sky.

Merci quickly circled around the giant creature in front of her that was emitting green fluorescence.

Although, “I want to do something” was proposed by Mercy herself. Although, “Just do it” was the bold statement made by the Bathing Goddess.

However, looking at the blue-haired girl who was as small as a grain of sand against the backdrop of the thorn maze which was only a dozen meters high and dozens of meters long and wide. And the blue-haired girl who was prone to bumping into or falling anywhere.

Both of them suddenly felt uneasy and simultaneously had the thought, "Is this true or not?"

Only the voice of Ritas, who was giving instructions calmly, could bring some sense of security to the two.

After running quickly around the thorn maze, Merci's condition was not greatly reduced.

Merci, who grew up in the village, was not a spoiled girl. During the special training, she worked hard without reservation, which further strengthened her physical fitness. Therefore, as long as she didn't fall, her physical strength was trustworthy.

"Mercy, west. That is, the direction on your left. The arrangement of thorns is relatively loose."

The magical vision of the Bathing Goddess was naturally utilized by Ritas.

With the guidance of the goddess of bathing, Mercy would not get lost even in the "natural" thorn maze. But this alone was not enough. After all, the scary thing about a natural maze was that there was no deliberately designed way out.

"'Now that you're ready, go ahead and give it a try.'"

Listening to Ritas' words, Merci nodded vigorously, then slowly approached the thorn maze.

When Merci approached to a certain distance, several thorns on the outermost side suddenly hit her.

When the thorns began to move, Merci, who had been telling herself not to panic, picked up the wand.

Although the forbidden magic field formed before the star pattern went out of control has not dissipated, it does not pose a threat to Merci, who has no intention of using magic.

"'Use the magic you are best at, replace the magic particles with the power in your body, and then cast it. As long as you can cast it successfully, there will be no problem. Although the total amount of power you have cannot be compared with that student who is in a runaway state. But her power is scattered among countless thorns, while your power can be concentrated in one point!'"

Without any follow-up, Ritas' words might just be a comfort.

But as long as there is convincing enough evidence, what he says will become facts.

Closing her eyes, Merci used her knack of defensive magic to gather strength in her body.

It's not that Merci thinks she is good at defensive magic, but rather that Merci, who has a low self-esteem in magic, doesn't think she is good at any kind of magic. The reason she made this choice was simply because once at the Fairy Lake, when she used defensive magic, the magic caught fire.

Perhaps because there were no magic particles "interfering", Merci felt the fiery power flowing through her body more than ever before. When she felt the power begin to surge, Merci tried to calm it down almost subconsciously.
"'Don't be afraid of your own flames. Your flames can not only bring destruction, but can also be used to save others!'"

Ritas' words always seemed to come at the right time when Merci needed them most.

Merci, who had been holding her breath, suddenly opened her mouth and let out a broken scream.

As Merci shouted, a dazzling light burst out from her chest, and the blazing blue flames surrounded her body like a protective barrier.

The slapping tree roots and thorns were entangled with the blue flames and turned into ashes in an instant.

“It was a success.”

Merci's joy didn't last long, because she immediately realized that she couldn't control the blue flame with her own will, and she couldn't even take it back.

Moreover, she saw that the three thorns were rapidly regenerating after turning into ashes. The gaps that had finally appeared on the outer wall of the maze would soon be blocked again.

Now then. Now
"rush!"

There was no time to determine whether the order came from the suspicious goddess or Professor Ritas. Merci rushed towards the thorn maze.

"No problem, the compatibility of fire and thorns is great! Merce has a strong resistance to her! Ah, go to the left, go to the left!"

In the thorn maze, Mercy, like a huge blue fireball, rushed around under the command of the goddess of bathing.

Ritas instinctively reprimanded the two for their reckless actions. However, since things had come to this point, he obviously did not continue to talk nonsense and disrupt the Bathing Goddess's command from a high altitude.

Following the voice of the goddess of bathing, Merci moved through the thorn maze more smoothly than she had imagined. Until, in front of her, a wall of thorns and vines tangled together appeared. "This, this is a dead end!"

"It doesn't matter! Just cross your hands in front of your forehead, lower your body and rush forward with all your strength, and the door will naturally appear in front of you—"

In a hurry, Merci did not understand what the Bathing Goddess meant, but simply did as she was told.

As she curled up her upper body, the slightly concentrated blue flames around her hit the seemingly solid wall and pierced through it in an instant.

It was just a thorny maze filled with countless dead ends, and it happened to encounter a strategist who didn't take the usual path.

The pierced wall seemed to be unwilling to give up. Several vines and thorns stretched out from the ground below, trying to grab Merci's ankles. Before the blue flames turned them into ashes, they successfully tripped Merci.

However, falling down was a common occurrence for Merci, so her speed in getting up from the ground was much faster than that of an ordinary person.

As if she had never encountered any obstacles, Merci continued to rush into the interior of the maze.

Until the thorns and vines blocking Merci's way changed color.

All the transformed plants are connected to the body of the green-haired girl, and the closer the plants are to her, the stronger they are.

Several more vines hit the attacking Merci, but this time Merci's fire failed to reduce them all to ashes in the first place.

Apart from the tip that could directly threaten Merci, the rest of the vines continued to remain in front of Merci, blocking her steps. Merci's advance was delayed for the first time, and during this brief delay, more and more vines and thorns surrounded her from all directions.

In just a moment, Merci's entire body was wrapped in a cage made up of many plants.

Inside the cage, apart from being trapped, Merci was not injured.

Because the pointed parts of the plants that could threaten her would still be burned off by the blue flames. However, the regeneration speed of these high-strength plants has already matched the burning speed of the blue flames.

Merci, who was trapped in a nearly airtight cage and rushed into the labyrinth with a burst of momentum, seemed to feel a belated fear in her heart. The exhaustion from continuously releasing the blue flames also quickly began to spread throughout her body.

"Ah, what should I do? Is it too late to run away now?"

The suspicious goddess is also increasing the panic inside the cage.

"'Calm down.' Ah, I mean, 'Mercy, now is the time to show the results of your special training.'"

"Special training. Results?"

Is there such a thing?

Mercy was a little confused for a moment.

But since it’s the professor who’s saying it, it can’t be wrong.

Mercy's mind flashed back to the details of her time with Ritas at the Fairy Lake. Then, she remembered what she had been trying to do since the first special training.

In order to prevent Merci from being affected by the power of blue flame when practicing magic, Ritas suggested to clearly separate the two powers.

The magic serves as a shield to protect himself, while the power of the blue flame serves as a weapon.

"'Concentrate your energy and conceive a weapon.'"

Although the blue flames surrounding Merci were much more concentrated than the countless thorns and vines, they were not extremely concentrated.

Merci began to calm her breathing and gathered all her strength into one place.

She no longer needed to fear her own power, because now she was using power not to destroy, but to save others.

Outside the cage, a raging flame suddenly broke through the outer wall of the cage and gushed out.

Merci's figure reappeared from the opened passage.

At this moment, her slightly fluttering blue hair seemed to be burning as well, and in her hand appeared a blue sword made of high-temperature flames, which constantly distorted the surrounding scenery.

Although there is not much change in her posture, Merci is completely different from before in terms of atmosphere.

"Which side is next?"

The goddess of bathing, who was slightly lost in thought as she looked at Merci's figure, responded repeatedly after hearing the request for directions.
"Front, straight ahead! Nothing can stop you now, just keep moving forward!"

Merci started forward again.

Although she was panting heavily from time to time and her physical strength was obviously reaching its limit, her expression and eyes were brighter than ever before.

Looking at Merci who was chopping the vines, thorns and branches that were rushing towards her like crazy into ashes, the Bathing Goddess knew that she no longer needed to give any guidance.

Although, Merci's face still retains its childishness. Although, the blue sword in her hand is messy. Although, her stumbling posture can't hide her embarrassment.

However, the Bathing Goddess seemed to have already seen the Valkyrie who was supposed to appear in the future and always be at the front of the team leading her companions forward.

“Just a little bit more, Merce—”

After overcoming many obstacles, Merci finally arrived at the center of the thorn maze.

Wherever his eyes fell, he saw the green-haired girl who had been completely absorbed by the power within her body as the Star Mark went berserk, and was almost unrecognizable.

The top of her head was like a bud about to bloom, her face and most of her body were as green as plants, and her limbs were like withered tree branches.

Seeing the intruder rushing all the way to her, the green-haired girl, who seemed to be rooted in the ground, screamed and pointed her hands at Merci. Her ten fingers, which were originally like branches, suddenly stretched out and stabbed Merci like sharp arrows.

On the other side, exhausted Merci lowered her arm holding the azure sword. The ashes of the wand fell from her fingers, and the star pattern on her chest also dimmed.

Merci, who no longer needed to maintain the blue flame, squeezed out the last bit of strength left in her body and rushed to the location of the green-haired girl.

Even though her body was scratched or even pierced by the sharp wooden thorns, Merci did not retreat a single step and pounced forward directly.

"It's all right now."

Hugging the green-haired girl, Merci grabbed a handful of cloth coated with inhibitory potion and pressed it against her back, which was emitting star-patterned light.

The green fluorescence attached to the plants began to dim, and the figure of the green-haired girl gradually returned to its original posture.

The blindfold that had been tied around the green-haired girl's eyes finally slipped off, and her unfocused eyes seemed to express a kind of confusion.

Why would this stranger in front of her save her even if it meant getting hurt all over?

She seemed to be experiencing a dream.

It was an extremely terrifying nightmare at first, but in the end it calmed down.

She did see a ray of light in the darkness, and also felt the fulfillment and warmth that embraced her.

"."

After her lips moved gently twice, the green-haired girl closed her eyes peacefully and fell into a deep sleep.

"It hurts, it hurts."

As the thorn maze began to dissipate, Merci, whose pain had been mostly numbed before, began to feel the pain all over her body.

Merci, whose head shed a few tears due to the pain, still did not forget to look up at Iris.

Originally, Iris, who was hung high in the sky by long thorns, fell down at this moment because the thorns disappeared.

Merci subconsciously got up and tried to catch Iris.

In her imagination, she would catch Iris in a handsome princess hug. But in reality, based on the proportions of their bodies.
"Ugh. Ahhhh——"

Soon, Merci's screams echoed in the night sky.

On the other side, Ritas, who was still rushing to the academy, heaved a sigh of relief after hearing the good news from the Bathing Goddess.

“What a mess.”

In order not to affect Merci on the other side, Ritas was very restrained. But now, he simply had endless sermons to say.

"Stop it, don't get angry right now during the celebration, Xiao Li. I'll kneel down and listen to your complaints when I have time!"

"."

“Tsk tsk, now I can’t believe it. Merci was able to solve the thorn maze by herself and prevent a star pattern from going berserk. She is worthy of being my wife!”

So, does your wife know that she is your wife?
Ritas, who had almost guessed the meaning of the word "wife", complained in his heart.

"How should I put it, ahahaha. I feel a little embarrassed to be so blunt."

The Bathing Goddess hesitated for a moment, then used an intellectual tone that only appeared occasionally.

"Compared to Mercie's awakening story in the Star Pattern game world, I prefer Mercie's awakening story in this world."

In a distant other world, the goddess of bathing smiled comfortably at the scene before her.

The night of turmoil in Ritas's world has officially come to an end.

(End of this chapter)