Chapter 1369

Thinking about it, it was actually quite a reasonable method.

If they gathered several professors such as Professor Garcia and Professor Voladi and formed an encirclement, they might actually be able to exploit this duplicate’s weakness.

The duplicate of greed for wealth’s strength was not combat power, but vigilance. They had to take advantage of that vigilance.

-Successor. Professor Garcia is not a combat mage.

“Ah.”

-But I understand what you mean. I believe it would still be better for Professor Garcia to participate.

The fact that the duplicate of greed for wealth was more cautious than the other duplicates could itself be a weakness.

Professor Garcia was kind and gentle and could hardly bring themself to punch other people, but the duplicate had no way of knowing that.

Simply having the professor standing there might be enough to make it feel threatened on its own and restrict its movements.

“Then I’ll send a letter.”

-Please hurry, Successor.

“I know. The duplicate might run away...”

-That is not what I meant. You need to send the letter before Master gets into a major clash with the professors so that we can summon them quickly.

“...Come on, it probably won’t go that far. The professors and the Principal are all reasonable people.”

Lee Han trusted in Einroguard’s intellect.

The cause of this incident was, after all, the wicked duplicate. The Skull Principal bore no responsibil... well, not none. He bore a little.

Surely they would not fight that badly over this?

***

As soon as Professor Garcia returned, they left the baby Bulgassari at the underground lake and looked out over the academy grounds.

‘Is it finally time for Einroguard to collapse?’

The situation with the forest of the undead realm manifesting had still not been resolved.

Professor Jorzik was an outstanding mage, but a dimensional contamination of this scale was not something a single mage could normally deal with alone.

Several people needed to work together, but none of Einroguard’s professors had any desire for the Principal’s position, so Professor Jorzik had been forced to labor away by himself, drenched in sweat.

“Professor Benmalpa. No matter how I think about it, handling all of this alone is too much. Even now, you could talk with the other professors and...”

Unable to keep watching, Professor Garcia spoke up, but Professor Jorzik firmly refused while stroking his magnificent mustache.

“I cannot do that. With this achievement, I, Jorzik of House Benmalpa, will come one step closer to becoming the next candidate for Principal. If I share the credit with the other professors, they may become my rivals.”

Professor Jorzik even lowered his voice to a whisper, as though afraid someone might overhear.

Professor Garcia could only stare in disbelief.

‘No one wants that position...’

“Professor. The other... the other professors aren’t particularly interested in the Principal’s position.”

“Ha! Professor Kim. Not all Einroguard professors are as trustworthy as you. Who knows what schemes they are hiding inside!”

Professor Jorzik stretched out a hand and pointed toward the beaver beastkin professor trudging along in the distance.

After being ambushed by Professor Voladi, the beaver beastkin professor was now being forced to work as a magical slave and looked utterly miserable.

-How long do I have to keep doing this boring thing?

-Even if we do this, it’ll still be hard to find where Gonadaltes is hiding.

-Ack! Why are you hitting me?!

“Professor Kim. What comes to mind when you look at that?”

“...That I should stop Professor Bagreg?”

“I find Professor Verdus’s intentions suspicious.”

“What? Why? Which part, exactly?”

Professor Garcia usually tried not to act emotionally, but their voice rose naturally.

There were few people whose outward behavior matched their inner nature as perfectly as Professor Verdus.

It was just that both sides were equally irritating...

“Professor Verdus has always had a close relationship with the Principal.”

“Close... relation... uh... mm... well... I suppose you could call it that?”

You could technically say a prisoner and jailer had a close relationship too.

Though it sounded extremely strange!

“Not only that, Professor Verdus creates a considerable portion of the artifacts Einroguard sends outside. In other words, Professor Verdus is a core member of Einroguard.”

“I... see?”

“If Professor Verdus developed sinister ambitions and persuaded the Principal to register them as a candidate for the next Principal based on their close relationship and usefulness?”

“Wouldn’t there be a rebellion?”

Professor Garcia answered seriously.

Any of Einroguard’s professors could challenge for the Principal’s position, but Professor Verdus absolutely could not.

If that happened, the professors and students might all rise up at once.

‘And I might be standing at the very front...’

“Professor Kim. I am not joking right now.”

“Neither am I.”

“Then what about Professor Bagreg over there?”

Seeing how defenseless the innocent Professor Garcia was when it came to power struggles, Professor Jorzik pointed at someone else with a look of pity.

The vampire professor could be seen firing iron balls at the beaver beastkin professor and beating them whenever they stopped working on dispelling the magic.

“As I said earlier, I think I need to stop them once this conversation is over.”

Wanting to find the hidden Skull Principal was one thing, but forcibly making a fellow professor perform hard labor was going too far.

Professor Verdus seemed even more distressed about being unable to work on their own projects and instead being stuck with this boring search than about getting beaten, and kept whining continuously.

If no one stopped it soon, they might be beaten until they collapsed.

“Professor Bagreg also has a close relationship with the Principal.”

“You... do know... why Professor Bagreg is looking for the Principal right now, don’t you??”

Professor Garcia could not hold back anymore and asked.

Professor Voladi had never hesitated to attack the Skull Principal in the first place.

Raiding the Principal’s office, looting the artifact treasury, sending petitions to the Emperor, and so on.

Right now, Professor Voladi was clearly trying to hold him responsible for the matter of their disciple being reduced by fifty percent.

But Professor Jorzik was so absorbed in his own convictions that he did not listen to Professor Garcia.

“It is precisely because they are close that such behavior is possible.”

“Senior... no, Professor Bagreg has always been like that.”

“Furthermore, Professor Bagreg is a mage personally taught by the Principal. Among the countless students of Einroguard, only a tiny handful could truly be called his disciples, so this too can be considered highly significant!”

“......”

Professor Garcia was horrified to realize that, the longer they listened, the more they were beginning to be persuaded.

Professor Jorzik was so obsessed with power that even his nonsense had a strange talent for sounding plausible.

‘Why does Senior suddenly feel like a candidate for the next Principal?!’

The Death Knight listening from the side thought to itself.

‘But by that logic, wouldn’t Professor Garcia be the strongest candidate for Principal?’

The Skull Principal had personally rescued and raised Professor Garcia from childhood, they were loved by every professor and student, and they possessed exceptional physical strength and mana.

Perhaps Professor Garcia had just had the same thought, because they tilted their head.

“Wait. Wouldn’t that apply to me too?”

“Professor Kim, you said you have no interest in the Principal’s position.”

“...I could have been lying.”

At those words, Professor Jorzik began laughing as though the idea were absurd.

Then he suddenly became serious.

“There is no way someone like Professor Kim would lie. Professor Verdus, perhaps. My eye for people is extremely accurate.”

Professor Garcia briefly wondered whether they should feel touched or bewildered, then turned toward the scream coming from beside them.

Professor Verdus had been caught trying to secretly escape and was shrieking.

-I’m going back to my work! I said I’m going back to my work!

“Stop! Please stop, Professor!”

Professor Garcia quickly ran over and stopped Professor Voladi.

At this rate, Professor Verdus might collapse from exhaustion before they even found the Skull Principal.

“Professor. I went to Valdrogard and asked about it, and the Principal isn’t responsib... well, he does bear a little responsibility.”

Professor Garcia calmly explained the truth of what they had heard at Valdrogard.

Professor Voladi listened, nodded, then kicked Professor Verdus again.

“Dispel the magic of the underground labyrinth.”

“?!?!”

Professor Garcia was flustered by how completely unchanged their senior was.

“Senior! Didn’t you hear what I just said?!”

“I did.”

“Then why?!”

“To negotiate, we need to draw the other party out.”

Professor Voladi was extremely calm.

In truth, whether the Skull Principal had sold Lee Han off or one of his duplicates had done it was not important right now.

What mattered was how to resolve the problem.

Professor Voladi wanted the Skull Principal to step in even if he had to empty out Einroguard’s treasury to do it.

Of course, the Skull Principal would not.

If he did that, the students might end up sucking on their fingers in hunger, or going outside and becoming magical bandits or magical pirates.

But likewise, that was none of Professor Voladi’s concern, and Professor Voladi intended to keep pressuring the Skull Principal until he came to the negotiating table.

If they kept causing chaos by searching for and destroying his hiding places or dispelling the magic protecting academy grounds, the Skull Principal would eventually come out just to stop the damage.

‘Wouldn’t I be the one who has to clean all that up afterward?’

Professor Garcia thought internally.

Strictly speaking, cleaning up destruction like that was the Skull Principal’s job, not Professor Garcia’s.

But among the professors, Professor Garcia was the only one kind enough to step in because they could not stand watching it, so it would not be an exaggeration to call it Professor Garcia’s job.

“I understand that you want to draw the Principal out, but isn’t there some other way?”

“We need to persuade the other professors to join us.”

“...That just means you want to destroy even more! Ah. Wait. I got a message from Student Lee Han. ...He says he found the duplicate’s location!”

They had received word that the duplicate’s location had been found.

So that rat bastard had finally shown its tail!

The Skull Principal naturally floated upward from the ground as though emerging from it. The professors stared at him, but the Skull Principal pretended not to notice and ignored them.

That rat bastard is extremely wary of me, so it seems the wise professors gathered here will have to take action.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Principal!”

Professor Jorzik stopped drawing a complicated barrier near Wraith Forest and ran over.

Professor Jorzik. You are an even wiser professor than the wise professors gathered here, so you must remain at the school and finish resolving this situation.

“You flatter me. I will do my very best!!”

Professor Jorzik ran back again. Professor Garcia watched his retreating back with a bitter gaze.

What in the world was power worth all this for?!

Professor Garcia. Professor Voladi. The two of you are less wise professors, so prepare to capture that bastard.

“Understood.”

Professor Verdus.

“I’m going back to my own work...”

Come along and help. And don’t forget to disguise yourself when you go outside. Professor Kirmin, Professor Mortum, Professor Milei, Professor Ingledel, Professor Thunderwalk...

-Professor Thunderstep has just returned as well.

Oh, really? Then Professor Thunderstep would be better than Professor Thunderwalk. Cancel Professor Thunderwalk.

“......”

Professor Garcia firmly resolved to keep the conversation they had just heard absolutely secret from Professor Thunderwalk.

What about Professor Yonramo?

-They went to an academic conference.

Professor Paserlet is probably working... This should be enough. Professors! I know you are displeased at being summoned away while each of you was absorbed in your own magic.

The Skull Principal spoke seriously.

However, it did not seem particularly effective on the professors who had been forcibly summoned.

But think of it this way. When else will you ever get the chance to freely attack a mage who looks exactly like me?

“......”

“......”

Professor Garcia had no choice but to acknowledge once again that this great mage truly was a monster of schemes and strategy.