Chapter 710: Oppressive Force.

‘What is all of this even about…?’

Roland asked himself as he tried to process the situation unfolding before his eyes. Not much time had passed since they had arrived at the sanctum of an ancient archmagus. Most of the school participants were already here, but there was still some time before the nobles and other spectators arrived to watch the competitions. Yet here they were, nobles causing trouble, and not just nobles, but mages as well.

‘This is going to be a pain in the ass…’

He had arrived only a minute ago, around the same time the students had started shouting at each other. His intention had been to remain unnoticed and keep a low profile, but that was no longer possible. The brats from Starbloom Elemental Academy had gone too far.

If this had been the old Roland, he might have let it slide just to avoid the trouble that would come from displaying his strength. He knew that people like this would not simply let such an insult go unanswered. Their actions endangered his students, but they could also create problems for him.

Still, he could no longer stand by while arrogant nobles used their status to crush others. This time, they had even targeted his sister. His time in this world had taught him that weakness only invited further oppression. These kids were under his protection, and he would not allow anyone to bully them simply because they lacked the status to fight back.

Roland slowly descended from the sky, his crimson armor gleaming beneath the bright sunlight of the floating island. The air around him grew heavy as a dense, crushing aura of mana spread throughout the area, forcing everyone nearby to instinctively step back.

The silver-haired professor, Remington, who was now under the combined effects of Runic Suppression and Overlord’s Intimidation, took a step backward. With the two skills working together and the sheer amount of magical power Roland could bring to bear, the other mage could do little more than sweat under the pressure.

"Who are you?"

Remington asked, his previously calm demeanor completely shattered as he tried to analyze the masked figure standing before him.

"Interrupting the business of Starbloom Elemental Academy is a severe offense."

Roland's intention was only to frighten them slightly and demonstrate the difference in their abilities. He had no desire to harm them badly enough to create an actual incident. As much as he disliked what they had done, they were still students from a prestigious academy, and they were also members of the nobility.

Roland touched down lightly on the white cobblestones, the soft thud of his landing echoing through the now silent street.

"I am a professor from Xandar Institute."

Roland said, his voice modulated to sound deeper, harsher, and more menacing.

"And you are currently harassing our students."

The blond girl, Bianca, sneered despite the sweat beading on her forehead beneath his oppressive aura.

"Harassing? These commoners lacked proper respect. My brother and I were simply teaching them their place. If you knew what was good for your backwater school, you would make them apologize."

Roland was genuinely shocked by the girl's ignorant response. It was clear that she had never been forced to face the consequences of her actions. She had likely spent her entire life sheltered by wealth, status, and influence.

He looked down at her, his visor glowing ominously. Bianca opened her mouth to say something else, but her words were cut short.

“What are you waiting fo…”

Her mouth continued to move, but no words came out as a field of silencing magic surrounded her. Instantly, her brother attempted to say something as well, but just like his sister, he found himself unable to speak.

“It would be wise for you to discipline your students and teach them what kind of place this is. Their status means nothing here. Neither will they be shown any mercy if they happen to encounter the wrong mage.”

Roland took a step forward, heading toward the older mage. He assumed the man was aware of the rules mages followed within the sanctum and understood that noble titles meant little here.

“…”

The man did not reply, clearly aware of what Roland was talking about. While their school was prestigious, it was not significantly more powerful than theirs. Both schools had a Tier Four Archmage backing them, and those figures usually did not involve themselves in such squabbles. No one would come to their aid if a battle broke out, nor would they care if their students were polymorphed into a bunch of toads.

“If you understand, then take them and leave.”

The silver-haired professor swallowed hard. The oppressive weight of Roland’s mana left no room for argument. With a stiff nod, he motioned for the four students to follow him.

Augustus glared at Roland with raw hostility, while Bianca desperately tried to force sound past her lips. Her face was flushed as she screamed in embarrassment, though not a single sound escaped her.

The retainers wisely kept their heads down, quickly falling into line behind Remington as the group retreated into the crowd.

“You’ll regret this…”

Before leaving, Roland heard the man mutter those words under his breath, but he did not comment. While inside this place, the man could not do much, and if an actual fight broke out, it would not be allowed to continue for long. Even now, Roland could feel it. The eyes of various creatures were watching them.

‘Those statues. They must be the guardians.’

There were several large statues nearby, each radiating an ancient mana signature. Judging from the pattern of their mana, Roland could tell that they had existed here for centuries. They were some form of magical golem bound to the sanctum.

To his knowledge, the statues were all connected and acted as one of the main defensive measures protecting this place. Some degree of conflict between mages was allowed, and they probably would not activate if a few low-tier mages threw some spells at each other. However, if he and the other Tier Three mage started fighting, the guardians would certainly activate if too much damage was done to the surroundings.

This was the main reason the man had chosen to simply disable Lucienne and the other students instead of directly punishing them. It was also why Roland had done the exact same thing, suppressing them rather than causing them any serious harm.

However, it was obvious that a grudge had now been formed, and Roland was not sure where it would lead.

“Is it over?”

“That was boring… I thought we were going to see something interesting.”

“My money was on that armored mage. He has some interesting equipment…”

The people gathered around them sounded disappointed. They clearly did not care whether they were overheard, and given that most mages were naturally curious, it was hardly surprising that they had been hoping to witness something more interesting.

Roland ignored their comments and instead looked toward the students, who wore strange expressions on their faces.

“Are you four alright?”

Roland called out to them, his voice now sounding far less intimidating as the glow in his visor vanished.

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“W-we are fine, Deputy Professor.”

Lucienne was the first to reply. She knew her brother was not angry with her, but the other three students were not so sure. Normally, this would have been the time when they would be lectured by an adult and perhaps even punished.

“Could you explain yourselves? Was all of this really necessary? You should have known better than to pick fights with students from other academies before the official event even begins.”

Selphie, who had been about to say something, shrank back slightly beneath her large hat. Her earlier bravado vanished under her instructor’s stern gaze. She fidgeted with her fingers, trying to defend their actions without sounding entirely guilty.

“They started it, Professor! They called us country bumpkins and backwater mages. We were just getting skewers for Elian!”

Elian offered a sheepish grin, his face still bearing a lingering smudge of purple goo from the meat skewer. Oxian simply folded his arms, looking entirely unrepentant, though he wisely kept his mouth shut in front of Roland.

Roland wanted to sigh, but he held himself back and instead glanced to the side. There had only been four students with him, but a fifth was close by.

“Mister Leron, you can come out now. Why don’t you join us?”

The other four looked at Roland in confusion as he stared toward a strange statue. It was made from the same material as everything else around them, but upon closer inspection, it looked slightly different. It was also much smaller than the others.

“It really was Leron…”

Elian mumbled as they watched the statue ripple, revealing their party member, who had obviously used his illusory magic to disguise himself.

The young man avoided eye contact with the group, making it obvious that he was not particularly good at explaining his motives. To Roland, however, it was clear that Leron had been there to assist them and had been trailing them from a distance.

“I was merely monitoring and assessing the situation.”

Leron muttered, attempting to recover his dignity.

“A hidden vantage point is always the superior strategy when engaging unknown forces.”

Before the boy could explain himself any further, the girl with the large hat stepped forward with an angry look on her face.

“You were hiding and watching us get yelled at?”

Selphie crossed her arms, which caused her hat to slide down over her face. She quickly adjusted it, glaring at Leron as she did.

It seemed the girl had gotten the wrong idea, and Leron was certainly not the greatest at explaining himself. If the group thought that one of their own had abandoned them when they needed him, it could potentially damage their teamwork. Roland was well aware of that.

“Mister Leron, I noticed you chanting a spell. Were you really attempting to attack the professor from another academy? How do you think that would have turned out for you?”

As soon as Roland asked the question, Selphie fell silent. The other three looked at their companion differently.

It was now clear to them that Leron had been planning to help them once the time was right. He had simply been waiting for the best moment to strike while keeping himself hidden from sight.

“I…I apologise, Professor.”

He was at least aware that he had made a mistake and didn’t deny it. Throwing himself into a confrontation with a tier three spellcaster would have ended poorly, no matter how clever the illusion had been.

"Your loyalty to your team is commendable, Mister Leron."

Roland spoke loudly enough to make sure the others heard him.

"However, rash decisions lead to early exits. That goes for all of you."

He turned his gaze toward Selphie and Elian, who both looked properly embarrassed by the whole incident.

"The Convocation hasn't even officially begun, yet you have already made enemies with Starbloom's elites. They will be looking for payback during the trials, where the environment won't be as heavily monitored as these streets."

"Let them try!"

Oxian finally managed to get a word in, just as Roland explained that this could lead to more fights along the way. Roland immediately tilted his head in the large young man's direction, prompting Oxian to shrink back in fright. For all his bravery, after enduring the grueling training the group had been through, even he feared Roland's wrath.

"As I was saying... Finish up whatever you were doing and gather with the rest of the students. The opening ceremony will be taking place soon."

"Understood, Deputy Professor."

Lucienne replied promptly, giving a polite bow before taking the lead and steering her group back down the main avenue. Selphie muttered something under her breath while adjusting her oversized hat, though she made no further arguments. Elian quickly tossed the rest of his skewer into a nearby trash container, while Oxian and Leron fell into step behind them in silence.

Roland watched their retreating figures until they disappeared into the dense crowd. Once he was certain they were no longer looking, he finally let out a sigh.

‘Was that girl, Selphie, always this combative?’

He thought about the predicament but couldn’t really blame the teenagers for acting the way they did. Not many people their age could take direct hostility and demeaning words without reacting.

‘At least I still have a way to monitor her as long as she remains within range.’

Before Lucienne disappeared further into the sanctum, Roland caught sight of a small metallic creature crawling out from her clothes. It climbed onto her shoulder and perched there as if it were some kind of pet. In reality, however, it was one of his spider golems, one designed to look rather cute.

Thanks to it, he had known that his sister was in danger. Unfortunately, the tier three mage had also suppressed the golem, making it far more useful as a tracker than as a means of defense.

‘Now then, let's get this over with. They said the speeches the mages give during the opening ceremony are rather long...’

It didn’t take long for people to gather at the main plaza. Soon, every delegation began pouring into the central amphitheater, which was clearly constructed using spatial magic. The inside was many times larger than the limestone building that housed it.

Once Roland crossed through the massive gate, he found himself standing in a space that should not have been possible. The area stretched as far as several football fields.

‘Quite the large spatial area.’

What he saw was a giant arena surrounded by row upon row of marble-looking seats. Everything looked quite rustic and seemed to belong to an older age, but it did not seem that these mages cared much about appearances as everyone moved to find their seats. Everything was numbered precisely, and the seating arrangements had been divided and preassigned before they had even arrived at the sanctum.

The place reminded him of an ancient colosseum. It also had a large, elevated booth where all the professors would sit. That was where he was heading, and right after arriving, he had already identified the mana pattern of the tier three mage he had encountered earlier. The mage was somewhere in the audience.

‘This will be great…’

He thought to himself as thousands of mages, scholars, and visiting dignitaries took their places. Their hushed conversations blended into a massive wave of sound that echoed through the structure. Some of the more prestigious nobles had already arrived, but people like Lucienne’s mother would not be arriving until the following day.

Roland moved forward, using his inbuilt scanner system to register the various mana patterns of high-ranking nobles and powerful tier three mages. However, he quickly stopped himself from being too intrusive when he noticed a certain old man surrounded by tens of tier three mages.

‘That has to be the Starbloom Elemental Academy’s archmagus… Balthazar Sunder.’

Balthazar Sunder was an archmagus on the same level as Yavenna Arvandus. No one was certain which of the two was more powerful, but if they ever fought each other, everyone agreed that only the kingdom’s landscape would suffer.

Yavenna was quite secluded, while Balthazar remained highly active as the official court mage of the royal family. When it came to position, wealth, and renown, he had an edge over the elven woman, who spent most of her time locked away in her tree tower.

His appearance was that of an elderly man in his late sixties. He was tall and surprisingly broad-shouldered for a mage, with a sharp, stern face carved by decades of high-level magic. His hair and neatly trimmed beard appeared to be white, although it was difficult to tell because of the perpetual glow emanating from his eyes. His pupils were impossible to see, hidden beneath an elemental force that surrounded his entire body. It constantly shifted between different colors and elements, making it seem as though he had been forged from the very forces of nature themselves.

‘He isn’t the only tier four here… there are two more.’

Roland was quite surprised. Even though this was a celebrated event, it usually did not bring together so many absolute powerhouses. Tier four mages were living catastrophes, individuals who had transcended the ordinary limits of mortality and possessed spells capable of reshaping entire landscapes. They were tactical weapons that a kingdom or empire could deploy, as each one was capable of leveling a small city entirely on their own.

Sitting a short distance from the court mage was a peculiar figure, someone who reminded Roland of his own assistant, Bernir. He was the archmagus from the Ironspire Collegium, a half dwarf who had followed a unique path compared to the full-blooded dwarves, who were primarily interested in crafting and enchantments.

His name was Thrain the Earthshaker. He did not have a true last name, but rather a title, a name earned through the magic he usually focused on. As the title suggested, he was well-versed in earth magic, which also encompassed metal and magnetism. He was not a crafter like the other dwarves, but his race had a natural affinity for these elements.

The half dwarf sat with his arms crossed over a broad chest, his thick, braided beard woven with silver and iron rings that clinked softly whenever he shifted. Thrain wore heavily enchanted plate armor over his wizard robes, combining the two in the opposite manner to Roland, who wore his armor beneath his robes. Unlike Balthazar, who radiated a shifting spectrum of elemental energy, Thrain’s presence was far more reserved. He was like a massive iron anvil, utterly immovable.

Completing the trifecta was a third Archmagus, seated directly in the middle of the amphitheater. He had supposedly arrived from outside the kingdom and was responsible for ensuring the authenticity of the competition.

Roland glanced between the three of them and realized just how enormous the gap in power was. He wondered what his Tier Four class would look like and whether, once he reached that level, he would be able to compare to these powerhouses.