Chapter 39
Chapter 39: Talking Watermelon with Eyes
"Principal."
Upon hearing Viktor's voice, the Principal set down his pen and rubbed his eyes.
"Come in."
Viktor entered at the call. The Lava Arm behind him tossed Dewen onto the floor.
The Principal looked at Dewen's sorry state and shook his head, letting out a sigh toward Viktor.
"Professor Viktor, the Academy will not shield you for your actions."
Viktor stood with both hands in his pockets, his tone utterly devoid of emotion.
"That's fine. I don't need the Academy's protection."
"What I do, I answer for myself."
The Principal nodded, slowly rising to his feet and taking up his obsidian walking staff.
"Then please, follow me."
Principal Rashel drew on magical energy bare-handed, and a beam of blue light began to dance from his palm like a painter's brush.
The air before him became his canvas, warping at a visible pace.
A moment later, the Principal withdrew his magic.
Weija murmured close to Viktor's ear:
"This old man's magic is quite something."
"Let me see—a specialized Teleportation Magic. Fix your gaze here, then insert a magic Rune right at this point."
Viktor followed Weija's instructions, and a ripple of distortion rolled through the air before him.
In an instant, Viktor felt the scenery around him blur and fade, as a wash of blue light spilled across everything.
When the world sharpened back into clarity, it was an entirely different place.
Petals of every color drifted through the air like cascading waves, layer upon layer.
The garden was a floating island, its ground blanketed entirely in fallen petals.
A heart-clearing fragrance swept over him, and Viktor's unsettled mood eased just a fraction.
"There's a Pocket Dimension hidden here—and I never even noticed."
Weija breathed in wonder beside Viktor, only to find him entirely unsurprised.
As though he already knew.
That was right—this was the hidden map players knew as the Principal's Back Garden.
One could only come and go freely after learning the magic directly from Principal Rashel.
Viktor thought to himself: Although I've seen it plenty of times in the game, experiencing it firsthand is still something else entirely.
It looked exactly as it had in the game.
The Principal materialized a few seconds ahead of him, and upon seeing Viktor appear, regarded him with a look of quiet appreciation.
To read the Magic Formation at a glance, deduce its method, and replicate it—truly worthy of being called a genius mage.
"Welcome to my Sea of Knowledge, Professor Viktor. You are the youngest guest I have ever received."
The Principal's Back Garden—the full name of this hidden map was: 【Rashel's Sea of Knowledge】.
Within it dwelled the entirety of Principal Rashel's magical learning, accessible only to those who truly possessed knowledge of their own.
Fortunately for Viktor, Weija—a god of vast and boundless erudition—traveled at his side.
But now was not the time for pleasantries.
He spoke directly.
"Principal, let us get to the point."
The Principal said nothing. He simply leaned on his staff and walked toward an open clearing.
Viktor followed, and soon the scenery around them shifted rapidly.
Though they had taken only a few steps, a wooden cabin materialized before them.
Dense forest surrounded it on all sides—like a cottage hidden deep within the woods.
The Principal reached the doorway. The cabin opened on its own.
He turned and gave Viktor a nod.
"Please come in, Professor Viktor."
Viktor followed the Principal inside. The cabin held only a single table, atop which sat a watermelon.
Nothing else at all.
The Principal raised his staff and tapped the top of the watermelon.
The watermelon slowly turned around. Its 2 eyes were unfathomably deep—carrying a wisdom that seemed to encompass all of time.
It parted its heavy lips and spoke in a measured voice:
"Rashel, what is it?"
Weija stared at this talking watermelon and felt a chill crawl across its entire body.
Even a few of its hairs stood on end.
This thing made it deeply uncomfortable.
It glanced at Viktor and found him, once again, completely unsurprised.
He seemed to know everything in advance—right down to the talking watermelon hidden here.
How strange.
It thought to itself.
To Viktor, of course, there was nothing strange about it at all.
Because this was simply the Principal's talking watermelon pet.
The Principal looked at the watermelon and said, "This young friend has some questions for you."
The watermelon fixed its gaze on Viktor with obvious reluctance.
Weija whispered beside him, "What's this thing's deal?"
Viktor said nothing. He knew the watermelon was already combing through his past.
Just as he expected, images flashed through the watermelon's eyes.
Towering flames. Billowing ash and fire-dust. Lava covering the ground. Colossal Magic erupting in every direction.
A scene of utter, world-shattering devastation.
It saw the dense fire element churning across Viktor's body, lava-etched markings flowing across the upper half of his torso—like a god of flame incarnate.
After a long moment, the watermelon refocused its gaze on Viktor.
"The young people of today are truly something."
"I know what you've come to ask. Rashel's Natural Sparrow tells us everything."
Soon, waves of magical energy pulsed outward from it in all directions.
The Natural Sparrows within the Pocket Dimension stirred.
Scenes as vivid as standing there in person unfolded before Viktor:
What appeared before him were the events of yesterday.
Professor Dewen, sharp-tongued and vindictive, produced the Principal's handwritten letter and dismissed Heni with arrogant contempt.
He also burned the 'knowledge' Heni treasured most.
Black text—clinging to her like an unshakeable curse—appeared across the floor before Heni. Viktor recognized at a glance that it was nothing more than a prank conjured by ordinary disguise magic.
Then 3 students stepped forward and mercilessly mocked Heni as she crumpled to the ground, delivering the final blow to her spirit.
The crowd of onlookers. The smug satisfaction of a prank well-executed. It all drove the poor child to a complete emotional collapse.
"……She cried."
Weija murmured.
The kind of crying that was hysterical—desperate and helpless.
Truth be told, it was rather fond of that child.
The images vanished in an instant. The watermelon closed its eyes.
As though showing those scenes had left it deeply, profoundly exhausted.
With its eyes shut, it returned to looking like an entirely ordinary watermelon.
Even after witnessing everything, Viktor's expression did not change in the slightest.
The Principal narrowed his eyes and let out a long sigh, his thick white beard fluttering from the breath.
"I am deeply sorry, Mr. Viktor."
"As for Heni—where your Teaching Assistant has gone, I genuinely do not know."
"The Natural Sparrow acts according to my will, and so it does not appear in locations where others' privacy may be at stake."
The Principal was not lying. Viktor knew.
He had not sensed the Natural Sparrow's presence in the office, and earlier that morning at the student dormitory, he had not felt its movement either.
Viktor's voice came out cold and measured:
"Principal Rashel, tell me—why would that fat pig become a Professor at your Academy?"
The Principal winced at Viktor's blunt address. He shook his head and said:
"Professor Viktor—you yourself are also a Professor at our Academy."
The unspoken implication: you also got in through connections, so why can't others do the same?
The only difference was that Viktor genuinely had the ability to back it up, whereas Professor Dewen was simply drawing a salary for nothing.
And so Viktor said:
"When I joined your institution, I was already the youngest 3rd-Tier Mage. What about him?"
"Professor Viktor, that is precisely the matter I wished to discuss with you."
Principal Rashel said with some difficulty.
"The head of the Rether Family married the current Emperor's younger sister."
"As you've already guessed—Sol VIII is Dewen Rether's uncle."
His connections ran deep.
Viktor understood clearly—Principal Rashel was advising him: this was a man best left alive.
Otherwise, endless trouble would follow him for the rest of his days.
"I understand your anger, Professor Viktor."
"But killing solves nothing. Perhaps you might consider speaking with Professor Dewen—his crimes do not warrant death."
"I can personally invoke the Academy's authority to reinstate Heni and grant her the title of Associate Professor. Moreover……"
Moreover—would he truly kill a member of the imperial family, all for the sake of an ordinary person without even a shred of talent?
Rashel left the words unspoken, but he trusted Viktor would understand his well-meaning counsel.
"Principal, I won't kill him."
Viktor's voice came out quiet and flat.
Rashel exhaled with relief, assuming his persuasion had taken effect.
But then Viktor narrowed his eyes, his tone utterly calm.
"Whether he dies at the hands of a Demon, however—that is beyond my control."
He said it the way one might remark on something entirely mundane.
Rashel's composure cracked. He had no idea what Viktor meant.
A Demon? What did any of this have to do with a Demon?
Weija, however, lowered its head at those words.
"You think that disgusting thing has found its way to Heni?"
Viktor's expression did not change.
Just as Weija said.
In the visions, he had seen the 3 students who had played the prank.
The exact same 3 students who had collapsed unconscious today.
Their condition could only be the result of a Demon draining their power.
Then why had the Demon stolen power from those 3—and to whom had it given that power?
Viktor could only think of the missing Heni.
He gave Rashel no reply, but Rashel's face had already fallen.
"Professor Viktor, I imagine you've already seen it."
"The one standing before you is not truly me—I am currently attending the annual gathering of the City of Mages."
"What you see now is me, communicating with you through the Natural Sparrow."
"For that reason—when all of this unfolded, I was unable to intervene in time. I allowed the situation to fester. I am sorry."
The Natural Sparrow could only act on instinct, guided by Rashel's will.
The Natural Sparrow had perceived that Viktor had not come to teach for several days, and so transferred his classes to Professor Dewen—this fell within the Natural Sparrow's operational logic.
And Professor Dewen dismissing Heni—a Professor dismissing a Magic Apprentice—likewise fell within the Natural Sparrow's operational logic.
But it did not meet the standard of human judgment.
This was Rashel's negligence. His lax oversight had allowed the situation to become irreversible.
Though even after the fact, Rashel had not seen it as particularly significant.
1 was a noble. The other was a talentless Magic Apprentice. Any fool would know which side to choose.
But the mistake lay in this: he had not understood just how fiercely protective Viktor was of those under his care.
And moreover—the man before him was a fellow 4th-Tier Mage.
So the Principal had offered his apology in advance, lowered his posture, and given Viktor the respect he deserved.
"Professor Viktor, please remember what you promised me—whatever you choose to do, do not let it touch the students."
"They are innocent."
Viktor gave no reply. He dipped his head in an expressionless nod, cast a Teleportation Magic beneath his feet, and vanished without a trace.
"Ahhh……"
Rashel's heavy sigh drifted through the air, and his figure slowly dissolved, scattering into pinpoints of starlight that melted into the atmosphere.
***
On the hill behind the Academy, a figure in a long robe stood at the summit, gazing down at the grounds below.
Down there was the Academy—the place that had planted despair inside her.
From here, the entire Academy lay within view.
The innocence and hope that had once lived in her eyes were gone.
Having passed through that searing pain, Heni's now-vacant gaze held only 1 thing written within it: revenge.
A mass of black miasma coiled around her body as though it had found its home, inky darkness weaving itself into a robe, creeping up to the tips of Heni's hair, draping a hood over her head.
"Little girl—is this much power truly enough for you?"
"If you're willing to wait, I can give you more. More, and more still."
Its voice carried a terrible allure, like the pull of a bottomless abyss.
But Heni did not waver.
"No need."
Her voice was unnervingly calm.
"The Professor always told me I was too soft sometimes—that I couldn't bring myself to be decisive."
"But I won't be soft anymore."
The magical energy within her was now abundant beyond measure. She herself didn't know how much power she had taken from this thing.
Strictly speaking, Heni still did not qualify as a Mage.
But possessing such a surplus of magical energy while remaining ungoverned by a Mage's discipline—that was something far more terrifying.
And now, at last, Heni could give form to everything she had ever learned.
She had prepared everything long in advance.
She began to chant.
"God of Illusion……begin your dance……"
As Heni's slow chant unfolded, a high-tier Magic Formation materialized from nothing—dozens of smaller formations layering together, interlocking with the great formation at the center.
"City of Delirious Magic……"
Several rotating magic wheels encircled the entire Academy, and countless inscriptions were carved across them.
The patterns between the formations emerged and grew, steadily more intricate and dense.
The elegant formations operated with the precision of a perfect machine.
This was beyond the analytical capacity of any 3rd-Tier Mage.
Soon, Heni swept the formation across the entire Academy and buried it into the earth.
The Academy's exceptional geographical position was, in Heni's eyes, an equally exceptional ground for formations.
She had prepared for everything.
"Heni?"
"Who's there?"
At the sound of her name, Heni spun sharply around—and saw that familiar golden hair. Her eyes flickered with a momentary pause.
The golden-haired girl's name left her lips before she could stop it.
"Eri……ka?"