Roughly an hour later, in the headmaster's office…

The door opens, and Straf waddles in. Corvus lifts his eyes up from the documents on his desk. He pinches his glasses, and adjusts them with his brows raised in mild surprise.

「Straf. I assume you won all your duels? Do you need anything?」

He asks, setting the parchment in his hand down. Straf approaches his desk, looking at many different baubles placed around the room.

「Yeah… Three to none, and the rest by walkover. Listen, I was thinking, and I just had an idea…」

「Hm? What is it?」

Corvus interlocks his fingers, and props his bearded chin on them.

「…What would happen, if I'd hit the barrier over the Academy really hard, and just broke it?」

Straf asks, quizzically spreading his hands.

「Ohohohohoho…」

The headmaster erupts into soft chortling. He then lets out an amused sigh, smiling at Straf.

「…No matter how great of a mage you may be, Straf, I am not quite so sure you would be capable of breaking the Academy's barrier. Especially in its current state. It replenishes itself, but that is not the main issue.」

「So what is the main issue? There are very few problems that can't be solved with either violence, explosions, or a can-do attitude… Especially if combined.」

Straf asks with his mouth aslant, placing his fists on his hips. Corvus takes a deep, troubled breath, and sighs again.

「…Allow me to explain what happens when shields break first, so that you may fully understand.」

He replies and spreads his hands, looking up at Straf from above his spectacles with his old eyes.

「Fine, but give me an abridged version.」

Straf throws his arms up with a displeased expression on his face, and returns his hands back into his pockets. He looks above and behind Corvus, at the cloudy sky outside his window.

「Very well… Shields and barriers are projected outward by a constant flow of mana. This is very inefficient, for obvious reasons. Modern magic theory involves reusing the flavored mana… But you wanted a short explanation.」

「Uh-huh… So don't go on an hour long world building rant.」

「Omitting the specifics… When the mana begins to run low, the barrier likewise shrinks inward towards the barycenter casting point… The centrode-」

「Meaning?」

With a scrunched mouth, Straf grumbles out a question.

「…Meaning, in most cases, the center of the caster-」

「Couldn't you just say that from the start? Guess you're the thesaurology professor…」

Straf rolls his eyes at the explanation, and slowly walks up to one of the bookshelves. He idly reads through the titles, as Corvus continues his explanation.

「Hm? Well, in any case… The barrier shrinks, usually leaving the head, feet, and sometimes shoulders and elbows exposed to the opponents' spells…」

The headmaster says, as Straf picks out a seemingly random book and rapidly flips through the pages.

「…I never subscribed to the full-body-barrier school of thought, but then again, I am not exactly a duelist. Perhaps Professor Aria would have an opinion on the matter… Are you listening, Straf?」

He gestures for naught with his hands, while Straf appears to be going page by page through the book, stopping at each page for a few hundredths of a second at a time. Straf turns his disinterested eyes to the desk.

「Yeah, yeah… Go on…」

Straf shrugs, and continues flipping through the book. With a brief sigh, Corvus shrugs as well, and carries on.

「Well, then… As the mana runs out, most mages reduce the barrier at their backs and sides, focusing most of it towards their enemy. This of course leaves them exposed, but the barrier overall becomes stronger…」

「Uh-huh…」

「…This allows them to survive prolonged magic battles. I was always in favor of only protecting the vitals from the start… But I digress. Either way, when the barrier breaks, it collapses towards the caster.」

「Uh-huh…」

Straf nods, still flipping through the tome at a rapid pace.

「Normally, most mages surrender at that point, but that is not what I am getting at, Straf… Do you see the problem with this scenario yet?」

Corvus asks, and he momentarily pauses at one of the pages, glancing at the headmaster.

「Hmmm… Not really, but I didn't give your explanation much thought, either. I don't like to think.」

He shrugs, and nonchalantly continues, flipping another page.

「…Our barrier is not a normal one, Straf. Theoretically, should the barrier break…」

「…It will kill-」「…Kill everyone inside, right?」

Clap!

Straf talks over Corvus, then noisily slams the tome shut and slides it back into the bookshelf. While he walks back up to the desk with his hands in his pockets, he lets out a long, disappointed, groaning sigh.

「…Correct. Even you, Straf. I'm sure we would have come up with an inventive way to do it by now, if that was the solution.」

The headmaster interlocks his fingers again as he nods his head, once again assuming his pensive pose. Straf throws his head back, staring at the ceiling deep in thought.

「…Say, the big hat old lady is acting like nothing is going on. Who else knows this?」

He asks, returning his bored eyes back to Corvus and his desk.

「Professor Ar-? Don't let her hear you say that…」

Corvus asks, furrowing his bushy brows.

「This… Being your identity, or the gravity of the situation?」

「Both.」

Straf replies with his mouth scrunched to the side. Corvus lowers his head, and quickly readjusts his glasses before locking eyes with him.

「As for the Academy's problem… We have left some notable blabbermouths, and workers who effectively live-in at the Academy in the dark. I've informed all of the professors, most of the workers that can keep a secret…」

He replies, then leans back in his leather chair.

「…As for you and Ms. Redwing… Nobody. It's neither in my, nor Ms. Redwing's, or the Academy's best interest to reveal this to anybody… Although, once, and if the Mage Federation starts an investigation…」

Corvus replies, spreading his hands. He looks down at his lap, brushing his long beard with his hand as he pauses momentarily.

「…They will ask questions, Straf. I will have to answer them, but that is all I will do. If they don't ask whether or not I know who you are… Well. Let's just say they will have missed an opportunity.」

The headmaster concludes, and returns a sly smile towards Straf with a shrug of his shoulders.

「You said some shit about the center of the spell… Where would that be? For the barrier, that is.」

Straf asks, rubbing his chin.

「Why, the Academy's central mana crystal powers it. That's where the barycenter is… Specifically, at its crystal's innermost point.」

「And where is that? Can I see it?」

「Hmmmm… While it's not that I don't trust you…」

The old mage says, running his fingers through his beard again.

「…You would have to be supervised either by me, or another professor there. If you really insist on seeing it, please ask tomorrow.」

He adds, and shrugs his hands.

「Huh? Tomorrow? Why not today?」

Straf tilts his head, looking at the headmaster with his eyes narrowed, and mouth aslant.

「…Well. To tell you the truth, I was planning to go to sleep, as soon as I was done double-checking my work… But then you walked in.」

「Sleep? But it's not even close to the evening yet.」

Straf says, pointing his hand at the bright light flooding in through the window behind Corvus. He weakly nods in reply.

「That's true… But I'm an old man, Straf.」

He helplessly spreads his wrinkled hands in resignation, with a soft smile directed up at him. Straf sighs, and they look at each other for a brief, silent moment.

「…Is there something else you'd like to know?」

「Yeah…」

Straf nods, extending his index finger.

「…I'm not a student, but I can borrow books from the library, right?」

He asks, shrugging his hands.

「Hmmmmmrhhmmmmm…」

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Corvus lets out a long, troubled humm as he places his elbows back on his desk, and looks aside at a cabinet of baubles on the side.

「…Technically, guests are only guests. The Academy's library is meant to serve the students, not you…」

「Seriously?」

Straf spreads his arms in outrage with indignant disbelief on his face. Corvus halts him by holding his palm up before it can grow.

「…It's meant to serve the students, but I believe I can make an exception for you. Tell the library keepers that you have my explicit permission.」

Corvus nods with a smile, after much hesitation.

「Cool, sleep tight-」

「Did you not find what you were looking for, in that tome you read?」

Corvus asks, just as Straf places one foot to turn around and leave. His bored eyes return to the headmaster's, and they stare at each other in another moment of awkward silence.

「…I saw you read it from cover to cover. Ahhh… If only I could do that too… But then again, I already have read everything of worth that there was to read.」

「…No.」

Straf replies, shrugging with his brows lightly raised, and their eyes remaining locked. Corvus breaks the eye contact, only for his gaze to aimlessly drift up and aside at the dark ceiling.

「Hmmm… Perhaps with Haste? Well, that would have been quite a useful thing to learn at a young age…」

The headmaster continues mumbling something to himself, brushing his beard. His eyes return to Straf, and he adjusts his glasses.

「…Hmf. So simple, but so clever. Not once did I think to cast Haste, only to then not move. I didn't believe that I'd learn something new at my age, Straf. Would you consider a tenure-?」

「No.」

Straf bluntly replies with his mouth heavily scrunched into the side of his face.

「I see… It's a shame. New perspectives are exactly why the Academy of Magic flourishes. Someone like you could advance the magic theory by hundreds of years… Thousands, even.」

Corvus nods with understanding, albeit with a visibly saddened.

「You know, just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should?」

Straf asks, and turns to the exit.

「Think about it.」

He taps his temple with his finger, smirking at the headmaster.

「Hmm… Indeed, we would be better off without certain advancements in the magic theory… But the future is inevitable, Straf. We can't halt it, only steer it.」

Corvus says, as Straf is walking away.

「Nah. Life is a one-track trolley problem. Pulling and pushing the lever makes you feel in control, but that's it.」

Straf scoffs, and reaches for the handle.

「Hm?… One more thing!…」

The headmaster calls out, reaching towards Straf from his desk. He looks over his shoulder with a mildly annoyed look on his face.

「…Do not hyperfixate on the problem at hand, Straf. You may end up regretting it.」

Corvus says from across the room in a loud and clear voice, looking at Straf with a serious expression.

「…Why?」

Straf asks, spreading his hands.

「…Do you have absolute certainty that you will find the culprit before it's too late, Straf?」

With his fingers interlocked and his chin upon them, the old mage ominously asks.

「Yup.」

「And what if you won't?」

He asks, and stares in silence at Straf.

「…What are you trying to say, old man? If you're afraid of death, you're quite literally in the wrong place and at a wrong time.」

Straf scoffs, returning a disdainful smirk in response.

「Me? Afraid of death? Please…」

Corvus shakes his lowered head, bearing a stifled, amused grin on his face.

「…I am concerned about you, Straf. You speak with absolute certainty that you will succeed… That is good. Unsuccessful mages first fail in their minds…」

He says, lifting his eyes back up to Straf. He continues staring at him with a deathly serious expression again.

「…But what if you don't succeed? Nothing, and no one is infallible. Even if you have not tasted failure yet, it's only a matter of time until you do. Perhaps not now, but in the future.」

「Are you saying I'm not good enough? Get to the point already.」

「Let me ask you this, Straf… Do you care about Ms. Redwing at all? I am certain you feel like you have a duty to her, but what about personal feelings?」

Corvus asks, intensely staring into Straf's unamused eyes.

「…None of your business.」

Straf bluntly barks back with a hint of frustration to his slanted mouth.

「Perhaps so. Straf, what I am trying to say is…」

The headmaster lowers his troubled gaze, briefly thinking about the right selection of words.

「…All your hard work may go to nothing. It's a common result of many experiments. The things you take for granted may disappear sooner than you think.」

He lifts his eyes back up, and cautions.

「How vaguely threatening, and ominous. So… I should just give up, then? Throw my hands up, say fuck it, and let some fuming loser with a grudge win?」

Straf scoffs, rolling his eyes. He throws his hands up as he asks.

「Of course not, I hope you will succeed. But if not, you will live on… Even if we don't, Straf.」

The old mage shakes his head, returning a soft smile.

「…I just think it would be tragic, if you spent this whole time looking for a solution to the problem, ended up failing, and your last memories of Ms. Redwing would be passing by her in the halls.」

He adds, and shrugs his hands. Straf narrows his eyes, and glares at the headmaster.

「All I'm saying is… Take a balanced approach, Straf. Make friends. Laugh. Make memories. Spend some time with her, if she means anything to you. If it all ends well, then it ends well. If not…」

Corvus pauses to let out a long, troubled sigh.

「…Then at least you would have known, that you had done everything that you could.」

「Again, vaguely threatening and ominous.」

Straf scoffs, and opens the door, shaking his head on his way out…

…

In the hallways, less than half an hour later…

With his hands in his pockets, Straf is making his way to the library. The students swerve to avoid him in a wide arc, and he stops in front of the Cursefire hallway. The purple light floods out into the main hallway, and he stares at the exit on the other side through its entrance. An Academy janitor seizes the moment, and sets down a bucket of water on the floor in the vacuum of students created by the tall handsome man, then begins wiping the floor with a mop.

《…This fire is an eyesore. Disappear.》

Straf thinks, staring at the hovering magic brazier. He activates [Contextual Time Perception], and takes the bucket into hand by the bail. With his other hand in his pocket, he weaves through the crowd of students avoiding him, frozen in time, and enters the Cursefire hallway. He looks directly up, glaring at the now frozen flame, and after a moment of stillness, he lightly hops into the air, slowly floating upward with the bucket in hand.

《Ahhh… I sure wish I could do this without wasting my fucking-》

Straf lets out a frustrated sigh, slowly floating towards the ceiling lit by the cursed purple flame.

《Ah. Guess I'm technically not… Either way, not good for my sanity…》

He thinks, and patiently waits for his feet to reach the ceiling, slowly spinning to upside-down while floating up. At least fifteen minutes seems to pass, though it couldn't have even been a quarter of a second yet.

Straf lands on the ceiling, and his [Burglar's Feet] prevent him from causing even the slightest murmur. He stands upside down by sheer forces of inertia, and looks into the Cursefire Brazier at a rare angle from above. With a very slow and gentle motion, he pushes the bucket's contents at the Cursefire, and pulls the bucket itself away, sending a floating blob of water flying at the cursed flame.

He abruptly reappears on the floor with [Translocation], and casually places the bucket down right where it was before. He reassumes his old position, and deactivates [Contextual Time Perception].

BOOM!

Straf briefly flickers, and a thunderous boom floods out of the Cursefire hallway, and into the main halls. The students jump, startled by the noise, and the janitor stares at the doorless doorway with an uneased, tight-lipped, wide-eyed face. A powerful splash of water impacts the brazier, though the sizzling noise of steam is masked by the echoing noise of Straf's [Translocation].

「Ah.」

Straf utters out, as the Cursefire Brazier falls dark. The students pause as they are walking past, staring at the entryway with great curiosity.

「Wow. Seriously? Nobody tried that? It's basically a skip glitch! The arc's over!? That's it!?-」

He says, shocked by the dark hallway in front of him. Indignant, he points his hand at the dark brazier.

Fwoom!

It bursts back into life with a hateful roar, flooding the hallway with its sickly, purple light again.

「…Figures.」

Straf sighs, and his arm drops limp at his side.

「Hm? But I just filled it?…」

The janitor dips his mop in the bucket, and tilts his head in confusion at the dry mop…