#1294 Junior’s Adventure – It Wasn’t All for Naught 

And so, the headmaster of the Magic Academy finds himself completely cornered. 
But villains, especially small-time crooks, always end in the most pitiful way. 

“Damn it, I’m not done yet!” 

The man who had been trembling and pale suddenly stands up in a fit of desperation. 

“If it comes to this, I’ll just kill everyone here! No witnesses, no investigation! I’ll use the time that buys me to escape and start over somewhere new, where no one knows me!!!” 

As the headmaster shouts with full confidence, both Belena, Sensei, and I let out a synchronized sigh. 
Seriously, what is this guy talking about? Especially with Sensei standing right here? 

“I was the headmaster of the Magic Academy, you know! Don’t underestimate my power! I can turn you all into ash in an instant...!” 
“Hellfire Spirit-Slash on my right and the Frozen Wheel of Absolute Frost on my left. Alternate fire, 54 rounds.” 
“GYAAABOOOAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” 

There it is. 
Big Sis Belena’s signature move. Her specialty is alternating different spells from her left and right hands at breakneck speed. 

The power itself is terrifying, but even more so is the relentless continuity. No human mage can endure that storm for long; it always ends in total collapse. 

I’ve never once seen an opponent survive that technique. 
Except for Sensei, Veil, Horkosfon, Letasreit, and Mom, that is. 

Naturally, the headmaster is no exception. Like a mosquito larva in a flood, he’s instantly swept away. 

“OONGGHOOWAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” 

His screams echo through the hall. 

“If you’re going to call yourself a master of magic, you could at least withstand one hit. Not even a second of resistance is pathetic. That just proves your power was average at best.” 
“To think that trying to use force only served to prove his fraud...how pitiful.” 

The headmaster takes Belena’s barrage head-on, unable to block even one percent of it. He collapses, twitching and barely breathing. 

Even so, the fact that he’s still alive after all that... 
Belena has a mysterious knack for pulling her punches. 

A while later, the officials arrive. The headmaster, trembling lips and all, is hauled away. 

But right before being taken out, his eyes fly open... 

“Wait! Wait, wait, wait, waaaait! This is a conspiracy! False evidence! A setup! Lies! It’s all a plot against meeeeeeeee!!!” 

...He screams at the top of his lungs. 
What a disgraceful end. 

“That’s the full bingo card of things scammers say before getting arrested. What conspiracy? You got caught because you were the one conspiring in the first place.” 

Belena sighs with weary exasperation. 

“Fraud cases are so exhausting. Scammers are all petty crooks, and there’s no satisfaction in catching them. But since crime’s still crime, we can’t just ignore it. Honestly, it’s such a boring job…” 
“If you were one of those “karma comeuppance” fans, perhaps you’d find it more fulfilling.” 

Sensei knows what “karma comeuppance” means...? 

With the headmaster’s mask torn off, it’s revealed that the entire Magic Academy was just one big scam. 
An elaborate system built to swindle unsuspecting people out of their money. 

As for the other teachers working there... 

“Wait, it’s not what you think! We were tricked into this...!” 

One of them, the middle-aged man who had guided me earlier, cries out. 

“I lost my job in the Demon Kingdom and had nowhere to go. Then he approached me and said he had a good offer! I didn’t know it was fake teaching until it was too late! By the time I realized, I was already complicit...! I couldn’t even report it without incriminating myself...!” 
“You should’ve confessed anyway,” Belena cuts in coldly. 

Wow. So this is how she is during investigations. Scary. 

“Recruiting amateurs to fill the ranks? How desperate.” 
“He probably avoided real mages because they’d see through him or try to take over. Using clueless civilians as pawns was safer.” 
“A fellow con artist might turn around and con you back, huh...” 

The whole academy, built on lies, is beyond saving now. 
Every teacher here will be arrested.  
And with no one left to teach, well, that’s the end of that. 

“A-Aaaaah! Um! Excuse me!” 
“Yes?” 

Someone suddenly clings to Belena’s leg. 
It’s Ritany, the so-called elite student of the academy. 

“Please! Please take me as your apprentice!!!” 
“Eh?! Why?!” 

So… she wants to become Belena’s disciple? 
Why? 
I mean, I get it. With the academy gone, she’s just trying to find a future. 

“The magic you used to blow away the headmaster was incredible! I could tell just by watching! The power, the structure...everything was top-tier!” 
“Oh my, you’ve got good eyes, young lady.” 

Belena... 
As always, she’s instantly flattered. 
She really has that “praise me and I’ll melt” kind of personality. 

“If the academy’s finished, then please, let me study under you! With your guidance, I know I can become a far greater mage than I ever could here! Please, I’m begging you!!” 
“Uhh, well, that’s… hmm...!” 

Belena groans, troubled. 
She’s a paperwork type, not exactly a mentor. 
Besides, Ritany isn’t the only student left. 
There are dozens of them. 

You can’t just pick one and ignore the rest. 
That won’t do. 
Things are bound to get complicated. 

“I understand now. You’re the one who taught Junior magic, aren’t you?!” 
“Huh?” 
“If I learn from you, I’ll be able to use spells like his in no time! The path to glory is right here! Please, make me your apprentice!!!” 

She bows deeply, and Belena looks away awkwardly. 
...You, too, Sensei? 

“Me, Junior’s mentor? Oh no, that’s way too much honor for me…!” 
“Even for me, teaching Junior would be too great an honor…!” 

Huh? Sensei too?! 

“I did teach him the basics, of course. But the boy… he’s been playing with spirits since before he could even talk. They adore him, really.” 
“Exactly. For him, magic isn’t something he studies. It’s something the spirits just… do for him.” 
“His spells look like magic, but they’re not quite magic.” 
“It’s like breathing for him: just a natural extension of himself. The spirits move as if they were his hands and feet...” 
“At this point, it’s no longer ‘magic.’ What would you even call it?” 

Wait… I’ve been doing that without realizing? 
But I do chant properly when I cast, right? 

“Well, manners matter, even among friends.” 
“Chanting is a form of gratitude and a prayer to the spirits and gods. Forget that gratitude, and arrogance will drive them away.” 

Ah, I see now. 
That’s why they’ve always insisted on me chanting. 

Never forget gratitude; makes sense. 
 I’ll keep doing that from now on. 

“…And so,”  
 

Sensei turns to the remaining students, who all look up with eyes like lost puppies. 

“I understand your fear: your mentor is gone, your future uncertain. You’ve worked hard every day for your dreams, for your families, for yourselves. To think all that effort might go to waste is terrifying.” 

Everyone listens, captivated. 

“But today, you’ve also learned something valuable: those who deceive others for gain will always lose everything. The false teachers who tricked you are now exposed and will face justice.” 

Their downfall proves that effort without integrity leads nowhere. 

“They worked hard too, in their way—gathering sponsors, securing land, recruiting students. But was that true effort? …No.” 

Sensei continues. 

“Effort without benevolence is no effort at all. Selfish ambition bears no fruit. Let this be your lesson, so that you may move forward stronger than before.” 
“Good news, everyone!” 

Belena reappears just as the speech hits its perfect ending. 

“A temporary instructor’s been assigned to the academy! You’ll all continue your studies under them starting today!” 

The students cheer.