Chapter 41: Summoning of the Council of Elders -1

“Why… why is the Saintess here?”

“I heard the situation from Professor Dolores, Professor.”

I even slurred my words out of bewilderment.
The Saintess looked at me and replied.

“Professor Anastasia said she would handle it alone, but after hearing the whole story, I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. So I entrusted Alber and came running.”

“…I see.”

I bit my lip unconsciously, feeling anxious.

Although she was a materialistic bribe Saintess, Antiopea was an observer dispatched with the direct official recognition of the Holy See.

If it were an ordinary magical beast, it might be different, but since an experiment of an ancient witch had appeared, she wouldn’t just stay in the rear.
In this case, she would have come running even if the dean, not Dolores, had tried to stop her.

‘Damn it.’

I thought things would be too easy.

In fact, since I had already killed the Magic Eater, it didn’t really matter.

The reason I had tried not to let her come into contact with the monster was because she was a person with a very sharp intuition.
She wouldn’t be able to understand the Magic Eater’s language, but what if she tried to capture it alive for interrogation and dissected or researched it?

So wasn’t I trying to handle both the confrontation and the aftermath all by myself to avoid giving her any room?

The problem was the things I had babbled while dealing with the monster.
Hadn’t I revealed all sorts of secrets, like being a descendant of Altra and the last remaining witch on earth?

If even one of these things had entered Saintess Antiopea’s ears…

‘…Should I kill her?’

A thought as I manipulated the shadow tentacles still writhing at my feet.

Killing an innocent woman is certainly an evil act that pricks my conscience.
But what if the Saintess has found out my true identity? Then I have to do it, even if it means bearing the guilt.

The moment the news that ‘a witch is alive’ spreads, I will immediately become the enemy of the whole world.

The Holy See, the Magic Tower, the Vǫlsunga Empire, and various other kingdoms.
And all the races of the continent, including elves, dwarves, and gnomes.
Wouldn’t they unite and send a witch-hunting expedition to hunt me down?

‘Even the powerful Altra was eventually killed by the first Hero.’

Not only do I have no intention of taking the same risk as my ancestor, but my ultimate goal is to break free from the shackles of being a necromancer and live peacefully.
If the Saintess was truly an obstacle to that goal, I had no choice but to eliminate her without mercy.

“…”

While my mind was racing, Antiopea just stood there silently.
Whether she had seen through Anastasia the Warlock’s true nature or not, she didn’t say a single word to clear things up.

Thanks to that, I could only stand there tensely, staring at her holy sword.

‘She’s the current generation’s Sword Saint, she said.’

Antiopea was an unparalleled swordswoman who was said to be unprecedentedly powerful.
Not only was her talent for swordsmanship unparalleled, but her divine power was also said to be the greatest among all the Saintesses in history.

Of course, I didn’t think I would lose if I fought her…

‘What excuse will I make after I really kill her?’

If she were a white mage, it might be different, but for the current generation’s Sword Saint to be killed while fighting a Magic Eater that wasn’t even a good matchup?
And with me, a warlock, returning unscathed?

Honestly, isn’t it a suspicious situation no matter who looks at it?
It was a dilemma where it was difficult to do either.

“…”

Thump.
Then, Antiopea finally took a step forward.

Holding the greatsword, which was as reliable as Alber’s halberd, she strode towards me, looking straight at me.

‘Did she overhear our conversation?’

I didn’t feel any killing intent or hostility, but a Sword Saint could hide it at will.
I swallowed dryly, preparing to activate the shadow tentacles in advance.

If she tried to stab or cut me with a surprise attack, I had to counter immediately.
If the Saintess who was trying to help me suddenly disappeared, public opinion would be in an uproar, but I couldn’t just stand there and take it…

“Hmph.”

I was in the middle of a rapid brainstorming session.

The Saintess, who had approached a few steps away, suddenly frowned and sighed.
Then, thud, she drove the greatsword she was holding into the ground.

‘…What?’

She let go of her weapon, the lifeline of a swordsman? Does she not intend to fight me?
I was momentarily taken aback by her incomprehensible action.

“Professor Anastasia?”

The Saintess called me and raised one arm high.
And the next moment.

Thwack-!!

“Ack!”

Stars flashed before my eyes, and a stinging pain came to my forehead.
Antiopea had flicked me on the forehead with all her might, full of anger.

I had been hit many times in my life, but I had never felt such a painful flick on the forehead.

“Wh-what are you doing, Saintess! It hurts!”

“Of course. I hit you to make it hurt, Professor.”

“Pardon?”

As I was rubbing the spot where I was hit, not understanding, Antiopea crossed her arms and glared at me.
Then, she began to scold me in a tone like a mother scolding a child.

“It’s good that you want to protect the students, but you’re too reckless. To face a Magic Eater alone, no matter how confident you are. Excessive self-sacrifice is not good, Professor.”

“…Pardon?”

“You said it yourself, didn’t you, Professor? That as a housemaster, you just want peace for the students, and you don’t want anything more. Then you should make the right decision as an educator.”

I asked back, dumbfounded, but Antiopea’s eyes hardened as if she was even angrier.
Now that I looked at her, her attitude was quite similar to when she was dealing with the troublemaker Alber.

“It’s a good thing you won safely, but what if you had been defeated by the Magic Eater? Couldn’t other students have been injured by its rampage? It’s not always the right decision to shoulder the burden alone, Professor.”

‘…She didn’t hear.’

Judging by the content and tone of her words, it didn’t seem like she had overheard the things I had babbled.
She seemed to believe that I had faced it alone just to sacrifice myself.

“I’m sorry. I’ll be careful in the future, Saintess.”

I sighed in relief inwardly and played dumb.

Making an enemy of a woman who was the guardian of the next Hero and a powerful figure in the Holy See was a big burden.
It was a great relief that I didn’t have to take such a risk.

“So? Did you completely defeat the Magic Eater?”

“Yes. It struggled a bit, but I managed to cut its life thread. The academy will be safe now.”

I replied, glancing at the blackened remains of the liquid monster.

The exclusive necromancy of the Flame Witch, who was once the matriarch of my bloodline.
Since I had imitated it and burned it to ashes, no one else would be able to extract any suspicious clues. At most, they would just find some burnt ashes.

“I always feel this way, but your skills are truly amazing. Both when you were supervising the placement test, and now.”

Antiopea praised me with a gentle smile.

“With a powerful magician like you, I could just play around with Alber, couldn’t I? I don’t think I need to help you, you seem to be able to handle it well on your own.”

“…Still, please do your job, Saintess. I asked you personally as a housemaster.”

“Oh. I’m just kidding, just kidding.”

Antiopea lightly tapped my shoulder and pulled her greatsword from the ground again.
As she put it back on her back, she said.

“Then let’s get out of here quickly. Everyone must be worried about you, Professor. We should go and tell everyone that you defeated the magical beast splendidly, shouldn’t we?”

You don’t have to publicize it, just take care of the troublemakers as I asked.
What an insincere bribe Saintess. Both then and now, she keeps trying to get out of it with this and that excuse.

I muttered with a wry smile and extended my right sleeve.

“Hold my arm. We’ll go up with shadow magic.”

“Hehe, okay.”

Antiopea, who immediately grabbed my wrist with a reply.
Perhaps because it was the hand of a swordswoman, her grip was tremendous even though she held it lightly.

‘She must be really good at arm wrestling.’

As I was having such silly thoughts, I reached out my arm towards the air.
Then, I immediately extended a shadow tentacle and attached it like a hook, pulling the Saintess and me up.

“Hup.”

The sound Antiopea made as she landed on the ground.
Then, she smiled brightly and said to Professor Anastasia.

“Thanks to you, Professor, I got up here easily. If I were alone, I would have had a hard time.”

“Is that so? I’m glad I wasn’t defeated by the Magic Eater.”

Professor Anastasia replied bluntly, licking her candy.
But to Antiopea, who had felt the kindness behind her words, it just sounded like a child’s tantrum.

“Let’s go back to the main building quickly, Professor. Everyone is very worried. Especially Miss Silvia.”

“…Hmph.”

Anastasia snorted at her words.
It was clear that she had some displeasure with Silvia.

‘Is she still angry because she destroyed the Coral Hall?’

Since it was an accident that happened while fighting a magical beast, the academy wouldn’t hold her responsible.

Although she didn’t know the exact reason, she decided not to worry about it anymore.
After all, the problem between her and Miss Silvia was for them to resolve.

Rather, Antiopea was enjoying a pleasant feeling for a completely different reason.

‘Dean Roakan’s insight was correct.’

Although she seemed cold and unsociable at first glance, she was actually a warm-hearted person who cared about her students more than anyone else.
And she even had a brave spirit that did not hesitate to face an experiment of an ancient witch alone to protect people.

It was certain that Warlock Anastasia was the right person for the job of an academy professor.
Because she was a person who was not blinded by selfish desires and would not hesitate to risk her life for her students.

‘…But then again.’

What did she mean by what she said to the magical beast earlier?

She thought back to the words she had overheard when she had just arrived underground.

Anastasia, who had trapped the Magic Eater in a tightly wrapped shadow tentacle and finished it off.
Hadn’t she said something strange as she finished it off?

That to her, it was just a tiresome burden she had wanted to throw off her entire life.

Of course, since she hadn’t heard the beginning, the specific meaning was unclear.
But considering the context, it must have been a remark related to punishing the magical beast.

‘Could it be that the professor is from a demon hunter bloodline?’

Demon hunter.
A black mage who makes a living by hunting magical beasts, and a disciple of the warlock ‘Agrippa’ who had once cooperated with the first Hero and participated in the Altra subjugation.

Originally, warlocks were persecuted along with ordinary black mages.
That situation changed after the warlock Agrippa made a great contribution to the Altra subjugation and took his disciples into the forest.

Since then, they had lived in seclusion in the forest for generations and developed their own black magic tradition, which gave rise to today’s warlock culture.

‘And among them, Agrippa’s direct descendants called themselves demon hunters and focused on hunting magical beasts, right?’

If Anastasia was a descendant of Agrippa, it would explain a lot.
From her unusually powerful black magic to her expression of being tired of punishing magical beasts.

‘Could it be that she left the forest and became a professor for that reason?’

Because she was tired of the coercion to inherit the will of the sage Agrippa, and the demand to become a demon hunter and devote herself to hunting magical beasts?

As her thoughts reached that point, she felt a little sorry for her situation.

Not only was she bound by an unwanted shackle her entire life, but even now that she had escaped to the academy, the task of her ancestors was following her.
Her overly reserved demeanor might also have been an unavoidable result of that pressure and burden.

‘Alright, I’ve decided.’

Smirk. She secretly made a resolve, her lips curling up.

‘I’ll have to become a close friend to her from now on.’

Since she also had the job of an inspector entrusted to her by the dean. She intended to get close to Anastasia and build a rapport.

Although she was not honest and had built a wall around her heart, she must be constantly suffering from loneliness and solitude.
Therefore, as a Saintess and an inspector, she intended to actively approach her and break down that wall.

‘The professor will surely be happy.’

Humans are fundamentally social animals.
There is no human in the world who would shun having at least one close friend.

It was at that moment.

“Professor Anastasia? Your Highness the Saintess?”

A group of magicians suddenly blocked their path.

“I’m glad you’re both safe. Could we have a word with you?”

“…Who are you? You don’t seem to be from the academy.”

The male magician at the head of the group spoke.

At this, Antiopea stopped in her tracks and asked sharply.
She had wondered if they were people sent by the chairman, but judging by their clothes and atmosphere, they were not members of the board of directors.

Leaving everything aside, Forte de Garcia was currently busy calming down her daughter.

‘Mom, I hate you!! The professor will think I did it!!’

The cry of Silvia, who had found out that Forte had tried to have Anastasia resign.
Hadn’t she driven a nail into Forte’s heart by bursting into tears, saying she never wanted to see her mother again?

It seemed unlikely that the half-dazed, foolish mother would have sent people to get Anastasia.

Of course, Antiopea’s curiosity was soon resolved.

“We are members of the special task force dispatched from the Magic Tower’s Council of Elders, Your Highness.”

The man who had been staring at Antiopea with his hands behind his back revealed his identity and purpose.

“We have come to summon Professor Anastasia to a hearing under the orders of the Council of Elders.”

“…”

“A hearing? On what grounds, all of a sudden?”

Professor Anastasia, who was just silently listening to the man’s words.
Antiopea spoke up on her behalf, her eyes flashing.

“Professor Anastasia has done nothing wrong. No, she even risked her life to fight the Magic Eater. So what kind of hearing are you talking about…”

“That’s exactly why, Your Highness.”

The male magician said, showing his ID from his pocket.

“We are the forces of the special task force’s ancient magical beast experiment and research team. We have full authority over the investigation and research of biological weapons related to the witch Altra.”

“You’re doing a great job. So what’s the problem?”

“It’s simple, Your Highness. According to a report from a scout who has just inspected the scene, Professor Anastasia has arbitrarily disposed of the Magic Eater, a witch’s experiment, without consulting us.”

“…That means, in other words?”

Antiopea asked back, feeling a sense of foreboding, and the male magician narrowed his eyes and shifted his gaze to Anastasia.

The black mage professor who was just licking her candy with an indifferent expression.
Looking straight at her, the male magician spoke in a confident tone.

“The point of killing the Magic Eater, a biological weapon of Altra, on your own without capturing it. And the point of destroying the corpse without handing it over to the Magic Tower’s special task force. In connection with this, the elders have requested the summons of Professor Anastasia.”