A Visit 

The infirmary fell silent again after Mera’s departure. Ewan, however, remained motionless, his eyes wide and vacant, staring at the empty space where she had been… like a frog who had just witnessed a swan fly out of its well for the very first time.

“Holy… crap—”

After a long time, he finally managed to force out those two words.

What did that final boss say her name was?

Meradomir?

Which Mera? Which -do? Which -mir?

Could it be… the Genesis-tier Great Archmage from a thousand years ago, the one who took up a huge portion of the textbook’s preface, the one whom a third of the theories in the entire book were related to… Meradomir?

Was it the same name?

A coincidence?

No, no.

A final boss of that level wouldn’t just happen to share a name.

In other words…

“This is a big deal. She’s not just any final boss.”

Ewan couldn’t help but feel his mouth go dry.

Although he had deduced that it was Ms. Mera who had repelled the Evil God, he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, so he couldn’t truly appreciate just how powerful she was. He had thought she was just a slightly stronger Crown One, relying on the academy’s Great Sealing Instrument…

But now it seemed that he was still too young and too naive. Relying on the Great Sealing Instrument? She had probably built the Great Sealing Instrument herself!

An Genesis-tier from a thousand years ago!

What did that even mean?

In this world, people didn’t just live for thousands or tens of thousands of years like in those cultivation novels. Before breaking through the Crowned rank and becoming a Crown One, it was extremely difficult for people to break through the theoretical lifespan limit of one hundred and twenty years.

And even after becoming a Crown One, their lifespan was only about two or three hundred years. As far as Ewan knew, the longest-living person in the original novel was the Pope of the Church of Life. And even he, with the blessing of the Goddess of Life, was only a little over four hundred years old.

Not even half of a thousand!

And an Genesis-tier from a thousand years ago didn’t mean she had only lived for a thousand years. It meant she was already at the Genesis-tier a thousand years ago!

Her true age… was unknown.

Because even the textbook preface didn’t have any introduction to her life before she became a Great Archmage.

“A final boss like that… wanted to make me her disciple, and I actually hesitated?”

Ewan wished he could travel back in time ten minutes and immediately hug Ms.Mera’s leg.

With a thigh that thick to hold onto, unless an Evil God personally descended, what could possibly threaten his little life?

A Crown One under the God of Love? So what? Can she compare to the pale, tender thigh in my arms?

You’re a protagonist with a lot of cheat items? You have the soul of a mysterious woman in your ring? So what? Can all of that combined even reach this thigh’s ankle?

As a disciple of Ms. Mera, he would be essentially free to do as he pleased, provided he didn’t deliberately seek trouble.

—But that was just a fleeting thought.

Ewan quickly regained his composure…  and then a flicker of fear surfaced. He pondered the path even Meradomir herself found uncertain. For him, a disposable blond villain utterly lacking a protagonist’s plot armor, to rashly follow that route… could it possibly be the correct decision?

“At this point… I have no choice but to keep going.”

Ewan patted his cheeks, forcing himself to rally his spirits.

The black book’s prophetic dream was like a knife, constantly approaching his throat. He didn’t know when it would come true and reap his life.

He was forced to struggle.

Before fate’s cruelty could strike him down once more, he had to cling to any anchor he could find, and fight with every fiber of his being, even if the path he desperately clawed towards was the real hell  itself.

…

…

“But… who’s going to save me…?”

Just two minutes after pulling himself together, Ewan couldn’t help but roll around in his blankets, once again letting out the dying wail of a salted fish.

Because, no matter how he thought about it…

The requirement that Ms. Mera had given him was just too harsh.

In one month, he had to pass the “Introduction to the Basics of Magic” exam.

One month, to learn what other people had learned in a year… plus  one month!

This wasn’t like a university student looking back at a primary school textbook, where you could understand it with just a glance.

In terms of magic, he was a primary school student right now.

And at best, he was in the first grade. Ms. Mera, however, was demanding that he take… and pass… the second-year exam within a month! 

It was utterly impossible.

But Ewan also knew that Ms. Mera’s requirement was extremely reasonable.

For the profound study of magic, an idiot who had scored a three on his “Introduction to the Basics of Magic” exam really didn’t have the qualifications to even be a beginner.

“But it’s still so hard! Is there any way to gain knowledge without studying?!” Ewan twisted into a strange position, praying to the heavens to send him an all-powerful Doraemon.

“It seems the Evil God’s corruption has indeed affected your brain, Ewan Campbell.”

A cold, clear voice suddenly echoed in the small infirmary room.

“Er?”

Ewan’s wailing immediately stopped, as if someone had pressed a mute button.

He slowly poked his head out of the covers, his face slightly flushed, and looked at the silver-haired figure with an awkward smile. “C-Celicia. What are you doing here?”

“Am I not allowed to be here?”

Celicia was still wearing her red student council uniform, which made her snow-white skin look even rosier.

She placed the fruit she had brought on the cabinet beside his bed, tucked a stray strand of silver hair behind her ear, and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Or would you rather see a doctor right now?”

“No, no! My brain is fine! It’s definitely fine!”

Ewan shook his head vigorously, then sat up straight in his bed. He straightened his messy infirmary gown, like a pitiful office worker about to be berated by a domineering CEO.

“Is everything alright with the student council? It must be a busy time, right?”

“It’s fine. Although the incident had a far-reaching impact, no students actually died in the chaos, so all the student council has to do is handle some of the subsequent chores. The ones who are really having a hard time right now are the professors and the headmaster.”

Celicia sat down on the chair that had already been sat on by two other beauties.

“Would you like an apple?”

Although she was asking, she was already holding an apple and a fruit knife.

So Ewan could only weakly add a “yes.”

“How is your body feeling?”

“It’s completely healed.”

“When are you going back to class?”

“The doctor said I can be discharged tomorrow.”

“And your mind?”

“Joyful, and my appetite is great.”

“…”

Celicia looked down and began to peel the apple. Her hand was very steady, and a thin, even peel, like a silk ribbon, uncoiled from her palm.

After peeling the apple, she placed it on a fruit plate. She held the fruit knife and lightly tapped the apple, and Ewan could just barely see a faint glimmer of light flash. The apple was instantly, and perfectly, divided into eight pieces.

Then, she carefully stuck a toothpick into each piece and handed the plate to him.

As expected of Celicia. Even peeling an apple is so elegant.

Ewan couldn’t help but admire her inwardly. He casually picked up a piece of fruit and popped it into his mouth.

Sweet and refreshing.

“By the way, has anything else happened at the academy recently?”

Ewan finished the piece in two or three bites and then asked. After all, he had been trapped in the infirmary for several days, and the only information he could get from the outside world was the occasional sound of girlish laughter from the window. The professors and doctors all had such stern faces that he was too embarrassed to ask them for gossip.

“Nothing major has happened at the academy. Because of the timely response, the Evil God’s invasion didn’t cause any real damage. Classes have already basically resumed.”

Celicia also picked up a piece of apple and began to eat it in small, delicate bites. Her crystal-clear red lips opened and closed, her posture graceful.

“But, if we’re talking about a hot topic among the students…”

“That would probably be the mysterious, blond beauty who disappeared that night.”

“…”