All-Master Player Of The Academy [EN]: Chapter 68

◈ Chapter 68

34. If Not Number 1, Then Number 2 – 2

“Haa… Haa…”

The silver fur, once as smooth and beautiful as silk, was now completely charred and grotesque.

Parts of its body were scorched or melted, and its long legs were severed.

Hanging on to life by a thread, the tiger pleaded with Ian.

“Plea, please… save me…”

It was unlike the tiger, once a powerful magical beast that ruled this region.

Ian approached the tiger, who was merely begging for its life, and asked calmly,

“You’re not from around here, are you? How did you get here?”

“If, if I tell you, will you spare me…? Kkyaaa!”

Seeing him hesitate, Ian brought the sword of fire closer.

The tiger let out a terrible scream as its flesh was seared by the flames.

“Is this the time for you to negotiate with me?”

“When, when I came to my senses, I was in a strange place. And there, some demons took me out. When I came out, it was a city with a strange tower.”

They brought him to this area.

And when they tried to control him, he devoured them all.

Since then, he had been using this area as his feeding ground until he was captured by the followers of the snake.

“I’ve told you everything! So please, spare me now!! Ahh, I don’t want to die!! I only ate to survive!! What’s wrong with that!”

He pleaded desperately, appealing to emotions.

When the tiger argued that if eating to survive was a sin, then Ian was no better, Ian scoffed.

“Tigers like you can survive without eating people. Isn’t eating people just your preference?”

The creature flinched at those words.

Then, staring blankly in disbelief, it muttered,

“Damn it.”

Ian, looking down at him, quickly swung his sword.

As the fiery blade grazed its neck, the creature’s body slowly crumbled.

At that moment, a massive amount of lunar energy poured out from the tiger’s body.

Ian devoured it all, satisfied.

It seemed that mastering the knowledge of the moon was no empty boast.

The lunar energy the creature possessed far exceeded expectations.

It was enough to significantly tilt the balance of his inner energy towards the lunar side in an instant.

“What an excellent fellow.”

“I guess so. Anyway, it was a very rewarding hunt… but I don’t have a sword.”

The sword he had received from Lakid had melted, unable to withstand Ryuhwa.

It was a decent sword, but it was a shame.

Ian tossed away the sword, which had lost its shape, leaving only the hilt.

Meanwhile, the thick fog created by the tiger cleared, and the moon was revealed.

Ian glanced at the sky and walked to the window, opening it.

Had they trusted him until the end?

The barrier prepared by Grajin was not activated.

“It’s over.”

“Myaa~ Mya mya mya~.”

Mya-ne, who was on Leila’s lap, jumped up and snuggled against him.

Mya-ne quickly climbed onto his shoulder and began to groom himself, while Eldan timidly stepped forward.

“How did it go?!”

Ian pointed to the tiger’s corpse.

Eldan flinched at the gruesome sight.

“Hmm…”

Leila, who had walked over holding Helid’s hand, also looked at the tiger.

Seeing the tiger, headless and half-burned, not even twitching, she quietly asked,

“Is it over now?”

“Yeah.”

The tiger, who had come from another dimension hundreds of years ago and tormented the people of this region.

And even after being released, it had continued to torment people here, now dead, leaving behind only its skin and lunar energy.

Ian pointed to the tiger’s corpse and answered calmly, as if it were nothing.

“It’s all over.”

* * *

When morning came, Grajin returned.

He even brought a written pledge from the Temple of the Moon to hand over the Full Moon Necklace if they could eliminate the tiger.

Ian smiled when he saw it.

“I caught it. So this is mine now?”

“…Huh? When?”

“I caught it yesterday.”

“What?! Really?! Where’s the body?”

“It’s in the garden.”

Ian led him there, and there were quite a few people watching.

“Goodness. Goodness. What kind of monster is that?”

“I heard that Ian, a student from the academy, caught it?”

“Wow. That’s amazing.”

“I heard he was the winner of the last Hero Festival. Wow. Fredon Academy is the best…”

“My heart races just looking at that monster’s face. And he caught that monster alone?”

The servants and soldiers who were watching chattered.

Grajin walked through them and admired the tiger’s corpse.

“Wow. That’s really impressive. Is this the tiger?”

“Yeah. And he also stole the power of the Seeker of Knowledge and obtained the knowledge of the moon, I heard.”

“So the monster was weakened after all.”

“I’m telling you, I’m strong.”

At that moment, Eldan approached.

At his appearance, the onlookers hurriedly greeted him and left.

Without even glancing at those scattering people, he bowed respectfully to Ian.

“Thank you so much. No. Thank you. I don’t know how to thank my benefactor.”

“Speak comfortably and don’t forget your promise.”

“Is, is that alright? Anyway. What do you want? Helid told me you’re from the Scarlet Kingdom?”

“Yes.”

“Brandon, the Baron, right? I’ll immediately promote him to Viscount and sponsor him.”

“I’m a disowned child, so that’s alright.”

“Ah. Is that so? Perhaps you’d like to be adopted into the Baradis County? Well, it would be better for someone as strong as you to have a background.”

If someone as great as Ian received the support of the Baradis County?

He might gain even stronger power than the Icebin County.

“Leila seems to have someone she likes, so marriage is difficult… but I can adopt you.”

But Ian wasn’t interested in that either.

“Then what do you want?”

When Eldan asked, Ian confidently demanded,

“A good relic from the Solar Church will do.”

He had obtained plenty of lunar energy from catching the tiger, so that was enough.

Now he needed to gather solar energy.

Ian judged that a noble like Eldan could easily obtain a relic better than a Solar Radiance Stone.

“I understand. However, good relics can only be obtained from the main temple of the Solar Church, so please wait a bit.”

“I’ll go get it myself, so please write me a letter of introduction. I have to go anyway.”

“That’s not difficult. I understand.”

Eldan smiled when Ian was satisfied.

“Also, one more thing. My adopted son…”

“Ah. That’s alright.”

Eldan was slightly disappointed.

He was a fairly strong Count even in the Scarlet Kingdom, but Ian was too detached.

But on the other hand, he liked it.

It meant he wasn’t interested in power.

“My son, Wiltre, is coming. Please be sure to meet him later. And then we’ll talk again.”

“Ah. Yes.”

Eldan smiled and turned away when Ian answered vaguely.

As Eldan left, Grajin asked with a troubled expression,

“Will you do it?”

“Would I?”

If he were going to be adopted into the Baradis County, he would have been adopted into the Auden County.

Grajin laughed when Ian answered with an indifferent attitude.

“I knew you weren’t someone to be under anyone. By the way, what are you going to do with that tiger?”

“I don’t know. They say tigers leave their skin when they die, but will that burnt skin sell for a high price?”

“I don’t know. It might be good to report it to the Archaeological Society. What do you think?”

“Will they give us something if we report it?”

“They’ll give you something, right? Anyway, that’ll be good data to inform about the Botar Kingdom.”

It was evidence that could completely overturn the theories that had been spread so far.

The tiger who enjoyed catching and tormenting people.

The monster who devoured those who did not follow him while seeking knowledge.

All of them were harmful to people.

The Snake God who had imprisoned them might now rise to the ranks of a benevolent god instead of an evil god.

‘People like those confrontational structures [tendency to create opposing sides].’

Anyway, let’s hand over the tiger’s corpse to the Archaeological Society for a good price.

“Ian.”

While the two were talking while looking at the corpse, Helid approached.

“Where’s Leila?”

“She’s resting. I guess the tension was released. She keeps sleeping.”

“Hmm… well, I guess so.”

When Ian nodded, Grajin tapped the tiger’s corpse.

“By the way, I heard it spoke human language?”

“Yeah. It imitated the voices of people who had died a long time ago.”

“I see.”

“And Hwirimin, the Countess of Baradis, Eldan’s wife and Leila’s mother. It imitated her voice.”

“How did the tiger know that?”

Helid muttered seriously, but Grajin didn’t care much.

“There are many ways. That tiger can speak human language.”

“Is that so.”

Ian, looking at him, hugged Mya-ne and said,

“Anyway, Helid. Take care of Eldan and Leila.”

It’s going to be tough.

After all, it’ll feel like he’s denied his wife and mother.

The two looked at him at those words.

“Why?”

“No… I didn’t know you could say such considerate things.”

“Me too.”

Ian frowned at the two of them.

“Where else can you find someone as kind as me?”

Since he had caught the tiger, Baul no longer needed to stay at the mansion.

So Ian and Grajin headed to the Temple of the Moon with Baul.

“You’ve worked hard.”

He smiled contentedly and handed over a box.

There were two Crescent Moon Necklaces that Ian had found.

One belonged to this temple, but he didn’t know about the other.

But since it was an item from the Temple of the Moon, it was natural to recover it.

And it was also natural to give six Moonstones in return.

“Thank you!”

‘If you add the Full Moon Necklace here…’

Ian quickly finished calculating in his head.

The relics that Eldan would provide.

Plus the solar energy he would get from the Great Synod [religious council].

And the relics he would get with the letter of introduction from Willis.

Ian grinned after quickly finishing the calculation.

The timing of the first metamorphosis would be much faster than expected.

Ian took the box, satisfied.

“Then see you next time. Hey, Grajin. We have to go to the Archaeological Society now, right?”

He had to hand over the tiger’s corpse and get the Full Moon Necklace.

As Ian got up from his seat and left, Baul politely greeted them as they departed.

When they arrived at the Archaeological Society, Ian tilted his head.

A familiar face was waiting with a smile.

“Hello~.”

A magician girl in a black robe was waving her hand with a cheerful smile.

It was a face that both Ian and Grajin knew.

“Isn’t that Oerinna? Why are you here?”

She grinned and hugged the old woman next to her.

“Say hello. She’s my teacher and grandmother.”

The woman in black clothes, holding a long staff, stared at Ian and asked nervously,

“You… what exactly are you?”

“Huh? Why do you ask?”

She was startled by Ian’s puzzled question.

“Ah. Oh dear. I’m sorry. I, I must have seen wrong. I’m getting old, so I’ve been seeing things lately…”

The old woman rubbed her eyes and looked at Ian again.

Then, not knowing what to do, she apologized.

“I’m Matri Tildon from the Magic Tower.”

When she introduced herself kindly with a smile, Grajin bowed slightly.

“It’s an honor to meet the master of gravity magic. I’m Grajin Urkul.”

“Yes. Nice to meet you. And you must be Ian?”

“Yes. Ian Brandon.”

“Thank you for being friends with my granddaughter. And I heard you learned magic from her?”

“Yes. I learned self-magnetic magic.”

“Let’s see… already at the 3rd Circle. Amazing. I heard you had almost no talent.”

Oerinna was shocked at Matri’s words.

What on earth had happened in the few days since the vacation started that he was already at the 3rd Circle?

“I went to the Forgotten City. But why are you here?”

Oerinna pointed to one side at Ian’s question.

People from the Archaeological Society and the Magic Tower were talking about something.

“The Archaeological Society has a small connection with the Magic Tower. There are many artifacts from the ruins that need to be checked by the Magic Tower.”

Not only that.

Like in this case, the Magic Tower also analyzes monsters that have not been discovered before.

And this time, it was a big deal, so someone in a high position from the Magic Tower had to come.

“It just so happened that my teacher and I were training at the Magic Tower when we heard about it.”

That’s why Matri came.

Ian grinned at those words.

“So you’re just a bonus?”

Oerinna deliberately pretended to be exaggeratedly sulky at Ian’s joke and retorted,

“Could you please not hit me with the facts too hard?”