Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 272 Second Stage

"If I remember correctly, this was the first time the professor and the 'fireworks maker' had met. So, how did you deduce my identity?"

Like Rita before her, Rita's entire demeanor changed after removing her gas mask.

Normally, seeing a beautiful woman who always has an intellectual smile on her face, you would never imagine that she was the culprit who had plunged the entire city of Spring into fear.

“I have a certain degree of perception of magical particles. So, I noticed some unusual behavior from you during your blind date. Out of curiosity, I investigated your information. Combining this with some information I obtained from the ‘company,’ I found that the time you and the ‘fireworks maker’ appeared in Spring City roughly coincided. And when you cast your magic earlier, I felt a sense of ‘familiarity.’ So, I guessed it was you.”

Having already achieved his goal, Ritas didn't mind answering Rita's questions.

"Oh? You dare to make at least a 90% certain decision based on just these facts? As a researcher, shouldn't the professor be more rigorous?"

"Since it's a bluff, the higher the better. If it's not 100%, it loses its credibility, so I would have been more absolute before."

Ritas shook his head.

"So, those were just words used to deceive us?"

Rita couldn't help but show surprise.

"Pretty much, I prefer to call it a test. Anyway, there's no harm in calling the wrong name, and I can get information whether you respond or not. Moreover, I'm pretty sure you'll blurt out some information on your own. Because such tests are often more effective on proud and confident people."

Ritas produced his most frequently used transparent, triangular wand, "Rhythm." Rita's hands, however, remained empty. Her gas mask was tossed aside.

"Hehehe, I never expected that the renowned professor of demonic studies would be such a skilled liar. Your rating on my end has dropped even further."

A sinister look appeared on Rita's face.

Clearly, she was more concerned about the fact that her identity had been so easily revealed than she appeared to be.

She doesn't need to hide herself like she did when she went on a blind date, nor does she need to add any theatrics like she did when she transformed into a fireworks maker. Therefore, at this moment, she is the real "Rita Gabrielle".

"That's a real shame. But on my end, the moment Ms. Rita removed her mask, her score was already zero."

Ritas stared at Rita indifferently.

In a way, the goddess's act of disrupting the blind date dinner was once again a successful accident.

Even though Ritas basically had no requirements for his partner, and could ignore and tolerate many things as long as it was in his own interest, he would never allow a criminal who had committed heinous acts in front of him to become his wife.

But upon closer reflection, Ritas felt that even without the goddess of bathing, this blind date would ultimately fall through.

After all, no matter how successful the blind date is, the earliest the wedding will take is about a year. During that whole year, he should be able to notice something unusual about his fiancée.

"I, too, feel regret. Because the professor's act of revealing my identity served no purpose other than satisfying his own curiosity. Rather, if you had been a member of the 'Company' before, I might have let you go if you had simply handed over the princess. But now that you know a secret that must never be revealed..."

boom!
The area where the two were standing exploded open once again.

Amidst the flying sand and stones, Rita's gaze towards Ritas was filled with ruthlessness.

"Shut up forever, that's the only outcome you'll get!"

"Was there any possibility that Ms. Rita would let me go before her identity was exposed?"

Ritas was always surrounded by that incredibly solid protective shield.
"Your ability to fabricate lies is truly appalling."

As Ritas began to swing his wand, the fierce battle resumed.

"Is the renowned Professor Elson only good for hiding inside the barrier?"

The battlefield was filled with constant explosions.

Perhaps, all the other battlefields in the academy combined don't compare to the excitement of Ritas and Rita's situation.

The roar, which had already numbed Ritas, could not shake his defensive measures.

Unlike the skirmishes and the situation where only a few dozen pages of magic could be prepared in a short time, the area where Ritas was located was a "fortress".

Some things are not suitable for being placed in places like dormitories or residences where people come and go frequently.

Therefore, for a long time before, Ritas had been building his fortress in some sparsely populated areas of the academy.

This wasn't because Ritas was being prescient or foresaw the danger. It was simply that in the use, research, and maintenance of magic, it's inevitable to encounter many "waste materials" that are still usable but have to be discarded.

By making use of those waste materials, the accumulated results can be quite substantial.

Others might be unable to utilize those disorganized and poorly connected abandoned objects. But for Ritas, who excels at "random magic," these are not problems.

Therefore, Rita is not so much fighting against Ritas as she is fighting against Ritas's "history" at Erles Academy.

"So-called fireworks masters only know how to set off the same kind of fireworks, don't they?"

Ritas, waiting for the perfect moment, continued to provoke Rita with words.

"Oh?"

Whether it was something that triggered her or not, Rita temporarily stopped her pointless barrage of attacks.

If the barrier were constructed from pages of a magic book, her constant destruction might have some merit. However, with magical particles continuously arriving from all directions to repair the protective barrier, unless she could shatter it completely with a single, decisive blow, she was simply wasting her own energy in vain.

The next moment, Rita raised her right hand.

Then, about a hundred paces away from her, a stone spike suddenly protruded. The magical artifact, which looked like a square box, was thrown into the air and exploded into ashes with a "bang".

Then, one thing after another happened frequently, and Ritas seemed completely stunned by the scene.

"I've heard that the professor is also highly skilled in magic circles. But unfortunately, while a well-arranged magic circle is indeed very powerful, it will stop working once the nodes are destroyed. External forces are ultimately unreliable."

As she spoke, Rita reached out her hand again in the direction of Ritas.

Rita's movements were like those of a general commanding a war, while countless stone spikes and explosives surged toward Ritas as her "soldiers."

The magic circle, now that its nodes were destroyed, could no longer be applied to Ritas's protective barrier, and the shield's color appeared much dimmer.

In the blink of an eye, Rita's attack exploded completely in the direction of Ritas.

As Rita watched the thick smoke rising from the attack site, a gentle breeze swirling around her, she frowned slightly. "What happened? Why hasn't the magic circle's power dissipated even though the nodes have been destroyed?"

"Because this is a special magic circle that, once activated, cannot be easily stopped. You can call it a 'magic field'."

As the thick smoke dissipated, Ritas emerged unharmed within the sturdy shield.

The battle between Ritas and Rita has reached an inevitable stalemate.

Not only was Rita encountering a strange mage who had cultivated such profound knowledge in the field of "shield activation" for the first time in her life, but Ritas also found Rita incredibly difficult to deal with.

If you were to ask Ritas what the most powerful magic in his knowledge is, his answer would undoubtedly be "eclipse."

Rita's magic is certainly far inferior to "Eclipse." However, Ritas prefers to face the kind of massive magic that requires time to prepare and condense.

No chanting or wands are needed; it seems that with just a thought, several spells can be formed instantly.

In one-on-one combat, Rita's magic is undoubtedly more threatening.

For a moment, Rita, who had been relentlessly attacked, seemed to become somewhat complacent, or perhaps she had suddenly grown tired of it.

Ritas didn't miss the opportunity; he waved his wand, and a strange gust of wind swept towards Rita.

A dark, swirling wind swept up swathes of ashes that hadn't yet turned to ash, enveloping Rita before abruptly dispersing them.

"really."

In his initial assessment, Ritas believed Rita was a mage specializing in fire and lightning magic. However, after Rita demonstrated equally impressive wind and earth magic, the threat she posed as a mage increased significantly.

"It's surprising that I know wind elemental magic. I usually only use explosive magic to fit my identity as a 'fireworks maker'."

As if on display, Rita, accompanied by wind elemental magic, slowly floated into the air and looked down at Ritas, saying...

Her words were full of pride that she had become the ninth seat of the "Darkborn" with only a portion of her magical abilities.

"The professor, on the other hand, has been holding his ground the whole time, and when he finally had a chance, all he managed to do was send a weak breeze. Rather than saying he didn't have the strength, could it be that the professor is actually unable to use offensive magic?"

Looking up at Rita, who was high above him, Ritas was slightly taken aback.

Rita, quite pleased with Ritas's reaction, continued speaking.

"Why is this happening? Is it 'mania'? I never imagined that besides being a liar, the professor is also a patient."

Rita, who still seemed to be upset about being cheated, shook her head at Ritas.

"It seems that my decision to leave academia was the right one. Those so-called professors and legends always act as if they themselves are the truth. But once you get to know them, you'll find that they are exceptionally despicable. Professor Ritas, you are no exception."

Rita, suspended in mid-air, had her long hair flowing gracefully in the breeze.

"The reason I was able to roughly recognize the professor before is because I also have that so-called ability to sense magical particles. Moreover, I am probably even better at it than the professor."

"."

Ritas was unable to respond to Rita's oppressive words.

Because, in essence, they are all facts.

In terms of perception, Rita was even able to sense the presence of the Bathing Goddess attached to the disc. In this respect alone, she was far superior to Ritas.

"Professor Ritas is most famous for his 'at will magic,' which extends to his perception abilities, right? So, Professor, don't you think I could do something of that level as well?"

As Rita spoke, she made a gesture of spreading her arms.

From an ordinary person's perspective, the changes Rita underwent at this moment would be invisible. However, from Ritas's perspective, or rather, in his perception, he could sense a vast amount of magical particles gathering around Rita.

"Besides 'magic loss,' the professor also seems unable to gather many magical particles. Therefore, he has no choice but to rely on numerous external forces to maintain appearances. In other words..."

Rita raised one hand, and a ball of light that kept changing color gathered in her hand.

This wasn't some kind of magic that could be named; Rita simply gathered magical particles at random and materialized them.

Compared to Rita's ability to easily gather and fix magical particles around her, the amount of magical particles on Ritas's side was pitifully small, comparable to the light of a fluorescent glow or a bright moon.

"Aside from the fact that this 'magic field' is somewhat interesting, Professor Ritas's talent is simply a degraded version of mine. Since even degraded magic can be called 'at will magic,' can my magic be called 'omnipotent magic'?"

"If that's the case, then why can't you break through my protective barrier?"

Ritas, looking rather displeased, shouted at Rita in a defiant tone.

"First of all, why should I absolutely have to break the professor's magic? I admit that the professor's magic field is indeed quite troublesome. But I can simply leave without wasting time, since the professor probably doesn't have a way to stop me anyway. Don't tell me that I'll run into trouble if I don't kill the professor because my identity has been exposed. If the professor sees revealing my identity as a chain binding me, then I'll be disappointed again, Professor. You've disappointed me quite a few times already."

Having already believed she had completely "figured out" Rita, Rita looked down with the gaze of a falcon looking at a helpless little animal.

"Secondly, who says I can't break it? Since the professor is so eager to witness it, I'll just shatter it a little as a gift for the professor on his journey to heaven!"

Rita suddenly crushed the sphere of light she had been gathering for some time.

Magical particles scattered like stardust, merging with several stones that flew off Rita's body.

Before long, the stone, having fully absorbed the magical particles, began to emit a bright light.

Red, yellow, green, blue, cyan, purple, white, black.

The eight-colored stones encircled Rita in a ring, slowly rotating. Each stone contained a destructive power that seemed poised to erupt at any moment.

“I was joking when I said my magic was ‘omnipotent magic.’ Its real name is ‘divine magic.’”

Looking at Rita in the sky, who already knew the strength of the protective barrier and even threatened to crush it, Ritas made a slight swallowing motion.

Perhaps it's because she's been hanging out with the Bathing Goddess for so long that she's been severely influenced.

Looking up at Rita, who had unleashed what was touted as "divine magic," the first thought that popped into Ritas's mind was...
Wow, it's entered the second stage.

(End of this chapter)