Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 371 Black Widow

It's unclear when exactly, but "Professor Ritas" became a knot in Little Ritas's heart.

He is undoubtedly different from that professor of demonic arts.

But whether out of pride, rationality, or something else, Little Ritas was destined not to yell at the two girls from the "future" after an outburst, "Don't always treat me like someone else!"

Little Ritas believed that since Millie and the Goddess of Bath were always seeking the shadows of others in him, all he could do was try his best to meet those expectations.

Furthermore, since he was constantly comparing himself to his "future" self, to his "complete" self, he had no room to resist.

Some things can only be made up for with time, but he didn't have that time.

After learning that he was not actually someone else's "past," but merely a "phantom" created by a fantasy world, Little Ritas initially thought he could break free from the constraints of the future.

But in reality, quite the opposite is true. As a created being, his "status" and "value" as a person seem to be even lower.

Unbeknownst to him, dark emotions took root in Little Ritas's heart, becoming a twisted part of his inner world.

And then it came to this point.
The goddess of the bath and Millie were actually saying that they had considered him an independent and unique person from a very early time.
Little Ritas closed his eyes.

It seems that no matter how much he prides himself on his intelligence, there will always be times when he is blinded by things he cannot understand, fails to see the truth, and does foolish things.

"If that's the case, why am I called 'Little Professor' and 'Little Ritas' instead of 'Future Professor' or 'Big Ritas' or something?"

Seeing that Little Ritas had been silent for a long time, the Goddess of Bath and Millie, who thought he was about to explode, only heard this awkward sentence after a long while.

A smile that couldn't be suppressed appeared on their faces.

It can only be said that they will probably never hear such sentiments expressed by "Da Ritas".

"There's nothing we can do about it. After all, the professor arrived quite early."

Millie shrugged and said casually.

"But don't be discouraged, Little Ritas! Now is the perfect opportunity. That guy has been really annoying lately, making himself out to be like the Ultimate Riddler in this world. So, if you perform well, you might just be able to turn him into 'Big Ritas'!"

The goddess of the bath, seemingly eager to stir up trouble, encouraged Little Ritas.

Why do you make it seem like I have to please you all?

Little Ritas let out a long sigh, feeling a breath of stale air being exhaled from his broken body, and murmured this as his tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

Sofia, who had not participated in the conversation but was simply carrying little Ritas on her back, also showed a kind expression.

This fairytale world wasn't created for her.

The world itself is hardly peaceful; it is not only controlled by evil and filled with crises, but it also dredges up past grievances.

Those children appearing as teenagers or young girls are not meant to make up for her regrets.

But she still feels that she is the biggest beneficiary of this created world, as she can witness the growth of her "children" in this special way.

"The Tin Man, or as we should now call her, 'Cortrine Elsen'."

After a brief pause, seemingly changing the subject, Little Ritas began to share some information he possessed.
"She's alive"

This is similar to Sofia's guess.

Although it appeared to be a stalemate, or even an advantageous situation, only Little Ritas, who experienced it firsthand, truly understood that he could not defeat his enemy through ordinary means.

Therefore, before the Tin Man could unleash any widespread destructive tactics that would wipe out his underground installations, he decisively decided to attempt to destroy it directly in a near-self-destructive manner.

But in that explosion that seemed capable of erasing everything, Little Ritas saw a completely different scene.

In the instant the most violent explosion spread, the Tin Man first used her sword to slice through the black hole-like structure she had previously used to attract things around her. Immediately afterwards, a powerful repulsive force, completely opposite to the previous suction, erupted from the shattered core, counteracting the force of the explosion from within.

Meanwhile, due to factors such as distance and timing, the orbs of light thrown by Little Ritas's clone were somewhat ordered. Therefore, in that split second, the Tin Man used his sword to cut through almost all the attacks aimed at her.

"You know what I'm going to say!"

The goddess of bathing said in disbelief.

If we explain everything Ritas does using "magic," it's somewhat plausible. After all, magic is, in the eyes of the goddess of bathing, an inconceivable and wondrous power.

But Cortriñe's use of "swordsmanship" as an excuse to do whatever she wants is truly incomprehensible and unacceptable to the goddess of the bath.

What does it mean to cut out something like a black hole, absorb all the power, and then cut it apart to release the power?

Rather, it's as if that repulsive force actually recognizes people? Couldn't it combine with the explosive force from both inside and outside to shatter the tin man first?

"I will never recognize 'Elson Style' as martial arts!"

"So, the explosion was much weaker than the professor had predicted?"

Ignoring the bath goddess who was almost turning into "Elsen Black", Millie asked Little Ritas.

"I can't calculate the exact number, but the remaining power won't exceed ten percent. Otherwise, I wouldn't have survived."

"One-tenth!? If it's already one-tenth as bad as it is, and Kurt doesn't take any action, are you planning to send us and this world away together?"

The goddess of bathing couldn't help but ask in a shrill voice.

"."

Little Ritas simply turned his head away silently.

"How badly are they injured? They can't have done something so reckless and come out unscathed, can they?"

Feeling that the two girls were never getting to the point, Sophia joined the conversation with a hint of exasperation.

"I don't know, but I saw that her visor was completely shattered."

Little Ritas thought for a moment before answering.

"The visor is shattered? That must be the last piece of the 'Tin Man'. In other words, Little Kurt might have already returned to normal?"

Upon hearing this, Sofia offered a rather optimistic assessment.

“Hmm.” “I don’t think it’s that simple.” The two people who had seen Cortelne’s memories, the Goddess of Bath and Millie, were not so optimistic.

Unlike Little Ritas, who was chosen by the "Wanderers" midway through his life and became a "Professor of Magic," Cortelene has been suffering under the influence of the Wanderers since the very beginning of the fairy tale world.

Furthermore, the timing of Little Ritas's "modification" should be after the liberation of the "Pigeon" region and the destruction of the "Unicorn" region.

In other words, the power of the wanderers had already weakened due to the missing piece in the fairy tale world.

Furthermore, the two were well aware that Cortriene's current demonic form was not solely due to being controlled by the Wanderer.
"In that case, wouldn't it be better if you quickened your pace? Without the power derived from the world's rules, she might not be able to do things like cutting off 'distance' as before. But similarly, she won't be able to chase and attack like a machine, slowly and methodically."

Little Ritas reminded him.

"That makes sense, then you'd better hurry!"

"you."

You can put me down.

Before Little Ritas could finish speaking, the three quickened their pace and rushed into the interior of the fortress city like the wind.

The fortress city's inner center, where the tower stands.

Ritas deployed a golden protective barrier, holding off the ever-surging army of blood men.

Using the power of the Golden Apple, he altered the "Final Area" at the core of Ivy. Furthermore, following textbook "mage tactics," he had already arranged the fortress city as the most suitable position for him to exert his influence.

Even so, he could only manage a brief standoff with the "wanderers".

After all, in the fairy tale world, the Wanderer is a being second only to the Creator. And because Wayne once made a pact with the Wanderer, her authority actually surpasses that of the Creator.

Therefore, beings born in this world are absolutely unable to fight against the Wanderers.

Because Ritas and his companions are outsiders, their situation isn't as unfavorable as it is for those already in the world. However, they are bound by the "script," becoming characters in the fairy tale world, and in a sense, also becoming part of that world.

In other words, even if it wasn't that absolute, Ritas and the others would never have been able to confront the Wanderers head-on.

But it was precisely at the beginning that the gap in strength between Ritas and his companions and the Wanderers was so vast that it was almost despairing. Therefore, even Ritas sometimes couldn't understand how the Wanderers had managed to gradually build this world into what it is today.

If they manage to survive the fairytale world, then the Wanderer, as the mastermind behind it all, will undoubtedly be the greatest contributor.

Just as Ritas was pondering whether the stalemate could not continue and that some changes should be sought.

In the sky, the azure light reappeared, as if pieces of a jigsaw puzzle had shattered and fallen apart.

As Ritas was not surprised at all, a face without any class appeared from outside the "world".

"His Holiness the White Pope"

During this time, the wanderer, who seemed to have adjusted his mindset, once again called out the title of Ritas with his usual compassionate face and a trembling voice as if he were crying.

Ritas, however, ruthlessly interrupted her.

"Let me guess. It seems your situation has gotten worse, and in desperation you're planning to come up with some more proposals, right?"

"."

"Even with things already like this, how could your situation get even worse? Hmm, I've got it. Is there something wrong with the 'Tin Man'? Although that area has been completely destroyed, as long as the Tin Man still exists, this world cannot be considered to have truly 'missed a piece'. And now, the Tin Man has also disappeared. The scale of the fairy tale world has shrunk a bit, and the influence you can have on this world, the interference you can make, has weakened a bit."

Ritas spoke in a provocative tone, but he wasn't as smug as he appeared.

Unlike other areas, the leader of the "Tin Man" area is Cortrienne.

Moreover, this made the final "Vein Zone" an isolated island.

The four regions and their leaders have all vanished, and even the central region was destroyed when the Golden Apple Tree collapsed.

How long can this last isolated island hold out?
"It seems your answer is quite obvious."

"Of course. Before, when you still had some use, I didn't want to have anything to do with a doomed loser like you. Now, though..."

"Then die!"

A loud shout shook the entire sky.

Unable to maintain his "mask" any longer, the wanderer roared angrily, his face contorted in a rage.

"Since I no longer need to expend extra energy maintaining those pieces, then I will grant your wish and concentrate all my power to make you perish with this 'failed world'!"

Suddenly, all the blood-red humanoids besieging the tower where Ritas was located turned into a pool of blood-red stagnant water.

The crimson liquid, like a waterfall, cascaded around the tower and gathered into a vivid lake beside it.

At the same moment, the continuous rain of blood stopped, and two more "windows" shattered in the sky.

From the newly appeared rift, two women's hands with exceptionally long fingernails reached into the world.

Perhaps fearing that getting too close to Ritas would result in an attack, both hands remained high above, at the untouchable edge of the sky.

Following the index fingers of both hands, crimson threads slowly drooped down, wandering and absorbing blood in the pool. Then, they began to gather and weave, forming a cocoon-like object.

"Both you and I need to thank that 'pawn' who took your place and threw the whole world into chaos!"

Ten blood-red threads, like puppeteer's strings, continued to build their cocoon, and a malicious, meaningful smile appeared on the wanderer's lips.

"Because it is through her that you are able to access your past, your obsessions, which you should have never been able to reach before. This allows you to confront your inner regrets again and experience a redemption that you should have never been able to attain!"

With the raucous voice of the wanderer, the blood cocoon that had been forming for a moment suddenly shattered.

From within the cocoon, first, a young woman's arm emerged, followed by a gentle, magnetic, and alluring voice.

“Mischi, my dear Mischi, I… come to me, come to ‘Mama’—”

As the blood cocoon ruptured.

A young and beautiful woman, dressed in glamorous and dazzling clothes, appeared at the foot of the tower, in Ritas's field of vision. It was impossible to imagine that she had ever been called "Black Widow".

(End of this chapter)