First Move, Checkmate: How Will You Respond?

Chapter 39: The Talking, Seeing Watermelon Is Quite Something

Headmaster.

Upon hearing Victors voice, the headmaster closed his pen and rubbed his eyes.

Come in.

Victor entered as instructed. The Lava Giant Hand behind him threw Devin onto the floor.

Upon seeing Devins state, the headmaster shook his head and sighed to Victor.

Professor Victor, the academy wont cover for your actions.

Victor, hands in his pockets, spoke without a trace of emotion;

Its fine. I dont need the academys protection.

Ill bear the consequences of my own actions.

The headmaster nodded, slowly stood up, and took his obsidian cane.

Then, please follow me.

Headmaster Rashel used his magical energy out of nowhere, and a blue light began to sway like a paintbrush in his hand.

The air in front of him began to distort at a visible pace, as if it was his canvas.

Soon, the headmaster put away his magic.

Veega whispered in Victors ear:

This old mans magic is really interesting.

Let me see, a special teleportation magic, focus here, insert the magic rune here.

Victor followed Veegas instructions, and the air in front of him began to warp.

In an instant, the scenery around Victor began to blur, blue light showering down.

When the surroundings became clear again, they had changed completely.

Here, petals of various colors fluttered in the sky, creating endless waves.

The garden was a floating island, and the ground was covered with countless petals.

The pleasant aroma hit Victors face, and his discontented mood calmed a bit.

Theres actually a hidden space here, and I didnt even notice.

Veega exclaimed beside Victor, but saw Victor without any surprise.

As if he knew all along.

Yes, this place is known among players as the hidden map of the Deans Back Garden.

You can only enter and exit freely after learning magic from Headmaster Rashel.

Although Ive seen it many times in the game, experiencing it in person is still surprising.

Victor thought to himself, noting that the location was identical to the one in the game.

The headmaster appeared in front of him a few seconds earlier. Seeing Victors appearance, he looked at him with some admiration.

He could see the usage of the magic formation and break it in a glance, truly a mage worthy of the title of genius.

Welcome to my Sea of Knowledge, Professor Victor, you are the youngest guest Ive ever received.

The headmasters back garden, the full name of this hidden map is called Rashels Sea of Knowledge.

It contains all the magical knowledge of Headmaster Rashel, only those who truly possess knowledge can enter.

Luckily, Victor had Veega, a deity with profound knowledge, by his side.

However, now was not the time for small talk.

He said directly.

Headmaster, lets get to the point.

The headmaster said nothing, but silently walked towards an open space with his cane.

Victor followed, and soon, the scenery around them changed rapidly.

They had only taken a few steps, yet a wooden house appeared before them.

Surrounded by dense forest, it was as if it was a cottage hidden in the woods.

The headmaster walked to the door and the wooden house opened automatically.

He turned his head and nodded to Victor.

Please come in, Professor Victor.

Victor followed the headmaster inside. There was only a table in the wooden house, and a watermelon was placed on it.

There was nothing else.

The headmaster tapped the watermelons head with his cane.

The watermelon slowly turned around, its eyes deep and profound, seemingly possessing the wisdom of both past and present.

It opened its substantial lips and slowly said:

Veega, do you need something?

Veega looked at this talking watermelon, feeling a wave of chills.

Even his fur stood on end.

This thing made him feel uncomfortable.

He glanced at Victor, only to find that Victor showed no sign of surprise.

He seemed to know everything in advance, even the existence of this talking watermelon.

How strange, Veega thought.

Victor, of course, was not surprised.

Because this was the headmasters talking watermelon pet.

The headmaster looked at the watermelon and said: This young friend here wants to ask you some questions.

The watermelon reluctantly looked at Victor.

Veega whispered in his ear, Whats going on with this guy?

Victor didnt say a word, he knew the watermelon was scrutinizing his past.

As he thought, various scenes flashed in the watermelons eyes.

Massive flames, flying dust, lava covering the ground, and a surge of powerful magic.

A sight so shocking it was as though it would destroy the world.

Victor appeared, his body engulfed in a thick fire element, with patterns of flowing lava covering half of his upper body, like a fire demon.

After a while, the watermelon focused its gaze on Victor again:

The young people these days are indeed extraordinary.

I know what you want to ask, the Natural Sparrow in Veega will tell us.

Soon, ripples of mana spread around it.

The Natural Sparrows in the parallel space began to stir.

An immersive scene appeared before Victor:

The scene from yesterday.

Professor Devon maliciously took out a personal letter from the headmaster, arrogantly dismissing Hennie.

He also burned Hennies most important knowledge.

Black words of misfortune appeared on the ground in front of Hennie, Victor could tell at a glance it was just a prank caused by a simple illusion spell.

Then, three students jumped out, ruthlessly mocking Hennie who was collapsed on the ground, delivering the final psychological blow.

The onlookers, the successful prank, the villainy, caused this poor child to break down emotionally.

She cried, Veega muttered.

She was crying so hysterically, so helplessly.

He was actually quite fond of that child.

The scene disappeared in an instant, and the watermelon closed its eyes.

Showing that scene seemed to have made it very tired.

After it closed its eyes, it turned back into an ordinary watermelon.

Even after seeing everything, Victors expression remained unchanged.

The headmaster sighed, his thick white beard messy from his breath.

I am sorry, Mr. Victor.

As for Hennie, I dont know where your assistant went.

The Natural Sparrows act on my will, so they will not appear in places that may involve others privacy.

The headmaster wasnt lying, Victor knew.

He didnt feel the presence of the Natural Sparrow in the office, nor did he feel its flow in the student dormitory this morning.

Victors voice rang out coldly:

Headmaster Rashel, tell me, why did that pig become a professor at your esteemed institution?

Victors direct reference to the professor made the headmaster feel helpless. He shook his head and said:

Professor Victor, you, too, are a professor at our institution.

What he meant was, you also got your position through connections, so why cant others do the same?

The only difference was that Victor genuinely had strength, while Professor Devon was merely earning his keep.

So, Victor said,

When I joined the school, I was the youngest Third Order Mage. And what about him?

Professor Victor, thats precisely the issue I wanted to discuss with you.

Dean Rashel said, somewhat uncomfortably.

The head of the Raser Family married the Emperors sister.

Just as youve surmised, Saul the Eighth is indeed Devon Rasers uncle.

His connections were solid.

Victor understood clearly that Dean Rashel was urging him not to kill this man if he didnt have to.

Otherwise, he would be inviting trouble.

I understand your anger, Professor Victor.

But killing doesnt solve anything. Perhaps you could talk to Professor Devon. His crimes arent deserving of death.

I could call Hennie back under the schools authority and grant her an Associate Professors title, moreover

Moreover, would you really kill a royal relative for a common man with no talent?

Rashel didnt voice this thought, but he believed Victor would understand his good intentions.

Dean, I wont kill him.

Victors voice rang out lightly.

Rashel breathed a sigh of relief, thinking his persuasion had worked.

But then, Victors eyes narrowed, his tone calm.

But whether or not he will die at the hands of a demon is beyond my control.

He spoke as if narrating an ordinary event.

Rashel was taken aback. He didnt understand what Victor was getting at.

Demons? What did this have to do with demons?

However, Veega lowered her head upon hearing this.

Do you think that disgusting thing has targeted Hennie?

Victors expression didnt change.

Just as Veega had said.

He had seen three prankster students in the footage.

Exactly like the three students who had fainted today.

Their condition could only be the result of a demon draining their power.

So, why would a demon drain these threes power, and who had received it?

Victor could only think of the missing Hennie.

He didnt respond to Rashel, but Rashel was already showing signs of distress.

Professor Victor, I presume youve noticed.

The person standing before you isnt the real me. Im attending the annual conference in the City of Mages.

The current me is meeting you as a Natural Sparrow.

So, Im sorry I couldnt prevent this from happening and allowed the situation to escalate.

The Natural Sparrow could only act instinctively, following Rashels will.

The Natural Sparrow noticed Victor hadnt been teaching for days and handed the lessons over to Professor Devon, which was in line with its rules.

And Professor Devon expelled Hennie, a mage apprentice. This too was consistent with the Natural Sparrows understanding.

But it didnt meet human critique standards.

This was Rashels negligence, his lack of supervision, leading to irreversible consequences.

Although after the incident, Rashel didnt feel it had any impact.

One was a noble; the other was a magic apprentice without talent. Any fool would know the choice to make.

But the mistake was not knowing how protective Victor could be.

And moreover, he was a Fourth Order Mage, just like Rashel.

So, the dean apologized in advance, lowered his stance, and showed Victor due respect.

Professor Victor, please remember what you promised me. Whatever you do, dont involve the students.

They are innocent.

Victor did not respond. He simply nodded, expressionless, a teleportation spell beneath his feet. He vanished without a trace.

Sigh

Rashels heavy sigh permeated the air, his form gradually dissipating into specks of starlight, merging into the atmosphere.

.

On the hill behind the Academy, a figure clad in a long robe stood atop, overlooking the base of the mountain.

At the base of the mountain lay the Academy, the place that had bred her despair.

From here, she could take in the Academy in its entirety.

Her eyes no longer held the innocence and anticipation of yore.

Having experienced a bout of intense pain, the word revenge was etched in Hennies previously placid eyes.

A dark aura swirled around her, as comfortable as a fish in water. The black ink transformed into a robe, climbing onto Hennies hair and forming a hood.

Little girl, is this amount of power enough?

If youre willing to wait, I can give you even more power, more and more.

Its voice was terribly alluring, like an unfathomable abyss.

But Hennie was unmoved.

I dont need it.

Her voice was calm to the point of being terrifying.

The Professor often tells me that Im sometimes too weak, unable to be decisive.

But now, I will no longer be weak.

The mana within her was now very abundant. Even she didnt know how much power she had gained from this entity.

Strictly speaking, Hennie was still not a Mage.

But her possession of such abundant mana had become a very terrifying thing.

Finally, Hennie was able to manifest all her knowledge.

And she had prepared everything long ago.

She began to prepare her chant.

God of Ethereal Dance

As Hennie chanted slowly, a high-level magic array appeared out of thin air. Dozens of smaller arrays combined with the large one.

Delirious Magic City

Several magic wheels circled the Academy several times, with countless inscriptions engraved upon them.

Patterns began to emerge between the magic arrays, gradually becoming intricate.

The exquisite magic array operated as accurately as a marvelous machine.

This was beyond the level of analysis of a third-tier Mage.

Soon, Hennie swept the array across the entire Academy, burying it underground.

The Academys excellent location was, in Hennies eyes, also an excellent place for the array.

She was fully prepared.

Hennie?

Who?

Upon hearing her name, Hennie whipped her head around. Seeing the familiar blonde hair, her eyes slightly widened.

The name of the blonde girl slipped out.

Erica Duquois?