Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World Chapter 116

Unfortunately, Elric’s small hope for Haim’s expulsion could not be fulfilled. Haim was also an associate professor, and as long as one held the title of ‘professor,’ the only ways to leave the Academy were to quit of one’s own accord or go on a sabbatical.

 

However, the prospect of that Haim leaving the academy on his own two feet was something that could not even be imagined. 

 

“Brother! I’m telling you, those b*stards were bad-mouthing you again! How can people be like this? They aren’t even as amazing as you are. There was even a kid today who said your ‘Basic Fusion Manual for Ancient Magic’ was wrong—that kid! Can you believe his grades are worse than mine?”

 

Her appearance as she huffed with her short, cropped hair was the exact opposite of Elric, whose daily life was expressionless. Bearing a manner of speech that was identical yet possessing a starkly different personality, she was known to the public as Elric’s younger sister, Lisa Signy. However, unlike her, Elric did not possess a surname, so rumors that there might be a secret to his birth would also circulate alongside it. 

 

Elric, who had been quietly listening to Lisa’s words, placed his hand atop her head and stroked it. His gentle expression remained as it always was. 

 

“Lisa, you are first in your year, so of course his grades wouldn’t be better than yours.”

 

“….?! Come to think of it, you’re right.”

 

“See? Your sister can be quite dim-witted sometimes.”

 

Haim, snickering with his hands behind his head, flicked his middle finger at the fellows whispering in the hallway and continued.

 

“What about the grading for the midterm exams? Is it finished?” 

 

“….It’s finished, and the rankings will come out tomorrow. That aside, why do you keep talking informally? An associate professor talking informally to a full professor isn’t quite right, is it?” 

 

“Ahey, don’t be so stiff. We’re the only ones the same age, so let’s just drop the formalities. By the way, do you know the reviews for the subjects you’re teaching?”

 

“Is there a reason I should know?” 

 

At that response, as if he had been waiting for it, Haim used magic to recreate the large public notice that had been posted on the academy bulletin board. Upon the notice, brief one-line reviews about the exams were written alongside complaints regarding the difficulty of the subjects. 

 

[ Reviews for Professor Elric’s Subjects ]

 

– Overall Evaluation: I am reporting Professor Elric for overestimating his students.

 

〇 Basic Qualifications a Mage Should Possess: I am a talking potato, but the professor wants a talking human.

 

〇 Basic Character Formulas Required to Read Magic Formulas: Even if I know the basic characters, I can’t read the formulas; is the problem really with me?

 

〇 Fusion Magic Formulas for the Application of Ancient Magic: Sometimes, I think there are pasts we ought to forget.

 

Elric tilted his head to the side.

 

“…What’s wrong with this?”

 

“Excuse me, Professor, don’t you think there’s a problem if your reviews alone are like this?”

 

As Haim snapped his fingers, the manifested notice vanished into the air.

 

“Why?”

 

“No, I mean, it means you failed at adjusting the difficulty.” 

 

“My brother doesn’t make those kinds of mistakes.”

 

“Right, I don’t make those kinds of mistakes.”

 

Look at that. Leaving behind Haim, who had a distorted expression, Elric headed toward his room. Passing through the long corridor and traversing the garden containing a crummy fountain that had stopped operating, the location where the offices of the full professors were situated side by side appeared. Until he arrived at the office, Haim stuck right next to Elric and chattered about every little detail regarding the difficulty of the exams, but Elric’s stance remained consistent. 

 

“Just because children of the nobility attend doesn’t mean I have to set exams for the sake of grades. The questions were ones anyone who properly attended the lectures could answer, and even if they got the application problems wrong, there wouldn’t have been a huge difference in rankings. It’s useless to complain about it. Furthermore.”

 

Elric came to a stop in the middle of the hallway, perfectly in line. Turning his head sharply, he looked straight at Haim and spoke.

 

“If they are nobles, all the more reason they should face difficult tests. If they are the type to be happy receiving exams meant to curry favor, they shouldn’t be nobles. You know this too, Haim. You’re different from those foolish professors.”

 

Because a strangely touching remark was added at the end, the tip of Haim’s nose tingled. It was a way of saying that despite everything, that arrogant fellow acknowledged him.

 

Sniff. Haim, sniffling, spoke.

 

“….Well, that’s true. But it’s so logically sound it’s annoying.”

 

“Please stop saying you’re annoyed with my brother. How can a person’s mouth be so coarse?”

 

“….Wow, look who’s talking.”

 

As soon as they arrived at the office, Haim threw himself down on the sofa. Opposite him, Lisa Signy opened a book written by Elric and began to read. As if that scene were familiar, Elric also pulled out the materials he had gathered for research and began to read through them. Not long after, having read all the materials thoroughly, he picked up a quill. 

 

Scribble, scribble.

 

It was a peaceful afternoon moment. The characteristic scratching sound of a quill, the sound of opening an ink bottle cap, and even the snoring of Haim who had fallen asleep before anyone knew it, along with Lisa’s nagging as she gave him a piece of her mind. 

 

‘It’ll be snack time soon.’

 

I should go buy the traditional cookies of the Kuwest tribe that Lisa likes. 

 

At the same time.

 

Knock, knock.

 

“Who is it?”

 

“We are from the Royal Postal Service! Is this Professor Elric’s office?” 

 

The Royal Postal Service, is it. Elric, who stopped his quill at the sound of the knock, told them to enter, and a red-haired man wearing a blue uniform and a gold badge symbolizing the royal family stepped inside. He took off his hat, gave a small bow of respect, and then extended a letter with hands clad in white gloves. It also implied that one could not dare to grasp a letter from the royal family with bare hands. 

 

“His Highness the First Prince has sent this.”

 

“By His Highness the First Prince?”

 

As soon as he learned the sender of the letter, Elric wore a reluctant expression. If the royal family sought him out, it could hardly be in a good sense. Because cases where a royal mage was summoned were often not for trivial matters, but for grand affairs such as war. Especially if it was the First Prince, all the more so. 

 

“What a pain in the neck.”

 

***

 

Heh, well now. 

 

‘….Is this man just someone with the same name?’

 

The Old Man Dragon, who had stopped reading the book, tilted his head while re-examining the marked section. Is the Elric who appeared in this book truly ‘that’ reckless young mage he knew? 

 

‘I don’t think he was the type to speak this way. Isn’t his personality drastically different too? It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’s a different person.’

 

The Elric in the book titled <….Death> was described more as being sparing with his words rather than talkative, and as being blunt rather than smiling often.

 

‘Then again, given that there were as many as three volumes of books, the fellow written in this book might not be Elric. But it is strange. Having read up to this point, I don’t know why this book is on the Bad Ending bookshelf. Though it is content that makes one curious about what comes next.’ 

 

Originally, he had started leafing through the book because he was curious about what the young mage fellow had experienced in the past to make his expression turn dark from time to time…. But now, he was simply starting to get curious about the rest of the story in this book.

 

‘But come to think of it, since that fellow said he was a mage and even that he attended an Academy, it seems this book might be correct. Is the reason he seemed smart despite his light way of speaking also because of his past?’

 

“Old man!”

 

When Riel’s voice was heard through the door, the Old Man Dragon replied, “I’m coming, I’m coming! You brat!” and then stepped outside with the book tucked under his arm.

 

Thinking about it, the young mage fellow’s friend was here, so it was a problem that could be solved by asking him.

 

“…Yoo Hwashin’s past? You mean Elric’s past?”

 

But Riel, upon hearing that question, suddenly got snake eyes and turned away in a huff.

 

“I don’t know either. He’s a guy who didn’t even tell me his real age properly, so do you think he’d have told me all about his past? ….But why are you suddenly asking that? Did you develop some separate interest in him?”

 

When he answered like this, the Old Man Dragon naturally had no choice but to grimace crookedly.

 

No, then. You’re saying there isn’t a single person who knows that mage’s past, and even the age he goes around telling people is somehow strange?

 

Oh my, my head.

 

***

—————————–

 

#Association Anonymous Bulletin Board

 

[ To those who went to the joint training between GH and SH Units. Share some reviews. Why is no one posting? ]

 

ㄴ It’s because our arms have disappeared. 

ㄴ What do you mean? 

ㄴ If you do 500 push-ups, 50 laps around the field, and 300 sit-ups the morning after drinking, you have no hands left to type with.

 

ㄴ Hahahaha, the review above is hilarious.

 

ㄴ But that’s for real. I didn’t go to the training because I had to be dispatched for a Gate, and thank god… Do you know what’s surprising?

ㄴ What’s the point of asking if you’re just going to leave? 

ㄴ The surprising thing is that the guys who returned after enduring that crazy training are all doing that training again.

 

ㄴ Still, I think the atmosphere’s getting a lot better. Even right now, there’s an S-rank and a B-rank chatting in the lounge lol. I’ve never seen that before. 

 

[ That guy Yoo Hwashin is a god ] 

: He’s most beautiful when he’s far away, but if I get too close, I feel like I’ll burn to death… that… damn… 

ㄴ Hahahaha 

ㄴ So true. ㅠ 

ㄴ Hahahaha

—————————–

 

Several days had passed since they returned after finishing the training. 

 

Many things had happened during that time. Those who went told stories to the heroes who hadn’t, and those who heard the stories also gradually began to change.

 

First, the perception of Yoo Hwashin changed. From a crazy b*stard to something more than just a crazy b*stard.

 

In particular, on the evening they drank, quite a few people who received serious advice from Hwashin contributed a lot of words.

 

—You said making things bright is all you do? Then what about physical strength? ….Ah, A-rank? If you’re an A-rank, you shouldn’t use it like that. First, train to increase the brightness and density of the light. And since it’s hard for abilities to grow, increase your proficiency with skills too. If your physical strength is A-rank, shouldn’t there be more related skills?

 

—If you have an ice attribute, go ask Cha Jaeha something. Let him test if fire can be frozen, or what temperature is required. Tell him to research his own fire too. How long are you going to keep using your abilities while shouting “Flame Wave” like a country bumpkin? Once your ability proficiency increases further, you won’t even need to trigger it that way.

 

—…..As for you… would you like to drink more with me?

 

Secondly, those who hadn’t gone also joined in on the physical training that those who had attended the training were doing. The reason was simple yet clear. In the first place, due to the nature of the profession of a hero, they had no choice but to pursue strength, and they hated falling behind a hero of the same rank even more. 

 

Hwashin was proud of the changed appearance of the Association. He hummed a tune every time he walked down the hallway. Ppii even gave Hwashin’s ankle a small punch, as if unable to understand his excessively joyful attitude.

 

But, Ppii.

 

‘I can’t help but be happy!’

 

Just as Han Jeyu said, the Hell itself cannot be stopped, but it could be made weaker. This is because the fewer people who are swayed by Hell, the weaker its power becomes.

 

Therefore, he could stand on a much more advantageous ground in this Hell of Falsehood. As long as the story in the novel didn’t change.

 

Time passed. The training continued, and the frequency of the appearance of the entire gates, which had increased sharply, also began to decrease. 

 

It was as if they were spending a long night waiting for a storm.

 

And finally, in the middle of Seoul. A massive dome opened, centered around a crossroads. At that same time, windows like the ones from the Red Gate appeared before all the Heroes located where the dome opened.

 

「 The ‘Sequel’ to the Hell of Falsehood begins. The sequel will only proceed inside the dome. 」

 

「 There is only ‘one’ way to end the Hell. You must banish the protagonist of the said Hell from that world. 」

 

「 The ‘Sequel’ to the Hell of Falsehood, . The said story will be recreated exactly as it was in the dome of . 」

 

「 The resurrection of everyone who dies in Hell is… 」

 

The Hell had begun.