Emma Mortis Isn't the Real Creditor

It definitely couldn't be Dark's fault.

Dark had already been plenty forgiving!

No matter how you looked at it, there was nothing to argue about!

So it could only be their own fault.

They hadn't done their homework, and they'd roared in class.

They could tear their hair out!

"I'm sorry. It was all my fault."

In a corner somewhere, Robert said miserably.

Victor leaned against the wall, lost in thought, but Frillish said lightly, "It's okay, Robert. Let's find someone to lend us five points."

Robert had always comforted him before. Now the roles were reversed.

Victor wasn't as angry, though.

The important thing was that Robert had come to his senses at the last moment and hadn't blabbed.

Otherwise, who knew whether Emma would be in trouble, but they definitely would be!

Being made an example of and hung on St. Marian's pillar of shame for six whole years was more than a Little Magister could bear.

They weren't simply victims in this matter.

If the truth came out, the protagonist in Dark's story might go from the so-called "Millionaire Jamie" to "Victor, Son of the Hero, and His Little Friends"!

Thinking of how popular he'd been at the start of the school year,

and how, after just one month, he'd become a debt-ridden nuisance,

Victor couldn't help feeling dejected.

"If I'd studied hard from the beginning of the school year, would I be the one standing at the podium now? Instead of Dimon?"

Things didn't unfold the way Victor had hoped.

They hadn't managed to borrow any money last night, so how could they expect to have any luck today at noon?

Whether the first-years had realized the importance of Arithmetic Class after hearing Dark's little story was anyone's guess, but they'd definitely realized how important credits were!

So they clung to their credits even more tightly!

Victor and Robert couldn't bring themselves to swallow their pride or ask for help by explaining why they needed the points.

Their constant requests to borrow money only made them more annoying!

At 12:45, Victor did some calculations.

In fifteen minutes, their debt would double, going from 80 to 160.

They only had 75 points, so they still needed 85!

Before the next deadline, they had only three classes.

The three classes guaranteed them 60 points. To earn enough credits in those three classes, they needed an extra 25 points in rewards!

Victor said quietly, "Robert, let's study hard!"

Robert covered his mouth. "But Victor, did you do the History of Magic homework?"

Victor: "..."

Professor Lily's office.

"Come on, drink this hangover cure, and forget all your past troubles!"

"No, no! Easy, you're spilling it! Glug-glug—so bitter—boohoo!"

Dark set the empty bowl of Special Hangover Cure on the table and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Professor Lily wasn't just a first-year professor.

If he hadn't woken her up by noon, he might have been forced to teach a class of upper-year students!

Surely he couldn't teach them calculus or quantum mathematics?

Perhaps a little geometry would be a good idea?

He was only worried that if he taught them that, they'd develop a superiority complex, and then it'd be game over.

In any case, thanks to DemiDevimon working its charm to get the Special Hangover Cure from the Halfling chefs, the stuff had been bitter, but its effect was remarkably potent.

Professor Lily sat up with a thoroughly dejected look. Her coat slipped off, revealing her smooth, jade-like shoulders and collarbones.

Dark casually retrieved his coat, then gave Professor Lily no more chance to slack off. "Professor, I have class, so I won't keep you. Also, I've already gone over all of last week's homework. ( ^_^ )/--886."

"Bang!"

At last, nothing else went wrong during History of Magic that afternoon.

As usual, Professor Didi read from the lesson notes and occasionally called on one or two students to answer questions.

All in all, as long as you didn't fall asleep in class, it was practically impossible to lose points.

As soon as class ended, the two hurried to the library.

They'd never been this eager since the start of the school year.

Wednesday morning's two classes were Potions and Summoning Technique. It would be really difficult to earn an extra 25 points in those classes.

They had to perform better than Dark and Emma!

Emma entered the library a little later and happened to see the two of them hurrying out of sight.

"Has it started?"

She murmured to herself, then turned and entered the reading room from the other side, walking over to her usual seat.

After sitting down, she pulled the heavy Chronicles of Historical Legends from her schoolbag and opened it to the page marked with a bookmark.

There was a portrait on the left and a legend about the person on the right.

After reading the account again, Emma couldn't help murmuring, "I didn't expect what Dimon said today to be so similar to this story."

Chapter 32: Emma Mortis Isn't the Real Creditor

Emma had borrowed this book from the library the night before Traveler Street opened.

Reading historical biographies and listening to the echoes of the past was one of her few hobbies.

This copy of Chronicles of Historical Legends was one of the more entertaining books, filled with all sorts of amusing stories that may or may not have been true.

This page recounted a story about Amigid, the inventor of Magic Chess.

According to legend, long ago, Amigid invented the first version of Magic Chess, with a board of 64 squares. The king at the time loved it, so he decided to reward Amigid handsomely.

The king asked him what he wanted, and Amigid replied, "Your Majesty, I only want a little wheat. Please have your servants place the wheat on the chessboard I invented: one grain in the first square, two in the second, four in the third, eight in the fourth, sixteen in the fifth... Keep placing twice as many grains in each square as the one before it, until all sixty-four squares are filled!"

Let's set aside for now how large the squares would have to be to hold that much wheat.

In any case, the rest of the story ended exactly like the ending of Millionaire's Bankruptcy, the story Dark had told.

The king eventually realized that even if he gave away everything he owned, he still couldn't fill all sixty-four squares!

Emma had gotten her inspiration from this story.

She just hadn't expected Victor and Robert to be so hopeless. Even though they knew they were facing a debt crisis, they couldn't even earn the basic points awarded for class participation!

Their performance in Arithmetic Class had especially exceeded her wildest imagination!

At first, Emma had only wanted to teach them a lesson because they wouldn't leave her alone, and because she was furious to see the Son of the Hero falling so far. She'd also hoped they might understand the importance of credits and start applying themselves in class.

Things had gone even further than she'd expected.

As for the supposed loan, the school rules explicitly stated that any credit loan exceeding ten times the principal was invalid and would not be recognized.

In other words, once one o'clock passed on Monday afternoon, that contract had become completely void.

Victor and Robert only needed to repay a little of the principal—five credits!

As for the fact that the two of them hadn't even read the school rules...

Emma didn't think that had anything to do with her.

After all, the moment she handed over the credits, she hadn't expected to get them back.

But she wasn't kind enough to remind them, either.

Watching those two annoying people run themselves ragged over a nonexistent "massive debt," Emma couldn't help finding it a little entertaining.

You could only say that it was human nature. She wasn't perfectly good and kind, either.

But it seemed things were taking a turn for the better now—they'd never gone to the library this early before!

Meanwhile,

Dark Dimon was already in the laboratory.

After borrowing a key from Professor Kazel, he'd rushed straight into the lab.

With three days' worth of "Pride" built up, Dark could hardly wait to begin testing.

The third drop of "Pride" had been drawn in the laboratory and hadn't caused him much trouble.

He was also quite familiar with making Pride 1 by now.

Dark first drew out today's "Pride" and dripped it into the Thought Bottle, mixing it with the "Pride" from the previous two days. Then he sealed the bottle and gave it a gentle shake, blending the "Pride" from all three days together.

Before long, a barely perceptible dark gold tint appeared inside the bottle.

Two minutes later, he scrounged up some basic ingredients from the supply cabinet and began brewing an auxiliary potion called "Brain Juice."

Applying this potion to a Magitech Card beforehand could slightly alter the card's surface properties, making it easier for emotions and other thought substances to adhere to it.

This was one of the things Dark had learned from his reading over the past few days.

Once the "Brain Juice" had finished brewing, it looked like egg white and gave off a faint sour smell.

Next, he brewed the paste that served as "Sealant Liquid."

Once the "Sealant Liquid" was ready, it was finally time to make the Magitech Card.

Blank Magitech Cards remaining: 2.

One had been purchased, and the other was left over from Magic Guidance class.

Dark chose one, laid it out on the laboratory table, and coated it evenly with "Brain Juice."

Then he took a breath and calmed his emotions, steadying his fingers.

A third of an inch below the mouth of the Thought Bottle was a layer of water film that prevented memories and other thought substances from escaping.

He carefully inserted the Magic Brain Dropper through the film, taking extra care the first time so he wouldn't puncture it.

Once the tip of the Magic Brain Dropper was in the right spot, he gently squeezed the dropper and released it.

After repeating this a few times, the Magic Brain Dropper let out a shrill squeak.

Dark stopped squeezing, pulled out the Magic Brain Dropper, placed its tip against the blank Magitech Card, and squeezed hard!

That little bit of "Pride" stored inside the Magic Brain burst out!

The "Brain Juice" took effect, and the "Pride" spread out gradually, like Ink Spray dispersing in water.