Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1446: Eyes on the Final Events

When all was said and done, the decision ultimately rested with the Grand Magus.

Never, not Ibarin, not any of the others, had imagined he would find himself in a position where the pressure was this intense, where his hand was being forced and his options narrowed to a single path.

The thing was, what Raze had asked for wasn’t even much. By itself, it was simple, almost harmless. But in the moment, Ibarin had reacted on instinct, an instinct sharpened more by pride than by reason, and acted without considering the bigger picture. Normally, he would have brushed the matter aside, tucked it neatly under the rug like every other small incident before it.

This time, however, Raze wasn’t letting it fade away.

People would inevitably talk about the incident, rumors and reports would circulate, and the event would be remembered as more than just a single teacher getting hurt. But Raze wanted it to be remembered exactly that way. He wanted the attention.

"I think you’re right," Ibarin finally said, his voice carrying that forced calm that came when one conceded ground without wanting to. "As you said, your actions were only out of concern for your teacher. And in the end, you managed to act without causing him any severe harm... so I should thank you for that.

"All of you, head through the back way, along the side of the Academy. The staff will guide you so you don’t attract the attention of the crowd."

In the end, Raze had secured the result he wanted.

There was still the faint possibility that Ibarin might try something in that "secret" passageway, but Raze doubted it. Pulling an attack there would mean wiping out the entire

group from Wilton Academy, and not even Ibarin could come up with an excuse to justify such an act, not without sparking an outright confrontation, one in which everyone present would fight back.

More likely, Ibarin truly just wanted to avoid the watching eyes outside.

Thankfully, the group made it back to the dorm without incident. Redrick quickly changed into fresh clothes, shaking off the worst of the scorched remains, and then everyone gathered in Raze’s room to discuss what had just happened.

"I think I just lost a few years off my life," Panla said, slumping into a chair. "I honestly thought we’d all be punished, or that they’d call the principal to make the final decision. I tell you, Raze, being around you is not for the faint of heart."

"Right," Raze said, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I apologise. I had to think on my feet. Not even I expected the Grand Magus himself to attack a teacher."

That made everyone in the room pause. Heads turned toward him, even the ranked students, who had been quietly observing until now.

"Wait," Chiba said slowly, her brow furrowed. "Are you saying... what happened to Redrick wasn’t an accident?"

"Well," Raze replied, "I think the best person to ask... is Redrick himself."

Now, all eyes shifted to Redrick. He stiffened under the sudden weight of attention, a bead of sweat trailing down the side of his face.

"I wasn’t going to say anything," he admitted, his voice uncertain, "because I’m honestly not a hundred percent sure myself. I mean... what I think I saw, " He shook his head. ", I’m just not a hundred percent certain."

"But the stage... a mana overflow doesn’t make much sense," Redrick began slowly, his brow furrowed in thought. "Not unless someone directly

inputted their own mana into the machinery, or set something up beforehand.

"I was called to the stage even though there was no real need for me to be there, the last two numbers had already been decided. And then..." His voice trailed off for a moment, his expression tightening. "What I saw last... was the Grand Magus already casting a spell to protect himself.

"His face looked so calm in that moment. And I can’t help but think... a mage as powerful as him, if he was fast enough to react and shield himself from the blast, then why didn’t he also stop the attack from hitting me?"

His jaw tightened before he let out a quiet sigh. "But in the end... I told myself I might just be overthinking things. After all, I hadn’t done anything that should have annoyed him."

Immediately, Safa turned to Raze, her expression sharp.

"Wait... right," Redrick said suddenly, his eyes narrowing. "I almost forgot, you went to that meeting pretending to be me, didn’t you? Did you actually do something to annoy him?"

"Not by our standards," Raze answered evenly. "I simply stated that it would be good for Safa to complete this event with Wilton Academy... and that she would then go to the Central Academy afterwards." His lips curled in the faintest of smirks. "Of course, we have no intention of doing that.

"But I imagine the principal has a severe inferiority complex. Which means even the slightest pushback, even the smallest challenge to his authority, would anger him. And perhaps because of that, he decided to teach me a lesson right there and then."

The room went quiet. The others exchanged looks, the shock written on their faces lasting only a few moments before giving way to something darker.

They thought back to the way the Central Academy students had reacted to them before, to the way the entire Central Academy had behaved since their arrival. Had they been blind before? Was everyone else really just ignoring what was happening right in front of them?

Now, it was clear, they weren’t just outsiders anymore. They were targets.

"Don’t worry," Raze said, his voice carrying a calm, unshakable edge. "Just... everyone be careful. Because at the next event..." His gaze swept across the room, meeting each set of eyes in turn. "...I don’t plan to lose."

*****

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