I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 725: Finally Smiling (1)

Lumensis was torn apart by the gods he had imprisoned and disappeared beyond the imaginary space.

Even with his heart gone and his body pierced through with pain, Lumensis did not die.

His tremendous presence made him unable to die even in such a terrible situation.

That was a welcome thing for Rudger.

The bastard would feel the pain of his body being torn for a very long time and slowly die.

It was truly a fitting end for him.

'However.'

Because Lumensis had destroyed the crystal corridor, they could no longer reach the exit visible beyond.

"Wh-what should we do? Should I use my magic instead?"

"No matter how much spatial magic power you possess, if you do such a thing in imaginary space, you'll be bounced off beyond the coordinates."

The distance to the exit was about 10 meters.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been an easily traversable distance, but the problem was that those 10 meters were in imaginary space.

Imaginary space was an unknown realm that had not been properly understood either scientifically or magically.

In this place, even Rene's spatial movement magic wouldn't work properly.

Rather than using such tricks, it would be better to jump across that space directly with one's own two feet.

That's why Rudger had created the crystal corridor to go to Earth after researching for a very long time, again and again.

Now that the end of it had been destroyed by Lumensis, the path back to the continent was blocked once more.

"The aftereffects are gradually approaching."

"What?"

"Look behind you."

When Rene turned around as Rudger said, she immediately turned pale.

The crystal corridor passage they had walked along was slowly collapsing from beyond.

The sight of the crumbling corridor turning to powder and scattering beyond the imaginary space looked like entering a beast's maw.

"It wasn't made to last long in the first place, so this is a natural result."

"Th-then what should we do?!"

If they stayed like this, they would be caught up in the collapse approaching from the opposite side and fall into imaginary space.

"We'll have to cross over there."

"Is-is there a method?"

"I prepared an escape device for moments like this."

Rudger spread his right hand upward.

Shadows rippled above his palm, and a small crystal sphere appeared.

"It's a crystal escape device with coordinates set to head toward the exit, prepared for any unforeseen circumstances. Since it was made in the same form as the crystal corridor, it's safe from the unknown dangers of imaginary space, at least for a short time."

"Th-then!"

Rene's face, which had brightened up, crumbled the moment she heard Rudger's next words.

"However, this can only be used by one person. It was made with the premise that only I would use it."

"Th-that's..."

Rene bit her lips at the shocking truth and obediently nodded her head.

"You're right. I only caused trouble for you by following along unnecessarily."

Rene shouldn't have been here in the first place.

Rudger's original purpose was to return to Earth alone to see his mother.

In this situation, Rene was, speaking a bit coldly, close to an impurity.

"I'm fine. So you can go. This is something I have to endure."

Rene spoke with a resolute voice, having steeled her resolve.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"What?"

"The one who will use this isn't me, but you."

What on earth was he saying?

Before she could even ask, Rudger pushed the crystal escape device into Rene and activated it.

The crystal sphere glowed and expanded greatly, swallowing Rene's body.

Rene ended up trapped like she was inside a large soap bubble.

"W-wait! What are you doing!"

Rene pounded on the crystal sphere with both hands, but it didn't budge.

Rene's trembling pupils turned toward Rudger.

"You said you followed along on your own and did wrong, but honestly, I'm feeling grateful."

"What do you suddenly mean by..."

"All the actions I was going to take are things that are hard to tell others about. They'd be hard to understand too. Even if I went back and told the truth, people probably wouldn't believe my words. What I've worked my entire life to achieve would be dismissed as lies."

"Brother..."

"But you saw with your own eyes what I did, and you even affirmed me."

Rudger let out a chuckle.

"Perhaps I was hoping for something like this."

Even thinking about it himself made him laugh.

He had lived his entire life wearing the mask of a strong person, yet at the very end, he was revealing such weakness.

"So if someone must live in this situation, it should be you."

It was ironic and contradictory but that's what made it human.

A privilege that only one who gave up becoming a god could enjoy.

"Rene. It was enjoyable being together all this time. Give my regards to the others too."

Rudger lightly pushed the crystal sphere.

The pushed sphere headed toward the open door beyond imaginary space while containing Rene.

Rene looked at Rudger's retreating figure and cried out desperately.

"Brother Heathcliff!"

"Take care."

With that farewell as the last.

-Crash!

The crystal corridor passage where Rudger stood collapsed, and his body fell down below.

Into the space beyond where nothing could be seen, where all colors were mixed together.

-No.

Before Rene could cry out anything, the crystal sphere containing her reached the exit.

Her vision changed completely with a flash of light.

It wasn't the imaginary space where nothing existed, but the courtyard of Galahad Fortress where the final battle had taken place.

She had returned.

The people around were startled when Rene suddenly appeared with a flash of light in the air and approached her.

"Rene!"

"H-how did this happen?"

"What about Mr. Rudger? What happened to him?!"

Everyone had many things they wanted to ask Rene.

It was a natural reaction since Rudger had suddenly disappeared and Rene had chased after him only to return alone.

However, the seemingly endless barrage of questions stopped sooner than expected.

It was because Rene had collapsed in place and was shedding tears endlessly.

-Ah.

Seeing that sight, people couldn't help but realize.

They didn't know what had happened in that space beyond, but Rudger Chelici. No, Heathcliff van Bretus would not be returning.

Rene knew this too, which was why she hung her head and only shed tears.

When everyone became solemn, one person spoke up.

"Wait. What's that in your hand?"

Alex pointed to something Rene was clutching tightly with both hands with his excellent intuition.

At that indication, Rene finally realized there was something clasped in her hands.

"Th-this is..."

It was a small jewel.

The bluish jewel was as blue as looking at Rudger's eyes.

When exactly?

Rene wondered why this was clasped in her hands, then couldn't help but realize.

When using the crystal escape device at the end, Rudger had naturally placed it in her hands while sending her away.

She had completely failed to notice due to the shocking fact that Rudger was staying there alone.

Rene, who had stopped crying, lifted up the blue jewel.

People's gazes fixed on the jewel.

"Is that a Magic Record?"

The first to recognize the jewel's identity was Clinton Rothschild.

As a 7th-tier Grand Mage, he saw through that the jewel contained very sophisticated magical formulas.

Rene instinctively flowed her mana over the jewel.

The jewel trembled in response to Rene's mana, then expelled the massive formulas contained inside.

The complex diagrams written in pure white code were so difficult that even the mages gathered here could hardly understand them.

But Rene could know. Precisely, she could feel it.

The magic written in this code was exactly what she could utilize best.

"It's not."

Rene gripped the jewel tightly in her hand.

"Over yet."

Three years later.

Three years had passed since the holy war ended.

It was the third anniversary of the war's end, and a parade was in full swing outside.

For the past three years since the holy war, the continent had been peaceful without war.

There weren't even the natural conflicts that would normally arise among people.

It was thanks to a new era opening.

Beyond the eastern Giant's Backbone mountain range, in a place that had been revealed as unknown space.

The discovery by explorers that there was a new continent and nations there shocked the entire continent.

After the holy war ended, a great earthquake occurred in the Giant's Backbone area.

Part of the mountain range that seemed to divide the world collapsed, creating a passage to the other side.

As a result, countless people flocked to the human wasteland region where the Giant's Backbone was located to seize opportunities.

A new age of pioneering opened.

With all nations' attention focused there, there was nothing to fight about.

The era of peace continued in this way.

Eventually, a festival was held to commemorate the third anniversary of the holy war's end.

At the sounds of people coming from outside the window, Rene stopped writing in the book she had been scribbling in non-stop.

Then came the sound of knocking on the door.

"Are you ready?"

The one who opened the door and entered was a woman with pure white hair grown to her waist, Julia Plumhart.

She had been mature even as a student, but now, three years later, she exuded such mature beauty that people would turn to look twice as she passed by.

At those words, Rene turned her head and smiled brightly.

"Yes. I just finished."

As Rene stood up from her chair, her hair cascaded down.

She, who previously had hair that only reached her nape, had grown her hair much longer over the past three years, now reaching down to her waist.

The two walked along the path.

Outside, fireworks were exploding, and a parade of mounted soldiers continued marching.

People cheered, and large balloons lined the streets.

Children ran around innocently, brushing past Rene and Julia.

"It's already been three years."

"That's right. More importantly, today is that day, isn't it?"

"Yes."

Rene nodded and answered Julia's question.

The place the two were heading to was the Devalk Imperial Palace.

The palace entrance was wide open in commemoration of the festival, and the guards who recognized the two immediately let them inside.

Inside the palace, there were more mages than usual.

They saw Rene and Julia and greeted them with light bows.

Rene and Julia acknowledged those greetings and headed deeper into the palace.

The place the two arrived at was a large indoor laboratory located in one section of the palace.

"We're here."

"You're late."

What came back to Rene's words was a sharp voice.

The owner of the voice was Flora Lumos.

She, who had now become the proper head of the Lumos family, was also an investor who had put enormous sums into this experiment.

"Don't be so harsh. We were late because I was organizing the formulas one more time at the end."

"Hmph. Even if you didn't do it, other capable people could have done all that. Did you forget? You're an important person who absolutely cannot be absent from today's experiment. Manage your condition. Don't lose sleep checking formulas for no reason."

Flora's tone was aggressive, but concern for Rene was embedded within it.

Rene knew this too, so she responded with a smile.

"Yes. I understand."

"Besides, there are other people here waiting besides you."

"Flora is right."

Saying this, Sedina Roschen appeared.

No, now Sedina Plante, she was one of the important people who couldn't be absent from this experiment.

"Sedina. Have you been well?"

"Yes. I'm always doing well."

Sedina, who had grown taller than before, had a mature face that hadn't been seen before.

Her hair had also grown a bit longer, maintaining a moderate semi-long style from the previously very short bob cut.

The ends of her brown hair had a transparent silver tint.

"Is the device all ready?"

"It was completed long ago. It was made through such hardship by Grandfather Clinton and the empire's brains - would I treat it carelessly?"

Sedina pointed to the center of the laboratory.

There was an arch-shaped door made of metal.

What supported that arch door were sturdy tree roots made using cells from the World Tree.

"You really completed it."

"It's thanks to everyone's efforts. We shortened what would normally take over five years by three years."

Just making that had cost enormous funds.

However, those funds were raised more easily than expected.

The Yuta Kingdom sent donations, Violetta, who had become the new owner of Royal Street, gladly contributed money, and the Roschen family and the imperial family also spared no support.

Theon had also made the same huge investment.

Of course, it was a considerable investment for Theon too, so Hugo Burtag, who had newly risen to the position of planning director, had worked overtime daily until his hair fell out.

It was something he couldn't have imagined when he had just been promoted to planning director and was triumphant as if he owned the world.

"Hey, you came."

Then Selina approached, shaking her pink hair.

She looked exactly the same as three years ago.

"Teacher Selina!"

"Teacher seems to get younger every time I see you."

"Right? Thanks for the compliment."

Selina had also put her name on this research.

She was also a force prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.

The dark spirit [Esmeralda] she handled had excellent effects in suppressing aftereffects in emergency situations.

"Hmm. So you were all gathered here."

Then First Princess Aileen appeared with her guard.

She was accompanied by Pasius and still dominated the surrounding atmosphere with her lofty and arrogant appearance.

"Rene. It's been a while."

Next to Aileen was Third Princess Erendir.

She secretly greeted Rene with lip movements and waved her hand, then received Irene's hot glare.

"How can royalty be so frivolous in behavior?"

"S-sister..."

"Normally I wouldn't let such behavior pass, but since today is a special day, I'll overlook it."

Leaving behind the dejected Erendir, Aileen stood in front of Rene.

"Are you prepared?"

"Yes."

"Such a level of resolve won't do. I'm asking if you have the confidence to succeed by betting everything."

"That is."

Despite the quite burdensome pressure, Rene answered without wavering.

"It's been the same since three years ago."

At that answer, Aileen chuckled.

"Good. I'm looking forward to it."

The experiment began.

Rene put on a pure white robe over her coat.

At first glance, it might look like an ordinary robe, but this was a protective artifact to block dimensional pressure within imaginary space.

It was made by the continent's leading artifact makers, mages, and researchers putting their heads together, so the money that went into it was an astronomical amount.

Wearing that, Rene stood in front of the metal arch.

"Starting the device."

The researchers activated the machines installed around with voices full of tension.

Rough operating sounds came from various places as energy was supplied through the World Tree's roots.

The energy flowing through the roots reached the metal arch, and all kinds of geometric languages were carved on the arch's surface.

-Whirrrr!

A bluish gate opened in the center of the arch.

Rene looked at that gate and took a deep breath once.

Everyone was looking at her back with worried and expectant eyes.

Carrying those various emotions on her back, Rene courageously spoke.

"Well then, I'll be going."

Rene threw herself into the gate without hesitation.