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Reborn as the Doomed Heir of a Mage Dynasty (Web Novel) - Chapter 204
Chapter 204
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
Sewer?Howd you know he went there?!
Panicked teammates jumped up. Still clueless, no one did anything useful.
Damn, whats he saying? What did we hear?
Leo bit his lip, scanning around. No newsstand selling warp coordinate booklets in sight.
Narce, know what coordinates Lucas was reciting?
185:2! Not photographic memory, cant recall beyond that!
Narce fidgeted with the green ring on his left hand, answering.
Leo nodded, eyes shut tight, and bolted toward the parks main street.
Guys, find a newsstand!
Ulrikes booming voice echoed behind. Teammates, catching on late, ran in different directions.
Leos mind raced as he searched.
If even average students like Oswald or Florian noted deodorant smell, it was strong enough to sting.
Carrying a perfume bottle too?
One alone could be a quirky habit, but as Lucas said, both together make suspicion unavoidable. This is an exam with curated info.
Why didnt we catch it despite Narces read?
You obsessed over where the clerk lives and works but ignored where the vagrant lives and survives.
A chill ran down his neck with an odd thrill.
Sharp question.
Given vagrants wandering lifestyle, we assumed no info from berserk sites, and we were right.
But as Lucas said, think about where vagrants live.
On the streets, sleeping and surviving.
But with Pentalon nearing, they couldnt stay above ground. They became cleanup targets. Dirty appearances on streets meant fines, and penniless, they couldnt pay, becoming criminals jailed.
So where could they survive?
Fivefold illegal dumping fines, plainclothes officers, poorhouse relocation, aging sewer pipe replacement, fountain and drinking station checks, vendor removals, liquor taxes.
Poorhouse. Only one fits.
But if vagrants entered a poorhouse, theyd be hidden, so no reason for a fine notice.
Whered the vagrant flee?
Outside the capital. Fine. But leaving their lifes turf is hard, and if they could, theyd have entered a poorhouse already.
Empty buildings, deserted incinerators. Risks, but not bad.
Remote mountains, under bridges, rivers.
If nature was tainted, more wouldve berserked. The source must be somewhere hard to access.
One likely option remains.
Sewer.
Find the right spot, and theres dry space. Unused areas serve as basements or shelters. But usually, people dont venture there.
Especially if its sewer, not water supply, contamination, it explains the low berserk count.
The clerk, suspecting vagrants hid in sewers, went to bust them, got exposed to tainted sewer air long-term, and berserked. Same for the vagrant.
Only three cases, so were early in the incident. In reality, more victims would follow.
Done.
The last victims location is clear. The article we dismissed comes into play.
Aging sewer pipe replacement.
The last victim is a pipe technician.
A laugh slipped out.
Moist air brushed my cheek. The crisp rain smell filled my lungs. Not only did we lose the lead, but no newsstand in sight, yet knowing this clear answer made laughter leak out.
Careless.
It was a sure win.
I brought Lucas to our team, accepting losses, knowing he had a plan but thinking we could handle it.
A mage who cant warp. No one expects a wingless bird to fly off.
I even stopped blood flow to his hands to block magic, thinking it was done.
Done, my ass.
Fine, I admit it.
Shouldve bound his legs too, no lie. Got cocky.
The price? Played by Elias and Lucas from start to finish.
Still, Im not giving up just because we lost it all.
*WhooshBoom!*
Its not courtesy to Lucas, who gave his all every moment.
Leo, surging with magic, stomped to a halt.
Puddle water splashed onto his pants, seeping into his boots. Soaked bangs fell over his eyes from running.
But his focus wasnt there. His gaze locked on one spot.
Found it.
***
These bastards dragged out something that shouldve taken a minute.
I smirked, slowly opening my eyes. My body, unlike my mind, wasnt so relaxed.
My vision flickered. Heartbeats felt like they shook every organ.
.
How long since I warped alone? Two weeks? Shouldve practiced, but warping from a seated position after two weeks, without prep, left a ringing in my ears that shouldnt exist.
Still, the ground was under my feet, and I
Cold sweat, from who-knows-when, trickled down my temple. Dim magic lights blurred in my hazy vision, and water flowed somewhere. A foul stench I couldnt hide stung my nose.
Im in the middle of the sewer plaza.
Hahaha
I laughed, catching my breath.
Nice.
Not the Primrose Path or a double-space magic realm.
Despite using warp magic at school, Im safe. Took too long to face that fact.
Warping alone again? Honestly, not confident. But Im past being held back at critical moments.
Lets recover slowly.
Cant keep relying on friends.
I grinned, trying to stand, only to slam my head back down, realizing my legs had no strength.
Whatever.
I reached for my waist out of habit, then stopped.
The belt clutch spot was emptyLeo took it, obviously. Elias predicted my friends would raid my clutch and pockets.
No wonder he tried ripping my shirt.
About five minutes before Leo caught me, Elias tried stuffing something in my shirtthankfully, he succeeded. Wrestling with this lunatic, who wasnt content with fountain water, helped me quickly figure out what he did.
Lying flat, staring at the ceiling, I unbuttoned my shirt and pulled a thin cord.
A hemispherical, transparent artifact came out.
The engraved number 3 caught my eye. Team 3s spare artifact. Infusing magic, it glowed pale pink.
I hooked it onto my ear.
Ah, ah.
[Luca!!]
[Lucas!]
Despite throwing me to the enemy, their voices were frantic.
Lots to say, but only one thing now.
Find the sewer coordinates.
***
Sweet.
Elias exhaled with exhilaration.
Hah, sewer? Why?
Fountains werent it? Why sewer?
No, Lucas right.
Elias spread a map, pointing.
Couldnt feel better. I cant find answers alone, but backtracking from the answer is easy and fun.
Lucass conclusions are always clean. Why didnt I think of this? Elias laughed, feeling his chest open up.
Auguste asked,
Who else berserks in the sewer besides the vagrant?
Pipe technician, probably.
Yulia, also smiling, answered.
Thats it.
The aging sewer pipe replacement article!
Elias hummed, flipping open the warp coordinate book.
Of the 10,000km sewer, access points are limited. You could sneak in elsewhere, but the school wouldnt allow that.
Unless I want endless flak~
Theres a limit to pettiness.
Though his written scores are dead last, Elias reads every question to earn that rank, so he knows the schools problem style.
Tapping the map with a pen, Elias told the team,
The sewer has four gateseast, west, south, northall in our field. Five warp coordinates to the central plaza. Lucas warped there, so we split one or two per gate.
Oswald clapped, shouting,
Sweet! Ill circle clockwise, checking for the victim!
Yulia shook her head.
No.
Why not?
Circlings fine, but dont search for the victim. With Auguste, keep circling until Team 1 shows.
Oswald, getting it, grinned.
So, stall Team 1 again.
Elias leaned on the table, looking at the team.
Alright, guys. Cant let the fish Luca caught slip~?
Obviously~
At their spirited reply, Elias grinned.
Lets give it our all. Feels like the conclusions set.
***
Sewer east gate, first warp coordinate.
Ulrike swung her wand, tapping her artifact.
Know the first target. Remember.
Her playful tone gone, Ulrikes serious voice flowed through the artifact.
Narce, beside her, clutched his ring with trembling hands.
One hour, 20 minutes
Every ability poured out. Blood flowed uncontrollably. His mucosa stung without touch.
No time for treatment, so finishing fast was best.
Starting.
Narce wiped blood, speaking. Ulrike nodded, worried.
Narces plain dark brown wand spun, becoming a Papal staff. Wind stirred before he did anything, and Ulrike shielded her eyes.
At the staffs top, under a golden dove, keys on a cross clinked clearly.
Be sober, be vigilant; your adversary the devil prowls like a roaring lion, seeking whom to devour
Boom!
Narce strode forward, slamming the staff down. Ulrike braced against the lightless gust.
The sewer pipe rattled.
[What?! Its an illusion?!]
A shocked voice came from the artifact linked to the west entrance.
Narce smiled, walking the passage.
Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing your brothers in the world suffer the same.
Only Divine Power can touch anothers mind or soul.
Using magic to show false images in someones mind means unholy methodsevils power.
Not Narces view, but the Papal States interpretation.
I know its Augustes ability and dont take the Churchs view literally
I believe in scripture, not the Church. The Church says to believe in it, but its too far gone for that.
Still, no need to dodge a solution the Papal State crafted for this ability, right?
Narce wiped blood from his mouth, channeling Divine Power into the staff.
He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me
*Boom!*
Narce muttered, surged magic in his legs, and kicked off.
I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the enemys power.
A Team 3 students back appeared, unseen all exam.
Narce slammed the staff down.
Nothing shall harm you.
White light burst, and the student turned, panicked.
Auguste, shocked her ability failed, filled Narces vision. Narce smiled, reading her emotions.
Auguste, lets stop here.
*Boom!*
Auguste stepped back, switching her wand to a sword.
Ulrike, appearing from nowhere, charged Auguste.
With little Divine Power left, Narce had to conserve where possible.
He stepped back, recharging, watching Auguste.
Shes good, but I see why she didnt rank top six.
Great ability, but thats it.
Auguste grimaced, eyes wide. All training focused on her ability, her other skills were just upper-tier, not elite.
No time to finesse against her.
Ulrike, thinking the same, let magic spark around her sword.
See you after the exam.
!
Augustes eyes widened. Magic surged, overwhelming everyone.
ClangShatter!
Ulrikes hand shot toward Augustes heart through breaking magic.
She flooded Augustes core with magic.
Boom!
Auguste collapsed, knocked out by the core shock.
Narce infused Divine Power for quick recovery, praising Ulrike.
Thirty seconds to take her down? Impressive. Shouldve done this earlier?
Hahat, the field was too big then~
Still. Anyway, four Team 3 left.
Auguste and Lucas are out of Team 3s lineup.
Lucas, maybe knocked out from warping, gave no info.
Made sense.
Until this morning, he couldnt warp alone.
The school likely didnt expect it either. They checked his health pre-exam, knowing warping affects him.
[No.]
Leos cold voice came.
[Oswald and Florian are done too.]
Huh?
[Ulrike, head to south gate coordinates, straight through. Can handle two alone?]
Obviously.
Ulrike warped, grinning confidently.
Despite early artifact losses, shes held Class 1s top spot for two years for a reason. Knowing her skill from Insight, Narce adjusted the strategy.
Only Elias and Yulia remain on Team 3.
Both tough, but Leo and Ulrike can handle it.
No more moving, even if I want to.
Stopping Augustes illusions was my last big effort this exam.
Narce slumped against the passage wall.
***
Ten minutes north from the central plaza.
Elias gave a hollow laugh, shaking his head.
Man, howd you find me? This sewers 10,000km~
Here to share info.
Leos eyes were half-crazed. Elias knew when that look appeared.
When his competitive fire ignited, or when he was fully immersed in training.
Share? Guess our Leo arrived late. Probably short on info.
.
Team 3 got here before Team 1s late move, already searching most areas.
One spot leftbehind Elias. The victims there.
But sneaky Team 1s clearly here to steal our info.
Cant hand it over.
Elias chuckled, shrugging.
Check east, west, south, north slowly~
Nah.
Leos magic surged at Elias. Not just magic. Elias stepped back, switching his wand to a sword.
What happened to Heike and the others~?
.
Oh, got it. Your team took out ours, so we did the same.
Elias grinned, taking a defensive stance. Leos wand traced a wide arc.
An easy-to-read attack. Unbelievable for Leo, Eliass eyes narrowed.
Is he
Leo slipped past Elias, not engaging.
As expected. Elias laughed, shaking his head.
*Boom!*
Eliass blue magic slammed down in front of Leo. The dark passage lit up briefly.
No go. Its 1:1why so rushed? Think you can take me easy~?
No way.
Leo tilted his head, looking beyond.
Didnt expect another person. Why bring Lucas? Narce said he passed ut.
What? Man Become a hypersensory too. Nothing stops you when its for the win.
Elias grinned, shrugging.
Hes our teammatecant leave him~ Huh? Leo, youre looking less loyal now.
Leo lowered his eyes, like he forgot Elias was there, focus elsewhere.
Elias tensed his legs.
Snap
With a finger snap, Leo vanished. Elias, smirking, spun and sprinted.
Leo warped behind me.
To the north gate, specifically.
Hell adjust coordinates step-by-step from there.
This passage is straight but has many side paths.
Countless possibilities for the second victims location.
But Elias ran straight ahead.
Whoosh
Whoops.
Elias leaped over vines grabbing his feet, slamming his staff down.
Leos ability faltered under the magic.
Meanwhile, Leo ran forward, eyes cold. The passage curved, hiding Elias, but his magic surged along the floor.
And
An impossible cedarwood smell hit again.
Lucas woke up, unnoticed until now. Took me a while to get here, so it tracks.
My jobs clear.
Elias wandering means they split the area to search.
Lucas is likely hunting the victim. Since Id go for Lucas, Elias is charging me.
[Yet Yahweh knows all my paths.]
Boom!!
Leo slammed his staff down, guiding magic.
Finding the cedarwood scent or impact sound isnt hard.
A blast echoed from the right path.
Leo surged magic in his legs, bolting toward the sound.
Lucas lay collapsed in the opposite passage. Mid-path, someone in work clothes was down.
Done.
186:056:348.
Leo mentally recited the hospitals warp coordinates, snapping his fingers.
Vines shot from brick-crack dirt at blinding speed. Leo channeled warp magic in one hand, landing by the victim with the others recoil.
Grabbing the victims arm, a red flash flared.
A familiar voice rang out.
No way.
!
*Thud!*
Leo hit his head on the ground, grimacing as he opened his eyes.
Eliass smug grin appeared.
No one moved.
Same coordinates warped simultaneously. Or, precisely
Leo gritted his teeth.
*Beep*
A 0.1-second delay gave the chance to another.
White text glowed in the dark.
[Team 1: +1]
[Team 3: +2]
+2.
A number never imagined until Lucas warped to the sewer, now shining clearly.
Beyond the alert, Elias, grabbing Leos collar, laughed.
Hahaha Deja vu, huh?
.
Feel like Lucas beat you again?
Over.
Team 3 took the final point.
Our complete defeat.
[Time elapsed: 96 minutes, 1 second.]
Still
Never felt less bitter about a loss in my life.
An acceptable defeat. I sensed it when Lucas warped.
Leos lips curved as he exhaled, staring at the alert.
[Exam concluded. Well done.]
Everything turned white.
***
Beep
[To all Imperial Second Academy militia exam participants: Second-year Team 1 and Team 3, assemble at the results announcement waiting room by 7:30 PM.]
Lets go.
Leo stood from the lounge chair.
Elias, lips pouting after a lecture on dropping a non-warping friend in enemy territory, lazily followed.
Why do I feel shitty despite winning~? All your fault, Leo?
My fault? Narce got the same spiel at the hospital.
True~ But you think I did it for fun? Lucas would rather warp than lose!
Elias repeated his earlier excuse.
Fair point.
Lucas would choose victory.
Leo didnt reply, leading all students except Lucas and Narce to the waiting room.
The exam ended at 7 PM.
With grading and meals, nearly half a day passed since starting. The main delay wasnt that, though.
While Teams 1-3 finished in 1.5 hours, Teams 2-4, testing after, floundered over 6 hours.
And thats because the school forcibly ended it.
Three hours in, Team 4 scored 2 points alone.
But for another 3 hours, neither team scored the last point. With no answer after a day, the school stopped it.
All tested in the same field, so the school tailoring it to Teams 1-3s level caused this.
School waiting 6 hours to end it early is wild
Leo gave a hollow laugh, eyeing the waiting room.
Across, twelve Team 2-4 students sat, faces ashen after watching Teams 1-3s footage. Failing to finish a 1.5-hour exam in 6 hoursnatural reaction.
But our team
Leo, arms crossed, looked at Team 1.
Despite losing, their spirits werent bad. As if team lines vanished, they hung out with friends.
No one missed the end when Lucas warped. They felt like Leokey players fought like it wasnt over, leaving no regrets, creating this vibe.
Speaking of, whenre Luca and Narce coming?
Probably here.
As Leo answered, a staffer opened the announcement room door.
Second-years, enter!
Students surged up.
The month-long exam was over.
Leo felt refreshed, walking the corridor.
[We deeply thank the 24 students from each year who participated diligently for the Empires safety. Regardless of results, you all achieved splendidly. Also, to all Second Academy students involved in document evaluations]
The staff led us to dim auditorium seats.
Leo scanned the room.
All Second Academy students sat by department. Far back, some First and Third Academy students were grouped.
Leo, Elias~
Narce waved from the front row.
Lucas, next to him, started to greet but turned away.
Both went to the hospital post-exam, so this was their first reunion.
Leo smiled at Narce, taking a seat behind.
[Now, well announce the Imperial Second Academy militia final selection results in order. Third-year first place: Max Richthofen.]
Woooo!
A familiar name.
Knew he was good, but hearing it Leo glanced at Lucas and Narces subtle expressions.
They felt the same.
Twenty minutes later, all 18 third-year passers were named.
[Congratulations. That concludes third-year Teams 1-3. Next, second-year rankings.]
The second-year seats, indifferent to third-years, fell silent.
Tension rose.
[Second-year first place.]
Classmates eyes turned to Leo.
He ignored the stinging gazes, staring at the announcer.
No clue what they expect, but I know the name coming.
It has to be.
[Lucas Askanian.]
