Chapter 18 (2/2): A False History

Inside the Student Council Room.

Wei’erna had just finished processing a report on the cost of repairing the Registration Office when three more applications regarding damage to the Freshman Exam grounds landed on his desk.

He stared at the pile of documents, his eyes slowly glazing over.

Ailuwei sat by the window, her draconic tail resting quietly by the side of her chair.

Sailafei was focused on repairing a small magical device.

Just then, a knock came at the door.

Wei’erna’s eye twitched.

“Come in.”

The door opened.

Ni Leida poked her head in, a beaming smile on her face.

“Ho ho, Student Council President, it’s your day on duty, huh?”

Wei’erna clutched his forehead.

“You… ugh. Spit it out. What do you want?”

“Oh, it’s nothing serious.”

“Then forget it.”

“Hey, don’t be like that.”

Ni Leida walked in and planted her hands on her hips.

“Had a kid in the exam today. Accidentally planted a little steel wire ball into the ground. Then I run into a little sweet potato. Guess what?”

Wei’erna’s expression was blank.

“What’s with the Eastern Continent accent… What happened?”

Ni Leida lowered her voice:

“That kid doesn’t have an ounce of magic.”

The Student Council room immediately fell silent.

Ailuwei looked up.

The magical device in Sailafei’s hands stopped for a moment.

Wei’erna frowned.

“None at all?”

“Yep. At least, that’s how it felt to me. But she passed the first trial of the Physics Department, and she even has a bow-shaped seal on her hand.”

Ni Leida shrugged, then added:

“And that sleeve crossbow on her wrist isn’t quite right. That old coot Lu Xien seems to have his eyes on it too. I went to get the materials, and the bastard took them instead.”

Sailafei sighed.

“Why does our Academy have examiners like this?”

Wei’erna looked at her.

“You can report it after you graduate.”

“I’ll give it serious consideration.”

Ni Leida didn’t seem bothered at all. Instead, she said with righteous indignation,

“Anyway, I want to find some literature on magic circuit anomalies.”

Wei’erna looked at her warily.

“What are you planning?”

“Academic research.”

“Academic research built on harassing students?”

Ni Leida immediately waved her hands.

“No, no, no. Don’t say that. I’m not that kind of person.”

Sailafei looked at her with a deadpan expression.

“You look like one.”

Ni Leida coughed.

“Anyway, that kid’s situation is rare. A person who can’t resonate with magic at all practically doesn’t exist in this world. But she still managed to pass the trial using a magical weapon. That in itself is worth investigating.”

Wei’erna fell silent.

The Academy had always selected talent based on magical aptitude. Even Physics Department students could generally use some degree of magical enhancement. Someone truly without magic shouldn’t theoretically be able to enter the Academy.

But Qiu Meng had gotten in.

Not only had she gotten in, but she had also passed the first trial.

“Let’s put this on hold for now,” Wei’erna said. “I don’t want to have to write another report because you scare a newly enrolled student into dropping out with your ‘research’.”

Ni Leada made a disappointed face.

“Then I’ll go back and wait for word?”

“Yeah, go back first.”

Wei’erna looked at Sailafei.

“La Fei, see our guest out.”

“Roger.”

Sailafei stood up and politely showed Ni Leida to the door.

After the door closed, she leaned against it and let out a long sigh.

“Finally gone.”

Wei’erna was about to say, “There shouldn’t be any more trouble today,” when the knocking started again.

Knock knock.

All three fell silent simultaneously.

Sailafei slowly turned to look at Wei’erna.

Wei’erna lowered his voice:

“Don’t open it.”

Ailuwei looked at the door.

From outside, Lu Xien’s voice came through.

“Excuse me, is anyone from the Student Council here?”

Wei’erna immediately cast a Silence Spell.

Then he motioned to Sailafei and Ailuwei not to open the door.

After a moment, there were two more knocks.

“Strange. It’s only 11 AM. There’s no way no one’s here.”

It sounded like Lu Xien was talking to himself.

“I clearly heard movement inside.”

The next second, a ripple of starlight appeared on the floor beneath Ailuwei’s desk.

A head emerged from the floor.

Lu Xien looked up.

His line of sight was perfectly aligned with the space between Ailuwei’s crossed legs, directly revealing a pair of blue-and-white cotton panties. The fabric clung snugly to her soft curves. As she shifted slightly, her skirt slid down a little, presenting the soft blue-and-white more clearly before his eyes.

Lu Xien’s glasses lenses reflected the starlight.

He also happened to see all three people in the room.

“So there are people here.”

Wei’erna’s Ring Blade came crashing down immediately.

THUMP!

Lu Xien’s head ducked back down.

A few seconds later, the knocking came from the door again.

“Ahem, ahem. Excuse me, is anyone from the Student Council here?”

Wei’erna closed his eyes.

“Will you stop increasing our workload?!”

Lu Xien’s hand passed through the door panel and gave a gentle twist.

The door opened.

“Sorry for the intrusion.”

Sailafei watched the hand emerge from the door, then took two steps back.

“……!!”

Wei’erna raised his hand to divine today’s fortune.

The wheel of light spun.

It stopped.

Great Misfortune.

“Today really is an omen of great misfortune.”

Lu Xien walked in, pushing up his glasses.

“The Student Council is here. Why didn’t you open the door?”

Wei’erna sat back in his chair.

“Because Ni Leida just told us about a perverted scholar harassing a student.”

Lu Xien immediately frowned.

“Where? I’ll go teach him a lesson right now.”

Sailafei stared at him.

“It is you!”

Ailuwei pressed her legs together, smoothed down her skirt, and added two words in a flat tone:

“Pervert…!”

Lu Xien’s expression was serious, his voice surprisingly steady.

“I was checking if anyone was in the Student Council room. It wasn’t intentional.”

He paused, pulled out a small notebook, and flipped it open to a page of notes.

“Blue-and-white color scheme, cotton base material, fabric tension is moderate. That was for academic research too. It was unavoidable.”

“So I’m not a pervert. I’m a scholar.”

Ailuwei’s face turned bright red.

Wei’erna looked at him speechlessly.

“Is your ‘academic research’ related to crawling out of door cracks and floorboards?”

“Ah, you just don’t understand. That’s Spatial Path Studies.”

“And this ‘Spatial Path Studies’ is also related to fabric?!”

Lu Xien said seriously, “Whether the fabric is breathable determines the user’s state. This is part of the research.”

He pushed up his glasses again and added,

“Especially undergarments. They directly contact the skin, so their impact is most significant. This is, of course, serious research.”

Sailafei muttered quietly,

“Why hasn’t our Academy gone bankrupt yet?”

Wei’erna took a deep breath.

“Get to the point. What are you here for?”

Lu Xien finally put on a serious expression.

“I want to borrow the Sage Tower key. That sleeve crossbow has a mark I’ve never seen before. Maybe there’s relevant information in the tower.”

“People still use sleeve crossbows nowadays?”

“Yes.” Lu Xien thought for a moment. “It’s that student who passed the trial using one today.”

“Name?”

“Forgot.”

“…”

“I was too busy looking at the two buffer armor pieces on her chest.”

Ailuwei stared at him.

“Definitely a pervert…”

“Buffer armor also needs to be investigated. It can do significant damage to the male psyche as well.”

Wei’erna rolled his eyes at him, then rubbed his brow.

“Although the Student Council has the key, entering the upper levels of Sage Tower requires permission.”

Lu Xien said with righteous confidence.

“You’re the Student Council. What are a few formalities to you?”

Sailafei asked doubtfully,

“Shouldn’t you be getting the permission yourself?”

Lu Xien blinked.

“Can’t I be a Sage myself?”

“Great district omen…”

Sailafei: “Hey… isn’t there a character missing there?”

“No issue. The misfortune was so great it became a whole district.”

Wei’erna looked at the key in his hand, hesitating for a moment.

Lu Xien immediately took the opportunity to reach for it.

Wei’erna blocked him with his Ring Blade.

However, Lu Xien’s hand passed right through it like a shadow, circling around the edge of the blade.

His fingertip lightly hooked the keyring.

Ding.

Got it.

“Thanks. I’ll get the permit later.”

“Stop him!”

Just as Wei’erna shouted, Lu Xien had already rolled over to the window.

He performed an aristocratic bow to the three of them, then pushed open the window and jumped out.

Sailafei raised her hand and released Fire Rope Binding.

A crimson rope shot towards the window.

But halfway there, Lu Xien’s body suddenly exploded into a flock of white doves.

The flock of doves flapped their wings noisily, scattering in all directions across the Academy.

Sailafei stood by the window, silent for a moment.

“Is this guy a scholar or a magician?”

Wei’erna clenched his fist.

“How can this guy be so (Magic Academy profanity) annoying!”

***

Below Sage Tower.

In a secluded courtyard, a flock of white doves re-condensed into a human form.

Lu Xien stumbled as he landed, almost falling.

“Cough… close one.”

He dusted off his clothes.

“I’m still not very proficient with Dove Magic.”

The gate of Sage Tower was tall and heavy, covered in ancient magical formulas carved into its surface. Ordinary students needed permission just to get close, but Lu Xien simply took out the key and gave it a gentle turn.

CLICK.

The lock opened.

The moment he pushed the door, he brushed aside the hair covering his right eye.

The pupil of that eye slowly shifted from an ordinary oval into a vertical slit.

Like some kind of beast.

Lu Xien smiled slightly. He used magic to copy an identical key, then pocketed it.

‘The Demon King sure is lazy.’

He just thought it to himself.

‘Humanity has already become like this, and he still hasn’t taken the chance to attack back.’

Then, he walked into the Sage Tower.

The space inside the tower was far larger than it appeared from the outside. A spiral staircase rose along the inner walls, and rings of bookshelves floated in the center, pages and crystalline plates slowly turning in the air.

It took Lu Xien a while to find the Dusty Archive at the very back.

In front of the archive stood a stone tablet.

“No access except for Sages and the Student Council President.”

Lu Xien glanced at it.

“A sign?”

He pushed the door open and walked in.

“Didn’t see it.”

The moment the door opened, a voice came from behind him.

“My, my, if it isn’t Examiner Lu Xien?”

Lu Xien turned around.

The Judgment Sage stood outside the door. Her pure white hair fell over her shoulders. She held a Priest Staff, her gaze gentle yet intensely oppressive.

“How did you get here?”

“Looking up some books.”

Lu Xien answered frankly.

“A student has an interesting weapon. I wanted to find some materials.”

The Judgment Sage pointed to the stone tablet by the door.

“Then did you not see the sign over there?”

“Eager to learn.”

Lu Xien pushed up his glasses.

“If I’m not allowed to look, I’ll just have to leave. Too bad about that weapon.”

The Judgment Sage stared at him for a moment, then raised her hand.

The next moment, her white hair turned gold, and a light from the Judgment Spell appeared in her eyes.

An intangible judgment fell upon Lu Xien.

If he harbored any intention to steal, the Judgment Spell would manifest.

But the result was nothing.

Lu Xien had no criminal aura of stealing intent, no obvious malice, not even the guilt that one should feel for hiding the source of permission.

The Judgment Sage was silent for a moment. Finally, she lowered her hand.

“Don’t take any books. Don’t mess things up. Find what you need and leave quickly.”

Lu Xien smiled.

“Got it.”

Only after the Judgment Sage had left did he let out a soft breath.

“Humanity’s technology of turning moral judgment into surveillance magic is still too useless.”

He walked into the Dusty Archive and opened an old book from the Holy Kingdom Era.

On the first page, Holy King Joseph was depicted as a tragic emperor.

To save humanity from the fires of war, he sacrificed himself, established the order of the Holy Kingdom, fought against the Dark Era, and bought peace with his sacrifice.

Lu Xien couldn’t help but laugh when he saw this.

“Humans… sure do like to rewrite history.”

He continued flipping through.

The book’s descriptions of the “Demon Race” were filled with slander and defamation. All Demihumans who possessed special magic were categorized as the Demon Race. Demihumans who couldn’t use magic and had lost the ability to resist were simply classified as slaves and border laborers.

In the book, Holy King Joseph was the creator of order.

But in Lu Xien’s memory, that Holy King was more like a ruler who madly cleansed heretics.

He created the Inquisition to purge apostates.

Purge the Demihumans.

Purge all races that didn’t fit the definition of pure humans.

Later, the United Kingdom reincorporated some valuable and capable Demihumans into their order. But the descendants of those warriors were exiled to the mountains by the Holy King, branded as the Demon Race.

Even now, textbooks lump the Demon Race and monsters together as the same thing.

“Ridiculous.”

Lu Xien closed the first book and opened another about old weapon systems.

He quickly found entries related to sleeve crossbows.

This type of weapon had indeed declined.

The main force capable of casting similar mechanical weapons now was the Four Alliance Merchants’ Union. But most merchant guild-made sleeve crossbows had taken a simpler and cruder path. They wouldn’t bother adding Magic Stones as auxiliary tools.

But the one on that little girl’s hand was different.

It could load four Magic Stones into a small, compass-like mechanism. Through gears, it could switch elemental attachments without causing a magical reaction between the stones.

“Could it be… this is a lost art from the Holy Kingdom Era?”

Lu Xien stared at the page, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

“Or… a technique from border workshops before the Demon Capital War?”

He recalled the internal structure of that sleeve crossbow he had briefly observed.

It looked more like an ancient crafting technique.

The book didn’t even have a detailed record of this method.

“If I could thoroughly study that thing…”

Lu Xien fell into deep thought.

“Then it wouldn’t just be a single student’s weapon problem anymore.”

He searched through a few more books but found no further useful clues.

Finally, he closed the book.

“Forget it. That’s enough for now.”

Before leaving the archive, Lu Xien looked back at the ancient, grand door.

His expression was unusually serious for once.

“History will surely witness the truth… you bastard Joseph…”

He walked out of the Sage Tower, his mind still sorting through the buried old records.

‘The United Kingdom incorporated some Demihumans into its order, while the Holy Kingdom exiled others to the mountains.’

‘And the textbooks write the Demon Race off as monsters, while the Inquisition labeled Demihumans of different bloodlines as heretics and purged them…’

“Your Majesty the Demon King, the people blinded by peace are probably not just humans…”

After that, he shook his head helplessly.

“Never mind. Not going to think about it now. I should return the key first.”

Halfway there, he suddenly remembered something.

“Ah, I forgot to leave a coordinate mark at the Student Council.”

Lu Xien thought for a moment, then casually tossed the key into a spatial crack.

“I’ll just leave it somewhere. They should be able to see it.”

***

Inside the Student Council Room.

Wei’erna was about to take a drink of water.

Starlight shimmered on his desktop.

The next second, the Sage Tower key fell out of the spatial crack and landed with a plop on the pile of documents.

Wei’erna stared at the key, then set his water glass down with some irritation.

Ailuwei looked at him.

Sailafei looked at him too.

“…”

“Next time.”

Wei’erna said in a low voice.

“Next time someone knocks, I’m divining first… then deciding whether to open the door.”

After that, he stood up and looked out the window at the Registration Office, then at the distant Sage Tower.