Chapter 72: Must I truly walk on water for you to believe? Part 3

[I can’t take back what I said, but… please, just once. Just one chance, that’s all I ask!]

The tiny creature, crying loudly, kneeled down.

Until just a moment ago, it had acted so dignified, but now it looked utterly disgusting, its pride abandoned as it begged me to become its ally.

Of course, I wouldn’t fall for such emotional manipulation.

I wouldn’t fall for it, but I was forced to stop.

Not out of sympathy, but because I was physically caught.

For such a small creature, it was surprisingly strong.

I could probably shake it off if I yelled loud enough, but…

I didn’t want the students to see this pathetic scene.

It was obvious what kind of comments they’d make.

I sighed and looked at the spirit.

Perhaps sensing a slight opening, it began its self-promotion.

[I’m confident that my abilities are second to none. If my mana supply is sufficient, I can cast even high-level magic.]

With enough mana to cast one high-level spell, this would definitely be a performance that any summoner would covet.

“That’s unnecessary. You’re nothing but dead weight,” I said.

There was no malice in my words.

I was simply speaking the truth.

‘What else could I say?’ With only enough mana to cast one high-level spell, I could cast Meteor at least ten times.

With enough mana for three, I could even recreate the meteor shower ritual from before with a little effort.

It might not seem like much to brag about, but considering my own work, I’d perfected mana efficiency through years of research and training.

There was no mana to spare for a summon weaker than myself.

I just conveyed that simple truth, but the little Pegasus’ face turned into a mask of shock.

It stared blankly for a moment before panic set in, and it quickly shouted:

[I still have some leftover mana! If I use that, I can manage a few times without needing more mana!]

‘So, it can function without mana for a few rounds?’

That might be useful as insurance.

After all, with the demons running rampant, it’s better to prepare backup whenever possible.

‘Hmm… is that all it can do?’ I thought.

***

From a cost-performance standpoint, it was a bit of a stretch.

Having an odd title attached to me already was strange enough.

‘But adding this spirit to the mix?’

If I lost my job over this, it’d be all for nothing.

Above all, the priority was escape.

‘I could not afford to forget that. ‘

No matter how much I thought about it, this spirit seemed like a double-edged sword.

‘Had my thoughts shown on my face?’

The small Pegasus’ face turned to despair.

Its pride shattered, its mental state crumbling.

But, for some reason, the spirit didn’t give up.

It continued to plead with determination:

[Normally, when contracting with a high-ranking spirit, you’d have to give up half your soul as payment. But I don’t require any such thing. How could I ask for anything from you?]

“That’s to be expected. Did you think I’d accept anything in exchange for a contract? That’s a bit rude,” I said.

Even as I teased it lightly, the spirit didn’t give up.

[Of course not! The contract will be extremely beneficial to you! I’ll obey your every command. I’ll take all the losses! Think of it as a bargain!]

It was as if it was ready to offer everything, even its internal organs.

At this point, maybe it was worth considering.

If it truly followed every command without question, I could force it to cooperate with my ultimate goal of getting rid of it.

[I’ll give you everything I have. A shield of protection, the ability to tame wild beasts, and more. I’m sure they’ll be very useful to you. I can guarantee it!]

After all, refusing wasn’t always the best option.

Given how obsessive the little spirit was, I could already imagine what would happen if I rejected it.

It would only continue to pester me.

In this case, I could see the consequences even with my eyes closed.

I imagined it: the crazy little Pegasus following me around while I repeatedly rejected it.

That scene would surely attract attention.

A high-ranking spirit, created by none other than a Sage, and yet I was rejecting it as if it were no help at all.

‘How powerful could I possibly be?’

“Really, Riyan… You’re unbelievable,” I thought.

“Do they all react like this? Just waiting for me to cave in?”

At this point, it might be better to accept the contract and just hide it.

‘As long as I kept it well hidden, there should be no problem, right?’

It’s small enough that I could keep it out of sight and no one would notice.

That way, I could take all the benefits and avoid the risks.

[Please, just once… Can’t you give me a chance?]

The little Pegasus begged again, pathetically.

I thought for a moment before nodding.

With the knowledge of the original world, a tiny Pegasus, and all the artifacts I had gathered from the ruins, this had turned into a journey that, though I arrived empty-handed, would return with much more than expected.

It was a rather good harvest.

But reality is cruel.

When you gain something, you must lose something as well.

I had to face the consequences of the choices I had made.

“…That was the worst trip of my life.”

“What the hell is this so-called ‘paradise on earth’? This is a scam!”

“I still can’t get that scene out of my head. The cat suddenly turned into a bug and crawled into my mouth… Ugh.”

The other students from the class were all complaining about their group PTSD.

The reason all this happened was so painfully obvious.

If the story had followed the original plot, the protagonist would have ended up on Prisma Island too.

And wherever the protagonist went, trouble was sure to follow, so something must have gone terribly wrong.

***

Suddenly, a sea monster had emerged from the ocean.

A cat had transformed into a bug and burrowed into their bodies.

The other class members tried all sorts of bizarre things to calm the furious spirit of the sea.

They looked at Class A with envy.

At this point, they might as well have gone on a cultural heritage tour, the look in their eyes said.

Even my students couldn’t hold back their mocking smiles.

With grins plastered on their faces, they said the most stomach-churning things.

“I’m sorry to say this, but we had the trip of a lifetime.”

“When we followed Professor Riyan, we managed to conquer hidden ruins and left our names in history. Was that a good thing?”

“Why are you getting so upset, Professor Silphy?”

“Aren’t you supposed to keep those other students quiet?”

The students who had gone on the good trip were at least lucky, quick enough to read his intentions, or steadfast enough to believe in him.

Those who mindlessly went to Prisma Island were the ones without luck, skill, or faith.

‘Wasn’t that basically the epitome of incompetence?’

‘Why are we being unfairly discriminated against?’

‘What kind of vile students do they think I am?’

The public criticism was fierce, but only Class A had earned recognition.

An undeniable achievement.

Even the one who tried to stop the terrible trickery.

The talk of the new, respected professor.

In other words, my reputation had once again soared through the roof.

…It would be a lie to say it didn’t hurt.

‘But what could I do?’

This was clearly a disaster I had brought upon myself.

I had anticipated such disasters the moment I chose to enter the ruins.

Moreover, I had gained enough experience, so I had become skilled in handling such situations.

The key was maintaining a positive mindset.

I would focus on what I had gained, not what I had lost.

I secretly brought out the mini Pegasus from the room.

I explained my goals to it.

[…Fired? Is that really your goal?]

Maybe it hadn’t gone through proper conditioning yet, but the little horse gave me a confused look, as if unsure what to think.

[Are you joking? When I looked earlier, it was clear… Wait, no. I’ve been asleep for so long that my senses must be dulled.]

It was still making remarks, but the slave contract had already been established.

There was no need to threaten it—soon enough, its attitude normalized.

It expressed its willingness to cooperate with my goals.

No longer trolling as a subordinate, it had become a reliable ally working towards my objectives.

Now, all that was left was a performance test.

I wanted to conserve as much mana as possible, but in an emergency, I had to assess its abilities.

I needed to know how practical it really was.

I gave the little spirit a command, eager to see its abilities.

***

Karen walked briskly, holding a thick report.

Her destination was, of course, Professor Riyan’s quarters.

She was his assistant.

She had to report in detail what had happened on Prisma Island.

Of course, being an assistant was an unofficial title.

She hadn’t been granted permission, so the locked door was an annoying obstacle in her way.

But there was no real problem.

Her experience with covert operations was more than enough to handle it.

Karen skillfully unlocked the door and entered the professor’s room.

And… Karen’s face turned pale with shock.

She couldn’t keep her composure in the face of such shock.

‘Was this the ‘fusion mode’?’

She couldn’t even properly hear the professor’s voice through the overwhelming brilliance.

The dazzling light was blinding.

White wings had sprouted from Professor Riyan’s back.

He was floating in the air, dressed in pure white clothes.

Karen, without a word, collapsed to the floor.

A god was there.