Mage academy 4 a litrpg.., p.4
Mage Academy 4: A LitRPG Magic Academy Light Novel, page 4
"I am not looking for examples here. I was asking a rhetorical question." Master Thornwood folded his hands behind his back. "Allow me to present this scenario, and let's see if your all-wise mind can solve it. You are wandering through a jungle, heading toward a dungeon that's about to break open. You have hours, maybe less, and just enough time to get there. Along the way, you suddenly see a group of tribals, witches or warriors or whatever you wish, heading to attack an innocent village. You're very confident that they don't intend to take prisoners. What do you do? Do you go and attack the group of warriors, knowing well that you may save the village but let monsters loose, or do you ignore them, hoping to prevent a wider catastrophe?"
Danny considered the question seriously. "I would attack the warriors, save the village, and continue onward."
"And risk, as I said, the lives of countless more people?" Master Thornwood laughed. "You could save ten people and lose the lives of a hundred! You see, class-"
"Except that I'm alone. You didn't say that specifically, but you implied it." Danny held up a finger, keeping his tone even. "If I'm heading to deal with a dungeon break by myself, I can't be facing a dungeon higher than C-rank, probably just D. Even if it does break, the monsters will swarm out, but they'll disperse. They don't exactly exhibit coordinated attacks, you know, and by that time, the local garrisons of each village will be more than equipped to handle such a thing. They do that sort of thing on a regular basis, as-is. And, if it's a larger dungeon that C-ranked, I'll have other warriors with me. We can split up, take on both problems, and so on."
Master Thornwood set his jaw. "Alright, then. You come across a cave. Inside the cave, you find a witch who has a magical blade floating above the hearts of two people, one on either side of her. She tells you to choose the life of one, and that if you try anything, if she dies, then the magic will kill both of them. How can you choose between those two lives?"
Danny raised an eyebrow, keeping his expression neutral. "Are you asking this from personal experience?"
Master Thornwood's hands tightened. "It's not an easy question, is it?"
"Actually, it's not all that hard." Danny shrugged. "You fight. Hit the witch with a spell powerful enough to knock her off her feet and break her concentration, not hard enough to kill her."
"That's quite a risk." Master Thornwood raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, but she was probably going to kill them both anyway." Danny shrugged. "That way, you at least have a chance of saving one of them."
Master Thornwood's face became a fiery red, and he took a step back. "Sit down, please." His voice was quiet. "May I go back to teaching this class?"
"I never intended to take it from you." Danny shrugged and slowly sat down. Master Thornwood glared at him, then drew in a deep breath and let it back out.
"Well, now that's over, we'll begin our discussion. In the first scenario that I mentioned, despite Danny's golden scenario, the likelihood is that you would have to make a choice, and I think it's obvious that you must choose the larger number of lives."
As he spoke, Danny's stomach churned, and he glanced over at Radiance. She looked sick as well, and he sighed. This wasn't at all how he wanted the class to go, and… Well… Sure, he wasn't an expert on things, he would be the first to admit it, but he was quite certain that the things that the professor was teaching were blatantly disregarding common morals that they were otherwise taught as a general rule.
Still, though, there wasn't much he could do about it.
At least… There wasn't much he could do about it until he was able to speak with Master Barrydew.
Auto save - [Savefile: Information]
Health: 100%
Mana: 100%
Quest: Talk to Master Barrydew about Master Thornwood
Location: Research Wing, Observatory Tower
Inventory: Essential Supplies, Basic Armor, Iron Sword, Sword of the Wasp, Aquamarine Sword
Skills: Monster Summoner (Lv. 31), Flame Combat (Lv. 2), Wind Combat (Lv. 5)
Relationships: Friendly with Radiance, Friendly with Margot, Concerned about Master Thornwood
Time of Day: 12:42 p.m.
Missing Persons
"You should have heard what he was saying." Danny dropped into a chair just across the desk from Master Barrydew. "It was awful. Turned my stomach, and I think half the class felt the same way."
Master Barrydew sighed. "It's not my place to question the authority of the Headmaster. Headmaster Bluestream believes that Professor Thornwood will be a welcome addition to the Academy, and so… Here he is."
"But you disagree with him, too," Danny pointed out, keeping his tone even. "Did you know that he actually brought up magically conjoined twins?"
"Did he, now?" Master Barrydew raised an eyebrow as he shuffled a few books around on his desk. "And what did he have to say?"
"He was posing the question of one being a criminal, the other being an upstanding civilian," Danny explained. "Do you lock up the criminal and the civilian together? Punish an innocent to ensure that other innocents are safe? His answer was… Gruesome."
"I can only imagine." Master Barrydew shook his head. "I read the official report when he was brought in. The things he saw… It must have made a mark on him. It would make a mark on anyone."
"I understand that, but the things I've seen have made a mark on me too." Danny took a deep breath, as it was several days after the initial lecture when Master Barrydew had finally been freed from some of his duties regarding the opening of the semester. "I don't agree with his perspective."
"Well, thankfully, you don't have to," Master Barrydew said. "And, more importantly, be thankful that you're there in the class. Students who would otherwise have no exposure to a more positive outlook on life could be affected if you continue to stand up to him. Which, frankly, I encourage you to do. I know he wouldn't approve of the fact that your father and I allowed Nicodemus to live."
"Probably not." Danny sighed and leaned back in his chair then sat up a bit straighter. "Also, can I ask-"
"No." Master Barrydew shook his head and stood up. "You may not ask about the creature that attacked you in the Trial Chamber."
"I feel like I have a right to know," Danny said calmly. "This directly involves me."
"I understand your concern, but it's not solely your business," Master Barrydew answered. "Would you tell the whole truth about the Desert Sapiens to a civilian off the street who was attacked by them? Or would you tell them that you had the situation under control?"
"I see your point, but after all we've been through..."
"Danny, I am your master." Master Barrydew stood up. "Strictly speaking, it's my job to discern what should be passed along to you. I'm the one who should have the final say over what adventures you get involved in. The last few years, I've been somewhat lax in that duty, but this time… Please just trust me. This isn't something that you want to get mixed up in. Your life isn't in danger, and that's all you need to know."
Danny sighed, but he knew that he wasn't going to get anything else out of the old master. "I understand," he said as he slowly climbed to his feet. "Are we still meeting on Friday afternoons?"
"That's the plan, at least for the time being," Master Barrydew confirmed. He turned away to stack up several books then turned around sharply. "Actually, that reminds me! This week, don't come to my office. I want you to meet me in the Boar's Tusk tavern. It's just a couple blocks down from the Academy, we'll start our training there."
"I'll be there." Danny smiled, then turned and walked out of the room. As he strode down the hall, though, his smile faded. Master Barrydew was holding something back, and he wasn't entirely convinced his life was safe. Whatever that monster had been, it had been able to avoid Master Barrydew entirely, and then there was the fact that it had interfered with the system… It was a lot to take in, and Danny was rather perplexed by it all.
In any case, if Master Barrydew weren't talking, there wasn't much he could do about it, which would leave him to handle other things.
Such as an obnoxious and potentially dangerous professor.
As he approached the Dormitory Wing, he heard footsteps echoing on the floor, and he turned to find Tess jogging up. She looked flushed.
"Danny! I've been looking for you." She nodded down the hall. "I could use your help, if you're up for it."
"Sure…" Danny's eyes narrowed. "What's going on?"
"Probably best that you just… Come."
Danny frowned, but there was nothing he could do but follow. Tess led him down through the academy and out into the streets where Danny could faintly hear a great deal of shouting and confusion. Civilians were looking in that direction in curiosity, and a few of them were even starting to wander in that direction.
Tess quickly took Danny down several twisting alleyways and through backdoor pathways that led them through that area of the city until they came out into an alley just behind Tess's precinct. As she took him through a back door, up through the cells, and into the main room, the arguing grew louder.
When they reached their destination, they saw Janna Windbreak clad in light Corp armor.
Janna's armor stood out. Unlike Tess's standard armor, which featured patches matching mage robes, Janna's ensemble combined armored plates with modified robes. This unique blend clearly indicated her dual allegiance to both organizations. The classic red feathers marking a Captain adorned her shoulders instead of her helmet.
As Danny and Tess entered, Janna glanced over sharply. Her expression softened when she saw them, and she smiled.
"Danny! Stoneflower! It's good to see you both." Janna sighed. "Thank you for coming."
"What's this all about?" Danny asked. "You sent for me?"
"I did, yes." Janna slowly walked up to a window and gazed out. "Come here, please."
Danny walked up and looked out as he stood just beside her. On the steps of the Precinct, a sizable crowd had gathered. Three lines of soldiers stood at the top, their shields raised in a defensive formation. Below them, a large group of mages stood in opposition. Both sides were shouting, displaying a surprising lack of discipline for the trained defenders of the Empire.
Among the mages, a few professors could be seen, but most were either students or warriors from the front lines.
Danny frowned. "What's going on?"
"A great deal of chaos." Janna sighed and pressed her fingers into her forehead. "This morning, a professor came from the Academy. I think his name was Thornwood or something like that. He had a few students with him. He knocked on the door and demanded to speak to me, then berated me up one side and down the other for joining the enemy. When I tried to reason with him, he demanded that I turn over all the crossbows to the mages. I answered that we don't have them, and he went ballistic. This little demonstration has been building ever since then."
Danny frowned as he gazed out over the chaos. He didn't see Professor Thornwood any more, but he could easily have made his escape once things started to get heated.
"What can we do?" Tess asked. "Have you asked for reinforcements from the other Precincts?"
"I've sent word to them, and they're standing at attention, but I've neglected to ask them to actually show up," Janna answered. "We need to defuse this situation, and we need to do it now. This is a match, about to light the fuse of a bomb. If we can put out the fire now, we stand to save ourselves a lot of trouble in the future."
"True," Danny murmured. "How do you think we should go about it?"
"I want you at my side," Janna said. "If I can go out there with a full-blooded mage, someone the Academy knows and trusts, maybe we can get ahead of this."
Danny took a deep breath. "It's worth a shot, I suppose. Lead the way."
His stomach flipped as Janna stepped toward the doors. As she pushed them open and he stepped outside, the roar of the crowd grew louder. It was complete and utter fury with people on both sides screaming at one another.
Janna raised her hands and fired a few arrows of light into the sky, and, with that, both sides suddenly fell absolutely still.
"Mages. Soldiers." Janna spoke softly and firmly as Danny put his hands behind his back. "We are not enemies. I stand here as a testament to that fact. I expect you all to honor it."
There was a pause, and one of the students cupped his hands around his mouth.
"You're nothing but a defector!"
As the crowd began to shout once again, Janna glanced at Danny. He smiled then raised a hand. With a flash, a huge golem appeared behind them.
"Quiet!" It roared.
That got their attention, and they all clamped their mouths shut.
A moment later, Janna continued.
"I am not a defector. Are you all familiar with the reason why the Corp was established in the first place? It was because the mages were not numerous enough to tackle all the dungeons." Janna balled her hands into fists. "How many of you would rush boldly into a dungeon, into battle at all, if you were suddenly stripped of your powers? You stand there, loaded with magic, able to knock down buildings with the blink of an eye, but that's all your training entails. If that were taken away, you and I would be just as weak as the average civilian. Strip a soldier of his armor, and they can find other ways of fighting."
"Whose side are you on?" another voice demanded from the crowd.
"I am on the side of humanity, waging a desperate war against the monsters of the deep," Janna answered. "There are two components in that war, at least at present. The mages and the Corp. That's just a fact of reality, that's just how things are. If we spend our time fighting each other, we're only going to cause confusion, and we're going to allow the monsters to overrun our land. I hope I'm not speaking too quickly."
She drew in a deep breath. "Everyone wants to know about the crossbows. Well, as someone who's currently straddling the line, do you really think that I would be told about it? I wouldn't be trusted by anyone. I know nothing. I don't want to know anything. Now all of you, get back to your jobs. This meeting is adjourned."
With that, Janna turned and marched back into the building. Her soldiers followed, and gradually, the crowd below began to dissipate. Soon, everything returned to normal, and Janna let out a sigh of relief.
As several soldiers cheered, she pointed a finger at them.
"And none of you are to do anything in retaliation. I'm the one in charge of you now. My loyalty lies with this Precinct, as that is my assignment from both the mages and the Corp. I will protect and defend you, up until the moment you cross a line."
She sighed deeply. "Someone has to be above all of this. Danny, Stoneflower, in my office."
The soldiers in the room exchanged glances, but their expressions were unreadable to Danny. Soon, he and the two women were in the Captain's office, where Janna slammed the door shut. She glanced out the window and then closed it as well, likely to ensure no one could overhear their conversation.
"Thanks. I appreciate it," she muttered, dropping into her chair. "Bleh. Why did I have to inherit this problem when I came into office? Why not a rogue witch or an invasion or something?"
Danny shrugged. "I guess you're just good enough to be trusted with it."
Janna laughed then shook her head and leaned back, motioning for Tess and Danny to sit. She then bit her lip and pressed forward.
"I wish I had never heard of those stupid crossbows. It's true, neither side trusts me enough to tell me what happened to them. That said, as a reward for helping me, the rumor on the street is that they were all taken by the Imperial Palace itself. Some sort of secret strike force or something decided to appropriate all the weapons for use protecting the Emperor. If that's true, and such a force does exist, I can hardly fault them for it, and I hope that they can make better use of the things than we did."
Danny chuckled and nodded. "Here's to that."
Privately, though, his stomach twisted. He knew exactly what strike force that would happen to be. Granted, they probably already had weapons that were just as powerful as the crossbows… But it was still a bit nerve-wracking when the Deepcorp was given anything more dangerous to wield than a quill pen.
"In any case, I assume you both would like to know more about why I'm here, and that, I'm happy to tell you." Janna continued. "And, actually, I'm hoping you can both help me, really."
"Help you?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "With what?"
"Have you talked to Margot much?" Janna asked.
Tess nodded. "I know she still hasn't been able to locate her father. He went missing during the battle, he's currently presumed dead."
"Exactly," Janna confirmed. "Except that my superiors don't believe that he is dead."
"They don't?" Danny's jaw dropped. "Then… What…"
"From what I understand, several high-level mages, both Ascended, were able to sense something in the aftermath of the battle." Janna folded her hands. "A burst of power that they recognized as coming from him. After some investigation, they were able to find a small battleground in the eastern half of the city that contained blast marks. They ran a magical trace, and were easily able to confirm that it was him who had been fighting there. From what we can tell, he took out dozens of those Sapiens, probably saved hundreds of lives."
"Then what happened?" Danny asked.
"They found evidence of a teleporter spell. They couldn't tell where it went, but they could still sense his presence somewhere in the city. Now, more importantly, they were able to run a trace on the teleport spell, and determined that it did not come from him. Someone teleported him away from the battle, we don't know whether it was before the battle or after it, and he hasn't been seen since."
Danny frowned. "Strange."
"Very strange," Janna confirmed. "To answer your question, no, Margot doesn't know about this. When the matter was brought to the Mage Commanders, it was determined to be a sensitive matter, and a private investigation was launched. After a month or two of looking, it was determined that the teleport spell was likely a malicious attack, taking him prisoner or simply sending him somewhere he couldn't escape. At present, we haven't the faintest idea why anyone would do such a thing, or who would do it, or what benefit it would bring them, or where he is."
