“…Who exactly is Teacher Geek?”
“Well, as you know, he’s a temporary instructor in defensive magic.”
“Is there any temporary teacher like this?!”
“Uh, well, he’s standing right here, isn’t he?”
Though I was just answering Eliza’s question, Sophia shot back at me. Granted, Eliza likely wasn’t asking about my official role, but going into detail would just make things more complicated.
Earlier, on what was supposed to be a quiet Friday evening, all staff members were suddenly summoned. The academy’s headmaster, Anon, informed us that Eliza and Sophia had been attacked and abducted. Eliza, being the third princess of this kingdom, had mobilized the knights to search for her. Meanwhile, I had tracked down the scene of the attack independently, following its traces to this location.
Although I informed Anon of the location, it was far from the city, and reinforcements would take time to arrive. I decided to infiltrate the attackers’ hideout alone. While I’m not a specialist in such operations, I carefully avoided traps and managed to locate the two of them.
The magic-suppressing ring they had used was surprising, but it makes sense that someone would create a tool to restrain magic users. Still, its design was amateurish. My own creations would have been far superior.
“Hmm, it seems things are getting noisy upstairs. Looks like they’ve noticed my intrusion.”
“S-Sorry, is it because I raised my voice earlier?”
Sophia, pale-faced, apologized, but her voice wasn’t the cause.
“No, it seems the ring is designed to notify them if it’s forcibly removed. Not a bad mechanism.”
Since bypassing that feature would have taken more time than removing the ring outright, I prioritized getting it off. It’s a clever design. I don’t know who crafted it, but I’ll keep it in mind. Not that I’d design something so easy to disable in the first place.
“Let’s head upstairs for now. Above this cell is a spacious room. Sophia, put this on.”
Causing a collapse by fighting in the dungeon would be troublesome. Using spatial magic, I pulled a spare white coat from thin air and tossed it to Sophia, who was still in her undergarments.
I had been careful to avert my eyes except when treating her injuries. Based on the memories I had gleaned from the guards, they hadn’t harmed her, but she must have been terrified.
“O-Okay. Thank you.”
“Teacher Geek, I’ve never seen magic like that before…”
“This is spatial magic. Keep this between us.”
“…Understood.”
Spatial magic, a recent research success, hasn’t been made public yet. Essentially, it allows manipulation of space to store items, functioning like an inventory box.
This world lacks anything like an item box, so as someone with memories of a previous life, I had been researching it since early on. Spatial magic was complex, and it was only recently that I reached a practical level.
Though I’d also wanted to work on teleportation magic, the risks were too great, so I put that research on hold. Someday, I’d like to create something akin to a certain robot’s Anywhere Door.
“All set,” Sophia said, buttoning up the coat, though it still left me unsure where to look. Of course, I had no intention of viewing her inappropriately.
“Follow my lead. Neither of you is to engage in combat. If your life is truly in danger, you may defend yourself, but trust me until we’re out of here. Got it?”
“…Understood.”
“…Got it.”
Given the circumstances, Eliza and Sophia obediently agreed to my instructions.
Upstairs, the attackers were undoubtedly gathering. To avoid interference during the inevitable battle, I instructed them to remain passive.
We ascended, passing by two guards whom I’d incapacitated and stripped of their memories using magic.
“…It really is just you, huh? I can’t believe someone would invade this place alone,” a man with a scar on his cheek said mockingly as we reached the upper level.
About 20 armed individuals surrounded us near the dungeon’s exit, more than I had initially detected. It seemed they had been cautious, confirming there were no other intruders before making their move.
“So, how did you remove the magic-suppressing ring? I had the only key,” Scarface sneered as his men laughed, their confidence apparent in the way they had us surrounded.
Behind me, Eliza and Sophia trembled slightly. Their fear was understandable.
“Eliza, Sophia, don’t worry. I’ll protect you no matter what,” I reassured them. Then, addressing the attackers, my tone hardened.
“And you lot… I despise adults who trample on the bright futures of the young for money or politics. Scum like you deserve nothing less than total obliteration!”
…Oops, my language got rough in front of my students.
But my anger is real.
Every child, whether commoner or princess, is a treasure of infinite potential. I can’t stand those who exploit them for power or greed.
Eliza and Sophia have already suffered greatly because of these scum. I’ll make sure they pay for their crimes.
