I Became a Mythical-Tier Tamer Due To A System Error Chapter 113

“How did you break that barrier? When I touched it, my arm almost got wrecked. Teach me how to handle barriers later.”

When the Janitor teased Chancellor Tot playfully, Chancellor Tot’s expression instantly darkened.

“Just seeing your face annoys me, so could you shut that mouth of yours?”

He glared at the Janitor with eyes full of disgust.

“...Seriously, even when I give you a compliment, do you really have to act like an asshole to feel better?”

The Janitor erased his awkward smile and stared at Chancellor Tot.

His clenched jaw twitched, and his left eye slowly turned black.

“Janitor.”

The sound of steady footsteps echoed.

“This place is surrounded by enemies. If you reveal yourself here, you’ll only end up as a bullet shield.”

“...I know. Don’t worry, Lahan.”

The Janitor sighed belatedly and turned toward the source of the footsteps.

It was a smiling man.

Ruber’s assistant, Lahan.

“Hey, Lahan. Once we take this place, can I make this my room?”

“Yes, gladly.”

“Good. Then we’ll keep this building intact.”

The Janitor stretched lazily, basking in the sunlight streaming through the window.

Meanwhile, Lahan approached Chancellor Tot.

“By the way, that was truly impressive. To see you break through that barrier… This is my first time making it this far as well.”

Lahan spoke with admiration.

“...”

Chancellor Tot only stared at him silently without answering.

Then it happened.

A black butterfly fluttered past the window, heading straight toward the Chancellor.

...But it wasn’t just one.

Dozens, hundreds of black butterflies swarmed Chancellor Tot.

And when the swarm finally dispersed, a completely different person sat in his place.

Wearing a deeply pulled black linen hat, dressed in antique clothes—

It was the Witch.

“Since I made that creation, of course the key rests in my hands, doesn’t it?”

She answered while covering her face with a fan.

“That’s right. That barrier was one you created in the past. …That aside, receiving a call from the Princess while Chancellor Tot was away. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.”

When Lahan replied, the Witch rose from the sofa and walked to the Chancellor’s desk.

She sat down and spoke.

“Chancellor Tot left for the Capital without informing anyone because of countermeasures against the ‘Calamity.’

He already leaves often, but from now on he’ll be gone even more.”

After saying that, the Witch turned her hateful eyes toward the Janitor.

“But don’t get too relaxed like that fool. The only reason I was here in the Chancellor’s Office was because the Princess requested a meeting today.

If Professors like Ruber or Fields had been nearby, they would have noticed immediately. The gap in ability among Professors is as wide as heaven and earth.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Lahan nodded with a smile. He sat at the Chancellor’s table and continued.

“In any case, the Princess realized quickly that Rubin was a fake Black Knight.

He tried to use the Black Knight to win her favor… but that plan won’t be so easy now.”

“I never expected much in the first place. Since she carries the Emperor’s blood, the Princess has the ability to distinguish truth from lies. That might be how she saw through it. Or perhaps…”

The Witch narrowed her eyes and gazed outside the window.

“If she gathered such information, it could mean the Princess’s secret agents… or the real Black Knight helped her.”

At her words, Lahan nodded and murmured.

“If the Black Knight acts openly, his identity risks being revealed… So he’s using the Princess.”

“Exactly. Like a chess piece.”

The Witch snapped her fan shut.

“Just like we do.”

Hearing that, Lahan gave a bitter smile.

“Perhaps our assistance to him… will only last up to this point.”

Their plan had been to let Rubin impersonate the Black Knight and seize the Student Council President’s authority.

But—

“From now on, we’ll only watch from the sidelines.”

Lahan’s voice was calm.

There was a clear reason why they chose not to actively aid Rubin.

“Because we’re practically hiding in the middle of enemy territory. If we assist Rubin directly, our cover will be at risk.”

The moment their mana flared, there was no way the Professors here wouldn’t notice.

Dozens of magic experts.

Each Professor was akin to a monstrous weapon of war— fighting them would be sheer madness.

So they decided to remain silent observers.

“Besides, Rubin isn’t our only piece.”

The pieces on a chessboard could always be swapped.

If Rubin fell, they would simply replace him with another.

“That’s why we’ll only give him small nudges of help.”

Lahan looked at the Witch and added quietly.

“From here on, his actions and decisions… are entirely up to him.”

After History class ended.

I happened to run into Hilda in the hallway.

When she greeted me with a smile and a glance, I lightly bowed and was about to pass by.

“…Wait, Villed.”

Hilda stopped me.

When I turned to her, she approached and spoke.

“Did you know? We’re required to attend at least one Scholar class per week.”

“...”

Of course I knew.

But since Hilda hadn’t called me, I hadn’t bothered to attend Scholar classes.

…And now, it was unavoidable.

I put on a face as if I was hearing it for the first time.

“I had no idea.”

“Right? I totally didn’t know either.”

Then Hilda, who was walking ahead, turned back and spoke.

“Shall we start personal lessons from today?”

A rule was a rule, so I couldn’t refuse.

It didn’t take long at all.

I followed her and arrived at the Professors’ Wing.

“Come in.”

When Hilda opened the door to her private research room, the inside was fully revealed.

‘…This is a little different from the other professors.’

The bookshelves commonly seen in professors’ offices were nowhere to be found. The absence of books itself was quite puzzling.

‘Instead of books, what I see is…’

On the desk, small statues were displayed, and several framed paintings were hanging on the walls.

There wasn’t anything that could be called traces of research. But what really caught my eyes was—

‘…A painting?’

Countless brushstrokes layered across the canvas.

It wasn’t a finished painting, but an incomplete one fixed to a three-legged stand called an easel.

In front of it lay a palette with paints and several brushes.

‘She painted it herself.’

Overall, it looked more like the studio of an art professor rather than that of a magic professor.

“Ah, I forgot to clean up. It’s a little random, isn’t it? It’s my hobby.”

Perhaps noticing my gaze on the painting, Hilda pushed the canvas aside into a corner.

“You’re quite good for a hobby.”

“Hmm, really? Thanks for the compliment.”

Hilda didn’t speak further about the painting, and instead said—

“Alright, then shall we begin with basic magic training?

We’ll start with the spell that converts blue mana into light.”

A spell that emitted light.

It was a fundamental magic, used often to illuminate dark areas and secure vision.

She must have been tailoring the lesson to the level of Villed, who ranked lowest in the academy.

“I’ll try.”

I closed my eyes and opened my palm.

Though my mana stat had increased compared to before, it was still pitifully small.

Certainly not at a level befitting a prestigious academy.

I expected failure, but still decided to try as Hilda instructed.

“Steady your breathing.”

At her words, I exhaled slowly.

“Let your body follow the flow, gather mana in your arm, and release it.”

Blue mana gathered in my palm, seemingly forming a faint light—

But it soon fizzled out powerlessly.

As expected, it failed.

I opened my eyes and looked at Hilda.

She had chosen an inferior student who couldn’t even perform basic magic as her Scholar.

I expected her to wear a deeply disappointed expression.

…Instead, what I saw surprised me.

“Villed, you really have no talent at all.”

Hilda laughed while shedding a small tear.

It was a pure smile without any pretense.

I stared at her smile for a while before opening my mouth.

“Do you regret choosing me as your Scholar?”

“No, not at all. If it weren’t you, I wouldn’t have chosen a Scholar in the first place. Now, focus again.”

From her eyes, I could tell she had no intention of sending me home until I succeeded.

I quietly closed my eyes and concentrated all my focus.

A faint, small cluster of mana began to gather in my palm.

It seemed to condense tightly, but only for a moment. Soon the mana dispersed and its presence vanished.

Another failure.

“Ah, who would’ve thought you’d be this untalented, Villed.”

Hilda couldn’t stop laughing, as if finding it all endlessly amusing.

“Keep trying until you succeed. Now, once more…”

“Hilda, why are you so intent on training me this much?”

I cut her off and asked.

Hilda tilted her head slightly at my words.

“…A reason? Are you really that curious about the reason?”

“Yes.”

When I answered without hesitation, Hilda’s expression turned a little more serious.

“…Alright. If you succeed in casting the spell, I’ll tell you honestly without a shred of lie.”

“You promise.”

“Yes. I swear it by Great Sage Gilley.”

Hearing her firm oath, I refocused my mind on mana.

‘It’s fortunate my beast ability isn’t magic, because casting spells is absurdly difficult.’

At this point, the academy students seemed incredible to me.

Villed’s body had an impossibly poor aptitude for magic.

‘Still, what can I do? If I want an answer from Hilda, I have to cast this spell.’

I slowly pushed the mana gathered in my arm toward my palm.

The mana kept slipping away, my focus almost breaking several times—

But I clenched my teeth, refusing to let go of even a single fragment of mana.

And at last, a faint glow like a lightbulb appeared on my palm.

Success.

“Ah! You did it, Villed! You really did it!”

Hilda shouted with joy like a child.

“Now tell me your answer.”

Instead of celebrating, I gazed at Hilda with steady eyes and spoke.

Hilda quickly fell silent, then nodded with a faint smile.

“Alright. A promise is a promise. I’ll tell you honestly.”

Though her tone was calm, there was a strange fervor in her eyes.

“The truth is, it’s not for your sake, Villed. It’s because I want to see something. I’m far more obsessive than I look.”

As though she had long dreamed and waited for something.

It was too sharp and resolute to be called simple affection or goodwill.

“I pursue an ideal. To put it extremely, it wouldn’t be wrong to say I live just to see a single scene.”

Hilda lifted her gaze slightly toward a painting hanging on the wall— a painting depicting the blue sky.

“The most important piece of that ideal’s puzzle… is you, Villed.”

At those words, I involuntarily swallowed.

She looked at me unshaken, as if she had already witnessed a predetermined future.

“I will raise you into the greatest mage in the world, Villed.”

It was an answer I hadn’t even remotely expected.

“…The greatest in the world, even greater than Professor Ruber?”

When I asked again, Hilda narrowed her eyes for a moment before grinning.

“Yes, far greater than someone like Ruber.”

“…”

Her answer was lighthearted, but inside it was filled with certainty.

I was at a loss for words.

Professor Ruber was not someone to be dismissed as “someone like that.”

He was one of the greatest mages in the Empire.

Knowing that Hilda wasn’t lying or joking, I had no choice but to listen carefully.

“…Ah, did I go a little too far? Of course, Professor Ruber is an excellent person as well.”

As if realizing her words had crossed the line, Hilda added with an awkward laugh.

“In time, Villed, you’ll come to understand. This world hides a darkness unknown to most.”

At her words, I furrowed my brow slightly.

She was right.

The professors, including Hilda, and the highest-ranked powerhouses of this world all knew it.

The looming crisis of the ‘Calamity.’

“There isn’t much time left. Even if you don’t want to know, the day will come when everyone is forced to.”

Her words were not a mere prophecy.

They carried the tone of someone who had already faced that darkness—an experienced witness.

“For that moment, we must prepare thoroughly. You may look hopeless now, Villed, barely able to handle even the simplest spell.”

Hilda gripped my hand tightly.

Our faces grew close.

“Still, before you graduate, I will raise you into someone truly strong. And together with me… ah.”

Hilda’s eyes widened suddenly, and she let out a small breath.

She paused, then carefully released the hand she had been holding so firmly.

“No, forget that. Please erase what I just said. I think I told a little too much to a fledgling like you.”

Shaking her head, she gave me a faint, awkward smile.

“If you grow as much as I believe you can, then I’ll reveal everything to you at that time.”

Her expression mixed expectation with concern, and it carried a weight that was far from light.

“…I truly hope that day comes. So study magic diligently, alright? And don’t skip Scholar classes.”

Smack!

Hilda stood on tiptoe, raised her hand high, and flicked me on the forehead.

“Huh?”

When I gave her a dumbfounded look, she smiled mischievously.

But behind that smile, there seemed to be an emotion that was anything but light.