Chapter 141

The group that had stepped outside returned after about ten minutes.

I had no idea what they talked about, but everyone looked quite embarrassed.

Especially Grace, who was blushing so much that the moment our eyes met, her face turned even redder.

Considering that their faith had risen and judging by their reactions, it seemed Luna had stirred up some trouble again.

Otherwise, there’s no way faith would just randomly increase like that. I wanted to ask what was going on, but I didn’t think they’d answer.

“Hmm. Hmm. Sivar?”

“?”

“That… Ah, never mind. I’ll tell you later.”

What on earth was that? If you’re going to say something, finish your sentence!

I tilted my head at Grace’s puzzling reaction.

One of the ways to make someone angry is to start talking and then stop, and that was exactly what Grace was doing.

Her unusually shy expression raised my curiosity even more.

‘I guess I’ll find out during the final exam?’

Since it’s starting next week anyway, I just have to wait a bit. I need to plan how to tackle the castle over the weekend.

But that thought didn’t last long.

“As I mentioned earlier, today’s afternoon class is autonomous training. Oh, and Sivar?”

“Yeah?”

“Please follow me for a moment.”

Malboro, who was in charge of the theoretical class, called me as the class ended. I wondered what it was about this time.

Regardless of my curiosity, considering the final exam was right around the corner, it didn’t seem like it was for a good reason.

‘Is he going to tell me not to do anything weird?’

With an odd feeling, I followed Malboro.

He checked occasionally to see if I was following closely and walked somewhere.

After quite a while of walking, it seemed we were heading outside since we walked out of the main hall.

“Here we are.”

“We’ve arrived.”

We finally reached a vast gymnasium, where Yeonhwa and Sara were together. Godin was there too.

Seeing all the professors who were in charge of the class gathering together made it seem serious.

The only comfort was that they probably wouldn’t give me any strange penalties. I trusted that much.

“Godin. This has the same intensity as the walls you will be implementing, right?”

“Yeah. I replicated both the intensity and materials exactly, so you don’t need to worry.”

Godin answered and pointed to a certain spot where a large wall was set up.

It was a solid wall made of rebar and cement, not just a stack of square stones.

While I was tilting my head wondering about it, Malboro put a hand on my shoulder and pointed to the wall.

“See that? That wall has the same strength as the castle wall you’ll have to break through. You don’t have to break it, but how well you do might affect its strength.”

It wasn’t the same stiff tone he used during class; it was actually friendly.

Malboro tends to be formal in public matters but is more approachable in personal situations.

Wasn’t it like that when Luna first brought me to him? So, there was no awkwardness there.

“If you’re curious about how solid it is, you can hit it with this. Want to give it a try?”

Malboro offered me a massive hammer instead of an axe.

I was curious to see just how sturdy the wall was, so I accepted it without hesitation. I just had to go hit it.

‘In the Soul World, I barely managed to break it with a cannon.’

The cannons in this world weren’t very advanced, which is why castle walls still existed.

This wasn’t something that could just be handled by magic; it required pure science to resolve.

Besides, it would be more effective to bring a wizard rather than fire a cannon.

Just a few words could wield more power than a cannon, so it was clearly more efficient.

‘First, I’ll focus my magic power in my body.’

If I channeled magic power into the warhammer, it would definitely blow up. So, I concentrated the magic only in my body.

Confidently, I stood in front of the wall, placing my hand on it. I could feel the solid texture, not like the flimsy construction of a 3D printer.

‘Can it be repaired?’

I couldn’t quite remember, but I knew repairs were possible somehow. Just needed to throw a certain substance on it or something.

I wasn’t sure of the exact principle, so I let it go. I gripped the warhammer firmly with both hands.

THWACK!!

I swung it powerfully towards the wall. The moment the hammer struck the wall, a massive noise hit my ears.

Given the shock transmitted to my hands, it felt indeed very solid.

“Wow, that really did damage.”

“Well, I’m hitting it directly.”

“It’s like using a siege weapon. It’s not a castle gate, but a castle wall.”

As the professors said, the wall wasn’t just dented; it looked on the verge of collapsing completely.

Large cracks were spreading from where I hit, and debris was tumbling down.

Even without channeling magic into the weapon and only relying on pure strength, it was this destructive.

If I had infused magic into the weapon, it wouldn’t have just dented—it would have exploded.

“Good. This should keep any distractions away from above. They won’t be able to fire cannons from afar either. Godin?”

“Yes.”

Malboro had a satisfied expression and called for Godin. He came right away and moved to the rear of the wall.

He muttered something, and then an incredible thing happened.

Swoosh-

The area I hit began to gradually repair itself, and the cracks that looked like spider webs began to regenerate.

Since Godin had said it was the same material and strength, it seemed he took some measures.

I didn’t need to know the details, so I didn’t bother asking.

“It’s fixed. Let’s move on to the next stage.”

“Sure. Sivar? You can come back now.”

When Malboro called, I returned to my original spot. As expected, I also returned the warhammer.

Just a side note, the warhammer had bent significantly at the handle after just one use. Even the professors made sour faces at this sight.

“Your strength is quite impressive. To think you’d damage it after just one hit…”

“Yeah.”

It was without any magic infusion. I really wanted to mention that, but I held it in.

I hadn’t even gone all out; it was just a little extra muscle power.

Saying that outright would probably give the professors a headache, so I kept quiet.

“Thanks for your hard work, Sivar. Sorry for the hassle. Here, have this.”

“Oh.”

Malboro handed me a handful of candy. And I mean a handful, not just one.

He certainly knows how to give and receive. I pocketed all but one candy.

Of course, I made sure to express my gratitude. It wasn’t a bother, and since it was for the exam, I could take it lightly.

“Thanks. No, thank you very much.”

“Haha. You too. Please, for the upcoming exam, don’t do anything reckless. Especially don’t bring any bombs.”

“Yeah.”

I would never do something like that. After all, there’s barely any chance I’d need to use bombs for this exam.

The shells for the cannon aren’t even what we know as shells. They’re just big rocks.

Bombs do exist, but as I said earlier, magic is more efficient, so they haven’t developed extensively.

‘Besides, I won’t be using the Death Beam anyway.’

If I used the Death Beam, word would spread that I possessed Red Magic.

If that happened, Rod would undoubtedly have something to say about it. I wouldn’t mind if rumors spread, but Rod’s disapproval is frightening.

“Hmm?”

Just as I was turning around while still munching on the candy, I spotted something.

That something was none other than a cannon. A cannon made of metal. Beside it stood a trebuchet, but I didn’t bother with that.

“Hmm? Sivar, are you curious about the cannon?”

As I was examining the cannon, Malboro asked me.

I nodded while chewing the candy. It seemed it was brought to test the strength of the castle wall.

Malboro looked between me and the cannon, then smiled warmly as he spoke to me.

“If you’re curious, you can see how the cannon works. You could move it too. Or destroy it.”

“Are you suggesting I go watch a fireworks show?”

“What’s wrong with that? It’s the age to witness grand and beautiful things. Plus, you’re seeing a cannon for the first time.”

Is he treating me like a kid? But it’s unreasonable to hold back on a vintage cannon like this.

Since ancient times, artillery has been a man’s fantasy. Not to mention, this is some old cannon, giving it a vintage flair.

‘Plus, I should check its power while I’m at it.’

If the cannon’s performance is mediocre, I have my own methods to deploy. I could use one of those.

Then Malboro began to touch the cannon, explaining things to me.

First were the shells. He showed me various shells.

“See these round things? These are the shells. We used to use stones back in the day, but now we use metal because it’s more cost-effective.”

“What about explosions?”

“Explosive shells? Oh, you mean high-explosive ones? Those are military-grade and can’t be used here.”

Even if high-explosives were available, they wouldn’t breach the castle gates. It’s fortified against magic; I can’t imagine explosives would do any better.

After slow explanations, Malboro loaded the cannon with shells. He looked genuinely excited.

Come to think of it, I’ve heard he sometimes shows things like this to his son, and then gets scolded for it.

“Now, you just light this fuse…”

Fizz!

Malboro lit the fuse with a match. I quietly watched the fuse burn from a distance.

However, I couldn’t watch it all because Malboro suddenly pulled my arm away urgently, warning it was dangerous.

Just as the fuse burned all the way down…

BOOM!

A loud explosion erupted, and dense smoke billowed up. At the same time, the shell that had just been loaded was fired from the cannon.

The fired shell struck the castle wall perfectly, but in terms of sheer power, it didn’t seem very effective.

Though it cracked like my earlier strike, it was hardly noticeable. Still, the ability to strike from a distance was a significant asset.

“How was that? Impressive, right? The military shells would explode over there, but not here at the academy.”

“Hmm…”

I could always fire one myself later. I turned my gaze away from Malboro’s proud expression to another area.

My eyes fell on the shells scattered around, and I picked one up with my hand.

It was definitely heavy since it was made of metal, but it wasn’t too heavy to lift with one hand.

“Hey! Don’t take that. Put it down.”

“Seriously treating Sivar like a child.”

“I’ve heard his son is a troublemaker, and that seems to be the reason.”

“Haha.”

I gripped the shell with one hand amid the warm atmosphere. My large hands made it easy to hold.

Next, I glanced at the nearly half-collapsed castle wall. The professors and I were standing fairly far away, keeping the upcoming exam in mind.

‘Using magic for physical enhancement only…’

I used more magical power than when I struck with the warhammer earlier. I could feel my muscles working intensely.

I couldn’t hear whatever Malboro was saying; right now, this exam was my priority.

“Sivar? What are you trying to do…”

Malboro seemed increasingly anxious as I ignored him. But my exam took precedence.

I slowly pulled back my hand holding the shell and then hurled it right at the target.

WHOOSH!

With the sound of the wind being ripped apart, the shell launched towards the castle wall. It truly was launched in every sense of the word.

In contrast to the cannon fire, it flew much faster—fast enough to be noticeable.

Then, how powerful would it be?

CRACK!

Could it be because the wall had just been struck by the cannon, or did I throw it too hard?

The wall was on the verge of complete collapse. With just four or five more throws, it’d entirely be demolished.

The wall they would show during the exam would surely be sturdier. Plus, it’d be larger and harder to break through.

“Hm.”

It seems I’ll need to exert some effort for this exam. Otherwise, breaking through the castle wall will be tough.

While I contemplated this while rubbing my arm, I overheard the professors whispering behind me.

“…What are we going to do about that? It flew faster than the cannon.”

“…I don’t know. Who would have thought it was a real siege weapon?”

“It’s fortunate we found out now. Had we realized during the exam…”

“We’ll need to increase the wall’s strength.”

Maybe I shouldn’t have shown them after all.

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