The full moon was at its peak, its silver light pouring onto the earth.
Nidhogg was still in the churning vortex. The boat had been shattered by the waves and currents. He, too, had fallen into the deep sea. The next moment, he found himself here, unharmed on a stone brick road. His entire body was dry.
Before his eyes stood a massive city gate, sealed by a layer of grey, patterned barrier. It looked thin, but it was enough to repel the invasion of foreign enemies.
"Troublesome." Nidhogg touched the barrier. "Ranni, do you have a way to break through this barrier? It separates inside from outside, like two different worlds."
"It can be broken by force." Little Ranni sat on his shoulder, holding her chin with one hand, thinking. "However, in my current state, it would consume a lot of focus. The gains and losses in this area need to be weighed."
Nidhogg nodded. "Yes. The next time I enter the inner space of the Raya Lucaria Academy, I'll probably need your support and Melina's frequently. Using it now to break the barrier might be a waste."
He wondered if he should find a place and try to climb the wall immediately. Perhaps there might be a loophole in the barrier.
Suddenly, he noticed someone nearby and approached.
Huh? How could there be someone outside the academy?
Nidhogg thought it might be an enemy and cautiously drew Bloodhound's Fang. But when the other party emerged from the depths of the forest, he raised his eyebrows and slowly lowered the great curved sword.
It was a man in the dark blue robe of the Magic Academy, with a bald head and a beard. Seeing Nidhogg, he raised his hands, showing that he had no weapons and meant no harm.
From this image, Nidhogg guessed the man's identity without leaving the city. This man was closely connected to his former "self" and was one of his magic teachers. But he hadn't expected to see him here.
It seemed that the intersection and confusion between the Junction and the real world had also affected his situation. He should have existed.
But at this moment, the man clearly didn't know Nidhogg.
"Greetings. My name is Thops. I am a mage of this Magic Academy." The man touched his bald head with some embarrassment. "I saw you wandering by the academy gates. Do you wish to enter?"
"My name is Nidhogg. I had that idea, but the barrier blocked my way... Do you have any method?"
"Hmm... I do have a way. However, I first want to know, why do you wish to enter the Magic Academy?"
Nidhogg thought for a moment and decided to answer honestly: "You should know that the 'Full Moon Queen' Rennala is under house arrest deep within the Magic Academy. I am here to save her, and at the same time, to open this sealed academy to the outside world."
"You want to save the 'Full Moon Queen'?" Thops was quite surprised. "May I dare to ask again, what is your relationship to the 'Full Moon Queen'?"
"None. However, I am the precious son-in-law of the 'Full Moon Queen.'" Nidhogg gently placed Miniature Ranni, who was on his shoulder, into his palm and said with a smile, "This is the youngest daughter of the 'Full Moon Queen.'"
Only then did Thops notice the presence of Miniature Ranni.
Little Ranni sighed helplessly, but didn't object. After all, this was exactly what it meant to choose this guy and make him her lord.
The magic hat and dress she wore were imitations of her deceased magic teacher, the "Snow Witch." But her own doll-like appearance was still based on her original form.
Rennala, Ranni, and the other members of the Carian royal family were originally the center of the Magic Academy.
When Thops was studying at the Magic Academy, he had been fortunate enough to see a portrait of Ranni. At this moment, he stared intently at Miniature Ranni for a while. Then he recognized her and couldn't help but widen his eyes in astonishment.
"You, you, you are the 'Moon Princess' who disappeared since the 'Night of the Black Knives'?"
"It is I." Miniature Ranni stood dignifiedly on Nidhogg's palm. "I guarantee that what he said is true. If you have a way to enter the Magic Academy, please inform us. We are willing to give you something in return."
"Such a 'Moon Princess'... Incredible..." Thops was a little excited and at a loss for words.
Then, in a panic, he grabbed his magic robe, but accidentally dropped something he had just touched. It fell to the ground with a clink, revealing itself to be a beautiful blue key.
"Academy Glintstone Key." Little Ranni recognized the key at first glance. "Yes, you are a member of the Magic Academy, so naturally, you have a key to enter and exit the Magic Academy."
Thops picked up the Academy Glintstone Key, but was a little embarrassed. "Lady Ranni, to be honest, I am a low-ranking mage of the Magic Academy. I have no qualifications for such a key."
"Then how did you obtain it?" Little Ranni became interested.
Thops spoke slowly.
"When the Magic Academy was sealed, I found myself outside the academy. So I could no longer enter the Magic Academy. After that, the heavens and earth at the Junction changed and intersected with the real world of another realm, causing confusion in many storylines."
"I was forcibly teleported to the vicinity of the Magic Academy. But I couldn't enter the academy, and the people inside couldn't open the seal for me."
"Just when I was so frustrated, a while ago, I happened to pick up this key. Perhaps some high-ranking mage died outside and left it?"
Little Ranni nodded and asked again, "Then why don't you just go in with the key? But you're giving it to us? You should know that this key can only be used by its owner to pass through the sealed barrier, right?"
"Lady Ranni, I know this." Thops nervously licked his lips and lowered his head. "When I approached the academy gates, I hesitated, not knowing whether to enter or not."
"In the Magic Academy, I am not only a low-ranking mage, but also the most despised among the low-ranking mages. They call me a 'waste of a stone.' I have little talent for magic."
"What could I do even if I returned to the academy? It's just that I've always been a little reluctant and so yearn for the magical knowledge of the academy that I can't give it up. That's why I hesitate."
In the Magic Academy, most mages use glintstone. Thops being called a "waste of a stone" was easy to imagine.
However, Nidhogg understood that Thops might not have a talent for high-level glintstone magic. But he did have the talent to create magic unique to him.
The magic he had spent his whole life trying to create, even the tricks that could reflect the final boss's attacks, could be called a "divine skill."
Unfortunately, Thops's fate was unfavorable. Nidhogg gave him the key to the academy he had found. Soon after returning to the academy, he died there because he was driven out by the other mages.
When Thops finished speaking these words with a gloomy expression, he looked at Nidhogg and Ranni with hope.
"However, now that I have seen Lady Ranni and Master Nidhogg, and you still need to save Lady Rennala, I see hope."
"If it were you, I would want to give you the key, so that in the future, you can freely study magic within the academy."
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