How to Steal the Protagonist's Women

"I thought I was going to die…"

An hour. 

That's how long it took for me to finally speak. 

I had only used it once, but it felt like my mana was completely drained, leaving me on the verge of becoming a mummy.

[Please be careful. If you use mana in such a way all at once, even Enel won't be able to heal you in certain situations.] 

"…Yeah, I got it. Thanks for worrying about me." 

[…]

The "situation" where healing isn't possible likely refers to death. While I was lying there exhausted and unable to speak, Armonia gave me a stern lecture. 
For a full hour…

I couldn't respond and had no choice but to listen in my drained state.

I pushed myself up with my left arm, supporting my upper body.@@novelbin@@

The ash-colored dust covering my body scattered in all directions.

I could feel mana slowly refilling my body, but the shock from earlier still lingered.

I sat on the pile of dust, staring at the hole-riddled iron plate, and spoke to Armonia. 

"If I modify this magic circle a bit, it'll work fine, right?" 

[As you said, improving the necessary parts will make the magic more effective. However, there are more areas that need improvement than you might think.]

Armonia listed the following improvements.

First, the magic circle. The current magic circle couldn't be used openly on this continent. If multiple magic circles were generated at once, it would cause chaos. The solution was to shrink the magic circle. 

But that was easier said than done.

"How about this?" 

[…That's incredible. Even if the magic circle is stored in your mind, shrinking it to that size requires a completely different level of skill…]

I managed to shrink the magic circle to the size of a coin. 

Even at that size, its performance remained unchanged. 

The size of a magic circle isn't what matters—it's the proper inscription of the formula inside. 

I wouldn't be able to draw this coin-sized magic circle by hand. 
This was only possible thanks to the [Imagination Projection] skill.

At this size, no one would recognize it as a magic circle from a distance. 

[Also, you should replace the magic circle with the one we used during club activities.] 

"…Yeah, got it." 

This was the first time Armonia had spoken in such a commanding tone. I took it as a sign that this was something I absolutely had to follow. 

The magic circle the professor had written had an infinite input side, which was still too much for me to handle. 

For now, I decided to use the weaker but more stable one from club activities.

Second, the ammunition.

[The iron pellets you're using now contain a lot of impurities. If you're going to use them in critical moments, it would be better to create superconductive bullets using Enel. Their destructive power will increase significantly.] 

"Oh, how much stronger are we talking?" 

[Under the same conditions, about five times stronger.] 

"Wow… How much Enel does it cost to produce?" 

[200 Enel.] 

"Dang… That's expensive for bullets." 

But they were worth the price. 

According to Armonia, if my mana capacity increases in the future, I can generate more magic circles to exponentially increase their power and range. For now, I decided to practice with iron pellets and use the superconductive bullets only when necessary.

Third, mana depletion.

[What you experienced was mana depletion. Mana is like energy that flows in from nature. If you use more than 50% of the mana in your body, your life could be in danger.] 

"Yeah, I experienced that. I never want to go through that again." 

I felt like I was dying as my vitality was drained away. 

Using more than 50% isn't something you can do even if you want to, but in my case, I ended up using a large number of magic circles, which caused my mana to leak uncontrollably. 

[As long as the magic circle isn't designed to be uncontrollable like before, it should be fine.] 

"Wow, but my body isn't recovering properly. I can't seem to get my strength back." 

[Mana depletion is that dangerous. It's not a natural phenomenon, so it's rare to experience it.] 

Especially in my case, since I used up my mana in an instant rather than gradually, the shock was even greater.

As I stared at the hole-riddled iron plate, a sense of pride welled up inside me. 
I was able to wrap up my first lightning attribute class with great satisfaction.

***

"Are you okay?" 

"Huh? Why?" 

"You look tired."

Luna's words as she looked at me in the classroom. 

After collapsing from exhaustion earlier, I hadn't fully recovered. 

While the other students didn't talk to me, Luna had been keeping an eye on me, so she must have noticed. 

I scratched my temple and replied.

"Ah, I inhaled too much dust, so I'm feeling stuffy." 

"…? Dust?" 

"Yeah, something like that." 

"…"

Just as Luna was about to say something, a giant figure entered the classroom. 

…It was the teaching assistant with a large build who taught magic circle usage. 
As soon as the assistant entered, he walked to the podium and glared at me.

'…Crap, I've been marked.' 

[It seems like he won't forget about you anytime soon.] 

'I wouldn't forget either.'

The assistant wasn't in his usual mood. 

He had a murderous expression as if he wanted to devour me. 

When he reached the podium, he looked around with a dirty expression. 

Everyone was looking at him like he was a bug. 

If it were just one or two people, he could have shut them down with a penalty, but he couldn't do that to the entire class. 

The assistant gritted his teeth and said.

"…I told you we'd have a test today. Starting from the front row, come up to the podium and demonstrate."

The assistant sat on the chair next to the podium and called the first person in the front row. 

"Louis Brandtrup." 

"Yes."

Louis happened to be in the front row, and he stepped forward to stand in front of the podium. 

The assistant gave the signal. 

"Begin."

Louis didn't respond and began drawing a magic circle with his finger. 

"""Wow!"""

Gasps of amazement filled the classroom. 

Red lines of light connected in a dazzling display. 

It took Louis only 10 seconds to draw the magic circle. 

Although it wasn't a particularly complex or difficult magic circle, the speed and precision were astonishing. 

Even the assistant sitting next to him looked shocked. 

In terms of magic circle drawing skills alone, Louis was far above him.

I muttered sarcastically through our mental link. 

'Dirty pay-to-win bastard…' 

[He probably doesn't realize it himself.] 

'That's the problem. He probably thinks it's his own talent.'

The guy would definitely think this was his own achievement. 

I would have thought the same in his position. 

I wasn't sure exactly what level his magic circle proficiency was, but it was clearly higher than mine. 

Even if I tried my best, it would take me 15-20 seconds to draw one. But I wasn't too concerned. 

As long as I wasn't in the bottom ranks, it was fine.

'Well, I should still be able to get second place in the class.' 

[I'm worried because there's a variable, Guardian.] 

'…? What variable?' 

[I'm not sure if the assistant will give you a fair score.] 

'…Crap!!'

I had been lounging around confidently, but I forgot that the assistant was the one giving the scores. 

No matter how well I did, he might give me a zero just because he didn't like me. 

'Sigh… Whatever. I'll just give up on the magic circle class.' 

[Even so, there are people watching, so I don't think he'll give you the lowest score outright.] 

'I hope so…'

From my perspective, it seemed like he'd give me a zero without hesitation. 

But joking aside, people like him tend to act on their own whims if they don't have to answer to anyone. 

The assistant was in charge here, and if he could do whatever he wanted without consequences, he wouldn't care about appearances. 

He might even use me to assert his authority over the other students.

The test took longer than expected. 

Aside from Louis, the other students took a long time to draw their magic circles. Some took a minute, while others took up to five minutes. 

By the time we reached the middle of the class, it was Luna's turn.

"Luna Stadtfeld." 

"Yes."

Luna walked to the podium with a calm, expressionless face. 

Looking closely, she seemed much more composed than when she had rushed in earlier. 

Her hair was neatly brushed, and her clothes were tidy. 

However, compared to usual, she still looked a bit dishevelled.

Luna stood at the podium and prepared to draw her magic circle. 

"Wait." 

"…Yes?"

Just as Luna was about to start, the assistant stood up and began scrutinizing her body in a blatant manner. 

Not just me, but the other students also looked at the assistant with disbelief. 

Since he hadn't done anything explicitly wrong yet, we couldn't accuse him of anything, but his actions were clearly making Luna uncomfortable. 

When Luna's eyes met mine, she quickly looked away.

'Isn't that just sick?' 

[It seems like he's the type to act as if he has the right to do whatever he wants since no one stops him.] 

'He's insane.'

In the past, I wouldn't have cared about his behaviour. 

As long as it didn't affect me, I wouldn't have bothered. 

But after spending a week with Luna, one important fact had settled in my heart.

Luna is mine.

I didn't want anyone else to lay a finger on her. 

I wanted to make her a woman who would obey only me for the rest of her life. 

As I struggled to contain the anger boiling inside me, the assistant tugged at Luna's clothes with a sly expression.

"Your clothes are a bit messy. Let me fix them…" 

"Eek…"

I couldn't take it anymore. 

'You bastard!' 

[Guardian! You need to hold back!]

At that moment— 

Bang!

Louis slammed his desk and stood up before I could. 

"Assistant!"

Louis looked furious, clearly about to give the assistant a piece of his mind. He didn't seem like he wanted to just sit back and watch this time. Both the students and the assistant turned their attention to Louis.

'Okay, now's my chance!' 

While everyone's attention was on Louis, I secretly created a magic circle near the assistant's buttocks and activated it. 

I increased the output slightly compared to the one I had used on his forehead earlier.

Zap! Zap! Zap!

"Aaaah!"

The assistant screamed in pain, clutching his buttocks as he collapsed. 

Luna, startled by his attempt to grab her as he fell, quickly stepped back and moved away from the podium.

Thud!

The assistant fell hard, shaking the classroom. 

"Aaaah! You brat, what did you do?!" 

"I-It wasn't me!"

The assistant, tears in his eyes, pointed accusingly at Louis. 

All the other students also looked at Louis as the prime suspect. 

The only one not looking at him was… 

Luna. 

She was staring intently at me. 

When our eyes met, I awkwardly looked away and turned my attention to Louis.

The sight of the assistant flailing around was satisfying. 

'No matter how talented you are, if you can't time things right, you're just an idiot. Haha.' 

[Still, you need to be careful. If you get caught, even by accident, it'll be a big problem.] 

'Got it, I'll be careful.'

Since it involved Luna, I lost my temper and acted without thinking. 

If Louis had stayed still, I would have stood up and confronted him myself. Luckily, things worked out.

The assistant, tears streaming down his face, stood up while clutching his buttocks. 

He began shouting at Louis. 

"You're expelled! How dare you attack a professor?!" 

"I-I didn't do it!"

The assistant threatened to expel Louis, but he probably wouldn't be able to. 

There was no evidence to expel him—every student in the room had seen that Louis hadn't drawn a magic circle. 

But the assistant's anger showed no signs of subsiding. 

"Not only will you be expelled, but I'll also personally reprimand your king!"

This was absurd. 

No matter how much authority a professor had, he was just an assistant. 

The assistant, clearly beyond rational thought, was just spouting nonsense. 

As the assistant continued to shout, a voice suddenly came from the classroom entrance. 

"No matter how angry you are, you shouldn't speak so disrespectfully of a king who rules a nation." 

"Who are you?!"

The assistant turned around with a furious expression. 

All the students turned their attention to the entrance. 

Standing there was someone I had only seen once before. 

The assistant began trembling all over. 

"H-H-Headmaster!"

The Grand Mage and headmaster of Stura Magic School, Ludwig Liebenstein, had arrived.

***

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