Danmachi - Infinite Mana System! - Chapter 166 - Altena 06.

[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]
Third Person POV
Altena.

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"Then, are you the goddess Athena?" Lucius broke the silence, speaking calmly as he looked at the woman, his eyes fixed on her in that moment.

"I am Athena," she replied, not breaking her gaze from Lucius.

"What is that? A monster in the middle of the academy?" Some people near the goddess murmured nervously. The monster appeared to be level 3 or 4, which was shocking to see it there.

"Indeed, but it was summoned by that professor... or perhaps an impostor?" Athena remarked, casting a colder glance directly at Lucius.

"He's wearing my uniform! That guy is no professor!" a man beside the goddess exclaimed, pointing at Lucius with a trembling hand, possibly out of anger. He was young and, judging by his words, probably the rightful owner of the uniform Lucius wore. This was confirmed in his next statement:

"He stole my uniform! He's impersonating me! This impostor is trying to steal my job or something!" the real professor accused hysterically.

The entire school had emptied out of its classrooms, and a growing crowd gathered in the courtyard, shocked by the monster Lucius had summoned. Everyone was watching, trying to figure out what would happen next, eagerly anticipating what the goddess Athena herself, accompanied by some of her family members, would do.

"Hey, you! Tell us who you are and what your intentions are! What does this mean? How did you manage to summon a monster here?" A woman with black hair stepped forward, looking directly at Lucius. Her uniform identified her as the headmistress of the school, and her presence suggested she was a level 5 mage.

Riveria approached Lucius, now visibly worried, waiting to see what her lover would do. Lucius, for his part, smiled.

"I apologize for the confusion. Nothing personal. I was just interested in something in the school's library when I was called in to teach. And now, here I am, giving a little lesson on Combat," Lucius said calmly, despite the accusatory glares around him.

The students from his class were stunned, both by the revelation that Lucius was not a real teacher but an impostor, and by the fact that he had truly summoned a colossal monster in the middle of the academy. Meanwhile, the Goliath stood motionless, awaiting its master's orders. Bartolomeu, the professor who had been defeated, lay on the ground, practically begging with his eyes for someone—anyone, especially his goddess—to save him.

"You still haven't answered my questions!" the headmistress insisted, her tone serious, seeming ready to attack at any moment. However, Athena's golden staff rose, and she stepped in front of the headmistress, taking a few steps toward Lucius.

"He doesn't need to identify himself because I know who he is..." Athena declared, her voice carrying unmistakable authority. "After all, the star on his head is a characteristic of a certain adventurer who has gained significant renown in recent months. Isn't that right, Lucius Drakenar?" she said.

A hush fell over the courtyard. Everyone present was stunned upon hearing the name spoken by the goddess. Yet, hardly anyone knew who he was, as Lucius' name was very recent, even in the great magical city.

"He is..." The headmistress was visibly surprised to hear this.

"Yes... I must say... the man known as the 'Magic King' is here," Athena continued, her voice filled with reverence and tension.

The title left almost everyone even more confused, as they had never heard of anyone with such a title. But Athena went on. "A level 4 mage who could easily surpass level 7 and is possibly the most powerful mage in the world..." she said, looking at Lucius with a certain interest.

Lucius remained silent, pressing his lips together as Athena spoke, but he broke into a smile as soon as she finished.

"Well, it seems that all three virgin goddesses know me now... I'm flattered," Lucius said as his silhouette began to change. He started removing the uniform while levitating, revealing his Magic King attire as everyone watched in awe at this display. The summoning of the Goliath began to dissolve, returning to the magic circle. Only Lucius remained levitating, moving closer to Athena with a provocative smile in the air, his Magic King cape now billowing.

"I was looking forward to meeting you, goddess Athena. That’s why I made sure to draw a little attention," he said.

"You invaded my city and caused chaos in my academy! Do you think you can say those words as if we were friends?" she replied in a stern tone.

"Goddess Athena, you can’t be serious when you say he’s the most powerful thing in the world!" the headmistress murmured. She was the captain of Athena’s family and certainly one of the few people who could compete with the best in the world. However, having heard the goddess herself mention the "Magic King of Orario" some time ago, she seemed hesitant to accept such a claim.

"You don’t understand. I received the data that was published in Orario. This mage possesses more than 50 different types of magic, while most of the world has to settle for just three," Athena said, leaving everyone shocked.

The goddess’s gaze shifted from Lucius to Riveria, who was still standing beside him. Observing the elf in her uniform, she continued, "Few people in the world can have more than three magics, and it seems we have another one here, don’t we, Riveria Ljos Alf? Elven princess, but even you cannot surpass this human..." she declared in a serious tone.

As everyone turned their attention to Riveria, the murmurs grew louder, but Lucius interrupted with a dark tone.

"You can threaten me, but don’t try to do the same to my woman," Lucius said, as the air around him seemed to grow heavy with magical particles. Athena turned her gaze back to him, and the members of her family began preparing for a possible confrontation.

"We don’t like the elven princess. You should know that. But, anyway, let’s settle this. Tell me what you want," Athena said, without averting her eyes.

"Well, you’re quite direct," Lucius responded, even as the headmistress of the academy watched him closely. He spoke his next words with firmness, equally direct.

"We just returned from the abandoned world and discovered something quite interesting. I don’t know if you knew, Athena, but the dungeon is draining the continent’s lifeforce. The abandoned world was its first victim. There are roots extending from Orario’s dungeon, stretching across the continent like underground pathways, draining everyone’s lifeforce. That must be where the dungeon draws its energy to produce monsters... That’s why I want to know what you know about this," Lucius concluded, as Athena’s eyes widened, clearly surprised.

"He can’t be serious..." the headmistress murmured, equally shocked, while more whispers began to ripple through the crowd.

"Silence!" the goddess suddenly shouted, halting all conversations around her as she looked at Lucius with a more serious expression than ever before.

"I want to know more about this. Come to my tower," Athena said simply, completely shifting the previously dark and threatening atmosphere. Upon hearing what Lucius had to say, she realized she couldn’t ignore the situation, especially since she oversaw the abandoned world, which had been facing increasing destruction and advancing chaos over the last millennium.

Everyone was stunned by Athena’s change in demeanor, but no one dared to question her. Meanwhile, Lucius approached Riveria, who was already removing her hat, revealing herself as the elven princess.

"Well, it looks like we got our audience," Lucius said in an amused tone, while Riveria looked at him, telling him he had overdone it.

"I need you to stay and organize the chaos in the academy. Then come to us," the goddess ordered her commander, who nodded promptly.

"Wait... what about my classes? And my uniform?" the man Lucius had impersonated murmured, confused and still dazed.

He was there with the goddess Athena because, after realizing his uniform had been stolen, he went to the tower where the Athena family resided to report it. Athena heard his complaint and quickly called her commander, who was at the academy as the headmistress.

When the level 5 mage arrived at the tower, she was confused upon hearing the situation, as she had seen the professor in the classroom earlier. Her assistant had found him in the corridors after he was late and had escorted him to his class. It was then that they decided to head to the academy to uncover the identity of the impostor… only to find Lucius, already amidst the chaos with a summoned Goliath.

Before the real Van Laiac could react further, the uniform flew toward him, hitting him square in the face. Lucius had tossed it to him casually.

"There, it’s all yours. Don’t be so upset about it. After all, you can’t even write a decent paper. I read your work, and it’s full of errors. And you still think of yourself as a magical scholar?" Lucius mocked, leaving the man stunned and speechless.

"Well, anyway..." Lucius turned to Athena, giving her a narrow look. "Let’s go the way you choose."

Athena sighed, beginning to walk out of the academy while leaving her daughter to handle the mess Lucius had caused, attempting to calm the academy. She left the professor and headmistress behind, accompanied by the rest of her family, who kept a close eye on Lucius and Riveria as they followed.

At the academy's entrance, a floating platform awaited. Athena stepped onto it with her family, and Lucius and Riveria joined them.

"You certainly have interesting technologies here. I’d love to study them," Lucius commented as he walked.

"You’re asking for too much, considering the chaos you caused," Athena replied, casting him another stern glance. Despite her tone, there was a faint hint of interest in her expression. Even though Lucius seemed like a complete delinquent to her, he was utterly unlike anything she had encountered in the mortal world.

"I’m sure my contributions will outweigh the trouble I’ve caused. After all, it was just a small scuffle. I healed the professor, and besides, you can surely fix the things I broke, right?" Lucius said with a carefree tone.

The members of Athena’s family clearly disliked his words but remained silent. Athena, on the other hand, ignored Riveria’s presence and continued to focus on Lucius.

"Maybe... That will depend on what you know about the abandoned world and your strange magic," she replied, recalling the brilliant flash she had witnessed during the night. There was no denying it: all that extraordinary power came from Lucius. It was almost impossible to believe someone like him could exist in this world, and his power seemed to surpass even that of the gods... His energy felt... infinite.