Spiral of Madness: Ascension of the Villainous Dragon Prince-Chapter 57: The Royal Magician School [1]

-----

The Royal Magician School of Frostbane stood as the sole institution teaching magic in the capital. It was a place where various nobles Benladra had invited from her own world had chosen to serve as professors in branches such as Conjuration, Runic Magic, Alchemy, Geomancy, Necromancy, Summoning Magic, and more.

This was the school young Louis had always dreamed of attending. Yet because of his complete lack of magical talent, he never had the chance. It functioned as a proper school rather than an academy, so it primarily accepted young students. Older learners existed, but they had to seek different places suited to their age.

Funded by the government, the school offered talented young people an accessible path to learn magic for free. Admission went only to the most gifted, however, and not everyone possessed magical aptitude. The kingdom therefore did not lose significant funds.

Those who studied enough and graduated as Wizards, Summoners, Conjurers, Alchemists, and so on could then contribute to Frostbane by joining the kingdom’s magical workforce. They helped stabilize magic control and ensured steady distribution of magic items.

Alchemy in particular received strong encouragement and was nearly mandatory for graduation, regardless of a student’s chosen specialty. Alchemy demanded no innate talent. As long as someone could sense and manipulate Mana, they could learn it.

Alchemists ranked among the most useful and sought-after magic workers in the world, not merely the kingdom. Their value made the subject almost compulsory as a secondary path for every magic student.

As a public institution, the Royal Magician School had its limits and received less prestige than the private magician academies, which enrolled far fewer students.

Louis and his companions traveled by carriage toward the Magician School—Fantasium-fueled carriages capable of flight. The journey to the towering Magician Tower behind the school took only three minutes. The large building housed nearly one hundred classrooms, over a dozen recreational zones, training areas, alchemy laboratories, and more.

From above, hundreds of students moved in and out of the academy. Graduated magicians frequently visited the tower, where research across many magical disciplines continued. It served as a natural place for magicians to find employment and accept missions or requests from those needing help.

Becoming a magician ranked among the greatest dreams of any young child in Frostbane, second only to becoming a knight. Many constantly worked to awaken their magical power and gain admission. Every graduated magician earned deep respect and enjoyed numerous benefits through their Magician Tower ID Card, which granted discounts and privileges to encourage the population to study magic and become valuable wizards and alchemists.

After all, a magical society simply required many magicians to function properly.

"Wow, so this is the Royal Magician School, right?" Mirai asked. "I wonder if we could enroll for the rest of the year and have fun? I’ve always dreamed of studying inside a real school! I wonder why you haven’t done that, Prince Louis? I thought you liked training and studying."

"Learning magic is indeed something I’ve mostly done on my own," Louis replied. "Although it would certainly be valuable to study under the magicians here, most methods I practice are incompatible. I would have to endure weeks of boring homework and similar tasks, things I cannot afford. Let alone spending time around children. I detest the thought."

"Oh..." Mirai sighed, clearly disappointed that Louis rejected her idea.

"In the Sinners Academy you will experience all the wonders you want," Louis told her. "I am sure you will become incredibly popular. Everyone will want to be your friend. Just be patient."

"Really?" Mirai wondered, tilting her head. "Wow, so many new friends... but that doesn’t mean I’ll abandon you though!"

"Well, it’s not like I’ll let you go either," Louis said. "I might not look that way, but I am quite jealous. I won’t let other people drag you around and take you away from me so easily..."

"E-Eh?" Mirai flushed deeply after hearing him speak so openly. "T-That’s... really? Heheh..." She giggled, feeling flattered.

"Once we enter the Academy, three people will try anything to recruit you into their Houses," Louis warned. "Each one represents Yamato, Camelot, and Mesopotamia. Each stands next to the throne..."

What Louis referred to were the three "Main Lords" of the Sinners Academy video game. These three figures played central roles in the story. Many events revolved around them and the Houses they led within the Academy.

They served as deuteragonists. The player character ultimately had to choose one of their Houses—each choice leading to a different route—or create their own House. At the beginning, Mirai received invitations from all three lords simultaneously. They were rivals yet also friends.

After the time skip, they became enemies when war erupted between the world’s greatest kingdoms. Choosing any House meant fighting the others and being forced to kill former allies and friends.

The fourth option allowed Mirai to start with no allies and slowly recruit members from other factions into her own House. It was possible to unite all the Lords under her banner, but this route proved the hardest due to increased difficulty and demanding recruitment conditions. A single mistake could easily lead to their deaths.

William had read online that Louis was originally planned to become a Fourth Lord representing Frostbane. The idea had been scrapped early in development, turning him into a "Fallen Noble" villain for Mirai to defeat alongside the other Lords.

Now, seeing what he had achieved, Louis could not help but laugh quietly. Despite everything, he had already altered his future. He would no longer become that "Fallen Noble."

His plan was to form the fourth House that had been envisioned but never realized, and to claim the role of Fourth Lord he had always been meant to fill. That was why he recruited allies ahead of time. He needed to stand a chance against the other three Lords, each of whom would bring powerful followers of their own.

"All right, let’s descend."

The carriage slowly lowered and landed at the front gate of the magician school. Louis stepped out wearing his prince’s uniform, white with golden decorations, a sheathed rapier at his side, and a dignified expression.

His aura radiated majesty and pride. Most students, noticing the ornate carriage, stopped walking and stared in surprise as the prince emerged unexpectedly.

"Is that Prince Louis?!"

"His majesty the prince!"

"I never thought I would have the honor of meeting him this close..."

"He truly is as handsome as they say!"

"Why does he walk like that? He thinks he’s the best thing ever?"

"Dude, he’s the prince. He is the best thing ever, at least in this country."

Female students cheered for him. Male students felt envy and jealousy. Some slandered him while others defended him from slander. All kinds of students filled the school, but Louis mostly ignored them as he moved toward the entrance.

News of his arrival spread quickly. Several professors hurried to the gate to greet him with respect, bowing deeply as he ascended the stairs. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Welcome to the Magic School, Prince Louis!"

"We had no idea you were conducting a check today of all days..."

"With all due respect, couldn’t you notify us ahead of time before visiting like this?"

"Why should I?" Louis replied, facing the teachers. "I own this country, and therefore this school." Some were humans, others elves, ice giants, or even demons. "This establishment falls under my authority. I do not need to notify anyone, nor do I require anyone’s permission."

He spoke sharply to test their loyalty, searching for any hint of disloyalty that might indicate influence from noble houses that openly despised him and his father. He wanted to root out bad influences before they spread further.

Fortunately, no one dared oppose him. They lowered their heads and apologized for suggesting he needed permission.

"No, absolutely. You are entirely right to visit whenever you wish."

"I wonder, what does his majesty need today?"

"Do you wish to join the magic school? We would gladly enroll you next year—"

"Next year?! We can enroll right now!"

"What? But..."

"Shut up!"

The teachers argued among themselves. Those trying to follow rules received fierce glares from the rest, who feared punishment from the infamous "Mad Prince."

Yet Louis met them with a surprisingly calm smile.

"Don’t worry. I came here looking for the Headmaster, Lady Pekorine. Is she here right now? I wonder why she didn’t come to greet me..."

"Ah, Lady Pekorine is busy in her Alchemy Studio..." sighed one of the teachers—a tall ice giantess with long red hair and blue eyes. "Ever since Tisha’s passing... she has immersed herself in research for many days, unable to move on..."

"I see... We’ve come to help her and her daughter," Louis said. "Would you be so kind as to guide me...?"

"My name is Tereza, your majesty," the ice giantess replied with a nod. "I am a seven-hundred-year-old Ice Giant Wizard specializing in Runic Magic and Conjuration Magic. It is an honor to serve as your guide today."

"I see. Thank you, Tereza," Louis said. "Come on, let’s go inside. Stick close to me and don’t get lost. Selene, Melisa, I am watching you. Catrise, Juliette, make sure they don’t run away."

"Very well," Catrise nodded. "Ah, hello Tereza. It seems you’re doing well in your job."

"Catrise! It is nice to see you," Tereza replied. They appeared to be old acquaintances. "Yes, everything has been fine... well, not entirely since... you know what. But because of that, we’ve had a lot of work."

"I see..." Catrise nodded.

"Do you know each other?" Louis asked as they entered the halls. Students stepped aside the moment they saw the dazzling prince approaching, not daring to block his path.

"Yes, we are friends," Catrise answered. "We’ve been friends since we traveled from Yggdrasil. At one point, Tereza served in the Church as a Priestess, but after feeling it wasn’t what she wanted, she changed careers."

"I see. Well, that’s quite all right," Louis said. Their background seemed ordinary and uninteresting to him. "Anyway, where is Pekorine’s studio?"

"Underground. We’ll have to take the teleportation array to reach it quickly," Tereza explained. "Please follow me."

The group, led by Tereza, reached a large hall containing a massive magic circle connected to four pillars of Mana Crystals glowing with mysterious runes.

After confirming Selene and Melisa had not escaped, despite three attempts to run off and explore, and each time they were caught by Juliette and Catrise, they teleported.

FLASH!

In the blink of an eye, Louis emerged in an underground labyrinth-like structure. This was the subterranean area of the magician school, a domesticated Dungeon.

Dungeons were creations of Yggdrasil, born from Dungeon Cores, special crystallizations of dimensional and magical energy.

Once placed, a Dungeon Core warped space and gradually rewrote it into an entirely different environment. Sometimes it formed a labyrinth like this one. Other times it created vast lands with fake skies, suns, or moons.

Dungeons were living entities that lured prey inside and killed them using generated monsters. For a long time now, however, they had been domesticated in Yggdrasil. The creation and maintenance of Dungeon Cores has become widespread among magicians.

They proved extremely useful. Once settled, they could warp space and expand small areas into vast ones capable of storing many things.

Above all, by absorbing Mana and materials, Dungeon Cores produced a variety of monsters. This allowed students to test their magic against them safely under professor supervision.

Valuable materials extracted from these monsters supported alchemy and helped the school save funds.

"Welcome. This is the Underground Labyrinth, a Dungeon we have domesticated," Tereza explained. "It is safe here. Don’t worry about the monsters—they don’t attack and usually help clean and assist us. The deeper floors are dangerous, however. The monsters there are strong and wild. We normally use those levels for tests, especially the graduation exam."

-----