Misfit At Magic Academy: They Wanted a Godly Summon, Got Me Instead
Chapter 37: Riven Opened the Gate to Another World

Chapter 37: Riven Opened the Gate to Another World

We ran into Ash, who was walking down the corridor all by herself.

"Hey, guys!" she called out as she ran up to us. "What a coincidence. Heading somewhere without me? Scheming something indecent?"

"Every time we meet you, it feels like you orchestrated the whole thing," I replied.

"Oh, dear Athey. How could I ever commit such recklessness? By the way, how’s my gift?"

"You mean that voodoo doll of yours? I put it on display—just in case something terrible happens to me."

"I-it’s not a voodoo doll! I stitched it myself, down to the last thread!" she puffed out her cheeks.

"Is that so? Looks like the perfect voodoo doll to me."

The three of us continued walking. With Ash around, Riven chose not to talk about the portals. And honestly, I understood why.

"By the way, Riven, I haven’t seen much of you lately. Don’t tell me you’ve actually gotten busy with something?" she said.

"N-not at all!.. I was just... sick. Yes, I’ve been sick."

"Hmm."

Ash narrowed her eyes at us. She could sense we were hiding something.

"D-don’t tell me you two are having secret love affairs behind my back?!"

As expected. A girl like her never thinks of anything normal.

We reached the cafeteria and joined the line.

"Well, well, who do we have here?" a familiar male voice chimed in.

Standing before us was the Grimmveil trio. Sylas and Tyrion were especially cheerful.

"Atheron, what’s good? Hard to believe someone like you actually has friends," Sylas chuckled.

"Man, we’ve only known each other two days, but it feels like a lifetime!" Tyrion exclaimed with excitement.

"Alright, alright. Sylas, have you recovered already?" I asked.

"Of course! Good as new."

He flexed his biceps like some bodybuilder. Totally unnecessary.

I glanced at my princess. Aimer greeted me with a calm smile.

"Hello, Atheron."

"Hey," I smiled back.

"Alright, lovebirds," Sylas teased. "What’ll you have? I’ve got a special offer just for you, Atheron!"

"Suspicious. Trying to poison me and get rid of me for good?"

"No, seriously! This is to celebrate your victory in the tournament. Just want to show some appreciation."

"Hmm, not bad logic. A man’s joy lies in a full stomach."

Ash chimed in with a sly grin.

"Athey~ Maybe you should introduce us all already? We’re standing right here too, you know."

"Ah, right..."

Aimer’s mood soured at Ash’s teasing tone. Just hearing her call me "Athey" nearly sent her over the edge.

She tried to hide it, but Tyrion, sensing the creepy aura from her, nudged me and gave me a silent warning. She’ll kill you, man — that’s what his look said.

Meanwhile, Riven stood quietly behind us. His uncertain gaze spoke volumes.

"Atheron’s got so many friends now..." he muttered under his breath.

Riven gave a faint, sad smile.

———

"Do you really want to die again?"

Those were Aimer’s words once we were alone.

"Wait! I can explain everything."

"What does that sly fox want from you? Isn’t she getting enough attention?"

"Don’t be mad at me."

To my surprise, she didn’t seem all that furious. With a deep breath, she let the tension go.

"I’m not mad at you. Just her, for the way she treats you."

She turned her gaze to the window. Outside, a crimson sunset spilled across the sky.

"By the way. Your ash-gray hair... Atheron, are you by any chance of dragonslayer blood?"

"Right on the mark. I’m surprised you’re the first to ask me that directly."

"Your hair gives you away, though nowadays that doesn’t necessarily mean someone’s a dragonslayer descendant. According to common belief, they no longer exist.

What do you think, Atheron?"

I sat down on a chair.

"What can I say? Even if they’re still around, no one’s going to find them. In this age of mages, we’re seen as cursed blood. Heh, kind of funny, really."

I moved closer to the piano and ran my fingers slowly across the keys.

"I’m just a story turned to ash by the ruthless passage of time. There’s no place for dragonslayers in the new world."

And honestly, I’d understand if Aimer believed the same. I wonder if she doubts her choice. My blood could bring nothing but trouble.

Closing my eyes, I began to play a soft tune. Pure improvisation — unfiltered emotions turned to notes.

Before long, I felt her arms gently wrap around me from behind. Aimer hugged me, a peaceful smile gracing her face.

"I think everyone has the right to live. Whether you’re an ancient hero or a summoned being... in the end, you’re still human."

Her tender voice reached deep into my soul. And I was grateful it came from her.

———

I hadn’t forgotten Riven’s invitation to explore the portal.

That evening, I excused myself from my two mistresses and headed to his palace. Unlike last time, his room was now cluttered with books and scrolls.

"Sorry for the mess — I haven’t had time to clean. D-do you want some tea?"

"You have a maid, don’t you? Why not ask her to tidy up?"

Riven blew his nose into a napkin and muttered:

"What if she steals one of these artifacts? Or worse—loses something? My father will send me to the front lines!"

"Idiot. If anything gets lost, it’ll be in this room only. Cut the crap and show me what you’ve learned."

"Oho... In a hurry to see it, huh, Atheron?"

Riven knelt down, pushed the books aside, and positioned his fingers.

"Before we begin, I should tell you something... Honestly, I went through the portal once more without you."

"Oh no, don’t tell me you ended up in some lady’s room again?"

"No! This time... These beings we teleport to — they clearly live like we do. Last time, I ended up in some multi-level tower. I think it’s where they live.

They’ve got their own military and laws. I believe... we’re dealing with a completely different race."

Huh.

"So not only do they resemble us, they even have a country of their own? And why do you think their world isn’t ours?"

Riven fell silent and adjusted his glasses.

"Intuition... I think the flow of their energy is completely different from ours. Didn’t you notice that raw, oppressive aura they gave off?"

Oppressive aura... Yeah, I couldn’t forget it. A few weeks ago, when I entered the portal with Riven, we encountered two of them. One was some kind of damn werelion.

And that inhuman aura... tried to force me to my knees.

"I can begin," Riven said firmly. "So, Atheron... ready?"

"Open it. Let’s risk our lives once more. If we’re lucky, maybe we can even learn something from them. Who knows? Maybe they’re friendly?"

"D-don’t get your hopes up! We have to be extremely careful..."

He clapped his hands. Formed his fingers into a pattern.

Wind. Energy. Sparks.

He placed his hand on the floor and lifted it upward.

FWOOOSH!

A portal opened before us, sending a violent gust through the room. Books flew to the ceiling. Our hair whipped wildly in every direction.

"It’s ready... Let’s go!"

We jumped into the portal. Where would it take us this time? What dangers awaited us?

My heart beat with anticipation.

My name is Atheron—and I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t take the leap once more.