n

n

n

"I'm telling you, it's a bit too drastic to talk about it right now.

" Shaking his head, Layn refused to divulge into the details of what he did. With the information already at hand, there was no greater meaning in sharing the method the archmage used to obtain in.

n

"Are you trying to hold secrets from me? Are you sure you are capable of it?

" Snuggling up to the man's arm, Irea giggled lightly.

"You should know that it will never work!

"

nIf someone were to look at the two of them, it would be impossible to tell that they just participated in a battle.

nAll the marks that the only attack that actually reached Layn left on his clothes were now gone as if his outfit magically regenerated after the fight. Even his bruises were nowhere to be seen as if some kind of miracle cleared them out from the picture of his face and body.

nOnly after a closer look, one could notice that something was amiss… But not with the two of them. Contrary to Layn, Irea's outfit and health weren't fixed to the same, insanely high degree, leaving some of the minuscule wounds on her skin.

n

"It's not about hiding stuff from you.

" Layn shook his head in denial.

"This topic is just too heavy, complicated, and depressing to discuss now.

" The archmage's refusal didn't stem from his unwillingness to talk about this topic. While they were both as relaxed as a couple walking under a starry sky could be, it didn't change the fact that they were on their way to exact vengeance.

nAnd at a master whose strength and abilities managed to surprise even someone as experienced as Layn.

n

"Okay, okay, let's not argue about this then.

" Shaking her head as if to prove that she cleansed herself of those thoughts, Irea pressed her cheek against Layn's arm.

"On the other hand, what are we going to do now?

" Pulling him to a stop, Irea looked into Layn's eyes with curiosity.

"Kill them all? Invade the core academy?

"

nIrea shook her head once again. From the changes appearing on her face, Layn could tell that she quickly realized the problems of the ideas she proposed.

"No, that won't do. Even if this matter is already big, it's on the scale where any random core-academy disciple would just laugh it off rather than taking it seriously.

"

nExplaining her train of thought, Irea moved her eyes back at the archmage's face. Yet, there was no hesitation or doubt in Layn's eyes.

n

"Did you notice a small detail of when I was… working on that treasure?

" While they were walking completely alone on the surface, Layn couldn't discount the possibility that they were in fact some prickly ears hidden in the darkness of the night.

n

"Detail? What detail?

" Even though surprised, Irea didn't protest when Layn pulled her forward, opting to regain and keep the momentum of their stroll.

n

"You should remember how it worked. Core in the middle, a layer of normal rope around it and then the crux of the treasure as the outer layer, am I right?

" Taking the tone of a teacher schooling an unruly student, Layn smiled.

n

"Yeah, that's what you… that's what we did back then.

" Hearing the change in Irea's way of forming her sentence, Layn's smile only grew. Even just a few days ago, she would have trouble with adding herself to the equation, yet now, she was fully acknowledging her involvement in the matter.

n'Sadly, I can't really enjoy this moment right now,' looking to the side, Layn took a deep breath before slowly releasing it out. 'Just as expected.' While it was just a hint, Layn clearly spotted a glint of moonlight reflected on something. Given how they were in the middle of the inner academy, it wouldn't be surprising for some trash to be lying haphazardly around…

nBut the shine disappeared too quickly. There were no clouds in the sky and Layn was moving too slow for the flicker to be that rapid. And since the forces of nature couldn't explain its appearance, Layn's previous suspicion that people were following them suddenly appeared to be the most probable explanation.

n

"Didn't you notice that one part of the outer shell of the treasure… Wasn't made with the treasure rope in the first place?

" Smiling to his own thoughts, Layn made sure to modulate his voice to make it just barely bearable to anyone listening.

"Consider it my own fail-safe. Unless they will fix it, the treasure will soon overload and well…

"

nSuddenly stopping in his tracks, Layn pulled Irea into his embrace. Turning around, he looked at the landscape of the inner sect spreading below their feet.

"If I were to roughly guess, about a third of this entire academy would be wiped out in an instant? Or rather, will be.

"

nPassing this insanely important information, Layn didn't appear to be perturbed by it at all. On the other hand, hearing the news, Irea instantly wrestled herself free from his embrace only to stand in front of the archmage and stare with her eyes wide-open at Layn's face.

n

"A third of the academy will disappear? What do you mean by that?

" Even though the message was simple, the implications behind it were just too great for the girl to digest them calmly.

n

"Exactly what I said.

" Squinting his eyes, Layn moved his hand forward, placing it on Irea's shoulder. Pulling the girl back into his embrace, he then brought his other hand towards her eyes before forming it into a fist.

n

"You see, the treasure does not produce mana. It just makes it more accessible to us. But you could also say that it makes it more volatile for us to be able to access it.

" Tightening his fist to the point where the whites of his bones shoved underneath the skin of his knuckles, Layn continued.

"There is only so much power than the treasure can hold. With the flaw I mentioned earlier, it's not perfectly stable either. That's why once the mana will permeate through the flaw…

"

nSuddenly opening his fist and stretching his fingers out, Layn breathed out into Irea's ear.

n

"Woosh… And then there will be nothing.

" Painting the picture of what he was talking about, Layn brought his lips directly into Irea's ear.

"Everything I just said is a lie… outside the power of the treasure. As long as they start meddling with it, they will break the delicate balance inside, resulting in exactly what I said.

"

nThere was no flaw in Layn's product. While it would be an easy job to implement some if he wished, the archmage simply failed to think so much into the future when he was crafting it. Yet, given how both his knowledge from the future and the experiences from his time in this period confirmed that locals knew nothing about the magic particle theory, he was the only one in the entire world that knew how to work around those things.

n'But they don't know how little they know.' Smirking openly, Layn turned silent for a moment. With the eyes of his imagination, he could already see the thieves who stole his treasure trying to fix it. He could see how hard it would be for them to force even the tiniest element out of balance upheld by the mana constantly coursing through the item. And he could also see the beautiful explosion that would happen as soon as they would somehow succeed.

n

"Either way, there was another topic I wanted to talk with you about.

" Rubbing Irea's head as he said it, Layn attempted to diffuse the mood a little. Not for the girl, as it would be nothing but an interesting proposition for her, but for himself, as coming out with such an idea meant that he would no longer act freely in this timeline.

n'Well, I need to take a stance sooner or later. And in a current situation…' Thinking about all the unwarranted aggression that he saw in this place, about all the troubles and schemes he had to partake in just in order to stay afloat of the situation…

n'No, there is no need to hesitate at all.' Reassuring himself in his mind just as Irea started to notice that something was amiss, Layn moved his hand from the top of her head to her cheek before caressing it gently.

n

"What would you say to the idea of just leaving this city as it is?

" Starting with the big guns for the girl and small guns for himself, Layn quickly elaborated.

"I know you were a teacher here before I appeared. What would you say to the idea…

" Finally reaching the most important conjunction in his next plan, even Layn stumbled a little.

"To the idea of creating a completely new academy, when my own understanding of magic would be taught?

"

nFor a moment, an eerie silence hung between the two of them. While Layn was anticipating Irea's answer, the girl just stood in place, shocked motionless.

n

"In other words, what would you say to the idea of me hiring you as a teacher in the academy I'm going to establish?

"

n