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nChapter 66: Practical Experience (4)

nTemporary laboratory in the Yukline mansion.

nI looked closely at the ashes under the microscope. I tried to “understand” it on a particle-by-particle basis, injecting mana and tearing it apart with Psychokinesis.

n“… Professor! Look at this!” Kelodan shouted, pointing to the blackboard.

nScratch— Scratch, scratch— Scratch—

nA sophisticated report was being written on the green surface.

nSylvia here. We captured a debutante who had been puppeted and separated him from the ashes. The result of our analysis is as follows.

nShe discussed how the ashes encroached upon the debutante and what the process of that puppeteering was.

nThe way Sylvia analyzed and separated the specimen with her own magic was almost at an anatomic level.

n… A certain thought popped into my mind as I looked at it.

n“Separation.”

nSeparation of ashes and the debutantes.

nWhat if a circuit that neutralized the control of the ashes was added to the formula of the “barrier”?

nBeyond that, what if the barrier was constructed ‘in the magic tower’ and then completed?

n“It’s possible.”

nImplanting a circuit in specific magic, known as ‘magic weaving,’ had already been done dozens of times. My Psychokinesis was created that way.

n“What’s possible?” Kelodan asked.

n“I’ll make a ‘barrier that breaks down ashes’ and deliver it to the Debutantes.”

n“A barrier? It would take too long.”

nI shook my head.

nSince it wasn’t completely new magic, the consumption of mana wouldn’t be severe. Right now, Decomposition was a common spell that was used even in garbage dumps.

n“It is quite possible.”

nIf I envision it and add the talents of Sylvia and Epherene, of course, it’s possible.

n“Um, professor…?”

nHe stared at the blackboard without saying a word and pondered. There was no need to take notes. All of this was going to happen in my head…

n“Attention—!”

nA disrupting shout echoed.

nI turned to the entrance, feeling the urge to kill.

nEleven individuals of unknown names stood where I was looking, forming a line.

nThe Imperial Knights.

n“Attention, please!” When the knight yelled again, a familiar voice came from behind him.

n“Humpf. So noisy.”

nIt was the emperor’s voice. As I was about to express proper curtsy, I abruptly stopped.

nThe creature that showed up proudly wasn’t the emperor.

n“In this possessed state, my ears are sensitive. Don’t talk loudly.”

nShe had plenty of red furs, and her long tail fluttered, but her legs were short.

nIt was a luxurious-looking cat.

n“Your Majesty?”

n“Yes, Deculain. It’s one of the magic that I learned. I’m too lazy to go outside. Hey. Don’t touch my tail.”

n“I’m sorry!”

n“…”

nI was speechless for a moment.

nPossession was part of ‘harmony magic.’ Complete Possession, which borrowed the mouth and eyes of living beings, was quite difficult to learn. Naturally, however, she could fully utilize it.

nMoreover, the munchkin she used was a royal breed.

nThe quality of the emperor’s mana was currently level 2, and once an awakening event was held in the future, she’d reach level 1. She was a genius who had the talent to master all the skills in the world, after all, including magic and sword skills.

nIf I were to express Emperor Sophien in one sentence, it would be…

n‘The person closest to God.’

nThat indolence could either be a blessing or a curse to this world.

n“Lower your back.”

n“Yes!”

nThe cat jumped over the knight’s back.

n“Oh!”

nHowever, her first attempt failed since her legs were too short compared to the knight’s large body.

n“This guy. Bend further down.”

n“I’m sorry!”

nThis time, the munchkin successfully climbed on the knight’s back. She grinned, patting his pharynx with her tail to express her satisfaction.

n“Don’t you dare move an inch. My legs are short, so it’s dangerous.”

nThe emperor slapped the knight with her front paw.

n“Yes!”

n“Don’t scream either.”

n“…”

n“Everyone, get out of the way!”

nAt that time, George, the court wizard, appeared as well. Rumors that the emperor’s cat was here seemed to have spread.

n“Your Majesty! How can you master possession magic so perfectly…!”

n“Annoying. How did he know?”

nGeorge looked at the red cat with thrilled eyes. Not long after, however, he swiftly hardened his expression.

n“Professor Deculein. What are you going to do from now on?”

n“I intend to invent a barrier magic that decomposes ashes.”

n“… Invent a barrier?”

n“Yes. One that decomposes ashes alone.”

n“You… want to create a new barrier?” George asked, his voice full of doubts.

n“That’s right.”

n“How long will it take you to come up with that magic?”

n“It won’t take a day.”

n“What?”

n“It’s a simple task. It’s not that surprising.”

n“No, you need to elaborate on it further…”

nI had no time to waste on explanations.

nI spoke kindly but stubbornly.

n“No matter what happens, I’ll lead. Hence, I take responsibility for this too.”

nGeorge clicked his tongue but nodded anyway.

n“… Okay. Anyway, if you’re creating a barrier, what about the formula? Have you written it down on a scroll?” George asked.

nI looked at George without saying a word.

n“….”

n“…?”

nThe silence between us continued for a little while.

nI was thinking about how to explain it, but even that in itself was already a waste of time.

nI just tapped my temple with my finger.

n“It’s all in my head.”

n“What?” The cat asked.

nIf I were to explain it in a sentence…

n“I used mental calculation.”

n* * *

nThe debutantes were certain it was 3 o’clock, but they didn’t know if it was in the morning or afternoon.

nRegardless, Sylvia and the others stared blankly at the blackboard.

n“….”

n“….”

n“….”

nAn expansive formula filled its surface.

nBelow the magic circle that Deculein invented himself, there was the following sentence.

nCan you cast this barrier?

n“It’s possible,” Sylvia answered on behalf of everyone, stunned.

nLucia could do nothing but shrug as she looked at her. “… Right. It’s not impossible if we could draw and recreate his formula.”

nDeculein’s barrier explanation was detailed and friendly. Even a debutante could understand it.

nThe problem was that the barrier’s magic circle was too large.

nIts total area covered the entire 3rd floor.

n“This room will serve as its center. I’ll go out and draw the formula on the third floor. As for the mana it requires… We should have enough since there are many wizards here.” Epherene said, looking around the classroom.

nIncluding herself, there were around 50 of them. If they were to collectively use their mana, it wouldn’t be difficult to activate the barrier.

n“Won’t we need a catalyst to construct it?”

nAt Julia’s concern, Sylvia loosened her own necklace.

nIt was an artifact made entirely of mana diamonds, her mother’s keepsake. It was imbued with several special effects, including mana storage expansion and magic amplification.

n“Use this as a catalyst.”

n“… Are you sure?” Lucia, who knew the value of her necklace, asked, astonished.

nSylvia didn’t answer.

n“Hmpf… If you want to go that far, then…”

nSighing, Lucia also loosened the bracelet on her wrist.

n“These two will suffice. My bracelet is an heirloom worth 20 million Elnes.”

n“T-twenty million… Got it. I’ll be drawing the formula now.”

nEpherene then cut her long hair in one swing, which surprised Lucia.

n“Are you insane? Why did you cut it? Your hair can’t be used as a catalyst. You know that, right? Don’t you have a brain?”

n“Gosh! Who said I would use it as a catalyst? It gets in the way when I move!”

n“Ifi, it’s okay. Ignore her.” Julia calmed Epherene. She then trimmed her hair that had been cut arbitrarily.

n“Okay~ It’s pretty now.”

n“…”

nSylvia then pulled her long hair up. Now tied into a ponytail, it ran down the back of her porcelain neck.

n“Wow, Sylvia. You look beautiful.”

nSeeing Eurozan and the others complimenting her, Ephrene momentarily felt regretful.

n‘I just had to pull it up too.’

n“Epherene. You’re fast, so I’ll leave the formula drawing to you. I’ll draw the monsters’ attention to minimize the threat that’ll be coming after you.”

n“Draw their attention?”

n“Yes. Just like what we did in the practical exercise.”

nEpherene nodded.

nA short sentence on the blackboard then calmed and comforted them.

nI’ll trust and wait.

nThat was all they needed.

n“Okay. Let’s go.”

nAfter finishing their preparations, the two broke the barrier in the classroom.

nThump—!

nThe tremoring sound rang again, but Epherene and Sylvia didn’t hesitate to open the door, finding the infected debutantes and huge golems made out of ashes.

nAs Sylvia caught their attention, Epherene cast Self-Psychokinesis and clung to the third floor’s ceiling.

nWhoooosh—!

nSylvia coated the golems’ bodies with pure white paint-like magic, which soon turned into a flame that exuded extremely high temperatures.

nHer targets burned in an instant.

nAt the same time, Sylvia covered the pavement in blue, which soon turned to ice that made the infected debutantes on it flounder, unable to take even a few steps.

nHowever, at some point…

n“…”

nThick ashen appendages, like the Kraken’s tentacles, gripped Sylvia’s waist. They then flailed her around and slammed her onto the pavement.

n“Ouch…” Letting out a single groan, she immediately erased the tentacles without showing any pain. However, her stomach felt hot, as if she just gained an internal injury.

n“…” Sylvia staggered, staring at the dark hallway.

nClick— Click—

nThe sound of heels hitting the ground echoed.

n“It’s useless.”

nSylvia looked at the existence that appeared in the dark.

nProfessor Louina. She, the Head Professor of the Kingdom’s University Tower, had become a monster that assimilated with the ashes.

n“…You have a strange talent. I’m jealous.” Her voice sounded bizarre yet muffled.

n“I’ll kill you because I’m jealous.” She grinned, the corners of her mouth stretching to the bottom of her ears as if tearing her face apart. More ashes flooded down from her lips, taking on the form of a huge blade.

nWhoooooooooooosh…

nSylvia made her surroundings her own, deleting her weapon before it could even reach her.

n“These are… the three primary colors.” Bearing witness to Slyvia’s creation, Louina muttered with admiration. “A magic equivalent to a miracle. It breaks reality, interferes with the status quo, and recreates all things as its caster desires.”

nTaking advantage of her monologue, Sylvia drew a cage and locked her in.

n“A nonsensical origin that can roam the entire world at will.”

nClank—

nLouina, banging on the grate and licking her lips, clenched both of her fists. With a twisted, raccoon-like expression, she spat out curses.

n“Fuck! The world is so unfair! This doesn’t make sense! None of this **ing make sense!”

nAshes exploded soon after that. With the bars around her now broken, Louina’s fist connected against Sylvia’s stomach, delivering a blow loaded with speed and weight.

n“Ahh!”

nShe bounced off and hit the wall. At that moment, her chest tightened. Her broken ribs pierced her lungs, and she couldn’t breathe.

n“Humpf. You keep erasing my ashes with various techniques, but it doesn’t matter. You’re going to die anyway.”

nThe difference between them was so great she thought she might die.

nHer pain heated her whole body, and she trembled in fear.

n“…”

nStill, Sylvia didn’t run away.

nHow long she would last remained unknown, but she decided to at least hold out until her mana ran out.

n“… I will not lose.”

nPerseverance being the key to victory was all too familiar to Sylvia, after all, since she lived day to day enduring it.

n•••••••.

nTick—

nTock—

nTick—

n“Calm down and remain on standby, everyone.”

nLucia took on the role of leading the debutantes in the classroom. All 49 of them had already warmed up and were now just waiting for the barrier to be completed.

nTick—

nTock—

nTick—

nThe clock’s second hand ticked amid the silence, their heartbeat echoing with it as their hands trembled like leaves swaying against the winds.

nLucia wiped her sweat from her forehead.

nTick—

nTock—

nTick—

nThe debutantes’ breathing became rough. Those who had fragile psyches looked so serious they almost passed out.

n“Don’t lose your consciousness! If we don’t do it right, just know that we won’t have a nice life in the tower next semester!”

nEveryone was forced to come back to their senses at Lucia’s chirping cry.

nTick—

nTock—

nTick—

nAfter a few more moments, the slowly moving second hand stopped.

nIt was Epherene’s signal.

n“Now!”

nAll of the debutantes, including Lucia, released their mana at the right timing.

nWhoooooong…

nThey condensed all of it into their catalysts: Sylvia’s necklace and Lucia’s bracelet.

nTheir heirlooms received mana from 49 different individuals and delivered all of it to the barrier’s formula.

nBlue magic rushed like a firework.

nWhoooooosh—!

nA light so bright it almost broke their retinas flashed, causing the classroom’s interior to burn up like a supernova.

nTheir mana was consumed in an instant, and the exhausted debutantes fell one by one.

n“Ugh…”

nLucia endured with all her might, imbuing as much mana as she could into the catalysts, but it wasn’t enough.

nThere was a pain in the back of her neck as if it were cut off.

n“Ugh!”

nHer eyes clouded, and her body staggered. Eventually, she fell to the floor. In that state, she stared at the corner of the barrier.

nIts bright light had started fading away like a bonfire that had run out of wood to burn.

n… She knew she shouldn’t leave it like that, but her body wouldn’t listen to her.

nLucia could only blink at it.

n‘I can’t…’

nAs her eyelids were about to close, She saw a familiar figure.

nThe person looked down at her with a cold expression.

nDeculein’s Assistant Professor.

nAllen.

nIn the next instant, their catalysts’ light burned once more, this time more brilliantly than any other light source she had ever seen, as his mana rushed forward, blazing like the sun.

nThe moment its formula was completed, a radiant flash devoured the entirety of their surroundings.

nA barrier had manifested.

n•••••••.

n‘Mom. Why did my cat die? I loved and cherished him as hard as I could, but he still left my side. Why did he betray me when I loved him?’

n‘Life has always been like that. He didn’t betray you, Sylvia. He’s leaving to go to a better place. In that distant country, he’ll be waiting patiently for you.’

n‘You’re lying… How long will you be with me then, mom?’

n‘Um~ I wonder~’

n‘Waaah. Waaaaah. Waaaah.’

n‘Sorry. Don’t cry~’

n‘Wahhh. Waaaaaaaahh.’

n‘I will stay with you as long as you want.’

n‘Oh… Then… Then…’

nSylvia always wallowed in her dreams.

nThe reality she wanted was not in the present but the future, after all.

nThe present was just a stepping stone for it.

nShe stayed up night after night reading magic books, even sacrificing her time for meals to avoid wasting even a second, or went to the floating island every week to find information…

nShe didn’t do those simply because she wanted to.

nShe didn’t do it because it was fun.

nHer mother left her side at an early age to go to the land of rainbows, where her cat waited.

nFrom the time her mother, the one who painted her life, disappeared, until now that she had become a wizard at the Imperial University Tower, the world had lacked color.

nIt looked thick and opaque, like a crushed oil painting.

nFor her, the present was a place she didn’t want to stay for long.

nSylvia often turned her clock’s hands with her eyes tightly closed, hoping that once she opened them, she would be in the distant future where she’d be more mature and blunt, but above all, where her memories would hurt less.

n‘When I become an archmage and ascend to the skies, my mother will be able to see me. I’ll make her proud of me.’

nFor her, the present was… just a preparation period to make their picnic in the distant future more enjoyable.

nWhooooosh…

nA lonely wind blew. The air currents that rushed into the sealed Imperial University Tower made Sylvia realize that the barrier had been activated.

n“Gosh! Those guys did something useless.”

nHowever, she had run out of mana, and Louina was still standing opposite of her.

nSylvia placed her hand around her collarbone. The keepsake from her mother, who had always embraced her, wasn’t there.

n“Die.”

nLouina released ashes.

n“…”

nWith no mana left to defend herself, Sylvia could only close her eyes in a hurry.

nThe rushing ashes stopped right in front of her, but she didn’t see it happen.

nShe just stumbled and fell.

nThud—

nSomething supported her before she could reach the floor, however. It felt as sturdy as a wall.

nSylvia opened her eyes lightly, and though his face wasn’t visible, he found his broad chest keeping her up.

n“… Sylvia.”

nHis voice alone was enough for Sylvia to determine who he was. She tilted her head up slightly.

nHis eyes were looking at her.

n“Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall.” He said, displaying what looked like a faint smile.

nSylvia wanted to say something to him, but her lips refused to move. She couldn’t even wiggle her fingertips.

nMana exhaustion had set in.

n“You always repay my faith. I will now take over this responsibility as your professor.”

nSylvia leaned her entire weight against him. Smiling faintly, she closed her eyes and fell asleep clutching his collar.

n“You can rest now.”

n