n

nChapter 93: Second Semester (3)

n“What are you looking for?” Deculein asked in the dark lab.

nQuietly letting go of his shoe, she floundered the floor with her robe sleeves as if swimming.

n“I was cleaning the floor like this…”

n“Do you think I’ll believe that?”

n“…It works, though— I’m sorry.”

nEpherene got up, making excuses while stuttering.

n“I t-thought the door was open, and… y-you had turned off the lights…”

n“Every now and then, I find myself in need of darkness.”

nSnap—!

nDeculein flicked his fingers, turning on the lights in the lab. As the darkness inside went away, Epherene’s jaw dropped in astonishment.

n“Huh…”

nMagic papers filled with formulas and magic circles floated around them.

nIt numbered well over several thousand. Epherene, still lacking in skills, couldn’t even predict what the result of such an enormous set of operations could be.

nSnap—!

nWith another snap of his fingers, all the documents flowed into his briefcase.

n‘Is that briefcase itself also a magical item?’

nShe looked at Deculein in awe.

n“Was that your personal research?”

n“No. I’m preparing a course.”

n“What? A course?”

n“Go.” Deculein left as well, allowing her to walk away without reprimanding, criticizing, or giving her a penalty point.

n‘Shouldn’t he scold me?’

nEpherene, looking at his back, squatted down.

nShe quickly turned over a couple of tiles before leaving the lab.

n“… Huh.”

n“Get in.”

nWith him waiting for her in the elevator, she scratched the back of her neck.

n“S-sorry for making you wait.”

nHe didn’t say anything. Even after she got in, he just pressed the close button silently.

nZeeeing—

nThe elevator went down.

n“…”

n“…”

nShe felt like it lasted for an eternity.

nShe glanced at him, recalling Gindalf’s words about him valuing her, which she thought to be nonsensical back then.

nBut since she heard those remarks, she began to see this professor’s each and every action in a strangely different light.

nHe was still her father’s enemy and a very mean, vicious person who gave her impossible research assignments, but…

n“Professor Deculein.”

nDing—

nThe elevator door opened. When he exited and looked back at her, she shook her head hurriedly.

n“… It’s nothing.”

n“…”

nAfter a brief pause, he took a ticket out of his inner pocket.

n“Take it.”

nEpherene looked at it.

nInvitation to Locralen Society

nLocralen. It was a word even Epherene had never heard of.

n“You’ll go with me.”

nAfter uttering those words, he left, his strides seemingly wide, perhaps because of his long legs. Epherene could only stare at his back with the ticket in her hand as the distance between them widened.

n“… I have no idea why he keeps acting like that.”

nShe sighed.

n*****

nThe next day, early morning at the top floor of the tower.

n“Hmm!”

nThe chairman accepted my lecture plan and the first-class material.

n──Pure Use of Earth and Fire: Manipulation series──

n◆ Overview: This course will provide an in-depth understanding of attributes using the deep utilization of earth and fire elements.

n◆ Rating: Advanced

n◆ Description…

n───────────

n“Its purpose is great, but only the Isle of Wizard’s Wealth can approve of ‘Advanced’ rating or higher! They might even decide to lower it to the intermediate level!”

n“It’s fine.”

nI nodded at the chairman’s words. Classes of “Advanced” level were rare even in the Imperial University Tower.

n“What about the related materials?!”

n“Here.”

nI submitted the documents that would serve as the core of the class, which I had prepared with Understanding. Concentrating on earth and fire attributes and the manipulation series, it would be almost like a thesis.

n“I hope it gets rated the advanced level too! Our tower’s status would rise!”

nBang—!

nThe chairman stamped on the syllabus.

n“Yes.”

n“Then, you can go now! I’m sleepy!”

nShe moved her hand like bracken and spread out a futon on top of her desk.

n“Adrienne II! Come!”

n“Woof! Woof!”

nAdrienne II jumped over the desk. As I left, the chairman fell asleep with the little puppy.

n******

n… Six hours later.

nRumors often spread rapidly on the floating island. However, they were limited only to magical and scientific subjects.

nThey had no interest in common gossip like what happened to the Empire, who was cheating with whom, and the like. That being said, half a day was enough for intel regarding a new magical discovery or a thesis to spread throughout the island.

n“Advanced lecture?”

nLikewise, news of Deculein’s advanced lecture reached Rose Rio swiftly. These were the words of Prince Kreto, whom she met by chance.

n“That’s what I heard.”

n“I wonder what verdict it’ll get. It’s going to be held in a magic tower, not in this place.”

nMagic towers’ lectures usually stopped at the beginner or intermediate level. Of course, their difficulty levels differed since not all of them were the same despite being in the same rating. However, advanced lectures were slightly different.

nAccording to the definition of advanced in the magic world, those rated with it could cause a generation to achieve qualitative development or create new values.

nIn that respect, the Isle of Wizard’s Wealth was extremely strict with its implementation. In fact, for nearly 20 years now, all advanced-level classes and above had been only available on the floating island.

nThe stereotype that academic studies were only done on that island while worldly studies were conducted at magic towers wasn’t created out of pure coincidence.

nIn the first place, even on the Isle of Wizard’s Wealth, there were only a handful of advanced classes.

nVery few high-ranking wizards had both enough knowledge to teach someone and the skills to actually impart such intricate information in an understandable way. Moreover, they only opened classes when they felt like it.

n“I don’t know. Since it’s sir Deculein, he might just get it.”

n“Huh? Why do you refer to him as sir? The Imperial Family shouldn’t respect anyone.”

n“I’m his fan. Hahaha.” Kreto laughed. Looking at him now, she realized his clothes were also quite strange.

n“I just realized you’re dressed like Deculein.”

n“There is no one in the system these days who doesn’t follow Deculein’s fashion.”

n“That aside, it would be amazing if it was judged as advanced. I’m skeptical about that, though.”

nAs Rose Rio ate her spaghetti, she overheard the conversation from the table next to them. They talked about Deculein preparing for an advanced class as well.

n“Can’t you go and take the class? It’s been a while since I graduated, but you’re nominally on a leave of absence.”

n“That’s true, but… If it’s judged as advanced, everyone here will grow anxious anyway. Then we’ll be able to get holographic lectures, lecture transcripts, or whatever. That’s always been the case, hasn’t it?”

nThe Isle of Wizard’s Wealth was the richest in the world, and there were only people crazy about academics up here. Hence, its population’s general stance had always been, ‘If you don’t sell it to us, we’ll take it through other means.’

nSellers could name their price when transacting with this place, but if they refused to negotiate in the first place, they’d be considered the floating island’s enemy.

n“That’s true.”

n“Oh, right. There’s also a conference going on in Locralen. Aren’t you going?”

n“I didn’t even get an invitation. I’ve been a little neglectful of my research these days.”

n“… Hmm. Is that so?”

nRose Rio narrowed her eyes and pulled out a ticket.

n“Do you want one?”

n*****

nTwo weeks before the start of class.

nSolda Epherene was looking into her Ouija board in their club room.

n─From Solda, establishing your series becomes the most important aspect of magic since differences occur in that regard unless the properties involved are very specific. Therefore, the class unconditionally focuses on that aspect…

nIt was the advice of a senior wizard.

n“… Establishing a series is important.”

nEpherene crossed her arms and thought about it.

nThere were eight basic series categories in total:

nSummoning and Spiritual.

nDestruction and Auxiliary.

nManipulation and Ductility.

nHunting and Harmony.

nThe distinctions between them seemed to be made more clearly from Solda.

n─Half of the magic tower wizards choose only one series, which we refer to as series deepening. The other half is divided into those who have plural series, in which they equally learn two or more of them, and those that have a main series and a sub-series, which means they focus on one series more and use the other as support.

nEpherene nodded.

nMost wizards chose no more than two categories.

nOf course, one could pretend to be crazy and try three or more series simultaneously, but in that case, it would be obvious how many classes they’d have to take.

n“… What’s Professor Deculein’s series?”

n“Deculein? I heard he has four: Manipulation, Ductility, Destruction, and Auxiliary.” Julia answered, sitting next to her.

nGlancing at her, Epherene noticed a new expensive-looking artifact necklace around her neck.

nShe heard that the Pig’s Flower was doing great these days, and her buying such a valuable item evidenced that.

nShe felt envious.

n“Doesn’t that mean he’s a four-series wizard?”

n“Yeah.”

n“… Then me too.”

nEpherene decided.

nDestruction, Auxiliary, Manipulation, and Ductility.

nIf Deculein could do it, she could too!

n“What? Have you gone crazy, Ifi? You’ll have to take tons of classes.”

n“Humpf. It’s okay. Do you know what I’m studying these days?”

nProfessor Deculein gave her thirteen high-difficulty books to research.

nIf Epherene couldn’t understand a thesis, she’d have to study its research paper first. If that also proved incomprehensible, she’d have to visit new professors, including Kellogg, for advice.

n“Well… You’re even sleeping in the club room these days, Ifi.”

n“Yeah.”

nPillows, blankets, duvets, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and more. The room was filled with her belongings.

n“Then how will you apply to the classes? If you want to go to four series, you’ll have to take 12 classes about them per semester.”

n“… Ahem.”

nEpherene coughed and looked at the registration list through the Ouija board.

n“… Huh? He’s not teaching Debutantes anymore.”

nDeculein’s lecture caught her eyes.

n──Pure Use of Earth and Fire: Manipulation series──

n◆ Professor: Head Professor Deculein.

n◆ Overview: This course will provide an in-depth understanding of attributes using the deep utilization of earth and fire elements.

n◆ Core Materials: Head Professor Deculein’s personal works.

n◆ Credits: 6 credits, 3 hours every two weeks.

n◆ Registration Procedure: Students will be selected by the aforementioned educator among applicants.

n◆ Lecture Rating: To be announced at a later date.

n───────────

n“Wow. A six-credit course?” Julia laughed in surprise.

nSeeing that paragraph, Epherene also expressed her shock.

n“How can it be worth six credits when it’s only held every two weeks? Is it because he’s the Head Professor?”

n“Right? Don’t take this, Ifi. It’ll be extremely difficult.”

n“… Hmm. If I take this and one more basic lecture worth 1 or 2 credits, I’ll be able to meet my quota for the Manipulation class.”

n“Yeah, but it’s six credits every two weeks. It’ll probably be extremely difficult. If you fail to follow even once, it’ll be hard to recover. There will also be a selection process, so just applying to it won’t be enough.”

n“It’s okay.”

nShe had been overflowing with confidence these days. She had read a total of two advanced magic books recently and was in the middle of the third.

nShe knew literary works and lectures were different, but…

n“I can do it. Whose daughter does he think I am?”

nEpherene clenched her fists and nodded.

n*****

nStudy room, Imperial Palace.

n“I heard the Rohalak Concentration Camp is almost complete,” Sophien uttered.

nI looked down at her, finding it a bit absurd. Having become more comfortable as her lessons progressed, she ended up lying down completely today.

n“… Yes.”

n“The mana stones are also circulating smoothly in the market right now. It’s only natural for those at the top who have been controlling the market through unity to suffer huge losses.”

n“That’s true.”

nShe grinned.

n“Nevertheless, there are quite a few of them that didn’t seem to have been affected at all, most likely because they didn’t spend any money to mine the mana stones.”

nShe drew her finger in the air and continued speaking.

n“That begs the question, however, of how it was possible not to expend anything to do such a task. I’d say the answer is that the Altar members in the underworld mined the mana stones at a low price or for free.”

n“Perhaps.”

n“With just one opening, we were able to filter quite a few high-ranking individuals.”

nShe was still grinning, but her eyes remained serious.

n“Deculein.”

n“Yes?”

n“Here. Take this. It’s a list of those who received money from the Altar.”

nThere were a total of thirteen high-level people in it.

nShe murmured coldly. “I don’t care if you label them a Demon Blood member or a criminal. You can kill them yourself.”

n“As you wish. I’ll have the Imperial Family confiscate all their properties afterward.”

nSophien frowned and tilted her head.

n“It doesn’t matter if you take them all for yourself.”

n“It’s better not to have any wealth that can cause trouble.”

nI had to carefully ensure the concentration of power wouldn’t fall on the Yukline any more than necessary. That left a dissatisfied expression on her, almost as if she suggested it while completely knowing that fact.

n“… Have it your way. Regardless, I’ll be ordering the full-scale Demon Blood subjugation to begin now.”

n“Okay.”

n“You’ll have to catch them as well.”

n“I’ve already completed my investigation. I’ll soon be bringing you good news.”

n“Hmm. Is that so?” Sophien raised her eyebrows at my words.

nThe day I promised Carixel was approaching. After arresting him, I’d take him to Rohalak.

n“Yes. If the operation is successful, I’ll be dropping them in Rohalak to serve as an example. However, before that…”

nLooking at her, I grew silent. Realizing what I meant, she grinned and recited a word.

n───.

n‘רֶטֶט.’ Meaning vibration, it was a rune that made one’s brain cry.

n“Good job.”

nI got up. Sophien, still lying down, looked up at me.

n“… Deculein.”

n“Yes?”

n“You always make me do annoying things… No, you’re the only one that bothers me.”

nHer hair had become disheveled, and her pupils relaxed, symbolizing her lethargy and the boredom she was suffering from at the moment.

n“Deculein.” She called me again.

n“Yes?”

n“Aren’t you afraid of me?”

nThose words carried so much meaning and weight it would be natural for any citizen of the Empire to have their hearts pounding if they were asked that by the Emperor. Nevertheless, I didn’t think about its implications.

nWithout hesitation, I answered.

n“I’m not.”

n“Cheeky… Why?”

n“I don’t know. It’s very strange.” I replied, looking into her eyes.

n“I’m not afraid of anything in this world.”

nThis wasn’t a lie.

nI just hated the phenomenon of death that would come in the distant future, the vague feeling that one day I would lose myself as Kim Woojin, and the possibility that Julie would leave me.

nFeeling the emotion of ‘hate’ before fear perhaps best described and expressed this very Deculein-like ego.

n“I’ll be going.”

nI ended today’s lesson with that.

n“Yeah. Get out of here, you cheeky bastard. Next time you come, bring a Demon Blood with you.”

nSophien laughed.

n*****

n… End of August.

nA road in the eastern part of the continent.

nCarixel solidified his fortitude once more as he moved and hid in the luggage compartment of a wagon. He left his three children to his wife and younger brother. Afterward, he entrusted his duties and position at the Cradle of Trees to Elesol.

nNow, the rest was up to him.

n“… Captain, do you really believe in that professor? It is not too late to back out yet.” Said Dehal, who decided to accompany him to the camp.

nCarixel shook his head.

n“I’ve already decided to trust him. Don’t try to interfere. No, it’s just a simple transaction. Dehal, you didn’t tell anyone about this, did you?”

nIf one wanted to deceive the world, they’d have to deceive their allies first. That was why he didn’t tell anyone about his plan. Not even the Cradle of Trees or his wife and children.

nOtherwise, information would’ve definitely leaked out.

n“Yes. Naturally. Only the two of us…!”

nThud!

nThe carriage stopped.

nCarixel and Dehal swallowed hard.

nTap, tap, tap.

nExactly three footsteps.

nHe wondered if the driver was quarreling with someone.

n────!

nNot long after, the whole carriage was smashed and soared into the sky.

nWhile he remained suspended in the air for a few moments along with the wreckage, Carixel saw a certain individual staring at him from the ground.

nDeculein.

nRumble-!

nCrashing onto the road surface with all kinds of wood chips, Carixel grabbed his back.

n“Do you see this as ordinary luggage?”

n“Ah, that’s…”

n“Professor! L-Look at this bastard’s face!”

nA knight, holding a poster Deculein had given him beforehand, pointed at him with good timing. He even grew his beard and hair to resemble the person in the photo.

n“That’s right! I’m Brolin, an officer of the Demon Blood!”

n“…”

nDeculein twisted his lips into a smile silently, making him admire his contempt-filled performance.

n… Maybe, maybe it wasn’t acting.

n“Yeah. You shouldn’t have told anybody.”

nCarixel jumped up and started a riot at the promised signal out of desperation, but the knights rushed in before he could do anything, crushing him with their bodies.

nMeanwhile, the Professor picked up his bag.

n“Isn’t there anything other than this bag?”

n“There are many mana stones.”

nDeculein ripped off the bag and dropped it on the pavement, causing plain equipment and tableware to litter the ground.

n“Are you trying to sell these off somewhere?”

n“What should we do with these mana stones, Professor? There are quite a few of them…” A knight asked, his voice filled with anticipation.

nThat greed was the reason why Carixel had to prepare the mana stones in the first place. To distract them.

n“That, too, is evidence, but we only need a couple for that purpose, don’t we?” Deculein said, discreetly sliding the mundane items scattered around into a bag with Psychokinesis.

n“Oh, yes! Thank you!”

nThey bowed thoughtlessly.

nCarixel smiled inwardly.

nNow, once the contents of that bag came into the camp, he would be able to feed his family…

n“You scum bastard!”

nAt that moment, a knight struck his forehead with the hilt of his sword, causing him to pass out immediately.

n*****

nThree days later, The Emperor’s Lounge at the Imperial Palace.

n“That cheeky bastard is really good at what I asked him to do… He catches Demon Blood like he’s just buying ice cream.” Sophien grinned as she ate a genuine Heodran marbled ice cream.

n“That’s right. He’s a very talented professor.” Keiron answered, wrapping his right wrist with a bandage.

n“Is that Brolin person going straight to Rohalak?”

n“Yes. He’s guilty of organizing an association, but he has no records of committing other crimes, allowing him to avoid the death penalty. Well, Rohalak would be a far worse fate than a quick and easy death.”

nAs soon as Sophien nodded, She threw away her leftover ice cream and went back to bed.

n“Gosh… I’m even tired of eating these days… How were you injured…? You’re **ing bandaging it…” She mumbled sullenly amid a yawn.

nKeiron shrugged, fiddling with his swollen right hand. “Zeit came to the island. He’s a total monster now.”

n“Did you lose to him?”

n“Is there any knight on this continent who can defeat him? He’s even more powerful than my father right now.”

nAt his words, she grinned.

n“The Emperor’s knight is acting like an asshole… If I study a little harder, I’d probably win against him.”

n“Are you even studying at all?”

n“… Why did Zeit come?”

n“He’s looking for a wedding venue.”

n“…”

nSophien pursed her lips. If that were the case, then it had to be for Deculein and that knight Julie.

n“Is that so?”

nDid that mean he was going to get married?

nHe said he had nothing to fear, so he probably wasn’t afraid of marriage that would forever affect his life.

nIndifferently, Sophien nodded as Keiron observed her reaction, pretending not to.

n