Chapter 91: Second Semester (1)
Boom—!
The air vibrated as she fell vertically from the Training Island, her landing causing an impact so violent it created a crater. Nevertheless, she just dusted off her clothes as if nothing happened.
“… This is faster.”
Allen jumped straight out of the ground after free-falling from a height of 3,000m, during which she kept her speed under control.
—Explain why you did it.
She hadn’t even walked a few steps yet when someone talked to her. Allen pressed a finger against her ear.
“What do you mean?”
—I heard the news about yesterday.
“Aha~ That? It was part of the mission.”
—We never gave you such a task.
Allen laughed softly.
As she expected, they didn’t know how to listen properly.
“Yeah~ that’s why I said it’s only a ‘part’ of it.”
—…
The voice remained silent for a moment, allowing Allen to check if her robe was clean. If it were even just a bit dirty, the Professor wouldn’t like it.
… She felt like she got infected by his obsession with cleanliness.
—You don’t need to feel more emotions than necessary for the subject.
“… What?”
That was a bit out of the blue. She tilted her head, seemingly unable to understand, then smiled.
“No way. You know me. I didn’t even know such a possibility existed until you told me.”
—You’re only given a three-month extension, Ellie. Make sure you’ve got everything sorted out by then.
She didn’t reply. Instead, Ellie smiled broadly and hung up.
“Huh? Over there! That’s a supervisor over there—!”
As she did, from the other side of the forest, three panting children came running to her. They had name tags labeled ‘Carlos,’ ‘Leo,’ and ‘Lia’ on their chests.
“Are you a supervisor?” Asked the only female among them.
Ellie shook her head. “No, I’m not~ What test are you taking?”
“Oh, we’re undergoing the adventurer exam— Ah! Run!”
The trio turned around and grabbed Ellie’s hand in surprise, causing her to look where they came from.
Boom—! Bang—! Boom—! Bang—!
A large beast with a physique larger than a bear and antlers that could cut even steel appeared, charging in their direction.
Bearhorn.
“If you’re not a supervisor, you should evacuate immediately—”
“It’s okay. I’ll stay behind.”
“What?”
“Go, please.” She insisted with a smile. Albeit hesitantly, the three children left.
“Grooooooar!” The Bearhorn roared, perhaps growing frustrated and enraged.
“h.e.l.lo. Bye.” Ellie smiled and crossed her hands in the air.
That was all it took.
Riiiiip—!
Its body split in two according to her hand gestures.
As blood spurted from its open wound, she took a step towards its corpse, and the landscape around her immediately changed.
From amid a forest, she now stood in the middle of a village market.
“1 Elne for two fish cakes! 1 Elne!”
“We have lots of medicinal herbs~ Feel free to take a look, everyone~”
“Magic ingredients for sale! Buy from us, go to the floating island, and resell for a profit!”
The merchants’ voices echoed loudly. After careful observation, she deduced she was at Ropon.
“I’ll get to the island in an hour.”
Nodding with satisfaction, she approached the pavement to rest until her [Stride] finished recharging.
“Two fish cakes, please.”
“Sure! Here you go. What kind of magic was that earlier, though? You appeared out of nowhere.”
“Ah~ You have good eyes, but don’t worry about it.”
Ellie could manipulate s.p.a.ce, and that didn’t just mean she could move through it. Rather, she literally controlled s.p.a.ce itself.
Not only could she transfer her own s.p.a.ce anywhere she desired, but she could also do the same for others. Naturally, it cost her enormous amounts of mana.
She often used this talent to separate creatures’ heads and bodies, allowing her to kill them with ease.
If her opponent could resist magic or mana, it would take her a little more power. On the other hand, she could cut through the limbs of those significantly lower in rank than her in the blink of an eye.
“… These fish cakes are delicious!”
“Haha. Eat as much as you want. They’re only an Elne for two. Pretty cheap, right?”
“Yeah~! I’ll buy two more!”
She grabbed two fish cake skewers at the same time.
*****
The roadside of the Isle of Wizard’s Wealth, after the exams.
Epherene followed Sylvia with Mayho.
“Can we really follow her like this?” Mayho asked worriedly.
Scratching the back of her neck, Epherene answered, “We’re not following her. We’re walking together with her.”
“Ah~ is that so~?”
Listening in on their conversation, their words caused Sylvia’s ears to p.r.i.c.k up, seemingly finding it ridiculous. Deciding not to say anything, she soon stopped amid one of the floating island’s residential areas.
Looking up at the sky involuntarily, Epherene felt astonished.
Right above them was yet another residential area.
“W-What is that?!”
While astounded, A wizard looked down at her as he took a newspaper out of a mailbox. Their eyes momentarily met before he went back into his house with a chuckle.
“A s.p.a.ce division spell is used to maximize the floating island’s residential area. You’re stupid for not knowing that.” Sylvia casually unlocked the front door of a building.
The two moved closer to her.
“Is this your house?”
“Yeah.”
Epherene swallowed hard with envy.
‘Oh my gosh, she has a property here in the Isle of Wizard’s Wealth. She really is from another world.’
“Aren’t residences expensive here?”
“Ten million Elnes.”
They gasped.
“What?! A house that size cost you 10 million Elnes?”
“Isn’t that too expensive~?”
Ten million Elnes was a huge amount for a residence, especially considering hers was only about 70m².
“That’s just the way things work around here.”
“Well… You’re Sylvia, after all. So, you’re not going to school anymore?”
“….”
She didn’t answer.
Feeling disappointed for reasons she couldn’t fathom, Epherene pouted.
“You’ll come visit sometimes, right?”
“…”
When she nodded ever so slightly, her eyes widened.
“Huh? Did you just nod your head?”
“Yes.”
Sylvia had been thinking quite a bit about what she should do with Epherene, eventually making up her mind to make her her own ‘person.’
Having a rival was better for her than not anyway.
“I’ll be coming here a lot now as well, so I’ll be sure to visit you then.”
“Me too~ Me too~”
“…”
She found May-ho or Mie-ho, who came out of nowhere, a little annoying, but she nodded nonetheless.
“Well then, Sylvia! See you later!”
“Stay safe~”
The two smiled brightly at her before they closed the front door.
Sylvia looked around her new home, where all her furniture and luggage had already been completely set. It was smaller compared to her mansion, but it was rather cozy.
Moreover, she thought she’d feel lonely if it was too large since she’d be living by herself.
Going into her bedroom first, she found her panda and familiar waiting for her.
“I’m home.”
Having given life to them using mana stones, they both flew towards her, with the panda using its cloak to do so. Sylvia took them in her arms and sat down on the bed.
Tick—tock—
“….”
Tick—tock—
An empty room where only the clock moved.
Bored, she took her art notebook and a pencil from the bedside table, drawing a portrait of a sharp, cold, and handsome man with captivating blue eyes.
Deculein.
*****
Having returned to the Yukline mansion after so long, I immediately immersed myself in training and understanding.
I had a lot to do, including mastering [Intermediate Psychokinesis] before it could drag on any further and practicing to control the [Snowflake Obsidian] to some extent.
[Snowflake Obsidian Understanding: 23.1%]
There was still a long way to go, but fortunately, 20% of it was equivalent to its corners, rendering that part of it manipulatable, at least.
“… Not bad.”
Snowflake Obsidian was metal as mysterious as its reputation.
I aggregated its corners with [Psychokinesis], making it look like a ping-pong ball.
Changing freely, almost as if it had rubber-like attributes, it spread out like a cloth, then cl.u.s.tered up into a ball, lengthened to create a spike…
Its sensitivity to [Psychokinesis] was incomparable to any other metal.
Knock knock—
Already knowing who was waiting outside my room, I held back my smile and opened the door from afar.
“I brought you snacks, Professor.”
Julie. After being unable to find her way during the Altar invasion incident, she deemed herself a sinner. These days, she had taken over my servants’ duties, perhaps to punish herself.
“Please enjoy.”
She put the tray containing food and coffee down on my desk.
I shrugged.
“You don’t have to worry too much, Julie. What could you do, having no sense of direction?”
She bit her lip slightly.
“Is your training going well?”
“I just finished.”
I had stored 80% of the Snowflake Obsidian in my safe and turned the remaining 20% into a ball, hiding it in my inner pocket.
“A new semester is about to begin.”
“Yes. We’ll grow busy soon, you and me both.”
Smiling bitterly, she held out a doc.u.ment.
“What’s this?”
“After a.n.a.lyzing the floating population near the Yukline mansion, we identified a few among them that constantly roam around the area but at irregular times. That’s the list of all the people who exhibited suspicious movements outside the scope of the general public.”
Upon reading it, I found 33 individuals, but honestly, I thought this level of observation was natural.
For the Altar, Imperial Family, eunuchs, and other n.o.ble families, the Yuklines were the most prominent existence they had to keep in check.
“Julie.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
Perhaps surprised by my words, she scratched the back of her neck and turned her eyes to look at the bookshelf, only to find all the neatly arranged books in it were related to medicinal herbs.
Seemingly coming to a realization, a soft smile spread across her lips.
“No. I should be the one thanking you.”
I was currently studying a way to heal Julie. No, I already knew the best method to do that.
However, my greed to be with her was just too strong for me to put it into motion.
“You can go now.”
“Thank you. Have a good rest.”
After bowing once, she went outside.
I was once again alone in this quiet annex.
Taking a sip from the coffee and looking up at the night sky, I watched the stars twinkle in the dark.
At that moment, I came to a realization.
My drink was far too bitter.
“… She made this herself, didn’t she?”
She could’ve just asked another servant to do it. How the h.e.l.l was I supposed to drink this?
Shaking my head, I nevertheless finished it all, leaving not a drop behind.
*****
Beep, beep— Beep, beep—
Through the half-open curtain, the mid-August sunlight poured into room 201 of the Imperial University’s dormitory as an insanely loud alarm within it rang endlessly.
Beep, beep— Beep, beep—
Beep, beep— Beep, beep—
“Ugh… Stop…”
Beep, beep— Beep—
Epherene woke up with a groan.
“Ah….”
Her hangover, caused by too many celebration parties during the past few days, felt like it was crushing her head.
Not only Julia and her club but even people from her hometown came to visit her.
“I’m dying…”
She got up from her bed and stood in front of the sink. Staring at herself in the mirror, she turned on the faucet.
“… Today’s the day.”
Deculein’s a.s.sistant interview.
Beyond her nervousness, Epherene recalled an issue she hadn’t resolved yet.
“The pendant.” She muttered slowly, not having the slightest idea why he considered it precious and why the h.e.l.l he carried her picture with him.
‘Maybe there’s information about my father’s death that even I didn’t know about.’
“If not…”
Epherene looked at herself in the mirror.
“I do deserve to be admired, though.”
Even now, reeking of alcohol, she couldn’t be considered ugly.
If she put some makeup on, she would stand out even more above the rest. Even Julia couldn’t help but praise her glamorous physique.
Her grandparents also said that her beauty alone was like pa.s.sing the civil service exam.
“I hope the Professor doesn’t have a crush on me. Pffft.” She laughed, finding the idea alone crazy, and warmed up the water in the sink.
After that, she took off her pajamas and washed her face using [Fluid Manipulation].
“Ah, the good days are gone now that the next semester is about to start~”
After wearing a loose box t-shirt, baggy pants, a robe, and a backpack, she left the dormitory.
Zing-zing-zing—! Zing-zing-zing—!
The sounds of cicadas in midsummer echoed all around her.
Pa.s.sing through the sunny campus, she arrived at the Imperial University Tower.
“I’m doing this.”
For the first time as a Solda, Epherene got into the elevator and pressed the b.u.t.ton to the 77th floor.
Ding—!
Upon reaching her destination, however, she found it empty despite today being interview day, unlike Professor Louina’s floor, which was extremely crowded.
“Oh! Solda Epherene! You’re here!”
Allen waved at her, remaining seated behind his desk in the hallway while waiting for interviewees.
‘Hehe. Solda Epherene. I’m not a Debutante anymore…’ She smiled as she walked up to him.
“May I come in?”
“Yes! You’re the last.”
“…”
‘Of course, I would be.’
“Ahem.” She coughed, then knocked.
—Come in.
Deculein was already waiting for her by the time she opened the door. As always, he looked proper.
She walked over and sat in front of him.
“Epherene.”
“Yes.”
“You’re applying to be a teaching a.s.sistant?” He asked, his voice as cold as always.
Allen served as both his a.s.sistant professor and his teaching a.s.sistant. Hence, Epherene didn’t need to teach under Deculein’s command.
It might be better for her career to work for him only after living a normal life and going through the ‘Merit Exam.’
“Yes. That’s right.”
But she didn’t want to waste time. She wanted to uncover the truth about the Head Professor and her father as quickly as possible.
However…
“Good. I praise you for your determination. You pa.s.sed.”
When he immediately accepted her application, deciding her fate in an instant, she grew terrified.
“Just like this?”
“I only have two applicants.”
“…”
She didn’t know how he could convey such miserable words using a cold and apathetic tone.
Recalling that hundreds of Soldas went to Louina, Epherene almost laughed, but she swiftly discovered an error in Deculein’s words.
“Huh? Wait, two? That many?”
“…That many?” Deculein frowned.
Epherene quickly shook her head.
“Ah, that came out wrong. I’m just curious who the other one is.”
“Drent.”
“Drent…”
“The one who plagiarized your thesis. I heard he already apologized.”
“He did.”
Epherene received an apology so sincere from him she could barely stop him from getting down on his knees.
But why did he apply under Deculein, the very person who burned his thesis?
“Epherene.” The Head Professor called out to her again.
“Yes.”
“Since you’ll be working as a research a.s.sistant while taking cla.s.ses at the tower, you’ll be given a salary. I left your research a.s.signments before the start of the cla.s.s to Allen. Don’t forget to take them.”
“S-Salary! Yes! Alright!”
“You may go now.”
As she got up, she glanced at Deculein, who was already absorbed in paperwork.
No, he could just be ‘pretending’ to be absorbed when he was actually focusing all his attention on her.
“I’m going then.”
Epherene came out, running away from any possible future discomfort.
As soon as she opened the door, Allen greeted her.
“Solda Epherene. Congratulations on being a teaching a.s.sistant!”
“What? Oh, hahaha. Thank you.”
“Follow me. Let’s go to the lab.”
Smiling, he guided her to the [a.s.sistants’ Lab].
That room on the 77th floor alone was much larger and cleaner than her dorm room.
She could even sleep on its floor right now…
As Epherene looked around in admiration, Allen spoke to her.
“This will be your table.”
Epherene gazed at where he was, finding a luxurious chair and desk, which was to be expected from Deculein. She hung her backpack behind her chair.
“Now, then. I’ll be giving you your research a.s.signment.”
“Yes, please. Thank you.”
Thud—!
A thick but familiar book landed on her desk, causing her to nod firmly.
“[The Origin of Earth Properties]… Its difficulty is quite high, but it’s definitely worth studying.”
“Yes~ That’s right~ Oh, this one too.”
Thud—!
Another book landed in front of her, causing her to feel slightly disconcerted.
“Oh, I didn’t realize there’d be two of them. Isn’t [Rupalen’s Records] a fairly complicated spellbook?”
“You’re not wrong~ Ah! I almost forgot about this one.”
Thud—!
Third book.
“U-Um…”
“Oh, these are part of your a.s.signment as well.”
“W-Wait!”
Thud—! Thud—! Thud—!
Spellbooks began to pile up one after another.
“This too.”
“S-Stop!”
“This too.”
“Please stop! No!”
There weren’t only four, five, or six of them.
[Understanding Flames]
[Sea Exploration Book]
[Overall Property Immersion]
[Harmony of the Four Major Elements]
[The Main Axis of the Four Major Elements]
[Wind Calculations]…
There were 13 books in total.
“…”
“These are all research works! The Professor’s order is for you to learn them completely before the start of the semester!”
Deculein intended to raise Epherene as a user of the four elements for his ‘carbon research.’
Epherene unconsciously replied.
“… Did he go nuts?”
“No! You can’t say such bad words! If you ever use slang, you might lose your teaching a.s.sistant position. Anyway, take this.”
Allen held out a small piece of paper to her.
Already feeling paralyzed, she asked slowly, “What… is this…?”
“Oh. Professor Deculein completely shouldered the cost of the magic books, but some of them have Knowledge Copyrights that haven’t yet expired. As you might already be well aware of, while the books can be paid by someone else, Knowledge Copyrights must be paid by the wizard that’ll use them themselves.”
Simply put, it was a receipt.
The moment she looked at the numbers on it, she staggered.
“…Ah.”
“Even if they look a little expensive now, they are high-end magic books that you can’t buy even if you pay 20 times the original price… Solda Epherene? Huh? Oh no. Aaaaahhh! Epherene—!”
Five seconds later, she fainted.
*****
Hadekain.
“Did he come again?”
Yeriel, a.n.a.lyzing doc.u.ments such as the [Rohalak Concentration Camp]-related logs from the Empire and the [Marik Underground Pa.s.sage]’s financial report, frowned.
“Yes. He said he has something he needs to hand over to you… Since he’s a member of the Imperial Family, I have no power over him to make him leave. Instead, I was left with no choice but to welcome him in and leave him in a room.”
She let out a sigh. Jolang had once again come to their estate uninvited.
“What did he bring with him? Tell him to give it to you and go.”
“You know he doesn’t listen to me.”
“Tsk…”
Knock, knock—
Hearing the sound, her butler glanced at the door and shook his head.
“Open it.”
“Alright.”
When he did, Jolang came into their sights, as they unpleasantly expected.
“h.e.l.lo, Yeriel.”
Smiling shamelessly, he sat down in front of her then gave an order to her butler.
“Leave us.”
“…”
After glancing over at Yeriel, he left silently. The moment he did, the eunuch placed a necklace artifact on her desk.
“Take it.”
“Gosh… You’re audacious. How are you going to handle things later?”
“Look, you will change your mind.”
He sounded strangely confident, which made Yeriel gaze alternatingly between him and the item he brought.
Jolang’s unannounced visit was definitely suspicious.
‘What kind of trick is this rat-looking guy trying to do?’
“Come on. Just take a look at it, and I’ll go away immediately.”
It didn’t matter what it was. He wouldn’t leave unless she did as he asked anyway. Hence, she decided to play along instead, ensuring she wouldn’t fall for any of his deceptive tactics.
“Tsk…”
Clicking her tongue, Yeriel picked up the necklace.