Chapter 98
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: An Unwelcome Revelation
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“He's waiting for you upstairs.”
A teahouse owned by the Golden Turtle Merchant Guild.
The lights were off, as if closed for business, but the door was unlocked.
As she entered, an attendant, who seemed to have been waiting, guided Rosalia inside.
“Quite the setup you have here.”
Rosalia scoffed at the magical engravings on the door and walls, opening the door without knocking.
“You've arrived?”
Pernyan was waiting inside. But he wasn't alone.
“Your invitation was rather coarse, I must say.”
“I had to be a bit forceful, as you're not one to be moved by gentle requests. My apologies.”
“Why have you summoned me?”
“Please, have a seat first.”
“I would have you know that my mere presence here is already a significant concession.”
“You must sit. Do you think that letter was a mere invitation?”
Pernyan didn't back down an inch. He tapped his fingers on the table, meeting Rosalia's cold gaze without flinching.
“My research is on the verge of a breakthrough. You intend to pull out now?”
“If necessary, yes.”
“After more than five years of massive investment, you'd just throw that money away? You, of all people?”
“If a loss greater than that five-year investment were to occur, wouldn't it be the only logical choice?”
At Pernyan's mention of loss, Rosalia's eyes wavered slightly.
“When I was young, my father gave me a gift. It was a small golem made of steel.”
“That must have been nice.”
“It was. At the time, I was just beginning to take an interest in magic.”
I was so fascinated by the power, principles, and formulas that made the golem move that I even slept with it in my arms.
“But one day, my younger brother saw it and threw a tantrum, demanding I give it to him.”
“Did you give it to him?”
“I did not. What's mine is mine, and what's his is his.”
It was a bit different from Pernyan's philosophy—what's my money is my money, and other people's money should also be my money—but he listened quietly as Rosalia continued.
“My father gifted my brother an identical golem, but he stubbornly insisted he wanted *mine*.”
“So what happened?”
“What do you think happened?”
Pernyan pretended to ponder for a moment.
“You gave it to him.”
“It was taken from me. That must have been when I first vaguely realized it.”
Rosalia's voice, as she gazed into the air recalling the past, was tinged with a faint sigh.
“Now I know that what my brother wanted wasn't the golem, but the attention I gave it. But that's not important.”
“The lesson I'm supposed to take from this is that you despise having things given and then taken away.”
“You've grasped the core of it.”
Rosalia sat down.
“You will have to convince me.”
“Yes, I will.”
Pernyan nodded.
“…What is this? Why is the professor…?”
“I'm not sure either, Hyeongnim. Should we leave?”
“No, stay seated. I called you both here because you are needed.”
“Aint and Jace? What a strange combination. Where's the tea?”
“Right away.”
Soon, the attendant brought in four cups of tea, coffee, and some refreshments.
“You may smoke as well.”
“Thanks to someone, I'm wide awake. No need for that.”
Pernyan set down his coffee and began to speak.
“The reason I insisted on calling you here, Professor, is because I had no other choice.”
“State your exact reason.”
“Before that, Jace. Take it out.”
“Uh, Hyeongnim? Is this right?”
Jace was flustered, but Pernyan was firm. He eventually took out a translucent crystal orb.
“This is?”
“Do you recognize it?”
“Was this all? That I am a Vile Breed?”
“I believe not.”
Pernyan knew Rosalia well. Her family, her past, the kind of person she was.
It was the first investment he made after creating the Golden Pillar. It would be a lie to say he hadn't thoroughly vetted his investment partner.
Rosalia Vienderk was like a noble crane. She would rather die than sell her soul to some demon.
Nevertheless, he suggested the test because it was better to be certain.
The woman he knew would never do such a thing, but there were no absolutes in the world.
A single speck of a flaw, a tiny mistake, could lead a massive enterprise to failure.
“And yet?”
“I've found a clue. I trust you, Professor, and I'm proposing this because I wish to continue trusting you.”
“The problem isn't with me, but with my laboratory?”
“Yes.”
“That is the same as saying the problem is with me. It implies I can't even manage my own laboratory properly.”
Despite her sharp, almost scathing words, Pernyan affirmed without hesitation.
Even though he had openly stated her abilities were lacking, Professor Rosalia didn't so much as twitch an eyebrow.
“Is it one of the assistants?”
“I wish it were that simple.”
But even she couldn't maintain her composure at these words.
“I conduct my experiments and examine the results every single day.”
“I, too, hope there is no problem.”
Her question was Pernyan's question as well.
Rosalia was an exceptional mage. Her skills were second to none within the academy, no, anywhere on the continent.
Was it truly possible for a Vile Breed to hide in plain sight, deceiving her eyes and using her research as a medium for demonic summoning?
It was unbelievable, but it had happened. At least, within the Book of Prophecy. And the Book of Prophecy had never once been wrong about such matters.
Especially when it came to matters that held his life in the balance.
“You will have to take responsibility for your words.”
“I will.”
“I couldn't find it.”
“That is why Aint Armian is here.”
Aint, with a blank expression, asked back, "Me?"
“Aint Armian can find it?”
“The power the Armians possess is more fatal to demons than you can imagine, Professor.”
“And if he fails to find it?”
“Then I will admit my mistake and double the research funding.”
Rosalia reached for the crystal orb. She immediately infused it with mana, but the transparent crystal did not turn gray.
“You don't have a trace of demonic energy. At least, not according to the artifact made by the church.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
He wanted to use Aint and Gardner for a more thorough check, but peering into a mage's inner self without permission was crossing a major line.
“The proof?”
“Please ensure the laboratory is empty as soon as possible.”
Rosalia set down her empty cup and left the private room.
She didn't answer, but Pernyan knew it was a silent affirmation.
“Hyeongnim! Did I hear that right? Is there really a Vile Breed among Professor Rosalia's lab members?”
“That can't be, Sunbaenim, right?”
“It's true.”
“My goodness...”
“Weren't all the Vile Breeds in the academy caught after that incident?”
“That incident? Ah, you mean when the Vile Breeds attacked you and the others, Sunbaenim.”
Jace quickly grasped the situation.
“What exactly is going on?”
“There is a Vile Breed in the laboratory, and that Vile Breed dared to tamper with the research I invested in.”
“That's one bold bastard. Daring to mess with your money, Hyeongnim... Then again, I guess that's what makes them a Vile Breed.”
“Wait a minute. Isn't that research project for the Continental Academic Conference, Sunbaenim?”
It wasn't much of a secret in the academy that Professor Rosalia was conducting research with the goal of presenting it at the conference.
“If what you're saying is true, Sunbaenim, and this had blown up at the conference...?”
“It's a huge relief we found it before then. The problem is, we don't know exactly what's wrong. As you both saw, even Professor Rosalia was completely unaware of anything amiss.”
“I don't understand.”
“What is it?”
“The professor, who lives and breathes her research, didn't notice, but you did, Hyeongnim? Did Duke Dureo perhaps advise you...?”
“I cannot say.”
It was more accurate to say he *couldn't* explain. It was easier than telling a lie to the church's Saint that would eventually be exposed.
“Well, I understand. You're not one to lie about money, Hyeongnim. So, what should I do?”
“We will do to everyone involved with the lab what we just did to Professor Rosalia.”
“Then what about me?”
“This is a scheme that even Professor Rosalia couldn't detect. Aint Armian, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have made an issue of this.”
At the very least, he wouldn't have chosen such a direct confrontation.
There was nothing more foolish than raising an issue one couldn't prove; it was like shooting oneself in the foot.
“…So you're saying I have to find the traces of demonic energy that even the professor couldn't find?”
Aint stammered, asking again.
‘Is it possible?’
- If demonic energy is involved in the slightest, it is by no means impossible.
Fortunately, the answer was yes.
***
“……”
When she first received the letter, and when the church's artifact was placed before her, Rosalia Vienderk was furious.
But after returning to her office and exhaling a puff of smoke, she became as calm as ever.
Just as Pernyan had known her for a long time, the reverse was also true.
Is Pernyan the type of man to talk nonsense about money?
No.
Would Pernyan try to pull out of a heavily invested research project for no reason?
No.
Would Pernyan make baseless claims about Vile Breeds?
No.
Would Pernyan summon her and one of his key connections, Jace Baintz, just to spout nonsense?
That is also a no.
Pernyan...
All of it was no.
And so, she reached a conclusion.
She extinguished her shortened cigarette and entered the laboratory.
“You're here, Professor?”
“Are you finished with your work?”
Rosalia gave a cursory nod and took her seat at her desk.
A spot with a full view of the laboratory.
‘One of them is truly a Vile Breed.’
Her five assistants.
There were others involved, directly or indirectly, but if someone were to tamper with her research directly, it could only be one of these five.
“That will be all for today.”
At her sudden words, everyone stopped what they were doing and their eyes focused on her.
“But we don't have much time, do we?”
“It doesn't matter. We're in the final stages anyway. You haven't slept properly for days, so it's better to take a day to regroup.”
“If you say so...”
“Everyone, go home and come back tomorrow.”
“Yes!”
“Thank you, Professor!”
The assistants disappeared with joyful expressions, glad for the early leave.
“Is something wrong?”
“Nothing at all.”
“You should get some rest too, Professor. You're not just telling us to rest while you work alone again, are you?”
Their eyes met. Aaron gave his usual kind smile.
Two women had been lured into the lab by that face, with one more on the way. She had thought he was a good addition...
“I will rest.”
“Yes, then I'll see you tomorrow morning.”
Aaron Prain.
She hadn't suspected him in the slightest, but after hearing about the Vile Breed, if she had to pick the most suspicious person, it was undoubtedly Aaron.
The most talented person in the lab, aside from Rosalia herself.
The person with the most authority in the lab, aside from Rosalia herself.
‘Was he hiding his true abilities?’
Enough to completely deceive her?
‘Is Pernyan really not lying?’
Honestly, she still found it hard to believe. If it had been anyone but Pernyan, she would have made them pay the price for such an insult.
At least, with her own eyes and her own perception, she couldn't uncover anything.
Would Armian be different, as Pernyan said?
“It will be revealed soon enough.”
A drop of water formed on her fingertip.
*Drip, drip—*
The drops that fell one by one onto her desk didn't soak in, but maintained their shape.
As they gathered, one by one, into the shape of a small bird.
*Crack—*
She whispered softly to the bird, imbuing it with words, and it froze with a pure white chill.
Presently, the ice bird flew out through the window.
Rosalia rose from her seat and approached her research project.
A five-meter diameter sphere of ice. The dense engravings and magic circles etched upon it were the culmination of her research.
When she infused it with mana, the engravings glowed with a gentle chill.
“To say my research is flawed...”
This was not just a simple research project. Her life was on the line.
Hers, and by extension, her family's.
Something that could not, and must not, go wrong.
The ice crystal, and the other sphere.
She examined it, and examined it again.
Time passed, and as the day grew dark.
*Knock, knock—*
Her visitors arrived.
“It's open.”
“It seems you've been checking it continuously.”
The door opened. The very person who had thrown Rosalia into turmoil walked in with a composed expression.
“Yes.”
She caressed the research project. A pleasant chill and mana brushed against her skin.
“I spent hours checking and rechecking.”
And yet.
“I found nothing wrong. Are you truly certain about what you said?”
“We'll see. May we take a look?”
She nodded.
Pernyan, Aint, and Jace examined the intricately interwoven engravings and magic circles.
“I still don't see anything, no matter how I look at it.”
“And?”
“But I never said I would be the one to find it, did I?”
“No, you didn't.”
Everyone's gaze turned to one person. Aint, now the center of attention, gave an awkward laugh.
“Uh... what happens if I can't find it?”
“I become a fool who made an empty promise to the professor. And as a price, I'll have to double her research funding.”
“…Aren't you putting too much faith in me, Sunbaenim?”
“I trust you.”
“But...”
“I said, I trust you.”
Aint was left speechless by Pernyan's firmness. He stood before the massive ice crystal.
- Plunge me into it. Then you will be able to check more thoroughly.
‘Yes.’
Aint gripped the sword-shaped necklace and prepared to plunge it in.
“…Stop! What do you think you're doing!”
In that instant, a cold chill seized Aint's upper body.
His instinctively manifested aura resisted, preventing him from freezing completely, but it was enough to stop his movement.
“I-I was going to stick this in and use it as a medium to get a better look...!”
“The surface is engraved with a highly advanced magical circuit of hundreds, thousands of tangled formulas and mana flows. If it is damaged in the slightest, this becomes useless garbage. And then, I will have you expelled, no matter what it takes.”
I swear it on the Vienderk name.
Aint flinched at Rosalia's snarl.
“…Uh.”
A flustered Aint looked at Pernyan, who gave a small nod, forcing him to stop short of plunging it in and simply touch it to the surface instead.
“…I'll begin.”
Aint closed his eyes.