Preparation (1)
“As expected of Professor Deculein!”
The man who appeared to be the highest-ranking among the police officers approached. Dressed in a crisp uniform, he saluted the moment he saw me.
“Ah, I’m Inspector Lopa! Wow~ That stomp you just did was straight out of a photoshoot! Th-this damn murderer! Should I give him a few more kicks?!”
“No. Leave him be.”
“Ah, yes sir!”
The moment the bastard passed out, the trait deactivated.
I scooped up dirt from the road with telekinesis. I lit a fire atop it and blended the two elements. The soft soil instantly took on metallic properties, stretching thin and long.
It was the effect of the Basic Synthesis I had memorized earlier. With it, I bound Rockhark’s wrists and ankles.
The officers’ jaws dropped.
“Ooooh… I’ve seen all sorts of magic, but this elegant manifestation is a first. That wire just danced.”
“Just take him away.”
“Ah, yes! Loyalty! Thank you for your service!”
The inspector pulled a mana shackle from his belt. It was a restraint that suppressed the wearer’s mana to some degree.
“The mana shackle is useless. He nullifies magic anyway, so leave the steel wire as is.”
“What?! Is that so? No wonder he breaks out so easily and doesn’t show up on magic detection radars!”
Wow~ How did you figure that out so simply? No, how did you even beat a guy who nullifies magic?
The inspector kept chattering nonstop.
“I’ll be going.”
“Ah, yes! Hey! What are you all standing around for? Salute the chief professor!”
Loyalty—! Dozens of officers gathered in the middle of the graveyard saluted me.
At that moment, a system message appeared.
Due to Mana Quality Enhancement (Stage 1), the limits of certain traits have been raised.
I knew about this system. It was simply phrased as “trait limits breaking through—”, but more fundamentally, it meant an increase in the ceiling.
In other words, if the engine’s original performance was 100 but had only output up to 50 due to poor fuel quality, now with improved fuel, it could reach 60.
However, since the engine had grown accustomed to the 50-grade fuel for so long, an “awakening process” was necessary—and that had just been the real combat.
Indeed, one real battle outweighed a hundred practices.
“Professor.”
A familiar voice called to me. It was Julie. She seemed to have rushed over, a few strands of hair caught in her mouth as she bowed her head in greeting.
“……You’ve done well. Rest easy today.”
I merely nodded and brushed past her.
As I walked, I looked up at the sky.
A crescent moon peeked through the tangled branches of wild shrubs.
Rustle— rustle—
This path of sadly trampled leaves felt just like the one we walked together.
The overgrown, dark, frightening road leading to the grave.
The day I futilely lost my little sister.
You walked with me, cried with me, and helped bury that child.
That’s why your face, flickering into view whenever I close my eyes, lingers all the more.
I’ll remember you just for today, and forget you from tomorrow on…
Even so.
I didn’t want to kill anyone in a place touched by your traces.
* * *
Late at night, in Sylvia’s mansion located in the capital’s golden neighborhood of ‘Haileshi’
“……So that’s how it happened.”
Gilteon had come straight to the capital upon receiving the report. Sylvia acted as if nothing had happened, but Gilteon wanted to burn Rockhark alive.
“Then, my dear, Deculein saved you, did he?”
Gilteon asked Sylvia in a probing tone. She furrowed her brow.
“You’re testing me.”
“Oh? No, no, dear. Absolutely not. This father’s speech has just gotten stuck with that imperial tone. Haha. Testing? Never.”
“Whatever.”
At the head of a table laden with lavish feasts, Sylvia pouted exaggeratedly, as if sulking.
“Dear, I’m telling you it’s not…”
Seizing that opening to make Gilteon fidget, Sylvia said curtly,
“Then, Dad. I’m going to the Verhert conference too.”
“……”
The Verhert Conference.
For a mage, mere attendance was an honor. Gilteon had been summoned as head of the Ilayde family and could bring one companion and one escort knight each.
“……Ahem.”
Gilteon avoided Sylvia’s gaze. Verhert was far too dangerous a mountain range. He had planned to avoid crossing paths with her until then…
“I’m going.”
“Sigh.”
Gilteon let out a sigh.
Fine. This too was experience, and there wouldn’t be any particular danger.
Traditionally, the twelve families brought their heirs or top disciples as companions to Verhert, and with relations between families not at their worst like fifteen years ago.
If he didn’t take Sylvia this time citing danger, he might be mocked as more than just a doting father—a daughter-obsessed fool.
“……Yes, yes. Who else would be my companion, if not my dear?”
“Oh ho, Lady Sylvia. Then your escort knight is right here~ me~!”
The man sitting at the same table, eating, stood up dramatically. It was Syrio, vice-captain of the Ilayde knight order.
Sylvia’s eyebrow twitched.
“I don’t like Syrio. You’re too noisy.”
“Aw, why? Better than that Jayrun guy, right?”
“Haha, true. Jayrun’s too serious about everything. Even I find him uncomfortable.”
Gilteon chuckled and continued.
“Syrio will stay at the Third Gate of Verhert anyway. He can’t come up to our Fourth Gate.”
“What a shame. You see, Lady, the Fourth Gate prohibits blood relatives from sharing space—individual action is the rule. If you stick too close to Lord Gilteon, with your thick shared blood, it’ll tangle up~”
“I know. Be quiet.”
Syrio’s cheeky tone grated on Sylvia.
Gilteon said while slicing fish,
“By the way, dear. We’re leaving a bit early. Thursday in two days—does that work?”
“Four days early.”
Sylvia narrowed her eyes.
“We got intel.”
“Intel.”
“Yes. Expensive information.”
Likely, among the twelve families, only Gilteon had it now. Normally Deculein would have heard first, but for some reason, he’d cut all ties with the underworld.
Gilteon still wondered why. The man had guarded his safety with near-paranoid vigilance.
Was it confidence in his own skills, or trust in the assistant professor he’d appointed?
“Instead, leave after 6 p.m.”
“Hm. No issue, but why?”
“Wednesday’s a 5-credit class. Need to review the next day.”
Gilteon nodded.
“Deculein’s class, eh. Got it. How is it, dear? Does he teach well?”
“Yes. It’s good.”
“……Good?”
“Yes. Probably hard to enroll next semester.”
Deculein’s lectures were explosively popular on the wizard board.
Even with his poor personality and bomb-level assignments, a tower mage’s duty was to learn.
And he filled that learning faithfully, so next semester would be swamped.
“I see… Ha. So that’s it.”
Gilteon snorted as if miffed.
After that, it was ordinary conversation, ordinary dinner.
“……Nom nom.”
Sylvia chewed thoroughly, thinking of today’s Deculein.
He too had memories of loss.
A past that painful.
She’d thought him just a show-off, a jaesu professor—the tower’s trendy shorthand for an obnoxious prof.
Now she thought differently.
That meteor-like tear kept resurfacing.
* * *
Understanding Elemental Attributes—Week 4 of class.
Arriving at the tower by carriage, I momentarily thought I’d taken a wrong turn.
“Reporters?”
“Yes. Seems like it.”
A crowd of press lined the tower entrance. Glancing out the window, the chairman was at the center.
His animated gestures made me think he was chasing them off at first.
But cracking the window, I heard,
“Chief Professor Deculein has always! Always cherished freshman mages as their chief professor! He’s been tracking the Wizard Killer from way back!”
He was holding a solo press conference, full steam ahead.
“We presume his efforts bore fruit! Ah, yes! Chief Professor Deculein’s combat talent is beyond doubt! Not as good as mine, but! Any more questions?! Ah, how he subdued the Wizard Killer?! I don’t know either!”
I had the driver go around to the back entrance.
“Well done.”
“Thank you!”
Stepping out, I entered the tower and stood before A-Class on the third floor. Straightening my suit jacket, I opened the door. The debutantes’ lively chatter cut off.
I took my place at the podium.
“Greetings.”
The classroom looked as ordinary as ever.
As if last night’s events were a mere dream.
As if this world was my original one.
And those memories mere relics.
“Before starting week four, I’ll announce the top and bottom from last week’s note quiz. Top: Sylvia, 100 points. Bottom: Ifrin, 0 points.”
“Aaaagh!”
A strange groan erupted from somewhere. Ignoring it, I continued.
“Today’s main element for week four is earth. All things related to land, from sand to ores, belong to earth. Mixed with fire, it becomes metal; with water, mud, clay, and so on…”
Starting the lecture immediately, the mages looked disappointed. Probably expecting tales of capturing the Wizard Killer.
As if.
“……Now, before the basics, a warm-up exercise.”
Snap— Allen entered at my finger snap. He clutched a bag; I levitated its contents with telekinesis.
The mages watched wide-eyed. A total of 150 blue stones floated simultaneously.
“Each is worth 3,000 elne in mana stones.”
I held them with my Basic-to-Intermediate Telekinesis.
For reference, half basic, half intermediate makes Basic-to-Intermediate.
“Maintain this state. Interfere with my telekinesis and take one. If you do, it’s yours.”
Mana stones were vital for mages. Essential for research, crafting, catalysts; even held during casting, they boosted output as temporary amplifiers.
A true “mage-exclusive all-rounder.”
Ifrin’s eyes especially gleamed at them.
“Since today’s element is earth, the first topic is Pure Elements and Mana Interference.”
Mana interference.
Disrupting another mage’s implemented magic.
“For casters, blocking interference is as crucial as interfering. Defense has the advantage, of course, but give it a try.”
Truth be told, I was curious too. How much resistance my Basic-to-Intermediate Telekinesis could muster against debutantes.
Telekinesis was the basics of manipulation magic. One of many entrance exam subjects; some mages mastered advanced intuitively without theory books.
Even debutantes likely knew intermediate or higher, so I set my output accordingly strong.
Though specialized in Manipulation and Earth, these were the continent’s top talents—slacking could embarrass me.
“……Begin now.”
I stood still, waiting.
I estimated about three minutes.
I gripped 150 at once; they just needed one each.
“……”
But three minutes passed,
five minutes,
ten minutes,
and still, waiting and waiting,
my telekinesis remained unshaken.
“……”
I just checked the clock. Mana trickled away, but I was still comfortable.
“Hm.”
Were they even trying?
Suspecting so, I activated Naked Eye.
Ziiing— ziiing—
The immense mana from 150 mages filled my vision. All of it probed my telekinesis.
The chaotic flow overwhelmed me; I shut it off immediately.
“Do better.”
Five more minutes passed. Mages groaned like they were constipated, drooling from focus, noses bleeding, eyes bloodshot…
Yet my telekinesis repelled every interference.
Then.
Flutter… A stone in the right third row trembled. A clear shake.
I traced its mana link.
As expected, Sylvia. Having succeeded, she hung her head, panting.
“Sylvia, well done. First place.”
Sylvia nodded without reply, and about three minutes later.
A second stone shook.
“Next, Ifrin.”
Last week’s top and bottom swapped to first and second. The other mages gaped at Ifrin.
“Hoo!”
Face beet-red, Ifrin exhaled deeply and glanced at Sylvia. Bleeding from both nostrils, she grinned confidently; Sylvia ignored her pointedly.
“No one else.”
I was stunned. I hadn’t expected it to be this hard.
No, not just hard.
Mages who’d strained till blood flowed began slamming heads on desks, groaning one by one.
Their faces showed near-exhaustion—serious stuff.
“Stop.”
I was wrong.
Debutantes or not, mages. They knew more spells than me, but couldn’t overcome my all-in on telekinesis.
“Stop. All of you, cease.”
I’d misjudged the difficulty. Admitting the mistake, I released the telekinesis, but the deeply immersed mages zombie-groaned into exhaustion.
“……”
I started to say something, but the classroom was a sight.
Drool and nosebleeds everywhere, a weird stench wafting.
My head spun a bit; I lost composure.
“Pathetic…”
The harsh words slipped out unbidden. The already heavy mood sank further.
Regardless, I didn’t want to stay.
“……Break time. Clean up your own messes.”