Chapter 182
Chapter 182
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: The Trap is Sprung
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Dean Arjen...! That 'Neumel' bastard is at it again!"
Though they had formally renounced the Neumel name, their bloodline remained, and Darian grumbled about Arjen as he crumpled the document, immediately grabbing his staff and teleporting to the Alchemy Department building.
Appearing safely on the rooftop and landing, he stormed into Dean Arjen's office in a single stride and confronted him.
"Dean Arjen! What is the meaning of this sudden news? Explain yourself!"
"Oh, if it isn't our King Darian? To what do we owe the pleasure?"
"The pleasure? It's because of this absurd news that just came in! What in the world is this supposed to mean?"
"Ah, that. It means exactly what it says. Magical tools, magicite, medicinal supplies... we are short on everything and cannot send the quantities you requested. Moreover, it's not just the Daina family requesting magical tools, magicite, and medicines, is it?"
"Didn't you say you'd manage to meet the demands just the other day?"
"At that time... we could have managed. But due to the recent chaos and internal political strife in the Dark Arts Department, the materials that were supposed to arrive have been diverted and aren't coming in as scheduled. As is often the case with such matters, it's usually the royal family that steps in to resolve these issues."
Frowning at Arjen's brazen lie, Darian scratched his head in frustration.
Truth be told, this 'City of Truth' operated more like a collection of autonomous departments than a cohesive state. Administrative power was minimal, focused only on not hindering research, leaving most matters to the discretion of each faculty.
So, incidents between departments were commonplace, and it had become routine for the Daina royal family to step in and resolve them.
"So, once the Dark Arts Department issue is resolved, things should return to normal... but the disruption is already significant, and we'll need ample time to recover... hence the notification that it will be delayed beyond the original schedule."
"Hmm... I see. But on our end, any delay is problematic."
"However, asking us to do the physically impossible... what can we do without the materials? Are you familiar with the law of equivalent exchange? You need something to create change; creating something from nothing is the domain of the gods. By the way, what research is the Daina royal family conducting that requires such urgency?"
"That is... an area you shouldn't inquire about. Besides, there's a colleague working over there."
Darian indicated that he couldn't say more, especially with a young man in the office who was busy organizing documents and books.
"It may be a forbidden area, but your urgency naturally sparks curiosity, and also... I may not need the details, but I need a general idea of the research to explain the increased demand to the other professors and negotiate for increased production."
Normally, inquiring about another department or research institute's magical research was indeed taboo. However, the Daina family's current demands were so forceful that Dean Arjen felt compelled to ask for understanding of his own position.
p>"Hmm... I can't tell you. Hah... Well then, restore normal operations as quickly as possible and prioritize our requirements. I'll handle the complaints from other parties. So, prioritize us, understood?"
"Yes, we will do so. Ah, since you're here, please prioritize the list of urgently needed magical tools. If we produce and send them in order of priority, it will make your work easier."
"Hmm... Very well. There are items we need first......"
And so, Darian Daina selected the most urgent tasks and the order of magical tools from the order list and handed it over to Dean Arjen.
He then sighed, worrying about how to explain the delay to Dalken Daina, and left the office. Gripping his staff, he used magic once more to depart and return to his mansion.
"It went exactly as you predicted."
"Indeed. I didn't expect it to be this easy. Then again, it shows how busy they are with their research."
Once they sensed he had completely left, the young man who had been organizing nearby took off his glasses and revealed himself.
It was Beonald. Everything, from informing Arjen about the schedule delay to having him prioritize the most critical items, was part of his plan.
"Let's see, hmm... As expected, the prioritized items are mostly related to magicite and drawing in magical power. This extraordinary volume of mana. It's enough to blow up this entire City of Truth and then some. Even without looking further, it's clear the Daina family is preparing a new magic."
"Moreover, there's a 'ley line' beneath the Daina family mansion... It is strange they'd request this much quantity."
"Well, if you consider it's magic targeting this entire 'world' we live in, even this might be insufficient. By the way, the person who came earlier was that......"
"Darian Daina. The current king of the Daina Kingdom and head of the Daina family. He naturally holds a 1st-class mage qualification and could even be called an Archmage, but as the king of the Daina Kingdom, he's often referred to as the Mage King."
"His build and muscles... he wouldn't look out of place as a knight. Well, it shouldn't be a problem. Anyway, if we tamper with these prioritized magical tools, that should do it. Please take me to the preparation area. We need to secretly inscribe a formula to figure out the location of the ritual."
Beonald stood up and proposed the next step, but Arjen made a flustered expression and objected.
"If we tamper clumsily, we'll be caught. Even if not to our level, both that Darian and Lord Dalken Daina possess considerable wisdom regarding magic and formulas... You think you can fool them?"
"Yes. It can be done."
"I don't know what gives you such confidence, but if it's not something you can't disclose, can you explain?"
Where was this? It was the 'City of Truth' of the Daina Kingdom, the center of continental magic.
The sole place that rebuilt the pillar of 'magical academia' once devastated by the civil war in the Magic Tower. Dalken Daina is a legend of magic who held the title of Archmage even in the Magic Tower's heyday.
To dare think of deceiving such a person with magic was absurd to Arjen, who demanded an explanation from Beonald. Beonald answered calmly.
"That old man is still human after all. Archmage or whatever, outside his own field, there's much he doesn't know. And necromancy... he studied it intensively to overcome death, but his original specialty is 'Astral Magic'. Regarding other magics... he only learned as much as necessary. For instance, Dean Arjen, how much do you know about necromancy?"
"Hmm, not in detail, but......"
"Yes, exactly that. You think you know, but you don't. No, of course he'd recognize the formula itself if it's an application of his Astral Magic... but understanding all the sub-formulas that make it work and its entire structure is impossible."
"Hmmmm......"
Beonald himself had penetrated the depths of alchemy and formula engraving, but conversely, he found the 'New Magic' research theory he had stolen so arcane that he couldn't properly grasp the details.
People from previous eras were often overvalued due to strange modifiers like their honor, seniority, and status as legends of the Magic Tower. Beonald, being a figure from a similar era as Dalken Daina, a genius considered his equal, and knowing him well, could judge him objectively like this.
"Anyway, I have a plan, so please trust me. And if I fail, point to me as the culprit and have me arrested. I'm the one who killed Lirikel of the Dark Arts Department anyway, so you can just report me."
"Fine, I'll do that. But if you fail, I'll kill you with my own hands, so be prepared."
"Yes. I should be prepared to that extent to make my bragging worthwhile. Hahaha. Now, please take me to where the magical tools are."
'Seeing how confident he is even after such a threat... it seems he has a surefire method.'
He had threatened him partly out of concern for the life of a distant relative, but Beonald's completely unfazed demeanor was peculiar.
Anyway, going along with his plan was the only way to protect their ancestor's honor, so to cooperate, he led Beonald to the workshops where the Alchemy Department's mages and alchemists worked and immediately entrusted him with one of the magical tools under construction.
"It's called a magical tool, but actually... it's a simple item that processes magicite, places it in a casing to prevent internal mana from leaking externally. The next one is a plate for connecting formulas... to ensure the connecting formulas don't conflict with the previous ones......"
'They're not that difficult.'
Beonald didn't need to listen to Dean Arjen's explanation; the roles of the magical tools before his eyes and how to make them flowed into his mind effortlessly.
The theory behind all this magical tool creation and formula engraving. Ultimately, tracing it all back, its very origin lay with Beonald.
p>The original 'Neumel Family' was famous only for snake-like schemes and being utterly ruthless, with almost no other merits. What turned it into a prestigious magical lineage, a family of alchemists, was solely due to Beonald's pure talent and skill.
'Now, then, it's been a while since I've given it my all.'
There were three tasks. First, to enable tracking of where these tools would be installed. Second, to manipulate these formulas so they could be detonated at any moment if necessary. Third and finally, to ensure the above two modifications remained undetected by Dalken Daina or any other mage.
'It's been a while since my competitive spirit has burned this brightly.'
Opportunities to properly display his skills had been rare lately, and there hadn't been a worthy opponent to make it feel rewarding. Beonald, feeling exhilarated, loosened up his hands and prepared to begin the magical tool engraving in earnest.
Thinking about screwing over that damn old man Dalken Daina after 500 years put him in a good mood, and he prepared a gift for him, putting his full effort into formula engraving for the first time in ages.
And several days passed.
The completed magical tools, finished quickly by the efficient Beonald, were first delivered to the Daina family. Waiting to see if the tampering would be discovered by the Daina family or not, Dean Arjen and Beonald entered a brief period of anticipation.
"Hmmmm......"
"See? It wasn't detected."
"What method did you use? No, did you actually engrave a formula? You didn't do something else, did you?"
"Hahaha, that's a secret. Anyway, the results will speak for themselves."
Beonald brushed off Arjen's questions with a boastful tone.
Having deceived him into thinking he was a Neumel descendant only there to preserve 'sword styles', he evaded questions about 'formula engraving' to hide his methods.
Part of him wanted to reveal he was 'Beonald von Neumel', but proving it would be a hassle, and this descendant's current attitude was amusing, so he let it slide.
"Anyway, you've stationed people and are keeping watch... if any signs appear, they'll come out. What we need to do now is figure out the Daina mansion's layout and plan our method of entry."
p>"There's no map, but I've been there often, so I can sketch a rough outline. However, there are certainly barriers to guard against external intruders, and around the laboratory... there will be guardians or defensive personnel stationed."
The Daina mansion formally served as the palace of the Daina Kingdom, so there would be numerous personnel and facilities to protect King Darian and the Daina family's secrets.
Beonald, of course, knew such things existed, but he smiled leisurely as if they weren't a problem.
"Well, I suppose so."
"To breach that, you'd need considerable martial power and thorough preparation against magic... Are you prepared? Especially if they've joined hands with the Necromancy and Dark Arts Departments, the defenses will......"
"Hmm... Explaining the plan would be too lengthy. To put it simply......"
Kwaaaaaaaaah!
At that moment, a massive blue light erupted outside, illuminating even the interior of the office.
Startled, Dean Arjen opened the window and looked outside. There, a gigantic pillar of blue light shot into the sky, releasing such an immense amount of mana that the entire 'City of Truth' turned blue.
Seeing it, Beonald smiled.
"The trap has been sprung."
"Was that intended?"
"Yes. Normally, accidents up to a certain level are quietly covered up in the name of research freedom, but when the scale becomes this massive, every faculty will be forced to take notice, won't they?"
Having been an executive of the Magic Tower, Beonald knew that this 'City of Truth' was ultimately a gathering of mages, and he used their nature to his advantage.
No matter how free research was, it was only within the bounds of not harming others' research. Causing an accident of this magnitude would draw the attention of every other faculty, and they would swarm the Daina mansion.
"Now, shall we go as well? There won't be a better opportunity for infiltration than now. As the Alchemy Dean, you have to go to protest or check on the magical tools, which will get me inside the mansion."
Saying so, Beonald rose from his seat, gathered his bag and armaments, prepared for the infiltration in earnest, and headed for the Daina family mansion disguised as Dean Arjen's assistant.