Chapter 224
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 224
I furrowed my brow as I looked at Roen’s diary.
‘The Orb of Life?’
As far as I knew, no artifact called the Orb of Life existed.
The Academy’s 3 Great Divine Artifacts were originally the [Cognitive Acceleration Stone], which slowed the flow of time for everyone but the user; the [Sage's Glasses], which held the soul of the sage Azolte; and finally, the [Aegis Shield], said to be capable of blocking any attack.
‘The Aegis I’m using now is a replica.’
The reason my Aegis broke so often was that it was merely a copy of the genuine article. The replica was sufficient for my needs, so I hadn't gone out of my way to find the real one.
In any case, there was no artifact named the ‘Orb of Life’ among the Academy’s 3 Great Divine Artifacts. Yet, the name was clearly recorded in Roen’s diary.
Furthermore, the diary revealed that the reason he became the Student Council President—a position fraught with nothing but terrible conditions—was specifically to obtain the Academy’s 3 Great Divine Artifacts.
‘One of my long-held questions has been answered.’
Roen hadn’t been coveting a hollow title; he had ascended to the position of Student Council President with a clear, calculated purpose. After all, to find an artifact buried beneath another academy, he would need the various administrative rights granted only to the Student Council President.
However...
‘…The position of Student Council President isn’t strictly necessary for artifact hunting.’
While being the president certainly had its advantages, the position wasn’t essential for the search. As seen with Jerome Academy, one could acquire artifacts by seizing or purchasing academy grounds through a territory war. A more moderate approach would have been to simply purchase the mining or exploration rights to the land.
Was it possible that Roen simply didn’t know about these methods? Or…
‘Is the position of Student Council President absolutely necessary to obtain this Orb of Life?’
“…”
Thinking about it rationally, there was a high probability that Roen was mistaken in the first place. It was possible that, just as my information suggested, the Orb of Life didn’t even exist. His drive to become the Student Council President might have been a largely meaningless obsession.
But.
‘Judging by Roen’s actions, he was clearly running toward a specific goal.’
I gripped the diary that chronicled his life. I didn’t know what drove him, but from a young age, he had known exactly which path he had to walk and had followed it without hesitation.
That was probably when he started being called a scoundrel. Around the time his father, Kaiser Devalis, died and his engagement to Freya was broken, Roen had cast aside his reputation and emotions, charging down a single path.
So, rather than dismissing it as a simple mistake, it was only right to at least confirm the facts.
To search for information, I put on the Sage’s Glasses and summoned the sage’s spiritual entity.
Swoosh—
As mana drained from my body, a faint spiritual form materialized. I asked it a question.
“Search for information on the Orb of Life.”
[Searching…]
[Search complete. A total of 132,892 literary records exist. Results can be sorted by relevance, views, or reliability.]
Over 130,000 results. On second thought, the phrase ‘Orb of Life’ wasn’t a particularly unique combination of words, so such a result was plausible. I decided to narrow the search parameters.
“…Include content related to the Academy’s 3 Great Divine Artifacts.”
[Searching…]
[A total of 0 literary records exist. Would you like to search for records with similar content?]
‘Not a single one?’
Puzzled, I decided to check for similar records as well.
“Search for similar records, too.”
However.
[A total of 0 literary records exist. Would you like to expand the search range further?]
The result was the same.
“…”
I tried various other methods, changing the search range and keywords, but I couldn’t find a single piece of information about an Orb of Life being one of the Academy’s 3 Great Divine Artifacts.
‘This is clearly strange.’
No matter how I tweaked the search, not a single related record appeared. Even if it wasn’t the exact information I was looking for, there should have been some overlap with one or two keywords. At the very least, it should have been mentioned in an encyclopedia.
It was as if someone had systematically erased all related records.
With the situation being what it was, I started to find Roen’s words more and more credible.
‘In any case, I don’t know everything about this world.’
No matter how many times I had cleared Myrillin Saga, there were still many things I didn’t know. Many elements had also changed due to my actions, and my conversations with Director Lee had likely altered even more. As such, I needed to value and collect these irregular pieces of information.
‘I’ll… have to ask the Chairman about this.’
The Chairman was the head of the Union and a grand mage of the current era. He was also the disciple of the Great Sage Azolte Fingard, the owner of the spirit recorded in the Sage’s Glasses. He would be able to give me a clear answer.
Having made up my mind, I took off the Sage’s Glasses and focused on Roen’s diary again.
If I use the Orb of Life well, I should be able to prepare to some extent for the Great Calamity to come.
But besides this, there were no other comments about the Orb of Life, so I turned the page. Roen’s activities continued.
“…”
Just as he had during his studies in the Empire, he continued to cause trouble for other students at the Union. Hitting on female students and touching them, picking fights and brawling with male students, stealing things other students cherished and burning them.
His actions were impossible to view in a positive light. It was understandable why his infamy had spread throughout the Union.
But in the end, Roen’s actions were focused on reading others’ memories to absorb the demonic energy latent within their bodies and resolving the grudges of evil spirits attached to various objects.
In other words, for all his widespread infamy, he had been saving countless people behind the scenes. It made me wonder if Roen’s frail body wasn’t just due to his Severed Yin Meridians, but also because he had absorbed and accumulated far too much demonic energy over the years.
Roen’s diary was a mechanical, dry record of his actions. But I soon stopped at a page whose content was different from the entries before it.
‘This is…’
Unlike the previous entries, this day’s diary was recorded in a single, simple sentence. The stain of a teardrop remained on the page. There was no explanation of the situation, but the page fully conveyed Roen’s feelings.
“…”
With a deep sigh, I silently looked down at Roen’s diary.
‘A path of villainy he chose for himself.’
Roen may have resolved to endure it, but it must have been difficult to ignore the feelings of Ciel, who watched him from the side. This day’s record was a glimpse of the humanity Roen had yet to cast away—his true heart hidden behind the mask.
I turned the tear-stained page and continued to follow Roen’s trail. His villainous acts continued unabated. I cross-referenced Roen’s diary with the contents of the hate mail I had received at the Student Council office, committing each incident to memory.
How much time passed like that? I finally reached the last page of the diary.
The record of Roen’s actions ended there. And at the very end, these words were written:
The system of the world is surprisingly flawed.
Having a good will doesn’t make you a good person, and committing evil acts doesn’t make you an evil one.
What’s important is the observation of these acts.
Deceive the world.
That is the only way for you, and for me, to survive.
*
A dark night.
Valerian Academy dormitory.
As the bluish moonlight streamed through the window, a girl on the bed slowly reached a hand upward. Her fingertips pointed to a constellation twinkling in the sky beyond the window. Watching the starlight filter between her fingers, the girl smiled faintly.
Seeing the future was certainly a curse, but it was also a blessing.
“Ah, how delightful.”
The tale of those who resist fate.
The dark clouds gathering over the continent.
The stars of the era moving to oppose them.
The story of a trivial boy becoming this world’s savior.
It was all unbearably, delightfully amusing.
*
The next day.
I visited the Chairman’s office with Roen’s diary in my possession.
“It’s been a while, Mr. Roen.”
The Chairman greeted me with his usual warm smile. He offered me a seat on the sofa and a cup of tea, then began to speak.
“I’ve heard your academy has been operating with great success recently. How does it feel?”
“It’s going more smoothly than I expected.”
I had anticipated a rocky start, but thanks to the Empire’s full support, everything was proceeding without a hitch. The support staff dispatched by the Imperial Family were veterans in their respective fields. They produced the best results under any circumstances. Even with a student body of commoners who couldn’t read and a faculty of eccentrics, they had the ability to coordinate all the problems and keep the academy running.
Of course, the endlessly flowing well of funds also played a significant part.
“I’m glad to hear the academy is doing well. The donations and contributions to the Union are increasing, too, haha.”
The Chairman let out a hearty laugh. Whatever his reasons, he seemed genuinely pleased with Valerian Academy’s growth.
“This is all thanks to you, Chairman.”
The Chairman had played a part in the academy’s explosive growth. By entrusting me with the speech at the festival, he had announced the opening of Valerian Academy to the entire continent. The Olympiad invitation he gave to Professor Martelzier had made its way to Bell, forging a connection with Grand Duke McDowell. Furthermore, the Magic Tower tour ticket had allowed me to meet Emperor Marcus directly and secure the full support of the Imperial Family.
“Not at all. It’s the result of your hard work, Mr. Roen. I pray that the fruits of your labor ripen well and exert a positive influence in the future.”
After offering a word of blessing, the Chairman changed the subject.
“By the way, how are your romantic endeavors coming along?”
“Well, they’re going alright, I suppose. Though I don’t think my engagement to Freya really counts as a romantic endeavor.”
Our personal feelings aside, we had only renewed the engagement because our family situations and circumstances aligned. I couldn’t be sure since I didn’t know Freya’s exact thoughts… but at least, that’s how it was from my perspective. And even if Freya did have feelings for me, she wasn’t the type to show it.
“Is that so? Well, your romantic endeavors aren’t necessarily limited to Miss Freya… but I won’t pry any further. You have a right to your privacy, Mr. Roen.”
The Chairman gave me a wink.
“…”
What was this old man talking about?
After chatting with the Chairman for a while longer, I decided to subtly steer the conversation to the main topic. It was about the Academy’s 3 Great Divine Artifacts I had read about in Roen’s diary.
With a serious resolve, I parted my lips.
“There is something I must ask you, Chairman.”
“Hoho, feel free to ask anything. Whether I answer is another matter, of course.”
With the Chairman’s permission, I asked him my question directly.
“Do you know of an artifact called the Orb of Life?”