Chapter 74
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Memories Become Thorns (2)
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A bit later.
"Then... I'll connect it."
In the open square in front of the Immigration Control Office, the attendant activated the crystal orb.
- Wooong.
Magic Society.
It was a national institution established for the wizards who had settled in the Crossroad Kingdom.
Wizards were quite rare talents, so the kingdom had chosen a strategy of holding onto them as long as possible while having them take on disciples to increase their numbers.
In truth, the border and the Magic Society had little overlap.
At most, it was just seeking consultations or requesting institutional approval for the passage of unauthorized items.
From the start, those holed up and immersed in their own research and magic had no reason to cross paths with the border, which had to face the entire world.
Until now, their exchanges had been limited to a few written messages.
'The president... I wonder what kind of person she is.'
A person who had risen to a position worthy of being called a sage.
In other words, the kingdom's greatest wizard.
With a touch of anticipation, I peered into the crystal orb.
Slowly, light filtered in, revealing the figure of a woman.
A woman lounging in the sunlight, legs propped up on the desk, witch's hat pulled over her face.
"..."
The completely unexpected sight left me momentarily silent.
"Uh... President of the Magic Society. Hello."
- Groooan... who is it...
Her voice was already drowsy, even though it was only late afternoon.
Her long gray hair stuck out messily in all directions, and the disorganized desk was cluttered with all sorts of strange tools.
I checked the nameplate at the front of the desk.
[Royal Magic Society President Daika Ren. 1447th intake.]
'She is the president, at least...'
I was flustered.
Even if wizards were known for being eccentric, this seemed far too lacking in decorum.
I cleared my throat and spoke first.
"I am Nathan Kell, Central Officer and overall head of the Southern Border."
- Yeah, hi.
A limp hand waved feebly.
A voice utterly devoid of interest.
"I contacted you to request your cooperation."
- I'm a bit busy right now... come back later. Or just send it in writing.
Who calls sleeping "busy"?
Wizards pay almost no attention to anything outside their fields of interest.
No wonder they say wizards only know how to breathe, eat, and do magic research.
'No wonder they're called oddballs.'
But there was one way to handle people like this.
"We confiscated unauthorized artifacts, and we need advice on them."
Bait.
A technique straight out of a merchant's playbook.
Present exactly what the other side wants.
Pinpoint that wizards lose their minds over magic tools.
The effect was immediate.
- What!? Unauthorized artifacts?!?!
She flung her hat aside and bolted upright, smashing her face into the crystal orb.
Her refined features were mercilessly squished against the transparent glass sphere.
"Ouch."
- Where, where are they!? Where are my babies!?
Her orange eyes gleamed fiercely as they darted everywhere.
When did confiscated goods turn into "babies"?
I subtly turned the crystal orb to the side.
There sat the boxes neatly arranged, seized from the smugglers.
"We have one box right here."
- Oh my!!!
A frivolous cheer erupted.
At that sight, the Olfactory Officer and I turned to the Auditory Officer with bewildered looks.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"...Are wizards normally like that?"
The feeling was more absurd than disappointing.
The Auditory Officer, a former Magic Society member, shrugged her shoulders.
"It's normal~."
Well, considering you drink on duty...
Sadly, it made sense.
Daika straightened her conical hat and stood from her seat.
- Wait right there. I'm coming right now.
Huh.
Coming here?
That would mean waiting a full day at least?
I hurriedly spoke up.
"N-no, that's not it. I just need you to handle a few requests—"
But it was already too late.
She grabbed a broom scattered on the floor and touched the wall while muttering.
"Halley Iba Pasaway. (Folding space to pave the way.)"
⟨ Spatial Fold ⟩
- Wooong.
Beyond the crystal orb, a glowing portal appeared on the wall.
- Wooong.
Immediately after, accompanied by a surge of blue mana light, an identical portal materialized on one side of the wall where I stood.
"!!!"
"This madwoman!"
The Olfactory Officer and I stared in shock.
Spatial transfer. Commonly known as teleportation magic.
The most difficult magic to cast unfolded right before our eyes.
- Shwoop.
A hand poked out from the portal. And soon after,
"Where are my artifacts, young man!?"
The wildly excited witch Daika Ren emerged from within.
"My god..."
Even transferring objects required months of time and condensed mana.
Transferring a person was several times more arduous.
Yet the president had cast it right on the spot.
That was why the Magic Society devoured the largest budget in our kingdom.
It produced the most tangible results of any institution.
"Where are my babies!?"
And it was also the most unhinged.
"There they are!"
Orange eyes fiercer than a werewolf's locked onto their prey.
No chance to stop her, she bolted toward the boxes.
"W-wait, please hold on just a moment!"
The Olfactory Officer and I spread our arms wide, barely blocking her path between her and the boxes.
"Young man, move aside! Let me see my babies' faces!"
Even her form of address was casual.
Struggling not to get swept up in her aura, I replied.
"We can't just hand them over. There are procedures!"
Items seized during inspection had disposals that varied by risk level.
If the risk was negligible or low, they were returned upon payment or if the violator abandoned passage.
Bombs, weapons, or artifacts were confiscated and destroyed.
Having the state possess smuggled goods created its own issues, so officially, destruction was correct.
But "unofficial processing" left no records.
That was what I needed to negotiate for.
"Hold on... young man, didn't you say you were the Central Officer earlier?"
"Y-yes. That's right."
But this president ignored my intentions entirely and steered the conversation her way.
She stared at me intently for a moment, then clapped her hands.
"Ah-! You're that guy! The one who tried to block the carriage exit I entrusted to my cute disciple!"
I recalled a little girl in a witch hat pulling a carriage alone a few days back.
"Setting magic strong enough to fry someone on a mere brush is a regulation violation."
"It was for safety! And it's safety magic, so it's fine. Anyway, move. I'll just look for now."
"N-no, wait...!"
Chaotic.
The topic bounced everywhere, with no breathing room as she relentlessly pushed her points.
'I can't stop getting pulled into her vibe...!'
Her utterly arbitrary, selfish, and dominant demeanor dragged you along.
Then, our savior arrived.
"Hellooo, junior~?"
"Huh?"
The president whipped around, sensitive to the word "junior."
The Auditory Officer waved with her signature smile.
"An elf at the border? This is pretty far from the Great Forest region."
The Auditory Officer's movements froze solid.
"...Informal speech?"
Her smile slowly faded.
"I overheard back then, that you junior—"
"...Why am I your junior? Ah, are you from the Magic Society?"
She tilted her head.
"Strange. No elves among my disciples. What intake are you?"
"...Kids these days have no manners."
The Auditory Officer's expression grew increasingly grave.
"Normally, don't you state your own intake first when asking someone else's~?"
"Oh ho, asking the president—me—my intake. That's a new one."
Curiosity flickered in Daika's eyes at the exchange.
She gripped her broom in one hand and tipped her hat slightly as she spoke.
"I'm Daika Ren, from the storied 1447th intake. The highest intake in the society and its president. Care to show some manners now?"
A confident tone demanding respect for her position as president.
"Ha."
The Auditory Officer let out a scoffing laugh.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Integraasil Diorefusa Seni, 801st intake."
Silence.
Daika fell quiet for the first time.
"L-lie."
"Don't believe me? Take a look at this~."
The Auditory Officer casually drew something from her sleeve.
"Whoa, a wand?"
A short, blunt, worn staff that contrasted sharply with the broom the president held.
Daika muttered in deep shock.
"Wands were discontinued 42 years ago due to the World Tree's weakening...?"
The Auditory Officer gave no reply, merely smiling.
It meant one thing.
The truth.
"Greetings, senior!"
The spectacle of the mighty Magic Society president snapping to attention and saluting was quite the sight.
"What intake?"
"1447th!"
"What intake?"
"Th-the insignificant 1447th!"
"Yes, that's better."
She crushed the lofty pride in an instant.
The Auditory Officer twirled her wand as she spoke.
"Do you know Tobias Riemann~? I think he developed the brooms. Wonder if he's still kicking."
At the sudden name, Daika's face drained of color.
"He's passed on... How do you know my master's master's master—or if he's around...?"
"Junior~."
The hierarchy climbed dizzyingly.
"Well, Toby was getting on. Then Hilla Turing must be gone too?"
"...The 9th president has also passed. D-do you know her too?"
"Junior~."
With each revelation, the president's posture grew ever more deferential.
The wizarding world was sustained by two values.
Skill and connections.
For the elf Auditory Officer, the second was overwhelmingly superior to anyone else's.
"The society's a mess these days, president junior~. The youngest don't know deference protocol, spewing informal speech at seniors. Right?"
"Y-yes!"
"I heard you call yourself the highest senior earlier~? Wait, doesn't that make me the highest senior?"
"Yes!"
She sidled up to the screaming president and whispered.
"Now you get what I want, right~?"
"I'll retrain all my disciples in etiquette from the ground up!"
Wizards were free-spirited.
Utterly unaffected by hierarchy or rank, they pursued only their interests.
But that was the outside world.
Among themselves, they maintained a system stricter than the harshest military.
Thanks to their unique master-disciple hierarchy.
Meanwhile, the Olfactory Officer, having overheard, tilted his head.
"Auditory. A 600-intake gap with the president means..."
Even at one intake per month, that was 600 months.
At least 50 years.
Add her career as an entry inspector and her prior time in the Great Forest...
The Olfactory Officer finished rough calculations and marveled.
"Wow, you're older than our grandma. Sen, you're a total gran—, guh."
- Crack!
The Auditory Officer zipped over at lightning speed and twisted the werewolf's muzzle.
"Watch your mouth~. Or it might be dog meat for dinner."
Her voice dropped murderously low.
The werewolf froze, fur bristling.
She turned to me as well.
"Elves and humans count age differently. Don't forget that, Central Officer."
Her eyes were terrifying.
I hadn't said a word.
So I just nodded quietly.
"Junior~?"
"Daika Ren, 1447th intake!"
The great witch president responded at rigid attention.
"You... will cooperate, right?"
"The Magic Society is a partner organization to Immigration Control! We will cooperate!"
The wild, untamed horse was gone.
Only a thoroughly tamed junior wizard by intake and connections remained.
"Good. At ease."
Daika finally dropped the salute and sighed in relief.
The Auditory Officer smiled at me.
It meant I could proceed as I wished now.
"Then... I'll ask you to begin the inspection first."
"Yes! Er, right. Got it, young man."
And so, we successfully secured her cooperation.
- Rattle.
"Lemme see, lemme see~."
Grinning ear to ear, the president opened the box and peered at the artifacts.
"Haaa... this scent of mana and metal... I can't hold back..."
She inhaled deeply in ecstasy, even wiggling her hips.
The Olfactory Officer and I watched with uncomfortable stares.
"My expectations for wizards are shattering."
"Agreed."
But soon, Daika's expression turned serious.
"Ah, six layers of defensive magic stacked. Must've been a protection artifact."
She dove straight into analysis.
"But they've reworked it with inversion formulas. Not blocking external forces, but internal mana."
"Could you explain this artifact's purpose?"
"Simple terms: condense the mana, then cram it tight under a barrier."
In answer to my question, she picked up a fist-sized capsule.
"This is a bomb."
"...Pardon?"
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
The Olfactory Officer unconsciously extended his claws.
"What did you just say?"
"Here, look."
She cupped her hands into a small sphere.
"Concentrate mana into an absurdly narrow space and hold it stable long-term, and it warps into an unstable form."
"Now, what happens if you suddenly release that suppressed mana?"
She abruptly flung her arms wide.
"Boom."
The short cry echoed across the square.
It was a small sound, but enough to send chills down all our spines.
"Wh-what's the range?"
"Well, from this end here..."
The president pointed at the square's entrance with her broom.
"To about there."
She pointed at the Immigration Control Office.
Roughly 50 meters.
"That's assuming just one goes off. If they all..."
No need to finish; we could imagine the rest.
"Crazy bastards. They loaded a city-killer weapon into that rickety carriage?"
The Olfactory Officer muttered in disbelief.
"Good thing we seized it."
The guilt faded from his face.
Meanwhile, I pondered why they had tried smuggling it in secret.
"This could take down a dragon."
"Dragon? Why bring up dragons here?"
Another word to pique a wizard's interest, and Daika's eyes sparkled.
"Well, the thing is..."
After a brief rundown of the situation, the president narrowed her eyes in thought.
"Hmm. This alone won't cut it."
"Dragon scales are second only to mithril in hardness. Raw explosive power won't do."
"To kill one with this, you'd need an amplifier. Something to massively boost the energy release. Like... the gems used in blood magic."
Blood magic. And gems.
'Blood Diamond.'
What a coincidence.
No. Not a coincidence.
"Come to think of it, we seized prohibited Blood Diamonds just before this."
- Oh my!? That precious stuff!?
Another frivolous outburst.
Ah, please.
Her face slightly flushed, Daika whispered to me.
"Young man, do you find treasures like this all the time here?"
"Once or twice every three months."
"Might need to set up a Magic Society branch at the border..."
I didn't want that.
Before she could rampage again, I spoke first.
"I have two requests. Fulfill them, and we'll deem the unauthorized artifacts 'disposed of' and transfer ownership to the Magic Society."
"Done."
"Please hear me out first."
Now oddly accustomed, I continued matter-of-factly.
"First: complete deactivation of the unauthorized artifacts."
"Yep. Easy. Can do it right now."
"Second: mana suppression and tracking magic on the Blood Diamonds."
She nodded instinctively but paused.
"Tracking? Not just nullification?"
"Yes. We need to know where these gems end up."
The guy who ordered the smuggling—we had to identify and surveil him. The Intelligence Division would love it.
A crisp reply came.
"Fine. Let's get started then."
She agreed without hesitation.
Her orange eyes blazed with exploratory zeal once more as they turned to the box.
"One last question, if I may?"
"Oopsie."
She barely stopped herself from shoving her face into the box.
"What? Spit it out. I'm busy."
"Talent..."
I paused briefly.
'No need to reveal the princess is here.'
I quickly rephrased.
"Can powers like mana or holy power... be controlled by suppressing emotions?"
As the Magic Society president, she would know how the world's powers functioned.
'She might even know about talent manifestation.'
The answer came instantly.
"Who told you that? Absolutely not."
"Pardon?"
"Young man, the root of all power in humans is emotion."
She looked up and said,
"Joy, anger, love, hatred. They're all life's fuel. Block what's natural, and you'll get sick."
"But excessive emotions are a problem too."
"Too much is as bad as none. Just look at mana. That's why mana rampages exist."
- Twitch.
Our three faces stiffened at her words.
"But if you exclude it entirely, you won't wield any power. Or worse..."
She lightly shook the box before her.
"It'll turn into a bomb that blows up someday. That's far more dangerous."
Her words matched exactly what had happened at the palace.
"I... see."
"Everything flows naturally. The key isn't blocking it, but directing it where it should go."
The sage's wisdom.
A path emerged.
The direction had been wrong.
'Now I get it.'
The method I'd chosen for Elaine's sake had been misguided from the start.
"Thank you, President."
I bowed my head to her for the first time in thanks.
"Curiosity and the drive to explore are the Magic Society's highest virtues."
Daika tipped her hat in acknowledgment. And then,
"Hehehehe... now, how shall I handle my babies..."
With frivolity to the end, she dove into the work.
Ah, really, please.
At the same time, inside the recovery room,
Elaine and Erzena stood glaring at each other in confrontation.
"What did you just say, Elaine?"
"Uuuuuuugh, eueaaa."
- Crackle.
Golden energy and an invisible force repelled each other with an ominous sound.
"Uaaaaah..."
Caught in the middle, the Gustatory Officer clutched her head and whimpered.
"Central Officer, come quick!!!'"
The girl was no match for handling those two women.