The Door to Science
I arrived at the door leading out of the science wing and immediately felt a shift in my heart. ‘I’ve grown a little more relaxed, I suppose.’ It wasn’t a sudden change. There was always a difference in mindset between solving a problem when you already knew the answer and tackling it blind. Knowing the answer was like being a veteran who had cleared the game dozens, even hundreds of times. Not knowing was like me—someone who had been thrown into the game with zero prior knowledge.
‘But now I know the answers.’
The knowledge I had gained from entering and exiting a total of nineteen rooms had even given me a confidence I never possessed before.
Creak.
I opened the door and stepped out to find the old man, Avalin, standing there calmly.
“You’ve come?”
“Yes.”
Even though my demeanor had clearly changed, Avalin showed no reaction, as if he knew nothing. ‘He’s pretending not to know.’ I understood now. I knew what kind of person Avalin was. I had even obtained information about him inside the Hero’s Room.
‘I still don’t know why he’s doing this here, though.’
He was the youngest-ever vice tower master of the Magic Tower and a genius who had carved his name into the history of magical studies. As someone completely ignorant about magic, I couldn’t fully grasp it, but the entire world called Avalin a genius. And there was another title people used for him.
“Adel.”
Avalin seemed to read my expression before finally asking.
“Did you obtain something good?”
“I didn’t really get anything good.”
“Then what did you obtain?”
He narrowed his eyes with clear curiosity.
“I learned that your name is Avalin Helen, that you are the vice tower master of the Magic Tower, and that you are a genius of both magic and science.”
“······.”
After hearing my short answer, Avalin stared directly into my eyes without saying a word. It was as if he were trying to read my true intentions. After gazing at my expressionless face for a moment, he let out a hollow laugh.
“Heh heh. So you already knew? Or did you just find out?”
“······.”
I didn’t bother mentioning that I had gone inside that space to obtain the information.
“Either way, this makes things easier for me.”
Snap.
When Avalin flicked his fingers, mana seeped into my body. Woooong. After a brief moment, he stood there with the brilliant golden hair and white uniform that symbolized the Helen family.
“You know everything?”
It seemed the old man’s acting was finally over.
“In addition to what I just said, I also know that you are the nephew of the current head of the Helen family.”
That was what I said aloud, but there was one more thing I knew.
‘The future tower master.’
Within the knowledge I possessed were mentions of Avalin’s talent and his future.
Avalin’s scientific talent surpasses the current tower master, and he will one day become the tower master.
It wasn’t a very long passage, but I had paid close attention to it.
“······So you know almost everything.”
From the mention of him being a genius of science, Avalin seemed to have already guessed as much and nodded calmly. Before he could speak again, I opened my mouth first.
“Sir Avalin.”
“What is it?”
“Have you ever considered announcing science to the world?”
“······.”
It had been a slight question of mine. ‘Why hasn’t he announced science yet?’ There were probably many reasons. A sudden change could cause chaos in the world. There might be spies inside the Magic Tower. Or perhaps it was because, aside from the fact that the Jakshin Cult used science, nothing else was known about it. I figured all the hypotheses I had come up with were likely among the reasons he hadn’t announced it.
“There are several reasons. There may be spies within the Magic Tower, and an unknown priest might even be one of the tower’s executives.”
The fact that he was telling me this suggested Avalin trusted me. It was probably due to the Sage’s influence.
“I do plan to announce it. No matter what threats exist, it’s clear that revealing science will have a beneficial impact on the world.”
“Then let’s announce science to the world.”
“For what reason?”
The fact that this conversation had continued this far was practically a miracle. A vice tower master conversing with a mere student was something that normally never happened. I mentally thanked the Sage once more and organized what I wanted to say last.
‘I need to make him announce it.’
A true genius reveals their brilliance in unexpected situations. Perhaps among those who saw the scientific theories announced by the Magic Tower, there were people with hidden talent. First, I had to convince Avalin. And I already knew exactly how to do that from the knowledge I possessed.
“The Jakshin Cult is divided into several factions.”
Those who knew this information were probably limited to high-ranking officials of the great families and the world’s strongest individuals. The reason I thought Avalin might not know was because quite some time had passed since he left the Helen family and came to the Magic Tower.
“Each priest is responsible for one field and aims to advance science in that area. For example, Gilleon is someone who focuses primarily on research related to firearms.”
“······How do you know such information?”
Inside, I felt a slight pang of guilt. ‘…I don’t actually know anything beyond that.’ The priests should have been exposed to the world by now. If they had been, the Sage’s knowledge would have increased, and I would have learned more details. Aside from the guilt, I felt a surge of triumph.
‘Just as I expected.’
I had anticipated Avalin’s question. I was almost grateful that he was acting exactly as I had predicted. I pointed at the door behind me.
“The Sage told me.”
The Sage told me. It was the second “I got it from the mountain” excuse after the first one.
“······I see.”
Avalin nodded. Mentioning the Sage seemed to make it acceptable.
“So, do you know anything else?”
“Hmm. Because the Jakshin Cult is split into multiple factions, each individual is outstanding, but their overall scientific progress isn’t particularly fast.”
“Then wouldn’t it be even more dangerous to announce it?”
He was right. They mustn’t be allowed to steal the Magic Tower’s research results. But that didn’t matter.
“It’s fine. The point at which they began researching science was about 350 years ago. The Magic Tower started 300 years ago. Even if we announce it, we won’t be at a disadvantage.”
No matter how slow, a gap of fifty years was not something to be taken lightly.
“Hmm······.”
Avalin fell into thought after hearing my words. He was probably thinking about how he would need to convince the tower master. To give him confidence, I added one more thing.
“Where is your laboratory?”
“We’d have to go through a gate for that.”
“Could you show me once?”
“······.”
He said nothing. Just as the atmosphere seemed to be heading toward refusal, I casually tossed out as if it were nothing.
“I think the Sage’s knowledge could be helpful······.”
At those words, his ears perked up and he said,
“Let’s go.”
Woooong.
A flow of mana swirled around him, forming a gate. ‘…He acts fast.’ As expected, the word “Sage” was like a master key that solved everything.
“Hurry.”
Seeing him urge me on, I nodded and stepped through the gate.
Passing through the gate did not take us directly to the laboratory. Step. I found myself in yet another strange corridor and followed Avalin as we walked. He spoke up.
“The moment I open the gate leading to the laboratory, there’s always the chance of unknown variables appearing.”
After that, he rattled off things I couldn’t understand—something about mana distortion or the laboratory’s coordinates being exposed. I didn’t really get any of it. After all, mathematics, science, and magic were different fields.
Tap.
At the end of the corridor, we arrived at a door.
“······A door lock?”
I muttered without thinking. ‘They have these here?’ Until now, I had only used the unique mana resonance from my student ID or Hero’s License, so I had completely forgotten about devices like this.
“So you knew about it after all.”
“······Yes.”
“It may look like it would break easily, but my mana is protecting it. Unless a transcendent being comes, it won’t be destroyed.”
I wondered what would happen if a real transcendent showed up, but I figured Avalin would handle it somehow.
Beep— Beep— Beep— Beep-beep.
He released his mana and unlocked the door lock, causing the door to open.
“Let’s go in.”
Following Avalin inside, I saw an environment that felt strangely familiar. ‘Whoa, so this is a laboratory.’ The floor and desk were cluttered with various papers and traces of mana, yet for some reason the papers on the desk were neatly organized. It was so messy it was hard to even take a step.
“Ahem.”
When I looked at Avalin, he simply let out an awkward cough.
“You know how researchers are.”
“······Yes.”
I didn’t know the details, but I could relate to some extent. Avalin whistled lightly and reached out his hand.
“Clean.”
At his quiet chant, the mana extending from his hand formed a spell that neatly organized all the mana traces and papers inside. ‘So this is magic.’ It wasn’t my first time seeing magic, but it was my first time seeing such a practical spell. The words sounded similar, but the meaning was completely different.
Step.
Avalin walked over to the now-organized desk.
“This place doesn’t contain three hundred years of scientific theories. These are the things I’ve researched. Still, I can confidently say they don’t fall short of those theories.”
Woooong.
With a vibration of mana, the papers began to float in the air. The sight of hundreds of sheets fluttering looked like falling flower petals. ‘…Something…’ It felt like something was about to surface in my mind, but I couldn’t quite connect the thought.
Tap.
One sheet of paper stopped right in front of me. ‘…Too bad. Is this a scientific theory?’ I picked it up and read it slowly. Soon, I was filled with admiration.
‘…So this is the future tower master.’
It was filled with fascinating words. It felt like a theory where magic and science were fused together. However, it didn’t seem to be a completed theory, as the sentences at the end trailed off without conclusion. Since it wasn’t something I was going to learn, I didn’t read it in depth, but if this were made public, Avalin wouldn’t just be called a genius—he might immediately become the tower master.
When I looked at him with a surprised expression, he wore a confident smile.
“What do you think?”
“It’s sloppy.”
“······What? Where?”
He didn’t get angry at my criticism. Instead, he seemed eager to find the problem. Avalin came to stand beside me.
“This part is the issue.”
Using the hand that had been tracing the text on the paper, I pointed only at the scientific portion, not the mana. ‘I don’t know much about mana, after all.’ As I had said before, I was completely ignorant when it came to magic. I knew very little. In terms of mana, Avalin probably knew several times more than I did. But when it came to science—science was something I could give pointers on to the people of this world.
“This should be this theory instead… and that should be like this…”
“Ah······.”
When I finished speaking, Avalin trailed off as if he had realized something.
“It was good that I brought you here.”
He smiled with satisfaction.
“How should we go about the announcement?”
The fact that he was asking me first seemed to mean he had gained confidence in the announcement after seeing my scientific knowledge.
“There’s no reason to delay. Let’s proceed as quickly as possible.”
“I’ll speak with the tower master. It should take about three days at the earliest.”
“Understood.”
My purpose here was now complete. Becoming close with Avalin and seeing the current progress of scientific research—that was all I had planned to do at the Magic Tower.
‘Oh, right. That was still left.’
Money. I had come here to earn money. I asked Avalin.
“Where do you get ideas from?”
“Why, are you short on money?”
He had inferred it from the fact that I wasn’t a noble and was only an academy student, combined with my knowledge.
“······Yes.”
Even as I answered, I didn’t feel particularly embarrassed. Avalin grinned and asked.
“Then I’ll give you some. After pointing out the flaws in my theory, it’s only right that I pay you. Should I send it to the academy?”
It sounded like he had some kind of intention, but since it was about money and there was nothing to lose and only gains to be had, I nodded.
“Yes.”
“Okay. I’ll send it by tomorrow.”
“Ah. Just a moment.”
“······?”
While he was at it, I decided to ask for one more thing.
“Is it possible to register with the Magic Tower as well?”
“Hmm······. It’s not impossible. With your level, I can do it under my authority.”
“Could you do it for me?”
“I will.”
Avalin nodded readily and took out a glass bottle from his pocket.
“Put your fire ability into this.”
Fwoosh.
I nodded and summoned my flames. I slowly focused on my fingertips and poured the fire into the glass bottle.
“That’s enough.”
When I heard his words, I stopped summoning the flames.
“I’ll also give you permission to use the gate to the laboratory. Come whenever you want—I’m always here.”
This was exactly what Avalin wanted.
“Understood.”
Since I didn’t think I’d have any more reason to come to the Magic Tower, I simply accepted. ‘I’m looking forward to it.’ The day science would be announced. I was curious about the Jakshin Cult’s reaction.
‘It’s a perfect day. A truly perfect day.’
I had obtained what I wanted, and even more than I had hoped for. I couldn’t imagine a better day than this.