Chapter 322: The Society's Banquet
Chapter 322: The Society's Banquet
As seen in the case with Magic Weaver earlier, getting involved with mages is always a massive pain. Consequently, it had been quite a while since I last visited the Geneva Branch, but the cafeteria hadn't changed much.
It was a clean, white-based building with desks and chairs that had a natural wooden feel.
A perfectly ordinary cafeteria with a modern touch.
Other parts of the facility had changed significantly from my memory—likely because they were constantly being destroyed—but I could easily imagine why the cafeteria remained intact.
Everyone is busy with research, busy fighting, and busy working. What happens if trouble breaks out during mealtime?
As the saying goes, even a dog is left in peace while it eats. Food is just that important.
In other words, everyone is busy shoveling down food—the only source of vitality in their exhausted lives—and then a bomb goes off?
Without a doubt, the culprit would be branded a terrorist by the crazed mages and summarily executed in public.
Just like that person outside the window, currently being burned at the stake like a witch hunt...
...Wait, what the hell is that? Why is there someone tied to a cross and set on fire in the middle of the quad?
Startled, I enhanced my vision to take a closer look. A notice was posted nearby: 'This researcher is currently undergoing an experiment on improving mana efficiency through asceticism. Fire resistance magic has been applied, so please do not worry.' Around the cross, people were busy scribbling notes on tablets.
It didn't seem like the person involved had fully consented, given how they were shaking their head and making muffled "mmph-mmph" noises... but if it were a real emergency, I'm sure others would have stepped in.
Thanks to that, I realized it wasn't a big deal, but another stack was added to my stereotype that mages are, indeed, lunatics.
Anyway, the point is that even mages don't mess with people while they're eating.
By extension, it also meant that those Otherworld bastards who invaded during mealtime were lower than dogs.
Those damn things... I just wanted to eat in peace on the battlefield. I don't know what their problem was.
Of course, they were eventually wiped out by Heroes fueled by a "hunger-induced rage" buff.
That’s how important food is. No matter how shitty things get, if three square meals are served well and the quality is good, a person can endure and move on.
As if to prove that, the food served in this cafeteria was of excellent quality.
The cafeterias of large Management Bureau branches are famous for having diverse, cheap, and high-quality menus, but I personally think Geneva is exceptional even among them.
It’s probably because mages gathered from all over the world would throw a fit if their national cuisine wasn't available.
Thanks to that, there’s no fixed menu; it’s a luxurious setup where they make whatever dish you name. You just have to say what you want to eat.
Since I was in Switzerland, I figured I should eat Swiss food.
Thus, my choice was:
Älplermagronen.
A dish based on macaroni, potatoes, and cheese, with the chef tossing in other ingredients as they see fit.
It’s similar to a gratin, but this version has a much higher ratio of cheese.
The Älplermagronen, served quickly in a warm bowl after I ordered, looked like a hodgepodge at first glance. But the moment I lifted the bowl, the thick scent of cheese tickled the tip of my nose.
As per my request, the cheese ratio was high, and it gave off an incredibly complex aroma as if they had used high-quality varieties. After gratefully receiving it, I placed the bowl on the table where my disciples were already seated.
I couldn't tell exactly what kind of cheese it was, but the pale yellow cheese and macaroni were tossed together, creating a warm, glistening bowl of Älplermagronen.
Looking at it, I scooped up a spoonful and put it in my mouth.
As expected, there was no texture to speak of. Just like this body always is.
However, there was a different advantage.
I could intensely feel the deep flavor contained within the cheese.
A taste where rich saltiness and savoriness converged.
Just as my senses were strangely dull or overly sensitive, my tongue could perceive flavors that might be mild to others as intense.
The delicious cheese, carrying its warmth, settled softly in my mouth before sliding thickly down my throat. It was enough to soothe the frustrations of the past few days.
Just as I was about to take a satisfied second spoonful...
"Senior? Are you listening to me?"
Han A-bin, who had been saying something for a while, spoke up again.
I wasn't particularly pleased that my pleasant mealtime was interrupted.
But then again, wasn't it my cute disciples speaking?
And since getting disciples, mealtime had also become a time for conversation, so my annoyance vanished quickly.
"Ah, sorry. I was distracted. What were you saying?"
"I was asking, what exactly is your relationship with that 'Magic Weaver' person from earlier? I looked him up, and he seems quite famous."
"I'm curious too, Master! His Magic Circles were incredibly detailed, even at a glance!"
Hmm. To think even Baek Si-hyun would show interest.
Well, his Magic Circles are practically in the realm of art.
He’s an expert who weaves each line intricately, like spinning cloth, to create massive Magic Circles.
The color of the lines, the thickness, the bends, and the patterns they create. The giant new patterns formed by those patterns. The placement of each one. Every single element is imbued with meaning, creating colorful Magic Circles that look more like works of art.
I suppose the closest thing in appearance would be Mandalas in Buddhist art.
And the most terrifying thing about that guy is that he doesn't just memorize Magic Circles and generate the same ones every time; he calculates and draws them on the fly.
In other words, a different-looking Magic Circle comes out every single time.
Of course, he can pre-draw them like normal Magic Circles, and he’s registered many fixed-pattern circles that produce the same effect every time, so he’s not a mage whose skills are limited to personal growth.
He’s a mage who can use a vast array of spells for any situation, customize them on the spot, and even modify or simplify them so others can use them.
That is Magic Weaver.
A master of magical composition who has no equal not just in Magic Circles, but also in special activation methods like chanting and hand signs.
As I explained this to my disciples...
"Is that so! Hmmm. Magic is quite profound!"
Baek Si-hyun listened intently to my story while performing the bizarre feat of continuing to eat her tonkatsu.
As for Han A-bin...
"Well, I understand that Magic Weaver is an amazing person."
She spoke to me without even touching her food.
"What I meant was, what kind of grudge does such an amazing person have against you, Senior?"
Han A-bin spoke over her cooling spread of Korean food.
At those words, I realized I had slightly misdirected the conversation.
Because Baek Si-hyun’s question had more impact, the explanation had become centered on Magic Weaver.
Still, I had given the minimum explanation.
That he was also an Old Era Hero and an Awakened.
And that he was a mage who chose to stay behind instead of retiring.
The only difference was that, unlike my other friends, he hadn't delved deep into the darkness of the Management Bureau, so he didn't fear his fame or coming out into the spotlight.
Regardless of that.
My ill-fated relationship with that guy...
"Let's see. Did I mention that mages have a lot of pride and are incredibly stubborn?"
"Yes. Though I don't know why."
"Ah, did I? It's just because of faith. Magic is a technology based on faith to begin with. So it's only natural to get angry when someone denies your faith. But the funny thing is, magic systems are so diverse that something that makes no sense to one group is common sense to another. That's why they're always fighting."
One side says that if stray thoughts enter the magic trigger, efficiency drops.
The other side says the more stray thoughts in the trigger, the higher the efficiency.
And since both are right within their respective factions, they fight like hell.
I gave that answer, thinking that I really had become a teacher since I was doing nothing but explaining things.
"Then, Senior, did you perhaps break Magic Weaver’s faith?"
Oh, sharp.
"I did. Let's see... it wasn't just one or two things... He set up some kind of 'Absolute Physical Protection Barrier' at the base, but I accidentally bumped into it while sneaking out to catch rabbits. I got pissed off, so I smashed it with my fist and walked back in without even knowing what it was..."
"...Senior?"
Hey, I have an excuse too, A-bin.
We were short on meat.
If there's no meat, you have to catch rabbits.
It was all because those commie Soviets were crazy enough to think everything would be solved if they just sent vodka, cigarettes, and bread.
I thought I could endure it, but eventually, I just lost it at the thought of meat.
"Other than that... he insisted that mages should obviously use names like 'Magi' or 'Magus,' and I said, 'Yeah, screw you. The Magical Girls are taking it. We're Type M (Magica).'"
"...."
For some reason, A-bin’s eyes turned cold.
Just like when I hit Meteor with the car.
Therefore, to restore my dignity as a master, I immediately began to explain.
"No, honestly, I was partly at fault, but that guy is also strangely persistent. At first, it was just petty pride, but he never forgot and kept taking the first shot every time we met. I couldn't just sit there and take it, could I? So I retaliated..."
It kept repeating until it turned into this.
The Cycle of violence is truly terrifying.
To think he'd blow a Society executive-level salary just to screw with me.
I presented my perfectly logical explanation for why I had punched him.
Han A-bin gave a slight smile as if she understood, bowed her head, and quietly began to eat her now-cold Korean meal.
...Dammit.
Lately, it felt like I was only showing my pathetic side as a master.
This is all Magic Weaver’s fault.
Next time I see him, I'm going to hit him with a dropkick before he can even do anything.
Since I'll be staying at the Geneva Branch for a while, I should be able to land about ten of them.
Just as I was thinking that and about to put a spoonful of my slightly cooled Älplermagronen into my mouth...
—Testing, one, two. Mic check. Mic check.
A voice, loudly amplified by a megaphone, echoed through the cafeteria.
Oh, for fuck's sake, what now?
Did I or did I not just think that even a dog is left in peace while it eats?
Fuming with rage, I looked toward the source of the sound.
Looking out toward the grounds beyond the window, I saw a familiar man holding a megaphone.
—I apologize for interrupting your meal, fellow mages. However, the situation is urgent, so I ask for your understanding.
His glasses must have broken when I punched him earlier.
Magic Weaver was staring intently at the cafeteria, wearing glasses with the left lens missing and the right lens cracked.
—Currently, the Hero known as Crimson★Hammer is in this cafeteria. We, the Association of Crimson★Hammer Victims, have gathered here to express our indignation toward the individual in question.
Behind Magic Weaver, several mages I recognized and a large crowd of mages I had never seen before were gathered, venting their fury.
"He's in there! Lee Ha-ram is in there!"
"Do you think you can sleep after blowing up my house when the mortgage isn't even paid off?!"
"Where did you wreck my classic car?! At least tell me where the wreckage is!"
"My graduation thesis became completely worthless because of a single exception named Lee Ha-ram! Give me back my five years!"
They shouted about things I had done—things I couldn't even properly remember.
Hey, the graduation thesis thing isn't my fault.
—Therefore, Lee Ha-ram, if you are listening, come out to the quad immediately. Aren't you ashamed of causing trouble for others?
No, you're the one causing trouble, you crazy Magic Weaver bastard.
I pressed myself against the window to shout back, but...
"What? Lee Ha-ram is here?"
"The guy who blew up my master's magic theory?"
A commotion broke out inside the cafeteria as well.
As soon as the eyes turned toward me, my two disciples quickly distanced themselves and ran away.
It was as if they were broadcasting: 'That senior/master has nothing to do with us.'
I looked for Un-ho, hoping he would at least be on my side.
But Un-ho, who had been eating a salad at the table just a moment ago, had vanished into thin air along with his salad bowl.
"Haha. Dammit."
Betrayed by everyone, I let out a hollow laugh and picked up my spoon.
The cold Älplermagronen tasted a bit messy as the cheese had hardened.