Heart of the Necromancer King (2)
"Hey, Professor Emeric."
Emeric's brow twitched at the voice calling out to him, yet his reply came with immediate, practiced cheer. "Ah, did you call for me, Professor Titus?"
Emeric rose to his feet and bowed respectfully to the professor in charge of the third-year curriculum. Titus, however, sneered as if he had been lying in wait for this exact moment.
"What are you reading? A swordsmanship manual?"
"...I was drafting plans for next semester."
"Aha. Plans for next semester? Why, planning to collaborate with the Sword School again?"
It had been like this ever since the practical training concluded. No matter how thoroughly Emeric explained the circumstances in his formal reports, the senior professors of the Arcane School offered nothing but chilling disdain. In particular, they seemed utterly incapable of accepting or understanding the reality that the exercise had barely concluded in one piece solely because of the Sword School's intervention.
"I've been rather curious, you see—what exactly is your relationship with Instructor Xiel?"
"What do you mean by that...?"
"Come now, it looks rather suspicious, wouldn't you say? One might think you two were acquainted beforehand, or perhaps you owed him some prior debt. The Arcane School has its pride; how could you lean so helplessly on them throughout the entire practical?"
"Professor Titus, as I have stated before, that was due to an unforeseen accident—"
"Accidents happen, certainly. But managing such crises and resolving them wisely is precisely the competence expected of an Arcane School professor, is it not?"
While the other professors had eventually let the matter drop, Professor Titus was relentlessly cruel. The real trouble was that this man was currently the de facto power broker within the Arcane School. Having graduated top of his class from House Siren's junior academy, he had enjoyed their lavish patronage ever since. It was common knowledge that his presence here, rather than at the Magic Tower, was specifically intended to expand House Siren's influence across the academy.
Consequently, Emeric had no choice but to bow his head in silence.
"I fell short. My sincerest apologies."
"Did you now? But what a pity. My blood continues to boil. In fact, I suspect it will flare up every time I lay eyes on you."
"...What might I do to ease your displeasure?"
"Well now, we shall see in due time. Until then, I intend to remain thoroughly displeased."
He was venomous. Emeric had felt it before, but the man's penchant for torment was vile. Yet there was nothing Emeric could do. Strong as the hierarchy between seniors and juniors was in the Sword School, it paled before the Arcane School. In the insular, rarefied world of imperial mages, falling out of favor or crossing the wrong authority figure spelled the absolute end of one's career.
"...My apologies, Professor Titus."
"Yes, yes. Well, we'll talk later."
Titus strolled away, leaving Emeric frozen in the hallway for a long time. Only his tightly clenched fists betrayed the storm raging inside him.
Damn it...
Things had become hopelessly entangled. The Arcane School looking down on the Sword School was hardly a revelation. The real dilemma was that, in the midst of looking down their noses, the Arcane School had suffered two consecutive humiliations at the hands of the very department they despised. Once during the review committee for the Special Support System, and once during the survival practical.
Coincidentally, both incidents revolved around the Sword School's elective instructor, Xiel Steelheart.
Blast it, how am I supposed to lend him the magic puppets and magic tools now?!
He had given his solemn word, so simply playing dumb was out of the question. Yet acting behind Titus's back while the man watched him like a hawk would only make matters worse—
"Professor Emeric Kent."
"Aaaagh!"
Emeric shrieked and dropped straight to the floor. A voice had spoken from directly behind him without giving off the faintest trace of presence.
Xiel, for his part, looked mildly perplexed. "Are you hurt?"
"W-W-Why on earth do you appear out of thin air like that?!"
"I merely walked over."
"Not sneaking around with stealth arts?"
"Your senses are rather dull."
"..."
Right. It was entirely his own fault for being lost in serious thought at such a time.
Emeric then noticed another figure standing beside Xiel. "And the person with you...?"
"This is Gilbert, a newly hired teaching assistant for the Sword School."
"Ah, I-I see. A pleasure to meet you. Ahem. So... wait, no. More importantly, this is the Arcane School building, isn't it?"
"Am I forbidden from entering? According to academy regulations, the only restricted facility is the medical ward in the Northern Restricted Zone."
"Well, technically yes, but..."
There were unwritten rules in this world. Still, since they had already walked right in, there was little point in debating the matter.
"...So, what brings you here?"
"One promise still remains between us. Of course, I have yet to receive the previous two promises either."
"Let us step inside first. There are too many eyes out here."
Professor Titus had only just walked away after heaping ridicule upon him. Fortunately, the students had not yet fully returned for the semester.
And so, the two followed Emeric into his research office.
"Whoa... So this is what an Arcane School professor's office looks like! Stacks of documents everywhere, all sorts of bizarre artifacts... Mages really are cut from a different cloth, aren't they, Boss?"
Boss? That was a rather peculiar title.
What is he, the head of some street syndicate like the Robson Family?
"P-Please don't touch anything. If one of those piles collapses, it will take days to sort out. As the most junior professor here, my workload is rather overwhelming." Emeric felt a pang of self-loathing even as he spoke. Half of those piles were tedious chores dumped on him by senior faculty. "Please have a seat. I'm afraid I don't have much to offer... Would you care for some tea?"
"Yes, that would be acceptable."
The three gathered around the single relatively cleared table. It felt very much like hurriedly carving out a perimeter in the center of a landfill before sitting down.
Xiel got straight to the point. "Regarding the loan of the magic puppets and magic tools, I would like to request them immediately for the start of the upcoming semester."
"Well, you see... that might prove somewhat difficult."
"Does 'might prove somewhat difficult' mean it is difficult, or that you do not know?"
Emeric squeezed his eyes shut and let out a heavy sigh. "...It means it is difficult."
"Did you not make a promise?"
"That... my current standing is exceedingly precarious. I am by no means blaming you, Instructor Xiel, but... haah. I received a tremendous amount of backlash for accepting your assistance during the practical."
"Is there a reason to be criticized for receiving assistance?"
Was he asking knowing full well why, or was he genuinely oblivious?
"You know how it is. The sentiment from the Arcane School is quite hostile."
"I harbor no particular ill will. If anyone ought to feel aggrieved, it should be me."
It was so undeniably true that it nearly drove Emeric mad. Admitting that one was petty enough to harbor resentment simply because one had been shown up was a painful concession to make.
"I am terribly sorry. Without Professor Titus's approval, it will likely... be nearly impossible. He holds tight control over that department's logistics."
"Does that mean if Professor Titus gives his approval, the loan can proceed?"
"Yes. That is correct. I truly apologize, Instructor Xiel. I believed I would be able to manage it. I thought I possessed that much authority, but..." He had fallen completely out of favor. "And I am not sure if you are aware, but Professor Titus graduated top of his class from House Siren's junior academy."
When Xiel tilted his head, unsure of the significance, Gilbert leaned in from the side and whispered, "It's an elite educational institution run directly by House Siren. They scout magical prodigies from all across the Empire."
That was precisely why House Siren commanded such immense authority among mages. Xiel, however, processed the information quite differently.
"So he is affiliated with the Siren faction. Understood. I will handle that matter myself."
"Pardon?"
"You simply need to prepare high-quality magic puppets and magic tools."
"..."
What on earth was that supposed to mean?
"The Boss will take care of it, Professor Emeric. You needn't worry at all," Gilbert chimed in, leaving Emeric's mind spinning with question marks.
Right then, Xiel brought up the third condition.
"Now, let us discuss the remaining matter."
"Ah, that... yes. You mean the third condition?" An uneasy tension crept over Emeric. What would he demand? Could he be asking me to transfer to the Sword School? Everything Xiel had displayed during the practical had shattered expectations by leagues. If that was the caliber of man he was dealing with...
"Do you know how to purify mana?"
"I knew it would be difficult... Pardon? Purification?" Once again, Emeric's assumptions were completely upended. "A-Are you asking me to purify something for you?"
"If it is beyond my capability, I may request it of you. However, if it is something I can accomplish myself, I will do so. For now, I am inquiring about the method."
"Mana purification... Did a student suffer mana corruption or internal damage?"
Before Xiel could answer, Gilbert smoothly intercepted. "Something along those lines, yes."
Rather than letting Xiel give an excessively literal answer, Gilbert stepped in with a deft cover. They obviously couldn't announce they were carrying the Heart of the Necromancer King, making it a remarkably clever half-truth.
"Hmm... You truly are always looking out for your students, Instructor Xiel."
Since Xiel intended to purify the mana within the Heart of the Necromancer King to fuel his students' training, the assumption was not entirely mistaken.
"There are two methods. First, employing specialized magic tools. It is somewhat complex, so give me a moment." Emeric hurried to a corner of the office, digging through stacks of parchment before returning with a metallic contraption. "Fortunately, I have one here. This is a compact mana purification apparatus used in third-year laboratory lectures. You attach a filter here, and channel the corrupted mana into this port. Then, when you inject pure mana to activate the mechanism..."
Whirrrrr!
"It reacts with a catalytic agent, purifying the mana into a visibly stable state like this. Right now, there is no contaminated mana sample, so it looks identical before and after activation, but in an actual purification process, that is the visual result."
"I see. Can this not be constructed on a larger scale?"
"It is theoretically possible. However, the costs increase exponentially, and crafting one is extraordinarily difficult. Devices of that scale exist only in the Magic Tower, and nearly all of them are reserved for high-level experiments or for purifying residual mana trapped inside relics excavated from ruins and ancient crypts. Edelbein Academy does possess one... but it has sat unused for years, and its filtration surface is far too small to be of practical use."
Emeric explained everything in meticulous detail. He genuinely wished to be of assistance. While it was true that his association with Xiel had landed him in deep trouble, he was not the sort of man to discard gratitude and basic decency.
If not for Instructor Xiel...
During that practical, it would have surprised no one if several students had died. Strings attached or not, it was an indisputable fact that Xiel had saved the Arcane School's first-year cohort.
"Understood. Then what is the other method?"
"Well, that method is rather crude..." Emeric hesitated, looking visibly uncomfortable, before continuing. "It involves using a living physical body to purify it."
"...Pardon?" Gilbert asked, his expression blank.
"Truth be told, this apparatus was engineered by modeling the human body. A person inhales and exhales breath through respiration. The lungs act as a natural filter. It operates on that exact biological principle."
"In other words... you're saying a person's lungs are used as the filter to cleanse the mana?"
"Yes. It is an extreme measure, to be sure." Emeric clicked his tongue. "There are rare occasions where it is attempted. When the level of contamination is relatively mild, mages will cycle the mana through their own bodies to filter it."
"There are fools who actually do that?"
"Mages are often the most foolish among the clever. When calculating sheer efficiency, such reckless conclusions occasionally surface."
Contrary to Gilbert's disbelief, Xiel nodded in understanding. "If it is the most rational choice from an efficiency standpoint, doing so is entirely reasonable."
"Indeed. If the contamination is low, one might suffer a fever for a few days or circulate their breathing technique several times to clear it out. But if the contamination is severe, the story changes entirely. At that stage, even dozens of mages working together could not resolve it. It requires sacrificing one's very life..." Emeric spread his hands wide. "And who would do such a thing? Do you have any idea how much capital and effort is invested into cultivating a single mage? No matter how precious the relic, it will never exceed the value of a high-ranking mage."
It was undeniable. Mages were top-tier strategic assets. If one were to search for individuals commanding an even higher price tag, there were only the exceedingly rare mystics, or...
Well, perhaps an assassin of Phantom caliber?
"In any case, that is the reality. Unless someone has mastered some mythical breathing technique that expels everything outward without accumulating a single speck internally... the best course of action for an artifact bearing extreme mana corruption is simply to cast it into the deep ocean."
That was the end of his explanation.
"That is everything I know. Whoever the afflicted individual may be... it would certainly be wise to resolve it quickly. If it is indeed a student, their breathing technique is likely far from perfected and their internal mana pool small, meaning the contamination will spread through their core with alarming speed."
Emeric felt a slight sense of anticlimax. Compared to the first two requests, this had been practically effortless. He had merely shared common academic knowledge...
Did a student stumble upon some ancient ruin during the vacation?
To expend a promised favor on something one could easily learn by questioning an upperclassman seemed almost wasteful. Still, so long as it proved useful, Emeric was satisfied.
"The second method appears superior to the first."
"Pardon?"
"The method of purging contamination through human respiration."
Emeric froze in utter shock. What did he just say? Could it be...?
It felt as though he had taken a heavy blow to the back of the skull. Those words could only mean...
"A-Are you planning to do it yourself?"
"If it is possible, I will. In fact, that seems the most probable course."
"..."
He intended to sacrifice his own body for the sake of a student? A violent shiver ran through Emeric's entire frame.
He truly is an educator to his very soul...
A spirit of noble sacrifice beyond all human comparison! There had been a profound, selfless reason behind every action he had taken during the survival practical!
"All of my inquiries have been answered." Xiel rose from his seat with a look of quiet satisfaction.
The second method is better?! Gilbert was equally petrified.
Boss, surely you don't mean...?
The root of their shock was identical—the chilling declaration that using a human body as a filter was superior. Yet the underlying assumptions could not have been further apart.
As expected, completely merciless! Does he intend to kidnap a few test subjects and force them to filter the poison until their lungs rot away?!
A terrifying chill shot straight down Gilbert's spine. Memories of the day he had infiltrated the academy flashed across his mind. If he had dared to resist back then, or harbored treacherous thoughts thereafter...
Would I have been forced to filter the Heart of the Necromancer King with my own lungs?!
Meanwhile, Xiel's thoughts operated on a completely separate plane.
A breathing technique that expels everything outward without accumulating within.
The Breathing of the Polar Night.
Xiel's mind drifted back to the distant past, to the days when he had first learned that very art.
One man was overwhelmed with profound reverence. Another was gripped by dread and catastrophic misunderstanding in equal measure. And the third had neatly resolved his logistical dilemma.
It was truly a masterclass in sharing the same room while dreaming entirely different dreams.