Episode 685
Episode 685
There were various methods for wizards to borrow power from beings of other dimensions.
First, there was the coercive method.
It involved subduing a being from another dimension and forcing it into submission so it couldn't escape.
If one possessed the ability to subdue and dominate, this was the simplest and cleanest method. A certain magic school's archmage and the head of a certain family particularly favored this approach.
Next, there was deception.
This involved making a contract with a being from another dimension while embedding all sorts of complicated tricks into the agreement to benefit the wizard.
This method worked particularly well on greedy, predatory beings like demons.
After all, those driven by greed were bound to be deceived.
Just as many humans had been tricked by demons, many demons had also been deceived by wizards.
Finally, there was the contractual method.
Building friendship and camaraderie with beings from other dimensions to establish a mutually beneficial relationship.
This was commonly seen with generally friendly and gentle beings like spirits.
And surprisingly, Diret was attempting to research a quasi-perpetual motion device using demonic mana through this last method.
"Uh, is that even possible?"
Lee Han was even more surprised now than he had been earlier.
While he didn't harbor any particular prejudice against demons, they were fundamentally beings who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
Even if the demons associated with the Wardanaz family or Einrogard appeared kind and docile, that was solely because they were bound by contracts—it wouldn't be strange if they bared their fangs the moment those contracts were broken.
"It's not impossible. Though we are encountering some difficulties..."
"In my opinion, forcibly extracting mana would be much more efficient."
"...Ah, didn't I tell you to take that person away?!"
When Yukveltilre offered advice from afar, Diret shouted in an irritated voice.
It took another three hours before Lee Han could finally leave the exchange meeting.
It wasn't because his recovery took long. In fact, his physical recovery was sufficient for him to move after about thirty minutes.
The remaining two and a half hours were spent conversing with the mages who had attended the meeting.
-Our Magic Tower is researching the extreme magic whale Stökkul pattern. Would you be interested?
-I'm not very knowledgeable about marine life.
-Haha. With that insane mana—no, that tremendous mana alone, you're more than qualified. You'd be most welcome!
-......
-Our guild is studying the Empire's spirit forests and their influence. We'd love to have you, Lord Wardanaz.
-I don't get along very well with spirits.
-Hahaha! What a joke! How could someone who borrows the power of a Great Spirit not get along with spirits?
-......
Most of the proposals ended up making Lee Han sad.
At least there were a few tempting offers, which was fortunate. Lee Han diligently took notes to reference later when accepting requests back at Einrogard.
-Ignore these mages' proposals. I'll make you an offer you can't refuse. My research...
-No, why does this person keep slipping away? Drag them out already!
At one point, a troublesome senior intervened and caused a scene, but somehow, Lee Han managed to escape.
"I-I'm exhausted..."
Diret, who had barely managed to extract Lee Han, muttered in a voice thick with fatigue.
Come to think of it, this was probably the first time she'd had to forcibly pull away a popular junior from other mages.
Generally, students of the black magic school weren't the type to attract this kind of attention in the first place.
Who knew it would be this exhausting!
"Junior. This way."
"U-um, I'm fine now."
"No."
Diret was firm.
Even with her own mana and the aid of healing magic, the aftereffects of merging with a Great Spirit weren't something to take lightly.
He might seem fine now, but a sudden rebound could knock him out at any moment.
"It's not just about mana or stamina—the sheer volume of magical information can damage a wizard's brain. Didn't you feel magic different from usual when you merged with the Great Spirit?"
"!"
Lee Han realized what Diret was talking about.
The power of lightning that Perkuntra wielded was completely different from any lightning magic Lee Han had ever used before.
From the fundamental way of handling the lightning element to the heights to which the magic could be expanded—
The intense memories still lingered to some extent even now that the unification had been undone.
"Forcing yourself to train in magic beyond your level is dangerous enough, but forcibly imprinting it directly into your mind is even more perilous. You'll need to be careful for a while."
"But Professor Bagrak forces us to train in magic beyond our level. And the Headmaster outright imprints it directly into our minds..."
Diret pretended not to hear his junior's question.
"Huh?"
"Professor Bagrak and the Headmaster..."
"What was that?"
"...Never mind."
Instead of pressing his senior further, Lee Han resolved to be cautious for a while.
It seemed right to avoid dwelling on the magic Perkuntra had shown him until he was properly prepared and to take care of his body.
'Still, isn't this a bit too much worry...?'
Lee Han stared intently at the back of the high-ranking demon carrying him—Diret's summoned creature.
-■■■?
"Ah! It's nothing. Thank you for carrying me."
The high-ranking demon nodded expressionlessly. Diret, seeing this, remarked,
"My summon was surprised that you're actually quite kind, contrary to your appearance."
"I get that misunderstanding a lot. Honestly, beings who judge people based on mana are really something."
Lee Han grumbled. Diret briefly wondered if it was really just because of mana.
'You can't just contract with a Great Spirit just because you have a lot of mana, right...?'
"More importantly, Senior."
"Huh? I wasn't thinking anything!"
"Huh? No, I meant—there are a lot of people gathered on the road over there. What's going on?"
"!"
At his junior's words, Diret glanced over and was startled.
The streets of Plaha City, still shrouded in darkness before dawn.
The faint glow of mana lamps dimly illuminated the figures of the crowd.
Just from a glance, it was clear this wasn't a normal gathering.
"This is bad!"
"Are they suspicious people? Anti-Magic Zealots?"
"...Not that suspicious! Those are mages."
"What kind of mages?"
"Mages who heard rumors about the Exchange Meeting!"
Plaha City was a major metropolis, so there were many mages, and far more of them hadn't participated in the Exchange Meeting.
Not every mage was interested in the gathering.
But sometimes, exceptions happened.
When rumors compelling enough to make even the mages lounging in their mansions jump to their feet spread, crowds like this would swarm in.
"Tch. I only did it because you told me to give Senior Yukveltire a taste of his own medicine..."
"...I didn't expect it to blow up this much! Who could've predicted this?!"
Diret felt genuinely wronged.
No professor could have anticipated this outcome in that situation.
"Can't we just push through?"
"There are too many. Even exchanging just a word with each would take hours. Junior, if you want to last long as a mage, research is important, but..."
"...the ability to secure research funding is also crucial, right?"
"...Ah, no. Not that."
Diret was taken aback by his junior's unexpectedly pragmatic response.
He still didn't know that this junior had earned the Skeleton Principal's praise as a "Bureaucracy Crusher" during the break.
"Well, that is important, but the lesson I meant was—don't associate with strange mages."
"Ah."
Lee Han nodded.
That was undeniably sound advice.
"Like Professor Verdus or Senior Yukveltire?"
"...No... people even stranger than those two."
Diret almost agreed but shook his head, catching himself.
It wasn't something an Einrogard student should say, but there really were a lot of odd mages out there.
If it were just mages obsessed with research, it would have been better.
There were swindlers who had little interest in magic but tried to dazzle others to extort gold coins, criminals who sought to make a quick fortune using magic, and brokers who took commission fees by introducing mages to other guilds or Magic Towers...
Given how perilous the path of magic was, surprisingly few mages were genuinely serious about walking that path.
That's why mages who were truly dedicated to the path of magic had to avoid mingling with suspicious individuals.
Otherwise, they'd just end up wasting their own time by getting entangled with them!
"There was once a senior who was quite popular in that way."
"From the Black Magic school?"
"No. Another school... Hey, what are you implying?"
"I was just asking to confirm."
"Anyway, that senior often had such people coming to him with proposals, and it seems one of them was tempting enough. He ended up accepting the offer and working on something together."
"What happened to him?"
"The Imperial News reported that a mage from Einrogard was caught committing fraud using magic..."
Diret spoke in a sullen voice.
Even though time had passed, it was still a painful memory.
The memory of the Skeleton Principal flying into a rage and conducting a thorough search of the students was still vivid to this day.
'That's rough.'
Lee Han listened even more intently, realizing this wasn't just someone else's problem. He himself had dreams about business ventures.
'Definitely need to be careful.'
"Mages who attend the Exchange Meeting are at least somewhat better. You don't need to associate with every shady mage out there."
"Wait. Isn't that Senior Yukveltire over there?"
"What? That's ridiculous..."
Diret narrowed his eyes at Lee Han's words and looked ahead.
Yukveltire was standing on the main street with her escorts.
"Find them, explain my research, and make the proposal."
"Yes. Understood."
"These mages are getting in the way. Buy off anyone who can be bought."
"......"
As a senior, instead of dispersing the peddlers for the sake of his juniors, he was trying to buy them off for his own use. Diret hung his head low.
No matter where he looked, his friend was an embarrassment.
"Let's turn back... There's an alleyway over there..."
"...Cheer up."
"I'm fine..."
Despite his words, Diret's wings seemed unusually droopy today.
-Excuse me, why are you mages causing such a commotion in the middle of the night? The citizens are terrified.
-We're just trying to find someone...
"This isn't working. Let's go inside."
Seeing more mages than expected, Diret chose to simply head inside a building.
Once morning came, they'd likely give up and scatter.
"Do you know a place?"
"There's a workshop nearby."
Since the Exchange Meeting itself was located in the mage district of Plaha City, there were several guild and Magic Tower workshops in the vicinity. The same went for workshops established by Einrogard's own schools.
'Hmm?'
Lee Han brightened up but then hesitated.
Come to think of it, should the Black Magic school even have a workshop here?
Even if it was the mage district, shouldn't it be somewhere more remote—like near a cemetery in the outskirts?
"Is this really the Black Magic school's workshop?"
"Alchemy school."
"Ah."
"...Well, yeah. The Black Magic school probably shouldn't have a workshop here either."
"No, Senior. Why are you like this? I was just thinking the location might not be ideal for reagent supply. More importantly, if it's the Alchemy school's workshop, can we even go in?"
"I'm on relatively good terms with the Alchemy kids... I even got permission from Professor Thunderstep to enter. And there shouldn't be anyone inside."
Diret recited an incantation. With a clanking sound, the workshop door opened, releasing a pungent odor of mixed reagents.
-Who's there?
"...Damn it."
Diret muttered under his breath. Lee Han, climbing down from the high-ranking evil spirit's back, asked,
"What's wrong?"
"Of all people, there's a junior I don't get along with here. Ilendil, he's called... Ah. Wait. Junior."
Belatedly recalling something, Diret looked at Lee Han expectantly.
Lee Han answered firmly.
"I don't get along with him either."