Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Defeat Addict Absolutes Obsess Over Me
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"What did you just say?"
Aurora, the head of the Life Magic School—a magic school renowned across the empire for handling all treatment-related spells—couldn't believe what her assistant had said upon visiting her office.
"The 1st Knight Order... has decided to terminate their partnership contract with us."
"And the reason?"
"They say the Goddess of Victory no longer feels fatigued after training..."
As a school responsible for all medical magic except surgery, the Life Magic School employed various healing spells, from simple fatigue recovery to muscle massages.
This naturally extended to alleviating the fatigue substances built up from grueling training—a specialty of Life Magic.
Rather than physical massage, they used magic and mana to aid mana circulation within the body or relax tense muscles, facilitating recovery.
The effects were so remarkable that Yuris, the captain of the Empire's 1st Knight Order and the Goddess of Victory, frequently relied on their recovery magic.
Once a week, or every other day at most, a mage would visit to restore Yuris and the rest of the 1st Knight Order.
Enhancing muscles with reinforcement spells to boost training efficiency was another of their strengths.
One could even say that the 1st Knight Order's ability to return from countless missions unweary and continue fighting and training was thanks to Life Magic.
Though criticized for being less efficient than divine power, the Life Magic School could perform treatments that even the church couldn't.
They even took pride in being closer to the people in matters of healing than the divine power-wielding church.
Their partnership with the 1st Knight Order symbolized this.
The empire's premier knight order using Life Magic's services—what better advertisement could there be?
And with the client being the Goddess of Victory, no less?
She was an object of admiration rivaling, or even surpassing, the empire's empress and hero for some.
Providing services to Yuris was the ultimate marketing tool.
Life Magic capitalized on this, offering fatigue recovery services to various nobles.
From recovery to skin beautification and basic health restoration.
This was why Life Magic earned more money than all but Goldmoon and Meister Schools.
Aurora, who had joined Yuris on multiple battlefields to restore her fatigue even after the war ended, occasionally visited her afterward.
Lately, the summons had dwindled, which she found odd.
'Terminating the contract?'
It made no sense.
"Is it the church? Surely they're not breaking it off with us because she's receiving divine healing from them?"
"N-No, it doesn't seem so. There are no records of her visiting the church, nor have they sent any priests..."
"Then?"
"..."
"Tell me quickly! You wouldn't come here without knowing anything!"
As Aurora grew angry, a faint mana emanated from her green hair—the most prominent trait of those who learned Life Magic spells.
"W-We recently confirmed she's been frequenting a small shop opened by the Illusion School."
"Hall of Illusions?"
"Yes... It's run by a mage named Max... Apparently, some famous figures visit it."
Max.
She'd heard the name in passing.
A mage brought to the magic schools a few years ago by Droken, the former Blaster School dean now retired.
-A genius who appears once every century, if that. Keep an eye on him. See how far he climbs.
Rumors said Droken had fainted in shock upon learning the mage chose the Illusion School over Blaster.
What dean hadn't been hailed as a genius mage themselves?
Aurora, once touted as an unparalleled prodigy herself, dismissed it.
'Even geniuses can't shine without a proper stage.'
She knew someone like that.
Meiko, current head of the Illusion Magic School.
A mage from the same cohort who became a school head before Aurora, despite being younger.
But afterward, she wasted her brilliant talent on futile research to save her school.
While Aurora brought Life Magic into the empire's top three earners, Meiko produced only basic theses on illusion magic.
Aurora assumed Max would fare the same.
She hadn't even cared when he joined the dead-end Illusion School.
Yet now his name surfaced.
"What does that illusion nonsense have to do with them canceling our contract?"
"After visiting there, their psychological fatigue lifts, waste is expelled from the body, and they feel refreshed."
"With mere illusion magic?"
"That's what we heard. So our services are no longer needed..."
Her blood boiled.
Absurd.
Losing Yuris like this?
The Goddess of Victory—the symbol that had uniquely surpassed the church's divine power in her generation—to some shady illusion mage?
'This can't happen.'
It was impossible.
For Life Magic to become the empire's top magic school, Yuris was essential.
"At least they want to continue services for the rest of the 1st Knight Order members..."
"If Yuris isn't using it, what's the point!"
Boom!
Her agitated mana exploded outward, shaking the desk and bookshelves.
"H-Head..."
"Waste expelled thanks to an illusion mage? Don't make me laugh. They're tricking people with lies. Those types wield magic no different from demons."
"W-Well, the silver lining is that the Illusion School's budget has been slashed drastically because of that shop."
Aurora glared at her oblivious assistant's chatter.
"S-Sorry."
"No. A good idea just came to me."
Budget cuts due to lost revenue.
This could be the perfect chance to eliminate that insolent shop.
'Time to crush the pesky rival targeting our customers.'
Deeply satisfied, Reina returned to the elven forest.
Escorted by her guard detail protecting the wagons laden with massive tribute for the elves.
"I'll come back again. If not, I'll send a letter, so... visit once."
Those were her parting words to me.
She must have truly loved the service this time.
'She knows the difference between reality and illusion well enough.'
No need for warnings; she'd handle it wisely.
Reina departed amid cheers from throngs of curious imperial citizens—the streets packed for the rare sight of an elf.
The next day after she left.
"Pardon the intrusion."
Three people in civil servant uniforms visited our shop.
Familiar attire.
Worn by the so-called "Executors"—special investigators of the capital guard responsible for security and special cases.
Why would investigators handling special incidents come to our shop?
"Are you Max, mage of the Illusion School?"
"Yes, but what's this about?"
"We received a report."
"A report? What kind?"
"Claims that you're brainwashing people here."
Wait, what?
"May we search the premises for our investigation?"
Even the saintess endorsed this place.
Can you take responsibility for this?
A vast, ornate conference room.
Heads of the numerous magic schools under the empire's Magic Department gathered for a meeting.
The leaders of the six major schools—commonly called the empire's six great magic schools—sat in their seats.
Blaster, pursuing destruction and explosion magic regardless of element.
Life Magic, always at the forefront of imperial medicine despite claims of inferiority to divine power.
Goldmoon, chasing alchemy via magic and other profitable spells.
Meister, researching installed spells and magic circles, driving magical science alongside Goldmoon.
Darkness, using shadows and darkness for protecting key imperial figures or assassinating enemy agents—the empire's shadow.
Finally, Servant, excelling in various fields with spirits and summons.
The six mainstream school heads sat around the round table, stroking their chins as they eyed each other.
"So, Aurora, why'd you gather us?"
Ri Grant, head of Blaster School, stroked his signature red beard and opened with a question to Aurora of Life Magic.
The woman called Aurora brushed back her green hair—Life Magic's hallmark trait—and spoke.
"I wanted to discuss the Illusion School."
"Illusion School?"
"Why that fringe-of-fringe school?"
"Have you heard of the 'Hall of Illusions' they opened?"
Most shook their heads.
Gordon, head of Meister, nodded while stroking his wrinkled chin, vaguely aware.
"I know it. That Max from their school consulted us a lot."
"Ah, Max? That guy's industrious."
Kellon, head of Goldmoon—which recruited any profitable mage—chuckled, fiddling with his golden mustache.
Aurora scowled.
"Rumors are spreading that the Hall of Illusions offers peculiar illusions. Know about it?"
All shook their heads.
"Isn't it normal for those Illusion folks to peddle weird visions?"
"Right. That's why they're called devil magic and finger-pointed at."
"Pitiful school. I feel bad for the mages stuck there."
"...The only school treated worse than our Darkness."
As expected, Aurora spoke up.
"It's not that simple. Recently, rumors say Yuris—the 1st Knight Order captain and Goddess of Victory—and the hero Niki visited it."
"The Goddess of Victory and hero seeking illusions on purpose?"
"What's it matter?"
Aurora clicked her tongue at the nonchalant heads.
"Why do people call Illusion magic perverse? Because false visions can implant wrong ideas, right?"
"You think the Goddess of Victory falls for mere illusions?"
"...You're too paranoid."
Thick trust in the Goddess of Victory stalled the talk.
"Tch, Aurora, you're not just nitpicking the Illusion School because your recent fatigue recovery contract with the 1st Knight Order got axed?"
Kellon laughed heartily.
"You think I'd target such a pathetic school over that?"
"Could be. Calm down."
Aurora cleared her throat.
"We need to investigate. Why is Yuris frequenting that shop? And even the hero's involved. Doesn't it seem suspicious?"
Yuris, Goddess of Victory, and Niki, the hero.
These two had the greatest merits in subjugating the Demon King.
Without Yuris, major battles against demons, the Bemfri Fortress defense, and retaking the elven forest would have failed.
Without Niki, the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings, executives, and the king himself wouldn't have fallen.
For these top contributors to frequent a shop run by an illusion mage—often mistaken for devilish sorcery—was too coincidental.
"And that Max? Sure, former Blaster head Professor Droken brought him, but we don't even know his origins or hometown."
"Hey, Aurora. Insulting our Blaster now?"
"Not at all. If Max is a demon, even Dean Droken could be fooled."
Aurora continued.
"And remember, some previous heroes fell to become the Demon King."
"Urgh."
"..."
The fact that prior heroes had turned Demon King muddled the heads' minds further.
"Even so, investigating a legit mage's shop based on suspicion..."
"Right. He hasn't done anything wrong; acting on hunches..."
"What if we miss the golden opportunity? We need to check. Just in case."
"..."
"Not wrong, but..."
"That kid was polite."
"If innocent, we apologize politely. Say it was a misunderstanding."
The heads sighed at Aurora's words.
"Isn't it a reasonable suspicion?"
"If wrong, will you take responsibility?"
"Of course."
Aurora declared with conviction.
It defied common sense.
Yuris, the Goddess of Victory, feeling fatigue lifted by mere illusion magic?
She was surely using some unknown trick.
'I need to dispel the illusion so Yuris returns to our services.'
Otherwise, Life Magic might lose its current glory.
If wrong? Unlikely, but an apology and token gesture would suffice.
Illusion mages were notoriously dirt poor.
"If Life Magic's head takes responsibility, we should investigate."
"Send someone."
"Agreed."
"...Agreed."
Only Ri Grant of Blaster hesitated briefly.
"Opposing won't change it; it's decided. Fine, dispatch an investigation team."
"Good. This ends today's emergency meeting."
And so, Executors were dispatched to Max's shop.