Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: The Dean's Offer
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(2)
3.
After leaving the forest, Ullan headed toward the dormitory.
He had belatedly remembered that they conducted headcounts every morning. But to cut a long story short, Ullan never made it back to the dormitory.
Ullan Bator, Dilia Arpen. The two students are requested to come immediately to the 9th floor of the Magic Faculty headquarters building, the dean's office.
Deplin, the dean of the Magic Faculty.
The moment her name was mentioned, Ullan had a rough idea of why he was being summoned.
'Special benefits.'
During the Mana Detection exam.
Deplin had promised that if he perfectly recovered the core of the mana golem, she would grant him special benefits separate from the score.
It was probably to fulfill that promise.
Having grasped the situation, Ullan immediately changed his destination. But the moment he arrived at the headquarters building, a new problem confronted him.
"No good. You can't enter."
These people blocking Ullan's path out of nowhere.
They were the guards protecting the Magic Faculty headquarters building. And the reason Ullan's entry was denied was exceedingly simple.
"This is the wizards' ivory tower."
"We can't let you in dressed like that."
"If you want to go in, put some clothes on first."
It was his attire.
Ullan wore a troubled expression at the guards' words. When he had left the plains, he hadn't packed any extra tops to wear.
As he pondered what to do, a familiar voice tickled his ear.
"Ullan?"
Silver hair cascading down luxuriantly.
Round, golden eyes wide open.
It was the girl as beautiful as a sculpted doll, Dilia Arpen. She must have come after hearing Deprin's summons as well.
Meanwhile, Dilia tilted her head.
Her expression asked why he was just standing there. Reading it instantly, Ullan answered honestly.
"They say I can't enter dressed like this."
"Ah."
Dilia nodded as if she understood.
She soon approached the guards and spoke in her usual curt tone.
"I have an appointment with Deplin."
"Even with an appointment..."
"It's problematic to let someone in dressed like that."
The guards looked troubled.
At that moment, one guard's eyes widened.
As if he had belatedly realized something.
"Wait, Deplin?"
It was a familiar name. Naturally so.
Deplin Chernio was the owner of this Magic Faculty building and the dean.
A moment later, the three, who had been talking with stiff faces, asked cautiously.
"...By any chance, are you Ullan and Dilia?"
"That's right."
"Yes."
Ullan and Dilia nodded. They also glanced at their watches. It was indirect pressure that they might be late for the appointment.
And it worked perfectly.
"Sigh, no helping it."
"We'll make an exception this once and allow entry."
"For now, at least cover up with this, and make sure to dress properly next time."
They couldn't refuse entry to students personally summoned by the dean. Reluctantly, the guards permitted the two to enter.
Along with a thin leather cloak.
Probably a consideration to cover his bare upper body. Taking it, Ullan entered the headquarters building right away.
The two then boarded a mana-powered elevator. Inside the elevator slowly ascending to the 9th floor, Dilia suddenly spoke up.
"Why don't you wear clothes?"
"They're uncomfortable."
The reason Ullan went around without clothes was that he wasn't accustomed to the feel of leather or fabric brushing against his skin.
He also disliked the tight pressure on his forearms, chest, and shoulders. But taking them off solved all those problems. So he went without.
"Aren't you cold?"
"I don't feel the cold much to begin with."
His body was sturdy enough to be called blessed. Plus, once he got used to activating Spirit, ordinary cold or heat was no issue.
After Ullan's response.
Dilia scanned his body with sparkling eyes. It was the look of someone discovering a fascinating new creature.
【Arrived at the 9th floor.】
【The door will open shortly.】
The elevator soon reached its destination.
As the doors opened, a spacious corridor stretched out before them. Since the dean's office was at the far end of the east wing, the two hurried along.
Then.
Dilia spoke up again.
"Is your shoulder okay?"
Why suddenly ask about his shoulder?
As Ullan looked at her puzzled, Dilia recalled yesterday's events and said.
"You got hit by the golem."
"Me? When?"
"Yesterday, while protecting me."
Had that happened? Ullan scratched his head.
He remembered smashing the golem with his fist, but he had no memory of getting hit.
Of course, there had been some physical contact with the golem while shielding Dilia. But he wouldn't call that "getting hit."
'No blood, no broken bones.'
By Ullan's standards, only if his skin tore and bones shattered did it count as getting hit. Anything less was just a graze.
So he had only thought of it as a brief touch with the golem, not as being struck.
So what exactly was she talking about?
Ullan stared at her with a baffled expression, not understanding. And Dilia was equally flustered.
'What? Why is he pretending not to know?'
Ullan had definitely been hit by the golem.
With a loud thwack! even.
It had happened just yesterday, so why act like he didn't know? As if trying to pretend it never happened.
As her thoughts reached that point.
A sudden hunch flashed through her mind.
'Ah! Could it be...'
Is he being considerate of me?
Maybe he's trying to make it so I don't feel bad about him getting hurt because of me, by acting like yesterday never happened.
No, that was the most plausible explanation. There's no other way he'd act like this.
'I lacked awareness.'
He's more delicate than he appears.
With that thought, Dilia promptly shut her mouth. She decided to gratefully accept Ullan's consideration.
Meanwhile, since Dilia said nothing more, Ullan brushed it off as no big deal. He figured she must have mistaken him for someone else.
As they walked the corridor in silence.
This time, Ullan spoke first.
"Dilia."
"Y-Yeah?"
"Do you have any guess about the special benefits Dean Deplin mentioned?"
The moment Deprin's name was uttered.
Her face stiffened.
"No idea. But..."
"But?"
"...She has ulterior motives."
The opponent was that Deplin.
No matter the promised special benefits, she wouldn't give them away easily.
There was surely some dark scheme behind it.
Dilia was convinced of that.
Soon, the two arrived at the dean's office. Something immediately caught their eyes.
A note from Deplin stuck to the door.
It said to enter one at a time.
"I'll go first."
"Got it."
The order didn't really matter.
So he yielded the turn.
About ten minutes later.
Deprin's voice came from inside.
"Come in, Ullan."
Her conversation with Dilia must have ended.
Ullan entered the room right away. Strangely, though, Dilia was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Dilia?"
"That girl said she left first."
Deplin answered with a beaming smile.
She pointed to a separate elevator installed in the corner of the dean's office. Probably meaning she went down that way.
"First, congratulations on ranking first."
"Thank you."
"No need for long talk. Straight to the point. I called you here to give you the special benefits I promised last time."
Ullan's guess was spot on.
He silently waited for Deprin's words. Soon, she spoke.
"I'll grant one of your wishes."
"A wish?"
"Yes, of course, only something feasible. Just one. No putting it off for later."
Meaning, state it here and now.
Ullan silently stared at Deplin.
'A wish.'
He did have desires.
The real reason Ullan had entered the academy.
Clues to reaching the 'realm of the transcendent.' And information on the 'most powerful weapon in the world.'
He had heard that Arsen Academy held all knowledge in existence.
'Then surely there are clues or information on reaching the transcendent realm stored here.'
Ullan believed that.
He was about to speak honestly when he closed his mouth again. The reason was Deprin's eyes.
'...Eyes scheming something.'
In his past life, Ullan had gained some eye for reading people through various incidents.
And now, Deprin's eyes resembled those of an owl spotting prey. A hunter's gaze.
As he observed them quietly.
Dilia's words suddenly came to mind.
That Deplin had ulterior motives. Thus, Ullan quickly concluded.
'Better not say this.'
He decided to keep the transcendent realm matter secret for now.
State a different wish.
As he began a new deliberation, Deplin suddenly spoke.
"No need to overthink it."
Her voice was soft and coaxing.
Sweet as if coated in honey, it gently tapped at Ullan's ears.
"Just say what you want most right now. If it's something I can handle, I'll grant it immediately."
"..."
If it were the Ullan before his regression, he might have wavered. Her voice was that sweet, with an inexplicable pull.
But it didn't work on the current Ullan.
He let her words flow in one ear and out the other, steadfastly continuing his deliberation. Soon, he made his decision.
"I've lived like this until now."
"Pardon?"
"So I'm having trouble getting used to wearing clothes. It'd be great if you could allow me to roam freely in this attire."
Recalling how the guards had denied him entry earlier, Ullan finished his answer.
Deplin asked back, seemingly flustered.
"Uh, that's your wish?"
"Yes."
"Nothing else you want?"
"No."
His firm, successive responses.
Deplin furrowed her brow.
"Don't decide so quickly. Think more. For example, don't you want methods to accumulate mana faster or rare spellbooks?"
"I'm satisfied with this wish."
He already knew how to accumulate mana quickly: swallow magic beast cores. And spellbooks were utterly unnecessary for Ullan.
"Is it impossible?"
"Ah, no. That's feasible."
Deplin shook her head.
"But are you really satisfied with this? Truly? Opportunities like this don't come often."
"This is fine."
"Sigh, alright. Then from today, I'll inform the guards so you can roam in that attire."
"Thank you for the consideration."
Ullan bowed his head slightly.
On the other hand, Deplin let out a sigh.
As if her prepared plans had fallen through.
4.
Creeeak! Thud!
With the sound of the door closing.
Ullan left the dean's office.
The footsteps gradually faded. Once they were completely gone, Deplin slumped over her desk.
"Argh, he didn't bite."
Deplin pouted with a sullen face.
Her original plan had been this.
First, use the wish as bait to find out what Ullan wanted. Items, people, knowledge—anything.
Then get it first and use it as leverage to coerce cooperation in various researches...
"Seems I made him wary."
Who would have thought he'd wish for that?
Deplin furrowed her brow.
And that wasn't all.
Unlike what she had seen at yesterday's exam grounds, no mana emanated from Ullan today. Even the two mana vessels that had been in his small intestine were completely gone.
"Probably hiding it on purpose."
There was only one reason.
He was wary of Deplin. It could be seen as a loss for raising his guard needlessly, but it wasn't an entire loss.
She had realized he was hiding more than just mana vessels.
'He's concealing his true abilities.'
To fool the eyes of a grand magus like Deplin, erasing all traces of mana and perfectly hiding even his mana vessels.
That couldn't be explained without exceptional skill. Unless he had destroyed the vessels himself, which was unlikely.
'And the 100 mana result in the mana measurement was probably intentional too.'
100 mana was the minimum to be called a wizard. Adjusting precisely to exactly 100 couldn't be accidental.
'To summarize...'
Ullan was wary of Deplin.
His magic skills were outstanding enough to perfectly hide the mana vessels in his small intestine.
Finally, for some reason, he was deliberately hiding his power. The exact 100 mana in measurement was proof.
That was the rundown.
"The more I see, the more interesting he gets."
The corners of her smiling mouth curved up.
She wanted to drag him to her lab right now and examine him thoroughly, from head to toe.
But she couldn't.
"Too many eyes watching now."
Ullan had become a noticeable figure.
He was the top scorer of the entrance exam.
Moreover, two professors from the Military Faculty coveted him, and Berge, Arsen's second-in-command, was also keeping tabs on Ullan.
Deplin knew well that rash actions in this situation would bring more harm than good.
"Well, this should do for now."
So she decided to play the long game.
Ullan was a freshman who had just enrolled.
Four years until graduation. Surely a way to bring him to her lab would arise within that time.
"Looking forward to what's ahead."
Deprin's eyes blazed like candles. The gaze of a mage consumed by curiosity and research.
Chapter 8. Let's Get Along Well