Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 116
>Chapter Title: It Was Really Just a Joke
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After checking around the academy, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with Professor Parun's personal situation.
He was guiding the M1 Class students with his usual stern face, after all.
‘That means something's up with the New Heavenly Origin Art.’
Aster considered two possibilities.
One, Professor Parun's research phase had simply ended, and he needed to pass it on to Henji.
Two, the Decullan Family was up to something underhanded again.
If it was the former, Aster would welcome it. Progress on the New Heavenly Origin Art research meant shaving time off catching up to Pahren.
But if it was the latter...
Aster's thoughts reached that point when Damian's voice scattered them.
"Can't go?"
An innocent question. His eyes were as bright and cheerful as ever.
But the atmosphere wasn't quite the same. How to put it—piercingly transparent, as if seeing right through everything.
‘...Hmm.’
It wasn't unfamiliar.
He might look innocently cheerful and naive, but he was the young patriarch of the Blandoga Family. Even if he seemed immature compared to his peers, he wasn't naive all the way through.
He probably saw and knew as much as—or more than—those academy students pretending to be adults by acting grown-up.
He just didn't voice what he knew or show what he'd seen.
Was it that Damian's vibe felt unfamiliar? As Chenbi tilted his head curiously, Aster spoke up.
"Guess I'll have to see."
"When will you know?"
"Earliest tonight?"
"Got it."
Damian's atmosphere returned to normal right after that.
"I'm gonna make No. 2 Sweat, Tears, and Blood over break. So come see it later, for sure!"
A forced upbeat voice. Aster nodded with a ‘Sure, okay.’
Whether he could actually go was still up in the air, but Damian had already decided Aster definitely couldn't.
After that, conversation continued for a bit under Damian's lead.
But the vibe from before didn't return.
His mood was already down.
Damian seemed somehow subdued. Even Chenbi watched him worriedly, while only Aster remained his usual self.
And so, conversation ended, and class time wrapped up before they knew it.
"......"
Damian entered his room after parting with Aster and Chenbi, standing blankly in the dark center.
The sun dipped lazily. Students bustled outside the window, but Damian's expression sank indifferently.
As if the bright smile he'd worn moments ago was a lie.
He stared out the window with numb eyes for a moment. Then his mouth moved.
"......Boring."
Life had been pretty fun until he ran away from home and entered the academy. No, even after, it wasn't bad.
Academy life was as dull as he'd expected, but the people around him weren't half bad.
But now it was unbearably boring. Why?
"......"
Flutter, flap.
Damian's eyes followed the moth.
It slammed against the window, craving freedom. Damian's finger pointed at it. Mana bound it moments later.
Crackle, pop!
Damian watched the moth writhe, unable even to flap its wings.
......Boring.
His lips shaped the words silently.
Creak, tighten.
As the mana chains slowly constricted, Damian sorted his thoughts for a moment.
Wasn't this no different from being back at the Blandoga Family?
Not Damian, but the young patriarch. The family heir, the eldest son of Blandoga—stuck in that stuffy mold. What was different?
Snap, splat!
Finally, the moth lost form inside the compressed chains.
"......Hm."
Damian released the chains.
He caught the limp moth in his hand and healed it with Light of Healing.
"Sorry."
With a dazzling light, the restored moth fluttered its wings.
Damian opened the window, letting it fly free, and watched its path.
"Exactly until graduation."
Just hold out until then.
Surely somewhere, there was an insanely fun score to settle... but his current level didn't match.
So, endure.
‘If the levels don't match, it's no fun.’
So, exactly until graduation.
Just be bored until then.
Thinking of two years later, Damian smiled. His usual innocent grin.
For a moment.
"......What about Chenbi?"
Even after two years, their levels might not match.
They were already friends; he couldn't just ditch him.
Damian propped his chin, deep in thought, then grinned brightly.
"Just bring him along."
Levels didn't match, but he was a good friend.
......Of course, this was Damian's solo vow, giving zero thought to Aster or Chenbi's feelings.
* * *
Late at night, well past lights out.
I waited until Pola fell asleep, donned my mask, and slipped out of the academy.
My destination: Parun's mansion.
The building half-destroyed in the fierce battle with Karahen had been restored spotlessly, without a trace left.
"......You're late."
Parun had been continuing his research in the study; he looked up at my presence.
"Took you long enough since I called."
"Been busy."
"Should've used the communication orb. No way to know if you're dead or alive."
He must've been pretty frustrated. An uncharacteristic jab. I shrugged and sank into the guest sofa.
"So, why'd you call? You look fine. Research stuck? Need my help?"
"I'd sooner use an undergrad."
Fair point.
My magical knowledge was just selectively picked up where needed. Not very deep.
Sure, better than an undergrad, but to Parun, it'd be six of one, half a dozen of the other.
Anyway.
"Eat something good lately?"
"......?"
I marveled at Professor Parun's drastically changed presence.
It had been impressive before, but now it was on another level.
I hadn't noticed from afar at the academy, but up close, the difference was stark.
Did he swallow some spirit elixir?
Not the mass-produced upper-mid-lower grade stuff.
The real deal. Legendary treasures forged from the rarest ingredients!
For someone of Parun's caliber to change like this, it had to be that level.
But Parun shook his head at my question.
"Just restarted my training."
Yeah right.
People change this much from training alone? Totally different from a month ago.
He must've grasped some small enlightenment in between.
The fierce battle with Karahen and the Ordeal Chamber incident must've shifted his mindset, but that wasn't the point right now.
"So, why'd you call?"
"Got some intel."
"Intel?"
Parun rose from his desk and moved to the sofa.
He took the host's seat as if it were natural—annoyingly smug—but I said nothing. I was a guest with manners.
Anyway, Parun massaged his temples tiredly, then spoke.
"Ever heard of Infinite Chain?"
"Infinite Chain...?"
I had.
Infinite Chain, the endless thread.
One of the ancient artifacts—not a chain despite the name, but a ball of red thread.
Not ordinary thread, of course.
Wound tight, but the tangle never unraveled—an useless mess that couldn't even be knit with.
Yet it was considered a valuable artifact for one reason.
Absolute Tracking.
Satisfy a few conditions, and it could absolutely track any target.
Reading my reaction, Parun spoke.
"Seems you know it."
"Know it well."
How could I not? In my past life, I'd suffered hell because of it.
The reason the brute swordsmen of the Lortel swordsmanship house chased me to the death was Infinite Chain.
Otherwise, those idiots could've tracked me?
I'd barely survived those sword wounds... anyway, nearly died.
Fun times, though.
"But why bring it up?"
Infinite Chain belonged to the Lortel Family.
‘Wait, no way this guy...?’
Past Decullan to Lortel now?
No, impossible.
Lortel didn't act outwardly much, but in swordsmanship nobility, they were top-tier.
Underestimated only because they didn't expand influence.
No matter how crazy, who would touch Lortel after Decullan!
‘But if they did?’
A short time. Countless thoughts flashed.
I'm a troubleshooter who values loyalty. Parun and I were comrades-in-arms, sort of.
A comrade's danger was my danger.
"Intel from recently. The Decullans..."
"I'm out."
"......?"
"No, nothing. Something about Decullan—keep going."
"......"
Parun eyed me with thoroughly cooled eyes.
I was shameless.
My life, staring at the sky, was already spotty with stains. One more speck changed nothing.
Parun eyed me coldly a bit longer, then spoke.
"Decullans made contact with Lortel. Negotiating over Infinite Chain."
"No big..."
"You get what that means, right?"
Oh yeah.
"So now..."
"Fancy term: we're screwed."
"......"
Not fancy wording at all, but Parun was brazen. I had no energy to nitpick.
Why would Decullan want Infinite Chain!
Because of the Heavenly Origin Art Henji and Parun held. And further... my Crimson Fire secrets.
So, as Parun said...
"......We're totally screwed."
Ah, correction.
"......I'm fine, though?"
"......?"
"Infinite Chain tracks objects, not people... and I've memorized all the Crimson Fire secrets."
"......"
"Just burn it. Karahen's subspace is tricky, but ditch it if needed."
"......"
Back when Lortel chased me, it was because I'd stolen from them!
So, summary:
I'm fine. Or more precisely... just me.
"......"
"......"
The study air chilled icily. Awkward silence settled as we glared in unison.
What? So what.
"Burn yours too."
"......"
Smart guy hasn't memorized it yet?
Researching the paper means it's crammed in his head.
But why.
Parun looked at me like a lowly ape. He sighed deeply, scolding pitifully.
"You think it's that simple? Track the ‘paper’? Burn the paper too?"
Ah, right.
Infinite Chain: absolute tracking.
If Decullans targeted the ‘Heavenly Origin Art paper,’ Henji and Parun's copies weren't exempt.
‘Sure, can't target a paper we don't know exists. But... use the incantation as medium, and finding the paper's just time.’
Various factors, but yeah.
Even for Henji and Parun, memorizing every word of this massive paper was impossible.
Joint authors, yet memorizing the whole logical structure? Near impossible.
"Now you get the severity?"
"Hmm......"
I put on a grave face, looking at Parun.
"That's too bad."
"......"
"Good luck."
"......"
Killing intent crept from Parun right after.
Grind.
His terrifying aura shook the study's furnishings rattlingly, but I had to add one thing.
"Joking."
I'm a loyal troubleshooter. Ignoring a comrade's crisis leaves a bad taste for a day.
It was really just a joke.
Really.