Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Dolloren's True Identity
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I stood beside Ms. "Jane Doe," pointing at a section of the blueprint with my finger.
"As you can see, the rotational energy from the waterwheel is used solely to lift this massive iron weight."
"And... whenever you need power, you gradually release this latch? Like winding a clock?"
"Exactly. Then, with each back-and-forth stroke of the hammer, the weight lowers just a bit..."
"Once it's all used up, you hoist the weight back up with the river's power at night."
Jane Doe's breathing grew a little ragged.
"Storing and releasing power using only pure mechanics... Incredible..."
She turned to me.
"You planning to build this now?"
"Yes. I figured I'd at least lay the foundation."
"Why just the foundation? You have the full blueprints. Let me help."
"...Pardon?"
She made a light gesture toward the air.
In that instant, the ground beneath our feet was torn open in a flash.
Rumble...!
Finally, the moment had arrived.
For once, I was the one saying the line I'd only ever heard from others.
"That kind of magic without even an incantation?"
"Heh heh heh."
Ms. Jane Doe looked pleased.
Just like that, the pit I'd planned to dig for the foundation was complete in the blink of an eye.
I said to her,
"Wow. That's impressive."
"...That's it?"
"Pardon? I mean, you're amazing! Thank you!"
"..."
Jane Doe's face twisted in dissatisfaction.
"No soul in that reaction. You won't see magic like this anywhere else."
"..."
"Fine... Let me show you something more fun."
She gestured again, and rocks from the quarry across the river floated into the air and flew toward us.
-"Whoa! What the hell?!"
-"Rocks are flying!"
Shouts from the quarry workers echoed from afar.
'...Guess I should apologize to them at the quarry later.'
Making a fuss now would just seem provocative, so I stayed quiet.
Jane Doe said to me,
"How's this?"
"Wow. Magic beyond my wildest imagination."
"Right?"
She seemed satisfied with my reaction this time.
The building materials began stacking precisely into place like Lego bricks, following the blueprint.
Her magic was extraordinary.
No one came to mind for comparison.
'If I had to pick... maybe Sir Valerius.'
But no way she was that strong.
Archmages didn't just drop out of the sky.
Who the hell was this woman?
Who is the Empire's greatest mage?
Magic Tower Dean Magarta.
Archmage Valerius.
Plenty of others would come to mind.
But when it comes to the "Legendary Mage," everyone agrees:
Dolloren.
No family name.
Born the daughter of serfs, blessed by mana, she slew a dragon at age ten.
She refused the title of Archmage bestowed by the Dean and the Emperor, and founded her own school upon reaching adulthood.
Her activities since are unknown officially.
But rumor has it Dolloren scours ancient ruins daily in pursuit of the Philosopher's Stone.
While Isaac was demolishing Kaien Winterheart's master's thesis at the Magic Tower,
Giuseppe had gone to visit Dolloren.
"Long time no see, Giuseppe."
Dolloren greeted him with a bright smile.
Giuseppe said,
"How's the ruin exploration going?"
"Nope. Total bust. Strikeout again."
"That's a shame."
"...You're not here just for casual check-ins. What's the real reason you came all this way?"
"Heh heh heh."
Giuseppe seemed unusually excited after so long apart.
He said,
"We have a new junior member."
"Huh...? Why?"
"Beats me... There's so much to tell you."
Giuseppe poured out stories about his junior named "Isaac Uphills."
Creating a magic tool that handled all paperwork while he napped.
Taking on missions abandoned by other schools, succeeding for a premium fee.
Elucidating the properties of waves.
Announcing Archmage Valerius's calculus...
"Then suddenly, the Imperial Princess showed up and awarded us medals...!"
"What, making mana crystals from pinecones now?"
"Pardon...?"
Even for Dolloren, who slew a dragon at ten, such feats were impossible.
What Giuseppe described wasn't a realm reachable by strength alone.
'Unless it's a true genius...'
But Dolloren knew true geniuses didn't join minor schools.
She studied Giuseppe closely.
'No way... Is he sick?'
Dolloren worried about Giuseppe's health.
He must have hit his head or something.
She said,
"I'll have to visit more often next year. How bored must you be to invent a imaginary junior?"
"...Pardon?"
It was heartbreaking.
"Go on back for now. I'll drop by more this year. Or rest here a bit. I'll smooth things over with the Dean."
"...Does my word sound like a lie?"
"Would you believe it?"
"Knew you'd say that, so I brought the report too."
Giuseppe handed Dolloren a report detailing Isaac Uphills's achievements.
Dolloren pretended to read it.
"Great report. Got it. I'll visit the school more this year."
"...You're just pretending not to see it. Don't blame me later for not convincing you harder."
"Yeah, yeah. Get back to work."
And so Giuseppe left.
"Delusions have their limits."
Accomplishments like that in the first semester would guarantee the Dean's seat changes within 50 years.
Dolloren's mind changed a few months later.
On a boredom-induced whim, she opened the report Giuseppe had given her.
"What is this? Calculus...?"
She'd once seen Valerius's magic solving the "Achilles and the Tortoise" paradox.
Flow rate method, was it? An interesting approach, but incomplete.
But this was different.
This was the completed version.
"Finding areas and instantaneous rates of change as inverse processes..."
Astonishing.
Every step was as rigorous as geometry.
With this, she could mathematically prove Isaac Uphills's initial "wave theory."
There are many famous architects in the world, but few design the perfect "architect's tools" first.
Isaac Uphills had done it.
That was Dolloren's ideal.
"No way Giuseppe hallucinated this alone..."
Only then did Dolloren regret it.
"Guess Isaac Uphills really exists."
It was always like this.
Giuseppe warned her ahead of time, but she never listened.
"Should've believed Giuseppe."
She wanted to go see him now. This Isaac kid.
Dolloren resolved to return to the capital.
Showing up unannounced would earn her a scolding from the Dean, so she sent a brief message via communication orb.
A faint thought from the Dean replied.
-'Enter through the city gates.'
A chill ran up Dolloren's arm.
"That crazy monster... Reaches this far?"
...Felt like teleporting straight to the Tower grounds would be bad this time.
Crack. Pop.
Dolloren stretched.
"Alright, let's go."
Boom!
Her body shot upward like a cannonball.
And there, she met an intriguing mage.
"I'm Howard."
"Yeah. I'm 'Jane Doe.'"
She was amazed by Howard's magic tool blueprint.
It looked like a typical waterwheel, but the essence was different.
A waterwheel transformed the form and direction of force; this stored it.
'And it can distribute that stored power so precisely.'
Isaac and Howard... The Tower's full of talent lately.
'Want to recruit this one to our school too...'
Impressive mana reserves, but an open mind.
Just like Giuseppe.
Dolloren's type of mage.
She asked Howard,
"You planning to build this now?"
"Yes. I figured I'd at least lay the foundation."
"Why just the foundation? You have the full blueprints. Let me help."
"...Pardon?"
Dolloren acted immediately.
To assist with the work, earn points, and scout "Howard" for the Magic Survey School.
The workshop was completed in an instant.
Ready to hang a sign and open right away.
"All done. Not bad, huh?"
"...Thanks to you, it went up in a flash."
I'd planned to probe her identity during the work, but no chance.
I asked Jane,
"Where to now?"
"Magic Tower."
"...I was headed there too. Same destination."
Couldn't call the guards after accepting her help.
We decided to go together for now.
If need be, I'd subdue her. Whether I could was another question.
On the way, Ms. Jane said to me,
"I'll pay a premium to scout you. Wanna join our school?"
Money, huh.
The more, the better for the 'Uphills Foundation.'
"How much did you come prepared to offe... No, forget I said that."
...Pushing it might spell trouble.
My instincts screamed as much.
Ms. Jane chuckled.
"What a funny guy."
Thwack!
"Ack!"
Her hand smacked my back.
Probably meant as a joke, but it could kill a frog—no, Isaac.
My back stung.
"Ms. Jane... You're really not a wind element mage?"
Her raw strength alone could match those folks.
"Told you no. Our school's a total minor faction. Housed in the annex."
"..."
'Mentioning the annex specifically... Maybe she really is a Tower mage?'
The Magic Tower Annex wasn't widely known.
A thug wouldn't bother with minor department excuses.
Time to dig a bit more.
I asked Jane,
"Which floor and room is your school on?"
"...You don't know much, do you? Annex schools don't even have room numbers on the doors."
"..."
She knew that detail. Real annex school mage, then.
She continued,
"Ours is at the end of the first-floor hallway."
I stopped dead.
"...End of the first-floor hallway?"
"Yeah."
"..."
That was our school's old lab location.
It's empty now.
'Does that mean...'
My inner Holmes spoke.
Eliminate the impossible... whatever comes next.
My mouth moved on autopilot.
"Um... Are you perhaps Professor Dolloren?"
"Hm?"
Jane—no, Dolloren's eyes widened. She said,
"I never told you my real name. How'd you know?"
Spot on.
I bowed deeply.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I'm 'Isaac Uphills,' the freshman who joined the Magic Survey School last semester."
"Wha...?"
"It's an honor to meet you, Professor Dolloren."
"...You're that Isaac. Isaac Uphills."
Dolloren looked a bit disappointed.
Why?
Wasn't I EX-rank grad student material?
What's the complaint?
She said,
"So Howard was fake, then?"
"Pardon?"
"No, it's nothing... Just feels like someone stole my gift."
"..."
Magic Tower, 10th floor.
Magic Survey School lab.
School Head Dolloren murmured while gazing out the window.
"I prefer the annex over the main building. More laid-back vibe, right, 'Howard'?"
Howard now, seriously.
I decided to play along with Dolloren's joke.
"...Yes, School Head Jane."
Dolloren chuckled.
Giuseppe glanced between us in confusion.
He said,
"What happened between you two without telling me?"
"...Nothing. You don't need to know."
Giuseppe tilted his head but didn't press.
Dolloren buzzed excitedly around the lab.
Flipping through my "Magic Tool Suspension" thesis, she muttered,
"Man, should've listened to Giuseppe. Missed out on a semester of fun."
Giuseppe shot back instantly.
"Told you so. I said come quick."
"Got it. My bad."
Moments later, her gaze landed on "Excel."
"Whoa, what's this? Self-destruct spell too? Must be valuable."
Dolloren's eyes turned to me.
My mouth opened.
"...I'll register you for access soon, School Head Dolloren."
"Sweet. Thanks."
After that, Dolloren rummaged through every corner of the lab.
"..."
Watching her, I felt strangely dazed.
Giuseppe said to me,
"Get used to it. That's how she is."
"Ah... Okay."
"Oh, right. Got an official notice for you, junior."
Giuseppe handed me a single sheet from the desk.
Damn it all.
Was I reading this right?
Having the defendant pick their attacker for thesis defense?
Is this okay, Magic Tower?
From autonomous research funds onward, it felt way too arbitrary...
If I were Dean, I wouldn't run it this loosely.
"So, junior, anyone you'd like to recommend as attacker?"
"No. No one in particular."
"This is tricky."
Then Dolloren wedged in between us.
"Master's thesis defense? 'Howard,' you're a first-semester freshman. How already?"
"...Circumstances."
I gave Dolloren a brief, sanitized rundown of events so far.
The conflict with the Wind Magic School, and my thesis as the resolution.
Dolloren asked me,
"...What kind of thesis splits the Wind School in two?"
"Well... Simply put, establishing an absolute temperature scale based on gas volume changes with temperature..."
"...!"
Before I finished, Dolloren grabbed my shoulders.
"Hold on. What? What's the topic? Absolute temperature scale?"
"...Yes."
"You're the real deal for the Survey School."
Dolloren's eyes gleamed with greed.
"Lemme read that thesis."
"..."
Couldn't refuse.
Flip.
With each page turn, laughter escaped her lips.
Tap tap.
Giuseppe patted my back from beside her. He was holding back laughter.
A very ominous feeling crept in.
After Dolloren finished the entire thesis, she said,
"I'll be your attacker."
"Pardon?"
"Absolute temperature thesis. Should go to someone from the same Survey School."
"..."
My mind blanked for a moment.
School Head as thesis attacker? Overkill much?
I pointed at Giuseppe beside me.
"If school's short-staffed, couldn't Senior Giuseppe step up instead...?"
"No way! It's gotta be me! Pass this, and I'll back you for real... Pick me!"
Act your age...
She looked young, but must be quite old.
Her enthusiasm was borderline scary.
'Help.'
Hoping he'd get the hint, I looked at Giuseppe.
He replied,
"Why look at me? This is your thing."
"..."
For the first time, I felt betrayed by Senior Giuseppe.