Chapter 148: Unexpected Bet (1) (1/2)
“Deculein doesn’t have much time left.”
Epherene stared blankly at Louina.
Zeeeing—
The wood steel vibrated as if it were telling her to come to her senses. Epherene’s shoulders trembled.
“…Saying that he has no time left.”
Her voice broke as her vocal cords tightened.
“…”
Louina looked around. Before saying that, she had already checked around with magic, but just in case someone was watching, her senses perked up.
“I expect it to be from an incurable disease.”
Epherene’s jaw fell as if to touch the ground. Louina laughed bitterly and continued.
“I’m not sure, though. However, a great reason is necessary for a person to change.”
“…”
Louina said she wasn’t sure, but Epherene already knew. She still remembered the words her future had left her.
“Huhu.”
Suddenly, Louina chuckled as if she was cute.
“You’re about to cry. Like a baby.”
“Eh? No, I won’t cry. Who’s crying…”
Louina pointed to Epherene’s eyes without saying a word. Epherene rubbed at her cheeks, surprised to find them wet.
“Huh! What!”
She sprung up, surprising Louina.
“Oh my gosh, you scared me. What are you so surprised about?”
“Er… um… I think I just yawned.”
Louina offered a prickly smile.
“It’s not like that. If the Professor is seriously ill…”
Epherene’s cheeks swelled up until she looked like a pufferfish.
“I think it’s like karma.”
“Karma?”
Epherene pouted bluntly.
“…Because he’s done so many bad things in the past.”
“Huh? Do you know what Deculein did?”
“…”
Epherene nodded quietly. As she investigated her father’s past in the tower and the Floating Island, she found plenty of information and rumors. Instigation of violence, bullying commoners, stealing a thesis… there were many unbelievably vicious things.
“Right. Deculein wasn’t normal. Especially during the Academy days, I wondered if he was even human.”
“Academy?”
“Yeah. The academy is much more tied to one’s family and status than the tower.”
Louina, recalling those days, wore a tired expression. Epherene also thought for a moment, and she was terrified just by imagining it. A time when Deculein’s personality reigned purely as evil, how frightened the commoners in the academy must have been.
“I had a pretty bad relationship with him too… now I think it doesn’t matter. I received some help from Deculein, and above all, I think I forgot before I noticed.”
“…”
“But I am still curious. How did Deculein’s magical powers progress to what they are now? Well, I heard he was considered the 7th strongest in the Empire, right? It doesn’t seem like it, but it appears Deculein himself also made this stone.”
For some reason, Epherene seemed to know why. Rohakan once said that the closer a wizard grows to the end of their life, the more opportunities they have to realize the truth. It was a natural phenomenon that occurred as the human soul moved closer to mana than the world.
“Oh. It’s already this late.”
Louina looked at her watch and stood. Then she looked to Epherene with a broad smile.
“Is what you just said a secret?”
“Oh, yes, of course. Where else are you going?”
“Yeah. The project inspection is still in progress, and I still have a lot to teach the babies. I’m quite worried.”
Epherene nodded. This professor called her students babies; it was somewhat cringy yet warm.
“Yes. Bye. And you can speak without formalities.”
“No way. You’re a disciple of Deculein, so I have to treat you well. Anyway, TA Epherene, work hard too!”
Louina, who clenched her fists and winked, left with a proud step. If Epherene had a disciple someday, she wanted to look as reliable.
“…You stay still.”
Epherene tapped the wood steel resonating in her arms. Its vibration stopped with a buzz, but…
Brrrrrrrr-!
It soon grew louder and began to tickle Epherene.
“Oh, ouch, stop it! Ugh!”
* * *
Today’s keynote manager job ended with thirteen teams. To summarize the results, four teams passed, I cut the finances from five teams, and all others were rejected. However, since I had suggested enough alternatives, they would come back with modifications. If they couldn’t even do that, they didn’t have the qualification to carry out their project.
“I’m going.”
“Oh, yes!”
When I stood, Allen, busy putting the reports in order, straightened up.
“Bye! I will finish up all of this!”
It was pitiful for some reason to see her buried in papers but still speaking cheerfully. I nodded and opened the office door. However.
“…”
Epherene was standing right outside.
“…”
She looked up at me with surprise.
Gulp-
Swallowing, she stared at me for a moment before smiling. No, it was a bit too bizarre to be called a smile. A facial spasm would be more appropriate.
“A-Are you going? Haha, hahaha.”
“Get out of my way.”
“Oh, yes.”
Epherene took a step back, and I passed by her.
“G-Good-bye… Professor.”
A strangely sad voice came from behind me. Naturally, my brow furrowed. I turned around to regard Epherene.
“…”
She just bowed her head. It was an interaction I didn’t want to deal with.
“G-Goodbye!”
The ending was also weird. I ignored her and took the elevator straight to the parking lot. Ren was waiting by the open car door.
“Would you like to go straight to the mansion?”
“Let’s go.”
I climbed into the back seat. Just then, the crystal ball vibrated.
—Successful in securing Rockfell. However, I don’t think I’ll be able to get to Hadekain.
It was Arlos. Since there was a risk of being eavesdropped on by the Altar, the crystal ball was commissioned directly by a hardware store to make it wireless.
“It doesn’t matter. Make sure you take care of it.”
- Okay.
I turned off the radio. After leaning back for a while, I tried using the Duct Tape I had just learned.
“Hmm.”
The mana emitted from my fingertips was condensed like tape.
「Workmanship: 0%」
Of course, it was still at 0%. However, there were enough ways to raise this number in a short time. The training method was also simple. Just pick one person and…
……
“Oh, I can’t move! My body isn’t moving!”
I called Yeriel, who was sitting idle in the mansion. She arrived last night saying she had a job to do on the continent.
“Take me down! Stop joking!”
Anyway, under the pretext of magic teaching, I started my actual training, and as a result-
“Take me down!”
Yeriel became a tape pupa clinging to the bark of the big tree in the garden.
“Can’t you release yourself?”
“Damn!”
Yeriel, face turning red, shook. Just five minutes ago, she was following me like a puppy.
“Ugh—”
She was growing noisy, but that was it. No matter how much force was applied or how much mana she scattered, the tape would not release. Although it was Yeriel, one of the functions of the tape – bondage – had been proven.
Snap!
I released Yeriel.
“Ouch!”
In an instant, the tape disappeared, and Yeriel fell. With grass and dirt now all over her body, she stood and glared at me.
“Really, why are you like this these days?!”
Seeing her screaming made me feel a bit meaner.
“You can’t even respond to only this level.”
“What?”
“When are you going to grow?”
“…What.”
Yeriel glanced at me and picked up the pouch lying beside her, pulling out a sheet of paper.
“Forget it! Take this.”
“…”
I took it without a word.
[Disengagement: Yukline Freyden].
The title was a bit uncomfortable.
“What’s with that face? Aren’t you going to call it off?”
I didn’t answer.
“Either way, there is no disadvantage to either of you. No, it’s only bad for us. Since Yukline has decided to forget their debt for supporting Freyden in the meantime.”
“…”
I nodded slowly. So now, it would be right to let it go. For Julie, even for me.
“…That means you will?”
The only way for Julie to live right now was to hate Deculein. To hate him enough to kill him. Even if someday I found a way to heal her, it was still a long way off.
“Yes.”
* * *
Deculein’s test — the so-called moving stones. Today that the simple test entered its fourth day. Finally, the first successful applicant appeared.
“Nice—!”
As expected, it was Rose Rio. As expected from her, who concentrated all her talents in manipulation and earth, she was the first to understand and accept the theory of Deculein and finally succeeded in moving the 「Magic Resistance Stone」.
“Look! I did it!”
Rose Rio placed the stone on the palm of her hand. Then, the stone floated. At the same time, all the pieces in the main square also floated up. It was the Gravity Zone spell that was ten steps higher than Psychokinesis. It served as the highest peak of the manipulation series, in which the magician manipulated nearby gravity at will. It was the result of applying Deculein’s theory to that high-level magic.
“Hahaha-! Then I’m going! Hahahahahaha—!”
“…”
Everyone, including Epherene, watched Rose Rio with envy as she left to show off this achievement to Deculein and all the Floating Island.
“Whew… huh?”
Epherene sighed and saw Kreto standing up.
“Where are you going, Wizard Kreto?”
“Hmm? Oh. I want to go see my sister today.”
“…”
After that, everyone went silent for a moment. Kreto’s sister was the current Emperor Sophien. Epherene felt his identity anew.