207 Chapter 207: Seraph of the End (2/2)
”Oh, no…spirits are different from the monsters that appear in our world through Emergence events,” Henry assured him. Turning his holographic screen around, he put on an image display of several different worlds. ”You are aware that these monsters come from another dimension, right? One that exists on a different spatial plane from ours.”
Shun Yin nodded. Henry's grin grew wider.
”That had us thinking. What if there are other dimensions? After all, if there exists one alternate dimension where the monsters come from, there has to be other dimensions, right? Other planes of existence. And the beings that dwell within those dimensions might not be as malign as the monsters from the dimension that is currently trying to encroach upon ours.”
”I see. So these spirits are from another dimension?”
”That's right!” Henry was nodding enthusiastically. ”We aren't sure yet, but we believe we have located a second alternate dimension that exists on yet another separate plane from both ours and the monster's dimension. It appears, from preliminary reports, they are…angelic beings. Seraphs, like I said. Hence the title of the project.” The principal's excitement grew. ”If we succeed, this could mean the end of the monsters! Combining our powers with the strength of angels…we might finally obtain the power to exterminate them completely and drive them from our world!”
Hence Seraph of the End. Shun Yin finally understood the meaning behind the name.
”The problem, of course, is that we still haven't found a way to establish a path to that other dimension. There are risks and dangers, of course, but we are trying to find a way to safely trigger an Emergence event for these spirits to cross over to our dimension. We haven't even discovered a method to communicate with them, so there might be…issues…if they turn out to be hostile, we might just have doomed our own dimension instead of saving it.”
”But it's a risk you're willing to take.”
”Indeed.” Henry nodded. ”And if you don't mind, I would like you to partake in this as well. The project is still in its infancy, and we'll probably require more funding and resources, but if it succeeds, then it will revolutionize magic…it will bring about great changes in the world. No longer would we be on the defensive. With an army of spirit summoners, we'll be able to wipe out all monsters from our dimension and save the world!”
That last sentence in particular appealed to Shun Yin. Save the world. Wasn't that what he had always been dreaming of? To be a hero who could save the world?
”I will help as best as I can,” he promised without hesitation. Henry brightened up and stood up, bending across his desk to clasp Shun Yin's hand.
”Thank you very much, young man. I really appreciate it.” he dropped back onto his seat, looking both relieved and delighted. ”I'll introduce you to the research students tomorrow or so…when they resume their project.” He offered a sheepish smile. ”As you know, today is the entrance ceremony for new students, so they most likely wouldn't be in school now.”
”I understand. I look forward to meeting them.” Shun Yin couldn't even begin to imagine what sort of people they would be. ”I assume they're not from the Porter family?”
”They are not,” Henry affirmed. ”They are like you…students from so-called common families.” He made a face. ”I hate that term. Common. As if there's something wrong with being a commoner. Or as if you're entitled to respect and adoration just because you're born in a family of high status. It's ridiculous, if you ask me. People should be judged on results, not which family they are born to.”
He then paused and lowered his head.
”On that note, I should apologize to you about the behavior of my son.”
”Huh? Your son?”
Shun Yin was caught off guard by the sudden apology. Henry looked a little embarrassed as he nodded.
”Yeah. He gave you quite the uh…shocking welcome. Don't mind him. It's my fault for not educating him firmly enough. He gets spoiled by his mother quite a bit…she thinks that the Porter bloodline is superior to any other lineage outside the ten great families, and Glen was brought up believing that. I'm doing my best to change his mentality and attitude toward other people, but as a parent I have failed terribly.”
”Not at all, sir. He seems…strong.”
Shun Yin remembered the handsome blond guy who attacked him from the entrance to the main hall, using a lightning spell. Then another question occurred to him.
”…eh? But your son…he uses lightning magic instead of fire magic? Even though he's from the Porter clan?”
”Ah…Glen is a bit…proud.” Henry scratched his head. ”Simply put…it's because of family politics. Already in the Porter clan, we have Mike and Angie being geniuses in fire magic. With those two around, the Porter family is sure to rise to prominence. No one can beat them in fire magic. As such…Glen decided to give up on competing against them and instead he carved out his own niche in lightning magic. He wishes to stand out among the Porter family in his own way, rather than always being one step behind the others.”
”…I see.” Shun Yin could only nod, astonished by what he was hearing. So even that arrogant blond handsome guy had his own troubles. That was unexpected.
”Honestly, though, his magic is topnotch. He shouldn't belittle himself too much. I believe that he can reach the same level as Mike and Angie if he believes in himself. That said, I am proud as a father of what he has achieved with lightning magic. He has surpassed my expectations and perhaps even made the right choice in refusing to follow the footsteps of other Porter mages and choosing lightning as his element.” Henry chuckled as he gazed into the distance. ”Instead of dictating what our kids or successors should learn, we should leave it entirely up to them. They will innovate new creative ways of developing and casting magic. And that's exactly what I want to see.”
He lowered his voice to a mischievous whisper.
”His mother isn't very happy about it, though. But personally I think he should just learn whatever magic he wants. It's not as if we're in a manga called Fire Force or something.”
”…right.”
”Anyway, I shouldn't take up too much of your time.” Henry rose to slap Shun Yin's shoulder. ”I'll see you tomorrow…and once again, thank you for agreeing to participate in the project. You are a very promising student, and I'm sure you'll contribute greatly to our dreams of bringing the spirits to our world safely to help us in our war against monsters.”
”I'll do my best.” Shun Yin bowed his head as he also stood up. This whole thing still sounded a bit too good to be true, but he decided to give it a shot.
After all, what was the worst that could happen?