The Imperial Royal Knights swiftly cleaned up the scene.
They gathered information through Phalen and Pola, and took the living troubleshooters to the headquarters.
The main point was the Deculanga's attack and attempted plunder led by Kalarhen.
Given that the Deculanga was a noble family, it was not a matter of hearing only one side of the story, but the Knights trusted Professor Phalen's testimony.
After all, the scattered corpses of Kalarhen were undeniable evidence.
Once the rough situation was wrapped up and the Royal Knights left.
"Come out already."
Professor Phalen's voice found me.
With all the Royal Knights gone and Pola accompanying the statement, only I and Professor Phalen remained.
"Quite impressive, finding me so quickly."
"Didn't you deliberately not give off any presence?"
When I reappeared, Professor Phalen's attitude had changed significantly.
Whereas he had been as cautious as with the Deculanga before, now he seemed merely skeptical.
"Did Henge send you?"
"Something like that."
"Then you must know the general situation. That damn guy, why did he send a fake paper and leak information to the Deculanga?"
I shrugged.
"Unfortunately, I didn't hear that much. But it seems the paper was indeed fake."
Professor Phalen nodded slightly.
Earlier, when explaining the situation to the Knights.
In front of the supervisor, he opened the document envelope from Henge, the mastermind behind this incident.
Even the Royal Knights couldn't understand the magical thesis, so Professor Phalen initially examined its contents...
"It was a thesis on healing magic. Useless trash."
As I had expected.
I didn't know the details, but I had thought it wouldn't be a significant paper.
In any case, the problematic paper was taken as evidence by the Royal Knights along with Pola.
I looked at Professor Phalen, who was staring at me with tired eyes, and said,
"I told you, I didn't hear much. I just have a rough idea."
"An idea... what is it?"
Henge is crazy.
Reading his mind is a difficult task unless I go crazy too, but watching the battle just now, I suddenly had a thought.
"He seems to want to reduce the Deculanga's influence in the city of Hagen."
"Hmm."
"Regardless of how he deceived the meticulous Deculanga, Henge must have wanted a situation where the Deculanga would cause chaos. Why?"
"To involve the Royal Knights?"
"Exactly. Given your position, it's not easy to involve the Royal Knights, right? You can't even mention the research content."
The professors of Jenyon Academy are distinguished talents, important figures in the Empire.
In most cases, a few Royal Knights would be dispatched at a professor's request.
The presence of the Royal Knights in the city of Hagen was an extension of this, but the problem was that the situation was ambiguous for involving the Royal Court.
Phalen lacked a justifiable reason to request it.
"If this happens, the Royal Knights will have to protect the professor, and the city of Hagen's defenses will be strengthened. It's a situation where only the Deculanga loses out."
"The Deculanga provided the justification... Hmm, fine. Good. Such a plan is something that crazy guy can handle on his own."
In fact, there were things I didn't say.
'Although Professor Phalen's residence is on the outskirts of the city, it's impossible for the Knights to arrive so late.'
This was undoubtedly because the Deculanga had influenced the Royal Knights.
They might have bribed a suitable official to delay the response time.
Or, even without this method, adjusting the response time was no big deal. The Knights were probably delayed for some reason.
And Pola...
'Henge probably didn't predict this far.'
- Did you notice? Ha, it was a waste to give the real 'Light of Healing' incantation to a piece of trash that would be discarded.
From the words he spoke at our first meeting, it was clear.
Especially when delivering a decoy paper instead of a real one, what did the messenger know?
"Then, let me ask. Are you the messenger?"
I nodded at Professor Phalen's question.
"Here, the paper."
I took out a paper and handed it to him.
Professor Phalen soon examined the paper.
He silently scanned its contents for a while, but it didn't take long, as he was only checking the overall context.
Suddenly, Professor Phalen's eyes changed.
"Do you... know the content?"
"I know more than just that."
"Is that so..."
A murderous intent flashed in Professor Phalen's eyes.
Kill and silence.
It seemed he was considering it, and the atmosphere was tense.
I laughed.
"I won't stop you, but are you sure? I don't want to lose a reliable ally."
This was sincere.
Facing him directly, I would find it difficult to defeat Professor Phalen.
But now, both of us were exhausted. If anything, Professor Phalen was more tired than I was.
Still, the odds were even...
"Hmm, you don't even think you might die, do you?"
"Something like that."
Professor Phalen's lips curled slightly at that moment.
"..."
But the expression disappeared so quickly that I wondered if he had really smiled.
"Fine. I've received the paper. I don't want to lose a reliable ally either, so I'll let it go for now."
Professor Phalen put the paper in his pocket and said,
"By the way, is there anything you want?"
"..."
I tilted my head at the sudden question.
"I know Henge well. The only type he trusts is one with clear desires. And when those desires align with his or can interact with his."
"..."
"If you're working with him, you must have something you want. To build trust, I need to give something too, separate from Henge."
"..."
I thought for a moment.
Actually, I didn't have anything specific I wanted.
What I wanted from them was only one thing: the result of the research, the New Heaven's Gate.
The 'Light of Healing' incantation I received from Henge was merely a symbol of mutual trust, not a transactional exchange.
However, I had an idea.
"Books."
"Books?"
"Yes, books. Books that can teach me the magical perspective you have. That would be great."
This was related to the vague direction I had set for the library after meeting Henge.
"Probably not just one. At least... a hundred books. And without my guidance, they might be useless."
Professor Phalen's eyes had a scholarly gleam now.
I, as the owner of the tower, calmly explained my intentions.
"I'm only providing an opportunity. If they have the ability and the connection, they can learn from the books you select."
"You won't be the one reading them? Can I ask your purpose?"
I nodded.
"I'm building a tower. A big, tall tower. The form isn't that important. I just want to fill it with books so anyone can read them. That's the important part."
"Why a tower?"
I corrected myself immediately.
"Ah, the form is important too."
"Why?"
"Just, I like tall things."
"..."
In any case, the pointless conversation ended there.
Professor Phalen thought for a moment and nodded.
"Fine, but it might take a while. Writing a book might better suit your purpose."
"That would be even better."
"Still, a tower... or rather, a library, sounds interesting."
I didn't elaborate on my specific and grand plan, but he seemed to infer my intentions from the keywords 'library' and 'anyone.'
I didn't add more to his words, and soon Professor Phalen spoke.
"Wait about ten years."
"Are you crazy?"
"..."
He didn't respond, probably thinking ten years was too long.
"Can you prepare to build the tower within ten years?"
"..."
I didn't respond this time.
Would ten years be enough to build the tower I envision? No, it might be impossible.
I don't even have the materials to build it, let alone the land to build it on.
A short silence followed.
"I should go now."
"Wait. How will we communicate?"
"Communication..."
"You need to deliver the paper, right?"
Actually, my contract with Henge was just this once.
But given the situation, acting as a messenger between the two wasn't bad.
Regardless of the value of the work, it was better to avoid exposure to the Deculanga before the New Heaven's Gate was completed.
"Let's use this."
I took a small bundle of crystal spheres from my subspace and extended it.
"This is..."
"Exchanging communication crystals would be like inviting death. These are linked in pairs. If one breaks, the other breaks too."
"Simple."
"That makes it easier to avoid tracking. Break one to call, and break two or more if there's an emergency. I won't come if you do."
Professor Phalen nodded.
"What if you need to find me?"
I shrugged.
"Will that happen?"
"You're overconfident. If you think you might die, break the crystal. I'll help you, regardless of our relationship, at least once."
"Can you find me?"
"That's up to your luck."
I laughed.
"Lucky for me. You're not as crazy as Henge."
The atmosphere was generally good.
Because we understood each other during the conversation.
Unlike Henge, it felt good to share some intentions with someone more reasonable.
Or, it felt good.
But.
"Hmm, that... Hmm. Our thoughts are a bit different."
"..."
"No, I should go."
The end felt a bit awkward.
"..."
I looked at Professor Phalen for a moment, then headed towards the academy.
Good is good.
Yeah, that's it.
I didn't pry into what Professor Phalen was thinking.