/
Temporary laboratory in the Yukline mansion.
I looked closely at the ashes under the microscope. I tried to “understand” it on a particle-by-particle basis, injecting mana and tearing it apart with [Psychokinesis].
“… Professor! Look at this!” Kelodan shouted, pointing to the blackboard.
Scratch— Scratch, scratch— Scratch—
A sophisticated report was being written on the green surface.
[Sylvia here. We captured a debutante who had been puppeted and separated him from the ashes. The result of our analysis is as follows.]
She discussed how the ashes encroached upon the debutante and what the process of that puppeteering was.
The way Sylvia analyzed and separated the specimen with her own magic was almost at an anatomic level.
… A certain thought popped into my mind as I looked at it.
“Separation.”
Separation of ashes and the debutantes.
What if a circuit that neutralized the control of the ashes was added to the formula of the “barrier”?
Beyond that, what if the barrier was constructed ‘in the magic tower’ and then completed?
“It’s possible.”
Implanting a circuit in specific magic, known as ‘magic weaving,’ had already been done dozens of times. My [Psychokinesis] was created that way.
“What’s possible?” Kelodan asked.
“I’ll make a ‘barrier that breaks down ashes’ and deliver it to the Debutantes.”
“A barrier? It would take too long.”
I shook my head.
Since it wasn’t completely new magic, the consumption of mana wouldn’t be severe. Right now, [Decomposition] was a common spell that was used even in garbage dumps.
“It is quite possible.”
If I envision it and add the talents of Sylvia and Epherene, of course, it’s possible.
“Um, professor…?”
He stared at the blackboard without saying a word and pondered. There was no need to take notes. All of this was going to happen in my head…
“Attention—!”
A disrupting shout echoed.
I turned to the entrance, feeling the urge to kill.
Eleven individuals of unknown names stood where I was looking, forming a line.
The Imperial Knights.
“Attention, please!” When the knight yelled again, a familiar voice came from behind him.
“Humpf. So noisy.”
It was the emperor’s voice. As I was about to express proper curtsy, I abruptly stopped.
The creature that showed up proudly wasn’t the emperor.
“In this possessed state, my ears are sensitive. Don’t talk loudly.”
She had plenty of red furs, and her long tail fluttered, but her legs were short.
It was a luxurious-looking cat.
“Your Majesty?”
“Yes, Deculain. It’s one of the magic that I learned. I’m too lazy to go outside. Hey. Don’t touch my tail.”
“I’m sorry!”
“…”
I was speechless for a moment.
Possession was part of ‘harmony magic.’ [Complete Possession], which borrowed the mouth and eyes of living beings, was quite difficult to learn. Naturally, however, she could fully utilize it.
Moreover, the munchkin she used was a royal breed.
The quality of the emperor’s mana was currently level 2, and once an awakening event was held in the future, she’d reach level 1. She was a genius who had the talent to master all the skills in the world, after all, including magic and sword skills.
If I were to express Emperor Sophien in one sentence, it would be…
‘The person closest to God.’
That indolence could either be a blessing or a curse to this world.
“Lower your back.”
“Yes!”
The cat jumped over the knight’s back.
“Oh!”
However, her first attempt failed since her legs were too short compared to the knight’s large body.
“This guy. Bend further down.”
“I’m sorry!”
This time, the munchkin successfully climbed on the knight’s back. She grinned, patting his pharynx with her tail to express her satisfaction.
“Don’t you dare move an inch. My legs are short, so it’s dangerous.”
The emperor slapped the knight with her front paw.
“Yes!”
“Don’t scream either.”
“…”
“Everyone, get out of the way!”
At that time, George, the court wizard, appeared as well. Rumors that the emperor’s cat was here seemed to have spread.
“Your Majesty! How can you master possession magic so perfectly…!”
“Annoying. How did he know?”
George looked at the red cat with thrilled eyes. Not long after, however, he swiftly hardened his expression.
“Professor Deculein. What are you going to do from now on?”
“I intend to invent a barrier magic that decomposes ashes.”
“… Invent a barrier?”
“Yes. One that decomposes ashes alone.”
“You… want to create a new barrier?” George asked, his voice full of doubts.
“That’s right.”
“How long will it take you to come up with that magic?”
“It won’t take a day.”
“What?”
“It’s a simple task. It’s not that surprising.”
“No, you need to elaborate on it further…”
I had no time to waste on explanations.
I spoke kindly but stubbornly.
“No matter what happens, I’ll lead. Hence, I take responsibility for this too.”
George clicked his tongue but nodded anyway.
“… Okay. Anyway, if you’re creating a barrier, what about the formula? Have you written it down on a scroll?” George asked.
I looked at George without saying a word.
“….”
“…?”
The silence between us continued for a little while.
I was thinking about how to explain it, but even that in itself was already a waste of time.
I just tapped my temple with my finger.
“It’s all in my head.”
“What?” The cat asked.
If I were to explain it in a sentence…
“I used mental calculation.”
* * *
The debutantes were certain it was 3 o’clock, but they didn’t know if it was in the morning or afternoon.
Regardless, Sylvia and the others stared blankly at the blackboard.
“….”
“….”
“….”
An expansive formula filled its surface.
Below the magic circle that Deculein invented himself, there was the following sentence.
[Can you cast this barrier?]
“It’s possible,” Sylvia answered on behalf of everyone, stunned.
Lucia could do nothing but shrug as she looked at her. “… Right. It’s not impossible if we could draw and recreate his formula.”
Deculein’s barrier explanation was detailed and friendly. Even a debutante could understand it.
The problem was that the barrier’s magic circle was too large.
Its total area covered the entire 3rd floor.
“This room will serve as its center. I’ll go out and draw the formula on the third floor. As for the mana it requires… We should have enough since there are many wizards here.” Epherene said, looking around the classroom.
Including herself, there were around 50 of them. If they were to collectively use their mana, it wouldn’t be difficult to activate the barrier.
“Won’t we need a catalyst to construct it?”
At Julia’s concern, Sylvia loosened her own necklace.
It was an artifact made entirely of mana diamonds, her mother’s keepsake. It was imbued with several special effects, including mana storage expansion and magic amplification.
“Use this as a catalyst.”
“… Are you sure?” Lucia, who knew the value of her necklace, asked, astonished.
Sylvia didn’t answer.
“Hmpf… If you want to go that far, then…”
Sighing, Lucia also loosened the bracelet on her wrist.
“These two will suffice. My bracelet is an heirloom worth 20 million Elnes.”
“T-twenty million… Got it. I’ll be drawing the formula now.”
Epherene then cut her long hair in one swing, which surprised Lucia.
“Are you insane? Why did you cut it? Your hair can’t be used as a catalyst. You know that, right? Don’t you have a brain?”
“Gosh! Who said I would use it as a catalyst? It gets in the way when I move!”
“Ifi, it’s okay. Ignore her.” Julia calmed Epherene. She then trimmed her hair that had been cut arbitrarily.
“Okay~ It’s pretty now.”
“…”
Sylvia then pulled her long hair up. Now tied into a ponytail, it ran down the back of her porcelain neck.
“Wow, Sylvia. You look beautiful.”
Seeing Eurozan and the others complimenting her, Ephrene momentarily felt regretful.
‘I just had to pull it up too.’
“Epherene. You’re fast, so I’ll leave the formula drawing to you. I’ll draw the monsters’ attention to minimize the threat that’ll be coming after you.”
“Draw their attention?”
“Yes. Just like what we did in the practical exercise.”
Epherene nodded.
A short sentence on the blackboard then calmed and comforted them.
[I’ll trust and wait.]
That was all they needed.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
After finishing their preparations, the two broke the barrier in the classroom.
Thump—!
The tremoring sound rang again, but Epherene and Sylvia didn’t hesitate to open the door, finding the infected debutantes and huge golems made out of ashes.
As Sylvia caught their attention, Epherene cast [Self-Psychokinesis] and clung to the third floor’s ceiling.
Whoooosh—!
Sylvia coated the golems’ bodies with pure white paint-like magic, which soon turned into a flame that exuded extremely high temperatures.
Her targets burned in an instant.
At the same time, Sylvia covered the pavement in blue, which soon turned to ice that made the infected debutantes on it flounder, unable to take even a few steps.
However, at some point…
“…”
Thick ashen appendages, like the Kraken’s tentacles, gripped Sylvia’s waist. They then flailed her around and slammed her onto the pavement.
“Ouch…” Letting out a single groan, she immediately erased the tentacles without showing any pain. However, her stomach felt hot, as if she just gained an internal injury.
“…” Sylvia staggered, staring at the dark hallway.
Click— Click—
The sound of heels hitting the ground echoed.
“It’s useless.”
Sylvia looked at the existence that appeared in the dark.
Professor Louina. She, the Head Professor of the Kingdom’s University Tower, had become a monster that assimilated with the ashes.
“…You have a strange talent. I’m jealous.” Her voice sounded bizarre yet muffled.
“I’ll kill you because I’m jealous.” She grinned, the corners of her mouth stretching to the bottom of her ears as if tearing her face apart. More ashes flooded down from her lips, taking on the form of a huge blade.
Whoooooooooooosh…
Sylvia made her surroundings her own, deleting her weapon before it could even reach her.
“These are… the three primary colors.” Bearing witness to Slyvia’s creation, Louina muttered with admiration. “A magic equivalent to a miracle. It breaks reality, interferes with the status quo, and recreates all things as its caster desires.”
Taking advantage of her monologue, Sylvia drew a cage and locked her in.
“A nonsensical origin that can roam the entire world at will.”
Clank—
Louina, banging on the grate and licking her lips, clenched both of her fists. With a twisted, raccoon-like expression, she spat out curses.
“Fuck! The world is so unfair! This doesn’t make sense! None of this fucking make sense!”
Ashes exploded soon after that. With the bars around her now broken, Louina’s fist connected against Sylvia’s stomach, delivering a blow loaded with speed and weight.
“Ahh!”
She bounced off and hit the wall. At that moment, her chest tightened. Her broken ribs pierced her lungs, and she couldn’t breathe.
“Humpf. You keep erasing my ashes with various techniques, but it doesn’t matter. You’re going to die anyway.”
The difference between them was so great she thought she might die.
Her pain heated her whole body, and she trembled in fear.
“…”
Still, Sylvia didn’t run away.
How long she would last remained unknown, but she decided to at least hold out until her mana ran out.
“… I will not lose.”
Perseverance being the key to victory was all too familiar to Sylvia, after all, since she lived day to day enduring it.
•••••••.
Tick—
Tock—
Tick—
“Calm down and remain on standby, everyone.”
Lucia took on the role of leading the debutantes in the classroom. All 49 of them had already warmed up and were now just waiting for the barrier to be completed.
Tick—
Tock—
Tick—
The clock’s second hand ticked amid the silence, their heartbeat echoing with it as their hands trembled like leaves swaying against the winds.
Lucia wiped her sweat from her forehead.
Tick—
Tock—
Tick—
The debutantes’ breathing became rough. Those who had fragile psyches looked so serious they almost passed out.
“Don’t lose your consciousness! If we don’t do it right, just know that we won’t have a nice life in the tower next semester!”
Everyone was forced to come back to their senses at Lucia’s chirping cry.
Tick—
Tock—
Tick—
After a few more moments, the slowly moving second hand stopped.
It was Epherene’s signal.
“Now!”
All of the debutantes, including Lucia, released their mana at the right timing.
Whoooooong…
They condensed all of it into their catalysts: Sylvia’s necklace and Lucia’s bracelet.
Their heirlooms received mana from 49 different individuals and delivered all of it to the barrier’s formula.
Blue magic rushed like a firework.
Whoooooosh—!
A light so bright it almost broke their retinas flashed, causing the classroom’s interior to burn up like a supernova.
Their mana was consumed in an instant, and the exhausted debutantes fell one by one.
“Ugh…”
Lucia endured with all her might, imbuing as much mana as she could into the catalysts, but it wasn’t enough.
There was a pain in the back of her neck as if it were cut off.
“Ugh!”
Her eyes clouded, and her body staggered. Eventually, she fell to the floor. In that state, she stared at the corner of the barrier.
Its bright light had started fading away like a bonfire that had run out of wood to burn.
… She knew she shouldn’t leave it like that, but her body wouldn’t listen to her.
Lucia could only blink at it.
‘I can’t…’
As her eyelids were about to close, She saw a familiar figure.
The person looked down at her with a cold expression.
Deculein’s Assistant Professor.
Allen.
In the next instant, their catalysts’ light burned once more, this time more brilliantly than any other light source she had ever seen, as his mana rushed forward, blazing like the sun.
The moment its formula was completed, a radiant flash devoured the entirety of their surroundings.
A barrier had manifested.
•••••••.
‘Mom. Why did my cat die? I loved and cherished him as hard as I could, but he still left my side. Why did he betray me when I loved him?’
‘Life has always been like that. He didn’t betray you, Sylvia. He’s leaving to go to a better place. In that distant country, he’ll be waiting patiently for you.’
‘You’re lying… How long will you be with me then, mom?’
‘Um~ I wonder~’
‘Waaah. Waaaaah. Waaaah.’
‘Sorry. Don’t cry~’
‘Wahhh. Waaaaaaaahh.’
‘I will stay with you as long as you want.’
‘Oh… Then… Then…’
Sylvia always wallowed in her dreams.
The reality she wanted was not in the present but the future, after all.
The present was just a stepping stone for it.
She stayed up night after night reading magic books, even sacrificing her time for meals to avoid wasting even a second, or went to the floating island every week to find information…
She didn’t do those simply because she wanted to.
She didn’t do it because it was fun.
Her mother left her side at an early age to go to the land of rainbows, where her cat waited.
From the time her mother, the one who painted her life, disappeared, until now that she had become a wizard at the Imperial University Tower, the world had lacked color.
It looked thick and opaque, like a crushed oil painting.
For her, the present was a place she didn’t want to stay for long.
Sylvia often turned her clock’s hands with her eyes tightly closed, hoping that once she opened them, she would be in the distant future where she’d be more mature and blunt, but above all, where her memories would hurt less.
‘When I become an archmage and ascend to the skies, my mother will be able to see me. I’ll make her proud of me.’
For her, the present was… just a preparation period to make their picnic in the distant future more enjoyable.
Whooooosh…
A lonely wind blew. The air currents that rushed into the sealed Imperial University Tower made Sylvia realize that the barrier had been activated.
“Gosh! Those guys did something useless.”
However, she had run out of mana, and Louina was still standing opposite of her.
Sylvia placed her hand around her collarbone. The keepsake from her mother, who had always embraced her, wasn’t there.
“Die.”
Louina released ashes.
“…”
With no mana left to defend herself, Sylvia could only close her eyes in a hurry.
The rushing ashes stopped right in front of her, but she didn’t see it happen.
She just stumbled and fell.
Thud—
Something supported her before she could reach the floor, however. It felt as sturdy as a wall.
Sylvia opened her eyes lightly, and though his face wasn’t visible, he found his broad chest keeping her up.
“… Sylvia.”
His voice alone was enough for Sylvia to determine who he was. She tilted her head up slightly.
His eyes were looking at her.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall.” He said, displaying what looked like a faint smile.
Sylvia wanted to say something to him, but her lips refused to move. She couldn’t even wiggle her fingertips.
Mana exhaustion had set in.
“You always repay my faith. I will now take over this responsibility as your professor.”
Sylvia leaned her entire weight against him. Smiling faintly, she closed her eyes and fell asleep clutching his collar.
“You can rest now.”