Episode 685
by CristaeThere are many ways a wizard can borrow power from beings of other worlds.
The first is a forceful method.
Subdue the being from another world and break its resistance, so it cannot escape.
If you have the ability to subdue and dominate, it’s the simplest and cleanest method. Some lord of a certain magic school or patriarch of a certain family preferred this way.
Next comes trickery.
You contract with another-worldly being, but lace the pact with all sorts of deceptions so the wizard claims all the benefit.
This works best against avaricious, scheming beings like demons.
In the end, if they get greedy, they’re bound to be tricked.
Just as many people are tricked by devils, so too have devils fallen for the tricks of wizards.
Finally, there is partnership.
Building friendship and warmth with beings from other worlds and helping each other out.
This is most often seen with friendly, gentle beings—like elementals.
And astonishingly, Direte was attempting his quasi-perpetual motion research utilizing demonic power through this last method.
“Uh, is that even possible?”
Lee Han was even more surprised than before.
Although he didn’t harbor any special prejudice against devils, fundamentally, devils were beings who’d go to any length to achieve their goals.
Even the demons who seemed benign and even-tempered at the Wardanaz house or Einrogard were only so because they were bound by contracts—break that contract, and they’d bare their fangs immediately.
“It’s not impossible. The work’s a bit bumpy right now, but…”
“I feel like it’d be much easier to just forcibly extract the power.”
“…Hey, I said drag her away already!”
As Yukveltire started giving advice from afar, Direte snapped in an annoyed voice.
It was three hours after that before Lee Han could leave the gathering hall.
His slow recovery wasn’t the reason. In fact, within about 30 minutes, he’d recovered enough to move.
The next 2 hour and 30 minutes were spent talking to the magicians at the gathering.
-Our Mage Tower is researching the Stoekul breed of Arctic Demon Whales. Would you have any interest?
-I don’t know much about sea creatures.
-Haha. With that insane magic… I mean, with that enormous magic alone, you’d be most welcome!
-……
-Our guild is researching the imperial spirit forests and their influence. We’d very much like to invite Lord Wardanaz.
-I’m not on very good terms with spirits, though.
-Hawhawhaw! Don’t joke! How could someone who wields the power of a grand spirit not get along with spirits?
-……
Of course, most of the proposals only served to make Lee Han depressed.
Thankfully, a few decent offers came up, so Lee Han worked hard to take notes, thinking he’d use them for future reference when getting commissions after returning to Einrogard.
-Ignore these wizards’ offers. Let me make you an offer you can’t refuse. My research…
-Why do they keep letting this guy back in? Haul her out already!
A certain problematic senior kept butting in and causing a scene, but Lee Han barely managed to get away.
“I’m so tired…”
Dragging his junior out at last, Direte muttered in a voice full of fatigue.
Come to think of it, this was the first time he’d had to forcibly extract a junior who was so popular with other magicians.
Students of the Dark Magic School were rarely the focus of this much attention.
He didn’t realize it would be so exhausting!
“Junior, this way.”
“I’m actually fine now.”
“No.”
Direte answered firmly.
Even with potion healing and magical aid, after synchronizing with a grand spirit, the aftereffects weren’t to be taken lightly.
You might look fine but could collapse from rebound effects at any moment.
“It’s not simply a matter of mana or stamina—a flood of magical information itself can damage a magician’s mind. Did you sense a different kind of magic when you synchronized with the grand spirit?”
“!”
Lee Han understood what Direte meant.
The power Perkuntra wielded was fundamentally different from the lightning magic Lee Han had used before.
From the method of handling the lightning element to how far you could push magic—
Those intense memories still lingered even now, after the synchronization had ended.
“Training with magic beyond your ability is dangerous even when done gradually. Forcing it into your memory is even riskier. You need to be extra careful for a while.”
“But Professor Baegrek always forces us to study spells above our level. The principal even forcibly crams it into our heads sometimes…”
At that, Direte pretended not to hear.
“Huh?”
“Professor Baegrek and the principal…”
“What did you say?”
“…Nothing.”
Rather than chase after her senior’s words, Lee Han resolved to be careful for the time being.
It seemed best not to recall the magic Perkuntra showed him until he was ready.
‘Still, this feels a bit too cautious…?’
Lee Han stared at the back of Direte’s summoned companion, a high-level demon carrying him.
-■■■?
“Oh, nothing, thank you for carrying me.”
The high-level demon nodded wordlessly. Direte explained,
“He said he was surprised you’re actually kind, unlike your looks.”
“That happens a lot. People these days just judge by magic power.”
Lee Han protested. Direte wondered—was it really just the magic?
‘You can’t contract with a grand spirit just because you have a lot of magic…’
“Anyway, senior.”
“Huh? I didn’t think anything?”
“No, I’m just saying—it looks like there’s a crowd up ahead. What’s going on?”
“!”
At his junior’s words, Direte glanced ahead and was startled.
The streets of Flaher City were still dark before dawn.
But the magical lights on the streets illuminated crowds of figures.
Clearly not an ordinary number of people.
“This is bad!”
“Suspicious people? Are they anti-magic zealots?”
“…No, not quite that suspicious—those are magicians.”
“What kind?”
“Magicians who heard rumors about the gathering!”
Flaher City was a metropolis with many magicians, and plenty didn’t participate in the official event.
Not every magician cared about the gathering.
But sometimes, exceptions appeared.
If a rumor surfaced about something even those at home couldn’t ignore, mobs of magicians would rush out like this.
“Urgh. You told me to show off in front of Senior Yukveltire, so I did, but…”
“…I didn’t expect you to show off THAT much! Who’d have predicted this?!”
Direte felt truly wronged.
No professor could have guessed things would get this wild.
“Can’t we just push through?”
“There’s too many. Even exchanging a word with each will eat up hours. Junior. If you want to last as a magician, research is important but…”
“And so is being able to win funding, right?”
“…Uh, no, not that.”
When the junior gave an unexpectedly realistic answer, Direte was taken aback.
He had no idea the principal had called his junior a “bureaucratic nemesis” during break.
“That matters, but the real lesson is: don’t mingle with weird magicians.”
“Ah.”
Lee Han nodded.
That was undeniably true.
“Like Professor Verdus or Senior Yukveltire?”
“…No… there are even weirder types.”
Direte almost agreed but then shook his head, regaining his senses.
It wasn’t something an Einrogard student should say, but there were plenty of truly strange folks among magicians.
Just being research-crazed was nothing.
There were swindlers who mesmerized others for gold, criminals using magic for heists, shady brokers hawking magicians to guilds and towers for a finder’s fee…
Because the magic path was so rough, few magicians truly walked it earnestly.
Those that did had to avoid shady contacts and guard their time—otherwise they’d just wind up wasting it!
“There was once a senior who was just as popular as you.”
“In the dark school?”
“No, another school… Hey, what do you mean by that?”
“Just double-checking.”
“Anyway, that senior constantly got offers from crowds like this, and must have found one tempting, because he joined in on something together.”
“What happened?”
“The imperial paper ran a headline—‘Einrogard alumni caught scamming with magic…’”
Direte spoke gloomily.
Even though it was a memory from a while ago, it still stung.
He could vividly recall the principal fuming and searching the students after that.
‘Yikes.’
Lee Han listened even more seriously. He too dreamed of business.
‘Definitely have to be careful.’
“A magician who participates in something like the gathering is relatively fine, but you don’t have to accept every single offer from a crowd like this.”
“Wait, isn’t that Senior Yukveltire over there?”
“What are you talking ab–”
Direte narrowed his eyes and looked ahead.
There stood Yukveltire with guards, on the main street.
“If you find someone, explain your research and propose.”
“Yes, understood.”
“These magicians are in the way. Bribe anyone persuadable.”
“……”
Unable to disperse the crowd for her junior, the senior instead chose to buy up any peddlers for herself. Direte hung his head in embarrassment.
A friend who was a disgrace wherever you took her.
“Let’s head the other way… There’s an alley…”
“…Cheer up.”
“I’m… fine…”
His wings looked unusually droopy today.
-Why are all you magicians out so late? The citizens are worried for their safety.
-We’re just searching for someone…
“We’ll have to just go inside.”
Seeing more magicians than expected, Direte decided simply to enter a nearby building.
Once morning came, they’d give up and scatter.
“Know a place?”
“There’s a workshop nearby.”
Since the gathering was in Flaher’s magician’s district, there were plenty of guild and tower workshops close by. Einrogard’s schools had their own, too.
‘Hm?’
Lee Han brightened, then faltered.
Should a dark magic workshop be located here?
Even in the magician’s district, wasn’t it more natural to be somewhere on the outskirts, tucked near the cemetery?
“A dark school workshop?”
“Alchemy school.”
“Ah.”
“…Yeah, I guess, dark school workshops don’t belong here.”
“No, senior. That’s not what I meant. I was just thinking the location might not be ideal for ingredient supply reasons. But since it’s an alchemy workshop, are we allowed in?”
“I get along okay with the alchemy kids… and I have permission from Professor Thunderstep. It’ll be empty inside anyway.”
Direte chanted a spell. With a clunk, the workshop’s door unlocked. Inside, various reagents mixed and mingled, creating a pungent smell.
-Who?
“…Oh no.”
Direte muttered under his breath. Lee Han climbed off the high-level devil’s back and asked:
“What’s the matter?”
“There’s one junior inside I don’t get along with. Ellendil… Oh, wait. Junior.”
Direte’s eyes glimmered with hope as he remembered.
Lee Han answered firmly.
“I don’t get along with them, either.”