48 . School Reopens (3)
And so, after the future genius magitech engineer Lakan joined Alchemy Citadel, its technology advanced at a blinding pace.
……That sort of absurd, novel-like story did not happen immediately.
Lakan had only just taken his first step into magitech, after all.
Of course, because he was so much of a genius, his presence would become unmistakable in as little as half a year to a year, but for now, he was still only at the stage of beginning his studies.
“So, this is what you needed, right?”
Alterisha, bright with delight at having found an outstanding magitech engineer, handed me a large white sphere with a cheerful smile.
Its original name was Force Vessel.
Because only mages who handled thought-forms could create it, it was an item modern magical technology could no longer produce.
It was a spoil of war I had obtained by stabbing the Necromancer’s heart at the beginning of the school year.
At the time, the technology had been lacking, so even after obtaining such a precious object, we had not been able to make proper use of it.
But now things were different.
[(Temporary) Subspace Pocket]
Alterisha’s alchemagic engineering had progressed enough that we could now create the cheat-like item known as an Inventory by using it—what was being called a subspace pocket.
Even now, I still made good use of an expanded-space backpack, but no matter how much its weight was reduced, even that slight burden was troublesome for someone like me whose life depended on agility.
And because I mainly fought at close range in battle, it was impossible for it not to get in the way.
But with an inventory, everything became distinctly more convenient.
You could even use a subspace freely in places where carrying a backpack was impossible.
“You’re making a subspace with this?”
Alterisha’s pink eyes sparkled as she looked at me with a face full of curiosity.
Whenever she discovered something new, she always wore that same innocent childlike expression.
“For now, yes.”
“That’s amazing…… Subspace magic is basically the exclusive domain of high-level space-type mages.”
“To be honest, it’s not something so impressive that it should be compared to what those kinds of people can do.”
“Even so. Just the fact that someone who isn’t a space-type mage can use a subspace is amazing in itself.”
That was true enough.
Still, in order to make use of a subspace, one first had to obtain a Force Vessel from a thought-type mage, then receive a Dimension Enchant from a space-type magitech engineer—a deeply troublesome process.
Both of those steps were already extremely difficult, and on top of that, one also needed an alchemagic engineer who possessed advanced alchemagic technology.
So for an ordinary mage, acquiring one was extremely difficult.
“By the way, are you going back to Stella to work starting from the second semester?”
“Mmm……”
Alterisha’s original position was as an assistant in Stella Academy’s Department of Alchemy.
More precisely, she was Professor Meizen’s assistant.
But after Professor Meizen disappeared and Alterisha published alchemagic engineering, she began working at Alchemy Citadel and naturally drifted away from Stella as a result.
This was a development that also occurred in the original game, so I had already expected it, but Alterisha still wore a rather apologetic expression.
“I’m sorry. I want to keep going to school, but…… I think I’ll probably be staying here at Alchemy Citadel from now on.”
“That’s good, though. You can fulfill the dream you’ve had all this time here.”
“……Actually, I think I may already have.”
After saying that with a little smile, Alterisha suddenly looked as though she had just remembered something and hurried over to the corner of the office to fetch a box.
She always had the habit of stacking important items neatly into boxes and keeping them somewhere easily within reach, so it seemed she was trying to give me a present.
Apparently my guess was right, because Alterisha began pulling out bracelets, piercings, daggers, scraps of cloth, and the like, then proudly declared,
“These are gifts!”
“Oh……”
When I took a quick look through the Jikbakguri Glasses, they were definitely good enough for her to boast about.
None of them had overwhelmingly broken performance to the point of completely turning the tide of battle on their own, but they were enough to make an unfavorable battle run a bit more smoothly.
That was the way items were meant to be used to begin with.
It was rare for an item itself to contain such absurd magic that simply swinging one wand would wipe out the enemy.
Equipment called items only truly shone when the user possessed strength and knowledge of their own.
“The things I gave you last time were embarrassing to even call finished products…… but this time, they’ll definitely be useful.”
“Thank you.”
As I gathered them up and accepted them, Alterisha hesitated for a moment before quietly opening her lips.
“L-lately…… I’ve been busy too, but…… I read the newspapers a lot now, and things like that……”
“Yes?”
“I’ve built up a lot of connections now too, and because of that, I sometimes hear news or stories that ordinary people don’t get to hear.”
“Ah……”
She seemed to waver for a moment, then smiled carefully, her face full of concern.
“I keep hearing stories about you from all over. I don’t know what sort of things you’ve been doing, but be careful. And…… whenever you have time, come to Alchemy Citadel often too. I may not be able to return to Stella anymore.”
“You were the person who shared the most precious period of time with me.”
I hadn’t expected her to say something like that.
Then again, Alterisha had been the very first person I became close to from the beginning of the semester—we stuck together, wrote papers, studied, and even gave conference presentations together.
And beyond that……
to be honest, there was also the fact that Alterisha was actually the same age as the real me, which made her feel even more familiar.
That was why I treated her so comfortably and let my guard down around her.
But now, as I had become so pressed for time that I couldn’t even come visit properly anymore, perhaps it was only natural that she would feel a little hurt.
“……Oh my. What am I even saying?”
Alterisha’s face turned red, and she hurriedly pulled on her coat.
“I-I have an appointment for a meeting now, so I need to go! Let’s meet again next time!”
Bang!
Watching Alterisha leave after noisily slamming the door shut behind her, I let out an empty laugh.
I hadn’t thought she was the type to be that honest, but it felt as though I had just discovered a completely new side of her.
After returning to Stella, I headed straight to the principal’s office.
When playing Aether World Online, Stella Academy was often described as a small nation, or else a Magic Tower of enormous scale, so for an ordinary student to meet the principal for a personal interview was extremely difficult.
But since I had made an appointment beforehand, there was no issue.
The First Main Tower.
At the top of this enormous tower, where all of Stella Academy’s core strength was gathered, there was a separate space reserved exclusively for the principal.
Even judged normally by floor area, it would easily exceed one hundred pyeong, but because of Eltman Eltwin’s unique space-expansion magic, the interior size of the Main Tower itself became enlarged, and at times it felt almost as big as a whole sports field.
I’d once heard somewhere that it sometimes shrank depending on Eltman’s mood and other times grew even larger, which was why the janitors supposedly suffered the most.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a talk like this. Did you spend summer vacation well?”
With a smile in his voice, Eltman handed me some Riltea and asked.
I had no idea what sort of taste he found in that bizarre tea, which gave off a vicious, foul odor, but since it came from the principal, I accepted it anyway.
“Yes, well…… it was a rewarding vacation.”
“Mm. It certainly looks that way. In that short time, you’ve got two more stars in your eyes.”
“……Huh?”
Had I been walking around with glow-in-the-dark star stickers pasted onto my eyeballs or something?
“So, the fact that you requested this meeting first means…… does that mean it’s finally ready?”
Eltman looked full of curiosity, and unfortunately for him, his appearance was that of a teenager, which made him feel like a child waiting for Christmas presents.
Even if his insides were probably black as night.
“This is it.”
When I handed him Alterisha’s masterwork at last, the [(Temporary) Subspace Pocket], Eltman examined it with an expression flushed with excitement.
“Wow…… this is remarkable. So it uses a method of engraving space onto the soul. Mm, yes, with something like this, it should definitely be possible.”
Even 9-Class mages, who had reached the highest pinnacle of magic, had not truly reached the end.
No—in fact, wasn’t it said that because they became 9-Class, what they did not know became greater than what they did know?
Most mages proudly claimed that once they had comprehended seven or eight parts of the limited world of ten, they had understood most of the principles of the world.
But the moment those people reached 9-Class, they came to perceive a world of one hundred, or one thousand, instead, and so their own existence began to feel endlessly insignificant.
That was why, historically, great archmages who reached 9-Class were said to fall into what people jokingly called a sage phase so severely that they discarded everything worldly and secluded themselves in places untouched by civilization, spending every day doing nothing but study.
People like Stella’s principal or the masters of the Crescent Moon Tower and Full Moon Tower, who remained socially active, were rather the exceptional cases.
“Good. We can begin right away.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Though of course, as you already know…… this hurts a lot.”
“Uh……”
I did know that.
Even in Aether World Online, whenever a subspace was engraved, the character would scream, and most of their HP would be shaved away in the process.
Even protagonists with absurdly powerful willpower screamed in pain when it happened……
so I couldn’t even imagine how much it would hurt, but I decided to trust firmly in my Blessing of Crimson Spring March and my Mental Power.
“It’s fine. Please start right away.”
“Excellent choice. My hands have been itching to try this as well. Take off your top and lie down over here.”
I swallowed hard and lay down on the bed as Eltman instructed.
It’ll hurt like hell, sure……
but it’s not like I’m going to die, right?
In the streets of Arcanium at dusk, the city was full of blooming youth.
Cadets of the Five Great Prestigious Magic Schools of Arcanium were required to live in the dormitories prepared within the schools, but that rule did not apply to students of the other magical departments.
Most of them found cheap lodgings either in Arcanium itself or in its satellite cities and commuted from there, and those students were probably that sort of ordinary student as well.
Students gathering in groups of three and four, chattering as they headed somewhere with purpose.
And……
right in the middle of the road where those students passed by, there stood someone completely still, watching them.
Wrapped in a pitch-black robe from head to toe, their face barely visible at all, a gloomy atmosphere seemed to seep from them……
and yet, for some reason, not a single student seemed to notice they were there.
Thud!
“Hm?”
Someone bumped into their shoulder.
“What’s wrong?”
A friend asked.
“Mm…… I don’t know. Come on, let’s go!”
But the student who had bumped into them forgot the fact that they had even made contact almost immediately and simply continued on their way with their friend.
The black-robed figure narrowed its red glowing eyes and watched the students one by one, then exhaled a puff of white breath.
“……There is no witch here either.”
It had received information that there was definitely a witch somewhere in this place and had come searching for it, yet for some reason, no trace of a witch’s aura could be felt anywhere.
“Another wasted trip…….”
The black robe soon dispersed into mist and scattered into thin air, leaving nothing behind.
Even so, the students continued laughing and roaming the streets, unaware of anything at all.
“……Hm.”
And then, from between the alleys,
Ma Yuseong quietly peeked his head out.
“What an interesting old man……”
Stroking his chin, Ma Yuseong stood there for quite a while with a grin, staring at the place where the black-robed figure had stood.
But he could not keep that up for long.
Unlike the black-robed figure, Ma Yuseong was far too noticeable a person.
“Hey, hey, isn’t that Ma Yuseong over there?”
“He looks even crazier in person.”
“Wait. Let me take my eyeballs out, wipe them clean, and have another proper look.”
Seeing students gradually beginning to gather, Ma Yuseong smiled awkwardly and hurried away.
‘I hate witches……’
He had a bad feeling that something unpleasant was going to happen in Arcanium, and that left him in a foul mood.
[Read only on MugenCodex.]
