Chapter 41

The Emperor's enthronement— from Sophien's point of view— was boring. She was expecting an attack like a great bombing or powerful magic barrage. Anything at all.

However, nothing of the sort happened.

Entering the emperor's quarters, she thought it would be saturated with the smell of a corpse or a sick person, but it was surprisingly clean and fragrant.

However, since she was free, she returned to her office and took out a chessboard. Playing by herself, a high-ranking official and the ministers brought several documents to her presence.

Sophien didn't respond at all. She just kept playing chess until they all went back.

"I saw the creator of the assignment that you gave me the other day. He seemed to know me."

"Is there anyone who doesn't know you, Your Majesty?" Keiron answered.

Of course, there would be no one in the continent who wouldn't know Sophien. That wasn't what she meant, though.

"His ego didn't waver even in front of royalty."

Sophien looked directly into Deculein's eyes, but she couldn't decipher the emotions hiding behind them.

It was hilarious.

"Is that so?"

"He's funny. I felt like I was staring into another me."

He had a solid and firm soul that was no different from his appearance. He was the kind of person to never waver, even with a knife aimed at his throat, making it evident that he was truly beyond the secular world.

"Have you finished your homework?" Keiron changed the subject.

"I did. It was interesting, and I immediately understood why you gave it to me. The entire day—No, the quarter of a day I spent solving it felt rather new."

Sophien fell for Keiron's narration, but she continued.

"I want to lift the restrictions on 'Marik,' Keiron."

"…"

Keiron bowed his head in silence.

'Marik' was the name of the mana stone mine northwest of the empire, but its entrance was currently restricted because it was swarming with black magic and a rising frequency of demon appearances.

"Once it opens up, only adventurers and wizards from the tower and their escorts may enter in the beginning."

"…"

"I don't need advice. I'm tired of listening to those fucking idiots that do nothing but sit behind their desks."

"It might hasten the devil's advent."

"If entering the mine could do that, why did the devil keep silent about it until now? Also, there's a limit to the demons' numbers. If we can kill them all, the site will be cleansed."

Keiron didn't answer.

Looking at the chessboard, Sophien asked. "What is Kreto doing?"

"… He's crying."

"Crying?"

"Yes, he just finished solving the same problems as Your Majesty. I don't know what his discernment was."

Sophien smiled.

"That idiot… Ah, Keiron, you don't know the answer to the problems, don't you?"

"No."

Only then did she look at him. The emperor laughed mischievously.

"I won't tell you, but I'm not kidding when I say even I'm a little surprised. You're curious, aren't you?"

"… It's alright. I'm really not."

"You say you're not, but your eyebrows are wriggling. You can't deceive my eyes. You're very curious right now."

Keiron shut his mouth.

The very next moment, the atmosphere suddenly changed. Sophien raised her eyes sharply as if she was about to devour him. "Don't you dare lie to my face ever again. I don't care if it's you. I won't tolerate anyone who pisses me off."

The emperor's terrifying pressure weighed down on his shoulders, causing him to bow his head.

"… I'm sorry, Your Majesty."

"That's enough. Let's play some fucking chess. I'm tired of playing alone. I need an opponent even if beaten one-sidedly."

*****

Hadekain's desolate mountain.

Ganesha sat on a rock and looked at Lia, Leo, and Carlos, the three children who crossed the Archipelago.

"… Some people on the continent are born with 'magical talent.' Most certified adventurers are."

She was in the middle of teaching them, but her students was concentrating with her eyes wide open, Leo was looking at animals moving at a distance, and Carlos was dozing off.

"For example."

Ganesha picked up a long, dry branch to wake him up.

"Watch."

Booong—

She swung it lightly at an angle that allowed its drooping, weak edge to reach the ground.

Tuuuk—

————!

An earth-shaking roar thundered through their vicinity as an explosion occurred, sending a huge shockwave sweeping through the area.

"Wow!"

"Oh."

Leo and Carlos only focused then.

"What do you think?"

A crater could be seen on the part that Ganesha tapped.

Lia was in a daze.

"That's amazing, Ganesha…"

"It's nothing to admire, but I can use this light branch as an extension of my limbs. The strength of this stick and my fist is the same right now."

A balance of [Mastery] and [Titanium].

For as long as it wasn't alive, every object in her hand gained the same properties as her body. "But fighting with my bare hands is way more fun than using this. Either way, I mostly win… Anyway! Wizards call this 'harmony magic,' and knights call it 'swordsmanship,' but I don't know any magic or swordsmanship."

"Then… Can we be like that too?" Leo asked. He was a cute kid with blue hair, barely 140 cm tall.

Ganesha grinned. "You'll find out starting from now on."

"H-how?"

"You're too noisy. Why are you jumping?" Carlos, who was of a similar build, slapped Leo in the back of his head.

"Aaagh!" Leo screamed as he glared at Carlos with teary eyes.

"Quiet! Didn't you guys come to the continent to change?" Ganesha scolded them. Lia also stepped up and separated the two.

Gasping, Leo soothed his anger with a sigh.

"In order to unlock your magical talents, you must prioritize training more than words. Everyone, follow me."

Ganesha walked deeper into the mountains then disappeared like a mirage, leaving only her footprints behind.

The trio blinked in confusion. At that moment, Leo's foghorn was blown.

"… Aren't you hungry, Lia?"

"You're an idiot, so you're always hungry."

Carlos nitpicked at Leo's complaints, who then flew into a rage. "No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are."

"… Stop saying weird things and follow me." Lia mediated with their bickering. Leo spoke.

"Carlos picked a fight first. You also hit me just now."

"You're being stupid."

"When? When did I?"

"Whin~ Whin did ei~"

"Don't copy me!"

Unable to take any more, Lia screamed, grabbing the ears of both relative's younger brothers.

"If you two keep fighting, forget snacks. I won't even give you food. You won't be able to expect anything from me."

"…"

"…"

The two kept their mouth shut, but their eyes kept blaming each other. Lia sighed loudly, accepting that she couldn't do anything about it.

She wasn't a nanny.

"This is why I wanted to come alone."

After calming down the two, she immediately ran after Ganesha's trail.

"Ah, Lia, I'm sorry! Sorry! Wait!"

"Lia! Let's go together! Yulia—!"

The two children, who belatedly understood the seriousness of the situation, hurriedly followed Yulia.

*****

Yukline mansion, separate building.

Holding the pull-up bar with one hand, I pulled myself up.

For 30 minutes.

Boom—

As soon as I landed, I started my second training session.

[Ertrand's Martial Arts Book, Intermediate]

I took a step with my fist outstretched, executing cheerful and astute footwork, just like in Ertrand's textbook. A resilient move without any stammer.

Then, after working out for a while, I held my cane this time.

I had been trying to learn how to use it as a weapon.

Of course, I wouldn't hit anyone with it unless I had no other option left. I didn't ever want to do it, but a desperate and urgent situation was bound to come.

"…"

After completing my cane training, I checked the [Snowflake Obsidian] in my safe. [Understanding: 4%]

I was constantly using [Understanding] on it, but I still couldn't use it.

I invested about 1 thousand mana on the Snowflake Obsidian then took a shower.

Knock knock—

Roy knocked just in time.

I dressed up and went outside.

"Roy."

"Yes."

"I heard that a maid's mother is sick."

"… Yes, Ruri's."

I heard their story in the main building. I didn't know if they wanted me to eavesdrop on them, but it sounded genuine.

I wrote a cheque and gave it to Roy.

"Tell her to use this to take care of her. Also, if something like this happens in the future, feel free to give aid yourself. I'll compensate you for it."

I intended to ensure more than just the basic welfare of my servants. Roy seemed surprised, but he nodded and subtly received the cheque.

"I understand. I've finished preparing the car."

"Good work."

I got into my vehicle right away.

My task today at the tower was thesis defense. I looked through the documents related to it in the back seat.

"Evaluation…"

I just needed to fill up my seat.

I took out Sylvia's novel from last time and read it until we arrived at our destination. It had been a long time since I last came here, considering the emperor's death closed down both the tower and the university.

"We've arrived."

"Feel free to rest."

"Thank you!"

I got out of the car, went inside the building, and immediately rode an elevator to the 7th floor, where the thesis defense would be held.

Ding—

When the door opened, Relin, standing near the elevator, approached me first. "Oh my, haha. You're here, Head Professor."

I responded to his greetings with a nod. I wasn't very happy to see him, all because of his impure actions and motives as of late.

He even thought about transferring 'Louina' to replace me if the opportunity presented itself.

"Shall we go?"

"Sure."

Following Relin, I entered the hall, which was divided into three sections:

The seats of the Professors who would be evaluating the theses.

The platform upon which the wizards would present and materialize their thesis at.

The grandstand behind it.

I sat in one of the seats reserved for professors. Since I was the Head Professor, I was given the best seat.

"Are you paying close attention to anyone in particular, Professor Relin?"

"Ahaha~ Not really. Hahaha."

Relin had been laughing since earlier.

I looked at the list that he handed me. A total of 23 people would be evaluated today.

"Do you have their papers with you?"

"Oh, by any chance, have you not read them yet?"

"Do I need to read them in advance? I'll understand it if I read them now anyway." I wasn't lying or exaggerating. This was why I did my magic training today.

"Hahahahaha, of course! You're Head Professor Deculein, the genius at interpreting techniques…"

Relin had an assistant professor bring the thesis papers. "Here you go."

I skimmed through the cluster of paper.

I didn't teach anyone on the list anyway, so I intended to just sympathize with the professors' remarks… But…

"…"

A thesis paper caught my eye. No, it made me frown.

[Solda Drent: Elemental Magic and Series that are Expressed Differently Depending on the Natural Environment]

Magic had a personality. Therefore, even if it was the same magic, its manifestation differed per user.

This was also known as 'ethos,' which remained like the fingerprint of the user. Its unique personality wasn't only embodied in magic but also in ceremonies and circuits engraved with a 'thesis trail.'

Of course, it was hard to distinguish the fingerprints with the naked eye.

Fortunately, I had [Understanding] and [Vision].

However, this paper was more than just a vague fingerprint.

I had already seen the idea described in a paper somewhere. To be exact, I looked at the task I gave to my class.

I was certain.

This idea belonged to Epherene.

Of course, I didn't know how it happened.

If it were the original Deculein, he wouldn't have seen Epherene's task, and Epherene would have lived without knowing that her works had been stolen.

Or, more unjustly, she could have been called a thief.

This guy, Drent, most likely aimed for that gap too.

… What should I do?

I decided to gather intel first. "Did you say you're Drent?"

I read his paper thoroughly with [Understanding].

It was plagiarism. Deculein had done something similar, but I wasn't him. Above all else, I didn't like that they dared to touch 'my class' task.'

"Let's have a look…"

Therefore, I thought of questions that the original author of this idea would be able to answer properly.

*****

"We'll start the thesis defense soon. Please take your seats."

Epherene attended the defense. She didn't have to come, but she wanted to see what the process was like. Julia just asked her to come as well.

"Wow, this room is huge~"

"I know."

The hall was spacious, and there were quite a lot of people, but a yellow head at the front seat caught her attention the most.

Sylvia.

"… She's here, too."

"Who?"

"There."

Sylvia was sitting quietly and studying.

"Oh, Sylvia's… studying here too? Amazing. Just amazing."

Deculein appeared just in time, receiving a thesis from Professor Relin as soon as he sat at the top. Sylvia closed her book and looked at him.

Epherene tilted her head.

"Please be quiet. First up, 3rd-year wizard Solda Drent."

Julia's eyes shone, and Epherene smirked.

"… Are you that happy?"

"Huh? H-happy? What are you talking about? I'm just wishing him luck because he's a nice senior."

Drent stood on the stage, then gave a brief introduction about his thesis, and immediately revealed his magic.

"… With only a small adjustment, it is possible to activate this [Fireball] even under the sea. [Fire Preservation]."

Epherene tried to look at the progression as she tilted her head, but she only heard the voice because she wasn't in a good position.

The atmosphere didn't seem too bad.

"I heard that you changed your topic a little while writing this paper. So this was the reason." Professor Letran spoke. He laughed quietly and praised Drent, who nodded and looked like he was holding back his own laughter.

"Thank you."

"Have you chosen which professor you would be under, Drent?"

"Not yet, but I would be very honored to serve any of you."

"Are you making the professors compete? You're impudent."

The other professors also added warm words. Julia shook Epherene's soldiers while clapping like a seal.

"It must have gone well~"

"I know?"

But Epherene felt disharmonious.

She wasn't certain, but while listening to him talk, she realized the subject of his thesis was a little similar to her task.

'It's just a coincidence, right?'

"Uhh, it's Deculein." Julia's expression grew stiff. Epherene also started paying attention again.

"Solda Drent." Head Professor Deculein called out to the defense.

"Yes!"

"Is the idea for this thesis yours?"

Deculein asked a simple question, and Drent nodded without a moment of hesitation.

"Yes."

He glared at Drent silently, his eyes enveloped by an unusual aura. They were heavy and cold, almost like lead.

"I'll ask again. Did you develop this with your own idea without any discussion or reference with anyone?"

"Yes, I'm certain!"

Drent answered energetically, mistaking Deculein's words as praise.

"Do you want my assessment?"

"Yes, please!"

At that moment, Epherene felt chills claw up her spine. Drent was laughing on the inside.

'It doesn't matter how much you compliment me, Deculein. I won't put myself under your command. Of course, I know you're desperate because you only have one assistant professor, but the requirements to be your slave—'

"Good. I'll be asking questions from now on." A thesis paper came to Deculein's hand.

"Drent, you described how magic could be constant and talked about changes in elemental magic according to nature and topography. In that case…"

He then released a technique using mana, the structure of which wasn't normal. Its magic circle wasn't even a circle. It was an oval.

"Considering exactly 13.7% of this technique had been damaged, under what nature did it become this dented?"

"What? Ah… That…"

"13.7%. Don't you know anything about this numerical value?"

"…"

"You don't know? If you don't, how can you manifest such a crushed technique? Give me something. Even a rough guess."

13.7%. Crushed technique. A rough guess.

Drent was already feeling destroyed by Deculein's seemingly endless brain-twisting attacks, but he was just getting started. It was just one question in its series.