◈ Episode 94. Everything is Procedural (2)
Garnet Hall.
In the Garnet Hall, where the Magic Tower’s tools are managed, there is a separate room managed by the Enchantment School.
Naturally, the work done in that room is to enchant tools.
The Enchantment School is a school of hard work with little reward.
Even the slightest mistake can damage a precious tool.
There are many groans in the Garnet Hall Annex.
And then.
“Ugh. Why are you putting me through this ordeal……!!!”
An uncommon exclamation is heard in such a private room.
Kiko Armin, a senior mage in the Enchantment School.
Her voice was filled with resentment.
Iron fist─
Kiko sprawled out on the enchanting desk.
The experienced mages exchanged glances with each other.
“Are you sure you’re okay?
Kiko showed no sign of getting up.
Finally, one of the Adepts had no choice but to speak up.
“Senior Mage Kiko. After all, we’re the ones responsible for…….”
“If that was your intention, you shouldn’t have spoken to me in the first place.”
“Oops, we apologize. Our thoughts were short…….”
“But what if things went wrong after being silent? Even then, I would never have stayed still. He must have asked why you didn’t tell me.”
“Well, I’m sorry about that too…….”
“What are you sorry for? It’s obvious I’m being capricious.”
Kiko dropped the large letter.
Her words shot out like chain lightning.
The adepts exchanged glances once more.
Ouch.
It’s manifested!
Senior Mage Kiko’s paranoia!
Her paranoia is a disease of lack of self-esteem.
If the other schools in the tower are earning diligently.
Enchantment was a school that wasted its fortune.
“You’d better change your course now. What’s the point of hanging on to Enchantment? Damn you, study! If I were half as young as you are, I’d be ……!”
I see you’re bringing up your age, something you don’t usually do.
This paranoia is not going to go away easily.
The Adepts shook their heads.
‘You deserve it.’
But I understood the sentiment.
The cause of this situation was obvious.
Kiko, who had been rambling hysterically, finally brought up the subject.
“What in the world does Chief Lee Ho-yeol lack that he would even bother to touch the Enchantment School? No matter how you look at it, it’s obvious that this is a ploy! You little carnivores who only produce negative results should get the hell out of the magic tower! Instead of saying something, he’s giving us a ploy like this, isn’t he?”
The obvious culprit, Chief Lee Ho-yeol!
He was.
Ho-yeol’s order was the reason for the emergency in Garnet Hall’s private room.
“I’ve known about it since you started flirting with me at the dinner table…….”
Hmph.
Kiko, who had been muttering resentfully, finally raised her head.
“……Could you please read that request again?”
Dark auburn hair.
The shadows around the eyes were darker than that.
If you’re going to use your face like that, you might as well give me…….
“Hey, are you listening?”
Tori-dori─
The adept mage shook off his thoughts and spoke up.
“Ah, yes! According to the order that Chief Lee Ho-yeol sent me……. First, to extract the effects contained in the submitted magic tools and impart them to the similarly submitted clothes. Second, to amplify the effects extracted from the materials and impart them to the magic tools…….”
Kiko watched the adept mage read the parchment.
The chattering mouth showed no sign of stopping.
Kiko thought to herself.
“……I don’t get it, no matter how many times I hear it?
Ah, Ho-Yeol, the culprit behind everything!
Love-hate enchantment.
The amount of knowledge to be gained is ridiculously vast, but the cost of putting that knowledge to good use is far too great.
It is, as you say, an inefficient field of magic.
It’s not worth studying.
Even the great chief Marcelo had only a basic knowledge of enchantment.
But.
‘How do you know so much about it?’
The order form sent by the Chief was overly detailed.
He knew the limits of Enchantment.
Demanding results that approached those limits.
In a word, it was too demanding!
‘Enchantment, even advanced enchantment, without knowledge of the process’
I couldn’t ask for such a spell.
Come to think of it, it was the same for regular conferences.
‘I asked pointed questions about the study of enchantment.
And there was an adept mage right in front of me who was struggling.
After what seemed like an eternity of babbling, the Adept finished.
Kiko clicked her chin.
“I think there’s still a catch, but what is it?”
“Oh, there’s something else he said, P.S.”
“P.S.?”
“It said to use it if it helps, but……. I don’t know what that means, because it’s way beyond the knowledge of our experienced mages.”
The kind of personality you never want to have as a boss.
But personality and ability were two different things.
Kiko remembered Ho-Yeol’s behavior well.
The one that made the biggest impression on her.
It was, of course, the incident with the senior mage, Vanguard Tom.
‘That was really, really not normal.’
Vanguard Tom.
ab elder mage.
And a demon worshipper.
An unimaginable contradiction.
He was the one most responsible for resolving it.
“If it helps, use it?
I mean, I was curious.
What had he written?
Was he saying something that even experienced mages couldn’t understand?
“I’ll have to read it.”
Sigh.
Kiko finally pushed herself up from the magic table.
Then she gestured.
The journeyman mage handed Kiko the parchment.
“You’re amazing, really.”
From our rollicking chief.
You never skimp on anything.
It was a lot to take in, to say the least.
It was longer than the detailed order form, wasn’t it?
I decided to read it anyway.
But then Kiko’s expression began to change.
“Wait. What about this?
I read the first paragraph.
The realization hit her.
“No wonder you guys can’t understand.”
This wasn’t about enchantment.
“Technically, it’s a different school of thought.”
It’s hard to say.
It was a mixture of knowledge from many different schools.
But as a senior in the Department of Enchantment, I could guess.
“You didn’t ask for this for nothing, did you?”
Ho Yeol added.
I might be able to make up for the limitations of the School of Enchantment.
As soon as I read it, I realized it.
It wasn’t a difficult solution.
It just required a shift in thinking.
“How?
The answer didn’t just lie in Enchantment.
The reason Kiko couldn’t think outside the box was simple.
It’s a thought that any senior mage would have.
“Enchantment is the best…….”
Yes, the stubbornness of thinking her magic was the best.
Then it hit her.
And how Ho-Yeol could have come up with such an idea.
Kiko spat out a wry laugh.
“Is it possible because it’s a rolling stone?”
Why, rolling stones don’t get moss.
Soon, Kiko pulled up her long robes.
“I see. Good, it’s time for me to take it off too.”
Without realizing it, it was time to remove the moss from my body.
That’s what she meant.
There was no way the adept mages, who couldn’t even interpret p.s., could fathom her deeper meaning.
“What are you suddenly stripping off?
The Adepts exchanged strange glances.
‘How stressed must she be to be talking nonsense.’
“Poor senior Kiko.’
“……Seriously, should we change paths now?”
*
What is the ultimate goal of Magic Tower?
The pursuit of truth.
Of course, right now, Magic Tower doesn’t even know what truth is.
“Anyway, the end goal is the same.”
In that sense, I wondered if there was a need for bad relations between schools.
Why, thanks to Grandfell, who has a natural gift for magic.
“It’s dark under the lamp.”
Is it because you dig too many wells?
The answer came unexpectedly easily.
It was the same at the regular conference.
This time, it was the same with the enchantment formula.
‘I wrote it down properly, even if it was for the sake of studying.’
I will uproot the tower.
As I promised myself.
I pulled out the enchantment scroll, adding every detail.
Each detail added.
Considering that the number of units changed with each enchantment.
No ordinary player would be able to afford it.
“Everything in moderation.”
Of course, eating too much raw can give you an upset stomach.
So, as a p.s., I added
“Advanced Theory of Enchantment.”
The knowledge I gained from reading it in Void.
Naturally, it will increase my chances of success in enchantment.
I have nothing to lose.
Even if it’s a pain in the ass, you have to get the first step right.
That way, you can make it work the next time.
“But the process is more important than the result.”
And by process, I mean following deadlines.
You never know when something is going to happen.
You never know when you’re going to need an item in a hurry.
I did.
I asked for the item to be enchanted.
“Not bad.”
[Necklace of Sublime Promise]
[Grade: Rare]
[Limit: Lv.300]
[Effect : When hit, has a low chance to trigger the skill ‘Intermediate Protection’].
[Description: A necklace for lovers who go to battle, enchanted with the hope that their opponent will be safe.]
I also wore an item that had been stored in my inventory.
It’s all about being prepared.
We need to eliminate the threat.
─Dispose of the escaped Demon Worshippers. (In progress)
●Stop the resurrection of a high-level demon. (Ongoing)
I was just flipping through the pages, enjoying my teatime.
The Demon Worshipper revealed the plan he knew.
I recited it nonchalantly.
“High, low, or demon. It doesn’t change the fact that they’re lowly.”
I let my pride get the best of me.
It’s just that it wasn’t usually a serious thing.
I was fully aware of that.
The demon hunter’s knowledge told him.
-“Not all demons are the same. There are lesser demons and demons along the hierarchy. It is safe to say that the higher demons possess powers that are not unlike those of a great evil.”
It was simple enough.
I wasn’t the only one trying to cheat and take shortcuts!
Demons.
And demon worshippers.
They were the same.
-“……Our plan was to resurrect the higher demons more quickly, and yes, Vanguard Tom was just one of the sacrifices. It failed miserably.”
When I first heard it, I was giddy.
I had defeated the demon, Decarabia.
He was only ranked 69th out of 72 demons.
Between him and the top demons.
Between the lesser demons and kings.
It meant that there was even more of a gap……!
The same was true for the great evil, the Seven Sins of Greed.
He was even ignorant of the [Exorcism Ritual] that Decarabia knew about.
I don’t know why.
He’s not worthy of being called a great evil.
I knew this better than anyone, because I defeated it.
Yes, even those screw-ups.
I was the one who took them down the hard way.
If the Demon Worshippers have their way.
If the High Demon had been resurrected at this point…….
‘I don’t even want to think about it. Really.’
In that case, I can only pity myself once again.
‘It’s a good thing you’ve got good timing.’
Long live Lee Ho-yeol.
I’m glad you weren’t intimidated by the elder mages.
It gave us a chance to fight back.
But.
“It’s unpleasant to be breathing the same air.”
A single demon worshipper escaped from the tower.
As long as he was alive and breathing.
The Demon Worshippers’ plan to resurrect the Higher Demon King is still in effect.
It was this knowledge that kept the mute worshippers from speaking until the end.
-“That’s why we’ve persevered until now. But I can’t do it anymore……! I can’t do it anymore. My mind can’t take it anymore!”
Of course, telling the truth won’t get them off the hook.
After all, aren’t they high criminals?
War criminals are war criminals.
It is only right that they suffer their punishment according to our procedures.
“And the other one, of course.”
One remaining demon worshipper.
Its whereabouts were unknown to the other Demon Worshippers.
‘That’s fast.
Even a human-possessed demon couldn’t be recognized without a [natural enemy]. It would be difficult to find a demon worshipper, let alone one who had become a elder mage.
But one thing is clear.
“The day you act rashly will be your day of disposition.”
To execute a plan.
It’s the moment you move.
I will.
No, the magic tower to be precise.
It will be the day we move to execute the Great Sinner.
Yes.
Marcelo and twenty senior mages.
Once again.
They’ll be more than a bodyguard, they’ll be a force to be reckoned with……!
“In that case, I’m rather looking forward to it.
But even if I’m alone in my secret thoughts.
I can’t reveal it.
I could only mutter coldly.
“Struggle as best you can until the end.”
Why, it’s no easy task to struggle desperately.
I’m not just saying that.
You’ll have rats on your legs in no time.
*
Top floor of a hotel.
Scattered clothes.
Smoke hanging in the air.
An unholy atmosphere.
“No wonder it’s called the Demon’s Den.”
A pomade of gray hair.
A properly trimmed beard.
Well-tailored, modern clothing.
An elder mage.
Karimzeva, now little more than a demon worshipper, spoke up.
“This world is no different from the continent of Arcana, I see.”
He looked perfectly at home in society.
Except for the vast amounts of magic that pulsed through his body.
“No different, only more shitty.”
On the bed.
A man rose from among the drunken women.
What could I possibly have to hide in front of a demon worshipper?
Evidence of possession on display.
He looked around the hotel with wide eyes.
“I’m a demon, too, but in a way, I’m worse than a demon. For the demon’s sake. To get stronger, to commit evil deeds. There’s no justification for it. Kicking fellow humans to the curb simply for your own pleasure?”
“Watch your language.”
“I see. Somehow, even as a demon, you care about him even more than I do……!”
Goooooo-!
Karimzeva’s momentum was murderous.
The demon impatiently raised both hands and picked up the words.
“Ah. A joke. Can’t you take a joke?”
“Our plan must have sounded like a joke to you.”
“No, I didn’t mean that, I meant……!”
“Never mind. No need for a long story.”
Running away from Magic Tower.
It’s been a long time since I hid from the public eye.
But something was wrong.
“Telepathy is not coming.”
The elder mage who remained in the tower.
No news from the demon worshippers.
The tower was inaccessible.
The exact reason was unknown.
It was clear that their plans had been disrupted.
“This is beyond comprehension.”
Like himself, they were elder mages.
Who were they to question their words and actions?
Or even question them.
They couldn’t even send telepathy to them.
They wouldn’t be in crisis.
‘……No way.’
Did they betray me?
Just as he had betrayed Magic Tower in the past.
Did they betray the Demons this time?
‘No. They know what the real truth is.’
I knew that.
The longer he waited, the more his suspicions grew.
Eventually, Karimzeva had no choice but to make contact.
To the demon in human form.
Karimzeva said.
“I need news from the Tower. Given your position in this world, it shouldn’t be difficult to obtain information about him, given the body you’ve taken for him.”
The demon smirked at his words.
“Yes, well, since you know so much.”
“……?”
“To me, the only one who can answer your questions. I mean, I get that you’re a great guy, but we have a stake in this, don’t we?”
……Believe me, you demon.
I didn’t even need interference.
Just magic alone.
I could have blown up a demon like this.
But no.
‘We won’t be able to get news of the tower. And the plan…….’
Karimzeva desperately suppressed a gasp of magic.
Then he answered.
“You’re right, I was imprudent.”
Karimzeva was once called the Fire Dragon.
Bending to the demons.
I’ve only taken the first step.
I can already feel my legs stiffening.