novelraw Chapter 116 : A New Resource (2)
Chapter 116 : A New Resource (2)
Chapter 116: A New Resource (2)
For now, I decided to set that problem aside.
At the very least, I knew how to use Vision Power with my own head.
Which meant that if I could just make my body sturdy enough, I would be able to use it like before.
“From today on, I should train my body instead of magic.”
I recalled something from my time in 3rd Class.
Balak, who had been teaching Tap-Taking.
When he ordered us to carry the firewood needed for class, my arms had been shaking even though I hadn’t carried many pieces.
I had no idea how to make this weak body sturdy.
I was a mage, so I knew how to make magic stronger, but I didn’t really know how to train the body.
In my previous life, I had never trained my body to use Vision Power.
I could do it simply because of my innate talent.
“This is troublesome…….”
“Which part troubles you?”
“……Do you know how to make a body sturdy?”
Etar shook his head as he answered.
“That’s something only swordsmen would know……. We’re mages, aren’t we? We don’t have to use our bodies…….”
“I figured……. That’s why I suddenly want to see that guy.”
All of a sudden, my old companion came to mind.
“When you say that guy…… are you referring to the Grand Swordsman from when you were at the top? What was his name again…….”
“Oriant Garent.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Do you happen to know how he’s doing?”
He shook his head at that question as well.
Honestly, I hadn’t expected much.
Mages and swordsmen lived completely disconnected lives.
Hadn’t that been obvious even in 1st Class lessons?
Even in this era, classes that drove a wedge between mages and swordsmen were still being conducted.
Etar lived in such a world, so even if he had tried to find out, he wouldn’t have been able to.
Besides, unlike mages, swordsmen had shorter average lifespans, so Garent was probably no longer among the living.
Given the circumstances, the fact that I had died in my previous life without achieving harmony with the swordsman society weighed on me like an enormous regret.
“For now. Let’s put that problem aside. It’s purely my personal task anyway.”
After finishing one task—meeting Etar—another new task was added.
“But Hei and Kiena are still bothering me. Kiena is Sylarid’s monster…… and Hei is a sudden Double Caster…….”
Our first enemy was Tyrant.
And Sylarid was an enemy above even that.
Thinking that they were connected to the strongest enemy of all, Etar didn’t seem able to brush it off easily either.
Etar rolled his wheelchair over and rummaged through his drawer for a moment.
Then he brought out three sheets of paper and showed them to me.
“What’s this?”
“They’re the admission certificates of Lord Arkis, Kiena, and Hei.”
They were documents that contained a past I didn’t know.
I immediately examined the papers.
The admission certificates detailed the circumstances of admission quite thoroughly, almost as if they were recording each student’s life story.
“Especially for those from orphanages, we investigated and wrote down exactly how they came to enter the orphanage.”
“Why go that far?”
“As I said, I was searching for Lord Arkis’s traces. You never know where those traces might be found, do you?”
Etar had been moving with quite a meticulous plan.
And on the admission certificate, the reason I had entered the orphanage was clearly stated.
“One day, Hei, Kiena, and I were abandoned at the entrance of the orphanage, and the orphanage teachers took us in and raised us…….”
“Yes.”
There was nothing special about the reason we had ended up there.
I handed the admission certificates back to Etar.
“You’re not going to look further?”
“No. There’s nothing to gain from it. And thinking about it, the two of them definitely said ‘the place where the pieces gather.’ I think that place is the top.”
If it was connected to Sylarid, then it was where Sylarid was.
It could only be the top.
“Alright, then. About the issue of graduating from the branch school.”
“Why worry about that? I’m the Headmaster. The authority over graduation lies with me.”
“No, that’s not it.”
“……Then what is it?”
Before moving on to the main school, I felt like conducting one experiment.
“You said the condition for graduating 6th Class is beating the Vice Headmaster, right?”
“Yes.”
“How many Circles is Former, exactly?”
“8th Circle.”
That matched my expectations.
“8th Circle…… would it be fair to say that’s about the level Tyrant was at when he became my Disciple? Can Former also use Orbification?”
Orbification was originally a 9th Circle spell, but I had already seen Nylon implement it with my own eyes before.
So I asked, just in case.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? Last time I saw, Nylon was doing it. From what I could tell, Nylon was definitely a level below.”
“Ah, that was thanks to a potion. A magic amplification potion. It’s only at a level where it can be implemented very briefly after drinking that potion.”
Well, with Vise, the master of alchemy, being a Sculptor, making such a potion wouldn’t have been difficult.
“So he can’t use Orbification. Still, in this school, he’d be considered the strongest mage after you, right?”
He nodded at that question.
“But why are you suddenly asking this……?”
“I’m thinking of having Kiena and Hei fight Former.”
“……Pardon?”
“Why are you so surprised? You said the 6th Class graduation criterion is beating the Vice Headmaster anyway, right?”
“That’s true, but…….”
“That’s exactly what I want to test. Hei definitely used Orbification. Of course, it wasn’t voluntary. But still, that means his latent power is a step above Former’s, doesn’t it?”
Etar nodded.
But his expression looked like he didn’t really want to acknowledge it.
“It’s an experiment to see if that power that appeared unconsciously will come out if we push them to their limits in a sparring match against Former.”
“If it’s about pushing them to their limits, wouldn’t it be fine for Lord Arkis to do it yourself?”
I shook my head.
“The two of them think of me as a friend like family, someone who grew up with them since the orphanage. If the opponent were me, they wouldn’t think of going all out.”
And since I had helped with their training since 1st Class, they thought of me like a teacher.
They were that comfortable with me, so it wasn’t very effective.
They needed to face a strong, merciless opponent.
Only then would power close to their limits naturally emerge.
That was why I thought Former was perfectly suited.
“But is there really a reason it has to be that way? A reason why the two must awaken their power of their own accord. If they’re students connected to Sylarid, then while their power is still weak…….”
Etar trailed off.
But I could tell what he was trying to say.
Given the circumstances, it was clear they were connected to Sylarid, so wasn’t it better to eliminate them now, while they were still weak?
“You said the two of them kept muttering about ‘the place where the pieces gather.’”
“Yes.”
“And I’m thinking that place is the top of the main school.”
“That’s correct.”
“If they enroll in the main school, can they head straight to the top? Just like how branch school graduates head to the main school, main school graduates head to the top, right?”
Etar quietly nodded.
He had already told me that in the past, graduates from the Rus and Ramus branch schools had failed to adapt and were expelled.
In other words, fierce competition was taking place even in the main school.
“I have to take Kiena and Hei all the way to the top. But at their current level, even if they go to the main school, it’ll be tough for them to head to the top.”
“That’s probably true. You can think of each main school student as being on the level of a professor.”
Just as I expected.
“So we just make them grow stronger through sparring with Former. Simple, right?”
Even heading to the main school wouldn’t be the end.
I’d be fine, but Kiena and Hei would have to compete with main school students again, and only by showing their talent there could they head to the top.
The enemies waiting there.
Tyrant and Sylarid.
If I could successfully take Kiena and Hei with me, I could resolve two enemies at once and uncover the secret the two of them carried.
It was a good opportunity to solve three problems by succeeding at a single task.
“By the way, where is Former? You said he’s your son, but he’s not by your side?”
“Ah, I temporarily ordered him to work in the Underworld on Sculptor business. If you wish, I can call him back at any time.”
“Then let me make one suggestion. It’s not an order. This is a suggestion from a student to the Headmaster.”
“What is it?”
“I heard that the 6th Class student ability evaluation could only be done once a year, right? Not something you could apply for whenever you wanted starting from 1st Class?”
“Yes.”
That was why, after five years passed, expulsion was automatic.
“Let’s change that. Make it mandatory once a week. There are only three 6th Class students anyway, right?”
What I wanted was short-term growth for Kiena and Hei.
They had already grown enough, but they were absolutely not at a level where they could head to the top of the main school.
So I planned to have them learn that sense themselves through frequent sparring with Former.
“Understood. That’s not a difficult request.”
Etar readily agreed.
After hearing everything about the events that had happened while I was gone and roughly laying out how we would move going forward, I finally gained a bit of breathing room.
“Alright, now explain those too.”
I said it while pointing at the three fireplaces in the corner.
I asked while indicating the waypoints with an extinguished light bulb, a crude stone, and black firewood.
“As you expected, they’re waypoints.”
“But where do these waypoints lead? They look like waypoints symbolizing the Light and Earth Elements.”
“You’re exactly right. They’re connected to Tresha and Alfric. Among the disciples of Lord Arkis who share my intentions, those two are the only ones.”
“Ah……? You three meet separately too?”
“I met them recently. Would you like to go meet them as well, Lord Arkis?”
It was a rather tempting proposal.
My disciples, whom I would be meeting for the first time in 300 years.
Disciples who had banded together of their own accord and fought at the risk of death to drive out Tyrant.
“Hmm…….”
I pondered briefly before answering.
“No, I don’t think today’s the day.”
“Is there a particular reason……? The school is on break anyway. And just like me, they don’t go to the Underworld even during break in order to avoid surveillance. They live at their respective schools.”
“Doesn’t that mean I can meet them anytime, even if it’s not today?”
“……I suppose so?”
If that was the case, there was even less reason to meet them today.
Starting today, I had an assignment given to myself.
“Tell me when I want to go meet them next time. And for now, keep my identity a secret from Alfric and Tresha.”
“Understood. Ah, right, please take this.”
Etar rolled his wheelchair over again and rummaged through his drawer.
It was a mob covered in dust.
“A mob?”
“It’s a mob connected only to me. If there’s anything unusual, I’ll contact you through that mob.”
That was how I implanted a new mob into my body.
“Alright, get some rest. I’m going to work on a personal assignment.”
It was the moment our long conversation came to an end.
“Yes. If you ever need anything or wish to talk like this again, you may come anytime. I’ll be waiting.”
“Got it.”
Etar opened a portal, and I returned to 6th Class.
And the place I headed to right away was the training grounds.
‘Vision Power…… just how much can I handle?’
I had to find out, starting now.