In the conference room of the Masal residence, Lia sat at the round wooden table and scanned the members of the Deculein Killing Team. From left to right, Lawaine, Leo, Carlos, Ganesha, Dozmura, Reylie, and… Demon Blood Elesol, who was radioing in through a crystal ball. She said she couldn’t trust them completely yet, so she sent that in her stead.
“…So, what are we going to do now~?”
Ganesha asked with a smirk.
“Shall we go straight to Deculein’s mansion~?”
“First, this is Deculein’s schedule.”
Lightly dismissing her ignorant proposal, Lawaine presented the document provided by Yeriel.
“It is also evidence that Yeriel is on Her Majesty’s side.”
“…”
For a moment, Ganesha’s face turned cold. She turned to Lia.
“Is that true? That Yeriel is joining this team.”
“Yeah.”
Lia nodded.
“Why?”
“…What?”
“You don’t know why yet?”
“That’s….”
Lia worked her lips but didn’t make a sound. Frankly, she didn’t know, though she knew the settings of Yeriel and Deculein. Of course, the relationship between those two wasn’t as bad as in the original script, but Yeriel probably didn’t like Deculein that much.
“Because if we leave it as it is, the family will collapse?”
Lia answered. Deculein was the head of Yukline. So if he betrayed the emperor, the whole family would betray the empire. Yeriel wouldn’t take that risk, at least in this situation when Deculein had no cause and cooperated with the Altar for unknown reasons.
Because Yeriel’s everything was family.
“Yeriel will regret it later~.”
“Regret it?”
Lia asked, playing dumb.
“…But why did the professor suddenly change~?”
Ganesha looked dissatisfied as she went for the snacks on the table. Perhaps, she was worried about Yeriel’s origin.
“…”
Lia watched Ganesha. The Red Garnet Adventurers knew about Yeriel’s secret. Suppose Yeriel herself knew, that alone would be a reason to cooperate. If she didn’t kill Deculein, she would die. Because… Yeriel didn’t have Yukline’s blood.
“…Why is the professor trying to destroy the continent?”
Ganesha murmured.
“Because he’s already lost too much.”
At that moment, the door swung open, and a majestic voice resounded through the room.
“He has lost too much.”
Yeriel, the second daughter of Yukline and Deculein’s little sister, looked at them with venom in her eyes. Her voice dripped with resentment.
“It’s not just his fiancée.”
Yeriel walked over and sat down, opening up one of the newspapers on the table. All of the headlines were gossiping about Deculein. It was part of the Floating Island’s offensive, framing him as a plagiarist and condemning him as a false wizard. The media of the pro-imperial forces joined in with several other noble families to rip at his reputation.
“You guys may think it’s just public opinion.”
Yeriel twisted her lips into a sneer.
“But it’s not for Deculein.”
A personality was extremely obsessed with outward appearances, including public reputation, status, position, and sociability. That was Deculein, or at least what Deculein was known for.
“So, he wants to get it back. People, magic, and his face… everything.”
Lia silently stared at Yeriel. However, with a still-dissatisfied look, Ganesha turned away.
“…I see.”
Lia considered her thoughts on Deculein.
What he wanted by making himself a villain and what kind of ending he was trying to reach. Unfortunately, she couldn’t share that thought with everyone else. Regardless of whether it was true or false, she would go against Deculein’s will. She would rebel against his desire to ‘keep on following me.’
She would ruin his plans.
“Indeed. Because it’s Deculein, that’s possible.”
Of course, it could all be part of Deculein’s trick. Deculein could be cooperating with the Altar, and it could be that he joined forces with their God to destroy the continent. To obfuscate that, he might be using his psychology against them.
Therefore, Lia’s heart was still in that transition period. She was still at a crossroads about Deculein’s true nature…
It would probably only be revealed at the very end.
“Then, welcome, Yeriel.”
Lia smiled and offered her hand to Yeriel.
* * *
I was reading a letter in the chairman’s office in the tower. It was the magic paper delivered to me by Yeriel early that day.
[I attended as you said. I made you out to be a really bad guy.]
Things were going as I… no, as we thought they would. Yeriel knew me well, so she didn’t go against the flow. She didn’t rekindle useless familial affection or say she didn’t want to do it. Rather, she diligently prepared without a word of complaint.
In the original story, she was fierce and vicious, eventually killing Deculein with poison, so the reputation I wanted would be created by her within the month.
[Keep reporting.]
I was about to cut off contact with that, but I felt something come over me. I took the quill I was about to put down again and added–
[…Do not doubt yourself. You are doing well.]
—Professor.
I turned over the note and looked at the crystal ball on my desk.
—Professor Louina and Wizard Ihelm are on the move.
Julie reported.
“…Is that so?”
At the moment she is still in college. Julie was acting as the Imperial knight named Yuri.
—Yes. The two have nothing to do with the Altar. Rather, they are poking around the tower’s basement to investigate. The new faculty members are also with them.
This was her task, sorting out allies and enemies. Jade from dirt. Ironically, I was an enemy to my allies and an ally to my enemies.
“Keep an eye on them, and you don’t have to report it verbally. I can see what you see any way, and it’s a crystal ball connected with vision.”
—Yes. By the way, are you okay?
“…I’ll answer for the thirteenth time; I’m okay.”
—It’s because I am worried that you’re alone. Of course, I know now that I am the only person you can trust.
“I have told you now my magical skills are superior to before.”
I fiddled with the handle of my staff. A circuit, a type of magic core, was implanted in this staff. There were no doubts about its performance.
“…The circuits of those I killed.”
The killers from Floating Island. I had gathered their corpses before the Floating Island could. They were so fragmented that it was a little hard to get what I needed, but I was successful in removing the fragmented blood vessels and circuits and transplanting them into the staff.
[Snowflake Obsidian staff bearing deep grudges and curses]
Thanks to this, my staff was given a very negative name: Grudge and Curse. The curse was the most vicious state anomaly in this world, evidenced by the curse that drove Julie to near death. Most humans couldn’t curse anyone, and those who had been cursed couldn’t survive. It was for a very good reason that Sophien called her power a curse, after all.
“My magic is purer than ever.”
Of course, more than 90% of that was due to my equipment, but anyway. Let’s briefly list the effects written on this staff.
—Quality of mana operated through this staff is increased by 1 grade.
—Magic Volume [6,666/6,666]
—66% increase in magic operation speed.
—Snowflake Obsidian understanding 100%.
As a staff, its mana capacity was larger than mine, and it understood and calculated magic on its own… anyway, aside from all that stuff, I couldn’t even beat the first ability. Using this staff, I was able to use Level 2 mana, which was on the same level as Adrienne. The cost of obtaining all these tremendous effects was only one curse.
—The user suffers from the
abnormal status ‘Curse and Grudge.’
Of course, as I said earlier, a curse was the worst condition in the world, but since that was the price, such a tremendous effect was possible. Also, the curse was a curse of the mind, not the body, and my mind would never lose to a curse.
…Die, die, die, die.
I just had to ignore these whispers. Not all curses were simple like this. But this was the limited part of the curse that could pierce my mental power.
—Professor. Now Louina and Ihelm are entering the basement under the Tower Library.
Julie reported. So, Louina and Ihelm were entering the Altar’s realm.
“I’m going, so you wait there.”
I stood, gripping my staff.
* * *
…Another ecosystem was being created under the Imperial University Magic Tower. It was a temple built by the university professors, wizards, and knights who went to the Altar’s side. They prayed to their God in this basement, and in return, they received an elixir that gave them ‘talent.’
A leap that could make knights stronger and professors smarter…
“Shh!”
Louina placed her hand to her lips. Following her, Ihelm frowned as he read the Altar’s Bible.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Shh! Shh!”
“That’s noisier.”
Louina and Ihelm had followed the rumors of the Magic Tower into this dark passage.
“They have some guts to build a facility like this under the Tower….”
“That means their power has grown.”
The only light source was the candles on either side of the wall.
Skulking through the dark caverns, Louina and Ihelm were trying to dig out the roots that threatened the foundations of the Imperial University.
“Wait.”
Swooosh…
An eerie mist lay thick over the ground.
Crack, crack, crack—
Detecting intruders, a group of skeletons creaked as they stood.
“Hmm… I’ve seen that magic somewhere before.”
Ihelm scratched the back of his neck, and Louina clenched her teeth.
“I know, right. Coincidentally, me too. I saw it at our university.”
This was the magic of one of the faculty members of this tower. She even knew the name. It was Relin. That fat professor betrayed them…
Stomp-
The sound of steps fell behind them, sending chills up Ihelm and Louina’s spines.
The two spun around.
“…!”
And both nearly fell over in shock. A familiar man was standing there and staring them down.
“Chairman… Deculein?”
Deculein nodded.
“What a curious place. Has there ever been a place like this in the Tower?”
Then, seeing his grin, Louina gulped. A primordial fear caused goosebumps to rise on her arms, and cold sweat dripped off her temples.
“Isn’t that right, Louina? Ihelm?”
Deculein asked.
In the next moment, skulls crashed upon them…
