WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 100

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The scene visible through the mirror bug was beautiful enough to call picturesque. Ring of the Sky spat out words. Lines carrying a hint of excitement burst across the screen like fragments and decorated it. I stared quietly at the mirror bug as well.

In a room flooded with moonlight, a sorrowful woman and a man with firm resolve faced each other. The whole sight felt unreal, as if it had leaped straight out of a story.

I had seen something similar in the stories weeds told. It was a tale about a princess and a swordsman. The swordsman rescued the princess after she was captured by an evil mage.

It was a fairly famous story. Famous enough that even I knew it. Of course, when I first heard it, I found it ridiculous. Hadn’t the positions of the mage and the sword-user been switched? I had wondered that too.

These days, though, my opinion had changed a little. A fine swordsman cuts down an evil mage. What a wonderful story. There was a reason the weeds liked it. Thinking back on it now, it really was a good story.

Of course, the role we were playing right now was that evil mage.

What we were planning was like a play. If it flowed like a story, those two would reach a happy ending. But reality was different from stories. Hao needed to learn that.

Ring of the Sky seemed to calm down a little and spoke through the mirror bug. The writing wavered slightly, but it was still readable.

-I feel moved watching them. I can sense that child becoming truly happy, and it makes me happy too.

“Hehe, is that so? But we have to tear those two apart. Ring of the Sky-ssi, aren’t you taking the most important role there?”

Mira looked at the mirror bug connected to Ring of the Sky and smiled mischievously. In response, Ring of the Sky panicked and spat out letters. They failed to form proper writing and shattered apart. Soon, once it had settled down, it continued.

-Aah, that’s true.... But even that unhappiness will become happiness. In a way, this is for that child’s sake too. Since it’s come to this, I’ll break it even more thoroughly. That way, that child will become even happier!

After reading that, I shook my head slightly. Making someone unhappy first in order to make them happy. That must have been treasure-style thinking. I had not reached that level yet. It was clearly a realm I would never reach in my life.

-In that sense, everything is ready. I think this will do.

Ring of the Sky spat out words. At the same time, strange drawings began filling the screen.

The drawing contained a bizarre structure. It looked like a circuit, like the blood vessels of a living creature, and also like light simply scattering.

I turned my head slightly. Just staring at it seemed to strain my mind. Mira approached it and slowly examined the drawing. Soon, she nodded and smiled.

“This is very good. As Ring of the Sky-ssi said, this should be enough to seize their minds.”

Then that was enough. I glanced sideways at the drawing. As she said, its form was extremely complete. It was a high-dimensional structure diagram Ring of the Sky had created for what came next.

“I’ve confirmed it. Then let’s write the magic circle based on this.”

Mira breathed out a light mist and wrapped it around my head. Once I was inside it, looking at the drawing no longer made my head hurt. She had made a kind of barrier for me. From above my head, she let out a pleased laugh.

“Now, let’s get moving. I’ll be watching Evron-ssi from here.”

I quietly nodded. Mira’s body shook along with my head. At that, Mira laughed lightly again. Like that, I continued checking the structure diagram Ring of the Sky had sent.

Looking at it naturally filled me with admiration. The shape created by that structure diagram was like a single ring. It looked as though Ring of the Sky’s body had been copied. Of course, it was nothing more than a far inferior version.

This was what I had asked Ring of the Sky for. It was a kind of vessel. A vessel meant to contain everything that came from Ring of the Sky.

The structure diagram also explained in some detail how to handle that power. How the flow should be connected, which parts were important, and so on were organized so simply that even I could understand them.

This was something only Ring of the Sky could do. The knowledge inside it would clearly be useful to anyone who could handle this power. Yes, someone like Hao beyond the screen.

Even while Hao was meeting Hari, the believers of the Ring of the Sky Church continued holding gatherings and masses. They moved with great secrecy and speed. They walked around under all kinds of camouflage magic, to the point that even my mirror bugs could not catch them.

And within that, the magic for Ring of the Sky’s descent was also being prepared thoroughly. Ever since meeting Hari, Hao had led that work with great passion.

It was all to make Hari more perfect. Through Hao’s introduction, Hari had naturally blended in among them. The Ring of the Sky Church worshiped Hari completely.

The believers who met her shed tears of emotion. A living god is by our side. Saying that, they moved even more violently than before, without caring about the other students.

Watching them, I smiled bitterly. Twenty people. In one sense, that might seem like a small number. But it was also a tenth of the students in our tower. If people like that kept gathering and causing incidents, they would obviously grow harder to handle over time.

Even if I controlled them through Hari, that was only a temporary measure. They had a very clear object of faith. The being called Ring of the Sky.

If I tried to suppress their faith through Hari, she would end up in a similar situation to what had happened to Ring of the Sky. Hao would definitely suspect that Hari had been possessed by a devil. Then he would grow even more zealous and run wild, saying he had to save Ring of the Sky.

In the end, an accident was as good as guaranteed. I had known that from the start.

So I thought in reverse. We only had to cause the accident first. We would take firmer control of their descent ritual and lead it perfectly with our own hands.

This structure diagram was for that. It was similar to the method they were trying to use. By spying on the Ring of the Sky Church’s conversations, I had also learned their plan.

Gather power at a single point and give it one form. That was the descent method Hao had considered, and the Ring of the Sky Church had imagined.

I quietly shook my head. The direction of that idea was correct, but they had a very clear limitation. They lacked the skill. The magic circle they had made was far too inefficient.

At this rate, they would definitely fail. But would they give up because of that? No. As long as that faith existed, they would keep attempting the descent. And I would only become more annoyed in the process.

Perhaps Ring of the Sky might actually be dragged out during that process. If that happened, Professor would definitely not let me off.

So I decided to make it succeed perfectly from the start.

I lightly drew circuits following the structure diagram’s flow. There were not many parts I needed to touch. This alone could be called a spell.

Besides, there were plenty of people who would improve it. The Ring of the Sky Church. Since they existed, there was no need for me to hold on to this for long. If I threw it to them, they would definitely celebrate and go wild.

The magic circle was fully prepared after one day. I sent it with Hari.

It was the same as their previous meeting. Hari faced Hao and smiled gently. That smile did not carry the sadness from before. Instead, it held faint anticipation and happiness.

It was the result of Hao steadily trying to make Hari happy. Of course, that was only because Hari had guided his reactions. But if Hao was happy, wasn’t that enough?

Hari lightly exchanged written conversation with Hao. Hari laughed softly at what Hao said, and Hao was overcome with emotion as he looked at the words Hari gave him. Their eyes were fixed on each other.

Then silence settled for a little while. The moon vanished behind the clouds, and darkness covered the room. Within it, Hari’s purple eyes shone brilliantly. Hari carefully handed Hao a sheet of paper.

-Did I tell you? That I’m very happy right now. Perhaps something like a descent may not be necessary. Even in a puppet’s body, I think I would be happy just being together with all of you, and with you.

Hao’s expression hardened at those words. He looked at Hari with a frown, then quietly lowered his head. He reached out and took Hari’s hand.

“Please don’t say that. I swore I would save Ring of the Sky-nim no matter what. That will become my happiness. Please trust us, no, trust me. I will definitely create a happiness even greater than this for you.”

At those words, Hari leaned her head against Hao’s chest. Then she held Hao’s hand in return. As Hari lightly stroked the back of his hand, she smiled softly. Hao’s face flushed, if only a little.

-I’m always grateful. Whatever happens at the end of this, I will pray for your happiness.

Hao nodded. Hari held out several sheets of paper toward him. Seeing the rather thick stack, Hao’s eyes lit up.

“Is this the material you mentioned last time? The one you said would help us?”

-Yes. This is a magic circle I made by squeezing out time little by little. It’s based on the one you made. I wrote down its structure and method in detail, so please check it yourself.

Hao quietly began staring at the papers. Even through the mirror bug, I could clearly see his face stiffening. Watching that, I stroked my chin.

Inside was the magic circle I had created based on the structure diagram. Anyone who looked at it would certainly understand the method. And the danger within it too.

The vessel that formed the foundation of that magic circle, the ring, was superb. Many things were needed to concentrate power and complete that ring. It was impossible with magical power alone.

The structure was based on the “Ring of the Sky” they dreamed of. What formed it was not magic. It was pure desire. It was the happiness Ring of the Sky kept talking about.

That was why, to fill it completely, those twenty people had to offer their happiness. All the happiness that came from the power they had received.

That did not simply mean magical power. Magical power was only an extra. Something more fundamental was needed. Yes. They even had to put their faith into it. The mental score they had built up through faith would melt into it.

If Ring of the Sky’s descent was completed perfectly through that magic circle, their faith would disappear. Even the memories of it would vanish. Then the Ring of the Sky Church would naturally disappear too.

That was exactly what I wanted. If a headache arose, shouldn’t one pull it out by the roots? A religion was not needed in this tower. They were beings who had to disappear.

Mm, phrasing it that way made me feel like I really had become an evil mage. Of course, that was only my imagination. Where could there be a mage as good-hearted as me? Everything I was doing now was for their sake.

Through the mirror bug, I saw Hari wearing a slightly faint smile. She faced Hao and stroked his hand. Hao quietly looked at Hari.

-If we use this magic circle, I will be able to leave this place. But all of you will forget me. That’s why I’m afraid. This moment is so happy, and I don’t know how sad I would be if you could no longer remember me. So even as I give this to you, part of me wants to stop you right away.

I tilted my head slightly. Hari’s emotional expression was a little excessive. I was sure I had told her to approach it steadily. Her words had gone slightly beyond what I expected.

But the response was better than I thought. Hao shook his head at Hari’s words. Perhaps Hari’s hesitation had instead hardened his resolve, because he tucked the papers into his clothes and erased the worry from his face.

With a firm expression, he knelt before Hari. Then he bowed his head to her.

“Even if I forget Ring of the Sky-nim, Ring of the Sky-nim will not forget me. That is enough. If Ring of the Sky-nim wishes it, I will walk any path of hardship. As you said, always for happiness.”

He brought both hands together in front of his chest and drew a huge circle. Hari, who had been quietly watching him, smiled with a faint trace of sadness. Soon, she nodded.

They faced each other like that. There was no more conversation. They simply spent time together.

Soon, the meeting ended. Hao left the tower, and Hari returned to the workshop where we were.

Hari lightly bowed her head to us. With an expressionless face, she quietly leaned against the wall. She took out a sheet of paper. Then she put magical power into it and began writing.

After writing everything, Hari quietly closed her eyes. Then she began slowly calming her breathing. She seemed to be resting. I glanced at the contents of the paper.

-I know your efforts. There will be hardship ahead as well, so do not yield to it and endure all pain. At the end of it, there will be greater happiness.

I quietly nodded. She certainly learned quickly. She had reached the point where she could naturally write the contents of the guidebook like this. On top of that, her movements had become even more natural lately. She now seemed to have adapted perfectly to that body.

The next day, Hao gathered the believers. The mirror bug barely managed to catch the scene. I watched them through the screen.

Hao shared the magic circle Hari had given him with the believers. Their eyes shone as they looked at it. Hao looked at them and said something. I could not hear the details because they had blocked the area with a barrier.

But I could guess roughly. He was probably talking about the decisive day when they would hold the ritual. The day before the next lecture began would be their target date. That was also the day I had guided them toward through Hari.

After that, they began studying that magic in depth. And just as I wanted, they improved it perfectly. The magic circle changed so that it could extract stronger power and draw out more happiness.

Receiving those revised versions through Hari, I nodded. They were mobilizing all of their ability to fix this magic circle. As a result, the magic circle became even better than I had imagined. With this, it would certainly succeed.

They continued their research in greater and greater secrecy, while the tower, by contrast, gradually grew noisy. The lecture would begin soon.

The treasure conducting this lecture was Star-Eye. He wanted the students to know his conditions in advance. Since I wanted the tower to become noisy anyway, I agreed.

What Star-Eye wanted was only one thing. To become complete. It had been reconstructed into a treasure by Professor’s hands. It had become incomplete in that process. That was why it wanted to become complete.

The students it wanted were those who could fill that lack. That was why his conditions were also clear. He wanted top-ranking students. The most capable in the tower, the most outstanding, the strongest.

It did not care about its power flowing out. It only wanted that power to become more perfect in the hands of strong people. If even that small fragment became complete, it would help it as well.

Like that, Star-Eye’s desired conditions were passed on to the students. It would grant its power to the thirty most outstanding people. In other words, his standard was that he would grant the power only to the highest-ranking students in the third floor area.

Once that news spread, duels began breaking out all over the tower. A fierce ranking battle had begun. They swung magical power at each other without hesitation and fell.

Amid all that noise, the Ring of the Sky Church was completely forgotten. They moved more freely and prepared the magic thoroughly.

Like that, the third lecture drew right up to the doorstep. Tomorrow, Star-Eye would scatter its power.

Separate from that, today was the day the Ring of the Sky Church had been aiming for. It was also the time I wanted.

The believers of the Ring of the Sky Church went against the flow of students heading upward and moved downward. They descended to the first floor. Then they headed for the very room where they always held mass.

Like that, the twenty members of the Ring of the Sky Church gathered. At their center, Hari stood quietly with her eyes closed. The believers brought both hands together and drew circles at their chests toward Hari.

“Then let’s prepare.”

Hao said that while standing beside Hari. At his words, the believers scattered in all directions. Then, calmly yet quickly, they began drawing circuits filled with magical power.

The circuits contained a very strange flow. They overlapped and piled up in layers, creating one enormous magic circle. The magic circle did not remain only on the floor. It began blooming beautifully in the air as well, drawing its circuits there.

It took about two hours for the entire magic circle to be drawn. A strange energy flowed out of it. That energy did not stay only in that room and began stretching across the first floor.

None of the students noticed it. That was because everyone had headed to the upper floors to fight. Of course, we could tell right away because we were watching it. But we had no intention of stopping it either.

“Hehe, what do you think will happen if that fails?”

Mira said as she leaned against me. I shook my head firmly. There was no way it would fail. We had prepared perfectly for today. Seeing my response, Mira made a deflated face and hugged my arm.

Ring of the Sky spat out something in writing. But all of it shattered, making it impossible to read. It seemed extremely excited.

Through the mirror bug, I saw Hao take his position. Hari was at the center of the magic circle. Hao stood in the spot facing Hari and smiled at her. That place was also the core area of the magic circle.

Over the past while, his mental score had risen endlessly. It had even reached the demonic realm of 100 points.

One hundred points. I had thought that was a score I would only ever see from Cassian. Her talent was truly unrivaled, and her body was the optimal body Mira and I had cultivated.

But Hao had reached that score through faith alone. It was astonishing. That too could be called another kind of natural talent. Of course, that score would all disappear through this ritual.

The believers also took their places like Hao. Hao looked at them with flashing eyes. A strange light stained his eyes. It swayed inside them as if drawing one enormous circle.

Hao opened his mouth.

“Today, we will liberate Ring of the Sky-nim.”

At that, the believers nodded heavily. Around them, the circuits forming the magic circle writhed strangely while carrying dense magical power. The magical power flowing through the tower was slowly gathering along those circuits.

The magic circle slowly began to writhe. Hao quietly brought both hands together in front of his chest and drew a circle. The believers did the same. Hari stared at them, then followed along and drew a circle.

They began quietly emitting magical power. That magical power flowed along the circuits and activated the magic circle in earnest. A storm of magical power began rising between them.

The magic circle writhed as if it were alive. Dozens of circuits extending from it pierced into the believers’ bodies. But they did not let out even a single groan. They only looked at each other with calm faces.

Hao, who was located at the core of the magic circle, was worse off than the believers. His whole body had been pierced by circuits. It was hard to find an untouched spot. But he looked utterly peaceful.

He quietly looked at Hari. Then he quietly opened his mouth. Because circuits had pierced his throat too, his voice was very soft. But it rang through the whole room, as if firm resolve were contained within it.

“This was Ring of the Sky-nim’s first saying. ‘I know your sin, so you only need to dream of happiness.’ Under that one’s guidance, we came to find happiness.”

Hearing that, the believers filled the circles they had made at their chests with magical power and bowed their heads. Hari did the same. Magical power began flowing along those circles.

That magical power did not stay only in those circles. It traveled along the circuits connected to the magic circle and passed through one another’s circles. Their magical power began mixing into one within that flow.

As it passed through one another’s rings again and again, the magical power lost its original color. It simply gathered together and circulated as one circle.

Hao opened his mouth again. He stood at the center of the circle. The magical power writhing along the circuits pressed hard against his body. He must have been feeling terrible pain. But there was no change in his expression.

“This was Ring of the Sky-nim’s second saying. ‘Happiness is buried within unhappiness, so if you overcome that despair, you will be able to find the brightest light within it. That is the happiness I give to you.’ Under that one’s guidance, we overcame unhappiness.”

With those words, another layer of magical power covered them. It began flowing along the circuits connected to their bodies. The circuits slowly brightened, then darkened, and began giving off each person’s color.

It looked as though the circle connecting their bodies was scattering light. Within it, the magical power grew even heavier. Magical power mixed in from outside flowed along the circuits and piled up in layers.

“This was Ring of the Sky-nim’s third saying. ‘I see your hardship and am with you, so I will never leave you nor forsake you. So believe in me. Wherever you go, I will be with you.’ Under that one’s guidance, we became able to be happy forever.”

Hao said that. Then intense energy began overflowing from his chest. It was not magical power. I felt something from it as if it were burning life itself. That was probably the happiness they spoke of.

At the same time, a little light began leaking from the ring fragment floating above his head. The same was true for the believers’ fragments.

“This was Ring of the Sky-nim’s fourth saying....”

Hao opened his mouth. Along with that, the magic circle changed once again. The story continued after that. The more his voice built up, the brighter the light flowing from their ring fragments became.

Within the flow of magical power, and within that unknown energy, those things gradually began connecting through light. Like that, magical power drew a circle, energy drew a circle, and light drew a circle.

Those three circles flowed along the magic circle they had made as if they were one. And at the center of that flow, Hao narrowed his eyes. A clear circle was embedded in them.

Hao raised his head. Then he looked at the mirror bug we were watching through. He met my eyes. It was a gaze that seemed to look beyond the mirror bug. Looking at us like that, he opened his mouth.

“This was Ring of the Sky-nim’s twenty-fifth saying. ‘Conceive me, and make me appear in the world. For I am your happiness.’ Under that one’s guidance, we have gathered here like this.”

-Huh? I’ve never said anything like that.

I glanced at Ring of the Sky. It floated letters for a while, as if flipping through the guidebook I had given it. It was right. That was not something Ring of the Sky had said. The sayings I had organized numbered only twenty-four.

I narrowed my eyes and looked at the mirror bug. Hao turned his eyes toward Hari again. She was at the center of the circle.

Once Hao finished speaking, the believers bowed their heads. The ring fragments above their heads began vibrating fiercely. They did not stop at emitting light.

Along with the light, some kind of ripple began flowing out. It was memory. It was happiness too, and it also contained magical power. In one sense, it could be called their souls.

The magic circle accepted it into its circuits. Then it flowed while drawing a circle. Within that, the magic circle gradually gave off a bright light.

They continued drawing circles within the magic circle like that. The circles slowly began gathering into a single point. Toward the center of the magic circle, and the center of the circle.

What was created after light gathered, magical power pooled, and happiness flowed had the shape of a single ring. Perhaps their power had been a little lacking. It was slightly cracked and dented.

But it contained a beauty that dazzled the eyes just by looking at it. That ring quietly settled above Hari’s head.

Hari closed her eyes. Along with that, the ring created a humming vibration. With that resonance, light burst out like a wave. It covered the room as it was.

And within that light, the believers’ ring fragments began resonating. Amid that resonance, the cracks in the ring slowly began healing. In contrast, the believers’ ring fragments gradually lost their light. The power inside them was disappearing in an instant.

The puppet gently opened her eyes. Then she looked at the believers. A slightly faint smile appeared on her face. Riding the light, everything belonging to the believers began being sucked into the ring.

One believer who had been passionately pouring out magical power collapsed within that flow. The ring fragment floating above that believer’s head completely faded. It became the same as when they had first received that power.

Like that, one, then another began sprawling across the floor. The more that happened, the clearer the ring above Hari’s head became. Watching that, I smiled in satisfaction.

The ring would become complete within that magic circle. And the completed ring would recognize Hari as its master. After all, the Ring of the Sky Church believed she was Ring of the Sky.

This was the fourth reason I had taken on this matter. Normalizing the tower, saving a treasure, gaining points, and obtaining a new power. Yes, that was my puppet. Which meant that power would become mine.

Like that, the ring devoured all of their minds. In one sense, this too could be called a kind of cleansing. It was removing things that should not exist, namely belief and faith.

The light bursting from the ring began growing stronger. The stronger it grew, the faster the believers collapsed. Nineteen people lost consciousness like that.

The last one did not fall, even though his body staggered. It was Hao. His ring fragment still held a faint light.

But he did not look as if he could endure for long either. The clear circle that had been in his eyes had vanished at some point, and only a faint will remained inside them. I could see his mind being shaved away in real time.

Hao looked at Hari. Hari looked back at him. Within the light, Hari reached out toward Hao. With a trembling hand, Hao gently took it.

“Ring of the Sky-nim, are you happy?”

Hao asked with a hazy smile. Hari quietly gazed at him, then nodded slightly.

“That is... a relief. Your happiness... is my happiness.”

Hao said that and quietly closed his eyes. Then he collapsed into Hari’s arms. His ring fragment also lost its light and fell. Hari lightly embraced him.

Good. It was very successful. That was what I thought as I stood up.

At that moment, the ring floating above Hari’s head began emitting a powerful light. Light far greater than before overflowed from it. Even the mirror bug could not withstand it. Soon, the screen turned completely black.

Had something gone wrong? Thinking that, I quickly sent my will into the shadow tree to send another mirror bug.

And then I had no choice but to feel it.

My face naturally stiffened. My body did too. Perhaps sensing something strange about me, Mira looked up at me and tilted her head.

“Did something happen?”

Mira asked. I looked at her, slightly dazed. I could see curiosity filling her eyes.

“The connection with Hari... disappeared.”

Inside my chest, the star of Hari that had decorated the shadow tree was nowhere to be found. It had simply vanished naturally, as if it had never been there. There was no sense of loss or discomfort from it at all.

I looked at Ring of the Sky. Had that thing pulled some trick? But that could not be. I had definitely checked the entire structure.

-Aah, I don’t know anything about this either.

Ring of the Sky quickly denied it. It seemed quite flustered too. Its words were wavering on the screen.

The mirror bugs around that room quickly flew to the scene. The shadow puppets did the same. Perhaps they had sensed the intense flow of magical power, because students were starting to gather little by little in front of that room.

The shadow puppets swiftly controlled those students. Through the gaps between them, the mirror bugs flew into the room. The scene inside was the same as before.

The magic circle had lost its power and hardened stiffly, and among it, the believers lay unconscious. Hao was the same. He lay neatly with both arms gathered in front of his chest to draw a circle.

But Hari could not be seen anywhere. I wondered if she had left the room and searched every corner of the first floor, but it was the same. The puppet with purple eyes could not be found anywhere. It was impossible to understand.

I quietly closed my eyes. Then I took a brief deep breath and left the workshop.

For now, I needed to clean up the scene. I moved the collapsed believers, no, the students, to the infirmary. Then I performed a simple cleansing on them.

Within that cleansing, they quickly recovered their original state. I glanced at their scores through a mirror bug. Their mental scores from before they joined the Ring of the Sky Church appeared there.

Hao was the same. Ninety points. It was the mental score he originally had. Not a trace of Ring of the Sky remained anywhere.

At that, I let out a sigh of relief. It seemed the magic itself had not failed. After all, it had cleanly washed the faith out of their heads.

I quietly looked at Hao. There was something I had to ask him. He was the last person who had faced Hari. Like that, the infirmary’s magical power quietly awakened him. The others also began waking up while clutching their heads.

Hao’s eyebrows twitched, and he quietly opened his eyes. He looked at me with eyes carrying a slightly dazed air. I waved my hand in front of his eyes and smiled.

“Hao-ssi, are you all right?”

“...Where is this? Ugh. My head.”

Hao tried to sit up, then grabbed his head. It was clearly the aftermath of his mind shrinking rapidly. The infirmary’s magical power wrapped around his head again. Within it, his expression slowly grew more comfortable.

“This is the infirmary. Do you remember when you used the Tooth Necklace last time? Similar to that time, you abused a power too much this time as well, and contamination occurred along with the others. I treated it. Do you remember a little?”

As I said that, I examined Hao’s face. Hao wore a blank expression, as if retracing his memories. A slightly dazed face. There was no mistake. This was Hao before he fell into religion.

He frowned slightly, then rubbed his forehead. Then he shook his head a little.

“...I vaguely remember making something like a religion. But after that, I can’t remember properly.”

I quietly nodded. Then I patted his shoulder.

“Yes, that’s the aftermath of contamination. All of you conducted a single spell together while contaminated. You don’t remember that either?”

Hao frowned slightly. He seemed to be trying to recall something. But soon, he shook his head.

“No, I don’t remember anything.”

“...Then nothing comes to mind when you hear the name Ring of the Sky. Or a puppet with purple eyes and purple hair.”

I asked quietly. Hao flinched at my words. Amid that trembling, he shook his head. But a single tear flowed down from the corner of his eye. He wiped that tear away with his hand and quietly stared at it.

“Why am I crying? It feels like I forgot something important....”

He muttered. I clicked my tongue slightly. Hao seemed not to know Hari’s whereabouts either. Then there was no reason to spend more time here. I bowed my head slightly to him.

“You’re feeling a little confusion as your mind returns to its original state. Now, please rest for a bit. I’ll be going. I have to prepare for tomorrow’s lecture.”

I turned around and left the infirmary. Then I scattered shadow puppets throughout the entire tower and investigated every space. I did the same outside the tower.

Like that, the third lecture began. Star-Eye’s selection process was extremely fierce. He picked and chose from among the top-ranking students, selecting only the special ones.

What he granted was star mana. The power contained in that lake. It mixed into the students’ magical power and created a denser flow. Also, the wraiths flowing within it obeyed their will.

Those who received it looked very satisfied.

A week passed like that. I kept trying to find Hari, but she could not be found anywhere.

Had she perhaps been unable to withstand the ring’s power and exploded? Just as I was starting to give up like that, a strange post appeared on the students’ message board. The author was Hao. It said that when he passed through the first floor, a girl with a small ring on her head would sometimes approach him.

Hao said that the girl with purple eyes and purple hair had asked if he wanted to join something called the Ring of the Sky Church. Then, after he nodded, his memories disappeared at some point. His mental score had also been heavily shaved away.

That was also a wound left in the mind. Because of that, unless cleansing was performed in the infirmary, recovery was very slow. Afterward, the same thing began happening to other people as well. Stories like that would sometimes be posted on the message board.

Looking at those posts, I smiled bitterly. Perhaps we really had created a new god. A god that grew by gnawing away at people’s minds. And that god was still wandering around our tower.

I could also clearly sense its existence. Sometimes, I could feel a slight ripple at the place in the shadow tree where Hari had been. It definitely existed. I seemed to faintly feel the lingering trace of that magical power.

The tower’s second rule was created like that.

-Evron: Safe Tower Use Guide for All Students

Hello, everyone. Are you all making good use of Professor Irian’s tower?

I am leaving this notice in case any unfortunate incidents occur while using the power of treasures.

We plan to continue preparing related guidelines from now on, so please read and familiarize yourselves with this guide.

You are responsible for all incidents caused by your own negligence, so please remain careful at all times.

1. There are many statues on the first floor of our tower.

If these statues begin to look cute, beautiful, or attractive to you, please come find me.

A simple consultation and “cleansing” will be conducted in the infirmary.

2. On the first floor of the tower, a girl with purple eyes and purple hair will sometimes appear to proselytize.

But the Ring of the Sky Church she speaks of is not a religion that exists in our tower, so please do not answer carelessly or follow her.

If you suffer harm from this, please come find me.

A simple consultation and “cleansing” will be conducted in the infirmary.

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