Surviving in the Magic Academy - Chapter 249

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Chapter 249

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Professor Irian's tower had become stable enough to run properly even without me, so it did not take long to leave.

Even if I stayed away from the tower for the next five years, there probably would not be any major problems. Of course, that did not mean I intended to be away for too long.

Thinking about it, I felt like I had been doing nothing but traveling lately. Was it because I had headed to Icewall City as soon as I finished my business in Stalactite City?

Well, once I wrapped up this matter, I would not have any reason to leave the tower for a while. My puppets could expand their territory into other cities without needing my help now.

So what mattered from now on was figuring out how to get what I wanted from the Magical Power Council.

I had a few possibilities in mind, but I would have to reach the council before deciding on a course of action. With my arms crossed, I watched the path the turtle was taking.

Perhaps it was excited to be out again after so long. The turtle was making its way forward without hesitation, crushing everything in its path.

It would be nice if I could move ahead as boldly as it did.

As I stood there lost in thought, someone held out a cup to me.

The rich scent of magical power rising from it calmed my mind. I took the cup and looked over to see Isabella smiling faintly.

“Master, may I sit with you for a moment? There is something I would like to show you.”

Something she wanted to show me? There was no reason to refuse, so I nodded. She naturally sat down beside me.

Isabella moved a little closer and took a small notebook from her clothes. Neatly arranged magical power could be felt from it.

“What is this?”

“I have been staying at the tower recently, so I have been unable to fulfill the role I originally had. I have been thinking about it a great deal. I could not simply remain as I was, so I tried writing a spell.”

A spell.

I opened the notebook slightly. Carefully organized magical power rose from within it as she continued.

“I thought about how to naturally create bioelectric currents within a puppet's body. This is the result.”

“I hope it will help you, Master.”

Isabella whispered the words and gave me a soft smile.

I blinked in surprise. I could not help it. Isabella spoke lightly of having written a spell, but this was a kind of magic tome.

Electric currents flowed through living bodies. That was something many mages had discovered through repeated experiments.

That was why I had also considered ways to inscribe such electrical signals when making puppets.

But controlling them artificially was nearly impossible. Lightning was a force that burned everything away.

Since I had no talent for such aggressive magic, I had eventually been forced to give up on lightning.

Yet Isabella had created a spell that generated bioelectric currents like this. It was remarkable.

Still, something puzzled me. I had thought about this sort of magic before I even entered the university.

“How did you know I needed this kind of spell?”

I had never told Isabella about my concerns regarding puppets. I had no idea how she had uncovered something I had once worried about.

“I examined the traces you left behind before. That was how I learned this direction of research existed. Fortunately, I have the ability to help you, Master, so I put some effort into it. Thankfully, it worked.”

Isabella smiled gently and held the notebook out to me. Then she shifted closer.

“Since this records my own spell, it may be difficult for you to understand if you read it alone. I will explain it beside you.”

I nodded.

If the person who had written the magic tome explained it as well, it would be easier for me to understand the spell.

Isabella leaned half her body against me and began explaining the magic she had created.

“What I focused on was how a puppet could generate a fine electric current. Maintaining it through magical power alone would be far too inefficient, so I...”

I nodded as I listened to Isabella's voice, which seemed to whisper beside my ear. Just as she had said, hearing her explanation made the contents of the magic tome seem to take shape in my mind.

A spell could be developed in this direction. It really was incredible.

I looked at Isabella with shining eyes.

“So by inscribing a magic circle into the circuit running along the spine, you can further improve the puppet's responsiveness and efficiency.”

“Yes. If my calculations are correct, it should save about ten percent of magical power. And if you look here...”

For some reason, Isabella seemed to carry the subtle scent of sunflowers warmed by sunlight. The light fragrance sharpened my mind, and I focused even more.

Before long, I closed the final page and let out a breath. The book was fairly thin, so it had not taken long to read it all.

Yet the spell within the magic tome felt incomparably heavy. I could feel faint raindrops of realization flowing into my chest, and I could only nod.

“Thank you for teaching me.”

“It is nothing. I am glad it helped you, Master. Well, I should make an effort while Mira is not around. I cannot stay this close to you at the tower.”

The latter part of Isabella's words was too faint for me to make out.

Perhaps she had not meant to say it to me. Isabella only held a faint smile without saying anything else.

I looked Isabella over slightly. The first thing I noticed was her pale face.

She was clearly looking unwell because she was forcibly suppressing the patchwork tree resisting within her.

Yet unlike her pale face, a bright intelligence shone in her eyes like stars. It also meant that Isabella's mind had fully awakened.

What had changed in Isabella was that the restrictions binding her had disappeared.

The Isabella from before had been capable, but her soul had only been half complete. Her ruined tree had merely been a collection of corpses sewn together.

Cracks had naturally been carved into her mind as well. She had not been able to display all her abilities.

But the Isabella of today had overcome those limits. She could now fully display the intelligence she had possessed in life.

The magic tome now in my hands was practically proof of that.

I smiled quietly at the feeling that the path I was taking was not wrong.

Just then, I felt a small will within my chest. Not long after, Myoil poked their head out through my chest.

It seemed the flow created by my realization had awakened them. Myoil slowly looked around before meeting Isabella's eyes.

Myoil fully pulled their body out, then wrapped themselves in magical power to form a living body.

Then they leaped into Isabella's arms.

Myoil's eyes, turned up toward Isabella, were full of delight. Perhaps Isabella felt it too, because she smiled and stroked their head.

“Please wait a moment. I will give you magical power again.”

Isabella held out a finger to Myoil and carefully gathered magical power at its tip.

Unlike ordinary magical power, Isabella's magical power had a murky color. Its purity had fallen because the characteristics contained in the patchwork tree had been forcibly mixed together.

Using magic with that magical power would probably cause a severe backlash. But to Myoil, it was practically a snack.

The patchwork tree had not fully stabilized yet, so torn soul fragments from the individual tree branches were flowing out alongside some of its magical power.

It was not as good as my soul fragments, but it was still food that Myoil liked quite a bit. That was probably why they often demanded magical power like this.

It was not bad for Isabella either. The more magical power she removed from the tree, the easier it became for her mind to control it.

After Myoil had sucked up magical power for quite a while and finally pulled away, color had begun to return to Isabella's face.

Myoil patted their stomach and let out a small burp before sitting on Isabella's lap and swinging their legs. They did not seem to want to go back inside just yet.

The two smiled at each other, and somehow, they looked rather alike.

When I thought about it, Myoil was a life that had bloomed from Isabella's soul. It was only natural that they felt a sense of kinship toward each other like this.

On top of that, within my mental image, Isabella was giving off a radiant will like a small sun. That will naturally flowed into the soul Saplings and awakened their egos.

Myoil was growing a little more as they fed on Isabella's nourishment, so it was only natural that they liked her.

As I watched the two begin to play together, I took a gem from my clothes. It was something I had received after the advancement evaluation.

Strange magical power flowed from the blue gem. I stared at the clear point of light within it.

At first, it had been nothing more than a very faint ray of light, but now it had taken on a distinct shape.

I quietly closed my eyes. Strange magical power drew a map in my mind. The point was shining in one corner of that map.

That was where we needed to go.

I slowly leaned against the tree behind me and felt the flow of the wind.

There was no doubt that we were getting closer to the point. But something felt strange.

I took out the university map Professor Irian had given me when I first arrived at the university and stroked my chin. This map marked all the university's major locations.

The area where the point was located was nothing more than a small hill about a day's journey from Professor Irian's tower.

I knew well that there was nothing there.

My shadow domain had passed through that place, and I had even investigated it in advance just in case. Yet I had found no trace of anything.

Then why was the gem guiding us there?

As I looked at the gem with that question in mind, I recalled what I had learned about the Magical Power Council.

They said the Magical Power Council was a very old organization. Some even said it was one of the groups that had existed since the university's founding.

Perhaps because of that, the conditions for joining it were quite strict. Only mages of the 7th floor or higher, and those particularly skilled at handling magical power, could belong to it.

The Magical Power Council, made up of mages from the upper floors, had become a group of scholars studying the purity of magical power.

And studying the purity of magical power also meant refusing to let others absorb it.

Magical power under another's will was no different from magical power that had lost its purity.

That was why they had declared that they would oversee every law related to magical power within the university. Apparently, that was why they were called the Magical Power Council.

Of course, the university had not given them any clear role. They simply wanted it for themselves.

True to their declaration, they investigated those who absorbed magical power outside cities or towers.

From what I had roughly learned, people even said that most reports made to the university had been submitted by them.

That was why many people found them troublesome. But the Magical Power Council had never disappeared.

Even the twelve organizations that ruled the university left them alone. As for why, there were only endless rumors.

It surely did not help that no one properly knew where the council was located.

Ten million points. That was the price the Abyss Secret Association had placed on information about the location of the Magical Power Council.

I shook my head as I remembered that price.

Even though I had quite a bit of room to spare now, it was too wasteful to pay that many points. Besides, there was no point when I would be visiting the council myself anyway.

“We will arrive at our destination soon.”

I called out to the two as they played and rose from my seat. Then I climbed onto the turtle's head and looked around.

After some time, a small mountain came into view in the direction the turtle was heading. It was where the light had been.

I narrowed my eyes and looked at the mountain. As expected, it was nothing more than an ordinary hill with no notable features.

But as we approached, I could somehow feel powerful magical power from it. It was certainly not just my imagination. That magical power felt somewhat familiar.

When the turtle reached the mountain's summit, I saw a man leaning back in a small chair. He was clearly the owner of the magical power filling the surroundings.

Perhaps sensing our presence, the man slowly opened his eyes. I met eyes that mixed boredom and sharpness, then bowed my head toward him.

“Merov, it has been a long time.”

“Yes. It has been about five years, has it not?”

The man was Merov, the mage who had overseen my advancement evaluation before.

Merov nodded and stirred his magical power slightly.

Then, at some point, I realized he was standing beside me.

He had climbed onto the turtle's back in the blink of an eye. I could not help but be greatly startled that I had not even sensed him approaching.

From what I had learned before, Merov was an 8th floor mage. He had reached a realm similar to Domitian's.

But judging by Merov's ability now, he clearly possessed greater power than Domitian.

Even among mages of the same 8th floor, there were differences in strength.

I swallowed slightly and smiled.

“Thank you again for inviting me to such an esteemed gathering.”

“Hm. I was only intrigued by the potential you created. From the look of it, you have succeeded in progressing further than before.”

Merov looked at Myoil, who was in Isabella's arms. His eyes seemed full of deep interest.

Perhaps that gaze made Myoil uncomfortable. They transformed their body into magical power and hid behind Isabella.

Merov's eyes naturally turned toward Isabella. She gave him a slight bow.

As Merov looked at Isabella, his eyes soon twitched slightly. He looked at me and gestured toward her with his chin.

“Did you make that as well?”

Merov's eyes were filled with magical power, as though he were digging into Isabella's insides. It seemed he had noticed something of her unusual nature.

“Yes. I encountered an opportunity in Icewall City and was able to remake the puppet.”

Merov gave a quiet laugh at my words. Then he dispersed his magical power and shook his head.

“Then that must be the thing from the rumors. The trap that brought down that bastard Domitian.”

I blinked quietly. I had not expected him to bring up Domitian. Merov nodded as he looked at me.

“The rumor that Domitian tried to swallow someone from a great family and had his mouth torn apart instead has spread quite widely through the upper floors. Those who have been at the university for less than twenty years gathered together and hunted an old snake, so everyone is finding it amusing.”

Merov stroked his chin as he examined Isabella and continued.

“That person from the great family is probably spreading the rumors deliberately. To expand their own influence further.”

“Is that so?”

I nodded quietly.

Before I left Icewall City, Ailey had asked whether she could spread rumors. I had not expected it to come back to me like this.

I looked Merov over, then drew a Perfect Tea magic circle in the air. I needed to entertain my guest, after all.

I held out the teacup that emerged from the magic circle to Merov. He accepted it, took in the gentle rising fragrance, and frowned.

“Hm. A mage's tree branch. And a fairly high-grade one at that... I heard there was someone taking branches from Domitian's tree every month. That must be you.”

I scratched my head at Merov's words. As he said, I had been receiving tree branches from Domitian every month.

It could not be helped. That was the only thing I could get from him.

As Domitian declined, nearly all of his territory had disappeared. Ailey and others had not missed the opportunity to hunt him down.

How could Domitian gather points when Ailey kept getting in his way? He was now struggling to pay even the interest on his debt to me.

Since I could no longer receive points from him, I had no choice but to take tree branches instead of interest.

I could not simply leave alone an 8th floor mage who had reached the end of a perfect tree.

The tree branches I obtained did not disappoint me. They were good for research and, like now, suitable for brewing tea.

Merov quietly looked down at the teacup before sipping from it. He seemed to like the taste, because he soon emptied the cup.

As I refilled his empty cup, I shook my head. It was true that Domitian had become a branch harvester for me, but Merov had misunderstood something.

“I only lent a hand while the people of the great family were moving. The other two did the important work.”

No matter how much I had led Domitian into a trap and caused him losses, Ailey and Hongryeong were the ones who had truly scraped him down to the bottom.

Compared to them, what I had done was not that significant.

As I shrugged, Merov narrowed his eyes and looked at me.

“Hm. Is that so?”

“Yes. I was dragged into it against my will. Domitian was the one who touched me first, so I had no choice but to respond.”

I smiled as I looked at Merov.

Somehow, I felt a degree of respect for me from the man meeting my eyes.

And that respect was exactly what I wanted.

The Merov of the past might not have shown me this much interest. The reason he had given me the gem was only because he was intrigued by someone walking an unusual path.

But I had succeeded in catching Domitian. It was proof of my own value.

That was probably why he was speaking with me like this.

Strength alone was not important if I wanted to change the university. I also needed the influence to support it.

And to gain that influence, I had to break through the ceiling dividing the mainstream from the outsiders. That was the line separating humans from tools.

In that sense, Domitian was practically a sacrifice I could use to break through that ceiling.

He would continue to serve as my trophy. As proof that I was not someone who could be easily devoured.

That was why I had not been too worried while coming to the Magical Power Council. Professor Irian stood behind me, and I had proven myself as well.

“However, I have one question.”

“What is it?”

I slowly turned my head and looked around. This mountain did not hold any special magical power, nor was anything hidden underground.

Yet the gem pointed here.

I raised the gem Merov had given me and tilted my head.

“I wanted to ask where the Magical Power Council is. I made it here, but I cannot find where it is with my own senses.”

Merov gave a quiet laugh at my question. He stroked his chin and rose from his seat.

“Hm. Come to think of it, you are still only a 3rd floor mage. You may not have heard. Wait a little while. The council will arrive soon.”

The council would arrive?