Ch. 81.1 - Soul Chess (4)
Edmon apologized to Baek Yu-Seol.

The rumor that spread throughout the academy became uncontrollably bigger.

It was widely known that Edmon had been tormenting Baek Yu-Seol, his freshman junior, and he suddenly apologized to him?

Naturally, the question 'why?' followed.

The reason was revealed by numerous students who had eavesdropped on their conversation at the cafe back then.

The truth was more shocking than the rumor of Edmon apologizing. Baek Yu-Seol was actually a co-developer of Alchemy Engineering.

The fact that Baek Yu-Seol was a co-author of the Delta Augmentation Formula was kept secret, and very few people knew the truth.

It was just a rumor that one of Stella's students could be a co-author.

But it turned out to be true, and even a freshman student was a co-author.

Some people who knew about the deep connection between Alterisha and Baek Yu-Seol had anticipated this, but most students and faculty members couldn't help but be greatly shocked.

Stella Academy was turned upside down, and his name spread throughout Arcanium, causing a huge uproar.

As such, Baek Yu-Seol created a big issue in just a few days.

The news reached even the ears of Stella's vice-principal, Archiheden, but in truth, all the other rumors were not particularly important.

However, the fact that Baek Yu-Seol had taken away Edmon's "Aslan Seminar" pass was quite uncomfortable.

"It's intriguing."

Several professors lowered their heads at Archie Hayden’s words.

They hadn't done anything wrong, but for some reason, it felt like they had.

"Why aren't there any helpful people around? Can't they just stay quiet? I can't understand it at all."

It seemed like mere curiosity, but it was restrained anger.

If only there were no variables, they could slowly but surely sow the seeds of dark magic into the magic society, yet those idiots kept getting in the way with their useless antics, distorting the plans time and time again.

It was already the second time.

And that variable always involved a guy named "Baek Yu-Seol."

In Maizen Tyren's case.

In Edmon Atalek's case.

"Shall we handle it quietly?" a man dressed as a janitor said, and Archie Hayden hardened his expression. "You're talking nonsense. If even a single student of Stella disappears without reason, the whole thing will be turned upside down."

"But he's a commoner, isn't he?"

"Yes, that's true. But he's one of the students that the principal has his eyes on. Moreover, his name has already become famous, so handling him quietly is impossible."

There was no other choice.

It was unexpected that Baek Yu-Seol, an outsider, obtained the Aslan Seminar pass.

However, in any case, that was only for this year. To participate in Aslan consistently, no matter how prestigious a family was, they needed to present appropriate papers and knowledge every year.

The families that attended consistently had maintained that knowledge and papers for decades, which was why they were recognized as prestigious.

The Atalek family had shown outstanding achievements to attend consistently until now, but it was taken away by Baek Yu-Seol.

However... was that a bad thing?

No. Upon further consideration, it might actually be fine.

Taking away the ticket from someone like Baek Yu-Seol, who was just a commoner, would be much easier.

The method was simple.

At the Aslan Seminar, refute all of Baek Yu-Seol’s knowledge and magic, proving his ignorance, and inform the Magical Affairs Department that he was not qualified to attend, thus depriving him of the pass for next year.

That was all.

"This year, the students attending Aslan will be Eisel and Selyen. So... make sure to have a good talk with that child."

Selyen was a genius girl whom Archie Hayden trusted, and although she had remarkable talent as a mage, her mana was severely lacking, making her a pitiful child unable to shine with her talent.

It was not that difficult to manipulate such a girl as a dark mage.

Perhaps, from her perspective, Baek Yu-Seol would be taken care of.

Since there was no student at Stella who could defeat Selyen in logic and theory.

"Understood."

As Archie Hayden finished speaking, a few shadows that were flickering in the vice-principal's office vanished into the ground in an instant.

After sending away the remaining people, Archie Hayden spoke separately to Raiden.

"Have you checked on Maizen’s progress?"

"Yes. So far, he is controlling dark magic with the Supreme Leader's suppression spell, but we don't know when it will erupt..."

"Tsk."

Archie Hayden clicked his tongue.

Dark mages in the current era were different from before.

In the past, they tried to color the world as the 'Underworld' through a war with mages indiscriminately, but now they had realized that method no longer worked.

So they took a detour.

If they couldn't dominate them through war, what if they gradually infiltrated from within?

Thus, the dark mages sealed or suppressed their own dark magic and sneaked into human society, succeeding in taking positions in key positions in the magical world one by one.

Archie Hayden, the vice-principal of Stella, was no exception.

The vice-principal of Stella, an institution for training magical warriors to hunt dark mages, was a dark mage.

If people in the world were to hear that, they would laugh.

Because of that, Maizen Tyren had become quite useless. He was on the verge of going out of control, completely dominated by the emotions of a dark mage, to the point where the suppression spell no longer worked.

However... Even so, it might be possible to use him as a discarded pawn.

The principal, Eltman Eltwin, undoubtedly suspected that there were dark mages hiding within Stella.

In the midst of that, if Maizen Tyren goes out of control and causes a distraction, he could be considered to have fulfilled his role quite well.

"Now is not the time. Starting from tomorrow, it's the Familiar Contract Ceremony..."

The customary event where numerous faculty members of Stella and the entire student body of a grade participated in external classes, the Familiar Contract Ceremony.

It was a special day for interacting with the Fairy Kingdom, the Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree, so it was best not to cause any accidents.

The Elf King, Florin, was a calamitous existence for dark mages.

He had secluded himself deep in the World Tree Mountain Range for decades, without revealing his appearance unnecessarily, so it was better not to disturb him.

It was embarrassing to still have to consider the watchful eyes of various powerful factions, but Archie Hayden endured it, thinking that it was all for the sake of the future.

"Raiden, check Maizen’s condition one last time. Be extremely vigilant to ensure he doesn't go out of control."

"........ Understood."

With Archie Hayden’s words as the final instruction, Raiden left the vice-principal's office and headed towards the faculty building.

While the staff members usually lived in their private mansions in Arcanium, Maizen was currently confined in a secretive and quiet space within Stella due to the need for isolation.

"......"

A sparsely populated building.

Inside, the lights were turned off, creating a dim laboratory.

Once a place where various scientific equipment was operated for the pursuit of knowledge and the exploration of truth, it no longer held any trace of intellect.

Broken beakers and shattered vials were scattered around, and experiment tools, including microscopes, were dismantled in a pitiful state.

Even the wallpaper was torn as if by a wild beast, but it was a sight that couldn't be attributed to any human.

In the midst of it all, there was a torn piece of newspaper. It would have had a prominent headline stating that "Alterisha’s new technology is causing explosive success worldwide."

"Maizen."

"Uhhhhhh..."

Raiden called out to Professor Maizen, who was crouched in a corner of the laboratory.

Several shadows flickered around him.

"Wait and see~ Wait and see~," they said. "Prove your worth! Oh, already failed? Hehehe!"

Various voices echoed in Raiden's ears.

They were true forms of dark mages who had completed the process of corruption and were unable to engage in external activities in their original appearances.

"Oh~ Who do we have here? Isn't it the beast-like Raiden? Hey, you became a professor at Stella and turned out to be quite handsome!"

"Oh my, where did you get that suit? You look absolutely sexy. Want to date me?"

"Hmm, I preferred you when you were more like a beast. How about barking like before, Raiden? Do you know how exciting your howl is?"

Raiden ignored all those voices and raised his hand.

"Oh my, you're fierce..."

In an instant, all the shadows disappeared, vanishing into the floor.

The laboratory fell silent in an instant.

Raiden slowly approached Maizen and gently touched his shoulder.

"Grrr...!"

As soon as he touched him, Maizen recoiled like a beast, retreating backwards.

His condition had already become critical. If he crossed the line a little further, he would soon become a full-fledged dark mage.

However, Raiden had the ability to control him, which was why Archie Hayden had sent him here—to prevent Maizen’s rampage.

But... was it really necessary?

"...Did you come here to tell me to wait and see too?"

Maizen, with her bloodshot eyes, asked in a hoarse voice.

He had lived his whole life tormented by an inferiority complex. He would do anything to compensate for his lack of ability.

He would steal ideas, sabotage other alchemists, and bring down those who outperformed him…

That was how he clawed his way up, little by little.

But then a problem arose.

The achievement he had built was not a solid tower but a twisted one, ready to collapse at the slightest touch.

It was a tower that would crumble and fall with a single push, far beyond what his original abilities warranted, due to the excessively inflated reputation…

In just one moment, he lost everything and plummeted down.

"If I wait and see... can I return to my original position...?"
Maizen gritted his teeth and asked.

Such a ridiculous notion.

Raiden didn't even snort in response.

In the first place, it was laughable for the word "original position" to come out of his mouth.

After a lifetime of taking away what belonged to others, he was fantasizing about having something taken away from him just once.

Nevertheless, Raiden decided to show him mercy.

"That won't happen. Your usefulness is over. Once the plagiarism investigation begins, you will be stripped of all your positions and expelled from academia. That is already certain."

"What... W-What..."

No, it couldn't be.

Then why did Archie Hayden leave him here?

Ch. 81.2
"You have already undergone complete corruption. As a 'different purpose,' you can certainly fulfill that role. That's why I left you behind."

"......!"

Nevertheless, Maizen was relatively quick-witted, so interpreting the meaning of those words was not a difficult task.

‘… They expect me to go on a rampage.’

It coincided with a certain "plan" that was being discussed within the walls of Dark Mages Faction. They probably intended to make use of him, who was destined to be discarded, and neatly dispose of him since it would be a waste to consume the corrupted individuals infiltrating Stella from within.

"Damn it, those bastards... How much have I dedicated myself to them!"

As Maizen bared his fangs and prepared to burst into rage, Raiden interrupted him once again.

"So, get out of here."

"What?"

"I don't want to see my compatriots being sacrificed like that."

He took out a small crystal from his pocket.

"Go to the western end, to 'Paradise.' Your fellow compatriots are hiding there. If you manage to survive until you find them, shatter this crystal. It will release the spell that suppresses your corruption."

After saying that, Raiden turned around without hesitation and left the laboratory.

"......"

Holding the crystal, Maizen stared blankly at the door through which Raiden had left.

‘Why?’

‘Why would he suddenly try to save me? Is there some ulterior motive here as well?’

But... anyway, it was not bad.

If he could survive and release this nauseating suppression of the dark magic, it wouldn't be so bad.

He slowly got up from his seat and tried to leave the wobbly laboratory.

However, suddenly, his gaze fell upon the annual plan he had written on the chalkboard during his human days.

"Familiar Contract Ceremony."

Tomorrow, a large-scale event with hundreds of faculty members and first-year students will occur.

At that moment, the corners of Maizen’s mouth trembled.

It could be assumed that it was a smile or some expression resembling one, but... he had reached a point where he couldn't even properly express the emotions that humans possess.

"They dared to use me as a disposable pawn..."

It would be fine to quietly slip away and live in the paradise of the dark magic beings.

However, that still... didn't sit well with his temperament.

He wanted revenge. He wanted to tear apart that boy and girl who had made him like this.

They had fully utilized him when he had usefulness, but now that he had served his purpose, they tried to discard him.

He wanted to bestow upon them a thorough death. And conveniently, hadn't a very nice item come into his hands?

Maizen chuckled softly as he caressed the gleaming black crystal on his palm.

"Do you think I will just sit here and take this?" Maizen concealed himself quietly in the laboratory.

The Manwol Tower.

Division 13, Leader Kaen.

"I have received contact."

The world's greatest mausoleum, the "Manwol Tower," and the only tower that could stand shoulder to shoulder with it, the "Sakwol Tower," always operated in the shadows, their names never revealed.

If the hundreds of dark mages they killed were ever made public, Kaen would be treated the same as a renowned hero.

As Kaen looked up, a white light seeped out from the pitch-black space with nothingness and spoke in a voice.

The whereabouts of Maizen, who disappeared inside Stella, have become mysterious.
"Is that so?"

"......"

The expressions of the deputy commander, Grace Steele, grew puzzled at the name Maizen Tyren.

It was because she couldn't imagine a professor at Stella being infected by dark magic, no matter how much she thought about it. However, she couldn't openly express it, so she kept her mouth shut.

A few days later, first-year magic combat students at Stella went on an external mission. "Dark magic activities are expected to begin. There is a possibility of Maizen Tyren’s involvement, so infiltrate and observe the situation."
"Understood."

"Yes~"

Thunk!

As the communication was cut off, the pitch-black space instantly dissipated, revealing a field.

Spatial teleportation, a unique technique of the Manwol Tower that allowed rapid movement over long distances, was a magic that only the high level masters in the world could use.

However, even with that astonishing magic, they started walking without any particular signs.

Grace complained with a chubby face.

"Really, why are you so obsessed with Stella?"

"The Master of the Towers possess the power of prophecy. Instead of talking back, just follow."

"Yeah, sure! But more than half of those prophecies are always wrong, which is a problem!"

"In most cases, we solve the disasters before they occur."

"Sometimes nothing happens even when we haven't done anything."

At that moment, Kaen stopped walking and stared at Grace intently.

"That's... the cases where the events were prevented or resolved by other variables before we could intervene."

"Hmph, what's with the sudden serious face? Ah, I don't know. I was planning to take a vacation after this mission."

While grumbling, Grace hurriedly scratched the staff on the ground. It might have looked rough and hasty, but he was actually drawing a magical formation of Class 6.

Other mages would be astonished by it!

Ordinary Class 5 mages would need at least ten of them to draw a formation that she could easily create with such simplicity.

"There, it's finished. Let's go quickly, have a casual look, and come back~"

Kaen nodded heavily and stood on Grace’s magical formation.

Immediately, a rainbow bridge stretched up to the sky, and the two of them disappeared in an instant.