We were given free time. Today, at least, we were allowed to skip class legitimately.
With a legitimate reason given.
As a mentor, I was given plenty of time to guide my mentee, introducing her to Gaon’s facilities and overall school life. Volunteer points were an added bonus.
However, I found myself deep in thought. Yoon Chae-ha was, from the start, not your typical student. There was a high likelihood she had already studied most of the academic and magical knowledge that the Realm of Vanguisher, or “Carlos,” had to offer.
So, would there be anything in Gaon, which lags behind Carlos in magical standards, that could capture her interest?
…No clear answer came to mind. Thus, I decided it would be better to ask her directly.
“Is there anywhere in Gaon you’d like to go?”
She was walking quietly beside me.
“Not really… I’m not too sure.”
Her response was largely as expected.
That attitude clearly indicated a lack of interest.
In that case, I’ll decide.
I nodded. I did have one place in mind where she might enjoy going. Since she didn’t have a clear preference, going there according to my plan would be fine.
“Then, let’s go.”
I led her to the portal terminal.
To leave the school, we had to pass through the terminal.
There, a terminal administrator was seated, and I handed her my ID tag, explaining casually.
“It’s a mentorship activity at the Exchange Plaza. We’re going on a field study experience.”
The administrator checked the ID against my face. Finding no administrative issues, my request to use the terminal was soon approved.
“After 10 PM, the shared portal back to the academy won’t be open, so you need to return before then~”
“Understood.”
That was already my intention. What would I do with her till 10 PM?
Yoon Chae-ha glanced at my face from her side, her eyes filled with a peculiar curiosity.
“Let’s go. As you wish.”
It should work out as planned.
Once through the portal, the familiar scenery of Yoido came into view.
The streets were bustling as always.
And we headed toward one peculiar building.
“…Where are we?”
Yoon Chae-ha asked me. Standing before us was a massive penthouse. It was the place where fragment testing had been conducted before, the Vanguisher’s base. I reached the iron door and stretched out my hand, but the door opened automatically before I touched it.
“Come in.”
“…”
Yoon Chae-ha kept scanning her surroundings, her pure curiosity evident.
The reason I brought her here was straightforward. At Gaon, there was not much for her to be intrigued by. But here, it was different.
I guided her inside, through the garden, and into the deeper part of the building. Today, it was unusually quiet.
“I’m here~”
As I said this while entering, there was no response.
‘No one’s here.’
There was no sign of anyone. In fact, it was fortunate. I then quietly spoke to Yoon Chae-ha.
“At both Gaon and Carlos, they’re more or less the same, so there’s actually nothing much to do inside.”
She nodded.
“This place, however, might be a bit different.”
I stopped in front of the most secluded room on the first floor of the building.
It was the library. The magical artifacts and writings collected over a long period by Yugal Furman, the Vanguisher’s mage, and the old man were stored here. The collection might even rival the finest books in the Mage Tower.
It was open for us to acquire knowledge, although only the old man was usually allowed here.
As I opened the door, I began speaking.
“Feel free to look ar— oh.”
There, sitting on a single-seat sofa, was a man. His grey hair trailed along the ground with his robe.
A book in one hand, he quietly flipped through its pages without raising his head, seemingly ignorant of our presence and continuing to read.
“Are you here?”
I thought he was absent, as he doesn’t usually stick around; but there he was.
He didn’t flinch despite the noise.
Swallowing, I continued speaking quietly.
“Could she read some books here? I have become a mentor, but there’s not much to see at Gaon—”
“…”
Then, the man stood up, dragging his robe as he approached us.
Making no sound at all.
He stopped in front of Yoon Chae-ha. She looked taken aback. Ugal was a renowned mage, after all. Though not from the mage tower, he was unmatched by even the mages there.
At that moment, Ugal’s blue eyes faintly gleamed. In response, Yoon Chae-ha’s orange irises also brightly lit up.
Then, after a brief silence, he slowly closed his eyes. Ugal nodded again and silently turned back around. He didn’t say a word.
He returned to his place and sat, opening his book.
I glanced back at Yoon Chae-ha. Her expression was still one of surprise.
“He said it’s fine.”
“Really?”
“Sure.”
He was busy reading, but his consent was evident, despite his lack of words.
We walked quietly into the library.
The smell of an old bookstore lingered in the air. Immediately, I could see her eyes sparkling.
“Recollections of the Visionary School of Carlos?”
There also seemed to be a book by the founder of the Carlos Academy. That one must be very precious.
“Anima? The Irreversibility of Entropy and Mana???”
She had already entered her own world. I watched her flip through the pages one by one.
Unlike her usual calm demeanor, she appeared to be a completely different person. Her composure was maintained, but the quick flips of the pages indicated deep concentration. I couldn’t help but smirk.
‘Good call bringing her here.’
I quietly spoke.
“Feel free to look around, I’ll be back after a short trip.”
However, she didn’t answer at all. She was reading two or three books simultaneously now.
As I stepped out between the bookshelves, I spoke to Ugal.
“Bro Ugal, is the old man around?”
Without pausing his page turn, he briefly replied.
“He was just here.”
That means he’s not around now.
I quietly left the library and wandered inside the main building. As I walked, I stopped in front of one specific room. It was the old man’s office.
I hesitated for a moment in front of the door.
Then, I turned the handle and entered.
A quiet room.
Heavy bookshelves and neatly arranged documents.
On the desk, there was one document.
I quietly picked it up.
[Operation Plan Report]
I flipped past the cover.
And as I skimmed the contents, my mind sounded an alarm.
The time had indeed come. One of the reasons I had come here was precisely this.
“…”
I quietly read through the document. This was not just any ordinary mission.
This is what I’ve been most wary of, and what I must stop at all costs.
The complete annihilation of Vanguisher.
The operation plan documented a demon extermination mission commissioned by the Guild.
The content was simple. A certain location in the Hamgyeong province was reported to be infested with demons, and the mission was to raid the area and exterminate the hive.
I checked the participants.
Everyone would be participating aside from the dispatched members.
The date and time were…three weeks from now.
Closing my eyes, I silently added my name to the participant list. Although I didn’t physically write anything, only in my mind.
‘I’ll stop it.’
Absolutely. Following the original flow of events, this mission would lead to Vanguisher’s demise. I had no intention, even an iota, of simply standing by and watching that happen.
“Philipp, are you there?”
-Hoo?
A white barn owl quietly appeared from the shadows.
I showed the document to Philipp while speaking.
“Does this still go to the guild?”
Philipp nodded.
This document would soon make its way to the Guild.
There was still time.
I placed the document down, leaned on the old man’s chair. My mind was chaotic. I slowly looked down at my waist. The empty space. It was understandable since I haven’t gotten a new weapon yet after my previous one got damaged.
I couldn’t stay like this for long. Various options came to mind.
Durendal.
Though a holy sword, it’s in a French museum.
Lance of Longinus.
Great, but it’s currently in use by someone else.
Gungnir. This one is…a bit too temperamental.
Several choices came up, but none seemed to satisfy me.
Then, the type of weapon I had recently decided on came to mind.
‘Catastrophe.’
“There’s that.”
It’s a bit hard to use, but if I can manage it, it would be a good option.
It was time for me to go find my weapon.
I turned on the old man’s computer and quickly started making notes. How much time had passed? Looking out, the sun had already set.
It took longer than expected. There were too many preparations to make.
Once I sent the finalized plan to my email and closed the computer,
I headed outside and went back towards the library.
Gently opening the library door—
“Damn, what’s this Visionary School even about.”
‘…?’
Heated arguments were ongoing inside.
“To you, your vision is limited.”
Ugal’s firm voice.
In front of him was Yoon Chae-ha, who had piled up countless books. She was standing while holding an open book with one hand, gripping a feather pen in the other, and was arguing fiercely.
“So… it’s just an illusion, right? The first entropy? Can you even prove that?”
“It’s already been proven.”
Ugal calmly retaliated.
“Visionary magic is the purest form of magic. Whether it’s elemental magic or sorcery, they’re all fragmented offshoots of visionary magic. Even the control and visualization you pursue ultimately derive from here.”
“No… I mean…”
The air in the library heated up intensely.
She sighed deeply and turned her head, then noticed me and startled.
I quietly spoke up.
“Seems like you’ve had some fun, huh?”
Yoon Chae-ha startled again as she turned her head. Then, her cheeks turned slightly red.
“What should I do, Ugal? It’s about time I take her back.”
“I don’t care. It’s just this overly enthused mage’s fault.”
“Hmm…”
She was highly agitated by his words, but he was clearly affected too. Ugal had a rare faint smile on his face.
“Seen enough?”
“…Yeah.”
It was evident without words. A pile of books marked as read piled beside her.
At a gesture from Ugal, the books floated into the air and flew back to their shelves one by one.
“Zzz…”
Yoon Chae-ha suddenly jumped and grabbed a book.
[Recollections of the Visionary School of Carlos]
It was the one she had seen earlier.
“I just want to borrow this.”
“Didn’t we say he doesn’t care about that?”
“…”
“You can if you want.”
Oh, he’s lending her a book.
“…”
She then cautiously moved towards the door and, as she reached it, paused momentarily to quietly bow.
“Thank you.”
A polite and brief farewell.
Then, she promptly walked out.
Apparently, she liked this place. After she left, Ugal quietly spoke up.
“…What are your aspirations?”
“Hmm, I’m thinking of going to the Mage Tower…”
“Is that so.”
-Chu.
“A shame.”
He closed the book he was reading.
There was an unusually regretful expression on his face.
The additional wrapper is not translated as it doesn’t seem to contain content related to the story.
