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Oliver asked again.

It wasn\'t so much that he hadn\'t heard Kevin correctly, but he wanted to make sure he had heard correctly.

"I said I defeated Yareli\'s father. In front of everyone in the Tower. Thoroughly."

Kevin answered again. As expected, Oliver hadn\'t misheard.

Kevin had defeated Yareli\'s father. And that, too, in front of everyone in the Tower… Oliver had thought there might be some backstory, but this was beyond that.

"May I ask a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Why did you fight with Ms. Yareli\'s father?"

At that, Kevin raised an eyebrow as if he had heard a stupid question.

"Ask the question the other way around. Don\'t you find it strange that I\'m in the Tower?"

"Should I find it strange?"

"Usually, it\'s strange… What image comes to mind when you think of the Tower?"

"Wizards, a major institution representing Landa, advanced magical technology, vast wealth, elitism… I think of survival of the fittest and eugenics."

"You\'ve learned well. Let me ask again. Isn\'t it strange that I\'m in the Tower?"

"…Ah."

Oliver responded, albeit a beat late.

He was finally able to grasp the crux of the matter.

Kevin was a Red man. From the perspective of the wizards, he was a very inferior race.

Stupid, barbaric, unable to develop on their own…

Although he personally disagreed, the current Tower was on such a course.

This was evident from just a few general education courses and books.

In such a Tower, a Red man wizard. Even serving as a master professor was indeed an extraordinary event.

He had noticed this when he first came to the Tower, but had momentarily forgotten it due to Kevin\'s diligence and ability.

"When you put it that way, it does seem a bit strange… But, aren\'t you a student of Elder?"

The elder referred to none other than Archiver Merlin.

He didn\'t know the details, but based on what Oliver had seen, heard, and experienced so far, Merlin was definitely a being of high standing.

"So isn\'t there no problem?"

Click!

Kevin snapped his fingers.

"Correct. But it\'s only half correct."

"Half correct?"

"Yes, thanks to my excellent Master, I was able to get the opportunity to enter the Tower, but that doesn\'t mean I was accepted by the Tower."

"Is that so?"

"Do you think the Master would give everything from one to ten?"

At Kevin\'s question, Oliver thought about the Merlin he had seen so far.

He would recommend good books but take money for them, give advice but not direct help, and when he stepped in, he demanded proof of his worth. His classes only provided the environment and direction; the studying had to be done by the student.

"Hmm… No, I think he only gives the opportunity."

"Right… In return for putting me in the Tower, Master laid out a stage. A stage for me to prove myself. The Tower couldn\'t refuse Master\'s demand. The weight of his demand was unique, and for the sake of the Tower\'s honor, they couldn\'t refuse… They couldn\'t give the impression that they were scared of a mere Red man."

"Then, did you fight with Yareli\'s father then?"

"Including him, I fought with the wizards of all the factions of the Elemental faction – the Agni faction, the Mjolnir faction, the Enlil faction, the Gaia faction."

"…Why the Elemental faction?"

"I wanted to join the Elemental faction. Besides being my Master\'s faction, it\'s the most powerful faction… Well, it\'s relatively in decline these days."

"Ah…"

Oliver nodded, letting out a sound.

It was indeed a bizarre conversation.

A Red Wizard fights against the traditional Elemental school, and Oliver reacting at the odd part.

Even more bizarre was that Kevin, before he knew it, had not just gotten used to it, but had assimilated into it.

"Everyone was at a Master Wizard level. Or wizards of similar level…. I fought against each of them, one by one, in front of everyone gathered in the Magic Tower, and crushed them. Thoroughly."

Thoroughly… Oliver realized that it wasn\'t just a word casually thrown in.

Because he had already fought against Kevin once.

He showed no mercy in a fight.

"I defeated each one of them unequivocally, trampled on them and gave them scars they couldn\'t erase. As a way of demanding respect."

"Do you gain respect by leaving scars?"

"Of course, scars are pain, and pain is fear, fear brings respect… Especially to the prestigious family, to the father of Yareli who used to belittle me, I gave the deepest respect. Even on his face. Eventually, the Elemental school had no choice but to accept me as a wizard."

"Um… What happened to them? The others who had fought against you."

"They became extinct."

Extinct. A simple word but more definitive than any other.

Oliver could easily predict what had happened to the people Kevin had fought against.

The worst case was losing their lives, and the next worst was being expelled from the Magic Tower.

Perhaps it\'s only natural… As in the Magic Tower, one\'s reputation and dignity were as important as one\'s individual skills.

An unfortunate structure where one could lose too much from unintended misfortune. As a result, despite their wealth, most people here lacked leisure.

"So I was curious."

"What?"

"About when Yareli, the daughter of that father, came to attend my class. She must have been pretty grilled as the daughter of the father who ruined the name of a prestigious family… What on earth was she thinking when she approached me?"

"I don\'t know? I can read emotions, not thoughts."

"That\'s a shame. I thought you might be able to read thoughts, too."

"I apologize for disappointing you. But while Ms. Yareli may not view you favorably, she doesn\'t view you that negatively either. She respects and acknowledges you to some extent."

At Oliver\'s words, Kevin sank into thought for a moment, then set it aside. He didn\'t want to dwell on this issue.

That\'s why he brought up a different topic.

"I personally don\'t like having these kinds of conversations. But why do you think I answered your question?"

"I don\'t know?”

"Because I have a favor to ask."

"Ah…"

Oliver understood why Kevin, who seemed unwilling to talk, had changed his mind in the middle.

He wanted something. Well, there\'s nothing wrong with that.

"Please, tell me."

"Can you teach me black magic?"

"Black magic?"

"Yes, I want to learn."

Oliver was surprised. He had guessed what the favor might be, but black magic was not among them. It was unexpected.

"I\'m sorry, but may I ask why you want to learn? It\'s so unexpected… Have you developed an interest in black magic?"

"No, to be honest, I don\'t really care about black magic. I wouldn\'t normally tell you this, but if you asked me which I think is superior, magic or black magic, I wouldn\'t hesitate to say the former."

"I don\'t feel bad, don\'t worry. But then why do you want to learn black magic?"

"To become stronger. And wanting to learn black magic isn\'t really about wanting to wield black magic, it\'s merely a preparatory stage for merging emotions and mana."

"Ah… Yes, I understand."

Convinced by the answer, Oliver agreed right away. Too easily.

The fusion of emotions and mana.

Considering the value and power of the technique, he should never have agreed to teach it, but Oliver didn\'t care at all.

Even Kevin, who thought he had somewhat figured out Oliver, was quite taken aback.

Whether a wizard or a warlock, knowledge is the greatest asset. But Oliver did not hold such a concept.

"Oh, of course, it\'s not for free."

Oliver added, as if it had just occurred to him.

Kevin felt more relieved than annoyed. It was comforting when things followed a more rational path.

"…What do you want in return?"

"I wish you would teach me various things, too. Magic, Tower wizards, the research you\'re currently doing, being a war wizard, or what kind of training you\'ve had under Elder… I mean, your personal stories that you might not want to share."

"…..Why? Why are you suddenly curious about that?”

"It\'s not sudden. I\'ve been curious all along, but I couldn\'t ask because I was the one receiving help."

"Don\'t you want to trade for something else?"

"Um….. no, I don\'t."

"……I\'ve realized something."

"Yes? What is it?"

“I don\'t like you."

***

Approximately two weeks had passed since Oliver and Kevin completed their deal.

During that time, Kevin and Oliver joined forces to handle all sorts of chores such as comprehensive grading, seasonal semester application, seasonal semester curriculum reports and budget applications, professor\'s individual research applications and scheduling, and so on.

Although it was not as busy as a storm, they were constantly flooded with work. Thankfully, everything ended around 9 o\'clock that night.

“You\'ve worked hard.”

Oliver, who had finished the last task, got up from his seat and loosened his stiff body from paperwork.

Kevin also relaxed his body in response. Despite trying to hide his vulnerabilities, it was proof of his familiarity with Oliver after working together for a semester.

"You\'ve worked hard too. Now go home."

"Yes, understood……. Are you not going to leave, Professor?"

Oliver asked Kevin, who showed no signs of getting up.

"I have a bit more work left."

"Oh, then I\'ll stay and help you before leaving."

"It\'s okay. I don\'t need your help. Honestly, it\'d be a nuisance if you were here. Just go home and take a three-day break."

"Ah……. then, understood."

After hearing Kevin\'s sincerity, Oliver responded, bid him farewell politely and left for home.

Exhausted from the liberation of finishing boring paperwork, Kevin leaned back in his chair and sighed for a moment.

"……Now you just come in whenever you want."

Kevin commented on the presence he felt during his short break.

Merlin, who had entered the office using his mana, responded.

"Sorry, mate. But, didn\'t I say-"

"-that a master has the right to intrude on the disciple\'s private life and disrupt their peace of mind? I know from experience……. but what if you\'re caught entering like this? The One Masters might not like it."

"Don\'t stress, mate. There\'s no chance of getting nicked. I suss it out beforehand."

As Merlin brought a chair and sat down across from Kevin, he spoke.

Kevin couldn\'t say more because it wasn\'t just comforting words, but a fact. After all, his master was Archiver Merlin.

"……You are real tough on the grades this semester, too."

Merlin suddenly said. Kevin responded casually.

"Well, it\'s the professor\'s discretion to give grades."

"If you do this, students won\'t take your class next semester."

"I don\'t care. Whether they take it or not……. I\'d rather refuse those who want good grades but lack the ability."

"Well, wouldn\'t that put you in the crosshairs for the faculty review? Masters are judged by the number of students they turn out. And later, those students become wizards and start throwing their weight around."

"I can make up for the faculty evaluation elsewhere, and I don\'t need that kind of politics. All I need is overwhelming ability. Did you come to talk about this?"

"No, I\'m here to say thanks. You were probably planning to crack on with personal research over the hols, but you took on a seasonal semester, didn\'t ya?"

"No, it\'s fine. I\'m interested in it too. Besides, I\'ve found something more interesting than research."

Kevin was sincere. He was more interested in the idea that fused emotions and mana than his original plan to establish a foothold by studying military magic.

If the research in military magic was a short-term achievement, the idea that mixed emotion and mana could elevate Kevin\'s level by one step, or even several steps permanently.

Of course, it could be risky as it was black magic, but he judged that it was worth taking the risk. That\'s what power was about.

"Good on ya, that\'s good to hear."

"Yes……. Since you\'re here, can I ask a question?"

"Is it about the business trip?"

"No. I\'m curious, but you\'re not going to talk about it anyway, are you? If you were going to tell me, you would have already."

"Ha, you\'ve got me all figured out, haven\'t ya? What do you wanna ask then?"

"It\'s not anything big, just something that\'s been bothering me. You talked about Eve when you had dinner with Dave last time, didn\'t you?"

"Yes, I did."

"No matter how much I think about it, it\'s puzzling. Weren\'t you skeptical that Eve could be born from merely accumulating information?"

That was true.

Eve, the will of the world tree, which hadn\'t yet been born, but was believed to be born at any time.

Wizards who had researched in this field gave their own opinions about Eve and wrote papers.

It was like another revolution.

Among them, Merlin also had an opinion, but unlike the mainstream, he thought Eve could not be born from simply accumulating information.

It was the same logic that just because you have many bricks doesn\'t mean you can build a tower.

Merlin argued strongly that you need cement and rebar to support the bricks.

So it bothered him that Merlin claimed Eve could be born from simply accumulating information while having dinner with Dave. It wasn\'t a big deal, but it was nerve-racking.

"Did your thoughts change late?"

"Uh… no."

"Then why?"

"I reckoned it\'d be good to say that there."

Kevin remained silent. It was something he had felt a long time ago, but Merlin treated Dave like some dangerous tumor.

After all, the reason he entrusted Dave to him was to observe from a proper distance.

Well, looking at his talent, abilities, and unfathomable characteristics, it\'s understandable.

"Yes, I understand."

"Uh… since we\'re chinwagging, let me pop a question. What do you reckon caused Eve to suddenly show up?"

"? I don\'t know. Aren\'t all authorities, including you, just talking about grabbing at clouds in the end?"

"What if, just if. What do you reckon would happen if a glitch happened that let someone connect to the world tree with emotions?"

"Excuse me?"

"I\'m asking what do you reckon would happen if someone could connect to the world tree with emotions."

"That… isn\'t it impossible?"

"That\'s why I said it\'s just a ‘what if\' scenario, and why I called it a glitch."

"Well… emotions would flow into the world tree, and those emotions would react with the accumulated mana and information… ah."

Kevin let out a half-dazed exclamation.

Because he knew just one being who could accomplish such a thing.

(To be Continued)

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