Episode 119. Black Leaves (1)
After Professor Kaizen left the classroom with a frown on his face, lunchtime began.
The cadets stood up to go to the Arpeggio building where the cafeteria was located. Everyone looked at Rubin with curious eyes.
“Is that him? He’s the one who made Kaizen look like he was chewing shit a little while ago?”
“I saw Professor Kaizen in the hallway a little while ago. He was shaking all over and he was really angry. Was that because of him? What the hell happened?”
“The professor said that the resistance to magic potions exceeded his expectations.”
“… Ah! Now that I think about it, it must have been him yesterday! He’s the one who made sure the kids in Class C didn’t get their flour mixed in!”
The first to spread the rumor about Rubin were the students of Class B. They all had flour on their heads, indicating that they had just finished their first class with Professor Eggler. Perhaps because of this, their eyes were filled with envy as they glanced at Rubin.
“Wow… Luden, you’re already famous. Oh, you were famous to begin with. As the guy who danced with Chloe. At this rate, word of mouth will spread all the way to Class D before we even get to the restaurant.”
Rubin shrugged at Oscar’s playful remark.
And after a while.
“Wow! This is the famous ‘airway’!”
It was Oscar’s exclamation. The C-class cadets were entering the ‘air passage’. It was a bridge connecting the tops of the towers, and was a famous landmark of Capotini, also known as the transparent bridge.
As the name suggests, the skyway is invisible. It’s not just invisible, it doesn’t actually exist.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
With each step the cadets take, a small vibration resonates through the floor.
The reason your feet don’t sink is because the air naturally creates waves when your feet go below a certain height.
‘Strictly speaking… the force acts from below to above.’
It was impressive even for Rubin. This was a reverse use of barrier magic. A system that divides some space into barriers and activates the barrier every time a foot touches it.
It was magic, but the idea was novel.
‘It’s also clever that the operating conditions are set to only the Samhwi magician.’
If someone other than a Samhwi magician steps forward, the barrier will not work. This means that your feet will sink and you will fall headfirst towards the ground.
“Wow, this is really awesome. I’m flying in the air!”
Unlike Oscar who was excited, Chloe looked a little worried. Of course, it was Rubin, not her.
“Luden, are you okay?”
Chloe asked cautiously. Rubin turned his head and looked at Chloe floating next to him.
Every time Chloe entered an air passage, she would use telekinesis to levitate a thick book of her specialty. Since she was not a Samhwi wizard, the barrier magic did not work.
She mostly moved around by sitting quietly on a book and moving the book around, like a magic carpet.
Sometimes, I would move two books of my major alternately, stepping on them as if I was placing stepping stones.
‘Your magical talent is truly amazing.’
Rubin thought about it and answered calmly.
“It’s okay, there’s no problem.”
“You won’t hack it, right?”
“Either way or not.”
What she was worried about was what had just happened with Professor Kaizen. But Rubin was sincere.
Then Oscar intervened.
“You wouldn’t be that petty? But the other kids seemed a little worried.”
“what?”
“The magic potion didn’t work. I think that’s why you’re anxious.”
Rubin noticed it too. But he was wrong. It wasn’t because he was worried about Professor Kaizen’s revenge.
‘I’m just wondering if Witherspoon’s pride has been hurt because of me.’
When the magic potion did not manifest until the final stage, most of the C class cadets showed two reactions at the same time.
Admiration and impatience.
Everyone knew how great this ability was, since it had been manifested so easily in the previous stages. Rubin’s resistance was truly monstrous.
But I couldn’t just admire it unconditionally. It was a resistance that surpassed even the Witherspoon family, one of the five great imperial noble families.
It was something that broke the concept of a typical cadet, so some were worried that Chloe might be the one to count the days.
What a wariness that even the Witherspoon family’s youngest daughter has! If that were to happen, not only Luden Poinen but all the other students would have to take classes on thin ice.
Of course, Chloe, the person involved, was innocent enough not to even notice the worries around her. Rubin didn’t care either.
Oscar, well, he’ll still be cheerful even if that’s the case. I don’t know if that’s his original personality or if he’s acting.
“What’s for lunch today? Aren’t you curious, Dahlia?”
“Not really. It seems like you came here just to eat?”
“What! That’s harsh. And the way you speak is too high-handed! That’s such a noble tone!”
“Are you angry right now? At me?”
“Of course… I’m joking.”
Even Oscar was comfortable with Dahlia Delin. I don’t know what Dahlia thought, but that’s what it seemed like.
“Ha. But why is this damn school so big? I already know it’s big enough to hold me!”
The cadets who were walking together in a crowded group giggled at Oscar’s exaggerated reaction.
It wasn’t a wrong statement. Even if you used the skyway, it would take a long time just to get to the nearby magic tower. That’s how huge the structures were.
If you add the time it takes to get there and back, the two-hour lunch break itself isn’t that generous. Perhaps that’s why only freshmen use the public corridor.
The method of getting to the Arpeggio Building, where the upperclassmen’s cafeteria was located, was completely different.
“Wow, the upperclassmen are really different. At this level, aren’t they discriminating against freshmen as well?”
Oscar complained, pointing across the catwalk, because the older students’ unusual way of moving caught his eye.
Wheeeeeeing!
The seniors who had completed the golem making course were quickly moving across the ground riding elastic golems that had repeated pumping.
Students who completed the Magical Life Science course rode on magical creatures they raised themselves, and some even traveled through the air using hot air balloons.
“Oh my. Look over there! Isn’t that a tiger?”
“What? Why is there a tiger here?”
“It’s true! Look at that!”
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
On the ground, a huge green beast was seen darting out. Of course, it wasn’t a tiger. On closer inspection, it was a leopard covered in green leaves instead of fur.
Oscar’s admiration was endless.
“Wow… Look at that guy. He made a huge key bug. He rides it.”
“That’s called a ‘magnification’ spell, Oscar.”
“Zoom? Hmm, this is a magic I’m drawn to.”
Just by turning my head, I was overwhelmed by the amazing scenes. I could feel once again that this was a magic school.
* * *
Knock knock.
The evening after all classes were over.
Someone knocked on the dark door of the Poinen Bookstore. A man with his face hidden by a flowing robe. He waited for the bookstore door to open.
After a while, the door opened and Kuze appeared.
“Kuze-sama. It’s taking a long time.”
“… … .”
Kuze flinched for a moment when he saw the person standing outside the door. But soon, a relaxed expression spread across his face.
“It’s not fun.”
“You say it’s not funny? That’s quite an unpleasant remark.”
“No matter how much you act, it won’t work, Tina.”
“Tina… you say?”
The guest who came inside lowered the robe he was wearing. The face that was revealed was that of Celestia, but Kuze was not surprised at all. He simply shrugged his shoulders with his arms crossed.
“Who is that? Anyway, you’re not surprised at all, are you, Kuze?”
“You will need more research to transform into Lady Celesne. That, that coldness you are showing now, what is it? It is not the kind of coldness that is expressed by being tightly packed together from the bottom of your heart.”
“Yes? What are you talking about?”
“So stop it, Tina.”
Celesne stared at Kuze with her characteristically cold eyes.
And after a while, as if admitting defeat, her eyes turned mint colored.
“Tch, is it impossible to fool Kuze into eating Celesne? Well, since she’s someone I have a crush on, how could a fake do that?”
“Tsk, unrequited love? What are you talking about?”
“If not, how would you know?”
“I told you. Well, what should I say? I felt that the contempt directed at me was not sincere. And… … .”
“and?”
“Actually, that woman came and went two hours ago.”
Tina’s eyes grew wide at those words.
Tina quickly transformed into a cat and leisurely sat down on top of the books on display. She then swung her tail, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Celestine came! Were you two already like that?”
Kuze shook his head and sighed, perhaps bored by Tina’s pranks.
“No, it’s not that. I think something happened at school today regarding the master.”
“What happened? Did the kid get into a fight?”
“I don’t think so. I don’t know for sure, but I think the young master revealed more than necessary.”
“What? What did that maid say?”
“Celesne-sama wouldn’t have told me the details. She just said, ‘I didn’t know you had that much resistance. I’ll have to think carefully about whether I missed something.’ And she bought a few books. That was it.”
“Hmm? That sounds a bit like a threat.”
“Fortunately, Master Rubin has told me not to worry yet. He also said that we need to focus on other things than the Witherspoons right now.”
Tina’s sharp attitude also turned into simple acceptance of the fact that Rubin had already made up his mind.
She naturally walked around the dark interior of the bookstore in the form of a cat. Then, without hesitation, she stuck her paw between the bookshelves.
“Kuje, open this door for me.”
As Kuze approached and injected the dark smoke, the entrance to the secret space moved.
Kuze’s personal space was hidden behind the bookshelf. It was a space based on darkness, so even magicians couldn’t see it.
Tina felt more comfortable as she entered a familiar place. She walked around the interior with light movements.
“So what about Rubin now?”
“He is in the basement.”
“Underground? Oh, last time you said you were going to make a training ground.”
“Yes, it’s been completed and you are using it.”
An underground cave connected to Kuze’s secret space. It was a wide, enclosed space created long ago when the city’s underground passages were closed.
The previous owner probably didn’t even know it existed, but Rubin chose this place as if he had known about it for a long time. In any case, he is a completely unknown master.
Anyway, it was a useful space for Rubin and Roynenser. It was a place where they could practice their dark and aura skills without attracting attention, and study dark magic together.
“By the way, what were you doing?”
Tina asked, pointing to Kuze’s workbench, which was cluttered with work materials reminiscent of a laboratory.
It seemed like something was being made. Various materials contained in a glass bottle were dissolving.
“What? You’re going to turn into a wizard now… … .”
Tina couldn’t finish her words. Her playful eyes quickly narrowed.
Because something familiar entered her eyes.
‘That’s?’
Instinct. The instinct through the darkness was activated. With a pang of discomfort, Tina flinched back. Kuze explained.
“It’s something you instructed me to do a while ago.”
“Rubin?”
“Yes. You told me to bring the materials from the base warehouse here.”
“This is a ‘black leaf’, isn’t it? What on earth is the brat going to use this ominous thing for? Who is he going to interrogate?”
Kuze shrugged. He wanted to ask Tina instead. During the time he was at school, Tina was the one closest to Rubin.
“Why the black leaves… …?”
There was no assassin in the Assassination Sword Family who did not know the Black Leaf. The reason was simple. It was one of the rites of passage to become a vassal.
The rule that no one can become a vassal of the Assassin’s Family without passing the ‘Black Leaf Stage’ was something that everyone in the Assassin’s Family knew.
“I suddenly wonder. Do the children of the main family also have to go through the black leaf stage?”
“All children must go through a ‘black leaf stage’ between the ages of 17 and 20, when they can become independent assassins.”
“As expected of a Roynenser. It’s probably a bit different from what our vassals experience, right?”
“Yes, that’s what I know. They said the concentration of the leap is much stronger. They are born with an innate darkness, not an artificial darkness like us.”
Knock, knock, knock.
Kuze listened to the sound of the liquid falling drop by drop as he watched the ‘black leaf’ being completed.
Special materials that can only be obtained from the stronghold warehouse or each Assassin’s Blade family. A complex and subtle manufacturing process that includes distillation and melting.
A potion that takes a very long time to make, by dripping one drop at a time from the end of a glass tube.
“… … .”
Kuze frowned for a moment, perhaps remembering the ‘black leaf stage’ he had gone through.
