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Episode 8
Purpose and Revenge (1)
The withdrawal process was over in an instant.
It didn’t even take 3 minutes.
Just fill out the paperwork and you’re done.
There were no professors to stop Riley.
The professor in charge gave Riley a letter of recommendation and a minimal amount of money to become an assistant at the top.
This was Retemis’ last favor and the minimum procedure given to all dropouts.
After completing all the procedures, we returned to Letemis’ dormitory.
Swish, swish─.
Riley was packing her bags in silence.
The dorm room was empty, as all of our roommates had left for dinner. We leisurely packed our things one by one.
“Do you need any books related to magic?”
[Hmm.]
Because it’s a book about magic.
well.
After thinking about it for a moment, I quickly came up with an answer.
[You don’t need anything else, but at least put in a book about magic.]
Books on the concept of magic may not be necessary, but books on history are essential.
Because we need to know what has happened over the past 300 years.
After hearing my answer, Riley nodded and started to collect books related to history.
Her clothes and books began to pile up in the carrier.
* * *
The outer grounds of Rethemis.
Riley and I were strolling through the gardens leading to the main gate.
[Still, it’s a bit of a shame.]
“What is it?”
[As I said before, there are so many privileges you can enjoy while attending Retemis.]
I’m not just talking about the privileges that come after graduation.
Items that students can obtain during the semester.
For example, a special artifact awarded to the winner of a tournament held every year.
Or maybe something like a special potion given to top students every year.
[It’s really good to get those things. They also help a lot with growth.]
It was a little sad to have to give up all of this.
But what.
Because originally, every choice had its own set of benefits and disadvantages.
There will certainly be new benefits to be gained by giving these up.
“Umm… … .”
Riley swallowed for a moment after hearing my explanation.
After a while she asked in a meaningful voice.
“But why are you saying that now?”
[huh?]
“Please speak a little faster.”
[Why? Do you suddenly regret dropping out of Letemis after hearing this?]
“No, that’s not it.”
Riley shook her head and continued speaking.
“The warehouse of Retemis is located opposite the main gate. We have to go back.”
[… … ?]
The warehouse is located opposite the main gate, so I have to go back?
What the hell is he talking about right now?
When I questioned her, Riley tilted her head and asked,
“Why? Didn’t you say we should steal the artifacts and special reagents?”
[… … .]
After hearing Riley’s words, I remained silent.
No, kid.
I’ve been feeling this since yesterday, but something about your way of thinking is strange.
however.
That’s why it’s better.
* * *
Riley says that during her year of living on Retemis, she discovered several secret passageways.
I’m talking about secret passages that aren’t even on the official maps.
“I also used those secret passages when I went to the library to find the Book of Magic.”
Inside a dark and damp underground passage.
Riley’s voice began to echo throughout the room.
According to her, this secret passage is one of the paths leading to Retemis’ warehouse.
Her plan was to go through the passage to the warehouse and raid it for useful items.
[… … .]
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I looked down the hallway for a moment.
A wall covered with moss and vines.
Dust piled up everywhere.
It must have been a place where no human footsteps had set foot for hundreds of years.
[How on earth do you find a place like this?]
“We all have know-how.”
[okay?]
When I heard Riley’s answer, a question suddenly occurred to me.
[So if they have the know-how to find passageways, why do thieves always fail to steal things?]
“Knowing the know-how doesn’t mean you can do everything.”
Riley shrugged.
It seemed like he was proud of his stealing skills.
but.
If you’re skilled enough to sneak into the library in the middle of the night, past Letemis’ guards, then you’d be right.
“And even if you find a secret passage, there are traps that ordinary thieves won’t notice.”
[A trap that ordinary thieves can’t detect?]
“Yes. For example… … .”
Woof─.
“… … Something like this.”
Riley, whose words trailed off, stopped walking cautiously.
She could sense very faint traces of magic right in front of her.
As I confirmed the traces of that magical power, I let out an exclamation without realizing it.
[Oh.]
Traps that contain spells that will make your flesh shiver just by looking at them. For example, Silent Wind Arrow, Dark Dagger, Blood Trap, etc.
Despite being a centuries-old practice, dangerous magical traps were still being triggered.
If Riley had followed this trail, she would have suffered fatal injuries, and in the worst case scenario, she would have lost her life.
It’s fortunate that Riley Mana has a great talent for affinity.
If he had been a common thief, he would have died without even knowing anything.
[But isn’t there equipment that can release these traps?]
I asked Riley, who was cautiously moving forward, pushing through the traces of magic.
She answered as she walked down the hallway, avoiding traps with her usual skill.
“It’s an overinvestment. Rather than spending a lot of money on that equipment, it’s better to rob a rich person’s house that doesn’t have any traps.”
It was said that rather than making a profit by investing, they prefer to produce output without any input.
It’s just a typical symbol of a bunch of thieves.
“And usually, the only places that set up these traps are government agencies.”
[Yeah, that’s true.]
“But originally, large thieves’ guilds with great skills never steal national property.”
[Huh? Why?]
“If you get caught doing something wrong, your guild will be wiped out. Wouldn’t you want to lose the guild you’ve worked so hard to build for so many years all at once?”
Riley continued her explanation.
“In the first place, the large thieves’ guilds bribe the guards in each city where their headquarters and branches are located.”
[… … .]
“The guards are happy because they have a source of income, and the guild can work without worry as long as they don’t cross the line. In effect, it’s a matter of mutual interest.”
[ah.]
“But stealing state property is a serious offense. If caught, the Imperial Knights will immediately take action to punish you.”
Just hearing this far, I can understand it more or less.
A situation where the state and the thieves’ guild made a tacit deal with each other.
If the Thieves’ Guild had crossed the line there, their existence would have ended.
This meant that if it was a large guild that had been established for a long time, there was no reason to take risks and raid the country.
Therefore, in reality, the only ones who are destroying the country are small guilds or individuals, or in other words, thieves with very little skill.
That is why stealing from the country is always doomed to failure.
[Good information.]
I’ve met many thieves in my thousands of years of life, but I’ve never had an in-depth conversation with them.
Because when we met, we just killed, tortured, and burned them.
There were many questions that were left unresolved, but it was rewarding to be able to find out about them through this conversation with Riley.
[To summarize, is this it? The reason why large guilds don’t raid the country is because it doesn’t make sense. They don’t want to take on the risk of their guilds being subjugated. Right?]
“That’s correct.”
I thought back over the information Riley had given me and stored it in my head.
Hmm.
okay.
check.
I understand.
[Hey, but then there’s one thing I’m curious about?]
“What is it?”
[How dare you have the nerve to blow up a national organization that even large guilds are too scared to touch?]
Riley answered calmly.
“Because I’m confident I won’t get caught.”
[… … .]
That’s really great confidence.
“And honestly, is this theft?”
[huh?]
“No. That’s right.”
Riley continued.
“If my talents and the teachings of the Magic Book are combined, I believe we will be able to achieve tremendous growth.”
[That’s true.]
“Then, if I had continued to go to Retemis, wouldn’t all the prizes given to the tournament winners have been mine to take?”
[… … ?]
“So this isn’t stealing, it’s taking what you deserve.”
and.
no.
“Am I wrong?”
[… … .]
I couldn’t help but applaud and shed tears at that miraculous logic.
* * *
Since the territory of Retemis was so large, the secret passage leading to the warehouse was also very long. Even after passing the trap field, Riley and I were still quite far ahead.
Stop─.
“… … .”
[… … .]
We came to a crossroads.
[Do you know the way?]
“uh…….”
Riley trailed off.
A look of unconfidence that is not typical of her.
Riley slowly opened her mouth and held up two fingers.
“Usually in a situation like this, the thief has two options.”
Riley continued, looking at me in Rob’s pocket.
“Which method would you choose, the right one or the wrong one?”
[Hmm.]
It’s a matter of degree and shortcut.
Of course, I preferred the shortcut.
In general, that way it saves time.
[Let’s take the shortcut.]
“Then I guess we’ll have to flip a coin.”
[what?]
What kind of shortcut is that?
Let’s just leave it to luck.
[Ha, okay, then how much? What is the degree?]
“Just take both paths at least once.”
[… … .]
Plague.
Both the degree and the shortcut are trash.
But I thought he would have his own way since he was from the Thieves Guild.
Me too.
It’s ridiculous.
[Okay. Let’s throw away the thief’s skills. You’re a wizard now, not a thief.]
While a thief struggles to open a lock with a lockpick, a wizard can easily open a door with just one Alohomora.
In this way, magic makes it very convenient for users.
This was no exception in the current situation.
[I’ll tell you a technique.]
“Technology?”
[Yes. It is one of the essential skills you must learn to survive as a wizard in the future.]
“What is it?”
[Path-Finding. It’s commonly called “Path-Finding”, but it’s magic… … Do you know what it is?]
“yes.”
Riley nodded and continued.
“I learned it from Rethemis.”
[Oh, right.]
Pathfinding was a spell that every wizard had to learn.
Of course, Retemis would have taught this spell to its students as a priority.
It may seem trivial because it’s called “pathfinding,” but this spell called “pathfinding” was a really important skill.
Regardless of their specific class, all wizards have at least some knowledge of this “Pathfinding”.
Pathfinding is mainly used when conquering dungeons or magical realms.
In high-risk dungeons and magical realms, terrain features tend to change frequently.
In such a case, the marks made by the main force as it advances become useless.
At that time, the only occupation group that could figure out the path was the magician who used “Pathfinding”.
This is precisely why it is essential to have a professional wizard guide, a “Pathfinder”, accompany you when exploring dungeons and magical realms.
[Anyway, you learned “Pathfinding” while attending the academy?]
“yes.”
[Then show me where.]
“All right.”
Woof─.
Riley listened to what I said and concentrated with her eyes closed.
The natural mana flowing in the air was sucked into Riley’s mana circuit.
The mana gathered in this way moved to the mana heart located in her body and began to rotate.
Woof, woof woof─.
Resonance that takes place within Manaheart.
Through this process of refining, mana in its natural state gradually changed into magical power, or magic power, which can exert magical effects.
This is the magic exercise.
The process of converting mana, which is nothing more than a small lump of energy, into magical power, which is the basis of magic.
Hwaak─!
After completing all of that work, Riley fired a blast of magic forward.
Shh …
Masses of magical power begin to rush forward at a rapid pace.
Riley, with her eyes tightly shut, began to trace the trail, mapping it out in her head.
“ha.”
About 3 minutes passed like that.
Finally, Riley finished all her work and took a deep breath before opening her mouth.
“There are about three traps on the left path… … and the right path is a dead end.”
[… … .]
“So I guess we should go left.”
After finishing speaking, Riley looked at me and asked a question.
“How is it?”
[It’s okay. It’s stable.]
It was a typical demonstration of “pathfinding”.
It is no exaggeration to say that it is the epitome of classic.
It seemed that he had definitely learned the basics of magic from Retemis.
The speed at which mana is gathered.
The process of converting natural mana into magical power using mana hearts.
The task of tracing the magical power shot forward and drawing a map in your head.
Seriously, everything was flawless.
but…….
[Everything is good, but it’s too ordinary.]
“… … .”
[And, it’s so stereotypical.]
Riley’s “Pathfinding” wasn’t good enough to elicit any more appreciation.
The classic way?
okay.
It wasn’t a bad thing at all.
It’s convenient, and if you just follow what others do, you can get more than halfway there.
But in this way, you can become nothing more or less than an ordinary wizard.
What I wanted was not some ordinary wizard or something like that.
I am a great wizard.
I also want a great archmage who will be remembered in history.
And if she continues to do things the way she is now, Riley will never be able to become a great wizard.
There has to be a change in everything all the time.
You can’t settle for mediocrity.
That’s how innovation happens.
Only then can progress be made.
[Think about how to use your strengths.]
“… … .”
[With such incredible talent, why do you blindly try to follow the same path as others?]
Of course, Retemis may have only taught Riley the orthodox methods.
Uniform education that does not take into account the individual characteristics of each student. Professors may have pursued only the right path and forced only that method on students.
And that orgy of spoon-fed education may have killed Riley’s creativity and application skills.
but…….
[You are no longer a cadet of the Academy.]
“… … .”
[Don’t be bound by the rules set by the common people. You are far superior to them.]
The right to walk the path of the devil is granted only to a select few.
Among them, only geniuses were able to forge their own path.
[Okay, let’s try again.]
Riley was a genius.
So this time… … .
It was time to make the most of her strengths.