Chapter 93

### Chapter 93: Change (7)

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#13

Coffee seems to be a very efficient drink.

Overdose it, and it turns you into a living zombie, allowing you to overcome your instincts for a brief moment.

However, there are side effects.

Since it suppresses the irresistible urge to sleep, it can sometimes turn people into madmen.

The man felt as if he was at the brink of that stage.

—Scratch, scratch, scratch.

The man with puffy eyes was moving his hands mechanically. I was the pen, and the pen was me. Pen and mind as one. The man had become one with the pen.

He simply transcribed the lines that came to his mind, as if he were a magical machine. He stared blankly at the paper, moving his hands busily.

‘...I might die like this. Or, am I already dead?’

He couldn’t tell if it was day or night. It was just time to be active. He continued his all-night experiments, repeating the same routine until the results came, then collapsed onto a makeshift bed for a brief nap. When he woke up, he shuffled back to organize the research data.

There was still a long way to go, but this wasn’t the end. He also had to write and submit the paperwork related to the research funding.

That wasn’t all. There were all sorts of miscellaneous tasks.

Starting with cleaning the lab, running errands for the senior intern who had joined the lab a few months before him...

‘I have to endure. I have to endure...’

Such treatment of a new magician is very common on the planet Akasha. He had to adapt. Only then could he survive. This place was full of monsters. Even the hierarchy he had achieved could easily outclass a high-ranking officer in a typical magic battalion. No, that was the baseline. The entry requirement for the ‘Tower of Akasha’ was already at the Exi (6) level.

‘I need to make more progress.’

With each passing day in the tower, he felt more acutely that he was just a frog in a well.

—Creak.

At that moment.

The door opened, and a bright light streamed in.

“Pente Shuriel. Is the data I asked for ready?”

“...Ah, Shaphis.”

The man’s name was Shuriel de Raphart.

He was the top graduate of the Lorsen Academy’s magic department and the youngest Pente (5) level magician to join the ‘Star of Akasha’ this year.

Shuriel answered hurriedly.

“I’m finishing up now. If you could just wait a little longer...”

“What? How long has it been since I asked, and you still haven’t finished?”

It was early morning yesterday. At that time, he was still organizing data that he hadn’t processed, and new data had been added.

Moreover, there was more of it. It was as if they were telling him not to sleep. In reality, it meant he had to stay up all night to finish it.

“I’m sorry. Other tasks have been piling up...”

Shaphis, Shuriel’s supervisor, clicked his tongue.

“Tsk... I know you’re working hard, but you’re too slow. At this rate, when will you be ready for formal research? If you can’t handle it, just quit. The magicians above you can finish the same amount of work in half a day and still have time to spare. A good magician should know how to maximize efficiency. What are you? You need to show results to match the hype about your promising future and being the youngest to join.”

“...I’m sorry. I’ll work harder.”

“Anyone can say that.”

“...”

Shaphis, looking around the dim room, said:

“Finish it by lunch today. I need to show the research progress to the Tower Master this evening.”

Shuriel briefly lifted his head. He looked exhausted, but quickly regained his composure and spoke.

“...To the Tower Master?”

Shuriel belonged to the Eter School, one of the three factions. His supervisor, Shaphis, was also from the Eter School. So, the Tower Master Shaphis was referring to was—

“Yes. I received word that he will return this evening. There will be a welcome ceremony, so you must attend.”

“Ah, understood.”

“Don’t forget to finish by lunch. Don’t fall asleep. If I hear that you slept and missed the welcome ceremony, it will be very bad for you. Understand?”

“...Yes, Shaphis.”

“Then continue.”

—Thud.

The door closed, and Shaphis left.

“...”

Shuriel looked down at the densely written text and formulas. There were dozens of pages left. He tilted his head back and wiped his face. Since joining the tower, his days had been so busy that he had no time for other thoughts.

His overused wrist ached as if it had been burned, and the ink from the pen had left black stains on his hands.

It was daunting to think about how to finish this in four hours.

‘The Tower Master is returning.’

Shuriel had been given a new source of motivation.

The third Tower Master of the giant tower ‘Star of Akasha’.

Tetra Crowl.

He had heard of her reputation. How could a mage not know?

‘A High Mage above all High Mages.’

Thus, Tetra is treated as an outlier in the vast continent.

Tetra was also a war hero. While Elena Krymore infiltrated the heart of the southern demon realm and decapitated all life there, Tetra incinerated a part of the northern demon realm, using her unique and specialized Eter magic to burn the demons to ashes.

A single grand magic spell eliminated over 30,000 demons.

That day, someone said:

The sun descended upon the earth.

Thus, the demons feared Tetra more than Elena.

For this reason, even among High Mages, Tetra Crowl was considered a step above.

Tetra, a living legend, is not easily seen. She had just returned after a long absence from the tower.

Given her unpredictable nature and high status, it was not a matter of Shuriel, a junior magician, being able to meet her just because he wanted to.

Therefore, this was the only chance for Shuriel to meet Tetra in person.

‘I must not fall asleep. Absolutely not.’

Shuriel opened his eyes wide. The bloodshot veins in his eyes stood out. With the determination to meet Tetra in person, Shuriel took a deep breath and started writing.

Shuriel’s hand danced like a bird, moving quickly. Scratch, scratch, flutter. Scratch, scratch, flutter. His mind worked intensely.

‘I can do this.’

At this speed, he could finish on time.

He felt confident.

—Scratch, scratch, scratch.

In the early morning, the sharp sound of the pen scratching the paper continued.

Shuriel miraculously finished the deadline.

That evening.

‘Tower Master, why...’

There was no welcome ceremony. Tetra Crowl did not appear, and the grandly prepared banquet and fireworks had no one to celebrate for.

Standing at the end of the lined-up crowd, preparing to applaud, Shuriel felt like he was about to cry for the third time in his life.

#14

“No, I specifically said I would return in April. Who spread the news of my return to the tower?”

The office of the head of the Eter School and the third Tower Master.

“This is ridiculous. Someone must have set this up. Who? Who? Could it be that Elena woman!?”

Despite secretly entering the country, Tetra Crowl felt a chill when she saw the long line of people from the tower entrance. She warped to her office using a registered coordinate.

She detested being tired. She detested banquets even more.

After tearing her hair out for a while, Tetra decided that, given the situation, she would pretend to have returned in April as planned and play along.

She had come to rest and recuperate. She planned to briefly show her face at the tower in April and then leave again.

Tetra slumped into her chair. The chair said:

—Your bottom has hardened, Master.

“Yes, I’ve been sitting on the ground for a long time, so my bottom must have adapted to the environment. But do you want to be left behind?”

—I was only concerned about your health, Master.

“Concerning your master, huh? You’re really something. I’m in a very bad mood right now, so could you just be quiet?”

—...

The chair listened to Tetra and remained silent. Or, does it even have a mouth?

Tetra’s office was like a giant library. The ceiling soared high, and books floated around the bookshelves as if there were no gravity.

Tetra raised her hand. Something flew from somewhere and softly landed in her palm.

She opened the book. She raised her other hand. A quill pen landed in her hand. Tetra frowned and shook the pen.

—Ugh, I’m dizzy.

“There’s no ink. Quickly refill it.”

—Yes.

The quill pen flew off on its own.

Indeed, this place was extraordinary.

Talking chairs, talking pens, floating books.

All of these were Tetra’s creations.

To be precise, they were ordinary objects infused with replicated souls. Although they were replicas, they retained their intelligence and personality.

Tetra had adjusted them to her liking.

Infusing souls into objects. It could be considered a bizarre ritual. It was not doctrinally correct. No one else would dare to attempt it.

Conversely, only Tetra could continue such research in this vast world.

She did this because, like any High Mage, these processes were closely related to her ultimate goal.

Tetra had many other creations, but the most representative was—

Creak.

“Master...”

“Maruuuuuuuuu! I missed you!”

Her most beloved creation.

A homunculus named Maru, not a replicated human soul but an artificially created soul.

“...It hurts, it hurts. I told you not to rush. I’m still weak.”

“Ouch.”

Smack. Maru hit Tetra’s head.

If an ordinary person with common sense were here, they might faint in shock.

Tetra is a figure that even the emperor of a dignified empire cannot treat casually. If Tetra visits a vassal state, she is treated with the respect of a quasi-emperor. To hit a High Mage like Tetra on the head? It was unimaginable. But Tetra was not an ordinary person. Maru was born under her. So, Maru was not ordinary either.

Tetra, despite being hit quite hard, shed a tear and smiled broadly, then suddenly looked extremely sad.

“I ran all the way here to see you, and you’re always so cold... This big sister is sad...”

“Big sister? Shouldn’t it be mother?”

“Ah! I said big sister! Mother makes me sound too old!”

“Ah, yes...”

If Tetra said so, what could Maru do? She nodded.

“Oh, right. Master.”

“What? Are you hungry? I brought something from the northern continent...”

“No, that’s not it. I have a message to deliver.”

“...Huh? What is it?”

Maru had inherited Tetra’s knowledge. Maru’s existence was a closely guarded secret, known only to high-ranking officials of the ‘Star of Akasha’. Maru handled most of the administrative duties while Tetra was away. Of course, she did not reveal herself to other magicians. Tetra did not want that. ‘Completion’ was a different matter, but for now, it was absolutely not to be revealed.

Beyond simple administrative duties, Maru was connected to many aspects of her master, Tetra.

For example,

This was also the case.

“Two days ago, Lady Elena’s ‘Brand’ was used.”

“—! What?”

Tetra’s body, which had been melting like a puddle, stiffened. For a moment, she thought she had misheard, but Maru’s expression did not change. Ah, it must be true. Maru was not the type to joke about such things.

...I have to go.

I really just wanted to rest a little.

I can’t leave until I know what the Brand was used for.

‘So, Elena...! You damn woman...!’

Given the situation, Tetra was certain that Elena had secretly informed the tower of her return.

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