Chapter 128
Aslan Seminar (1)
Before the next episode started, I diligently headed to the residence of Ha Taeryeong, who was practically my mentor, to train.
In this world full of only magic, he was the only one who had researched both the sword and Mana Leakage Syndrome.
Even though I had never seen his face, I felt a strange sense of kinship with him.
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However, I still couldn’t grasp his sword.
It was said that once I had mastered Mana Leakage Syndrome to a certain level, I would be qualified to learn swordsmanship through the sword Ha Taeryeong used in the past.
But I had no clue as to what level that ‘qualification’ entailed, making my training seem endless.
Of course, it wasn’t as if there were no results at all just because I couldn’t grasp the sword.
Now, I could activate [Taeryeong Divine Art] without delay.
As long as I had a brief moment to focus, I could concentrate explosive mana into the sword.
Though the duration was still short, I was confident in my instantaneous attack power.
Moreover,
“Here, a gift.”
Some time ago, I had gifted Alterisha a very rare material called ‘Moonlight Stone.’
I hoped she would use it to create something better.
“I coated your Stella uniform with Moonlight Stone. Yu-seol, you’re always getting into dangerous situations.”
“This is…”
Moonlight Stone was extremely lightweight and allowed mana to pass through easily. Although its hardness was low, it was easy to enchant with high-grade magic.
The Stella uniform already had multiple layers of protective magic, but compared to Alchemy Magical Engineering, it was somewhat lacking.
Alterisha had completely overhauled my uniform.
“It now has temperature maintenance, self-repair for damaged parts, and a self-cleaning function. It also has a level 3 protective barrier, so it can withstand most magic once.”
“Wow… Thank you so much, Alterisha.”
I never expected such a gift, so I was deeply moved, and Alterisha made a rare mischievous face.
“I’m not just a helper, so how long are you going to call me that?”
I stared at her blankly. She probably wanted to be called ‘President’ or ‘Doctor,’ but I decided to tease her a bit.
“Then should I call you ‘sister’?”
“No, that’s not allowed!”
Smack!
“Ow!”
I got smacked on the head for my trouble.
* * *
In Aether World, there are ‘Four Floating Cities.’
The term refers to the four largest floating cities, excluding the ‘Heavenly Realm of Mystery,’ which only transcendental mages can reach.
‘City of Magic, Arcaneum’
‘City in the Sky, Elvedia’
‘City of the Progenitor, Camelrn’
Among them, Camelrn is famous as the place where the Progenitor Mage first recorded history and single-handedly lifted the city.
Even now, a thousand years later, the power of the Progenitor Mage remains a great mystery.
Camelrn, true to its heritage as the home of mages, functions entirely on ‘magic’ without any law or political system.
Every year, a major mage conference is held there.
One of these is the ‘Aslan Seminar,’ primarily attended by young mages.
Only those who are not official mages are not even allowed to observe this seminar, which produces numerous talents every year.
This year, it drew even more attention due to the attendance of numerous geniuses.
Jeremie, the Golden Crown Prince of the Scalven Empire.
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Hong Bi-yeon, the princess of Adolevit, blessed by fire.
Flame, a girl with the blood of angels and fairies.
Hae Wonryang, heir to the world’s greatest magic tower, the Tower of the Full Moon.
Even Aiselle Morf, who was blessed by ice and a descendant of the betraying Morf family.
In addition, the Aslan Seminar in Camelrn gathered geniuses from various races, making it common to see young mages from different races like Beastmen, Elves, and Dwarves.
“Human mages are getting a lot of attention.”
It wasn’t pleasing to other races that so many noteworthy talents were emerging among humans, as this heightened a subtle sense of competition.
Although a hundred years had passed since the racial unification, a strange rivalry among races persisted.
Zeliel, the only daughter of the Chairman of Cloud of Stars, spoke as if it didn’t matter.
“Well, it makes sense. Humans have short lifespans, so they rush and hustle. Oh, Seong Tae-won, aren’t you human too?”
“I am a half-elf, continuing my mother’s wishes. I wish to live as an elf.”
Zeliel’s bodyguard, Seong Tae-won, was a half-elf. As is often the case for those with mixed blood, he wasn’t treated well by either side.
However, Zeliel discovered his exceptional talent and kept him as her guard.
Thanks to her, Seong Tae-won’s life took a turn, and he spent 24/7 with her.
Perhaps due to the long time spent together, Seong Tae-won no longer saw Zeliel merely as someone to guard…
…a fact that Zeliel had also noticed.
But using such feelings subtly was perfect for utilizing people, wasn’t it?
‘Hmm… Seong Tae-won’s [value] is starting to decline.’
Perhaps because he was a half-human and half-elf, his lifespan was short compared to elves.
She had discovered him when she was just 8 years old, and even after ten years, his magic had not improved significantly.
That was his limit.
If he were an elf, more time and effort would result in greater achievements, but human mages couldn’t afford that luxury.
‘…Humans are inherently inferior.’
It seemed like it was time to ‘recycle’ Seong Tae-won and bring in a new human.
Unlike elves, humans had short expiration dates, fell in love easily, and were easy to manipulate.
T hi s w as c o p i e d f r o m ki n gm tl . o r g
‘How about taking Baek Yu-seol as my guard?’
Zeliel, an elite attending Starflower Tree Academy, decided to participate in the Aslan Seminar.
She had already acquired the participant list and knew Baek Yu-seol would attend.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come. To her, the Aslan Seminar was less important than her immediate business.
In that sense, Baek Yu-seol was quite valuable… or rather, an extremely valuable business item.
On the surface alone, he was impressive.
A mage who could control Blink magic, a co-developer of items with Alterisha, and a 17-year-old genius who had faced Dark Mages multiple times and solved incidents.
Just having him by her side would have a hugely positive effect on the image of Cloud of Stars.
…Of course, there were other significant reasons to have him by her side.
‘Just wait patiently.’
A smile formed on her face. It was only a matter of time before Baek Yu-seol fell into her hands. Until then, she planned to lay some groundwork.
“We’ve arrived at the Mont Bleue Castle Hotel, Miss.”
In Aether World, there are hotels rated up to 7 stars.
Mont Bleue Castle Hotel, located in Camelrn, was one of these 7-star hotels, used by upper-class nobles, major companies, and large merchants.
The daily lodging fee alone was more than the annual salary of an average commoner.
Of course, for someone like Zeliel, it was just a temporary accommodation.
“Miss, you have an appointment with Mage Alexa Ron of the Magic Society at 2 PM. After that, there’s a small birthday party for the Countess of Marcayu at the hotel, so I’ve prepared a dress for you.”
Seong Tae-won listed her schedule. Although she was a High Elf, she lived as a merchant, so she was deeply involved in multi-racial society.
She had only come to Camelrn for the Aslan Seminar, yet she had to participate in a packed schedule with no breaks.
“…Let’s go right away.”
With fairy-like stamina, she wasn’t physically tired, but the mental stress was unavoidable.
However, Zeliel was thorough in everything, especially handling important matters personally.
Despite her busyness, she even wrote the paper for the Aslan Seminar herself.
Considering that many ‘regular attendees’ subtly stole research from magic scholars, Zeliel was at least honest about magic.
Anyway, as soon as she set foot in Camelrn, Zeliel spent the entire day meeting numerous mages, businessmen, and nobles.
Although she hadn’t achieved her main purpose for coming to Camelrn, she thought it could wait.
“Whew… I’m tired.”
Late at night. Rejecting the offer from a noble to introduce his handsome son over dinner, Zeliel got into her private carriage.
“Where to?”
The day’s schedule was over.
About to say to head to the hotel, Zeliel recalled something.
“…Where is Baek Yu-seol staying?”
“The Ratanell Hotel.”
“A hotel named after a fallen angel? True to the birthplace of magic, they even allow such presumptuous names.”
“It would suit your taste, Miss.”
“Yes, I dislike angels. Take me there.”
Compared to the 7-star Mont Bleue Hotel where Zeliel was staying, the Ratanell Hotel was much smaller.
Initially, she wondered why he was staying in such a place.
Zeliel hated setting foot in such a cheap hotel. But it bothered her more that Baek Yu-seol, who would be hers one day, was staying in such a place.
“Can we anonymously sponsor?”
“Do you want to move Baek Yu-seol to another hotel?”
“You know me well.”
“Indeed. We’ve been together a long time.”
Seong Tae-won added a meaningful comment.
Normally, he would keep such thoughts to himself, but he had recently started subtly displaying his ‘closeness.’
‘Hmm…’
Realizing that Zeliel had a strong interest in Baek Yu-seol, he felt a pang of jealousy.
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‘How presumptuous.’
If she had drawn a clear line that he could never be on her level, he wouldn’t even dare to think such things.
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But Zeliel subtly accepted Seong Tae-won’s feelings, leading to some misunderstanding.
“Well, it’s fine. Baek Yu-seol has enough wealth, so there must be a reason he’s staying there.”
“Is that so?”
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“Yes. So…”
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About to say to return, Zeliel noticed something.
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‘Hong Bi-yeon… Adolevit?’
The princess of the world’s most powerful country was at the cheap Ratanell Hotel.
‘Interesting.’
Hong Bi-yeon craved attention and tried hard to appear strong to the world.
Such a woman wouldn’t stay in a cheap hotel unless she was meeting someone.
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It must be Baek Yu-seol.
‘…I heard the princess of Adolevit takes a special interest in Baek Yu-seol.’
Even Zeliel, with limited access to Stella’s information, knew that Hong Bi-yeon’s unique reaction to Baek Yu-seol was well-known.
“Roll up the window and approach slowly?”
“Understood.”
Hong Bi-yeon loitered alone in front of the Ratanell Hotel, without a single guard.
Zeliel activated the carriage’s ‘Stealth’ magic and ‘Amplify’ and ‘Eavesdrop’ functions and parked at a suitable spot.
If Baek Yu-seol came out, she planned to eavesdrop on their conversation…
Soon, someone came out of the hotel, but it wasn’t Baek Yu-seol. It was a cool, beautiful girl with light blue hair, Aiselle Morf.
“Hm…”
Morf and Adolevit were enemies. Meeting like this was intriguing information, so Zeliel listened closely, though Baek Yu-seol didn’t appear.
-Why did you call me here? In this cheap hotel.
Hong Bi-yeon snapped at the sight of Aiselle.
-Still, you came out. I knew you’d come if it was about Baek Yu-seol.
-W-What? I was just curious about your insolent invitation and came to see.
Aiselle, realizing there was no need to be cautious, sighed deeply.
After all, it was something anyone could find out if they tried.
-I heard you’ve been running around trying to cure Baek Yu-seol’s ‘terminal illness.’
Startled.
Zeliel, unaware of Baek Yu-seol’s terminal illness, shivered. She still couldn’t fully grasp Stella’s internal information.
-I… did? Who said that?
-I’m observant. Anyway, I have something to say about that.
-Did you find a way?
-No. I realized there’s no need.
-What?
Zeliel listened more intently.
But strangely.
-I accessed the ■■ ■■ and learned about his ■■. But I couldn’t find out more.
Aiselle’s words were obscured as if they were hidden by a mist, making the terms unclear.
It was as if someone didn’t want her words to be heard.
Despite Aiselle’s lengthy explanation to Hong Bi-yeon, Zeliel couldn’t understand.
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Finally, Aiselle concluded.
-I can’t explain more. There’s a certain ‘restriction.’
-…You expect me to believe that?
But Hong Bi-yeon seemed to understand, her expression icy. It was as if she had heard a lie she couldn’t believe.
-Yes. Believe it or not is up to you. But you know. I despise Adolevit. The fact that I’m asking you directly, even bowing my head.
Hong Bi-yeon remained silent, and Zeliel felt frustrated. Missing key terms, she couldn’t understand their discussion.
-Whew… Fine. I don’t fully believe you. But if your words prove true…
Both looked at the sky. Perhaps at the stars.
-…We’ll talk again then.
The conversation ended there.
Hong Bi-yeon disappeared with fiery steps, and Aiselle remained, staring blankly at the sky.
What thoughts and secrets lay behind that bitter, wistful expression?
“Miss.”
“Yes? Speak.”
“Should I investigate those girls?”
Seong Tae-won, noticing her mood, asked.
“Don’t touch the princess of Adolevit. But… investigate Aiselle Morf. Only as much as it doesn’t upset Stella. Even I find Stella burdensome.”
“Understood.”
“Take me back to the hotel.”
Seong Tae-won silently started the carriage, while Zeliel leaned against the window, lost in thought.
‘…What were they discussing? What is Baek Yu-seol’s terminal illness?’
That night, Zeliel couldn’t sleep a wink.
End of Chapter