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Chapter 256: Secret Research (2)

As expected, she knew.

“You’re hiding something from me, right?”

Aria seemed to dislike any gesture that would highlight our height difference, so I nonchalantly stood up and asked her a question.

With a deep sigh, as if expecting this question, Aria walked past me.

“Follow me.”

We were greeted by the tower’s wizards as we entered Hegel Tower and went up the elevator.

Even as the elevator ascended to the top floor, Aria remained silent. Perhaps she was being cautious about discussing any secrets. I deliberately kept quiet as well.

When we reached the top floor, we entered the Tower Master’s laboratory.

Using telekinesis, Aria adjusted the light shields on the lamps mounted high on the walls, illuminating the spacious, library-like laboratory.

She checked the barrier by touching the bookshelf.

“It was damaged… as expected.”

Her tone suggested she had already anticipated that the barrier was compromised.

I deduced that someone other than me had already questioned Aria about what she was hiding. It was likely the Imperial Tower.

“The barrier? Did someone break in?”

Aria shook her head.

“It wasn’t broken by anyone. It was simply a malfunction of the magic tool. I didn’t pay proper attention to it while preparing for the Academic Forum.”

Reading her psychology, it was evident that something that shouldn’t have been exposed had briefly leaked through the recently damaged barrier.

Aria quickly restored the barrier by infusing her mana. She also set up a soundproofing barrier.

“Isaac.”

“Yes?”

“You were right. I’m conducting secret research.”

Aria flew telekinetically towards a section of the vast bookshelf.

So, she had been working on some secret research.

“Can you show it to me?”

“I never thought I could hide it from you forever, nor did I intend to keep it a secret from you. But… this is a very important matter to me. I’ll show you my secret, but first, you need to tell me yours.”

“Such as?”

“The main reason you enrolled in the academy. Why you’re still here and what you’re waiting for. Reveal it all to me.”

Aria had protected people from the academy, and strictly speaking, she had been on my side all this time. In other words, she was an ally.

Even Dorothy Gale, the mysterious figure, had told me to seek out Aria, indicating that Aria’s secret was something I had to uncover. The mysterious book outright declared she would be on my side.

Naturally, I couldn’t resort to harsh methods to pry a secret out of an ally.

After all, Aria would be on humanity’s side in the fight against the Evil God, not on the demon’s side.

I decided there was no need to hide my goal from her.

“Alright.”

Aria’s calm gaze met mine and I approached her.

Silence. Stillness. After a brief moment, I stood before her and spoke.

“The Evil God will be resurrected.”

Aria’s eyes trembled lightly.

“I don’t know exactly when, but when the time comes, I’ll be able to sense it.”

“The Evil God…”

As we had discussed before, Aria seemed very interested in demons and heavenly beings.

She likely understood the threat posed by the Evil God Nephid.

“So, the place where the Evil God is sealed is…?”

“In this area.”

It was the first time I saw Aria’s shocked expression. Her eyes widened briefly before returning to normal.

“The Evil God is desperately trying to eliminate any obstacles before its resurrection. So far, it has caused incidents centered around the academy, and now it’s starting to awaken dangerous beings scattered around the world.”

“Like the Floating Island or that demon who tried to mimic the sky?”

I nodded.

“Although those beings weren’t awakened directly by the Evil God, it is true that it is trying to awaken similarly dangerous entities. And I like the academy. That’s why I’m trying to protect this place. Also, I’m trying to find out when the Evil God is going to be resurrected as soon as possible.”

“That secret… If the students were to learn about this beforehand, the information would spread uncontrollably, and people would panic…”

Aria muttered quietly to herself. Her mind came up with a lot of reasons besides the ones she said out loud.

Of course, I didn’t reveal the real reason. Specifically, that there was still much for me to learn at the academy and that the key to clearing the scenario was there.

That’s part of it, but…

I had been living there since I first possessed this body. Wanting to protect Märchen Academy was simply my own will.

I had never calculated loss or profit, I had simply grown attached to this place and the people in it.

“...I understand the situation.”

Aria remained composed even after hearing about the Evil God’s resurrection. She was surprised for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.

“I’ll say it again, I am on your side. Don’t worry.”

Is she trying to reassure me?

I appreciated it, so I smiled.

Aria pulled out a book from somewhere on the bookshelf. The section of the bookshelf from which the book was taken was empty inside, but Aria reached into it.

There was a keyhole hidden by a disguise spell. Aria inserted a key into the keyhole.

Rumble.

“Huh?”

A section of the bookshelf split open, revealing a hidden passage.

It was surprising. It felt like a scene from a movie where the police discover a secret passage in a criminal’s hideout.

“Now, I’ll show you my secret.”

Aria took a glowing lamp and gestured towards the passage. She wanted me to follow.

We entered the secret passage. Though it was dark inside, the lamp Aria carried allowed us to see our surroundings. The colors were dull, and it was narrow, it was only as wide as our shoulders.

We climbed up a spiral staircase that led to a spacious room. It was a hidden area between Aria’s laboratory and the rooftop.

“What… is this?”

Various mana stones were neatly arranged. High-level magic beasts and monster body parts used in alchemy were scattered around, and in the center of the room was a mysterious magic circle I had never seen before.

In the center was a small rift of strange turquoise-colored mana.

It was tiny, about the size of a finger.

The mysterious flow of mana resembled a black hole, absorbing light.

Due to the layered barriers, not even the sound of mana flowing could be heard. It was extremely quiet.

I had never seen anything like this, even in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.

“This is my work. It’s going to be a rare masterpiece.”

Aria approached the turquoise mana rift.

Standing before it, she turned to look at me.

“It’s a rift connected to the Nether.”

“…?”

What absurd nonsense…?

“Excuse me…? What?”

I needed a moment to collect my thoughts.

Aria wasn’t one to tell boring lies. There was direct evidence to support her claim.

The faint sensation on my skin felt like mana from another world.

The feeling I experienced when I went to the Nether to fight the Floating Island, Cavallion the Earthshaker… That unsettling sensation was unforgettable.

I was feeling the same sensation now.

“Seeing your reaction confirms that my research is progressing well.”

Aria wore a satisfied expression.

It seemed she hadn’t been entirely sure if the rift was indeed a connection to the Nether.

It was expected because she hadn’t been there herself.

“Isaac, before I die, I want to explore the Nether if it really exists, and if it does, I want to know what kind of place it is. I wanted to observe the divine beings there.”

Aria stroked the barrier as if it were a precious object.

“Even so, I can’t die yet. I hadn’t yet discovered the secrets of this world. But I couldn’t bear my curiosity about the afterlife and the existence of a god there.”

I looked around again.

Dried and twisted body parts of high-ranking magic beasts and monsters were scattered around. These were rare materials that were hard to come by. The floor was stained with dried blood.

The method of creating a passage to the afterlife was certainly not normal.

This was clear.

“Is this ‘black magic’...?”

It was common knowledge that there were countless types of magic around the world, many of which remain undiscovered. Just as humanity had not yet found all marine life.

There were also unclassified types of magic, and among them were those that should never be used, strictly forbidden by law, collectively referred to as “black magic”.

For example, magic that could permanently turn a creature into a rat, enable a human to bear a monster’s child, summon forbidden entities, or create creatures by merging various body parts of different beings.

In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, it was a setting that could even be found in the library, and among the quests that could be taken from the adventurer’s guild, there were ones to thwart the nefarious plans of wizard groups that used black magic. So I knew about it.

Aria shook her head.

“I don’t think it’s black magic. Such things are only pursued by malignant cults or malicious dark wizards. This is a method I established myself through hints from ancient books and my own research.”

Thanks to the effect of [Frozen Soul], my emotions did not flare up over this.

I responded calmly.

“That’s your opinion. Anyone can see this is not something the law would allow. It’s dangerous…”

“I have no intention of harming anyone.”

“What if something comes through from the Nether? Do you think you can control it with your will?”

“...I suspected as much, but it seems you also know things about the Nether.”

Of course I did, I had been to the corner of the Nether where the dead squabble.

“Well, in any case, that’s not going to happen. The passage is narrow. This is my limit. My goal is just observation, so this is enough.”

She meant observing the afterlife like microorganisms through a microscope.

In reality, the rift might not be a problem.

If it had caused an incident, it would have been a major one, and it would have been mentioned in the game. But as I mentioned before, I had never seen anything like it in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.

In the ending credits, Ian lived well and prospered. That meant the rift either disappeared naturally or Aria peacefully observed and discarded it.

Of course, it couldn’t be viewed entirely optimistically. I didn’t know what kind of end the extra Aria met.

Regardless, if the Empire found out, it would be a grave crime.

However…

Dorothy Gale, who wrote the unknown book, specifically told me to find Aria. She said Aria would become my ally.

Is it because of the rift?

But what did defeating the Evil God have to do with the Nether?

“It’s a relief that you’re not being aggressive…”

Shortly right after.

A buzzing noise suddenly came from inside the barrier.

The swirling mana in the rift surged violently as if it was trying to expel something. As if it had been waiting for me.

I felt a sense of crisis and I shouted urgently.

“Teacher! Get away!!”

Aria was greatly surprised. She looked at the rift with disbelief.

And then.

Bang!!

The rift fired something like a gunshot.

It pierced straight through the layers of barrier and the sound of glass shattering could be heard.

“…!!”

Something fired from the rift went through my forehead.

A chilling, eerie sensation soaked into my brain.

At that moment.

In the blink of an eye, a lake adorned with ice appeared in my sight. A rain of blood fell from the sky. Since my body’s sensations hadn’t changed, I hadn’t been moved.

This was a hallucination.

It was something I could break free from if I wanted to.

However, I couldn’t immediately dispel the hallucination.

Because I saw a woman standing in a small house in the middle of the icy lake.

My body froze. I couldn’t close my eyes.

The woman had long, light purple hair that had faded to white. She looked at me, smiling gently.

Though she had a mature appearance, I couldn’t fail to recognize her.

Dorothy…?

I was immediately convinced.

The woman was Dorothy Gale.