C226: Arcane Chamber (2)
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The crowd was quiet and the wizards who were questioning Rudger's findings also closed their mouths as if they had never done so.
The atmosphere at the scene went back to the beginning.
'Anyway, they're like people without pride.'
Casey, who was watching the scene, clicked her tongue inside as she saw the wizards changing their attitudes like turning their hands upside down.
The guys who were suspicious of Rudger just now suddenly believed him and he seemed to know this would happen.
'How can you say that he took someone else's achievements with such detailed research results?'
In the past when Rudger was James Moriarty, he was able to do it because of how smart he was and Casey knew it.
Casey watched Rudger's memories and saw that he was doing a lot of research in the field of mathematics and science even before he was called Professor Moriarty in the Delica Kingdom.
Naturally, she had no choice but to think that the interpretation of the ancient language that came out now was a result of his achievement. He never cheated on academic knowledge, if nothing else.
The difference in information created a gap between the other wizards and Casey.
'But when did he learn the ancient language?'
Casey's pride was hurt. She was nervous because the person she thought was a kind of competitor kept showing her new things.
Considering that, she didn't intend to agree with Altego Dantes but it wasn't that she couldn't fully understand his mind.
'If anyone showed great performance in one field, they would be vulnerable in another field.'
If everyone could do well in every field why would each person still have a major? Each person has their own path to learning and magic, and it is also difficult for ordinary people to choose one path and climb from there to a high position.
'But that man did it so easily.'
The wizards gathered here would not know that although Rudger created the [source code] and interpreted this ancient language he already did many great things in the past.
Rather, it was Casey who knew it, so she was able to accept the research results that Rudger was presenting now.
'Really. I shouldn't admit this.'
In the end, Rudger was a criminal who hid his identity and caused stirs under various aliases and the name Rudger Chelici, which people know, is also an alias.
Everything about him is veiled and everything he shows is false. The only thing that's real is his handsomeness that makes people admire it.
'No, but the more I see it, the more I don't understand it. With that level of skill, you can live an easy life wherever you go, right?'
She didn't want to admit it, but Rudger was more of a genius than she was.
She was born with the talent of reasoning and analysis, but she couldn't count the areas Rudger explored with one hand.
Anyone who was this extraordinary would be recognized everywhere, and there was no need to hide their identity.
To be honest, he seemed to be able to make a living with his face alone. Nevertheless, he was hiding his identity.
'Is there a reason why he shouldn't be caught? Then what's the reason?'
It would have been rather difficult to know if Rudger was a half-baked person because there were so many cases. However, if a man of that level tries to hide his identity, then he can cut off all the odds.
'He's hiding his identity, but he's not hiding his abilities. Like an awl in my pocket, he's so good that he can't help but stand out no matter what he does.'
Rudger also didn't bother to hide his power.
"What's the reason why a person like that can keep hiding his identity? It's not arbitrary. He must be forced to hide it because of external factors and usually in that case, it would be dangerous if he gets caught.'
Casey's unconscious expanded greatly and began to reason.
For a man with natural charisma, outstanding appearance, and even noble dignity like Rudger there must be only one reason for hiding his identity.
'He must be an aristocrat somewhere, but also an unwelcome being. Was he the son of a concubine? Then he ran away because his life was threatened.'
But if he ran away, and persistently concealed his identity.
'It must be because there are people who come to kill or catch him as soon as he reveals his identity. There's no way he'll keep changing his identity if not for that.'
If so, it means that Rudger's is not part of an ordinary aristocratic family. If it's an aristocratic family, there's no way to catch Rudger if he ran away to another country.
'If you have to hide your identity so that you don't get caught even if you wander around the world, it means that your family can affect the entire continent.'
Casey, who crossed her arms, tapped them with her fingers.
'Then it's not a noble family. It must be at least royalty.'
And a country so influential that can touch other countries even over the entire continent.
'No way.'
Casey shook her head to thwart her reasoning when she reached that point.
'And there's another strange thing. He's not hiding his skills even though he shouldn't be caught. Why? He must have another important purpose other than hiding his identity.'
A goal worth risking for and all kinds of research materials she saw in his memories.
'I don't know.'
Unless something has been completely revealed, the results cannot be reached only by psychological evidence.
'Is it almost over?'
Starting with increasing the amount of mana emissions, the mana inhibitors and further to the full interpretation of Larsil. By the time the explanation was completely over, the wizards in the audience were completely amazed.
"Mr. Rudger! I have a question!"
"Do you intend to publish a revised version of the complete interpretation of Larsil?"
"How do you make mana inhibitors?"
They knew they shouldn't ask, but they couldn't suppress their overflowing curiosity. Even though they were questions that did not have to be answered, Rudger answered calmly.
"If you have any questions, please ask one by one."
"Mr. Rudger, my name is Edwin, from the New Martyr."
"Yes, Mr. Edwin, speak."
"Are you willing to reveal the recipe for the mana inhibitor?"
"No."
Rudger said flatly.
There was a buzz everywhere, but no one openly questioned Rudger's reason because the mana inhibitor recipe was invented by Rudger, and intellectual ownership was in his hands.
Of course, there were people who couldn't bear to accept it even if they understood it in their heads.
"Wait, isn't that too much?"
The person who spoke this time was a wizard sitting in the upper seats, not in the audience.
Sitting on a chair made to the size of an adult was a little kid. She was a doll-like little girl with red-brown hair tied in two braids, and Rudger recalled a similar presence the moment she saw her.
'She would be the same as my teacher if I looked at her from the outside.'
Of course, the thought stopped there.
Sitting at the top of the table meant that she was a great wizard and shouldn't be judged by her appearance.
"What's your name?"
"Caroline Monarch."
Her confident eyes were asking, 'Don't you know me?'
The wizards who actually recognized Caroline whispered among themselves.
"Caroline Monarch, that mercenary wizard?"
"It's said she wandered around various places and received various missions."
Caroline Monarch, 6th Rank Wizard, was famous among wizards.
"She's actually a commoner, but I heard that she was given the Monarch Castle and was made a honorary noble for her outstanding achievements."
"She's much smaller than I thought. Is she really an adult?"
"Oh, my. So cute."
"……You, did you have that taste?"
Rudger, who picked up some simple information, looked at Caroline and asked.
"Yes, Mr. Caroline. So what do you mean?"
"That you're going to hide the recipe."
Caroline was informal in front of thousands of wizards but that was how she was.
Her face was cute and she looked young, but she had a character like a tyrant. She never bowed to anyone, and if the other person is annoying, whether it's a noble or a royal, she fights them.
Because of that, she had her life threatened several times, but she did not change her attitude so the nickname given to her was "Traitor." The modifier "small" was added in front of it, but it was not usually used.
The moment that word went into Caroline's ears, not many couldn't handle what was going to happen.
"I'm older than you, so can I speak informally?"
"I don't care."
Caroline is over 30 years old, and her skills are close to the top of the sixth rank. In terms of age and experience, she was definitely higher than Rudger.
"The name Caroline Monarch, I remember hearing it somewhere. They were the ones I encountered in the Kingdom of Utah.'
Her direct mercenary corps, "Monarch," the living legends of the mercenary world, consisting entirely of wizards, known for their combat power.
Although their reputation has decreased a little recently due to the existence of Machiavelli, who ended the civil war of the Kingdom of Utah, Caroline and her mercenary corps were still referred to as one of the leading mercenary groups.
'I was involved with the Monarch mercenaries there.'
Of course, he had never met Caroline, the leader, so he didn't care much but he didn't think that his opponent would be the captain of that mercenary group.
"If you show all the research results in front of everyone and hide the recipe, it only sounds like you're going to take advantage of the information."
"It may seem like it, but I'm just here to inform you that the study of 'increasing mana emissions' was successful."
In other words, it was not necessary to explain the process and method of increasing the amount of mana emissions.
"So you're going to withhold the information?"
"I don't have to tell everyone what I found, so it's not withholding."
"I guess so. But, if you know how to make a mana inhibitor, you'll have a problem with it. What about the ingredients? If you monopolize one of the most important ingredients, the problem will grow."
Caroline's point was the danger of monopoly.
"I'm not here to give valuable information. I just used this space called the Arcane Chamber to show my results."
In the end, only Rudger knows the recipe for the mana inhibitor, and if he decides, he could hoard and monopolize the most important key ingredients.
The most important thing is that an individual would be holding the knife and that was unpleasant for Caroline, who was not pleased with the power itself.
The reason why she wandered without joining any power even though she was a sixth rank wizard was because she hated such power and loathed the government.
"Hmm. I agree with that."
It was Auguste who came forward in favor of Caroline. Although he didn't take Altego's side he also felt a considerable sense of crisis by looking at Rudger's research results.
The old tower has already been hated by Rudger because of Altego, and it is highly unlikely that the information on mana inhibitors will come to them.
"You're all so mean. Wasn't it the wizard's individual freedom to show their achievements in the Arcane Chamber?"
Elisa Willow defended Rudger.
"President Elisa, that is not the case this time. A research that can cause such a big stir like now is not something that can be simply hidden."
If it was an ambiguous research data, it would have been okay not to disclose it, but the increase in mana emissions was a different story.
"Elisa Willow, you're taking care of him because he's your academy teacher, you think I don't know?"
"Oh, Caroline. Were you here too? I couldn't see you because you are too small."
"What? Do you want to fight with me?"
Caroline's pigtails shook violently at Elisa's words that touched her nerves.
President Elisa, who looked calm and mature, and Caroline, who was small and fiery, were completely opposite in personality and appearance.
"Even so, I don't think it's right for many to persecute and take away individual research results."
Then another voice came out of the top seat. It was a wizard with a mask on his face who opened his mouth.
"It's Rotteron, one of the pillars of the New Tower."
"Why is he wearing that mask on his face?"
He wore clothes comfortable to work in, but his mask was quite unusual but he expressed his opinion as if he did not care about the reaction of others at all.
"Since when has the Arcane Chamber put pressure on someone for their research results?"
"Rotteron, this time it's a different case."
"Do you want to make an exception? Who decides the threshold for exceptions? The Old Tower?"
It was the same with the other wizards who sat in the high seats.
"That's right."
She was a female wizard with long bangs and blind eyes. Apparently timid, she spoke in a small voice that suited her appearance.
"Well, isn't it too risky to have an individual to monopolize this kind of information, no matter how you look at it? Sorry! Someone like me is recklessly raising an opinion!"
She bowed her head right away but no one considered her behavior pathetic because Royna Pavlini was a sixth rank wizard and a member of the School Association.
"That's not right!"
This time, there was a loud shout.
It was a nearly two-meter-tall muscular wizard who was wearing a robe that was bursting with muscles.
"That's Garon from the School Association, right?"
"Garon? He's more like a muscular idiot than a wizard."
Garon, who had a strong body bulging with muscles, was also famous as a nerd within academia but who could laugh at him since just sitting at the top of the table proved his ability.
"A lot of people are persecuting and trying to take away the research data created by individuals! That's against justice!"
"Hee! I'm scared."
The situation naturally flowed into a structure of confrontation between the old and the new towers and an internal confrontation within the School Association.
"Is it a confrontation between an adult and a child?"
"I hope Caroline wins."
"………You, sit away from me."
The words of those at the top hold considerable weight within the Arcane Chamber and naturally, wizards in ordinary seats also disagreed.
– Information should be disclosed.
– No, it's up to the presenter. You can't infringe on it.
– This information is too big for an individual to hide. What if they make something foolish?
-Then it's not too late to come up with a new plan then.
-It might be late by then.
People sitting in the top seat naturally drew attention to one side but what was needed when opinions were divided in half was the judgment of the most authoritative wizard here and now there is only one person that holds the greatest authority in the Arcane Chamber.
It was Clinton Rothschild, a grand wizard at the Imperial Palace and an Impera-grade.
"Huh. Do you want an answer from this old man?"
Even as Clinton chuckled, he knew that the situation was unavoidable and everyone waited for his answer.