Chapter 289: Chairman (1)
Imperial University Square. It was an afternoon where the sky was clear and pollen scattered through the air.
—…From now on, I will be the former chairman of the Magic Tower!
Adrienne was giving her resignation speech today. The audience was huge. No matter how young Adrienne looked or her mischievous personality, she was a respectable great wizard. The magic tower wizards and the court wizards, plus the addicts from the Floating Island, came to see her on her way.
—Have I been here for a little over ten years?! A lot of great things have happened in the past, right?!
Ten years. It was a bit of a strange time.
—Our tower was so much fun! It didn’t make me bored at all! That’s why I liked it… but I can’t stay in one place forever!
Adrienne wore a bright smile.
—I’m so happy that I’m leaving at the right time! Also, I am confident that even if I leave, the Imperial Tower will develop even more splendidly!
And she turned to me. Now I stood on the pulpit with Adrienne, but at a distance.
—Now, let me introduce him!
Reaching out to me with a shout-
—The new chairman! Deculein!
Adrienne left with the sound of applause, and I stood in front of the podium after swapping places with her. I looked over the square filled with people.
“Nice to meet you. I’m the new chairman, Deculein.”
The faces in the front row were familiar. Yeriel, Louina, Ihelm, Delric, Betan, Primienne, and other elders of the Round Table, as well as Lia. But Lia was dozing off.
“They say that the longer the speech, the more boring.”
Of course, I didn’t intend to make the inaugural speech long.
“So I don’t have much to say here.”
I already knew how boring a tribute could be because I had felt it myself.
“I will set a more sophisticated curriculum for the advancement of magic tower wizards, spare no effort in collecting talent, and evaluate their contribution based on skills alone.”
On the surface of the University Magic Tower, status was excluded. That was why everyone in the tower was called by their name alone. However, the sense of status at its roots was still strong. Even young professors with outstanding abilities and talents could not rise from the bottom because of their low status.
“Evaluation of magic tower wizards, treatises, and theories will be made only from a magical point of view.”
Adrienne was ignorant of such political aspects. No, she didn’t care about it.
“I guarantee.”
But I wasn’t like that. At least in this tower, the status would be abolished. There would be no oppression of the commoners by the weight of aristocrats and the authority of their families. The only criterion for the evaluation would be one’s skill.
“The Imperial Magic Tower will be remembered as the greatest educational institution in history.”
The inauguration ceremony ended with this.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
The system message emerged as if to confirm my inauguration.
[Completed inauguration: Chairman of University Magic Tower]
◆ Acquired the title ‘Chairman of University Magic Tower.’
: Mana increase.
◆ Acquired rare characteristics catalog
I nodded with satisfaction, but the next moment.
“…”
Among the huge audience, in the crowd that held at least ten thousand, I saw someone’s face. It was a woman in a robe, hiding among the trees. Her clear eyes watched me from under her hood.
“…Julie.”
A passerby passed between us, and she disappeared into the crowd.
“Thank you!”
Adrienne held out her hand to me, drawing my attention away.
“Good luck in the future!”
She said with a smile.
“You too, Adrienne.”
I took her hand.
“Chairman.”
While shaking hands, Relin called me from behind.
“Yes?! …Oh!”
Adrienne looked at him, but she quickly gave an awkward smile and scratched the back of her neck.
“I’ll be going then! Everyone, take a good rest!”
Adrienne hastily left. Her voice was a little shaky, but it must have been that she was filled with emotion.
I asked Relin.
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, yes. Chairman. This is a report from the police following Epherene’s tracks, but… I can’t figure it out. She’s very elusive.”
Relin held out the document. I snatched it.
“It looks like she is running away magically, so should I ask the Floating Island to catch her?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“There’s no need to. She is wanted in all continents already. I don’t want things to get noisy, and it doesn’t fit our image to borrow a hand from the Floating Island.”
“…As expected. Okay!”
Relin did his best to flatter me, and I read the file that tracked Epherene’s movements. I understood why he said she was elusive. One day in Reok, one day in Yuren, another day in the Empire. Was she with Allen?
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue and closed the file.
* * *
…Time was passing. It had been two months since Epherene robbed Deculein’s office.
“It’s the frame-dragging-cylinder theory….”
Epherene was still experimenting while reading books on science. The sanctuary was filled with all sorts of high-end machines now, so she didn’t need to take even a single step outside.
“Frame-dragging-cylinder. If I understand this… I think I can manage time travel with my body.”
“Epherene~, eat first-“
“Yes, yes!”
As soon as Allen mentioned eating, Epherene stopped everything she was doing and ran to the table.
“Knight Julie!”
She called to Julie as she sat down.
“…”
Julie, who was sleeping in the hammock, slowly woke up. Her complexion was pale as usual, but she stood and approached with a smile.
“The sicker you are, the more you should eat.”
“…Yes. You are right.”
Julie sat and took up a fork and knife. Seeing that, Epherene’s heart ached. Now, Julie had the will to live. But she showed no improvement.
“Today’s menu is Roahawk Sirloin Steak~. Eat as much as you want.”
Eight Roahawk steaks were laid out on the table. At that moment, Epherene’s eyes widened, and she stabbed a large piece of meat with her knife.
Whooong-
A beam of light filled the passage of Time, and Idnik appeared.
“Hey, Epherene. A new book came out.”
“Really?!”
Epherene’s eyes widened, and her knife clattered across the table. Casey, the scientist of the era Epherene fervently followed, published a new book.
“But I think it will be difficult to release this time.”
“Because of the Floating Island?”
“Yeah. All other publishers rejected it. They must be acting carefully around the Floating Island and the Magic Tower.”
“Ah… really? I have to read it. To save Knight Julie.”
Epherene tried to hide her heartbreak.
“Then I can’t get it?”
“I don’t know. Deculein probably has it for now.”
“The Professor?”
“Now he’s the chairman. And Yukline runs the largest publishing house on the continent, right?”
“Oh, that’s right!”
Black Hound, founded by the Yukline family, was the most famous publishing house across the entire continent.
“The scientist named Casey would have sent the manuscript to the Black Hound, and if it’s a problematic book, it would have been delivered to Deculein.”
“…”
Epherene thought for a moment. If that was the case, then sneaking into Deculein’s mansion again and stealing it…
“For your information, now Deculein is preparing to go to the desert.”
“Desert?”
“Yeah. The great emperor’s bodyguards have finally begun to move. Each one counts for a hundred, so there is no need to bring a lot.”
Epherene thought as Idnik added with a smirk.
“If you are going to steal from him, now is the right time.”
“…Yes. First, I need to eat… aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-!
“Gosh, you scared me!”
Idnik jumped at the sudden scream, and Epherene placed her hands on her cheeks. There were eight Roahawk on the table before, but now there were only five.
“What’s wrong?”
Julie, still eating, glanced over. Her mouth was full.
“…”
Epherene couldn’t say a thing because it was her.
“L-Let’s eat slowly.”
“Oh, yes. The meat is very good. It’s been a while since I’ve had this much appetite.”
“…I’m glad if that’s the case…”
Seeing Julie smiling kindly, Epherene stretched out her fork.
“Oh? Let me eat some too. I was just getting hungry.”
Even Idnik began to eat what was left.
‘…I want to turn back time.’
But perfect time travel was impossible. If she time-traveled to five minutes ago, Epherene from five minutes ago would be there. It would be so nice to turn back time and resurrect only the meat that Knight Julie ate and then eat it herself…
When she was thinking such nonsensical thoughts-
“!”
Epherene’s eyes widened. A sudden idea burned itself in her mind.
“…I, I think I know.”
The Roahawk was shrinking to four then three pieces, but Epherene didn’t care as she watched Julie. Idnik chimed in between bites.
“What do you mean?”
“The way to save Julie.”
“…”
The two of them stopped moving.
“Is that… true?”
“…Yes. I’ve only come up with the way so far, but it will be possible. No, I am confident that I can make it possible.”
Julie put down her fork and knife. Epherene put a chunk of Roahawk in her mouth, chewing it quickly.
Idnik asked.
“You are lying to eat the meat by yourself, right?”
“Nope. I’m serious. But… if this method is possible, and I use it…”
There was no way it would work for the current Julie. Epherene had no choice but to acknowledge it. For a month, she had put in an incredible amount of effort, but she didn’t even find a clue. If time continued by like this, Julie would surely die.
“And what is it?”
Idnik asked with mild frustration.
Epherene spoke.
“I have to turn back the time of Knight Julie.”
A transfer of time, different from time travel, emerged from the idea of meat that had already been eaten. In other words, the retrograde of existence. Rewinding the time around Julie’s body and spirit now to ten years ago.
“What? Is that possible?”
“…I can try. I think it will work. But if I do it…”
However, to put it most coldly, it would throw away the current Julie.
“Knight Julie will forget all of her memories after that incident.”
Abandoning the current Julie but letting another her live.
“It’s like going back to the time when you were in your 20s, both physically and mentally. To the time when your ties with the Professor… weren’t built up yet.”
It was a cruel idea, but it was the only one Epherene had.
* * *
At the same time, on the 77th floor of the Imperial University Magic Tower.
“Hmm, hmm~. Hmmmm, hmmm~.”
Louina was sitting in her office chair, humming and stroking her nameplate on the desk.
[Head Professor Louina]
“It went round and round but ended up like this.”
Louina mumbled, soaked in emotion. Deculein kept the promise that he would give her the head professor position, and she somehow became his henchman.
“It’s true that it’d be easier to give up.”
She was expelled from the kingdom for fighting against Deculein, but she became the head professor when she adapted to him. It was a bit bitter, but what could be done? This was how they lived rationally.
“Mmm. Yes.”
Louina nodded, got up, and opened the door to her office.
─Hey! That’s the assistant Professor’s lab. There are other rooms for teaching assistants and undergraduate students. Use them.
─What about the lounge?
─I will make it soon. No, hey! Be careful with the lab supplies! Don’t use Psychokinesis to transport luggage! They are magic-sensitive fixtures!
—Assistant Professor. Please correct that theory.
—Later, later. First, get rid of the luggage.
It was a different landscape from the 77th floor under Deculein, which was empty every day. It was very satisfying to see the students of the Louina Division filling it up.
“How can I fight him with them?”
There was too much to lose; all her assets were these kids. For that reason, Deculein was more like a benefactor than an enemy now.
“Head Professor!”
At that moment, someone approached Louina. It was her secretary and faithful assistant professor, Dzeko.
“Yes. What happened?”
“Didn’t you say we would hire some part-time instructors this time? Here are the resumes of the wizards who applied.”
“Oh, right~. That was my job, right?”
“Yes. Please check it.”
The stack of resumes that Dzeko handed over was 1,000 papers thick, yet there were only five seats to fill.
“Yes. I’ll check it out.”
Louina, resumes in hand, went back to her desk.
“A thousand people… I see many are clinging to my part-time lecturers these days.”
Beoran. Prahan. Detten. Louina, reading the names written there, suddenly stopped.
“…Hmm?”
Finding a familiar name, her eyes widened.
“Wait a minute.”
She murmured and took a closer look.
“…Sylvia?”
Sylvia. However, there were no other records nor photos. This was due to the new policy of Chairman Deculein called blind something.
“It must be someone with the same name.”
Louina shook it off, but Sylvia’s resume was put aside just in case.