chapter 28
5. Coffee Comes Back
5. Coffee will come back
Academia’s warriors are controlled by the seal of the director.
It is because the overwhelming power and magical power they wielded casually in the original world becomes poison that harms the stable state of the middle dimension.
If the ability to split the earth and pierce the sky is controlled only by individual morality, hell will come sooner or later, so the director has always been alert and kept the seal.
However, about 15 years ago, cracks appeared in the solid sealing system.
To be precise, the seal of the director has passed over 90% to the side of stopping the warriors from Peer.
Thus, among the heroes, some who developed their own abilities without relying solely on authority were able to free themselves from the loosened seal. Academia called all of them illegal magic liberators, but rather, among the students, the measure of strength was newly recognized according to the stage of liberation.
In the first place, those who could voluntarily release the seals were less than 30% of the entire Academia, so being able to release magic also meant that they were quite strong first of all…
**
“I will give you approval for stage 1 magical release.”
A suspicious man suddenly enters the hospital room and says strange things.
“Yes?”
“You must be surprised. Well, I don’t normally give this kind of approval to anyone… “
I was really curious.
This hospital does not let anyone in, but the fact that the entrance and reception are not blocked must mean that the identity is certain. Still, I couldn’t figure out what this man was doing.
Just shaggy hair, an unmanaged beard, and plain clothes worn loosely… It was an urgent moment for self-introduction.
“Ah, ah. Come to think of it, I didn’t introduce myself.”
Looking at my puzzled expression, the man pointed out to himself that he only realized that he had left out something important.
“I am the chairman.”
“…..Yes?”
I was stunned for a moment, but the entrance was noisy before I knew it, so when I looked, not only the nurses, but also all the important people in charge of the hospital had gathered and were watching the room with an anxious expression.
“Ah.”
Thanks to that, I realized. It’s real.
“What are you doing here… “
I asked earnestly, trying not to be stained with the laxity of the man in front of me. Then the man laughed heartily.
“Ha ha ha! That’s it, I’m here to give you a prize!”
“You mean the prize?”
“So, the tooth you had a while ago fell out? It’s all thanks to you. Who would have known that a warrior from Fear would be coiled up in the Phobos Circle room?”
“Ah… “
I don’t know what it is, but I thought it was a good thing, so I agreed.
“Yes, so I prepared some presents… “
Laughing and rubbing his palms, George, who was a daydrinker, was lame, but when the fact that he was the chairman was overlaid, it had the effect of wrapping it up as something mysterious. I unknowingly swallowed my saliva.
“Now, choose one of these two.”
Chairman said holding a piece of paper in his left hand and a stone in his right hand.
“…Do I have to choose one or the other?”
“No, they are both yours.”
“But why choose… ?”
“Ah, I mean, you have to choose what to listen to first. That’s fun.”
“…..”
We didn’t talk much, but we started to see what kind of person he was. It’s a bit difficult to deal with someone who is so playful.
“Then I will go with this.”
I just chose from the left. Paper in hand. The chairman, who spread out the long curled paper on both sides, grinned.
“Oh, this is really precious… By the way, it’s the approval ticket for the magical liberation I mentioned earlier. This.”
There, in crooked letters, it was written, ‘Approval ticket for 1st stage magical release’. An unknown red seal was stamped on the tip. All will be the director’s own work.
“Then, will I be able to use magic within Academia now?”
“Of course. But only up to step 1. It means 10% of its heyday. However… Do you know what a great gift I gave you?”
The chairman smiled meaningfully. I was familiar with its meaning.
Aura Expert and 10% of Master and 10% of Master have different weights even though they are the same 10%. To add a bit of exaggeration, they are fireflies in front of the sun and streams in front of the ocean.
I nodded gratefully.
“I will write well.”
“Still, you know you shouldn’t swing around just because you’ve gained some strength, right? This is all because I believe in you, Alem! Because it’s between us! Yes?”
The chairman patted me on the shoulder and encouraged me. When did you see each other…
“Okay, then all that’s left is this stone… Aren’t you so suspicious?”
“Yes.”
“Actually, Alem, there is one thing you don’t know.”
“What is that?”
The chairman pointed at my body.
“Hey, you’re a disabled person now.”
He recited in eerily emotionless ways about the condition of my body. At first glance, something of unknown depth was raging in his pupils. That was magic
“Let’s see, I heard that I suffered from heartache for several years, but that’s true. I can’t believe it. I’ve never seen anyone with such a trashy body in my life. My tongue would get twisted first before I could tell you where and how far the organs were twisted. Heh heh, this is true.”
He licked his lips and continued.
“To put it simply, your life is short. Half a year at most? I can’t go any further than that. Even if it’s the Master’s body. I don’t know if you can turn your magic power, but if you move your magic even a little, isn’t it a situation where the Simma will receive the power of magic and completely swallow you?”
That’s right.
I calmly accepted the fact that I wanted to ignore. In fact, I was in the middle of the day. Checkmate, to borrow an expression Orien likes to use. Scythes of death are pointed everywhere, but there is nowhere to run.
If I don’t heal myself with magic, I’ll die soon, but if I use magic, Shimma will receive the power of magic and grow in size to kill me. It was a dilemma with no way out.
But it was then.
“Hey… Have you ever heard of the Gordian Knot?”
The chairman grinned.
“No, this is the first time I’ve heard of it.”
“Of course, this is a story that has been handed down like a legend from some great dimension. A long time ago, there was a knot that, if untied, the one who untied it would unify the continent. It was so twisted that no one could untangle it, and it is said that a certain emperor cut the knot with a sword and untied it.”
Saying that, the chairman put the stone in his right hand into my hand. Immediately, I felt a hard, strong energy spread through my palms to my body.
Hwaaak.
And to my surprise, the blood flow and veins near the palm of my hand, which had received the energy of the stone, slowly began to loosen.
“…..This is.”
I was at a loss for words about the efficacy beyond my imagination shown by the unidentified stone, and the chairman himself explained.
“Earth Spirit Stone. It can be obtained without difficulty even in the middle dimension, but processing it well and performing the procedure is a completely different thing. By the way, I’m probably the only one who can use the earth spirit stone on a person. You can believe this.”
“Can I live with the treatment?”
“Well, it’s not without side effects.”
The chairman, who slowed down his speech, hinted.
“…I said earlier how long you have left?”
“Half a year.”
The chairman sighed and continued.
“Three years.”
“…Yes?”
“When the Earth Spirit Stone is implanted into you, your lifespan is fixed at just three years. Well, since it’s 2 and a half years longer than the original lifespan, you could say it’s a good thing… “
“…..”
“No matter what, I can’t help but feel that way. It’s like putting a ticking time bomb in your heart.”
The chairman removed the earth spirit stone from me again. This is because if it is left attached for a long time, erosion will start and it is dangerous.
“Now, what should I do?”
“…..”
I had no choice but to stop reaching for the Earth Spirit Stone when I was told that my lifespan was limited to three years.
But it was also a contradictory feeling.
Because I already vaguely knew that myself. The fact that this body is already nothing but rags and won’t last very long. The fact that it was only half a year was a little shocking, but not too surprising.
Rather than that, a question arose in my mind. I honestly asked the chairman who was waiting for my choice.
“By the way, why did you do this?”
I had to ask this one. Why is the chairman of the board trying to offer me something that I can’t even call a perk?
At my question, the chairman smiled meaningfully.
“That’s it… Because you are more important than you think.”