The Obsessive Regressor of The Academy

57. The Underground Vault (2)

Until Norium’s letter arrived, Asel hadn’t particularly expected compensation from the Academy. If they offered something, good. If not, it wasn’t a big deal. But after hearing Irina’s story about the Academy’s underground vault, she flipped her attitude in an instant.

-If you go down into the Academy’s sewers, there’s a shabby-looking prison door. Beyond it, all sorts of magical artifacts and scrolls remain in their original condition. If my memory serves, there’s even a magical tool used by Cromwell, the first electric spellcaster.

Those words awakened every one of Asel’s senses.

Cromwell, the first electric spellcaster. The transcendent who built a new mythology of destructive formulas, and a cruel grandmaster. Asel had read Cromwell’s autobiography herself, so she knew quite a bit about her.

She was born in a repository of sacrifices for demon worshippers. The first place she remembered wasn’t her mother or father’s embrace, but inside a corpse, organs neatly excised, swimming in a pool of blood. There, she drank the blood of her kin to become a worthy sacrifice.

It was a succession of revolting days. Thankfully, it didn’t descend into cannibalism, but starting with killing her own parents, she continued to commit murder.

It was a process to corrupt her soul and make her a sacrifice for the manifestation of the moon demon. Cromwell endured it all, gritting her teeth through it all.

That continued for five years. The year she turned seven.

She happened to witness one of the demon worshippers using magic. And she immediately replicated it, making it her own. Constructing the core took about a second, and the magic manifested the instant she thought of it. She didn’t even stop there, she even reached the point of immediately understanding the characteristics of the magic she used and applying it.

That’s how she smashed the demon worshippers’ hideout. The cave collapsed in a massive explosion, and she, the sole survivor, emerged, splitting apart the shattered rocks. After that, there was a stream of descriptions of how she traveled the continent.

Asel read that part carefully, but she was even more interested in the process of creating electric magic.

-I was raised by the minions of demons. Their oppression forced me to kill those who gave birth to me, and I even gained unwanted dark magic. The process was never smooth. Before my ego was even formed, I wished for my death.

-But I am here. I remain alive on this earth. If so, what I can do is not to become comfortable with my death, but to grind those damned demon worshippers into dust myself. That is the mission given to me, my life. But the magic I learned couldn’t kill those deeply assimilated with demons. Humans had not yet built such a great magical system.

-So I helped them. With the knowledge and talent I gained, I completely overhauled the overall expression and learning methods of magic. Then, by chance, I saw a flash of lightning from the sky. And that changed my life.

-Nature is great. No matter how great a superhuman is, if they put their body in a typhoon, they will be torn apart alive, and they cannot withstand the flames of a volcano that melt lava and iron. And the same goes for the lightning that strikes from the sky. The spear of God that overwhelms all natural phenomena with its momentary power. I, who was studying magic, suddenly wanted to get my hands on it.

-So I tried. I directly felt the lightning with my body, explored its power, and figured out how that power moved. I nearly died dozens of times, and when I first succeeded in converting magical power into the power of lightning, the electrical signals in my body ran wild, and I kept dying and waking up.

-Even so, I am here. Eventually, I succeeded in making lightning my own. I haven’t created a formula for handling lightning yet, but even so, my magical power now has lightning within it. The first step of a special magic that other wizards can’t even imitate, a magic that requires them to be prepared to die just by imitating it, was imbued in me.

-I named this magic, electric magic. And after confirming that no wizard other than me could use it, I called magic that is extremely difficult to learn like this unique magic. Electric magic was the first unique magic to appear in this world.

The autobiography ends like that. After that, there was no content about what happened to her, what kind of life she lived, or how she met her death. However, since all the electric formulas she created were focused on killing, it seemed certain that a strong smell of blood permeated her future.

“It’s been a while, Headmaster.”

Anyway, that wasn’t the important thing. Asel was curious about Cromwell’s life trajectory, but she was even more interested in the artifacts she wore.

Cromwell was a wizard with a knack for making magical tools during her lifetime. Although she didn’t make many, according to the remaining records, each magical tool she used was of high quality. Some of them were lying dormant in the Academy’s underground vault.

It was unknown why such a great magical tool had flowed into this place, but frankly, she didn’t care. The important thing was that she had a chance to obtain such a magical tool.

‘As the Master said, extract as much as possible.’

Asel sat down on the sofa, thinking that.

She felt no pangs of conscience. She almost died, what conscience was there? It was right to suck them dry to the bone as much as possible. Both the wizard’s reason and instinct were shouting that.

“Have you been well these days? I’ve been…managing. Overcame a few close calls, but I’m mostly intact now.”

“…I’ve been well enough. Glad to hear you’re intact, though. I was worried.”

“Haha. The Dean worried about me. I’m quite touched.”

“…Haha.”

Friede let out a dry laugh. As he spoke with Asel, he glanced sideways at Ena and Norium, seated on either side.

They weren’t saying a word, but each wore a peculiar expression, their gazes fixed intently on Friede. The weight of their stares made Friede feel as though his throat was tightening.

*They’re probably ready to pounce the moment I refuse or try to weasel out,* he thought.

The mere thought of it made his fingertips tingle.

Friede cleared his throat, a deliberate sound. Then, looking at Asel, he began, “This incident. I am truly sorry. I want to offer my sincere apologies on behalf of the Academy.”

“Ah, it’s alright. I was hurt pretty badly, but I’m still alive, after all.”

“That’s not the point. The point is that you were placed in a dangerous situation due to the Academy’s mistake. On behalf of the Academy, I am deeply sorry. We will ensure that such a thing never happens again.”

Friede lowered his head slightly, his voice filled with sincerity. Whether Norium and Ena were looming over him or not, apologizing to Asel was the only decent thing to do. In matters like this, his head wasn’t so heavy.

Asel accepted his apology with a smile, and then began their conversation in earnest.

“I hear you’ve already read the letter.”

“Indeed. You want to go to the underground vault?”

“Yes. I believe I already have permission.”

“Alright. Frankly, it’s no great task. I’ll see that you get one of the magical artifacts from the vault immediately.”

“One? I never said one.”

“?”

Friede tilted his head. Asel gave a slight smile and leaned forward a little.

*This is a transaction where the lines between the powerful and the compliant are clear. No need to engage in this as equals.*

“One magical artifact as compensation for the damage inflicted on my body. One scroll to assuage my disappointment with the Academy. And finally, one magical artifact to appease my master’s anger. That’s three in total.”

“Are you a robber?”

Friede blurted out the question without thinking, but upon seeing Ena’s face darken, he quickly nodded.

“I suppose it wouldn’t do to say such harsh things. Three. I understand perfectly. Take them.”

“Thank you. You truly are the only one, Dean.”

Asel said with a bright smile. Inside, Friede wept bitter tears.

The magical artifacts, scrolls, and potions in the Academy’s underground vault were astronomically valuable. Mostly relics discovered in ancient ruins or items gifted by powerful figures on their deathbeds. Tools with incredible and rare effects.

Selling just one of them could provide a tremendous boost to the Academy’s finances. And Asel had just swindled him out of three of those remarkable items.

With the Academy’s coffers already bleeding and her own purse lighter than air, the pilfering of the vault threatened to shatter Friede’s glass-like composure. But she quickly regained her footing.

*Right,* she thought. *This is recompense for a student who nearly died because of my failings.* There could be no hint of displeasure, no making them feel indebted. It was wrong, both as an educator and as the one ultimately responsible.

The thought brought her some peace.

She smiled serenely at Asel.

“Is there anything else you require?”

“Nothing further. This seems quite sufficient.”

“Excellent. We shall proceed to the underground vault then. Allow me a moment to prepare.”

As Friede moved to rise from her seat, Norium interjected with surprising speed.

“Now, now, what’s the rush, Headmistress? Even if the conversation with Asel has concluded, we haven’t even touched upon the subject of compensation for ‘Wieheim.’ Please, be seated again.”

“…Norium.”

“Even that plaintive tone won’t sway me. Ah, yes, I happen to have a contract prepared in advance. Simply peruse it, and sign here and here.”

“…Hmph.”

“Ugh, listening to the grumbling of a centuries-old Elf is a strenuous task indeed. Senior, I advise you to be cautious when dealing with Asel.”

“Silence.”

Ena unleashed a bolt of lightning towards Norium. He merely opened a sub-space portal, casually absorbing her attack before turning back to Friede.

“In any case, it doesn’t contain anything particularly detrimental to the Academy. And to maintain a favorable relationship with the Federation, affixing your seal here will be significantly more beneficial. Do not forget that my tenure still has quite some time to run.”

“…How very irksome.”

Friede puffed out her cheeks and muttered the words, before beginning to sign the contract.

Norium immediately contorted his face as if he had witnessed something unspeakable.

“Agh, my eyes!”

*

The path to the Academy’s underground vault lay through a waterway connected to the main building’s basement. Descending a damp staircase revealed a wide channel where clear water trickled, and further within, a second staircase led even deeper.

At the bottom of the stairs stood a rather unimpressive metal door, not dissimilar to those found in prison cells. But contrary to its appearance, the door was imbued with a multitude of enchantments, easily numbering in the dozens.

And their potency was not to be underestimated. Asel stood directly behind Friede as she began to open the door, silently observing the enchantments at work. He couldn’t help but express his admiration.

The method of opening the door before them involved neither a key nor a specific passphrase. It required tracing the mana circuit used to create and install the door, in reverse order, from start to finish, without a single error. Only then would the door’s enchantments remain dormant, allowing it to be opened peacefully.

Furthermore, the circuit couldn’t simply be discerned by approaching the door. Only a select few individuals within the Academy, those with the proper authorization, were granted the opportunity to memorize the circuit within their minds.

It was an exceedingly complex system. Even if the person attempting to open the door was an authorized employee, a single mistake would trigger a barrage of magic, leaving them incapacitated, without a shred of mercy.

Still, reliable security was preferable to lax security. Asel patiently waited for Friede to open the door.

“It’s open.”

A short while later, Friede opened the vault door.

With a creak and a groan, the door swung open.

*Whoosh!*

From beyond, a gale of overwhelming magical force poured forth. Even Asel felt momentarily subdued by the potent waves of mana.

Noreum and Irina’s eyes sparked with light, while Ena, with a faintly displeased expression, subtly distanced herself from Asel.

“Let’s go,”

Frede said. Asel, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips, stepped through the metal doorway.

The treasure hunt begins.