Ep 23 - Academy’s Undercover Professor

EP.23 A Day in the Amethyst Tower "The Amethyst Tower is a gathering place for eccentrics." It took three years to deny, three years to hesitate, and three years to accept this proposition... Only then did I recognize it as an unequivocal truth. A significant revelation came after more than nine years of service. The proof that the proposition was true was unfolding before his eyes in real-time. Can you see the magicians of the Amethyst Tower, drenched in madness, howling away? "My junior's theory is invincible and my panty modeling is divine!!" "Illusion magic isn't learned just to replicate women’s underwear, darn it-!!" "When I develop my extraordinary illusion magic, our junior promised to shorten the shorts of my shota butler!" "I've developed an illusion magic that makes it feel like you have five hands. Would anyone like to try it? As a reward, the adorable Tower Master has recorded a voice memo of complaining about disliking bean sprouts!" "This isn't the right curve. Today, too, I failed to capture the full beauty of the chest... I must discover the ultimate bosom... and yet, I did not succeed..." Today, as always, Lorei, the illusion magician of the Amethyst Tower, watched these lovable disasters at the Tower and sighed deeply. Thinking back, it seemed that the Tower hadn't always been this unhinged. What was it like when he first joined the Amethyst Tower? Back then, the Tower brimmed with somber and gloomy seekers of magic. If one desires wealth, they go to the Golden Tower. If it's simple revenge, then to the Red Tower one should head. For those who seek research, the Blue Tower is their destiny. And those who are twisted in a somewhat sinister way, come to the Amethyst Tower. Not just the wealthy, but those striving for something nonexistent in this world. Not just the vengeful, but those desiring to inflict previously unknown terrible pain. Not just researchers, but those wanting to lift the veils of the world and peek within. Those not seeking typical worldly values—but something warped—were drawn here. Take that man over there, for instance. "My junior is correct in every aspect because we've secured the funding. Anyone bringing in the budget is a god, and since a god's words are always right, everything my junior says is correct." This man, absorbed in his research regarding the optimal transparency to bestow upon certain parts of panties, astonishingly, is a magician who has studied at the Amethyst Tower for 15 years. He's the man who lived through the era of the "former Amethyst Tower Master." Before his brain rotted away with the twisted thoughts of his junior, he was engrossed in research on 'a curse to transform pleasure into pain.' He was hell-bent on revenge against a nobleman who shattered his life by stripping away every conceivable happiness with bloodthirst in his eyes. But after mingling with the junior a few times, he just collapsed into this state. For some reason, given that the Tower's population largely consists of youthful blood, someone with 15 years of service is quite a veteran here. It's a position, after all, that could somewhat compare to an elder of another tower—though this is relative. If an actual elder from another tower showed up, he'd need to bow down in respect. The water downstream can only be as clean as the water upstream. With the upper tiers like this, it's no wonder that those below are not normal. That woman over there, donning thick glasses and delicately sketching the figure of a shota butler, has six years of service. When her childhood fiancé ran off after locking eyes with a passing mercenary, she plunged into the research of 'mental destruction' and 'seduction,’ determined to win him back at all costs. "There's... There's a person inside the paper...!!" Since getting tangled up with the terrifying butler squad of the junior, she has changed. Now, her objective is to create the perfect boyfriend using her illusion magic. It is all because of that junior... That is, a leading candidate for a great sorcerer, the genius magician who created the "Living Illusion" magic of the Tower, the one with the ominous pairing of black hair and red eyes, and suspected to be in a relationship with the Tower Master. Referred to hesitantly as 'junior' out of awe, making everyone address him formally as "Junior Master"── the illusion magician ▒▒▒ is the main culprit. "Damn, he's cast an 'unrecognizability' spell on his name again..." He's also utterly insane for putting a lock on his own name. --------------------------------------------------------------- If you ask who is the top person in the Amethyst Tower, it is obviously the Tower Master. Despite their cuteness and klutziness, no one dares to disrespect the Tower Master. No matter how foul-tempered and sinister someone might be, they are forced to assume an attitude of submission before the Tower Master. Just as the warm sun strips away a traveler’s outer garments, could it be that the cuteness of the Tower Master has even reformed those magicians with flawed characters? Hardly. The lot of them have been groveling simply because they all have tasted the Tower Master’s devastating low kicks. Here's a good example. It's a tale involving a greenhorn with a service record of three years. "After three months... I've finally completed it! 'Melburton’s Field of Focus Disruption'! Just by looking at the inscribed pattern, one's focus shifts, making it impossible to strike accurately! With this, I can exact revenge on the one who burned down my hometown..." "New, you made something new? Hmm..." "Ma, Master! Not this, not this, anything but thi-!!" Tap. Bang. "I'm, I'm sorry... I didn't know it would break just by a tap... But you know... Isn't the name a bit grandiose? How about 'Melburton's Sugar Coating'?" "Ahhhhhh...!!" It's an automatic reaction; to bow one's head when something you've researched with your life shatters with a mere gesture. As in the world, so is the Amethyst Tower governed by the law of survival of the strongest. The Tower Master doesn't really go around breaking spells for fun. Illusion spells are really weak when it comes to combat. That fancy Melburton thing would likely end up with a knife in the ribs in a real battle. Those scholars isolated within the Tower walls don’t understand this. They are clueless as to why the Amethyst Tower is so unpopular, why illusion magic is unanimously considered weak. This awareness only dawns on them after they've seen their magic disintegrate with a single battle cry in a real fight. I was the same. Before getting thrashed in reality, I believed it would work. A valuable lesson was learned, but at the expense of a large scar on my face. And, incidentally, I paid the tuition fee with my left eye as well. Perhaps the Tower Master is just giving us a taste of bitterness for prevention. "Crunch, crunch... Ehehe..." "............" Maybe it isn’t just fun for the Master to destroy things... right? --------------------------------------------------------------- If you ask who the second in command of the Amethyst Tower is, there might be some debate, but in my personal opinion, the junior is a strong candidate. Some say that the junior is next in line because he's a potential Grand Sorcerer, others argue it's because he excels at illusion magic, but I think differently. The second in command should naturally be the right hand of the first. Even if they are incompetent and foolish, if they’re favored by the number one, they inevitably become the second. Especially if number one wields absolute power. "Looks like it's time to work on another model..." "The extras can be roughed out just on their facial features, but we surely need high-quality models like hearts." "Um... shall I give you my physical data...?" "No, thanks." "Egh." Look at that tender interaction. Inside the Amethyst Tower, there's a consensus that 'there seems to be a strange atmosphere, but it's not yet something definite,' but I think the two are already in a romantic relationship. There's decisive evidence for this. One day, while under the effect of "Invisibility," I happened to overhear a conversation between the two. "Are you going to take a shower today too?" "Ah, don't make it sound like I don't!" "Everyone else finds it bothersome. Even the senior mages only do it once a week, and the Tower Master too, right?" "Having shown that...!" What exactly have you shown the Tower Master, Junior? When the junior first entered the Tower, he was different from the rest. He washed himself every day and constantly cleaned his hands. I thought he might have had a case of mysophobia. Then suddenly, at one point, the Tower Master began to bathe daily too. People don't die from bathing once a week. Are they afraid of getting sick or attracting bugs because they don’t wash? Sickness and vermin come from polluted air, not lack of cleanliness. Besides, the air in the Tower is purified with cleansing magic and holy water. Hence, the two bathing everyday makes them suspicious. What exactly are they doing every day that requires them to wash? Maybe they're trying to erase some kind of evidence that shouldn’t be seen by others? And if so, what kind of evidence would that be? There are several hypotheses I've considered regarding this matter, but I shall not mention them. In any case, it's a fact that fresh winds have begun to blow through the Tower, thanks to the junior. Fresh grants. Fresh magic. Everyone must be excited. The birth of a Grand Sorcerer would significantly enhance the stature of the Tower. They must also be thrilled at the prospect of finally receiving proper teachings. The Tower Master is not adept at teaching. It comes 'naturally' to her, and she just does it. The original magic of the Tower Master is also so outlandish that no one dares to attempt it. On the other hand, the junior's magic is different. It only requires a filthy amount of computation, and with enough manpower and time, it is within the realm of reproducibility. He is also quite skilled at teaching others. If the junior continues to grow and becomes a Grand Sorcerer, and then imparts his teachings to the Amethyst Tower... Much will change. --------------------------------------------------------------- As I was carving out an artifact in the shape of a ring while eating oatmeal porridge, Charlie, a senior with 15 years of service and a panty enthusiast, approached me. "Lorei, how's it going?" "Ah, yes. Sort of." "You're really something. If relic exploration is your life's goal... wouldn't it have been better to be at the Golden Tower? They have a lot of money, and their magic is more practical." "I've said it many times, but it's exploring relics with my brother that I aim for." My brother and I dreamed of being adventurers. To explore the relics of the continent and uncover the secrets of the world... like our parents, to become splendid adventurers. But that dream was shattered. My brother lost both his legs in a carriage accident. Trying to save me as I nearly got run over by a carriage while distracted by a butterfly, he was the one who got caught instead. That's why I began learning illusion magic. "Lorei's Possession." The magic I'm developing. Its effect is to forcibly control another's body. I planned to use this magic to gift my own body to my brother. It's still a long way to completion, but one day for sure. As I mulled over my goal, Senior Charlie pulled a chair over and sat down. He seemed to have something to say, so I stopped adjusting the artifact for a moment and turned my head. "Is there something wrong?" "We've received some grants... and rumors have started to spread about the Second Prince visiting. A pretty good number of newcomers have started entering our Tower." "Well, isn't that something. I never thought the day would come when people would flock to the Amethyst Tower." "When they were poor and scruffy, even thieves did not come to the Tower because there was nothing to be had. Now things have changed. There'll surely be those who come harboring dark intentions." "Well... won't the Tower Master handle them before it gets to us?" "We need to clean up our own mess before the Tower Master has to step in. How many years have you been here?" "Nine years." "Ah, that's why... you wouldn't know." Charlie Senior tapped his forehead, sighed, looked around, and after seeing that there were no people around, he finally spoke up. "Lorei, have you ever seen an old man in the Amethyst Tower?" "Never. The oldest here are what, in their forties?" I hadn't thought much about how things ended up this way. Could there be a reason serious enough to harden Charlie Senior's expression? "Think about why there are no elders brimming in other towers, but none in the Amethyst Tower, and why, at best, those with only 20 years of study are the most veteran here. Consider the reason for that." "Yes..." Charlie Senior added one last remark. "Don't take the Tower Master too lightly." With those words, Senior Charlie rose from his seat. The shadows cast upon his face, and the eyes reflecting contemplation of some matter. What could it have been? Perhaps a dark secret lay hidden within the Amethyst Tower— "Hey!! I heard that Junior and the Tower Master are kissing!!" "What?! We must go right now!" With a youthful bounce, Charlie Senior bolted out of the room with no composure to spare. I muttered to myself in disbelief. "...Don't take the Tower Master too lightly, he says..." <end>