29. Item Presentation (4)
What was the ultimate goal the alchemists of old had dreamed of from the very beginning?
Immortality?
An elixir?
The Philosopher's Stone?
No.
None of them.
It was to create gold.
In ancient times, those who had not learned magic were not even given the chance to earn money, and those steeped in poverty had no choice but to develop alchemy in order to create small amounts of 'gold' directly and strike it rich.
Nowadays, transmuting gold through alchemy was only a basic level of skill, but even so, in order to carry on the will of their forebears who had opened the age of alchemy in dazzling brilliance while yearning for gold, modern alchemists had unified all modifiers attached to 'the greatest things' under the word 'gold.'
[Alchemy City, Golden Platform]
This place, which only opened a few times a year at most, would never be opened unless a groundbreaking alchemical technique or a new invention had been developed.
So now that a groundbreaking alchemical technique and a new invention had both been born at the same time, there was no reason for the 'Golden Platform' not to open.
Wooooong!!
From the east, west, south, and north of Alchemy City, the sounds of warp hole gates activating could be heard without pause.
The nobles of many nations arrived one after another in splendid automatic carriages, or parked their private airships, and after such a long time, Alchemy City was once again crowded with an immense number of people.
A small festival had even broken out in the streets of Alchemy City to welcome those guests, and befitting a city of alchemists, unfamiliar technology was on display even to mages, with road colors changing moment by moment and statues dancing.
"It's been a while since I've been here too."
"Human cities are always noisy and irritating."
"Don't say things like that. This was a place we had to come to at least once anyway."
There were truly countless people crowding the streets, so two pedestrians wearing black robes with their hoods pulled up were not suspicious at all.
For a mage, a robe was practically the same thing as identity.
And that was why
dark mages could walk proudly through the society of mages.
"Professor Kamahon of Stondel University, Professor Tyburn confirmed."
Professor Kamahon entered the Golden Platform with total confidence, and no one around him suspected him in the slightest.
"Oh, Professor Kamahon. It's been a long time. I was very impressed by your second Verse research journal from before."
"Professor Kamahon! I'm Mozen, a third-year student at Bahrain Magic University! Do you perhaps remember me?"
Far from being suspected, he was socially famous enough that others approached him first to greet him.
Watching Kamahon accept those greetings with a genial chuckle, Tyburn clicked his tongue.
'Even to another dark mage, he really looks like a genuine mage.'
As dark mages who had sold their souls to the Reverse Side, they had long since lost all the emotions they had possessed when they were human in exchange for holding powerful dark mana.
Even so, the fact that he could imitate a human so perfectly meant that Kamahon truly intended to hide himself within human society.
Tyburn had no intention of going that far himself, so he merely stayed quietly behind him and observed.
"Tch, how tiring."
After sending the mages away, Kamahon clicked his tongue while smoothing down his suit.
"Why do you go through so much trouble?"
"It isn't 'so much trouble.' If it is the cult leader's command, I simply do my utmost in all things."
"Ah, right. Professor, you were a believer in the Moon Shadow Church, weren't you?"
Dark mages also had countless factions among themselves, and Professor Kamahon was a faithful believer in the Moon Shadow Church, which mages often called the 'Black Magic Cult.'
Had the name Moon Shadow Church truly spread far and wide through dark-mage society only after they became able to hide their dark mana from the senses of mages, despite having previously been nothing more than an unremarkable pseudo-religion?
By proving their abilities through infiltrating believers into the enormous magical institution known as Stella Academy, they had gone on to wield great influence throughout dark-mage society.
'A religion for dark mages? Please.'
To Tyburn, the very idea that those wretches who had sold their souls to the Reverse Side would gather together and form a religion was simply laughable.
Even so, he did think Kamahon's efforts were useful enough.
Alchemy City, the core of magical society's technological power.
And among that, the Golden Platform, which could be called the very heart of it.
What other dark mage could stroll through such a place so freely?
And that wasn't all.
From the very beginning, the purpose of their visit here was to join the Alterisha School.
At this point, even dark mages had no choice but to admit it.
No one could keep up with Alterisha's alchemic magitech.
'Alterisha is dangerous.'
Just like the great mages who threatened the Dark Union, Alterisha belonged to the category of 'top-priority elimination targets.'
Of course, mages were not fools either, and the cutting-edge security systems of Alchemy City thoroughly excluded dark-mage intrusions.
Even if one hid their dark mana and infiltrated the place, assassination was all but impossible, since she was being personally protected by the Mage Association and the Stella Knights.
But…
Did Alterisha really have to be killed?
Wouldn't it be even better if they could absorb her technological power instead?
Just as they had always done until now.
Wouldn't it be enough to secretly infiltrate the Alterisha School?
The 'Golden Alchemic Show' to be held at the Golden Platform was meant to inform the world of the existence of alchemic magitech, yes, but it was also surely meant to expand the school's scale.
Countless scholars from all over the world would be captivated by her technology during the Alchemic Show and seek to join the school.
Taking advantage of that opportunity, dark mages concealed their identities and real names and entered the Golden Platform in large numbers in order to join the Alterisha School, and Kamahon and Tyburn were merely one group among them.
Because mages could not detect the Moon Shadow Church's 'dark-magic concealment formation,' they would not even realize how many dark mages had entered the Alterisha School, and would be swallowed up bit by bit.
…At the same time, in the same place.
Kaen, captain of the 13th Dark-Extermination Squad of the Crescent Moon Tower, slowly looked around the familiar scenery of the Golden Platform.
Right behind him, Hyeijin Macaron, the vice-captain, grumbled, saying, "We came to another boring place again," but even she seemed to understand that it was unavoidable.
She had judged that there was no way dark mages would fail to appear at the site of such a major event.
'It's strangely quiet…'
There wasn't even the slightest sign of activity.
If no traces had been left, that meant the traces had been erased intentionally.
That was why Kaen felt even more uneasy, though Macaron did not seem to feel the same.
"Hey, hey, rookie. You're bored too, right?"
"No, ma'am!!"
"Gah! My ears! My eardrums are gonna burst! In a place like this, speak quietly!"
"I'm sorry!!"
"Ah, damn it…"
It had been a long time since all the members of the 13th Dark-Extermination Squad had gathered together.
Made up of seven people in total, every single one of them was a magical warrior with a history of taking down dark mages of Risk Level 7 or higher.
Even the young man Macaron was teasing as 'rookie' had already been in for four years, which said enough.
"Hmmm~ Are you scared because you think something might happen? With this many people, it feels like we could handle anything that comes up, so why don't you loosen up a little? The captain's too serious about everything."
"That's right, Captain. Let's take it a little easier."
"Besides, didn't 'Metler' say he couldn't detect anything anyway?"
If Metler, possessor of superhuman senses, said nothing was going to happen, then with ninety-nine percent certainty, no incident really would occur.
"So let's relax a little~"
Macaron said that and comfortably went back to teasing the rookie, while the other members also joked among themselves or acted at ease.
Meanwhile, Kaen alone kept watching the Golden Platform with coldly sunken eyes.
'…Honestly, I'd rather something happened.'
When his sixth sense was sending him warnings of danger this strongly, for nothing at all to happen would only mean…
that somewhere out of their sight, something was quietly unfolding.
Stella cadets could officially submit requests to be excused from class of their own accord.
The opportunity did not come many times in a year, but when they wanted to, they could do it at any time.
That was because the school had such a large proportion of nobles.
There were all kinds of reasons to miss class—special matters arising in one's own territory, important gatherings called by one's family, and so on.
Since Baek Yuseol was a commoner, he ordinarily could not skip class using such excuses, but this time he had been able to thanks to Alterisha's help.
"Student Yuseol. What do I do…?"
The backstage area of the Golden Platform's grand hall.
Before going up to the stage, Alterisha was checking herself one last time.
"You'll do well."
Baek Yuseol comforted her, but would that really help?
Alterisha had to go up onto that huge stage alone.
This presentation was not simple the way the previous one had been.
Today, she was truly about to bring a 'technological revolution' to the world.
After today, every magic tool and every form of technology in the world would be covered in Alterisha's name.
And the signal flare announcing that starting point would explode right here, right now.
And while she was giving her presentation, Baek Yuseol was scheduled to meet someone else in another place.
The branding of items.
Since it was a plan he himself had pushed forward, he intended to handle this part personally instead of leaving it to Alterisha.
"Doctor, I think you should get ready now."
A staff member came over and said that to Alterisha, then hurried off somewhere else.
It looked like there was a lot to prepare.
When I glanced toward the grand hall, over ten thousand people were already seated.
[Alchemist Alterisha]
A single simple line of text floating above the stage.
Everyone had gathered here because they were drawn by that name.
"Uh, how is it? Are there a lot of people?"
"Hm? Student Yuseol, why are you asking all of a sudden?"
Baek Yuseol had been quietly looking at the audience seated in the grand hall, but then his expression suddenly turned cold and stiff, and Alterisha was the one startled by it instead.
Because Alterisha was extremely sensitive to the slightest change in his expression, she had no choice but to jump.
"No, it's just… I thought I spotted someone I know, but I must have been mistaken."
"Ah…"
As if trying to reassure her, Baek Yuseol once again put on an easy smile.
"Are you nervous?"
"Is your heart pounding?"
"Yes…"
"That's not because you're nervous."
"Huh…?"
Once again, Alterisha noticed the composure in Baek Yuseol's expression.
He looked as though he was genuinely enjoying this situation.
"That's because you're excited. After today, everyone will only be looking at you, Assistant."
"E-Excited…"
"There's proof too. Right now, the corners of your mouth are lifted a little."
"W-What?"
She hurriedly touched the corners of her mouth, but she couldn't tell whether it was true from touch alone.
"So go out there and enjoy yourself. At this point, even if you just sneeze on stage and come back down, those people will go wild."
"Mm…"
Just as Alterisha was reluctantly nodding, the host's voice rang out from outside.
We now present the alchemist, Doctor Alterisha!
"Ah, ahh? I-I'll go now!"
As she hurriedly ran out into the auditorium, a dazzling burst of applause erupted.
Even the flashing lights and cheering voices became part of Alterisha's stage production.
From now on, that place would become a stage belonging solely to Alterisha, and those who witnessed her presentation directly would experience revolution in real time.
Blessed people.
Baek Yuseol adjusted his glasses and quietly checked the audience seated in the hall once again.
'As expected… I figured as much, but…'
He narrowed his eyes, trying to examine the audience more carefully, when from behind him someone called his name urgently.
"Student Baek Yuseol, so this is where you were!"
It was one of the assistant alchemists belonging to the school.
"R-right now, Chairman Melian has arrived! He was looking for you! You should hurry and—"
"No, there's no need for that."
Cutting off the alchemist's words, a tall man appeared from behind.
A brown fedora, brown hair.
Sharply pointed elven ears, refined fashion, and golden eyes behind gold-rimmed glasses.
Melian, chairman of the Starcloud Merchant Company.
He had come all the way here himself.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to come personally…"
Baek Yuseol was slightly flustered, since he really hadn't expected him to come in person.
"I also wanted to feel, even if only for a moment, the heated atmosphere of the presentation."
As Melian said that, he suddenly stepped slightly to the side.
And from behind him…
a beautiful young girl walked forward.
She had such pure, graceful looks that the moment she appeared, it almost felt as though the atmosphere itself had been dyed in the scent of lavender.
'Huh…?'
It was a face he had never seen before, but the name that surfaced through his glasses was familiar.
[Villainess Zeliel]
The daughter of Melian, chairman of the Starcloud Merchant Company, and a character who would later become one of the main villainesses of the episode players called 'Chapter 2.'
'Why is that woman… here…?'
She walked toward Baek Yuseol with easy steps and gave him a small bow.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Baek Yuseol."
Then her golden eyes shone vividly, and she smiled faintly.
"I've really wanted to meet you at least once."
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