Chapter 80 (1/2)
Holy Mana Researcher
Hikaru learned of the holy mana back in the royal castle of the ancient kingdom of Poelnxinia, located in the deepest part of the dungeon Underground City of the Ancient G.o.ds. The records indicated that holy mana was part of their everyday lives and was used all over the kingdom. Later the whole capital was transported underground. Eventually a giant's a.s.sault caused the technology to be lost.
「What kind of energy is this ”holy mana”?」Hikaru asked.
「There's someone else more qualified to answer that question. A researcher in the academy and the greatest Magic Item Specialist, Katy Kotobi.」the princ.i.p.al replied.
Hikaru expressed his profound grat.i.tude to the princ.i.p.al for letting him see the catalog.
「If anything comes up, please don't hesitate to talk to me.」she said before leaving.
While it seemed she was trying to be helpful, it also sounded like she was saying ”If something's going to happen, I want you to inform me beforehand.”
Hikaru left the library to look for Katy. She should be in the middle of cla.s.ses right now. He wanted to know about the holy mana. It was possible that someone from another world invented it and his revolver used it as well.
「This should be the place.」
He arrived at the biggest lecture hall in building A. It had no doors so he could hear even from outside.
Incredible…
A large room, it had a pitched floor so that those in the rear were sat higher than those at the front, allowing them to see the lecturer on the podium. It could probably easily seat a hundred students. The place was so packed that some of the students were standing. Not unlike a certain building C.
The attending students were quite different than the great sword guys. First of all, the female to male ratio was high. They were all slender, and it looked like not one of them was from Jarazack. Everyone was eagerly taking notes, comparing the books on their hands with what was written on the board.
I wonder if this is what college in j.a.pan looks like.
A sense of loneliness descended on Hikaru as he imagined a future where he went to college.
「…You don't need to send a special notice when creating magic items, but if you're using catalysts with high magical power compatibility, inform the local authorities first. If things go south, they'll contain it right away. For your winter a.s.signment, I'm thinking of magic item creation.」
The woman on the podium, Katy Kotobi, had her back turned, writing about the a.s.signment on the board.
A slender and well-proportioned woman, she looked cla.s.sy in her spotless white lab coat, with sleeves rolled up to just below her elbows. She wore skinny pants and flat blue shoes. Her long, dark hair was tied in a braid to the left, a silver accessory attached at the tip.
Kotobi was a nation well-known for precious metal manufacturing. Wearing plenty of accessories was common, regardless of gender. Most of the students attending her cla.s.s hailed from Kotobi and they all wore silver accessories. Married people wore golden ones.
「Our time is almost up. Any questions regarding today's lesson?」
She'd been talking about the a.s.signment in an indifferent tone, and although sounding monotonous, she explained things in an easy to understand manner which showed just how smart she was. It made perfect sense though, as she was a researcher.
As she turned to face the cla.s.s, Hikaru raised his voice by accident.
「Yes? Do you have a question?」
「Ah, I uhh…」
The students stared at Hikaru who was standing at the door. No one would blame him for his sudden interruption if they knew.
「It's a bit unrelated to the lesson, though. Is that okay?」Hikaru said, regaining his composure.「Do you know Kelbeck? He's a Magic Item Specialist.」
Katy resembled the head of the Thieves Guild he met in the sewers of Pond. What's more, a flame-like tattoo ran from her cheek down to her nape, just like Kelbeck.
「…Hmm.」
Her eyes, red as a garnet stone, narrowed at his question. She was beautiful, if not seemingly cold.
「There was a Magic Item Specialist named Kelbeck in Kotobi. All his inventions completely ignored efficiency and user-friendliness. To sum it up in one word, they were all ”complex”. You could barely use them unless you had a manual. In terms of complexity, they were probably almost on par with the relics from Zubura.」
A resounding ”ooh” came from the students. The Zuburan relics were that famous.
「But…」Katy continued, silencing the students.「Kelbeck disappeared about ten years ago. He was expelled from Kotobi's Magic Item Specialists Guild and anything related to his inventions was taken into custody, never seeing the light of day ever again. In other words, he was treated as if he was dead. Does that answer your question?」
「Yes. Thank you.」