Chapter 43: While Chasing the Rabbit Part 1

Transcendence Syndrome, also known as Archmage Disease, may have vague symptoms, but its conclusion was intuitive.

What Ariel was showing now were the early signs of that condition.

In this world, there were all kinds of magic. Even if you spent three full years at the Cradle studying only magic, you wouldn’t be able to learn, let alone fully understand all of it.

But magic was essentially someone’s awakened ability organized into a system of formulas.

And those capable of doing that were called Archmages and were revered and praised by all.

So then, who created all that magic? Did history really have that many Archmages?

No, if there had been that many, the title of Archmage wouldn’t carry the same weight.

“Archmage Disease. As the name suggests, it’s a simple illness. People who have it become Archmages.”

“But the outcome must not be good, right? If it just meant becoming an Archmage, they wouldn’t call it a disease.”

“Exactly. Ah, could you hold that for a moment? Just tilt it a little…”

After instructing Yuna to hold the beaker, I dropped a prepared solution into it with a dropper.

“Be careful not to spill it.”

“Ooh?”

Poof!

The solution in the flask reacted explosively, releasing steam.

Hmm, not quite an explosion. I could probably add a bit more.

I took the flask that was now reacting back from Yuna and observed the changes.

“Where was I? Right, why Archmage Disease is considered a disease? Simply put, people who catch it create new magic… and then die.”

The status of an Archmage was exalted.

But more precisely, it was the living Archmages whose prestige was high.

Because true Archmages were those rare few who survived and fully mastered their overwhelming talent.

Whether someone overcomes Archmage Disease through sheer will or steadily climbs the path to becoming an Archmage through diligent effort…. either way, they can only be called a monster.

I’ve never seen the former happen myself… but if Mephistopheles is to be believed, Faust might have been such a case.

Though I don’t know if that was thanks to Mephistopheles’ help or if Faust truly overcame the illness on his own.

“Ariel’s body right now is like the solution in this flask.”

“Hmm?”

“And the illness she’s suffering from is like the other solution I added just now. A little is fine, but if too much is added, it can cause an explosion.”

“Eek….so you’re saying Lady Ariel is going to blow up?”

“Well, that’s just a metaphor. In Ariel’s case, she’ll burn. Her body will sublimate in a beautiful blue flame like starlight.”

“Sublimate… so that’s why they call it Transcendence Syndrome, huh?”

Disappearing without even leaving ashes behind, as if melting into the world through fire.

That image looks like one transcending the mortal realm and touching the domain of the gods. Hence the name Transcendence Syndrome.

“There are two theoretical ways to cure this illness.”

“Ooh, Johan. You sound so smart when you say it like that.”

I couldn’t help but give a wry smile at Yuna’s praise.

If I were truly smart, I wouldn’t have had to circle such a long way to get here.

All I was doing was forcing my way down an unpaved road by brute strength.

“The first method is to create an inhibitor. Should I continue using the solution in the flask as an example?”

“I don’t get complicated talk.”

“They say seeing is believing. Here.”

“Eek!”

I gently placed the flask on Yuna’s open palm.

“Ooh?”

Yuna flinched slightly at the warmth, but then quickly smiled as if she found the temperature pleasant.

“I told you earlier, didn’t I? Good thing it didn’t explode. If the reaction’s too quick, that kind of danger is always there.”

“So if you add that inhibitor thing, it slows the reaction down?”

“That’s one way to think about it.”

This was the first method to fix Ariel’s condition.

And it was also my destination.

By suppressing the weight of the talent pressing down on her, I’ll guide her to become an Archmage…. slowly and stably.

If I succeeded, I would not only create an Archmage but also erase the shadow of death hanging over her.

“So, what’s the second method?”

“That one’s relatively simple.”

I placed another flask, one I hadn’t yet triggered, into Yuna’s hand.

This one was still cool since the solution hadn’t reacted yet.

“Stopping the reaction entirely, so it doesn’t happen at all.”

“In other words?”

“Erasing the potential of becoming an Archmage from Ariel. If she has no talent, there’s nothing for the talent to crush.”

“Hmmm?”

To be precise, it meant halting Ariel’s growth completely.

Not suppression or regulation….but total elimination.

It was easier to erase something entirely than to leave it halfway.

In fact, this method was already complete.

But…

“Johan, Lady Ariel would never accept this, even if it meant dying.”

“…You’re right.”

I glanced briefly at the hat Ariel had left behind.

The fact that she left it behind meant she was already staring death in the face.

And in that state, she likely couldn’t see anything beyond the immediate sense of accomplishment.

Even if she were in her right mind, convincing her would be hard. Would she ever accept having her potential for growth sealed away?

Of course not.

“That’s why a half-measure won’t cut it.”

Ariel was already prepared to face death in her pursuit to create magic.

I had no way of persuading someone so blindly driven that she was willing to throw her life away.

That was why I absolutely had to make the first method a success.

***

Early in the morning.

“You’ve been here since early morning… No, wait, did you not go home at all since yesterday?”

“It’s been a while, Professor Georg.”

“Oh, right. It has been a while… Wait, never mind that… are you okay?”

“Of course not. Ugh, do I even look human right now? I haven’t looked in a mirror, but I already know.”

“You’ve got some impressive self-awareness. If you ever decide to go to university, you’ll go far. No—someone like you could even aim for graduate school. So, how about it? Want to chase your dream of alchemy starting now?”

“Targeting someone when they’re mentally exhausted… As expected of you, Professor Georg. Truly trash behavior.”

“Got it. I’ll ask again tomorrow.”

A comment that sent a chill down my spine.

I reminded myself to always stay alert.

“Whoa, you’ve set up a lot here. Just how much of the budget did you blow, you little brat?”

“I have no idea. At some point the number of digits got too long, so I gave up counting.”

“You crazy bastard.”

Professor Georg chuckled and sat down in the chair across from me.

Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he began assisting with the experiment I was working on.

Annoying as he could be, he really was a decent person.

His biggest flaw was how his humanity sometimes got worn down by fatigue. But let’s just call that part of his charm.

Even without me explaining anything, Professor Georg seemed to know exactly what needed to be done and helped with the experiment as if it were second nature.

“Whoa, what the hell? How did you make this? I mean… what even is this?”

“I stumbled upon it by chance. I doubt I could recreate it.”

As expected of someone who worked as a teacher at the Cradle.

He recognized right away that it was a substance made from the heart of a phoenix and the blood of a frost giant.

Even though it was a substance that had never existed in history, he seemed to recognize it just by observing its outward properties.

Professor Georg clicked his tongue as if fed up and looked around.

“Hmm… with this, I think we can do it like this.”

Then he quickly came to a conclusion.

Just by skimming through the recipe I had spent a whole week perfecting, he had figured it out.

Was this the difference that came from talent? I had known it, but still, I felt a wall between us.

“That part won’t work. It could completely halt a person’s growth.”

“Growth? The patient is already out of breath just short of becoming an Archmage, right? But even if you studied your whole life, you probably couldn’t reach that level.”

“Why are you comparing me? That much is obvious without you saying it.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“…Because they wouldn’t want that.”

“You’re right. It’s a condition where they lack any real sense of what’s happening to their own body, so I guess that makes sense.”

After that, Professor Georg began mixing the ingredients I had prepared, casually creating samples.

These were extremely dangerous solutions that could explode if the measurements were even slightly off—

And yet, he adjusted everything by mere eye estimation.

Who was I to talk about having guts or courage?

“Oh, here it is. I knew this little bastard would’ve made it.”

After rummaging through the ingredient shelf I had prepared for a few minutes, Professor Georg finally pulled out a prototype I had made.

It was the very substance I had previously said should not be used. The one that could halt growth altogether.

“I told you, that one won’t work.”

“Why not? It’s finished, isn’t it? This substance can cure Transcendence Syndrome. That means the goal has been achieved. Whether to use it or not should be the patient’s decision.”

“…….”

“I get that you want to make a medicine without side effects. Especially with your younger brother’s case, it makes even more sense.”

“This has nothing to do with Chris.”

“Then I understand even less. Shouldn’t saving the patient come first?”

“If the person has no intention of being saved, then it’s a medicine that won’t work anyway.”

“That’s right. But that’s not a problem with the medicine; it’s a problem with the person. When you gave the potion to your brother, what were you thinking? You knew there could be side effects, and you gave it to him anyway.”

It was different from what happened with Chris.

Chris had no other way to survive at the time, and he didn’t refuse it himself.

But Ariel was different. She would definitely reject the medicine.

Would a girl who vowed to burn her own life away to create magic give that up just because someone told her to?

“There’s no such thing as perfection in this world. Things like the Philosopher’s Stone are just illusions.”

“And that’s coming from you, Alchemist Georg?”

“Precisely because I’m an alchemist.”

Tap.

Professor Georg set the medicine back down in front of me.

The pale pink solution glowed quietly inside the flask.

“You’re out of time, right? Then wouldn’t it be better to convince her directly?”

“…….”

“What? Did you think I didn’t know? You’re not the type to go to all this trouble without a reason.”

Tsk.

“…And what’s that tongue click supposed to mean? Anyway, instead of clinging to uncertain possibilities, take the one sure method and go to her.”

“I’m not confident I can convince her.”

“Then convince her with the same passion you had when you made the medicine. Or what, are you scared? Afraid you’ll ruin someone’s life?”

“…….”

“Ruin or not, it’s still better than death, isn’t it? You and I aren’t doctors, but when it comes to saving a life, do we really need to think that far ahead? Regret is called regret because it comes after.”

“You speak well.”

“I am a teacher, after all.”

I picked up the medicine Professor Georg had set down.

A flawed product completed long ago.

And yet, the only existing cure for Transcendence Syndrome.

Ariel will reject this medicine.

She’ll definitely reject it, but…

“Professor.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m going to step out for a bit. Could you run the tests for me?”

Professor Georg was right.

Given the current situation, trying to persuade her was far better than making the medicine with no end in sight.

“What? Me? I have a class this morning… Hey! Johan?! Hey!!”

***

Ariel had reached the point where she could no longer walk on her own.

A disconnection between body and soul.

A soul striving to transcend the physical body.

And yet, she paid no mind to this fact and only pushed forward with her research.

Lobelia had visited Ariel several times, but unfortunately, she hadn’t noticed the signs of Ariel’s illness.

It was no surprise.

Ariel had locked her door and refused to come out, and when she spoke to Lobelia, her voice carried not despair or resignation, but exhilaration and joy.

Since Lobelia didn’t even know Ariel had Transcendence Syndrome, the atmosphere she felt from Ariel made it seem as if Ariel was simply throwing herself into her research to overcome some great wall.

“Just a little more…”

Around Ariel floated stacks of documents, all filled with formulas that she had organized. She lay prone on the floor and continued scribbling equations.

She had run out of the paper she had prepared in advance.

Like an inventor struck with sudden inspiration, Ariel kept writing formulas without rest, ignoring the line between day and night. Her appearance was clearly not normal to anyone who might have seen her.

But then, who could have seen her?

This was her private space, and she had fooled everyone.

“Almost there…!”

And even if someone did exist who saw through her, it didn’t matter. If she didn’t open the door, they would never know what was happening inside.

In this space of her own, she was going to become an Archmage.

Yes, that was what she believed.

Bang!

That person didn’t even knock.

“Seriously.”

The boy who kicked the door open clicked his tongue when he saw Ariel’s disheveled appearance.

Ariel was horrified by the sight of the boy who had barged into her room without permission.

“Sir Johan…?”

“Lady Ariel, let’s at least try to live like a human being and clean this place up. What would people say if they saw this?”

She hadn’t expected him to come.

Wasn’t he someone who drew a firm line between himself and others more than anyone else?

So she had never imagined he would be the one to cross the line she had drawn.

“Why… did you come? I told you clearly I don’t need any medicine. This is illegal trespassing.”

“Well, that’s true… but about this hat, you see. I knew it….it doesn’t suit me at all.”

And yet, Johan had always acted in ways she didn’t expect.

The man who used to keep his distance more than anyone was now boldly stepping over the lines drawn by others.

“So I came to complain. I trust you’re not going to ask someone who came to complain to mind their manners?”

Then he began nitpicking, throwing out complaints that barely made sense.

Words that were laughable even as excuses…

“Well, if it comes down to it, I’ll pay for the door repair. Let’s see… Ah, this is all I’ve got right now.”

He pulled something from inside his coat.

“It’s a cure for transcendence syndrome.”