“……..”
Meanwhile, in the research lab of Linne Eneria, the alchemy professor at Labyrinth Academy.
There, Linne was deep in thought, recalling the conversation she had with Yujin.
A mortal can also become a transcendent… huh.
Of course, most of their discussion had been little more than idle chatter, but the last part had been different.
A transcendent.
Divine beings with a status that mortals cannot dare approach.
Each one wielded powers capable of shaking the very laws of reality. To Linne, they were not only the primary focus of her research but also something akin to a lifelong aspiration.
The Philosopher’s Stone…. what most alchemists considered the ultimate goal of their lives.
It was, in essence, an imitation of the Dragon Heart, which was an organ of a transcendent dragon.
A magical core that endlessly generated mana, never running dry.
But in the end, the Philosopher’s Stone was nothing more than a mere imitation. No matter how much effort or sacrifice humans poured into it, the culmination of human knowledge and craftsmanship would never be enough to rival a true transcendent.
In short, the Philosopher’s Stone that was so desperately sought after by alchemists was simply a replica of the Dragon Heart, nothing more. It could never match the real thing. So why, then, did alchemists dedicate their entire lives to pursuing something that was merely an imitation of a transcendent’s organ?
Ever since Linne first stepped into the world of alchemy, she had questioned this. The idea that such a thing could be a lifelong aspiration had always seemed unbearably underwhelming to her.
And so, she set her sights on a different goal.
Her ambition was to become a transcendent. Or, if that proved impossible, to create one with her own hands.
Transcendents must have come into existence through some means, some catalyst. If she could uncover that secret, then perhaps creating one artificially was not an impossible dream.
Had the priests who worshiped the gods, or the followers of the Transcendents, heard of her thoughts, they would have condemned her as the height of blasphemy and branded her a heretic. But while she could conceal her beliefs, she had no intention of abandoning them.
That was why she had even joined hands with the likes of dark mages.
Among the four known types of transcendents—gods, demons, dragons, and giants—her knowledge would remain incomplete if she lacked information on demons.
For that reason, when Princess Elysia first emerged carrying the Demon Seed, she had secretly harbored great expectations. She had thought that the princess might be the key to fulfilling her deepest wish.
But that hope had quickly turned into disappointment.
The Demon Seed was less about transforming a mortal into a Transcendent and more about something that was a Transcendent to begin with being reborn with a mortal body as its host.
A mortal’s body was nothing more than a kind of cradle. Once the full transformation into a demon was complete, not even a trace of the princess’s current self would remain. This was far from the wish she had been hoping to fulfill.
Instead, she saw its value as a bargaining chip in her dealings with the dark mages. So, she passed this information on to Bollen, the dark mage with whom she regularly traded.
Upon hearing the news, they imagined that the birth of a new demon might usher in the world they longed for. But to Linne, the idea was nothing short of laughable.
Demons were on no one’s side. They loved only chaos and evil, viewing even their own followers as mere playthings.
What about the monsters and demonic beings lurking in the Demon Realm? Even they, creatures driven by nothing but the instinct to slaughter, feared the very demons that had created them. And the demons, in turn, did not care for their offspring. Instead, they cast them into an abyss of endless carnage, forcing them to fight and kill one another for their own amusement.
Would such beings truly treat their worshippers any differently? Hardly. Perhaps, for a time, they might align themselves with the dark mages to overthrow the world stabilized by the gods, but they would never act according to the dark mages’ desires.
Perhaps the dark mages knew this all along. If not, they would have already attempted to abduct the princess from the academy rather than waiting for her to transform into a demon on her own.
Maybe they had even prepared some kind of mechanism to control the demon once it emerged. But to Linne, either possibility seemed nothing more than a foolish thing.
One way or another, her wish remained as distant as ever. And perhaps that was why she had taken an interest in Yujin.
– I will make even the Transcendents acknowledge my existence.
That single declaration was enough to draw her attention. More than anything, he was an Archmage who had pioneered the study of space-time magic, a field said to be the domain of Transcendents alone.
In some ways, he had come closer to her wish than she ever had. He was a great pioneer on the path she sought to walk.
Even after learning, through Reina’s remarks, that he was a dark mage, her interest in him did not wane. If anything, a later conversation with Bollen led her to suspect that Yujin might not even be mortal. And that possibility only deepened her fascination.
A man who could be the leader of the dark mages. A man who might not even be a mere mortal.
Of course, the chances of him being a true Transcendent were slim. After all, it was known that every Transcendent had either perished in the Great War or been sealed away within the Great Labyrinth.
But then again, who was to say there wasn’t a Transcendent who had evaded the gods’ gaze and hidden away all this time? The gods were not omnipotent. Not against the Transcendents.
Perhaps, at long last, she had found the chance to stand before a true Transcendent and study their existence firsthand.
Of course, given the nature of her lifelong ambition, it was only natural that she was one of the professors who frequented the labyrinth. She had faced trials set by Transcendents on multiple occasions and had even conducted research on them, treating them as subjects of study.
However, despite her efforts, there were inherent limitations in studying the Transcendents who were bound to the labyrinth and could only exert limited influence. At best, they occasionally manifested as spiritual projections or incarnations to interact with mortals, but due to the constraints of the labyrinth, they could never fully reveal their true forms to the mortal world.
Strictly speaking, Linne had never directly encountered a Transcendent herself.
Moreover…
Perhaps even mortals can become Transcendents…
She was still mulling over Yujin’s words. If all her thoughts and theories were correct, then what he had said was no different from a Transcendent themselves suggesting that mortals might indeed have the potential to ascend.
In a world where even the Philosopher’s Stone was considered an unattainable dream in the field of alchemy, she carried an ambition so absurd that it bordered on madness…..the creation of a Transcendent.
Naturally, there were times when she questioned whether her ambition was nothing more than a delusion.
Yet, when Yujin had spoken those words, she had felt as if he had validated her beliefs, proving that she was not mistaken.
…First, how should I approach him?
She pondered the best way to make contact with Yujin. Last time, since Reina had been by his side, she had approached him casually, intending only to have a light conversation. But from the moment she laid eyes on him, it was clear. He was not someone to be taken lightly.
After all, he had managed to become an academy professor while concealing the fact that he was a dark mage, even under the watchful eye of the Headmistress. That alone proved he was not an opponent to be underestimated.
His true identity remained uncertain, and if she approached him recklessly, she could end up at a disadvantage. At the very least, she needed to learn more about him and reach a position where she could negotiate on equal footing.
Of course, if her suspicions were correct, anything she could offer in exchange would be far from sufficient. But if he found even the slightest interest in her, that alone would be a success.
Honestly, it didn’t matter whether he was truly a Transcendent or the leader of the dark mages. Linne herself was merely entertaining possibilities, and the actual likelihood wasn’t particularly high.
There was no need to set her expectations too high. Even if he wasn’t what she speculated, Yujin was still an intriguing man.
He was a great pioneer who had made the concept of space-time, once thought to be the exclusive domain of the Transcendents, so systematic that even humans could use it. Considering her own ambition, it would be more than worth it if she could capture even the faintest thread of his talent that dared to invade the realm of the Transcendents.
And so, she spent a long time contemplating how to get closer to Yujin.
***
Meanwhile, that night, after the lecture had ended—
Yujin made his way to Elicia’s dormitory.
Yujin had not forgotten his promise to go on a night walk around 10 p.m.
Of course, Tiamat’s words and Elicia’s emotions still lingered in his mind, but he figured those were matters to be dealt with in due time.
And so, he stood in front of Elicia’s dormitory room.
Knock, knock.
“Your Highness? Are you there?”
He knocked on the door and called out to her. Then—
Click.
“Yes, Professor.”
The door immediately opened, and Elicia appeared as if she had been waiting right by the entrance all along.
Naturally, Yujin wasn’t particularly surprised. He had already expected as much. What unsettled him, however, was the realization that she had been standing right at the door, waiting for him to arrive.
But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. He greeted her.
“Good evening, Your Highness. It’s a lovely night.”
“…Yes, good evening to you too, Professor.”
At his words, Elicia gave a small nod with a hint of shyness in her demeanor. For some reason, Yujin felt a lingering sense of unease. Not to mention the weight of Tiamat’s gaze from behind.
But whether she was aware of any of this or not, Elicia looked up at him slightly and spoke.
“…m-more importantly… how do I look?”
At that, Yujin stared at her intently.
Dressed in a pure white one-piece dress and a wide-brimmed hat, she looked more put together than usual. Her light makeup was subtle yet elegant, enhancing her delicate beauty without overpowering it. She looked like a single pure flower in full bloom.
Yujin smiled as he spoke.
“You’ve dressed up. It suits you.”
“R-Really? Thank you.”
At his words, Elicia blushed and lowered her head. Yujin let out a faint, bitter smile before extending his hand toward her in an escorting gesture.
“Shall we go? Fortunately, the moon is bright tonight, making for quite a picturesque view.”
“…Yes.”
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