It was well known how Professor Mobius would behave when he got angry.
He’d take a sip of hard liquor on the rocks while classical music played in the background. Then, he’d stare into space silently while sitting on his office chair, completely lost in thought.
In a way, it was an oddly old-fashioned way of expressing anger, but this sight alone would make most freeze in fear.
Because him in this state often ant that soone would end up dying...or wish that they had died.
“...Isn’t it just a fluke?”
At that mont, a careful voice echoed in the middle of the tense atmosphere, breaking the silence.
Among the Magic Tower’s faculty mbers, so of them adopted a more tolerant attitude towards Professor Mobius—so were even friendly towards him. This person, Professor Klein, was arguably the pri example of this.
Despite him being a Magic Tower Professor with abysmal social skills, soone who never bothered to read the room, he wasn’t exactly lacking in intelligence. The fact that he tried to cater to Mobius’ mood spoke volus about his regards for him
“Everyone knows that Devils are creatures beyond our control. Wouldn’t it more accurate to view the defeat as a result of clashing with them rather than with Professor Borris’ invent—”
“Defeat, you say?”
“...”
Professor Klein’s mouth snapped shut.
But then again, at the end of the day, this wasn’t sothing he used to do, and in hindsight, he should’ve known better than this.
Though Mobius’ voice didn’t sound particularly harsh, Klein’s choice of words had clearly struck a nerve.
“Science is about uncovering the principles behind the uncontrollable and reclaiming the right to shape them freely. Am I wrong?”
Mobius’ tone was still polite, but...
The coldness seeped in it was enough to make even Professor Klein, who wasn’t the target of his ire, felt a chill run down his spine.
“No matter who the opponent is, the fact that it resulted in a failure itself is the problem.”
“...”
No.
Wasn’t it your own goddamn fault that caused this ss?!
Geez, I just ca here to ask for a budget increase! Why am I on the receiving end of your misplaced anger?!
It was you who completely underestimated Dowd Campbell’s ability, failed to strategize properly, and even accepted Astrid’s proposal—openly challenging her, even though it was obvious that she was up to sothing!
So why are you taking out your anger on others when you were the one who fumbled, huh?!
While thinking this, Professor Klein rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Of course, he didn’t voice these thoughts out loud.
After all, Professor Mobius was still Professor Mobius. He was still de facto head of the Magic Tower at present.
And, not only did he have the authority, but he also had the ‘skills’ to back it up.
In more ways than one.
“Alright, how about this?”
Fortunately, Professor Klein had a card up his sleeve that might calm down the angry guy.
“I’ll handle it.”
Hearing Klein’s words, Professor Mobius furrowed his brows.
“...What do you an ‘handle’ it?”
“Ah, of course I know that he isn’t an opponent that could be taken lightly. After all, he did manage to damage your creation, Professor Mobius.”
Klein then displayed a level of conversational skill that was unbelievable for a Magic Tower Professor to have, avoiding unnecessary anger by praising his conversational partner.
In truth, compared to other professors, his achievents were just subpar. This conversational skill of his was what allowed him to have such private etings with Mobius.
Cunning, manipulation, sches, psychological warfare—those were the things that Klein was good at.
And as soone skilled in these areas, his analysis of Dowd Campbell was:
‘...Without Demonic Aura, he’s basically nothing, isn’t he?’
The problem was that the output of the ‘Demonic Aura’ he utilized was beyond the imagination of the Magic Tower Professors.
That ant...
All Klein had to do was to neutralize it.
In his eyes, Dowd was just a guy who managed to get through all the crises he faced with cheap tricks, strange abilities, and sheer luck.
To handle that kind of person, he’d just need to take away their ‘tools’. That way, their options would shrink dramatically.
“I have a plan. Just trust with it this once.”
“...”
Mobius paused, then responded to Klein’s sly smile.
“...Whatever it is, as long as it succeeds...”
Klein nodded with satisfaction at Professor Mobius’ words.
He could roughly guess what would follow.
“I’ll provide you with everything you need, Professor Klein.”
An easy target, and a complete freedom for his research.
That didn’t sound bad at all. He had a few demands lined up already.
“If I succeed, could you increase the budget and...grant so ‘materials’?”
“Materials?”
Klein, who was silent for a mont, spoke up with a grin.
“About 100 should be sufficient.”
“...”
After a brief silence, Mobius chuckled.
“You disgusting motherfucker.”
Of course, despite his words, it was clear that Mobius had no intention of stopping him.
●
“—They’re probably scheming sothing like that.”
“...”
“This all happened because they underestimated . As long as you seal my Demonic Aura, I’m nothing. Since they think of it that way, they’ll conclude that everything is decided the mont they seal my Demonic Aura away. Don’t you agree?”
“...Well, I guess so.”
Alpha replied reluctantly.
After the first ‘experint’, Professor Mobius had left with a hardened expression. That ant he was probably preparing sothing to ‘hurt’ Dowd’s side next ti.
And yet the man himself was lounging casually here, yawning while speculating on what might co next.
“It’s obvious what people who think they’re better than others will focus on. They’ll think I’m nothing if they just remove that one thing.”
The Magic Tower Professors were the cream of the crop. They were undoubtedly much smarter than Dowd himself.
However, even with such intelligence, their human’s minds could serve to block it from working properly.
Naly their arrogance, contempt, and superiority complex.
Hence why such people had a noticeable bad habit.
They mistakenly believed that they were the only one with a trump card.
And forgot that their opponents could also have tricks up their sleeves.
“That Klein guy is a bit of a trashy scumbag, unlike Professor Borris, right?”
“He’s quite trashy, in fact. Even Professor Astrid shuddered whenever his na was ntioned.”
“That’s why I brought this up.”
“...Pardon?”
“I want to set the stage in such a way that it’ll beco okay for to kill that motherfucker.”
“...”
“I’ll take him as an appetizer before I got to kill Mobius—”
“...Halt. Hold on a second.”
Alpha rubbed his face in exasperation.
“You’re talking about it as if you’re ordering an actual appetizer. Do you even realize what it would take to make that kind of plan plausible in this experintal structure—?”
“That Klein guy... You said that he’s the guy who’s obsessed with ‘brains’ the most in the Magic Tower, no?”
“...Yes. That’s also why he received more ‘human-related materials’ than any other professor.”
“Good. I just need to return the favor.”
“...”
What are you talking about?
Alpha stared at Dowd, puzzled, but Dowd only shrugged it off instead of explaining.
“Just help with a few things. I’ll handle the rest.”
“I’ll hear you out, but only if it’s sothing reasonable.”
“You talk like I always make insane requests.”
Dowd scoffed at him. The next mont, he acted as if he had rembered sothing.
“...By the way, where’s Eleanor? I haven’t seen the chancellor either...”
The last thing that he heard was that Eleanor had been summoned sowhere, but this was sothing that Alpha should know. After all, this whole conversation happened because Alpha ca to him to relay that ssage.
“I don’t know about the chancellor, but I know where Lady Eleanor is.”
Alpha stroked his chin while responding to Dowd’s question.
“I heard she went to receive the promised ‘reward’ from Professor Astrid.”
“...Excuse ?”
●
“Hmmm.”
Eleanor Elinalize La Tristan was intently staring at the brain floating in the cultivation tank.
Seeing the degree of her fascination, Astrid—the one who called her here—was taken aback.
-...What’s so interesting about it?
“This is the first ti I’ve seen a human organ this lively. To think it could retain this much vitality outside the body.”
-...
Co to think of it...
For the hundredth ti, Astrid wondered about the sanity of this woman—the woman who had been drooling over her son the most.
-...Anyway, let’s get back to the point.
Astrid let out a sigh.
-Do you know why I called you here?
“Is it not to tell how to properly ‘devour’ Dowd?”
-...Devour?
“Or ‘fuck’ him. Either works.”
-...
For God’s sake...
Please choose your words carefully, girl...
As Astrid held her head—which got increasingly dizzy, Eleanor narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Isn’t that why you called ?”
-...
“Did you deceive ?”
I never said I’d share so groundbreaking knowledge on that matter...
Barely able to hold on to her sanity, Astrid finally spoke up.
-...No. I said I’d tell you ‘sothing others might not know’ about my son.
“So... that would be—”
-No! No! Not that!
“...”
Astrid hurriedly cut her off, inwardly groaned at Eleanor’s sulky glare.
Is it really okay for to share my son’s ‘secret’ with this kind of person?
-...Actually, you two might really be a match made from heaven...
Even so...
It wasn’t like she had much choice.
-Dowd seems to trust you the most. Which is why I’m asking you this favor.
“Favor?”
-I have sothing to show you.
The thing that she was about to show was a mory.
One that Dowd wished to forget more than anything.
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