[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
Chapter 33
"You're... okay with this?"
"Yes."
Even after hearing such an unbelievable story?
Irene doubted her ears.
In contrast, Myorn, who hadn't expected much after explaining, was now...
"Really? Truly?" Completely overjoyed.
"Of course, that doesn’t an I’ve finalized any research collaboration with you, Myorn."
"What? Why not?"
"I still need to hear about Irene’s research topic in detail."
"Ah!"
Irene, montarily dazed by Kaylen's words, quickly ca to her senses and looked at him again.
Kaylen, with an expression of complete composure, glanced between Irene and Myorn.
‘Explain it... in detail? To a human?’
As the leader of the elves, humans had always readily accepted her words without much questioning...
But now she had to persuade them through her research topic?
Though montarily flustered, Irene steadied herself.
‘Fine. This human is worth it.’
Not as a 4-circle ister, but as a mage.
Under normal circumstances, a ister would be more highly regarded...
But not in the case of this research aid at advancing elven spirit magic.
‘isters haven’t been very helpful in this field anyway.’
isters specialize in a single attribute.
Originally, this concept was derived from non-human races like elves and dwarves.
Elves and dwarves, chosen by one of the Four Great Spirits, would only handle that specific elent.
Elves typically aligned with either wind or water spirits, while dwarves aligned with earth or fire spirits.
Thus, human isters had limited usefulness in such research, as such specialists already existed within their own races.
‘Rather than a ister, what we need is a mage...’
A traditional mage capable of handling all elents.
For the research, those who had declined in prominence with the tis were precisely what was needed.
‘To verify the records we’ve obtained this ti.’
Irene recalled the records she had recently acquired—docunts containing clues to the advancent of spirit magic.
To experint with those findings, they needed not a ister but a mage—an exceptionally skilled one.
Kaylen, standing before her, was a 4-circle mage.
Although not considered a high-ranking mage by past standards, in modern tis, mages of this level were rare.
"Alright. We're conducting experints to restore a more advanced form of spirit magic."
"More advanced, you say?"
"In the past, we could summon even high-level spirits."
"That’s true. At least before dungeons began appearing."
Kaylen fell into thought.
In the past, elves and dwarves who reached a certain level could summon high-level spirits.
Additionally, exceptional beings like High Elves or Dwarf Queens could even summon supre spirits.
“Even summoning high-level spirits is difficult now?”
‘If this happened after the dungeons appeared, it must be related to the amount of mana.’
Since the proliferation of dungeons, the amount of mana in the world had indeed decreased.
In the end, the root cause was the dungeons… sothing even the long-lived non-human races surely understood.
“What connection is there between dungeons and spirit magic?”
Feigning ignorance, Kaylen asked. Myorn, shaking all his fur, responded.
“Since the dungeons appeared, the amount of mana in the atmosphere has started to decrease.”
“Even the elders, who could once summon high-level spirits, say that the spirits no longer respond to their calls.”
“I see. The decrease in atmospheric mana is the issue. Can it be overco through experints and research?”
“We’ve devised many thods, but recently we discovered aningful records, which is why we need the help of a mage.”
“A mage, not a ister?”
“Yes, exactly.”
When Irene answered so readily, Kaylen smiled faintly.
“But what should I do? After this tournant, I plan to undergo the ister evaluation. Afterward, I’ll likely live as a ister rather than a mage.”
“W-What? Oh!”
Irene, who hadn’t considered this possibility, was montarily at a loss for words.
The difference in status between a ister and a mage in the current era was vast, like heaven and earth. Kaylen had no compelling reason to remain a mage if the opportunity to beco a ister arose.
“If the research could be completed quickly, perhaps… but that seems unlikely.”
“It can’t be done that quickly…”
“Then it can’t be helped.”
“Wait! Just a mont! Six months—six months will be enough. The experints should conclude within that ti.”
Six months.
From the perspective of an ordinary mage, that ti fra seed manageable.
Even if it delayed becoming a ister, the opportunity to form a connection with one of the elven Tower Leaders was valuable.
But Kaylen’s response wasn’t favorable.
“Six months? That’s too long.”
“B-But! If you work with us, you’ll gain significant insights into the mana properties of water and wind. If you were to beco a ister of one of these attributes, it would be a huge advantage.”
Becoming a ister wasn’t the end.
It required deep comprehension of the chosen attribute.
Collaborating with the elves to enhance understanding of water and wind?
For a mage, this was a highly enticing offer—if the person wasn’t Kaylen.
Ernstine, who freely controlled not only the four primary attributes but also light and darkness, had ascended to the divine level of a Grand Swordmaster.
For soone like him, the elves’ attribute knowledge was utterly useless.
‘If anything, I would have been the one teaching them in the past.’
Among the many wives and concubines Ernstine had, there were even elves.
Even during a ti when mana wasn’t scarce, these elves, who could summon high-level spirits, had learned from Ernstine rather than taught him.
Thus, Irene’s confidence amounted to nothing.
“Irene, I already have sufficient understanding of elental attributes.”
“T-That can’t be! Saying it’s sufficient—becoming a ister is just the beginning!”
“No, I’m really fine. More importantly, if I have to remain a regular mage for six months during the experint, and the only outco is a deeper understanding of elental attributes…”
Kaylen lowered his head slightly and answered politely, “I don’t think I can participate in the research.”
Irene fell silent.
'Wait, turning this down just to pursue being a ister?'
Other isters would willingly pay to take part in an experint like this, yet this man was outright refusing.
'What kind of confidence is this?'
She couldn’t help but wonder if they should be the ones offering compensation instead.
'But how much? And to what extent?'
Since she had never considered compensating a human for participation in this experint, the decision wasn’t an easy one.
“Then, does this an you’ll work with ?”
“But Myorn, is your research also dependent on being a mage?”
“I’m developing a universal mana suit. It would be preferable if you were a mage, but… it’s not strictly necessary if you’re a ister.”
“Is that so?”
“Well, your body seems sturdy enough.”
Kaylen had already demonstrated his ability to confront the mana suit head-on.
Even with the assistance of magic, such a feat was nearly impossible without a strong physical foundation.
For her experint, Myorn considered Kaylen the ideal candidate—soone with exceptional physical endurance and magical skill.
“Then it’s fine.”
“Really?”
“Yes, let’s do the experint together.”
“Really? Really, truly?”
“Yes.”
“Not Irene, but ? Really?”
Still unable to believe it, Myorn kept asking. When Kaylen nodded affirmatively, her fur shook wildly in excitent.
“Wow… Did I just beat Irene? Has this ever happened before?”
“Wow, so that’s the kind of experint you’re conducting? Incredible.”
A hundred years ago, when Myorn’s mana suit experints were still in their early stages, her project to develop a universal mana suit had garnered widespread interest. Many Superior Mages wanted to participate, and even prominent families expressed interest in investing.
However, even during those promising tis:
“I’m sorry, Myorn. I’ve decided to work with Irene instead.”
“Apologies, I’m a ister of Water… I need to focus on elental affinity.”
Myorn had never won against Irene in attracting collaborators.
So were captivated by the beauty of the elves.
Others were drawn to elental affinity, prioritizing Irene’s expertise.
“Ah, it’s Myorn!”
“Avoid her—she’s going to ask us to experint.”
“Why does she keep doing this? My family says her suits are only good enough for knights who lack firepower.”
“Honestly… her suits are useless. No one wants them.”
As the results of Myorn’s experints fell far short of the initial hype, investnts dried up, and mages willing to collaborate with her dwindled to nearly none.
The experint had a notorious reputation as one of the worst—physically demanding but offering no tangible rewards.
“Myorn, you’re still conducting that experint? Honestly…”
“Yes, it’s an experint that must be done. But I have no participants.”
“No participants again? Fine, I’ll send soone your way.”
Eventually, Irene, from the sa Fairy Tower, stepped in to help Myorn. But the mages Irene sent were often unmotivated and lacked the skills Myorn needed.
Worse, these mages would constantly try to find ways out of the experint:
“I don’t think I’m a good fit for this experint.”
“Suddenly, my younger sibling was in an accident…”
“My family has summoned urgently, so I can’t continue the experint.”
They would leave, offering all sorts of excuses, only to later appear in experints led by Irene.
After seeing this pattern far too often, Myorn declared:
“Don’t send any more humans. I don’t need them. I’ll do it alone.”
It was more peaceful to hamr away at her work alone. More comforting to handle the flas herself. For 30 years, she worked solo on the developnt of mana suits, involving humans only for the final tests.
Finally, she made a breakthrough—a way to enhance her mana suits—but it required a special test subject:
“A physically strong mage who can withstand the pressure of the mana suit…”
Finding such a person was nearly impossible. The level of physical strength she sought was on par with knights, sothing rare in this era dominated by mages. That is, until Kaylen ca along.
'I thought I’d lose him, too…'
When Irene took an interest in Kaylen, Myorn assud she would lose him, just like before. But when Kaylen chose her experint instead, she was so overjoyed that she couldn’t contain herself.
Her fur bounced and shook, and before she knew it, she leaped like a ball, landing right beside Kaylen.
“Let’s work well together!”
With a whoosh, part of her fur ignited, and from the flas erged a stark white arm and hand. It was a scarred hand that gripped Kaylen’s firmly.
Her hand burned as hot as fire—hot enough to scald an ordinary person.
“Her hand is too hot. Her control isn’t refined yet,” Kaylen thought, assessing Myorn’s level just from the temperature.
“Oh, is it too hot?”
Her temperature reflected the elental spirits of fire and earth that she harbored. Humans would find it unbearable, so Myorn quickly withdrew her hand. But Kaylen smiled faintly.
“This much is fine.”
“…You’re just perfect for this!”
Delighted by his response, Myorn grabbed his hand again. Her fur danced wildly, creating a breeze.
“Goodbye, Irene.”
Her triumphant tone caused a frown to crease Irene’s brow.
If it were anyone else, she might have let them go. But Kaylen was too rare a case. There was no telling when another person like him might appear.
Determined, Irene bit her lip briefly before speaking.
“Wait a mont, Kaylen. If you join our research, I’ll make sure to offer you additional compensation.”
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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