AIA 08

AI Archmage – Chapter 08

“It’s been a while.”

Shion walked along the path toward Belucian’s secret workshop, lost in memories of the past.
Being a close friend also meant sharing many secrets.
Just as Belucian knew many of Altair’s secrets, Shion, too, knew several of Belucian’s.
One of them was this workshop.

“Walking there like this?”
“It’s not that far.”
“You’re saying my master’s secret workshop… was near the main tower? How come I never discovered it…?”
“It’s possible even the tower’s master couldn’t find it. As you know, archmages tend to be eccentric. Because of that, the structure is anything but ordinary.”

Shion spoke casually about Belucian’s workshop.
Serentia, who was following him, asked cautiously:

“Um… I’ve been wondering this for a while, but how exactly do you know about Belucian’s secret workshop?”
“It’s a secret.”
“…Ah, I see.”

Serentia wanted to ask more, but thinking about it, she realized she had no right to force the matter. And she couldn’t pressure Shion physically either.
So, for now, she decided to follow him. After all, she was a mage, and curiosity was hard to resist.

The place where Shion stopped was one neither of them expected.

“Th-this place…”
“It’s a graveyard.”

To be precise…

“It’s a scrap disposal site where, when Altair was alive, failed projects were discarded while continuing work connected to his workshop.”

Yes, a scrap disposal site.
A desolate area a little away from the Azure Tower, where even the word “eyesore” seemed appropriate.
Various mechanical devices, wires, and heaps of scrap metal lay scattered.
There weren’t enough personnel or technology to recycle them, and sorting and processing them would cost even more, so they were abandoned.

Looking at it, Lumia muttered:

“There… my master’s secret workshop is here?”
“That’s right. Honestly, it’s not an easy place to imagine.”
“But I can’t see an entrance anywhere! I just scanned underground with mana, but there’s nothing!”
“Yes, that’s expected.”

Shion said with a matter-of-fact expression.

“With magic of only the 6th Circle, there are limits.”
“What did you say?”
“An archmage is a title given to someone who has reached a level capable of leaving a mark in the history of magic.”

Shion continued in a calm voice:

“In front of such a person, the 6th Circle is, indeed, just ‘child’s play.’”
“I-I see…?”
“That’s right.”

Hmm… strange.
Lumia frowned at the overly convoluted explanation but decided to accept it for now.

Anyway, the important thing was the secret workshop.
She closed her eyes, spreading her mana, trying to locate it.
If the entrance was really here, it shouldn’t be impossible to detect.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find it.
It didn’t respond to mana detection, and it was nearly impossible to find clues amidst the piles of scrap with the naked eye.

“Shall we open it right away?”
“W-wait!”

Lumia hesitated and spoke.

“It… it feels like… my pride is at stake. Still, as my master’s successor and once hailed as a prodigy of magic…”
“Oh, you want to find it yourself?”
“…Yes. Now that the location is roughly identified, I don’t think it’s impossible.”
“Then go ahead and find it.”

Shion agreed cheerfully.
He could have opened the entrance himself immediately, but watching her ability unfold was part of the fun.
‘Well, she is that guy’s disciple.’

He wondered what Belucian had seen in her to choose her as a student after disappearing.
It could have been just her magical talent, but the Belucian Shion knew was not that simple.
From what he had seen so far, she was talented, but not exceptional.
Her talent was within the bounds Shion had occasionally observed during his life as Altair.
He expected more. And he believed Belucian had surely seen more.

“This is strange.”

At that moment, Serentia approached Shion. Lumia was moving among the scrap, searching for traces or clues.

“As far as I know, Shion, you are younger than me. Yet you treat Lumia and me like children.”
“That could be.”
“I have to ask—are you some kind of ‘arrangement’ prepared by Belucian?”

Serentia’s eyes were cautious and tense.

“There were many mysteries regarding Belucian’s sudden disappearance. The reasons were unknown. But one thing is clear.”
“And that is?”
“Belucian left almost nothing behind.”

“….”

Shion remained silent too. He had no idea about Belucian’s disappearance.
No matter how much the Magical Council opposed him, Belucian could not have disappeared without a trace.
He was one of the five 9th Circle archmages, among the most skilled of his time.
And the Belucian Shion knew would never vanish without leaving a contingency for the Azure Tower.

Yet, as Serentia said, nothing was left.
As a result, within just 20 years, the Azure Tower was on the brink of collapse.

“Frankly, Shion, your existence can’t be explained logically. But if you are a ‘specific arrangement’ left by Belucian, everything makes sense.”
“…Hmm.”

Shion thought his past life had little to do with Belucian.
But Serentia’s words triggered a thought.
‘He knew my secrets too. Maybe even about the Akashic Records…’

If so, even if his past life was intentional, the fact that he became Shion Rostery of the Azure Tower…

“Well.”

Shion shook his head, unable to draw a conclusion yet.

“As I said, it’s a secret.”
“Hm.”

Serentia nodded at Shion’s words.

“I see, that’s the setup.”
“It’s a secret.”
“So, it’s meant to be a secret. I understand.”
“….”

They let it go, unwilling to untangle the misunderstanding.

Then—

Spark!

Something sparked near Lumia, and the “scrap disposal site” began to move.
Serentia widened her eyes at the sight.

“This…?!”
“Looks like she found it.”

Shion chuckled and walked toward Lumia.
‘Yes, this is how it should be.’

Mana began to flow through hidden wires among the failed projects in the scrap.
This required understanding the concealed structure within the scrap to solve.

“Look! I found it!”
“Yes, it seems so.”

Shion smiled as he stood next to Lumia.
She held a small button in her hands.

“Everything we researched hasn’t gone to waste. Looking closely, this scrap site is actually one giant blueprint.”
“That makes sense.”

And indeed, the scrap site shifted, revealing an entrance with a creak and a thud.

“Th-there really was one.”

Lumia gaped at the protruding entrance, trembling as she grabbed the handle.

“Beyond this… is my master’s secret workshop…”

But when she turned the handle—

“Huh?”

It wouldn’t open.
She tried to force it, but the door remained shut.

“Why…?”
“That’s fine. You did well enough.”

Shion chuckled and found another hidden key among the scrap, activating it.

Thud!

The door opened, and Lumia exhaled in relief.

“Ah.”
“Finding the entrance is enough, isn’t it? Let’s go in.”

Her talent was sufficient to understand the layout leading to her master’s secret workshop—that alone was enough.

Beyond the door, stairs descended, and the dark interior was immediately illuminated.

“I-I managed to find it…”
Muttering, Lumia stepped inside.
“Yes, even the tower’s master could have found it.”
“Y-yeah!”
“If I had said that before you found it.”
“Eek!”

Lumia glared at Shion, face flushed, but he wasn’t threatened in the slightest.
In any case, they stepped into the secret workshop.

“…I never imagined such a space existed. Truly amazing.”

Serentia looked around, astonished.
The interior was immaculate—hard to believe it was located in that chaotic scrap site.
Even the architectural skill was remarkable.

Lumia and Serentia admired the smooth walls.

“Such excellent finishing.”
“As expected of my master… Sister, I guess Altair helped with this?”
“Probably. Judging by the state of the building, it might have been a joint effort by Belucian and Altair.”

Shion listened and nodded.
‘Close to the truth.’

Altair had indeed helped with the design stage, which is why Shion knew of the workshop.

But…
‘Belucian, that old man. He built this a bit roughly, didn’t he?’
[Not all archmages are great architects, human.]
Akasha gently defended Belucian, but Shion didn’t agree.
‘No. I noticed some parts of the interior were modified arbitrarily by that old man.’
[Ah, meaning he didn’t follow your blueprint exactly.]

Shion frowned slightly as he observed the interior.

The workshop was surprisingly spacious for an underground area.
About 1.5 times the area Altair had designed in life.

Finally, when they entered the largest space in the workshop…

“Hoho.”

They could see the true nature of the workshop Belucian had hidden.

[Hoho, this is…]
“Ha, that old man really…”

Shion chuckled at the equipment filling the space.
Lumia and Serentia whispered in amazement.

“Sh-Shion, this is…”
“A production table.”

It wasn’t suitable for mass-producing magical tools, but to Shion, it meant more than anything.

Because…

“This is the same type of production table Altair himself used.”
“…!”
“That means, with proper knowledge and materials, Altair engineering can be reproduced anytime.”

Moreover, some materials were already prepared, so simple magical tools could be made immediately.
Everything was well maintained and functional.

‘So that old man… when the academia discarded all grimoires, he hid them here.’

Shion smiled at Belucian’s “arrangement.”
It was truly the ultimate arrangement.
They had a space where they could make exactly what they needed.

As the two froze in awe, and one rejoiced, a hologram appeared.

“M-Master?!”

The hologram was Belucian.
Lumia’s eyes widened.
The holographic Belucian spoke slowly: