CHAPTER 58………..
“It’s a being of high rank that mere humans like us aren’t allowed to see.”
I was taken aback by his serious expression—I hadn’t seen it before.
The guardian dragon, Asilius.
Once called the companion of a goddess, he was the only living proof of the goddess’s existence.
I had heard before that he resided somewhere in the sanctuary of the main temple.
“But is it really something to look so serious about?”
The child had only asked out of curiosity. I thought he was being a little sensitive and ended the “history lesson” disguised as prayer time.
It was now the end of our volunteer activities.
Before we left, the children in the temple saw us off with bright, cheerful smiles.
“Unnie! Oppas! We had so much fun!”
“See you next time!”
The students also smiled proudly, seeing how genuinely happy the children were.
“We want to come again!”
“Me too!”
Yes, next time, come with your parents.
“If Ren-senpai and Alfeo-senpai come too, then I’ll come!”
“Will Professor Jacqueline come next time?”
A few students asked me.
“Why, if I come along, you wouldn’t come?”
Were they planning to come just to see Lennox and Alfeo if I wasn’t there? Caught red-handed.
“No! Actually…”
The students who asked the question trailed off, embarrassed.
‘Bulls-eye.’
Their hesitant glances confirmed it.
“Oh my, Melin, what brings you here?”
Professor McCarman was surprised by Melin’s visit.
“I came because I was bored!”
Recently, my sister hadn’t been coming to the lab, so it was rare to see her.
Melin, who had been studying non-stop, had come here out of sheer boredom.
“Melin is always so cheerful.”
She was probably the only student who would come to the professor’s study just because she was bored.
Despite the gravity of recent events, Melin’s expression wasn’t dark; if anything, it was brighter than before.
Seeing her, Professor McCarman gave a gentle smile.
“I was just organizing the study. Perfect timing. Would you like to help me sort some books while you’re here?”
“Hehe, sure!”
Melin eagerly took a seat, and the professor looked at her with a fond expression.
Unlike most students, who did chores out of fear, Melin seemed to genuinely enjoy the work.
‘Is she just insensitive, or is she strong-willed?’
Professor McCarman smiled. Either way, it suited her.
Melin paused, noticing a particular book.
“About Spirit Mages…?”
“Oh, there it is!”
Professor McCarman said, slightly surprised.
“The Natural Sciences Department used to be the Spirit Studies Department. So some of these books are still around. They’re no longer in the curriculum, so we should probably dispose of them…”
Despite saying that, the professor lovingly stroked the book.
“It’s strangely dear to me. Do you have any things like that?”
“Hmmm…”
Melin thought for a moment.
“No… Could I read this book?”
“Sure.”
Her violet eyes sparkled.
‘I’ve never seen a book about Spirit Mages before!’
She eagerly opened the book.
About Spirit Mages
The kingdom has many Spirit Mages, but they are different from ordinary humans…
The following story concerns them.
But only for a moment. Melin’s eyelids gradually drooped.
Eventually, she fell asleep, and Professor McCarman chuckled softly.
‘Come to think of it, Melin also has violet eyes.’
Most ancient Spirit Mages had violet eyes.
However, around 500 years into the Empire, a certain event led to their extinction.
Since then, people with violet eyes were rare, but most were ordinary humans.
‘There’s no way Melin is a Spirit Mage.’
Professor McCarman quickly dismissed the thought.
While it was academically acknowledged that Spirit Mages could theoretically still exist, there was one decisive reason Melin couldn’t be one.
If Melin were a Spirit Mage, then Clemens would also have violet eyes.
“Spirit Mage abilities are inherited; it’s impossible otherwise…”
With that, the professor gently stroked Melin’s head as she slept.
Now my real vacation began.
That meant it was time to start serious research with Alfeo.
But first, one problem needed solving. It had been bothering me since recruiting Alfeo.
“Is there a way to use Demonite not just as a power source, but as a material for the machines themselves?”
“Hmm, it’s not yet the time for the Tera project, so I can’t reveal such secrets.”
Alfeo smiled slyly again today.
‘Ah, that fox.’
I had asked him nearly ten times, but he had never answered once.
‘But judging by his expression, he seems to know.’
That made me even more impatient.
“You want to develop flying machines, right? But you know it’s impossible with current materials. The power and mobility are too weak.”
Alfeo sat arrogantly in the chair, nodding as if to say, “Go on, tell me more.”
‘This bright young kid…’
Patience. Good things come to those who wait.
Compared to the emperor, who executed his sons for treason and constantly waged wars, dealing with this arrogant rebel prince was far easier.
“Ugh!”
At that moment, there was a scraping sound, and Alfeo sank downwards.
‘What on earth…?’
I blinked in confusion.
Alfeo landed on the floor, looking utterly dumbfounded.
“What are you doing?”
“Sitting down.”
Renox calmly sat in the chair he had snatched from Alfeo.
His movements were smooth and elegant, so for a moment I didn’t even notice anything wrong.
Alfeo glared at him, exasperated.
“There are plenty of empty seats!”
“But I want to sit here.”
Renox stared at him as if asking if he had anything more to say.
Alfeo looked like he had plenty to argue but alternated glances between Renox and me before finding another seat.
‘He’s just afraid he’ll lose to Renox.’
After living together for a few weeks, I had a good grasp of Alfeo’s behavior.
He avoided physical fights whenever possible.
Despite his agile appearance, he was clumsy, making him poor at physical tasks.
‘But have Renox and Alfeo always been at odds?’
Lately, their behavior resembled that of sworn enemies.
‘Though it seems Renox instigates it more.’
Still, there must be a reason.
Because of Melin, I had immense trust in Renox, so I was sure he had his own reasons.
“So, what do you want to tell me?”
Alfeo asked, and I spoke.
“I have an answer to increase durability.”
“Demonite?”
I was surprised at the easy correctness of his answer.
Alfeo was smart and creative.
“Indeed, Demonite is the best option right now.”
Modern flying machines usually use non-metal materials like aluminum, but this world lacked the technology to process them.
‘But with Demonite, it might be possible.’
Demonite was truly a remarkable mineral. Depending on how it was processed, it could take on the properties of any other mineral—a real cheat.
“But I haven’t found a way to process it.”
It didn’t need processing as a raw material, but it did as a component.
“Hmm, I do know one way.”
Finally!
I waited for Alfeo’s answer with eager anticipation.
After almost three years of failed attempts, my heart raced.
“You change the properties of Demonite with a massive amount of energy.”
